The Legend of Futian - Chapter 1238

Chapter 1238: Fire Spirit

Those of the nine tribes were the strongest to be found among the pilgrimage. Leaders of all nine tribes were there personally, and all had achieved the Holiness of Nirvana. The fact that the nine tribes were able to maintain rule over the region after Emperor Kua’s passing served as an undeniable testament to their unparalleled powers.

Several pairs of eyes turned to Ye Futian when he approached. He made note of the gathered assemblage.

There were the mighty ones of the Zhu clan and Yin Tianjiao, princess of Emperor Wu. Also Xi Chan of the Xi clan. The Xi clan partnered with the Vermilion Bird clan, which consisted of demonic beasts. The Vermilion Bird clan’s leader even once served as Emperor Kua’s steed. And Chang Huai, who worked with the Jue tribe.

The student of Saint Chiming worked with the Nanli tribe, while the student of Saint Jiuyou worked with the Raven tribe. The mighty ones of the Raven Tribe descended from the bloodline of the Three-legged Golden Raven.

After Ye Futian refused their offer, the Beili tribe chose to work with a powerful young saint from Flaming Prison City. Those from Crimson Cloud City partnered with the Shang tribe.

All nine cultivators who internalized the Flames of the Way had attained Proving Holiness level. Outsiders of higher levels were barred from working with the flames—only those of Proving Holiness level could enter the ruins of Emperor Kua. The nine tribes likely instituted those rules out of concern over outsiders gaining too much power. Such a thing would have diminished the tribes’ ability to keep them in check. There may also have been other reasons, but only those of the nine tribes knew for certain.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s head out,” said the fiery-bearded elder of the Zhu clan. His clan leader stood beside him. The leader’s aura was unreadable, looking like a god of fire as he stood in a stoic pose.

The leaders of the nine tribes approached the spectral gate where they all performed hand seals. Nine dazzling wisps of flames emerged from their hands and shot at the gate.

Nine beams of light rained down, signaling that the gate had recognized their summons. A terrifying air current with a fiery aura coursed about, twisting the entire gate. Then a huge portal appeared.

“Let’s head inside.”

A small contingent went first. Their bodies disappeared immediately after passing through the gate.

“Come, City Lord Ye,” said the Wu clan’s grey-robed elder.

Ye Futian nodded, then looked at Xia Qingyuan and the others. The princess said, “Be careful.”

“I will.” Ye Futian moved with the massive group, disappearing inside the gate.

The mighty ones followed. Then the nine tribe leaders, who were the last to enter.

The nine tribes’ younger generations and mighty ones who belonged to other forces of the Crimson Dragon Realm remained behind. Their purpose was to stand guard over the vast territory while their compatriots were on the other side of the gate.

“Let’s train here,” Xia Qingyuan said.

Each found a spot and sat cross-legged to begin their exercises as they awaited the return of Ye Futian and the others.

…

After stepping through the gate, Ye Futian entered the ruins of Emperor Kua. This site was also the ancestral land of the nine tribes.

As soon as they entered, they were struck by the scorching willpower that permeated the place. The ground was red-hot, with fire sprouting from various points. The will of the great path of fire surrounded them.

“The world of fire,” Ye Futian muttered. He looked up and saw even the sky had been scorched red, shaped into peculiar patterns. Two huge balls of fire hung as if there were two suns in the sky. But they were concave, which gave them the appearance of black holes of fire. It was as if those constructs were a pair of eyes.

Ye Futian’s mind was rattled. He peered closely at the sky and saw more than just the eyes. They were centered in a boundlessly huge face. Glowing red clouds surrounded it, like fiery red hair flowing out. The entire sky looked like the face of a person.

Ye Futian was not the only one who thought so. All who weren’t part of the nine tribes stared as well. They all felt the same sense of astonishment as Ye Futian.

“Let’s go,” a mighty one said.

Even the winds in this place seemed imbued with the will of the great path of fire. Their faces were scorched by the hot winds as they continued. This could be nothing other than holy ground for training in the ways of the flames.

The nine tribes had gone to great lengths to invite geniuses from all realms. Which begged the question—what did Emperor Kua leave behind? Were the tribes unable to claim it themselves? Was that the reason to seek the help of outsiders?

“What do I need to do?” Ye Futian asked.

