Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension

Shangguan Longhu and his wife took the opportunity to gain some additional benefits. After finding an excuse, they tacitly agreed.

The Zhao Family seemed to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, they had gained a great deal, since giving the Earth Flame Palace to the Ksitigarbha Sect was essentially like handing it over to the Zhao Family.

Following this interlude, the three powers swiftly began preparations for the major battle.

Zhao Sheng and Array Master Elder Huang had exchanged names earlier, which served as a formal introduction, after which the two discussed the details of their plan.

In fact, Zhao Sheng's task was simple, aside from cooperating with Elder Huang to break the formation; the rest was as a flexible combat force, quite free.

In contrast, Han Wei, Zhou Li, and Shi Jiugong needed not only to coordinate among the three parties but also to spare no effort in commanding their forces to besiege the Earth Flame Demon Followers, aiming to minimize casualties.

Zhao Sheng did not need to deal with these trivial matters. After discussing with Elder Huang, he stood aside alone, seeking tranquility.

It was at this moment that Zhao Zhengzhuo approached with a ravishing girl in a red dress.

Zhao Sheng opened his eyes to look at the golden couple.

"Zhengzhuo pays respects to the Sixteenth Ancestor!" Zhao Zhengzhuo said respectfully as he bowed.

Meanwhile, the girl in the red dress also bowed deeply, "Junior Dong Mengyan pays respects to the Qiong Tian Ancestor!"

"Hmm? Surname Dong, could it be the daughter of the Dong Family?" Zhao Sheng, upon hearing this, gazed intently at the stunning beauty before him.

Before Dong Mengyan could respond, Zhao Zhengzhuo swiftly interjected, "Mengyan is the Weaver of this generation in the Dong Family, and she has already been engaged to me."

"I am only a candidate; Sister Dai is the true Heavenly Destiny Weaver," Dong Mengyan emphasized after hearing this.

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, his mind as clear as a mirror.

Zhao Zhengzhuo, after all, hadn't given up on his ambitions; his actions were clearly demonstrating his deep Qi Fortune and his capability for the great role of Emperor.

This young man is quite scheming; no wonder he brought his fiancée to actively participate in the battle.

Zhao Sheng admired the young man's behavior, so he thought for a moment and then pulled out two Blood Talismans from his robe, handing them to the pair.

"The Hundred-Mile Rainbow Talisman!" Zhao Zhengzhuo exclaimed excitedly as he received the Blood Talismans.

Although the Sixteenth Ancestor had not been back with the clan for many years, his mastery of pills, instruments, and talismans was already famous throughout the Zhao Family, and the Hundred-Mile Rainbow Talisman was a masterpiece of the Sixteenth Ancestor.

Two years ago, an uncle of the main lineage used this talisman to successfully escape from a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator.

Since then, the Hundred-Mile Rainbow Talisman had become very famous, and afterward, it was hard to find one in the clan!

"Thank you, Ancestor, for granting us the talismans!" Both of them quickly bowed and called out in unison.

"Rise, there's no need for such formality!" Zhao Sheng said, waving his sleeve to send out two currents that helped them stand upright.

After a few words of encouragement, he sent them on their way.

Shortly afterward, Han Wei, Zhou Li, and Shi Jiugong finished their communication and devised a plan for the attack.

At that moment, Zhao Changdu also finalized a plan with Shangguan Longhu and his wife to eliminate two Nascent Soul Demon Lords.

Shortly after, streaks of tunneling light continuously flew out from the Stone Hall and disappeared into the toxic mists of dark clouds.

Once everyone had departed, the entire Stone Hall, together with the stone pillars below, suddenly cracked open countless deep fissures and then collapsed thunderously, plunging into the Magma Sea.

For a moment, the sea surface erupted with large tongues of fire, and fiery waves surged in all directions, but the Fire Sea soon returned to calm.

...

Seven days later,

The largest extinct volcano in the southeastern part of the Fire Cloud Mountain Range suddenly began spewing rolling black smoke the day before, showing signs of revival.

However, almost no one knew that the interior of this extinct volcano had already been thoroughly modified using great power.

At this moment, the slightly tilted ring-shaped mountain wall was carved with giant, majestic flame totems. Surrounding the totems were dense arrays of spiritual networks. These networks not only spread across the rock walls and deeply anchored into the mountain itself, but they also directly penetrated the underground magma, continuously drawing infinite fire power from the magma and infusing it into the flame totems, causing them to condense into humanoid fire spirits that slowly drifted in the air.

In the deepest parts of the volcano, on the scorching solidified basalt surface, a vast Evading Tribulation Array with exceedingly complex array patterns had long been set up.

The array was surrounded by nine magma pools, each three zhang in size and arranged according to the Nine Palaces Bagua positions. Each magma pool contained a nine-story golden tower, the tip of each tower stretching upward three zhang high with a pitch-black long sword emitting a faint cold light.

