I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 222 Crimson Flame King
Cheng Bei and Wen Shan both knew that with their current strength, they were simply not qualified to participate in the upcoming high-level matches.

The two immediately slipped into the protective formation. As soon as the formation's light merged, the wind outside subsided, leaving only sparks flickering in the night.

Suddenly, the surrounding area lit up.

At first, there were only a few faint lights in the distance, like fireflies on a wasteland; in an instant, the fires joined together and approached from all directions.

"So many companies."

Seeking four continents, he called out softly.

Although the firelight appeared in patches on the wasteland, it came in bursts.

They came in formation, clearly indicating that those of the same faction would form a protective array.

The number of protective formations indicates the number of factions.

I counted the four continents; there were thirteen in total.

The flames slowly approached, forming a huge circle about thirty feet away, surrounding Xue Antai and the others in the center.

Suddenly, a person slowly stepped forward.

He was tall and thin, with graying temples, wearing a neat blue robe, and a silver official badge at his waist with the four characters "Qintian Hall·Canglan Division" engraved on it.

He stood ten feet in front of Xue Antai and announced loudly, "By order of the Imperial Palace, arrest Xue Xiang. This thief was originally an official awaiting punishment."

He recently murdered a government official and fled in fear of punishment; his crime is unforgivable.

His family members are now relatives of a convicted official; anyone who harbors or protects them is an accomplice. The law will not forgive.

As soon as the words were spoken, a commotion arose outside the formation, the fire flickered, and a murderous aura gradually rose over the wasteland.

The man pointed at Xue Antai and said, "Do you dare to defy the law?"

Xue Antai said coldly, "The law knows me, but I don't know the law."

You keep talking about the law, but how many of the people following you are actually government troops?
Such an absurd act—how dare they represent the imperial court?

To be honest, in my life, I've only ever cared about money. I take money to solve problems for people, nothing more.

Before the officials of the Imperial Palace could speak, a voice shouted from the firelight on the left, "You are the patriarch of the Xue family, stop pretending!"
How can you be so cowardly? If you dare to protect traitors, you are violating the law. Aren't you afraid the Xue family of Jiangzuo will be wiped out?

Xue Antai laughed and said, "Let you smear me, I'm too lazy to explain."

What does it have to do with me if the Xue family of Jiangzuo is not wiped out?

"Alright, it's getting late. Fight if you want, otherwise get out."

From the western camp, a figure slowly emerged.

The man was about forty-five or forty-six years old, wearing a long robe of black iron. His face was sharp as a knife, with a thin mark between his eyebrows as if he had been struck by lightning. A broken jade pendant hung from his left ear.

"It is Ancestor Cuiyun, Luo Qian."

"It's him? Rumor has it that he entered the Nascent Soul stage twenty years ago, and his unique skill, the Azure Shadow Netherworld Technique, is astonishing."

"But the person opposite is Xue Antai, known as the Crimson Flame Heavenly King, who is rumored to have already reached the Nascent Soul stage."

"He didn't admit it, did he? It might not be Xue Antai."

"Naive! Who among those with families would dare to admit their identity when they oppose the imperial court!"

"........."

Amid the murmurs, Luo Qian stepped forward and stared coldly at Xue Antai, saying, "It is rumored that you once reached the Nascent Soul Realm, but your cultivation level later declined."

Even so, you have indeed reached the summit, so you should be stronger than other Nascent Soul cultivators. Shall we give it a try?

Before Luo Qian could finish speaking, his figure had already turned into a shadow and vanished abruptly.

The next instant, Xue Antai's figure appeared simultaneously behind him, to his left, and in mid-air. The three illusory figures exerted their power at the same time, gathering light in their palms and slashing towards Xue Antai's vital points.

A dazzling light flashed, and several black holes collapsed in the sky.

Xue Antai remained motionless, his white robe billowing slightly, and spiritual energy subtly circulating within his sleeves.

