Xuanyuan released the Qi from the Water of Heaven and attacked the Fire of Red Lotus. The power of the Water immediately suppressed the Fire. The laws of nature states that water overcomes fire.
“That’s it. Keep weakening it. Once it becomes weak enough we can use the Devouring Technique,” said Greed. Xuanyuan didn’t dare slow down his attacks. He was enduring the extreme cold from the Water of Heaven inside his body and the extreme heat from the Fire on the outside.
But the Fire of the Red Lotus was not to be underestimated. The Spell of Frozen Sky could only provide him with a little support. The fire continued raging as Xuanyuan kept activating the Water.
After an hour, the power of the Fire had grown much weaker, but the Water of Heaven hadn’t faltered in the slightest. The steam produced from the clash of the two powers ascended into the sky and froze when encountering the spell. Xuanyuan was now standing in a large pool of water which was formed by melted ice.
Another hour passed and the power of the Fire was growing weaker.
“This is the time!” Suddenly, from inside of Xuanyuan, numerous black threads extended and wrapped around the Fire. The Fire roared in anger and struggled, causing the entire Red Mountain to tremble.
“Xuanyuan, quick! Use the disposition to seal yourself!” Greed urged. Xuanyuan understood and immediately activated his thoughts to make the disposition shrink. The ice dragons clung onto him as Xuanyuan was trapped inside the disposition. Since he was the one who made the disposition, Xuanyuan was not harmed by the disposition. He was surrounded by a shield of ice. Nothing, not even an iota of Qi, could leak outside. The trembling Red Mountain soon returned to normal.
“We have made it this far without dying. Good. Now, I’ll use the Devouring Seal to trap the Fire inside your heart. The rest will rely on you,” Greed said. The black light formed many strange looking symbols which captured the Fire and dragged it towards Xuanyuan’s heart.
Xuanyuan instantly felt like his body was going to explode from the pain. The Water of Heaven tried to protect him, but the Fire was too overbearing. Every inch of his body was being torn apart from the inside. His instruments, which had helped him so far, slowly broke down when they encountered the Fire’s rampaging power.
“Xuanyuan, I’m going to drag the Fire into your heart completely. You’ll have to overcome it. Whoever has the stronger willpower will win the fight. If you lose, your body will be devoured in an instant and your mind will be lost!” Greed warned him for the last time.
—
A ball of black light could be seen from inside the shell of ice.
The Fire had stopped struggling and rushed into Xuanyuan’s heart, then Xuanyuan’s consciousness was torn from his body. When he looked around, he was inside a world of fire. Numerous burning lotuses filled the entire space.
“Mundane human, you disrupted my plans. All this one wanted was the Body of a Thousand Spirits. Not only did you interfere, you even attempted to steal my royal power.” A man equipped in bright fiery armour said. His tone was regal and he spoke like a king. “No one will ever be my master. The Emperor of Red Lotuses was my only master in this life. If you so wish to die, I’ll make use of your body.”
The man walked towards him. The heat grew more intense as he approached.
Xuanyuan smirked. Behind him stood the Lady of the Water of Heaven. When she appeared, the burning red lotuses were trapped within ice, suppressing the intense heat.
“Water of Heaven! Good, I can finally defeat you and claim this body.” The man glared at the Lady, who smiled calmly in reply. However, her attack was violent. Forceful blue waves attacked the entire sea of fire.
“Stop resisting. I am your master now. The Emperor of Red Lotuses is your past, I’m your future. I will bring glory to your name. Do you know who I am? I’m the heir of the Devouring Emperor. My Body of All Creation can absorb everything in the world. There’s no use in resisting me.” Xuanyuan declared his strong will.
“The Body of All Creations! It is the origin of all sin!” The man’s eyes revealed his shock. “Don’t you dare try suppressing me. I have never heard of the Devouring Emperor!”
The man roared in anger and summoned a ball of fire which engulfed Xuanyuan. He was still protected by the blue water, but the fire was also attacking his mind. Every inch of his skin was screaming with pain.
“Looks like the Emperor of Red Lotuses preceded the Devouring Emperor. If that is so, I can only make him bow to me using force!” He absorbed the figure of the Lady of Water inside his body and the divine power of the Water of Heaven radiated from him.
“The Fire of Red Lotus, burn their sins!” Red lotuses appeared from every direction. All of them were filled with the power of fire as they directly attacked Xuanyuan.
“Water of Heaven, protect me!” A blue lights shone from his body and destroyed the lotuses which were approaching. Xuanyuan unleashed a flurry of blows towards the man in red armour. In his mind, he focused on the pain which Guxing must have suffered. He thought about Ziyun? Is she safe? No matter what he needed to enhance his power and kill Xingyun. He needed power to protect all the people he cared about, he needed the Fire of Red Lotus to submit!
The two powerful wills clashed in a mighty battle. This intense struggle between whose will was stronger carried on for half a month.
“How can this be? He’s only a mundane human. How can he have such a strong will?” The Fire didn’t have much strength remaining. The Water of Heaven was draining his power and the boy wasn’t submitting. His willpower seemed to be undying.
“Fire of Red Lotus. I’ll ask you one last time. Submit to me. I will be the Emperor of the future. I’ll bring glory to your name. I’ll find the origin of your power, the Twelve Red Lotuses. If you refuse, you’ll die here.” Xuanyuan’s face was emotionless. It was as if he had become someone else. Someone you wouldn’t dare to meet eyes with.
The man was shaken. His voice was coarse, “You can help find my origin?”
“Yes, I will. I have the Body of a Thousand Spirits by my side. You know how well she can sense spiritual beings. If I can’t find your origin, then no one can!” Xuanyuan voice was dignified and the Fire’s will weakened. “If you don’t submit to me. You will die here. I will just find another fighting fire. It won’t be difficult for me with the help of the Body of a Thousand Spirits.”
Xuanyuan raised his hands to make one last move, but the man opened his mouth and said slowly, “If I wasn’t lured out of the palace by your trap, you would have never been able to force me into this position. I’m impressed that you were able to control the Water of Heaven, and create the Disposition of Nine Locked Dragons. You are no ordinary human. If you swear to help me find the Twelve Red Lotuses, I will submit to you at once.”
“I swear. When I find the Twelve Red Lotuses, I will refine them into my heart and return your origin.” Xuanyuan smiled proudly. He then devoured the Fire of Red Lotus without any resistance.
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