“Fire spirits roam in the ruins,” the Wu clan’s mighty one answered. “Countless fire spirits of differing strengths are born here. Each contains an essence of the will of the great path of fire. You must absorb that essence and make it your own.”

“Is that all?” Ye Futian asked.

“Indeed. To acquire the boundless will of the great path for your transformation, you’d need to extract and refine the spirits. The process won’t be complete until you’re able to use the way of flames to realize your extreme might. Only then could you move on elsewhere.”

Ye Futian nodded, wondering if he could improve his combat prowess while ignoring obstacles simply by using the way of the flames.

Seeing this place, it was no surprise why the nine tribes needed the fire manipulation abilities of those they invited. Finding the way of the flames was clearly of utmost importance in these ruins. Those incapable of internalizing the will of the great path of flames would not have been allowed to enter.

The mighty ones of the nine tribes split up, heading into different directions. Ye Futian and Yin Tianjiao went down their path, with their guardians from the We and Zhu clans following.

Dangers lurked everywhere. If the outsiders had been here without the protection of the tribes, there was no doubt that they would have ended up dead. The tribes had been meticulous with their selection process and placed high hopes on their designated chosen ones.

They approached a vast, fiery desert with fire spirits emerging from the ground. Several fire dragons moved about the area, all burning with golden flames, yet still having a strangely humanoid shape. They pounced when they saw the group. Despite being spirits, they were not truly conscious but instead acted on instinct. To them, the humans were prey.

The Wu clan’s mighty one paid close attention to Ye Futian. The Zhu clan had wished for Ye Futian to be of aid to Yin Tianjiao. That meant this was a good chance to see what both were capable of.

Boom! Yin Tianjiao’s entire body burst with dazzling golden flames. Holy light burst forth from her body, making her look like a furnace of the great path. She moved at blitzing speeds as she charged at a fire spirit.

While these fire spirits were not intelligent beings, they nonetheless possessed saint-level auras, as if they were the embodiment of the Flames of the Way. But Yin Tianjiao didn’t hesitant. She charged right before a fire spirit and attacked. That construct of flames met her charge with a roar but was quickly pinned down.

Terrifying whirlpools appeared on Yin Tianjiao’s body, drawing in the fire spirit and assimilating it. Within seconds, she had completely absorbed it.

The Zhu clan’s mighty one watched quietly. Yin Tianjiao, daughter of Emperor Wu, had indeed inherited the true essence of her father. She was able to incorporate fires of the great path into a variety of attacks, making her extremely powerful.

Ye Futian charged at a fire spirit, raging flames washing all over him. Boom! The fire spirit met his attack, intending to devour him. The will of the great path coursed about Ye Futian’s body and his holy light activated. The spirit’s incoming flames were quickly absorbed. The fire spirit roared as its body continued to shrink. The process continued until Ye Futian had absorbed the entirety of the spirit, incorporating its power into his Life Palace.

The mighty ones of both the Zhu and Wu clans watched. While the lord of Qianye City might not have been that well-versed in the powers of fire, he was certainly not weak. The spirits here posed no real threat to him.

Both Yin Tianjiao and Ye Futian continued on. Whenever another fire spirit emerged to challenge them, they quickly destroyed it and absorbed its power. Over the time it took them to cross the desert, Ye Futian had taken the power of hundreds of spirits into his Life Palace.

The desert ended in a volcanic area. Lava sputtered everywhere, with even more fire spirits lingering. However, the will of the great path of flames was different from before.

Both of them charged into the fires of the lava and continued to absorb the fire spirits. The mighty ones followed closely behind. The Zhu clan representative was relieved to find that Ye Futian had not posed the slightest hindrance. Instead, he consumed the flames without issue.

At that moment, the lava boiled with gushing sounds. Ye Futian turned his eyes forward and saw something emerge from the boiling lava. This was no longer a simple fire spirit but had conjured itself a solid body. It took the form of a giant made of lava, emanating a terrifying aura.

“Saint of True Self level eh,” Ye Futian muttered.

The lava giant lashed out with both hands. Anything caught in its path would have doubtlessly melted into lava on the spot. But both Ye Futian and Yin Tianjiao evaded at breakneck speeds.

Yin Tianjiao then looked at Ye Futian. “Work with me.”

It became apparent that she was about to take on the giant, despite its Saint of True Self level.