At this moment, the Evading Tribulation Array was enveloped by a vast expanse of fire clouds, obscuring any activity inside, yet the clouds were regularly expanding and contracting, seemingly brewing something.

Above the volcano, two intense firelights suspended left and right, each containing a figure, one black and one red.

The figure clad in a black robe was none other than the Demon Lord Dong Zhi, within the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

Dressed in red armor and adorned with golden rings on his limbs was Shi Ri, who had advanced to Nascent Soul over three hundred years ago and had barely reached the Third Level of Nascent Soul.

At that moment, Demon Lord Dong Zhi looked to his left with a solemn expression and suddenly said in a deep voice, "Shi Ri, for some reason, I am feeling somewhat restless and have a vague feeling that something is about to happen."

"Elder brother, you worry too much, Meng'er is your only offspring, hence you're overly concerned. We have prepared so thoroughly. You even handed over the treasury's treasure, the Seven Flames Fan, to Meng'er for refining ahead of time. Plus with all our arrangements, it shouldn't be difficult for Meng'er to successfully cross the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation," Shi Ri replied dismissively.

"You make a good point, brother. I hope it's just my own needless anxiety!" the Demon Lord remarked.

Despite saying so, Demon Lord Dong Zhi's face still showed a trace of worry.

A few moments later, the firelight beneath him surged dramatically, and he suddenly soared into the sky. He flew at an extremely fast pace around the vicinity for a hundred li, meticulously scanning every inch of land with his divine thought, leaving no abnormal conditions unchecked.

In the end... he found nothing amiss.

Shortly afterward, Demon Lord Dong Zhi flew back to the crater of the volcano, appearing much more relaxed.

Seeing this, Shi Ri teased, "Elder brother, aren't you being a bit too cautious? With both of us here, who in the world could escape our notice?"

"Caution is the parent of safety! Moreover, it concerns whether Meng'er can successfully cross the tribulation," Dong Zhi responded.

"Fair point... Ah, they're here!"

Mid-sentence, Shi Ri abruptly stopped talking and suddenly looked up at the sky. He couldn't help but exclaim loudly.

At this moment, through the mouth of the volcano, one could see that the sky suddenly filled with vast black clouds. Within the depths of these clouds, countless electric snakes flickered, and thunderous sounds grew from soft to loud, quickly filling the air with roaring thunder.

"Let's go!" the Demon Lord Dong Zhi called out. Instantly, he transformed into a streak of flame light and shot out of the volcano mouth, with Shi Ri following closely behind.

As the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation approached, right above the Earth Abyss Fire Sea located three hundred li beneath the extinct volcano, a gigantic island was stationed, known as the mysteriously renowned Earth Flame Island.

The island was roughly circular in shape, high in the middle and low around the edges, looking much like a colossal turtle shell, and spanned over a hundred li.

The island was inhabited by nearly a million people, most of whom were descendants of successive generations of Earth Flame Palace disciples. These commoners had been confined to the island generation after generation, living in perpetual darkness, serving as servants and slaves to the Earth Flame Palace.

At this time, in the airspace above a section of the sea of fire at the edge of Flame Island, the air slightly distorted as Zhao Sheng and Elder Huang hovered within an invisible barrier, staring intently at Earth Flame Island which was almost within reach.

Looking at the huge fire shield enveloping the entire island, Zhao Sheng transmitted his voice, "Elder Huang, the thunder tribulation above has begun."

"Good, let the old man take action," Elder Huang replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, Elder Huang waved his hands outward, and eight Yin Yang Array Plates suddenly flew up into the air, circling around him.

The eight array plates buzzed as they spun rapidly, continuously bursting forth vast swaths of clear radiance. The radiance spread out like waves and stealthily merged into Earth Flame Island's array fire shield.

The next second, Elder Huang's hands moved rapidly to form seals, and swathes of divine thoughts burst forth, entering the surrounding void. The eight Yin Yang Array Plates once again purged a vast expanse of clear radiance, within which countless black and white Yin Yang talisman characters suddenly appeared.

Heavenly Yin Yang talismans surged along with the clear radiance and cascaded down like a waterfall. The talismans flickered alternately between light and dark, shimmering millions of times in an instant.

Zhao Sheng's eyes shone brightly as he stood nearby, intently watching Elder Huang breaking the array. In his mind, nearly a thousand consciousnesses were cooperating in an orderly manner, meticulously "learning" the other's techniques.

Just then, Zhao's Taoist Soldiers behind them, having received a message in secret, slowly moved closer.

At the same time, from the northwest directions of Earth Flame Island, forces from the Ksitigarbha Sect and the Purple Sun Sect had also begun to stealthily advance toward Earth Flame Island.

The three parties were soon in position, all ready to storm Earth Flame Island the moment the great array was broken.