Chapter 1028 - An Unexpected Beneficiary? (1/2)

Mo Wen gracefully alighted from his magical beam of light. He appeared like a calming glow, around him a smoldering landscape, choking in ash and heat. From a raging sea of flames, fiery flashes lit the dark walls of the subterranean abode.

He kept a steady gaze as he carefully approached the two adversaries. His eyes quickly shifted to Gu Jingman, and he immediately recognized the Red Lotus Hellfire. He did not expect that she would have hold of such a portentous artifact.

He had learned about the terrifying qualities of the artifact, during one of his encounters in the Immortal Cultivation World. But he assumed that the Red Lotus Hellfire was merely a legend. It hadn’t emerged for a long time, and was barely spoken of in recent times.

He tilted his head slightly, glancing at Shao Tianqi. Shao seemed sequestered in a glowing aura that emanated from the Red Lotus Hellfire. He stood rooted to the ground, not reacting to Mo Wen’s presence. His eyes were transfixed on the blood-hued crystal in front of him. The aura seemed to be holding him where he stood. A violent tremor shook the earth, he struggled to keep balance, but somehow stayed on his feet.

“Mo Wen?”

Gu Jingman called out weakly as she watched the young man step slowly towards her, then her jaw dropped slightly. Her body stiffened and panic set in, it was him! She struggled to maintain her composure, realizing the danger that Mo Wen had put himself in. She never wanted him to follow her, not here.

“Mo wen, what are you doing here? Hurry up and leave,” Gu Jingman cried out, a terrified expression broke on her face. The Red Lotus Hellfire would make no distinctions between friend or foe. The moment it unleashed, she would have no control over it. The entire Fire Domain would be destroyed, killing everything in its vicinity.

She was the keeper of the Hellfire. She would try to restrain it within her as long as she could, but she was losing control. A look of desperation replaced her calm demeanor. He was not supposed to be here, and now she wasn’t sure if it was too late for him to escape imminent death. Her plans went completely awry.

Admittedly, it was a hasty plan. Shao Tianqi had an evil reputation. When she found out that he had been in the Beast Lair, she immediately decided that she would set a trap to subdue him there. She knew that she would not match a master of the Tide Changing realm, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve. If things got out of hand, she would use her Hellfire, she thought. She knew there had been very few Keepers that had survived the Hellfire, and that the odds would be almost naught. But she had to give it a shot, knowing Shao Tianqi would not survive it. Of course, she was only finding ways to justify her impulsive nature.

The truth was she had come to know Shao Tianqi was a known foe as well as the nemesis of Mo Wen. She couldn’t explain it, but her first thought was to kill this man. She had always felt a strong bond with Mo Wen. She had a great respect for his talents and his calmness in the face of impending danger. She had also taken by his kind nature and admired his dignified demeanor. She always felt light-hearted in his presence, like a big brother, but she never explored those feelings further. It just wasn’t the way of their order.

“Don’t come any closer. Leave, hurry and leave now…” Gu Jingman pleaded frantically, almost to the point of hysteria. She was desperate to make him leave, even as he continued to advance towards her.

Gu Jingman was shaking, turning pale with strain. She was trying hard to suppress the Hellfire using her inner Qi, hoping that would lessen the blast of pure energy the moment it unleashed. She looked at Mo Wen, he was still outside the aura of the Red Lotus Hellfire, and she did not intend for him to be trapped like Shao Tianqi would. If he fled now, there was still a chance he could survive.

“Hurry up and go, Mo Wen. You’ll die here if you stay here any longer. You still have a chance. I can’t control it any longer… leave now!”

A familiar voice then spoke, soothing her anxiety. It carried a gentle and assuring tone. “What would become of you if I left?” Mo Wen spoke kindly, shaking his head as if to indicate he intended to remain. “How could I leave you at a time like this?”

Gu Jingman grimaced, she felt a sense of impending doom, and the strain was too much to bear. Her heart heavy, conflicting emotions clouded her judgment. Fighting back her tears, she called out one last time, “Please, you’ve got to go now.”

