I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 193 Fire Dragon
Chen Ming said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I cannot approach the core area, so I will not go with you. I have matters to attend to with the sect leader of the Cangyue Sect."

With that, he pulled Deng Ziyang up and left.

When Lord Jin saw him mingling with the Blood Demon Sect members, he frowned, but this wasn't the time to ask. He then led his men away. The others present followed suit.

Senior Brother Zhu from the Blood Demon Sect stayed behind until everyone else had left before chasing after Chen Ming in the direction he had gone.

He walked through the passageway with a sense of ease, like a cat playing with a mouse.

After a while, at the end of the passage, a new cave appeared before them.

His relaxed mood had just disappeared.

"interesting!"

Looking at the empty cave, Senior Brother Zhu murmured something.

That kid was carrying two people, and he was still incredibly fast. He was only a dozen or so breaths behind them, and they had already disappeared from sight.

"Let's see where you can run to."

A murderous glint flashed in his scarlet eyes as he casually stepped into a passageway.

Since that's the case, he can only resort to the most foolish method: taking a chance.

Anyway, all the passages here are connected, so we'll run into them eventually.

As for the key, it naturally couldn't compare to the "Blood God Pearl" in his mind. The art of immortality was too far removed from him. To compete with so many experts for it, even if he managed to get his hands on it, would ultimately only benefit that envoy.

No one was going to fight him for the "Blood God Pearl"; all he had to do was get rid of those little rats.

Do I even need to ask how to choose?

……

"Put me down."

Inside a certain passage, Chen Ming finally slowed down. Deng Ziyang saw him standing there breathing heavily, which showed that he was expending a lot of energy, so he said this.

He really didn't want to be a burden to Chen Ming. "You're not alone anymore. This girl is deeply in love with you and is willing to live and die with you. You must not betray such a bond."

When Deng Ziyang said this, he couldn't help but think of his deceased wife, Zhu Xixi, and felt a pang of pain in his heart.

When he witnessed Yu Haitang risking her life to protect Chen Ming, he was reminded of his own and his wife's ordeal. Not wanting Chen Ming to suffer the same fate, he stepped forward and chose to turn against the three Blood Demon Sect disciples.

He originally intended to sacrifice himself to help Chen Ming and the other man escape.

After his wife died, he had already resolved to die. What has kept him alive until now is the hatred in his heart.

He believed that as long as Chen Ming could escape, he would definitely be able to avenge himself and his deceased wife in the future.

He hoped that he could soon be reunited with his wife in the afterlife.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ming's skills were so miraculous that he pulled him back from the brink of death when he was on the verge of death.

Now, that scoundrel surnamed Zhu has come after us again.

Deng Ziyang knew very well that Chen Ming was already having a hard time with that woman, and if he took him along as well, it wouldn't be long before that man surnamed Zhu caught up with him.

"He only wants to capture me—"

"You knew you were going to die, so why did you save us?"

Chen Ming interrupted him, "You stood up for me. Do you think I, Chen Ming, am a coward who fears death?"

Deng Ziyang said angrily, "Why are you doing this? Are you going to risk her life for me, a member of the demonic path?"

"A mere first-rank official can't kill me."

Chen Ming took a deep breath; his internal energy had been fully restored.

When he unleashed the full power of "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens," his speed was indeed extremely fast, leaving even first-grade experts far behind.

However, the consumption was also enormous; just this short distance consumed 30% of his vital energy.

He could only take out the "Fire Element Pearl" and absorb its power to restore his depleted Qi.

This "Fire Element Pearl" contains incredibly pure fire elemental power, which can be directly absorbed to quickly replenish what has been consumed.

"Walk."

Chen Ming picked him up again and continued on his way.

Deng Ziyang was extremely anxious, but there was nothing he could do. To prevent him from causing trouble, Chen Ming sealed his internal energy.

Before long, they arrived at another cave, where there were two more monster corpses on the ground.

Chen Ming didn't stop at all and entered a passage.