He raised his eyes and uttered softly, "Stop."

The voice was flat, yet it was like a pebble thrown into the night.

Luo Qian's palm strike froze for a moment, and the three shadows merged into one, landing in front of Xue Antai, no more than a foot away from him.

In the next instant, his attack resumed, his spiritual light flashing continuously, and his escape technique created seven illusory figures that simultaneously surrounded Xue Antai.

Xue Antai simply raised his hand slightly.

There was no fire at his fingertips, but the surrounding wind suddenly became hot, as if the air itself were being peeled away bit by bit.

In that instant, Luo Qian's figure froze in mid-air.

"Netherworld Karmic Fire, please enlighten me."

Xue Antai said calmly.

A soft sound, like paper burning.

Luo Qian's clothes tore first, and his spiritual light shield flickered instantly. His expression changed drastically, and he flew back to a distance, clasped his hands together, and said in a deep voice, "I have learned a lot."

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his palm.

Looking down, I saw fire rising from my palm, as if it were growing in my blood.

The flames climbed up his meridians, and in an instant, his entire body was engulfed in flames.

Before he could even activate his protective shield, flames burst through his body.

The fire was colorless, yet it turned the world white.

Those outside the formation only saw a figure struggling in the fire before turning to ashes in an instant.

Even the nascent soul could not escape; it was engulfed by the flames, its form and spirit annihilated.

There was dead silence.

The wind blew across the charred ashes, and the flames tumbled in the air a few times before scattering into embers.

A powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, gone just like that.

Someone in the crowd gasped, breaking the silence.

"Luo Qian, that's Luo Qian!"

"Even the nascent soul was burned away..."

"...This is the true method of the Crimson Flame Heavenly King, still refusing to admit it was Xue Antai..."

Some people turned pale, while others quietly took a step back and then stopped—not daring to make a move.

Before long, the embers were extinguished, but the smell of burning still lingered in the air.

A wind blew from the east, scattering the campfire and casting Xue Antai's silhouette. He said calmly, "Who else would like to offer their guidance?"

The wind seemed to be held back, suspended in mid-air.

Xue Antai asked three times, but no one responded.

Suddenly, a sound arose simultaneously from all directions of the wasteland, echoing endlessly.

"I come."

The surrounding area lit up, and streaks of fire drifted in from afar. At first, they were only the size of beans, but they grew brighter as they got closer, like burning fluorite being pushed by the wind. Finally, they condensed in mid-air into watermelon-sized skull-shaped fire heads.

Flames surged within the empty skull's eye sockets, and with each opening and closing, waves of heat billowed out.

Skulls and fire heads were scattered all over the field, as if forming an even larger encirclement, surrounding everyone inside.

A phantom floated out, its body as light as if it were being lifted by tongues of fire, and stopped ten feet in front of Xue Antai.

"I have come specifically to inquire about the methods of the Crimson Flame Heavenly King."

The illusory figure cupped its hands in greeting.

Xue Antai looked up. "Someone come and register."

The phantom tilted its head slightly, the firelight flowing across its face. "An unknown nobody, not worth mentioning, Wu Jiu."

Just then, a shout rang out, "Oh no! The skeletal fire is getting closer! It feels like a stone is pressing on my chest!"

Immediately, gasps of surprise rose and fell within the circle of fire.

"I understand, it's a trick of the Witch God Cult, the infamous Karmic Fire Ghost Skull."

The moment this was said, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

"What does this have to do with the Witch God Cult? Why does this evil spirit have to get involved in everything?"

"Damn it, don't make any rash moves. This Karmic Fire Ghost Skull is extremely evil; it can cause spiritual energy to boil. If we're not careful, it might explode."

"What exactly does the Witch God Cult want?"

"........."

Amidst gasps of surprise, the illusory figure slowly materialized, revealing a young man in his early thirties clad in black bone armor.

He had an ordinary appearance, except for his loose braid, which was quite eye-catching.

