Chapter 1353 - 1348: Fierce Battle
As soon as Lin Chuan spoke, everyone's eyes were on his face. The leading young man looked at Lin Chuan and said, "Who are you? I don't recognize you."
Murong Xue stood next to Lin Chuan and said softly, "This man is Lin Zhen, a small leader in the Ghost Gate. Just say you're an outsider disciple and that you just got back today."
Lin Chuan was stunned. How did Murong Xue know so much? However, there was no time to think about it, so he said, "My name is Lin Chuan, I'm an outsider disciple, and I just got back today."
Lin Zhen made a sound of understanding and said, "So you're Brother Lin. Alright, you're the strongest one here, so you should lead us to defeat this creature."
Compared to the mission, their lives were more important. Their hesitation at this time was only human.
"How can that be, when that demon tiger comes out, we still need you to lead the attack!" Lin Chuan stepped forward and stopped Lin Zhen. Lin Zhen hesitated slightly, indecisive in his heart.
"It's alright, I'll go first..." Lin Chuan smiled, then looked back at Murong Xue. Murong Xue also smiled at him, her beautiful eyes filled with concern, urging him to be careful.
Lin Chuan felt a warmth in his heart, raised his sword, and dashed straight towards the Flame Pond.
Watching Lin Chuan's back, everyone felt a bit forlorn. Murong Xue's heart was also filled with a warm feeling. Lin Chuan landed by the Flame Pond, where the immense deep pool was churning with magma, the heat overwhelming. The True Qi inside Lin Chuan surged, and a faint blue glow flashed outside his body. Immediately, the unbearable scorching sensation diminished significantly.
At this moment, Lin Chuan's expression changed slightly because he felt a strong presence suddenly appear. It must be that demon tiger. Lin Chuan tightened the five fingers holding the sword, and with a buzz, the sword energy suddenly resounded.
The magma, like a huge wave, suddenly split open, and a large fiery red figure shot straight out. The terrifying aura and scorching heat charged fiercely towards Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan's eyes narrowed, and with a light tap on the ground with one foot, he halted the sword in his hand and slashed down fiercely.
The sword energy crossed in the air, making a roaring sound like a dragon emerging from the sea, turning into a long rainbow that exploded fiercely in front of the demon tiger under the astonished gaze of the crowd.
Violent forces wreaked havoc everywhere, and the sound of explosions echoed in the cave. A strong surge of air blasted toward Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan gripped the sword in his hand, slashed out once more, then retreated.
"Be careful!" At this moment, the faces of the Ghost Gate disciples in the cave all changed, shouting. Although Lin Chuan could hear them, he couldn't split his focus to respond, as in front of him, a massive tiger mouth flickering with flames was coming at him.
The sword energy, like a light streak, flashed in the air and fiercely hit the mouth of the demon tiger.
A miserable howl echoed in the cave, and a huge fiery red beam blasted in front of Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan's face changed abruptly, and a heart-wrenching pain swept through his body instantly.
Lin Chuan landed on the ground, retreating repeatedly, his face pale.
"Lin Chuan!" At this time, Murong Xue rushed out and supported him.
"This creature is indeed powerful..." Lin Chuan thought with a bitter smile. Even with the help of his treasure sword and the use of his light shadow sword move, he couldn't handle the Fiery Flame Demon Tiger.
The demon tiger's massive body shook in the cave, and now on its body, a huge and terrifying wound stretched from the head and neck to the tail. Of course, this was the power of the strike Lin Chuan delivered earlier.
The demon tiger's eyes glowed red, and a powerful aura enveloped everyone in the cave.
"Charge! It's the best opportunity." Lin Zhen had already dashed out. He was extremely shocked by Lin Chuan's earlier performance, but now was not the time to ask questions. Lin Chuan created this opportunity while injured, and if he didn't seize it, he would let Lin Chuan down.
"Kill!" At this point, the rest also rushed out, unleashing their strongest moves, attacking the demon tiger fiercely.
The sound of explosions resonated in the cave, with True Qi crisscrossing and figures interwoven. Flames flared, and the demon tiger roared repeatedly.
"Lin Chuan, are you okay?" Murong Xue beside him asked.
"I'm fine." Lin Chuan shook his head. The strong blow from the demon tiger only injured him, but with his strong recovery ability, it was nothing.
"That's good." Murong Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the two of them both turned their gaze to the battle in the field. Lin Chuan's eyes flashed with a peculiar color, "When will the Ghost Gate make a move..."
In the field, Lin Zhen launched another strike, hitting the demon tiger again. The demon tiger let out a roar, spewed out a burst of flames, and then its figure, like a behemoth, charged towards a Ghost Gate disciple nearby.
"Zheng Hua, get out of the way!" On the other side, Lin Zhen's face changed, shouting loudly.
Seeing the disciple's face flash with fear, he exerted all his strength and dodged to one side.
The all-enveloping flames fell heavily, swallowing him up. Zheng Hua didn't even have time to scream before he disappeared into the sea of fire.
Everyone used their strongest moves, fiercely attacking the demon tiger. The demon tiger raised its head, let out a wild roar, and then the fiery red glow on its body suddenly dimmed as it charged backward.