"This direction leads to the core—"

After circling around a few times, Deng Ziyang had a general idea of ​​the direction. Generally speaking, the passageway in the middle leads to the core area.

The passageways on both sides are for going around in circles.

Just now, everyone outside heard Shang Jianfei and Yuan Xingzhi say that those who cultivate the "Blazing Sun Divine Skill" cannot enter the core of the cave.

Moreover, everyone is heading for the core. Although they are currently at peace, once the fire dragon is dealt with, a chaotic battle will inevitably ensue to seize the key.

Such a chaotic battle was extremely dangerous.

Chen Ming said, "He certainly didn't expect that we would run over there, which is actually the safest place."

Deng Ziyang asked worriedly, "But, if you go to the core area, won't there be any danger?"

"Don't worry, I have a way."

……

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea has passed.

The three of them had already ventured deep into the core area, where the fire elemental power in the air was extremely dense. If it weren't for Chen Ming protecting him, Deng Ziyang would have quickly turned into a dried-up corpse.

The problem is that the fire elemental power here is extremely violent, even carrying fire poison. Directly absorbing it will pollute one's vital energy and cause great damage to the body.

The danger actually stemmed from the poisonous fire here.

Then, Deng Ziyang was shocked to discover that Chen Ming's protective aura had changed, turning light green.

"This is--"

He was taken aback, almost unable to believe his eyes. "You... you actually practiced another martial art?"

Normally, martial artists only practice one technique. It's not that they can't practice multiple techniques, but it's too troublesome. First, it takes too much time, and second, there's a possibility of conflicts.

Therefore, those who possess two different types of true energy within their bodies are extremely rare.

Chen Ming not only practiced another martial art, but also reached the third rank, which is truly incredible.

If you study only one subject and can't even keep up with his progress, what are you?
Chen Ming instructed, "This is my secret; don't tell anyone."

He didn't explain that it was the same cultivation method, and there was no way to explain it. It's impossible to cultivate two completely different types of internal energy from the same cultivation method; no one would believe it if someone told them.

Deng Ziyang felt a chill run down his spine and replied, "Okay."

And so, Chen Ming, carrying Yu Haitang in one arm and Deng Ziyang in the other, finally walked out of the passage. Before him lay a vast space, the kind that seemed to stretch endlessly.

Faintly, a majestic roar could be heard, which was very likely the fire dragon.

The fire elemental power here is even more concentrated; you can see tiny sparks floating in the air like fireflies—that is the fire elemental power that has solidified.

Suddenly, a spark touched his protective shield and instantly ignited, burning a hole through it.

"What terrifying power of Qi."

Chen Ming was somewhat surprised. He pushed the protective barrier away, and the sparks, having lost their fuel, quickly went out.

He saw that the space was almost filled with these sparks, and he could easily touch them if he wasn't careful. So, with a thought, the "Phoenix Cry Sword" at his waist flew out and deflected the nearest spark to the side.

When the tip of the sword touched the spark, that spark actually merged into the blade.

Chen Ming was startled and quickly sheathed the sword, holding it in his hand. He noticed it was humming softly, conveying a sense of satisfaction.

"It seems that this kind of Mars is a tonic for it."

Only then did he feel relieved.

He thought that made sense; this divine weapon was originally of the fire attribute, which was why it was so compatible with his "Mysterious Fire True Skill." This extremely pure fire elemental energy was naturally a great tonic for it.

So he used the "Phoenix Cry Sword" to clear a path and went inside.

After walking a few hundred meters, a river came into view.

To be precise, it is a river of lava, filled with fiery red magma.

Upon arriving here, we could finally see the fire dragon clearly. In the lava lake ahead, a huge fire dragon was soaking in the water, its body bound by nine chains, unable to escape the lava lake.

The other end of the chain was fixed to nine thick pillars.

The nine pillars connect the ground to the top, and are covered with all sorts of strange symbols. The pillars glow red lightly, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if they were alive.

This should be the core of this cave.

Clearly, that fire dragon was the core of the formation.

