Chapter 1018: How to vie with the Heavens? (1/2)

Everyone looked towards the lid on the ground just as a massive heat wave surged out of the furnace towards Long Feiye. Han Yunxi and Gu Qishao were violently knocked aside by its power to crash against the cave walls. Both of them spat up blood. They were only onlookers, but were still thrown back. What about Long Feiye?

The powerful heat wave not only hit Long Feiye head on but sent him flying backwards. Like the duo before him, he crashed against the walls. Yet unlike Han Yunxi or Gu Qishao, he didn’t slid down, but kept being pushed against the cave until the walls behind him cracked. He looked like he’d been nailed to a cracked mirror, his seven orifices pouring blood. Celestial fire poured endlessly from the furnace depths to attack him.

Very soon, he spat up a huge mouthful of blood.

“No…” Han Yunxi sobbed. She crawled up from the ground and flew over, but couldn’t even get close. The heat wave was formless but extremely hot, strong enough to repel her. She had hardly reached it when it blasted her back again.

“No! I don’t want this! I don’t!” Like a madwoman, Han Yunxi strove to draw closer but was repelled again and again. Gu Qishao quickly scrambled to his feet and held her back.

“Come to your senses! Calm down!” he shouted.

Meanwhile, Long Feiye had already started his counterattack. His hands were entwined in front of his dantian, his expression ashen yet stern. Lustbite energy emerged from his body to resist the onslaught of celestial fire. Han Yunxi didn’t dare make any more noise. She stared blankly at Long Feiye, understanding what he was trying. Now she could only wait with trepidation as the two forces clashed.

Long Feiye once said that the Lustbite energy was the most powerful force in this world. If that was the case, then perhaps it had the strength to fend off celestial fire.

By now, Pill Furnace Master had recovered his senses. He shouted, “Long Feiye, are you seeking death? How could mere human strength oppose the Heavens?”

No matter how powerful Lustbite energy was, it was still mortal strength! How could humans stand up to Heaven? Moreover, Long Feiye hadn’t even finished cultivating his own yet.

As expected, Long Feiye’s energy soon dissipated, leaving the full force of celestial fire to hammer into his gut! It was like a powerful punch that sank into his stomach, creating more cracks in the wall behind him until the surface caved in.

“Long Feiye!” Han Yunxi cried. She broke free of Gu Qishao’s hand and flew towards him. The fragmented pieces of wall began to break off into large boulders. Long Feiye’s body was like a kite with its strings cut as it fell amidst the rubble. He remained sprawled on the ground unmoving, an unsettling sight. Han Yunxi trembled at the sight and couldn’t even cry out. The next instant, she had landed on the ground and was running towards him as if insane. Even when she tripped, she didn’t bother getting up and simply crawled for him in a frenzy.

But seconds before she could reach Long Feiye’s fingers, the celestial fire suddenly descended upon them to cover up Long Feiye. In a flash, Han Yunxi was knocked backwards again and went crashing to the ground some distance away.

“Poison lass!” Gu Qishao hurried over to help her, but froze. Han Yunxi’s hands seemed to have been burnt, her palms scorched red. Multiple blisters had rose on the rise, some of which were already festering. Han Yunxi was stunned too as she gaped at the sight, but she quickly shifted her gaze to Long Feiye.

She had hardly touched him when she was so badly burnt; much less be swallowed up by the fire like he was…

Han Yunxi wanted to shout his name and wake him up, or at least get him to look at her, but no words came to her mouth. Tears trickled silently down her face as her sky fell down…

Very soon, they saw fire began to take shape. It was red and began to burn from the hems of Long Feiye’s robes before stretching to cover his body. Although it was sluggish, the sight gave them nothing but despair. It wasn’t until Han Yunxi’s tears fell onto Gu Qishao’s hand that he came to his senses. He suddenly gripped the Pill Furnace Master and flew to the top of the furnace. He had no idea if his plan would work, but he was going to give it his all. This was the only thing he could come up with so he might as well try!

“Teach me that method, quickly!” Gu Qishao demanded.

“What do you want to do? Just what are you planning?” Pill Furnace Master had already been badly shaken by Long Feiye’s miserable state. He was very clear that if anything happened to him, Han Yunxi wouldn’t spare anyone in the Medicine Requesting Cave.

“Hurry up!” Gu Qishao hollered.

Pill Furnace Master quickly demonstrated as before while Gu Qishao learned it after one look. Soon enough, he was converting his internal energy into flame. Abruptly, he took to the skies and exhausted all of his reserves--and even that of the Moye sword spirit--into the fireball beneath his hands. It too, took on the form of a flame dragon and thundered into the depths of the furnace.

The fire soon disappeared and turned tranquil. Gu Qishao’s beautiful face was dreadfully somber as he stared at the opening of the furnace and waited. He reasoned that if he could turn his energy into fire too and get counterattacked by the celestial fire, it might divert some of its attacks on Long Feiye. The amount of celestial flame in the furnace had to be limited, so as long as he took on a portion, Long Feiye wouldn’t have to endure as much. Gu Qishao had no idea whether that would work, so he waited tensely.

However, as time trickled on, he didn’t sense anything from the celestial flame. Was he mistaken? He looked towards Han Yunxi, only to see her trying to approach Long Feiye again and again. Each time, she was rebounded backwards. Meanwhile, the fire lapping at Long Feiye’s robes had already reached his legs.