Eight skulls were strung side by side at the end of the braid, their teeth protruding and each eye burning with a single spark of cold fire.

"Eight skeletons! My God, even the leader of the Witch God Cult only has nine skeletons. This is no nobody; he must be a top figure in the Witch God Cult."

"What are the Witch God Cult doing here? Do they have a grudge against Xue Xiang?"

"Yes, Xue Xiang destroyed the earth witch they had awakened during that time in Suiyang Town."

"Back then, Xue hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so what kind of Earth-Destroying Witch could he have?"

"That kid is really something else. I heard he crushed the palm print seal, causing the literary lineage to decline."

Amidst the murmurs, Wu Jiu strode forward, and the eight skulls collided gently, producing a muffled clang that echoed into everyone's ears, sending chills down their spines.

"please!"

Wu Jiu let out a low shout, and before the sound faded, his figure had already turned into mist, and the flame ghosts and skeletons in the surrounding fields all raised their heads.

The fiery skulls, which had been suspended in mid-air, trembled as if pulled along, their eye sockets churning with flames.

In an instant, countless fiery ghost skeletons, some floating and some moving swiftly, rushed towards Xue Antai, trailing fiery tails.

The air was scorched and distorted, and waves of fire crashed against our faces.

Xue Antai stood still, his white robe billowing in the wind, and suddenly he dispersed into a cloud.

The wisps of cloud were so thin they were almost transparent, swirling in the wind as they passed through the oncoming fiery skulls.

The flames passed right through him, without even touching his clothes. With a hiss, a line of red light suddenly appeared in the center of the clouds.

The red light was as thin as a hair, yet extremely bright, like the wick of a lamp burning in the night.

A moment later, flames exploded.

A dozen or so ghost skeletons were struck by the lamp wick and exploded on the spot, sparks flying everywhere and a roar of heat.

Wu Jiu's phantom was also engulfed in the flames, his body twisted, and fire burst forth from within him, turning even the sky crimson.

Everyone held their breath.

"it's over?"

"Is this the end?"

"Such a powerful Wu Jiu was burned to ashes?"

Before the words were even finished, the fire on the west side reignited. The flames swirled up a layer of gray mist, and a new, ethereal figure slowly emerged from it. It was still the same braid adorned with skulls, only now the fire blazed even brighter.

"The Crimson Flame King is indeed extraordinary."

Wu Jiu's voice came from all directions at the same time, seemingly both near and far, "After all, having witnessed the wonders of the Nascent Soul stage, even though my realm has fallen, I am still far superior to ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators. It seems my trip was worthwhile."

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, the flames in his palms trembling slightly. "Again." Wu Jiu made his move once more.

The flames reignited, and hundreds of karmic fire ghost skeletons roared and surged forth once more, carrying death energy and heat waves.

Xue Antai merely shifted slightly, his white robe billowing as his figure transformed into a flowing cloud once more, gently passing by.

The fiery skull plunged into the flowing clouds, as if falling into the deep sea, and even the sound disappeared.

However, the dozen or so factions watching the battle were thrown into chaos.

A sense of oppression spread silently, and some people covered their heads with their hands and screamed.

Some people staggered backward, their faces turning pale.

"That fire... is inhaling!"

Cheng Bei exclaimed in surprise.

Wu Jiu formed a hand seal, and the color of the firelight suddenly darkened.

Black flames ignited in the eye sockets of those skulls, and tongues of fire snaked out as if breathing.

Immediately, a dark aura emerged from above everyone's heads and was sucked into the skull fire.

"The Secret Technique of Burning Breath, this is a lost art."

Wenshan exclaimed in surprise.

Cheng Bei shouted, "Senior, be careful! This thief is absorbing everyone's malevolent energy to strengthen the Karmic Fire Ghost Skull!"

He had a wide range of knowledge and immediately saw through Wu Jiu's purpose.

It's too late, but it's soon.

