2659 Retrieving The Celestial Fire

Following the directions that Liu Feng Gu had given him, Duan Ling Tian arrived near the foot of an inconspicuous mountain. He circled in the air for a few moments before finally landing at the foot of the mountain on the eastern side. ‘It’s here!’

“The Hidden Formation that City Governor Liu laid down is still here. This means no one has come here since he discovered this place,” Duan Ling Tian muttered to himself. As he looked at the dense forest near the mountain, he extended his Divine Consciousness.

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Like a gust of wind, Duan Ling Tian moved into the dense forest, un.o.bstructed. It was as though he knew a technique that allowed him to pa.s.s through the forest without leaving any traces behind. Just like that, his figure was swallowed by the forest, hidden from sight. In fact, the forest was just an illusion conjured up by the Formation. Since he had deactivated the Formation that Liu Feng Gu set up, he did not meet any resistance when he entered the forest.

Soon after, Duan Ling Tian entered a cave. It was pitch black, and the terrain was rough and uneven. Water that smelled putrid was collected in numerous potholes on the ground.

Whoos.h.!.+

Duan Ling Tian mobilized his Celestial Origin Energy before it surged out of his body. At this moment, it seemed like he had transformed into the sun as his body began to emit a dazzling light that lit up the cave.

Bang!

Duan Ling Tian lifted a hand, and his Celestial Origin Energy shot out from his palm, hitting a part of the cave wall. A loud rumbling rang in the air as the wall collapsed, revealing a tunnel that led to an unknown destination. The entrance of the tunnel looked like the gaping maw of a gigantic beast as though it was waiting for its prey to walk into its mouth.

‘According to City Governor Liu, this tunnel leads deep into the earth. That’s where the Celestial Fire is located…’ Duan Ling Tian did not waste any time and made his way into the tunnel. The light from his body illuminated the dark cave in just an instant. As he traversed the tunnel, he did not meet with any obstacles. Since the Celestial Fire was a natural occurrence and was not placed there by men, there were, naturally, no tests or trials along the way. After roughly 30 minutes, he finally reached the end of the tunnel.

When Duan Ling Tian saw a grey light, his eyes brightened immediately. Upon seeing this, he knew he had reached his destination. Liu Feng Gu had told him that the Celestial Fire was grey. He stomped on the ground and left the tunnel in a hurry. He discovered the tunnel had brought him into a gigantic cave. Stones and pebbles hovered in the air, supported by some mysterious force. The stones and pebbles were of varying sizes; some were as small as a grain of rice and some were as big as a bed. However, the majority were the pebbles that were as small as a grain of rice.

‘Flying stones and pebbles,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself when he saw the stones and pebbles in the air. It did not take long before his eyes landed on a grey flame that was floating in the midst of the stones and pebbles. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the flame. It was his first time seeing a flame of this color. The grey flame seemed like the cave’s core as the stones and pebbles revolved around it.

At this moment, Duan Ling Tian felt as though his consciousness was stuck as though he had fallen into quicksand. The grey flame seemed to have a mysterious gravitational force that pulled his consciousness in, making it difficult for him to extricate himself.

“Hmm?” It was not until the mysterious force from the defective metal piece enveloped his soul that he regained his senses and managed to look away.

Duan Ling Tian inhaled sharply. “This Celestial Fire is truly strange.” If it were not for the mysterious energy from the defective metal piece that protected his soul, he might not be able to extricate himself from the pull of the grey flame.

‘City Governor Liu didn’t say anything about the Celestial Fire being able to trap one’s consciousness…’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. His consciousness was almost trapped due to his lack of preparation. ‘He must be unaware of this. It’s also possible that my soul is too weak. After all, my soul is that of a Yellow Sun Golden Celestial. It’s far weaker than when City Governor Liu had come across it.’ He trusted Liu Feng Gu and did not think Liu Feng Gu had intentionally hidden this from him. Indeed, he was right. His consciousness had almost been trapped earlier because his soul was too weak.

He continued thinking to himself, ‘Based on what he said, the stones and pebbles would attack as soon as I go near the Celestial Fire. It happened to him previously. He could not deflect the attack so he could only leave empty-handed.’ He studied the stones and pebbles that seemed to systematically revolve around the Celestial Fire, guarding it.

Suddenly, Duan Ling Tian’s eyes turned cold.

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The sound of sword whistling rang in the air as Duan Ling Tian cast all the techniques he had mastered. He even used the Devata Artifact, the Seven Orifices Exquisite Sword, to form the seven-colored sword Formation. He had unleashed all his strength, without holding back, to obtain the Celestial Fire.

As soon as the seven-colored sword Formation appeared, it shrouded Duan Ling Tian and brought him flying toward the grey Celestial Flame.

Before Duan Ling Tian left b.l.o.o.d.y Specter City, he had asked Liu Feng Gu about the method to retrieve a Celestial Fire. Liu Feng Gu had given him a Memory Celestial Talisman that contained the method to retrieve a Celestial Fire. ‘To retrieve a Celestial Fire, one needs to suppress it with power and communicate with it through one’s Divine Consciousness. That’s the way to tame it. After all, it’s not sentient.’

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As Duan Ling Tian was fast approaching the Celestial Flame with his seven-colored sword Formation, the revolving stones and pebbles were suddenly agitated. Like a sandstorm, they swept over to him. The stones and pebbles obstructed his sight, and he could feel an energy sweeping toward him as well. The energy was not inferior to Zhou Tong’s strongest attack.

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At this moment, he heard the sound of something whistling through the air. Soon after, he saw more stones and pebbles flying toward him at a greater speed like meteorites falling from s.p.a.ce.

Duan Ling Tian widened his eyes in shock. His expression was dark as he muttered, ‘This is even stronger than Zhou Tong’s strongest attack!’