novelsky Chapter 856.17: The Bridge of Fire and Poison
Chapter 856.17: The Bridge of Fire and Poison
Everyone passed through the back door of the main hall and arrived before the iron-chain bridge connecting to the second floating peak.If the abyss beneath the first bridge was a dead, silent chaos, then this place was a boiling hell.
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
Beneath the iron-chain bridge was no longer emptiness, but churning, dark red magma.
This magma was not ordinary fire; it presented an eerie purplish-red hue.
From time to time, enormous fiery pillars erupted without warning, shooting straight into the sky, heating the iron chains until they glowed red-hot and emitted sizzling sounds.
Blasts of scorching heat washed over them, the very air so hot it twisted and distorted.
"This... this is too dangerous, isn't it?" Wang Shouyi looked at the chains heated to a glowing red and swallowed hard. "If you fall down there, wouldn't you just turn to ash instantly?"
"More than just falling down."
Zhang Yibai's expression was grave. "This earth fire contains an extremely potent fire poison. If you get even a speck of it on you, I'm afraid even a Nascent Soul would be burned through."
"Hmph, ignorant fools making a fuss over nothing."
Tu Fu Xing urged impatiently from behind. "It's just earth lung fire, isn't it? Mortals are as timid as mice."
He was currently nursing a bellyful of anger.
He had lost face earlier at the bronze statues and gained nothing in the main hall. Now, seeing these mortals dawdling and hesitating only stoked his fury further.
To salvage a shred of the Immortals' dignity and to intimidate Chen Huaian and the others, Tu Fu Xing let out a cold laugh and strode forward.
"Step aside! Let This Venerable One show you what true immortal methods are!"
He pushed Gu Changsheng aside, walked to the edge of the cliff, and somewhat disdainfully extended a hand towards the empty air beside the bridge.
In his view, earth fire of this level was just scary to look at.
With his thousand-times refined True Spirit immortal body, even taking a direct bath in it would be nothing more than a warm soak.
"Immortal, this magma doesn't look right, I fear..." Chen Huaian cleared his throat lightly, deliberately provoking him.
"Silence! When This Venerable One acts, who are you to..."
Tu Fu Xing's words were cut off.
BOOM!!!
The purplish-red magma below, which had been flowing calmly, suddenly erupted violently.
A fiery stream, as thin as a finger, shot out from the abyss like a venomous snake waiting to strike. It instantly lashed out and licked Tu Fu Xing's extended arm.
Just a single touch.
There wasn't even a process of burning.
"AAAHHHHH—!!!"
An ear-splitting, utterly agonized scream instantly tore through everyone's eardrums.
Tu Fu Xing recoiled as if electrocuted, stumbling backward and falling to the ground, writhing in pain.
Everyone looked on in horror. Tu Fu Xing's extended left arm had vanished!
Melted away completely!
Like a candle meeting a fierce flame, his entire arm, flesh and bone, instantly transformed into a puddle of foul-smelling, golden-yellow pus, dripping onto the white jade ground with a corrosive sizzle.
Moreover, the wound wasn't healing. Instead, a purplish-red fire poison was rapidly burrowing along his meridians, invading his body.
The pain had this True Immortal rolling on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Where was the slightest trace of an Immortal's majesty now?
"What... what kind of fire is this?!"
Bi Yue Wu cried out in shock. He hurriedly pulled out a handful of immortal pills and stuffed them into Tu Fu Xing's mouth, then cast several spells to barely suppress the spread of the fire poison.
But that arm of Tu Fu Xing's True Spirit was clearly ruined for good.
The atmosphere fell into silence, broken only by Tu Fu Xing's ragged panting.
Witnessing this scene, cold sweat instantly broke out on Zhang Yibai and the others.
If even an Immortal's True Spirit body couldn't withstand a single touch and melted instantly, what chance did their mortal flesh and blood have? They'd probably be wiped out without a trace!
What kind of iron-chain bridge was this?
This was clearly the Naihe Bridge leading straight to the Yellow Springs!
"What are you standing around for?!"
Bi Yue Wu glared fiercely at Chen Huaian and the others while helping Tu Fu Xing treat his wounds. "Get moving! If you delay the timing, This Venerable One will throw you all down to fill the pit!"
He had now completely torn off his mask of hypocritical benevolence.
Fear spread through the group.
Wang Shouyi's legs went weak. Gu Changsheng's face turned deathly pale. Even Zhang Yibai tightened his grip on his sword hilt, unable to take a step forward.
At that moment.
A figure stepped out from the crowd.
Chen Huaian.
His expression remained as calm as ever, as if the scene of Tu Fu Xing's arm melting had never happened.
He walked to the cliff's edge, looked down at the churning, bottomless magma, then glanced at the red-hot iron chains.
In the eyes of others, this was a place of certain death.
But in his eyes, those erupting fiery pillars seemed to follow a certain predetermined rhythm, like... the very breath of heaven and earth.
"Brother Chen..." Zhang Yibai reached out to stop him.
But Chen Huaian just waved a hand dismissively, his blue robe flapping in the scorching wind.
He lifted his foot and took a step onto the glowing red iron chain.
Sizzle—!
The smell of scorched soles rose from beneath his feet, but he didn't even furrow his brow.
Just like that, with his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely, as if taking a casual walk in a garden, step by step towards the opposite shore, facing the sky full of erupting poisonous fire.