Chapter Fifty-Two: Infernal Red Lotus Pill

Chapter Fifty-two: Infernal Red Lotus Pill

Boom!

A section of the rocky wall suddenly broke away, crashing to the ground with a deafening roar. It was the aftermath of Chu Jie’s earlier battle, when a stray strike collided with the rock face. Both Chu Jie’s fight and the skirmish of the Mad Dog Camp had reached a fever pitch.

Chen Wansheng now fought with only one arm, but he quickly regained his composure. If things continued any longer, his head might soon share the same fate. In truth, both Chen Wansheng and Li Feng had developed a creeping fear of Chu Jie. Though Chu Jie was only at the fifth stage of the Spirit-Convergence Realm, his attacks were terrifyingly powerful.

Now, when Chen Wansheng and Li Feng launched assaults against Chu Jie, they did so with utmost caution, terrified that one misstep would leave them vulnerable to Chu Jie’s Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw. Chu Jie had just used this technique, exhausting a significant portion of his spiritual energy; unless the situation became dire, he would not employ it again.

Chen Wansheng continued to unleash more than ten streaks of Thunderbolt Light, but each was obliterated by Chu Jie’s Great Sun Heaven-Flame Fist, unable to inflict any harm. Li Feng, meanwhile, ceaselessly attacked with his longsword. The blade, emanating a ghostly blue light, traced a lotus blossom in the air around Chu Jie, as if blue lotuses bloomed ceaselessly—only to be shattered by Chu Jie’s dazzling fists.

Chu Jie did not use the Universe Treasure Wheel for offense. Instead, he allowed it to manifest as gauntlets, shielding himself from Li Feng’s sword. Direct attacks with the Treasure Wheel consumed too much spiritual energy, and he now possessed less than half his peak reserves.

Li Feng’s speed remained uncanny, often darting behind Chu Jie, weaving a tapestry of blue lotuses aimed at his head. At first, Li Feng withheld this move, but now, clearly, he spared nothing, determined to destroy Chu Jie.

Chen Wansheng, despite the loss of an arm and his pallid complexion, attacked with no less ferocity than Li Feng. His Thunderbolt Finger Light no longer struck in concentrated bursts, for Chu Jie’s fists would simply disperse them. Instead, upon release, the finger light scattered like a torrential rain, surging toward Chu Jie. The attack remained potent, though lacked its former explosive impact.

To evade the storm of Thunderbolt Finger Light, Chu Jie occasionally summoned the Universe Treasure Wheel, placing it before him. The lightning struck the wheel harmlessly, leaving Chu Jie unscathed.

“Universe Treasure Wheel? The Luo family?” Chen Wansheng paused, but greed quickly flickered in his eyes as he gazed at the Treasure Wheel, renowned within the Luo household. Realizing the connection, he instantly deduced Chu Jie’s identity.

“So you’re Chu Jie!” Chen Wansheng’s voice turned cold, a hint of understanding dawning.

“Now that you know who I am, I can’t let you leave,” Chu Jie stepped forward, his body transforming into a streak of light as he lunged at Chen Wansheng. His target from the beginning had always been Chen Wansheng.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Li Feng shouted from behind, following closely.

Chen Wansheng, reaching into his robe, withdrew a scarlet pill and swallowed it. Who knew how many pills he kept on his person? In battle, these pills greatly enhanced his fighting prowess.

Upon ingesting the scarlet pill, Chen Wansheng’s eyes bulged; his body radiated a faint red glow, as though he were enveloped in hellish crimson light.

“Chen Wansheng, are you mad? You actually took an Infernal Red Lotus Pill! That’ll drop your cultivation by several stages!” Li Feng cried out upon seeing this.

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I destroy him, the abundance of black crystal here will more than compensate for my losses.” Chen Wansheng sneered, his entire body glowing fiercely. Behind him, a strange red shadow began to emerge, its form indistinct.

The Infernal Red Lotus Pill, refined through special methods and containing rare medicinal ingredients, was valued at more than ten times the Great Spirit-Gathering Pill. More importantly, such pills were now nearly impossible to obtain. This particular one had been secured by Chen Wansheng with great difficulty, reserved for moments of life and death.

“Take pride—you’ve forced me to use the Infernal Red Lotus Pill against you. To die at my strongest, you should feel honored.” Chen Wansheng’s form twisted as though flames danced before him, the red shadow behind him growing larger.

At that instant, Chu Jie had already reached Chen Wansheng, his speed nearly matching the pill’s effects. The peculiar nature of the pill instilled a trace of fear in him, for Chen Wansheng’s aura surged ever higher, seemingly reaching the eighth stage of the Spirit-Convergence Realm.

At this stage, one could fly with their physical body—truly terrifying. It was the final threshold of the Spirit-Convergence Realm, and crossing from the seventh to the eighth stage was a formidable barrier. Yet, with the aid of the Infernal Red Lotus Pill, Chen Wansheng temporarily attained the eighth stage, albeit just at its early phase. Still, it was far superior to the seventh stage.

