Forge of Destiny Threads Chapter 521-Deep Fire 2

It was an undeniable fact that the fiery fragments posed a considerable threat. Their cultivation levels were comparable to hers, and their sheer numbers were not insignificant. Yet, she could not dismiss the truth that she had once encountered a sovereign's flame. This current environment was vexing, even excruciating if her technique faltered, but it paled in comparison to the inferno of the Crucible.

"I am Zhengui, sovereign king of the verdant flora, the rolling hills, and the fertile fields, and consort to the Lady Snowblossom, guardian of the frigid waters and the aquatic life!"

The resonant voices of Zhen and Gui echoed as magma seethed around him, his form expanding dramatically with his declaration.

"I am Ling Qi, Baroness of the Celestial Empire, an envoy from the Throne of Seasons, and it is with your esteemed lord that my brother and I seek parley. Though we may be but kindling, you will discover us beyond your capacity to incinerate, here beneath the earth where our influence reigns," Ling Qi proclaimed, though with less ostentation. She floated above the molten rock and flames, a silhouette whose tresses were gently stirred by a breeze carrying the scent of spring's renewal and the rumble of thunderstorms.

Flickering flames began to surge, only to momentarily dim before reigniting. The two embodied spirits swelled in size, a theatrical display of their might, the sharp crackle and hiss of spectral flames overpowering all other sounds.

"Who are these individuals? Who are these names? Brief sparks and dying embers ablaze, a distant power striding freely into domains not their own."

The inferno erupted. The conflagration obscured all vision, the deafening roar assailed her ears, and the lurid flames enveloped them both. They clawed at her skin, gnawed at her hair, and attacked the very fabric of her dress.

Qiyi contracted minutely, its silken material rippling with affronted indignation at the assault, and wrapped around her, its threads interweaving to form an impenetrable barrier. Merely a stage or two earlier, such an attack might have scorched her flesh, even through her defenses. Now, she could sense the drain on her Qi, but little more.

Beside her, Zhengui stomped his feet, sending splashes of magma outward as the flames licked across his scales. A brilliant emerald Qi shone between them, as any charred portion instantly flaked away, replaced by new growth.

"How insolent! Gui comes to your domain with respect! Gui does not breach your walls with brute force, as he easily could!"

"And yet, I, Zhen, show magnanimity! You have slumbered for an age. You are unaware of the great names that command the earth and the heavens. This young king shall overlook your impertinence if you cease this aggression."

"I shall defer to my brother's judgment." Her voice resonated with a metallic timbre through the shroud enfolding her face. "However, my patience is not infinite."

The intense heat pressed down, but the crackling flames recoiled. Flame sprites, accompanied by their molten skeletal forms, had multiplied, weaving through the inferno in a dizzying dance, forming a circle around them – mere puppets manipulated by a more formidable entity.

The immediate hostility was disheartening, yet it confirmed a crucial insight in Ling Qi's mind. This was not a scenario akin to the Weeping Mother, a being wielding Law, held in check only by her invocation of higher powers. Those invocations had been poised on her tongue, but her own defenses had proven sufficient. The flame spirit was potent, but it was not a master of Shen.

"The kindling offers poor sustenance, this is true, but what is its purpose? The day of apotheosis approaches. The birth of the sun from the earth. What import do words hold in these times? Come. Approach, little kindling. Breach the gates of my sanctuary, and usher in the most radiant day."

There was no sullen defiance, no terror of their strength, no remorse for initiating this confrontation. If anything, the flame faeries drew closer, their luminescence intensifying, their extremities tinged with blue as they swirled in palpable excitement.

"I, Zhen, wish to enlighten you regarding when your glorious day will dawn and where its bloom will grace the world. Much awaits incineration, it is undeniable. The sky is boundless, and the earth lies cold; it craves warmth. My fangs have purged countless entities to pave the way for the plow and the spade. The fields are newly formed, and their time of fruition is far from over. This, I solemnly decree."

Her brother responded, and she offered no objection.

Had they aimed to preserve the spirit's essence, she might have adopted a more conciliatory stance and guided it toward a different resolution. However, her brother's reasoning held true. Ultimately, had she not acted similarly, drawing borders upon a map? She had dictated where endings and sorrow would manifest.

As Zhen articulated, one could not prevent all conclusions, and the act of preservation merely for its own sake…

She vividly recalled the demise of Still Waters Deeping.