The flames on the ghost skeleton instantly surged, turning from white to black.

The grotesque skeletons visibly swelled, their bones elongated, and their teeth protruded. Roaring, they changed direction, no longer attacking Xue Antai, but instead charging towards the protective formation.

"boom!"

The wave of fire collided head-on with the protective array, causing the light barrier to tremble violently.

The array patterns cracked inch by inch, and the spiritual light trembled like waves. Fan Youyi and Xun Sizhou inside the array were simultaneously shaken and staggered backward. The little baby's fur stood on end and hid in Xiao Shi's sleeve, trembling even more silkily.

Xue Antai frowned, snorted coldly, and raised his hand. A purple wick lit up silently and shot forward.

In an instant, the light stretched into a straight line, as if someone were drawing a streak of fire in the air with a pen.

The line of fire suddenly stretched out, piercing the night.

At that moment, the heat of heaven and earth seemed to be redistributed, and all the firelight converged towards that line.

"boom!"

A loud explosion followed, and a group of karmic fire skeletons were engulfed by the flames.

In the blink of an eye, the phantom was swallowed up and disappeared into the world.

"How valiant you are!"

Wenshan shouted.

Even the besieging camp erupted in exclamations. The group of Fiery Skeletons had vanished, and they had regained their composure, ceasing their incessant shrieking.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a wisp of flame rose up and instantly transformed into hundreds of flowers.

The massive fiery ghost skeleton reappeared, as if it had never disappeared.

From the depths of the firelight, a phantom appeared, the firelight reflecting off the eight skulls on his head, flashing as if blinking.

Everyone was on high alert and quickly reinforced their protective formations, each activating their own spiritual energy shields.

After all, the experience of having one's emotions controlled by Wu Jiu's secret technique was absolutely terrible.

Nobody wants to go through this a second time.

Xue Antai's face was pale, and he seemed to have aged even more. The veins on his forehead were faintly visible in the light.

Wu Jiu laughed, his laughter sounding like two sheets of sandpaper grinding against each other.

"Crimson Flame Heavenly King, you have finally fallen from your realm and suffered a great loss of vitality. How many more times can you hold on?"

The flames in Wu Jiu's palm flickered, and the eight skulls turned in unison, their eye sockets burning with cold flames.

"You're almost out of breath, but I still want to see your true skills. Let's go all out."

As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers together, and flames burst forth.

Countless fiery ghost skeletons simultaneously let out mournful howls, the sound waves stirring up dust waves across the wasteland.

The crying seemed to drill beneath the skin, sending shivers down one's spine.

In an instant, the breathing of everyone outside the formation became disordered, and blood vessels appeared in their eyes.

They thought that by strengthening the protective array and setting up a spiritual energy shield, they could prevent Wu Jiu's secret techniques from affecting their emotions.

Little did they know that from the moment they were silently infected, Wu Jiu could manipulate their emotions at will.

Some people roared and drew their swords, while others clenched their fists and slammed them into the ground.

Their emotions were ignited and gradually pushed towards chaos.

Anger, fear, jealousy, and murderous intent were all drawn out, transformed into invisible energy, and poured into the mouth of the ghost skull.

Several cultivators even experienced a roar in their dantian, their golden cores spontaneously combusting and emitting a dazzling red light.

They howled in pain, their ferocity almost materializing as they surged toward the ghost skeleton.

"These ghost skeletons feed on malevolent energy, so Wu Jiu turned them into vessels to supply malevolent energy. It was truly an extremely vicious secret technique."

Cheng Bei was filled with worry.

Wenshan's face also turned ashen.

They could naturally see that Xue Antai was struggling to hold on.

"Gather!"

With a wave of his hand, Wu Jiu caused all the ghost skeletons to frantically gather towards his phantom.

At the same time, the ghost skeletons began to swell, their joints twisted, and the flames became viscous.

With each breath, a sliver of spiritual energy is drawn away from the world, making even the air feel heavy.