“You’re too impetuous, haven’t you learned anything at all?” Mo Wen chided. “I never imagined you’d be this foolish. Who in their right mind would act so impulsively?” He carried on, determined to make his point heard, “Time is on your side, why the hurry to kill him? Don’t you see you’re playing into his hands? What makes you think you can survive the Hellfire?”

That stung. Gu Jingman was a little taken aback, as she stared blankly for a moment before she responded with a brief tirade. She said coldly, “You should go, I’m not listening to any of that. What I do is not your concern. Just leave now!” And for the shortest moment, she seemed in control of her heavy burden once again.

A dry, croaking voice suddenly broke out from Shau Tianqi, who had hitherto only stood in frozen silence, deep in the clasp of the Hellfire. Was it Gu Jingman’s momentary pique that freed him?

For the first time, he became aware of Mo Wen’s presence. All memory of the long-standing feud with his arch-rival were seemingly forgotten. “Aiya! Talk some sense into her. She’s gone mad, out of her mind!” He blabbered nervously. “She has no idea what she’s doing. You must stop her, or we will all die. We’ll all die for sure!” Whatever was left of his pride and dignity, thrown out the window.

Mo Wen barely heard Shao Tianqi. He kept his gaze at Gu Jingman, studying her closely. He didn’t speak a word, but instead walked calmly towards her. And there he slowly embraced her, gently pressing his white robes against the shimmering crystal mantle.

“W-what are you doing? You have to leave!” Gu Jingman could barely speak, she stiffened. She felt safe in his arms, but yet, her mind was screaming out for him to flee with godspeed. Confusion showed on her young face, now strained with the effort to contain the burning Hellfire.

Despite the perils that lay before him, he simply could not flee. He had a strong sense of righteousness, and he simply would not place his safety before hers.

Mo Wen had now merged with the Hellfire, but he showed little signs of succumbing to it. “Stay still,” Mo Wen said in a caring voice. She could only comply, and her entire body went soft and fell into his embrace, tears formed in her eyes.

Mo Wen was already entering an altered state. He had earlier summoned an ancient force, the Celestial Body, and a strange aura now emanated from his body. It had now arrived, as if emerging from a time, long forgotten.

The Celestial Body took the form of a giant, bearing two massive heads and four arms. It was well over 300 spans tall, and completely fitted out in a black suit of armor, his white robes no more.

Mo Wen was still uncertain if his Celestial Body could help Gu Jingman contain the Red Lotus Hellfire. Even the Ancients knew that it was not a force to be trifled with. Unleashing it would tear the immortal dimensions apart forever, the Green Ancient Dimension, the Peng Lai Immortal realm, would be no more. The entire Source World, and countless peoples would perish. A calamity of apocalyptical proportions, destroying all life as we knew it. No one would survive!

The Celestial Body spread over the blood-hued crystal, as if forming a protective shroud over it. It had by now grown to gigantic proportions, and appeared as if it could prop up the skies by just raising its hand. Carefully, it drew the Red Lotus Hellfire in.

Gu Jingman remained in his embrace, hidden from view entirely, tucked securely away within Mo Wen’s Celestial Body. It was colossal, seeming like it could easily swallow up the entire Heaven and Earth. It was an awe-inspiring sight!

Mo Wen’s decision to keep Gu Jingman within his Celestial Body was out of sheer desperation. But what other choice did he have?

He hoped that it could suppress the force of the Hellfire when it released its devastating burst of energy. It had only just begun to rouse, still stirring from its long slumber, and not fully awakened yet to its inherent destructive force. There was an outside chance that the Celestial Body would succeed.

He began to sense an overwhelming force swirling from within his core, swirling rapidly and threatening to break out. Perhaps the threat of the Hellfire had provoked this from the Celestial body. He was beginning to think that it was somehow possible to contain the Hellfire!