CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 383: THIRD SEAT OF THE CORE_1

The Linjiang Mountain Range.

An area encompassing dozens of miles had been transformed into a Hell of Flame, brimming with a raging inferno! Vast stretches of forest had been scorched, mountain streams had evaporated, and even the stones of the mountains had been burnt brittle. Subsequently struck by stray sword Qi, the very terrain had become fragmented and shattered! The clash between Fire-type magic and dazzling sword Qi had persisted for the better part of the day.

It had to be said that Yu Yan, the third-ranked core disciple of Bright Moon Peak of the Riverside Sect and possessor of a Fire Spirit Body, was remarkably formidable. He had mastered various Fire-type cultivation methods to an extremely high degree, wielding all sorts of techniques with effortless proficiency. Furthermore, he had cultivated a strand of potent True Fire within his Dantian, which, along with the Clam Girl Ming Yu’s Bone-Chilling Cold Flame, belonged to the category of Spiritual Fire. Empowered by this True Fire, Yu Yan’s offensive methods were exceedingly violent. Even Shen Mo, despite protecting himself with the Fire-avoiding Hand Seal, could not completely negate the force of the conflagration.

"ROAR!"

Five Fire Flood Dragons roared repeatedly, charging towards Shen Mo with waves of scorching air.

"Universal Wrath Tide!"

Following a furious cry, an immense Sword Light, like a ferocious tidal wave, rolled layer upon layer towards the Fire Flood Dragons, obliterating them into scattered embers.

However, the shattered flames did not extinguish. Instead, they surged forward overwhelmingly, completely engulfing Shen Mo’s form. Even with the suppression from the Beak Palm’s Fire Suppression Seal, the fire’s advance remained incredibly fierce!

Shen Mo knew that the core of this Fire Flood Dragon magic was the True Fire of Heart Anger that Yu Yan had cultivated. Once touched by it, it would be exceedingly difficult to extinguish.

"SIZZLE!"

Wisps of bluish-purple True Fire burned through the multiple Palm protections Shen Mo had established. Even the Fire-avoiding Hand Seal and the phantom of the ancient Beak Fire Monkey could not suppress its terrifying fiery intent; instead, they were incinerated into specks of light and annihilated. The recently restored Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand Energy was also largely melted away by the searing True Fire of Heart Anger.

A stray spark that infiltrated quickly reached the right wrist of Shen Mo’s second pair of arms. Instantly, other dispersed sparks of the True Fire of Heart Anger converged upon this breach like maggots drawn to a wound, blanketing the entire arm. They continued to spread, burning towards Shen Mo’s torso and head!

Thanks to his robust vitality, this True Fire did not immediately incinerate his second right arm. However, given the might of this Spiritual Fire, even though Shen Mo’s physical resilience was comparable to a top-grade profound level magic artifact, he knew he couldn’t last long. If the flames penetrated his flesh, blood, and bone marrow, they would also burn his soul, inflicting grievous, irreversible injuries and rendering him incapable of continuing the fight against Yu Yan!

In a flash, Shen Mo swung the Demon Slaying Sword in his hand inward, decisively severing his limb! Blood gushed out; his second right arm was chopped off.

But this act alone wouldn’t halt the burning of the True Fire of Heart Anger. This type of Spiritual Fire adhered to his Dao Body and also tainted his soul. Even if he were to gouge out flesh and scrape bone, the flame could still reignite elsewhere on his body, following the aura of his soul.

"Junior Brother Shen, stop struggling!" Yu Yan, who ranked third among the core disciples, transmitted his words via Divine Sense, attempting to persuade him. "Once my True Fire touches you, you won’t be able to escape it easily. Even if you ruthlessly cut off an arm, after the flesh, blood, muscle, and bone in that limb are burned away, the fire will still ignite on your body! You should concede quickly to avoid having your cultivation foundation destroyed by my flames."

He had once journeyed with Shen Mo to visit the Marine Race of the Immortal Burial Sea and thus felt a degree of camaraderie. Naturally, he couldn’t bear to see Shen Mo’s Daoist body and mind ruined by his True Fire of Heart Anger in a fight for a core disciple position.

But in the next instant, Yu Yan’s expression changed abruptly.

