Chapter 322: Chapter 323: What is that black thing?

Translator: 549690339

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These articles not only expose the Three Sects’ dark secrets but also directly sling mud at them.

Whether you admit it or not, the fact remains that the Treasure Pavilion’s little princess was kidnapped by you, and the evidence is that she is now at the Elixir Sect.

The Three Sects were already in a tough spot to explain themselves; now that the Immortal Spirit Daily has published the story, even a plunge into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash away the stain.

As for the provoking article, it was naturally in response to the sky-high rewards offered by ancestors of various races—when they hold you in such high regard, you have to make some gesture in return.

It can be foreseen that once tomorrow’s Immortal Spirit Daily is published, it will undoubtedly cause a huge uproar.

This is what Elder Tianji wanted, carefully collecting the reports with a grin on his face.

“Hehe, my lad, when it comes to writing articles, you’re the one to beat. Such flair, such emotion, and anticipation—it all springs forth at once. Truly a genius, you have so many ideas!”

“Hehe, it’s just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning.”

Li Xiaobai waved his hand, skillfully dealing with it, unfazed.

With the disappearance of Elder Tianji, everything returned to normal.

Standing up, Li Xiaobai gave a kick to Ji Wuqing, who was asleep and drooling at his side, and set off toward the depths of the wilderness.

He casually unleashed Hellfire, covering his body with pitch-black flames. The ground was scorched wherever he passed, with strands of black flames lingering, incessantly devouring the weeds on the ground. These flames were indomitable, burning everything they touched until nothing remained unless Li Xiaobai chose to retract them deliberately.

Of course, the flames were not yet strong enough; after burning the surrounding weeds, they would extinguish as usual.

“Giggle, lad, you’re plotting to murder me again!”

Ji Wuqing, terrified, flapped his wings in a panic and fled as if flying.

He was extremely frightened of those flames. Just a touch could incinerate his body instantly, such was their formidable power.

“Hehe, then you lead the way.”

Li Xiaobai smiled faintly, igniting Hellfire partially to protect himself and partially to allow it to automatically absorb Spiritual Power and advance.

However, the resources at hand were too weak to enable a rapid progression.

But as he ventured deeper into the heart of the region, the quality of the objects burned should increase.

Ji Wuqing scouted ahead; he dared not get close to the Hellfire, which spelled instant death for him, so he was quite fearful.

“Giggle, lad, there’s a Flesh Mountain ahead!”

Ji Wuqing called out.

“Hmm, I see it.”

Li Xiaobai nodded. The nearby Flesh Mountains were just small clumps and posed no threat whatsoever.

He approached a chunk of flesh. It was identical to other Flesh Mountains he had seen, continually writhing and emitting a faint crimson mist with a pungent stench.

With a flick of his fingertip, the chunk was instantly covered in a layer of pitch-black flames, hissing as they burned.

In the blink of an eye, the flesh chunk rapidly shrank and collapsed. Wisps of blue smoke rose, and in the brief span of a breath, not even ashes remained of the Flesh Mountain.

Simultaneously, the value jumped on the System panel.

[Hellfire (Divine Level Skill): Current release range: Zero (one percent) upgradable.]

A lowest-level Flesh Mountain could increase the progress of Hellfire by one percent; overall, that wasn’t too bad, and it soon would be able to upgrade to the next stage.

Li Xiaobai continued exploring the vicinity, burning everything he encountered with Hellfire—trees, rocks, Flesh Mountains, and beasts all became nourishment for the Hellfire.

The previously poised predatory Demonic Beasts were now scattering in all directions. They had no hope of stopping the man ahead, for that pitch-black flame needed only a strand to reduce their lairs to nothing.

“`

[…Current release range: zero (5%) progressing.]

[…6%…]

[…7%…]

…

The System panel values were slowly rising, and Li Xiaobai’s eyes lit up.

He was still on the outskirts of the No-Man’s Land where the Flesh Mountain’s power wasn’t very strong, so there were still Demonic Beasts inhabiting the area, which he unknowingly incinerated along with their dens in the surging black flames.

The belongings and treasures of the Demonic Beasts were far more valuable than those of the lower-ranked Flesh Mountain; the values on the System panel kept jumping, steadily nearing the hundred percent mark.

Striding across the wasteland, vast swathes of land were enveloped in black flames. Li Xiaobai had no idea where the Demonic Beasts lived and was too lazy to search; the path he walked turned instantly to wildfire, which sooner or later would reach the Demonic Beasts’ dens.

“Cackle, lad, slow down, don’t block the exit for this noble one!”

Wuqing was trembling at the sight of the vast black flames on the wasteland. The Hellfire was unextinguishable, growing more abundant and terrifying as Li Xiaobai moved on.

To Li Xiaobai, it was a matter of indifference; Ji Wuqing had the ability to resurrect. If Wuqing died, he would grow stronger, which suited Li Xiaobai just fine.

Moreover, he had discovered an excellent method to quickly progress with the Hellfire. As long as the flames kept burning, he would surely advance swiftly, using resources that weren’t even his own.

Simply delightful.

“You ridiculous chicken, you won’t actually die. What’s there to panic about? Just follow along. If you die, I’ll find a place to bury you.”

Li Xiaobai gave him a glance, paying him no heed, and continued to walk briskly across the wasteland.

If it weren’t for the concern that the Hellfire would destroy his sports car, he would have preferred to spread flames everywhere driving a Lamborghini; his own two legs were too slow for his liking.

…

Meanwhile, at the edge of the No-Man’s Land, within a corner of a jungle.

A small troop was trapped in an encirclement, covered in blood, with dozens of sinister shadows looming around them, their intent to kill palpable.

“Protect the lady!”

“We must not let anything happen to the lady!”

“Those damned curs, willing to kill for profit here, once the lady gets back, she will report to have you all thrown into prison!”

“Hmph, dreaming of seizing military authority from our lady!”

A few older cultivators were furiously glaring at the dark shadows around them, but the blood continuously flowing from their bodies revealed just how weak they had become, barely holding on.

“There’s no need for this, you all just want the military authority in my hands. If you promise to let these soldiers go, I’ll hand over the Tiger Talisman to you right away!”

A lady, protected by the group, said coldly. These were warriors who had been through life and death with her, and she cherished their deep bond. She couldn’t let them die in vain because of her.

“Miss, you can’t! These people have sinister intentions. You must not agree to their demands. You need to keep the military authority and safely return to camp to find out who’s behind this, and avenge us!”

One of the older men said.

Seeing the people pushing and shoving each other, the shadows surrounding them lost patience.

“Kill them!”

But at that moment, an exclamation reached everyone’s ears.

“What’s that black thing over there?”