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墨書 Inktalez
Fire Lake was still rising, the crimson magma pulsing with a strange rhythm as it surged toward Li Hong's feet. He closed his eyes, his uninjured right hand firmly grasping Chuxiong's hand.
Suddenly, Chuxiong's hand moved slightly. Li Hong thought it was just his imagination, but that hand truly moved and even pinched him.
Turning around, he saw Chuxiong slowly opening his eyes.
"Second brother! You're awake!"
"Where is this..." Chuxiong weakly murmured, "Eldest brother, we fell into a trap..." His eyes suddenly widened in terror as he stared at the nearby Fire Lake and shouted, "Eldest brother... fire... run!"
Li Hong ignored the Fire Lake behind him, which was less than ten feet away, and calmly looked into Chuxiong's eyes. "Tell me, can you move now?"
"I can..." Chuxiong understood the situation and struggled to lift his body to stand up. But Li Hong immediately realized it was impossible; Chuxiong had fallen from a height, likely landing on his left side, and both his left leg and left arm were broken. He couldn't stand at all.
"Eldest brother, run! Don't worry about me!" Chuxiong shouted in panic. "Go now!"
"I'm not leaving; I won't abandon you." Li Hong stepped forward and tightly supported Chuxiong—this was something he had decided long ago.
"Don't..." Chuxiong screamed desperately. "Forget about me; I know your leg is still fine! Hurry! Tell Master about this and avenge me! Eldest brother, go!" Somehow finding strength from somewhere, he lifted Li Hong with one hand and forcefully threw him toward the stone wall above.
Li Hong's toes touched the stone wall as he looked down. Chuxiong was trembling against the wall, continuously shouting, "Go! Don't worry about me; just go!" The scorching lava was less than five feet from his feet.
Li Hong's eyes filled with tears, his heart racing with anxiety; he wished he could grow wings to carry his younger brother to safety. He shouted back, "I'm not going!" Just as he prepared to jump down again, he suddenly noticed what seemed to be a shadow on the right side of the wall at this height. Doubting his eyes, he rubbed them and looked again—there was a crack in the stone!
Li Hong was overjoyed and jumped down, pointing excitedly. "There's a place over there where we can hide temporarily; hurry!"
The two found hope in despair and quickly hopped over to the crack Li Hong had spotted. Indeed, about two yards off the ground, there was a crack approximately ten feet long, less than two feet wide and about a foot deep. It could easily conceal two people.
Without hesitation, Li Hong shouted, "Second brother, up!" He forcefully grabbed Chuxiong's right foot and lifted him upward. Chuxiong desperately lunged upward and just managed to reach the crack with his right hand.
"Grab hold! Don't let go!"
Fire Lake had already spread to their feet, just a foot away, and the flesh on Li Hong's calves was sizzling. Li Hong took a deep breath and leaped, landing right at the edge of a crevice. He immediately lay down in the gap, reaching out his right hand to grab Chuxiong's hand and pulling him up with all his strength.
The two of them lay in the narrow crevice, the red-hot lava quickly engulfing the spot where they had just stood. They exchanged a glance, and Chuxiong chuckled, "We've temporarily escaped disaster." He grinned, wiping his face, and a layer of charred black skin fell off.
Li Hong knew he was not in much better shape; every part of his body hurt. He said, "Don't move, whatever you do, don't fall!" His voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like his own.
Fire Lake had submerged everything below them, hissing as it continued to rise inch by inch. Although it might not reach them before receding again, he feared they would be scorched long before that happened. He had to think of a way to get up!
Li Hong shouted, "Is anyone there? Help! Is there anyone!"
He shouted for a long time but received no response. It was clear that no one would come; he could only rely on himself to save them. Li Hong desperately thought of ways to summon help.
Summoning Technique! A flash of inspiration struck Li Hong as he turned to Chuxiong, who was almost head-to-head with him, and shouted, "Hold tight! Don't let go of anything you see!" He extended his right hand and began to form seals: "Heaven and Earth, All Things Have Spirits, grant me form from the chaos; let the heavens turn and the earth shift as I summon spirits; evil forces retreat and demons submit. Swiftly!"
The crevice beneath them grew hotter and hotter. Li Hong struggled to turn his head to see if any Yin Spirits had been summoned.