Flames wriggled, bones clung to each other, and flesh condensed from the air, emitting a low, grinding sound.

"Click, click"

That was the collision of bones.

Countless skulls twisted, overlapped, and merged.

A pair of hands emerged from the fire, their fingers long and slender, burning with black flames.

Next came the shoulders, chest, and spine. Each vertebra was inscribed with incantations, shimmering with blue runes.

A moment later, a giant skeleton rose from the flames.

Its entire body is composed of white bones, but it is enveloped in black flames, and its surface flows with a dark light like kerosene.

Eight skulls hung behind his neck, spinning endlessly and making a grinding sound as they clenched.

The skeletal giant lowered its head, and firelight poured from its eye sockets.

A glimmer of light appeared in Xue Antai's eyes, as if it had ignited his very soul.

After years of desolation, he finally found a spark of passion for fighting.

He raised his palm, his chest bulged slightly, and a muffled sound came from within his body, his spiritual energy suddenly surged.

"Ignite the Infant Flame!"

The aura exploded in an instant, and fire spewed out from the gaps in the skin, as if the blood was burning.

His white hair was whipped up by the flames, his robes turned to ash, and his bones glowed with a crimson light.

The infant fire in the dantian transformed into a vortex, rushing up along the meridians, scorching through flesh and blood, and burning the entire body.

He pointed to the sky, and the flame gathered at his fingertip into a single wick, which ignited with a flash of purple-white light.

A line of fire shot through the air, and a giant fiery dragon coiled and rose into the sky.

A dragon's roar exploded from the sky, and all the spiritual energy in the world was swept into that sea of ​​fire.

The fire dragon soared into the sky, reaching a length of a hundred feet. Its entire body was covered in scales made of spiritual flames, its eyes were like golden lamps, and its momentum was like a mountain-shattering force.

"go with!"

Xue Antai's voice tore through the wind.

The fire dragon flipped over and swooped down, carrying endless heat and spiritual pressure, heading straight for the skeletal giant.

Wherever it passed, the stones of the wasteland were baked into flowing fire, and the air was burned into layers of transparent ripples.

The skeletal giant raised its head, and all eight skeletons roared simultaneously.

Black flames burst forth from its crevices, like a thousand layers of curtains falling simultaneously.

The next instant, it raised its two enormous bone hands and met the fire dragon head-on.

"boom!"

At the moment fire and bone collided, it was as if heaven and earth were split in two.

The fire dragon roared, its fiery scales flying, its momentum unstoppable.

But the giant's fingers clenched tightly, his bones creaking, bending the fire dragon's spine inch by inch.

“Crack!

The sound was like a mountain peak breaking.

The skeletal giant clasped its arms together, tightly gripping the fire dragon in its palms.

Its finger bones twisted and turned, and the flames were gradually crushed, scattering countless sparks.

The embers reflected in its empty eye sockets, turning into two distorted white lights.

"Roar!

Xue Antai roared to the sky, forming a hand seal in his palm, attempting to rekindle the flames.

However, the fire dragon was compressed and scattered in the air, its flames swirling back, and was extinguished by the giant rushing towards it.

"Oh!"

A tremendous tremor struck, and Xue Antai was forced back several steps amidst the flames.

His chest heaved violently, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly turned into a red mist upon hitting the ground.

The skeletal giant roared and took a step forward, causing the earth to crack.

Flames rolled across its chest, and eight skulls spun around, roaring like thunder.

In the next instant, the giant shadow swooped down, black flames transforming into a reverse current, swirling up bone fragments everywhere, heading straight for Xue Antai.

The sound of the wind was torn apart, and the world was ablaze with white light.

Xue Antai knelt on one knee, blood flowing down his shoulder in the firelight, his white hair torn apart by the wind.

The skeletal giant roared to the sky, its feet surging with bone flames, and charged forward with a thunderous roar.

At that very moment, a tremor came from afar.

(End of this chapter)