Lin Zhen stood on the ground, his face pale, panting heavily. No one pursued, firstly because their mission was completed, and secondly because they had little True Qi left, and continuing the chase would surely come at a great cost.
"Alright, take a rest and let's head back..." Lin Zhen glanced at everyone and said.
"Brother Lin, thanks to you this time. How are your injuries?" Lin Zhen approached Lin Chuan, asking with concern.
"Thank you for your concern, I'm fine now." Lin Chuan replied.
The meridians previously impacted by the Demon Tiger have now been repaired by the sky-blue True Qi.
Lin Chuan looked around, finding no abnormalities. He knew he couldn't voice his thoughts, as speaking now would be of little use; he must proceed cautiously, going along with the flow.
Lin Chuan sneered internally; the Ghost Gate's goal definitely isn't the Flame Pond. He wasn't sure if he should intervene, knowing any mistake could lead to severe consequences, so for now, he remains still, waiting for the Ghost Gate's secret to be exposed before taking action.
At that moment, a dozen or so people entered the stone cave. Murong Xue's expression changed as she said to Lin Chuan, "Brother Lin, why have all the Ghost Gate's experts gathered here? Look, the leader is named Qi Bai, the young master of the Ghost Gate, and the older one is Han Sheng, the second in command."
After listening, Lin Chuan scrutinized the two. Qi Bai was no older than thirty, but his eyes were bright, clearly indicating strong cultivation.
Han Sheng, on the other hand, was sixty years old. Though aged, his eyes had a brilliance even stronger than Qi Bai's.
Led by Qi Bai, a dozen people entered the stone cave, and the disciples of Ghost Gate bowed in succession.
Qi Bai's expression was extremely cold, not even casting a glance at them, and said, "Quickly set up the Sky-reaching Array. After eliminating this creature, find what we need and leave here promptly."
"Alright..." After a while, Han Sheng nodded in agreement.
"Good, since you all agree, let's act now, swiftly resolve this beast and get out." Qi Bai stepped forward and said.
Dozens of blood-red figures flew in and quickly completed the array setup.
"Young Master, the Sky-reaching Array is ready and only needs True Qi to activate. Then we can harness the world's power; destroying the Flame Pond is a trivial matter!" At this, a big man in blood garments stepped forward and said.
"Alright, Nightlight, list out the array core!" Qi Bai waved his hand.
"Yes!" The thirty people dispersed, and as True Qi was released, a giant pale-red light array rotated in the air, slowly descending, enveloping nearly three hundred people inside.
"Everyone, inject True Qi into the light array to activate the Sky-reaching Array!" Qi Bai clapped his hands and said, then channeled two torrents of True Qi into the light array.
Han Sheng glanced at Qi Bai and Bai Lin before raising a hand to touch the array, infusing True Qi therein.
Lin Chuan and a few others did not act, as they had previously severely wounded the Demon Tiger.
As the crowd infused their True Qi, the pale-red light array suddenly illuminated, a brilliant beam flashing forth, appearing eerie like... twisted as if blood.
The array slowly rotated, causing the cave to tremble.
Everyone's expressions changed, and some even wanted to stop.
"Do not panic, everyone, this is the Sky-reaching Array activating. Hold on for a moment, and the array will fully operate!" Qi Bai shouted.
Sure enough, as Qi Bai's words fell, many calmed down and focused on injecting True Qi into the array.
As everyone infused their True Qi, the array began spinning, scattering blood-red lights, while the loud rumbling outside the cave intensified.
Inside the cave, the stone walls started to shake, soon thin cracks appeared, instantly spreading across the cave.
Lin Chuan's expression changed beside him, for at the instant the cracks appeared, he sensed a trace of terrifying aura.
"This is not the Fiery Flame Demon Tiger." Lin Chuan softly said, grabbing Murong Xue's hand, "Let's go!"
Murong Xue said nothing more, following Lin Chuan to dash outward. The cave shook violently, dust falling down.
"Alright, the array is complete!" Qi Bai's voice transmitted, and then Ghost Gate's members began rushing out.
The cave became chaotic, with many figures rushing outwards. Lin Chuan was the quickest to react; as Qi Bai's voice fell, he was already near the cave entrance.
Lin Chuan pulled Murong Xue along, and within breaths, they exited the cave, then stood atop a mountain peak.
A massive light figure appeared on Broken Sky Cliff, swirling blood-red light shapes, rushing from the cave straight to the sky's crimson light array. Several figures connected, sprinting out from the cave towards surrounding mountain tops.
Minutes later, an enormous boom resounded from the cave, everyone had evacuated, and a massive light mass violently smashed down on Broken Sky Cliff.
The thunderous sound shook the surrounding mountains, followed by a radiant crimson light flashing, inside the cave a massive pit formed. Outside, the sky's colossal light figure spun fiercely, strands of eerie power emerged, causing the sky to suddenly change color. Before long, a vast dark crimson light sphere took shape atop the peak, then like a meteor, it charged towards Broken Sky Cliff.