All he saw was scorching red heat; nothing else appeared. This place was likely the realm of Yang, a location most feared by Yin Spirits and Evil Spirits—there was no way through here. Li Hong closed his eyes and desperately recalled if there were any other spells available in the Six Spirit Salty Ritual; suddenly, a golden character flashed before his eyes—the Beast Taming Technique.
The Beast Taming Technique was similar to the Summoning Technique; it was also a progressive spell that could be advanced according to one's cultivation level. However, the two were opposites—one summoned Yin Spirits for control while the other summoned earthly spirit beasts for command.
Spirit beasts were not ordinary animals but extraordinary beings born from heaven and earth; some could even transform and cultivate themselves. They were categorized into three levels: low-level, mid-level, and high-level. Some High-Level Spirit Beasts were even stronger than cultivators and could advance themselves into celestial beasts or even divine beasts with immense powers.
The Beast Taming Technique was precisely a spell for communicating with and commanding spirit beasts. According to what was written above, if one cultivated to the Nascent Soul Stage, summoning celestial beasts would not be impossible; however, whether those celestial beasts would be willing to be commanded or would retaliate depended on various factors such as personal cultivation level and the spirit beast's disposition.
Li Hong had significantly improved his cultivation but had not yet mastered the second part of the Six Spirit Salty Ritual; logically speaking, he should not be able to use the Beast Taming Technique. Nevertheless, Li Hong decided to give it a try.
Whether he could summon a spirit beast depended on luck. If he could manage to summon one and create some commotion, perhaps someone from Nine Li Sect would come to check it out—then they would have hope.
He closed his eyes, formed seals with his hands according to the introductory incantation of the spell, concentrated hard, sinking all his focus into the Upper Dantian Purple Palace while chanting: "Heaven and Earth, All Things Have Spirits; darkness gives birth to light—grant me form! Spirit wander thousands of miles—come forth my spiritual essence! Nearby spirit beasts appear swiftly! Swiftly!" He pointed toward Fire Lake beside him.
Inside the dark space of Upper Dantian Purple Palace, Essence Blood glowed brightly red as if many voices were shouting around him. A loud bang echoed like someone striking him hard on the forehead; Li Hong's mind jolted as he was forced out of his Upper Dantian Purple Palace. Stars danced before his eyes; he couldn't see anything clearly. A sweet taste filled his throat as he involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood that splattered all over Chuxiong's face. Chuxiong screamed in fright, "Big Brother! What happened to you?"
A buzzing sound filled his ears, and the world spun around him. Li Hong lay motionless in the crevice of the stone. He didn't know how long it had been before the dizzying sensation gradually faded away. He quickly focused his mind back into the Upper Dantian Purple Palace and discovered that the color of his Essence Blood had dimmed, and even the Multicolored Light Sphere surrounding him had shrunk significantly. He couldn't help but click his tongue; indeed, he couldn't use the Beast Taming Technique now, as what had just happened was a backlash.
He forced a smile and comforted Chuxiong, saying, "I'm fine. I originally wanted to try to find someone to save us. I'm sorry; it seems I wasn't successful. This time it's all my fault. Chu Qiu had ill intentions; if I hadn't jumped onto the Wingless Ship first, you definitely wouldn't have followed me. It's my brother who put you in such danger."
"Brother! If you say that, then you don't consider me a brother! If you hadn't saved me earlier, I would have been left with nothing by now. We are life-and-death brothers! Brother, I will never blame you!"
The crevice grew hotter, and they could hear each other's flesh creaking painfully. The pain had become so intense that they could no longer feel it; their consciousness gradually blurred. Chuxiong stretched his right hand forward inch by inch, and Li Hong did the same. In the narrow stone crevice, their hands tightly clasped together.
"Good brother!"
The familiar face before him became increasingly blurry as Li Hong exhaled his last breath of scorching air, his gaze slowly fading.
In a haze, a melodious sound reached his ears; something was flying over the blazing Fire Lake.
A Flame Bird danced gracefully, its long and extraordinarily beautiful tail feathers touching the surface of the Fire Lake, creating ripples in the thick red liquid. The Flame Bird grew larger and larger, its two ruby-like eyes coming closer.
It clearly spoke in human language, its voice incredibly enchanting: "Did you summon me?"
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