Where is the key?
Chen Ming searched for a while but found nothing that resembled a key, which made him somewhat puzzled. He asked the jade begonia in his arms, "Where is the key?"

She said lazily, "It should be in the lava below the fire dragon."

"So, we have to kill the fire dragon to get the key?"

"good."

"The fire dragon is dead, is this cave still of any use?"

“Of course it is possible. That fire dragon is just a guard watching over the key.” Yu Haitang’s tone was very confident.

Upon hearing this, Deng Ziyang couldn't help but glance at her. She seemed far too familiar with this cave dwelling.

Chen Ming finally paid attention to the battle between those first-rank experts and the fire dragon.

There were a total of seven first-rank officials, including Ling Qiyang, the sect leader of Cangyue Sect, but Madam Yu was nowhere to be seen.

With the seven of them working together, the fire dragon appeared to be at a disadvantage, but it was not seriously injured.

Chen Ming noticed that it possessed extremely high combat intelligence, always managing to avoid vital points. Its size was enormous, tens of meters long and as thick as several people could hug; unless a vital point was injured, it was nothing to it.

He fought seven opponents single-handedly, and the battle went back and forth.

For a time, even the seven first-rank officials couldn't subdue it.

As expected of a fire dragon that has lived for thousands of years, even though it has been suppressed for a long time, it is still not something that ordinary people can compare to.

Suddenly, the man from the Six Doors, Master Jin, suggested, "Gentlemen, let's show our true abilities. If we keep dragging this out, we'll exhaust our strength and still won't be able to kill this beast."

This golden-clad admiral actually possessed a first-rank cultivation level.

"it is good!"

"Kill this beast first!"

Instantly, several astonishing force fields rippled outwards.

Chen Ming and his two companions, who were hundreds of meters away, were almost knocked over by this astonishing aura.

This power was so terrifying that it cleared away all the fire elemental energy within a radius of several hundred meters.

Boom!

Accompanied by several flashes of swords and shadows, the lava lake suddenly exploded, scattering countless fire raindrops in all directions.

Chen Ming couldn't see the battle situation on the other side at all.

The power of a first-rank official is truly astounding!

Holding the "Phoenix Sword," he placed the Jade Begonia on the ground, stepped forward, and with a move called "Ten Thousand Feathers Paying Homage," transformed into thousands of sword shadows, blocking the incoming "fire rain" one by one.

ding ding ding-

Finally, the aftershocks of that "fire rain" passed.

Chen Ming felt a sudden emptiness inside him, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Indeed, one should not casually observe a battle between warriors.

Even the aftershocks of a first-rank battle, which he had exhausted all his strength to withstand, were almost too much for him to handle.

The power of each drop of lava in that "rain of fire" just now exceeded that of Gao Chen, a third-rank martial artist, with his full-force attack.

"Roar--"

A deafening roar rang out.

That fire dragon is still alive!

Chen Ming looked over and saw that the lava had dried up, and there was a golden flame at the bottom of the lake, as if it were rising from the ground, almost as if it were real.

To remain unscathed under such a ferocious attack is no ordinary feat.

"Could this be the key?"

He thought to himself that when he saw the fire dragon for the second time, its condition was not good. It had several huge wounds on its body, two of its four claws had been cut off, one of its eyes had been blinded, and half of its head had been cut off.

And yet, it still hadn't died. Its tenacious vitality was truly astonishing.

Just then, Chen Ming suddenly sensed an unusual fluctuation. He turned around abruptly, looking at Yu Haitang sitting cross-legged on the ground, somewhat astonished, "No way? At this time..."

He was familiar with this fluctuation; it meant that Yu Haitang was trying to break through to the third rank.

Why did she choose this time?
"Old devil Yang, how dare you—"

Suddenly, a furious voice rang out.

Chen Ming turned around and saw that two of the first-rank cultivators were already locked in combat. He recognized one of them; he was the old man who had escorted Yu Haitang.

The fire dragon was still alive, yet it had already started fighting amongst itself.

(End of this chapter)