Of course, the price was steep: after consuming the pill, Chen Wansheng’s cultivation would plummet to the fourth stage. But for now, he cared nothing for that.

Chu Jie’s expression grew grave. With a long howl, his inner Reincarnation Scroll whirled madly. No matter how strong the opponent, as long as he killed him, all would be well.

“Great Sun Heaven-Flame Fist!” Chu Jie’s fist, crackling with solar energy, struck at Chen Wansheng. Yet before it connected, a flash of red light—Chen Wansheng was already at Chu Jie’s side, delivering a savage kick.

The full-force kick from a Spirit-Convergence Realm eighth stage cultivator sent Chu Jie flying, his body soaring toward a distant rock wall.

Chen Wansheng’s red glow shimmered, and he took flight, pursuing Chu Jie through the air.

“I’ll teach you what it means to oppose me. I won’t just kill you—I’ll slaughter all your underlings, everyone connected to you! Because of you, I’ve been forced to drop so many cultivation levels!” Chen Wansheng gritted his teeth.

Chu Jie had not anticipated such power from someone at the eighth stage, but he hadn’t lost hope; after all, his foe was not a true eighth stage cultivator, so there remained a sliver of hope.

Below, the Mad Dog Camp had already slaughtered all the Luo family’s men. Now, they looked up, watching Chu Jie’s battle. As Chu Jie was sent flying, his underlings roared in fury.

“Boss, we’ll fight with you!”

“Boss! We’ll live and die together!”

Chu Jie’s body crashed against the rocky wall, while Chen Wansheng flew over, gripping Chu Jie’s throat.

“Now, with the power of the eighth stage, I possess strength beyond your imagination!” Chen Wansheng laughed wickedly, red light flickering behind him, hinting at scenes of infernal torment.

Upon seeing the crimson glow, Chu Jie was reminded of the dark clouds once shrouding the Demon Lord. His curiosity was piqued: could the Barbaric Cauldron absorb the red light enveloping Chen Wansheng?

If he could absorb it, dealing with Chen Wansheng would be far easier.

“Use your claw technique! Shatter my head! Come on!” Chen Wansheng boasted, reveling in his temporary strength. Killing a fifth stage cultivator was now effortless.

Li Feng had already sheathed his sword, watching from below. The effect of the Infernal Red Lotus Pill was within his expectations, though he had no intention of sharing the black crystal with Chen Wansheng. Once Chen Wansheng’s cultivation dropped to the fourth stage, Li Feng would simply kill him.

In truth, Chen Wansheng had no intention of letting Li Feng live either; their ambitions were much the same.

Chu Jie still possessed enough energy to use the Nine Suns Heaven-Splitting Claw, but his curiosity was overwhelming: could he absorb the red glow from Chen Wansheng?

He acted without hesitation, summoning the Barbaric Cauldron.

The cauldron shot forth from Chu Jie’s body, expanding rapidly in midair, its mouth tilting toward Chen Wansheng.

“This cauldron is peculiar, exuding a wild aura. Excellent treasure! Once you’re dead, everything on you will be mine!” Chen Wansheng laughed arrogantly.

Chu Jie’s throat was painfully constricted; even with his robust physique, he felt as if suffocation were imminent. Chen Wansheng clearly intended to choke him to death, prolonging his agony.

Chu Jie’s expression sharpened, and he activated the cauldron’s power to devour all things.

A surge of spiritual energy was drawn from Chu Jie into the cauldron, causing him immense discomfort. But soon, the effect manifested—a vortex formed at the cauldron’s mouth, unleashing tremendous suction.

The red light on Chen Wansheng became unstable, the red shadow behind him wavering, nearly separating from his body.

Chen Wansheng’s face twisted in terror. “Impossible! How can the effects fade so quickly?”

He glanced at the cauldron, thrusting out a finger. A streak of Thunderbolt Light shot forth, exploding against the cauldron with a boom.

But the cauldron remained unaffected, continuing its devouring.

The red glow behind Chen Wansheng swayed violently, finally detaching entirely. It took on a humanoid shape, its face contorted with three grotesque holes, utterly horrifying.

Within the red glow, glimpses of hellish scenery could be seen, seemingly formed from countless infernal lotus flames.

Yet, under the cauldron’s suction, it could not escape, howling as though alive. Chu Jie realized it was merely an illusion conjured by the red light; such a thing could not possess true life.

The red glow was sucked into the Barbaric Cauldron, which sealed its mouth and shot back into Chu Jie, merging with him.

Chen Wansheng stared blankly, his cultivation plummeting, dropping from the eighth stage to the fourth in mere breaths.

Both Chen Wansheng and Chu Jie slid from the rocky wall and crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.