The flame spirits continued their encirclement, forming a shimmering wall of fire and eerily gleaming eyes. Ling Qi observed them with caution. While she felt little apprehension for herself or Zhengui, should this escalate into a full-blown conflict, it might prove impossible to prevent the spirit from unleashing its full fury. Its immensity, based on her understanding of Meng Duyi and Zhengui's explanations, was intrinsically linked to a vast cavern beneath a significant portion of their farmland, saturated with flame-aspected gases.

The peril involved extended beyond a mere explosion; it also threatened a catastrophic cave-in once the space was devoid of its dense atmosphere. Without meticulous management and controlled release, the very earthveins fueling the region's warmth and endowing the cold, rocky soil with blessings could be compromised, or at the very least, locally devastated. Even if she averted immediate fatalities, the potential for grievous harm remained substantial.

“What is there to say?”

The fire crackled with an almost eager intensity, as if contemplating goading them into combat. This eagerness for self-destruction was a perilous frame of mind.

"We will grant you no such satisfaction." Ling Qi glided forward, the flowing ribbons from her sleeves lashing out and striking the leaping sparks, writhing with the anxious focus of her Qi. "The stone does not hold us captive as it does you. We can depart at our will. You cannot compel a battle."

There were occasions when the most potent form of truth was found in bluntness and directness. Engaging in evasive maneuvers here would be futile. She scrutinized the spirit, probing its essence as deeply as her courage allowed. It was composed entirely of wind and fire, a bright, untamed energy—a simple yet formidable existence by sheer magnitude, a fragment of the destructive passions that had forged the region in the forgotten epochs preceding the fall of the Dragon Gods.

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"We have, through our actions, roused you. You will not demand an apology for this, and therefore, I offer none, Flame-Under-Earth. You are awakened. Your essence ignites beneath the open sky. We have already quelled a wildfire due to your influence," Ling Qi elaborated. "While you will burn, we are not without our countermeasures."

Zhengui trudged onward through the molten rock, Zhen's head held high with imperious dignity amidst the searing heat. "You shall burn, yet this king will thwart you at every juncture. The veins are not yours to command; you can only infiltrate and contort. We cannot prevent it entirely, but I, Zhen, can impede you for an extensive duration. This conflict is not inevitable."

"You desire an eruption. Gui and Big Sis can facilitate that. All we require is your time and your location."

The flames intensified, their hue darkening to an almost crimson shade as they lapped at Zhengui's shell and the edges of her robes.

“You claim you can depart unscathed, that my flames hold no power over you…”

Ling Qi's eyes widened as she perceived the crackling surge of Qi. It exploded outward, and Zhengui's indignant roar was swallowed by its thunderous sound. Flames assaulted her from all directions, a heavy, suffocating, clinging force. These flames originated from an acrid air that was never meant for respiration. It sought to envelop her, providing fuel for the consuming inferno, and to infiltrate her lungs, weighing her down and inducing slumber, even within this dreamscape.

Her Qi vibrated in harmony with Zhengui's as their techniques took effect, with vibrant, verdant Qi erupting in profusion.

“But if containing this flame were so effortless, you would not be present here.”

The hissing sound pierced her ears, and Ling Qi’s brow furrowed beneath her veil. The flames flickered, and the suffocating gas receded from the fabric of her attire. Blossoms unfurled amidst the molten rock, emerging from the fissures of the scorched earth, and sturdy roots took hold beneath Zhengui's feet, forming a platform that shielded him from the fires. They introduced the concept of life-giving vitality into this domain of roaring death, the spirit's transitional existence.

"Zhengui, should our host remain unconvinced by these sincere words, permit us to demonstrate our resolve," she stated, her voice cutting clearly through the cacophony of roars and crackles. Despite the spirit's willful nature and capricious disposition, she sensed a faint hesitation in response to the conviction she infused into her declaration.

Zhengui's Qi surged outward, manifesting as beams of emerald sunlight that pierced the fissures representing the connections to the earthveins, while the rhythmic stamping of his feet upon the wooden stage served as a percussive accompaniment to her song. It resonated with the distant lake, the frozen mountains, and the spirits that upheld imperial authority within their domain, reinforcing the patterns established in the land—the geomancy of Shenglu.