He saw the second right arm that Shen Mo had severed suddenly grow a torso, head, and other limbs, transforming into another complete Shen Mo. Even its soul aura, Cultivation Realm, appearance, and attire were indistinguishable from the original!

The only difference was that Shen Mo’s real body possessed three heads and five arms, while the Separation formed from the severed arm had a normal human appearance. Under the relentless burning of the True Fire of Heart Anger, this Arm-Separation continuously cast magic to resist the vicious flames.

"Gecko Divine Skill!" An expression of utter disbelief crossed Yu Yan’s face.

Not only him, but the Peak Masters of the Three Peaks, the various Hall Masters, Elders, core disciples, and inner disciples watching the battle were all exceptionally astounded.

Many of them had practiced the Riverside Sect’s Sacrificial Magic, the "Gecko Divine Skill." However, almost no one present had ever actually used it. Those who had employed this magic either suffered a regression in their cultivation and, with their Lifespan exhausted, died of old age in their cave mansions; or, dragging their crippled bodies, they left the sect early to marry and have children, wasting away their remaining years. For someone like Shen Mo to so easily use the "Gecko Divine Skill" merely by severing an arm was unheard of to everyone present.

It seemed he hadn’t been significantly affected!

Shen Mo glanced at his Arm-Separation. The magic it wields is unable to fully suppress the True Fire of Heart Anger; its flesh has already begun to char and wither. Clearly, it can’t hold on for much longer!

He paid it no further mind. Seizing the opportunity before Yu Yan could recall this spirit flame, a vast torrent of sharp sword Qi slashed towards Yu Yan.

"FWOOSH!"

A flash of firelight erupted from Yu Yan’s body. Instantly, like an exploding bonfire, he transformed into countless tiny green sparks, scattering in all directions. From their previous exchanges, Shen Mo had already figured out this evasion technique of Yu Yan’s.

In the next instant, with a flick of his sleeves, the seven Big Dipper Swords coiled around his wrist shot out with a howl.

"The Big Dipper Array, Conversion!"

Under Shen Mo’s mental control, the seven small swords instantly transformed into a formidable Sword Array, enveloping all the scattered green sparks. Despite thrashing about, the sparks couldn’t break through the Sword Array; instead, a considerable number of them were extinguished by the array’s power.

When Yu Yan reformed his human body, he discovered he was completely trapped within the Sword Array. He wanted to recall his True Fire of Heart Anger to burn through it, but it was too late. An endless, majestic Sword Light swallowed him in the blink of an eye!

「...」

"DANG!"

The resounding toll of the Daoist bell echoed once again.

Since the two combatants in this battle were from Stars Peak and Bright Moon Peak respectively, the officiator was changed to Tang Lv, the Sunrise Peak Master. Although he held some dissatisfaction towards Shen Mo, he wasn’t as shameless as Tian Zhaoquan, the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall. He promptly announced the result of the battle: Shen Mo was victorious!

Amidst a tide of congratulatory voices, Shen Mo withdrew The Big Dipper Array.

Covered in sword wounds, Yu Yan fell from the sky but was caught by an Elder from Bright Moon Peak, who quickly fed him Healing Pills. A moment later, Yu Yan flew over again, retracting the True Fire that had almost completely incinerated the Arm-Separation.

"Senior Brother Yu, I was too harsh. Please forgive my offense!" Shen Mo said, taking the initiative to offer a respectful bow to Yu Yan.

The Fire Spirit Body gave a wry smile, shook his head, and replied, "In a fight for rank, how could it be so amicable that neither party gets hurt at all? Junior Brother Shen, your strength is exceptional, and your techniques are truly ingenious. I am thoroughly convinced of my defeat."

"I just wonder, do you still intend to challenge the disciple ranked second among the core disciples, Senior Sister Jiang Lingfeng? She is at Layer VIII of the Spirit Sea Realm. With your current strength, I’m afraid it will be extremely difficult for you to defeat her!"

Just as he finished speaking, Zhou Shili, the Peak Master of Stars Peak, and a young female cultivator flew over to Shen Mo’s side together. This woman was indeed the Senior Sister Jiang Lingfeng whom Yu Yan had mentioned. She was from Stars Peak and was Zhou Shili’s most prized disciple!