The earthveins contracted, and the currents of energy dwindled to a mere trickle. She understood that sustaining this state would impose a considerable burden and discomfort while a resolution for the uncooperative flame was sought. The harvests would falter, the fields would succumb to frost, and the livestock would likely sicken, as would the populace, from this abrupt alteration.

However, for a brief moment, they could prove their ability to suppress the flames, and it would feel no more intense than a fleeting, cool breeze.

The formidable flame spirit would still find an egress through this method and ascend to the surface, but its emergence would mirror the preceding, smaller eruption. It would be dispersed, manifesting across Shenglu, and its much-desired spectacular outburst would be protracted into years of intermittent, diminishing bursts. It would exact a toll, yet it remained within the bounds of control.

An enemy's resolve to perish, or the certainty of their doom, did not mean they were left without recourse.

With a swift extension of her hand, Ling Qi parted the engulfing inferno. A localized pocket of frigid air, conjured by her Qi, caused the atmosphere to scream as opposing temperatures violently collided. The frozen flames descended, striking the molten floor and evaporating instantly, like scattered snowflakes.

Beside her, Zhen's own fiery aura blazed, its color shifting to an acidic green within the peculiar logic of this liminal space. The molten liquid dripping from Zhen’s fangs consumed the spirit’s fiery tendrils, spreading in a verdant, swirling ring across the confined area he had established.

"If you deem us defenseless, then we shall perish together in misery," Ling Qi declared. "Burn with all your fury, but you will not consume us on your terms."

"You cannot extinguish this young king at your whim. Though the gateway to your domain is sealed, only this much can seep through," Zhen added, his voice laced with defiance.

“Chilling frost, spread to blanket the earth. This suffocating darkness, I recall it well.”

The flames dwindled, their ethereal forms appearing to crawl across the darkening magma. The sprites resembled skeletal figures, their black bones outlined by clinging red frames.

It had been concealed previously, she realized, encased and frozen within the glacial ice and sediment that formed Snowblossom Lake. This revelation stemmed from Meng Duyi's insights, his discussions on the region's geological formation and the histories etched into its rock strata and watercourses. He had explained how the cataclysmic outburst could be contained and managed by reinforcing the ground, preventing its collapse into the subterranean void, which would have claimed half the farmlands.

"You desire to burn gloriously; we shall permit it," Zhen proclaimed, tilting his snout skyward. "Let your triumphant moment be free and uninhibited."

"And we, the fuel for your fire, will be present," Ling Qi continued with composure. "With your utmost power and unreserved radiance… try to burn us then."

Ling Qi conjectured that Cai Renxiang would likely strike her with one of her new law codices. She suspected she would merit at least the initial blows.

Who was she deceiving? Renxiang's retribution would undoubtedly be far more severe. Silently, Ling Qi bid farewell to the depths of her inbox, anticipating a deluge. Her mother, too…

Wasn't she still quite terrible at seeking permission before taking action? Even if Renxiang had sanctioned the controlled detonation of Qi in a secure location, this situation was likely beyond her expectations.

Flames danced around the faceted mica bones, flickering within the deep-set eye sockets. A wave of heat emanated from the fissure in the doorway, akin to the exhalation of a colossal beast.

She stilled her racing heart. She possessed absolute certainty, as did Zhengui, that this spirit was not a master of Dao. It commanded an immense reservoir of flame Qi, surpassing even her own in depth, yet its Qi was not fundamentally superior in quality.

She had endured hardships far greater than this. Her brother was no different from her. He would persevere for their Shenglu and for those who had placed their faith and power in their hands.

"I swear that I will grant you the opportunity to incinerate us with your entire might," Ling Qi retorted.

"It is not Zhen's failing if your flame proves ephemeral and weak. You will not deem this young king an oathbreaker if you yourself are feeble," Zhen added with disdain.

Flames crackled and surged. Teeth resembling shards of incandescent flint gnashed ferociously.

"Agreed," Ling Qi affirmed. "You shall swear upon your heat that you will abstain from any sabotage or sudden eruption while the subterranean channel is under construction, or once it is opened. You will confront us directly. You will not attempt to escape this challenge or break free elsewhere."

"Then, let the accord be formalized. I, Ling Qi, High Priestess of Shenglu, who speaks for the Throne of Seasons, shall pledge my oath…"

She anticipated being in significant trouble following this ordeal.