Two individuals, seeing they could not resist, shook their heads and said, "We are already suffering before reaching our destination; one can only imagine the torment within. Forget it, I definitely cannot endure it. I'll withdraw." These two then exited.
Among the remaining people, some also considered withdrawing, but believing they could persist for a while longer, they continued forward, wanting to see how long they could last.
Mo Qi, however, suddenly found his resolve strengthened. He reasoned that since so many people had entered, there must be a possibility of success. If others could succeed, then he could too.
Therefore, while others were slowing their pace, he quickened his. In moments, he was at the very front, drawing a surprised "Yi" from the female cultivator.
Suddenly, the path ahead opened up. The crowd looked out to see a sea of fire above and below, with a misty expanse underfoot, as if paved with flames. Within the sea of fire, ice and snow were faintly splashing. These two things, originally incompatible, now miraculously permeated and coexisted. Amidst the ice and fire, there were moments of countless arrows flying, fleeting glimpses of sword mountains, and cascades of blood seas.
"There's nothing to be surprised about," the male cultivator who had been trying to please the beautiful female cultivator said calmly. "After the destruction of hell, all the original ice mountains, seas of fire, sword mountains, and arrow forests became disordered, merging together. And what we see is not all; there are still countless vengeful souls roaming within, their resentment extremely powerful. They use the materials at hand, employing those torture instruments as weapons, constantly attacking those who enter..."
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing scream echoed from the sea of fire, and a figure flew out, landing with a thud. While still in the sea of fire, it was vaguely visible as the middle-aged male cultivator. By the time he flew out, he had become a skeleton, and upon hitting the ground, he shattered into bone fragments.
A terrifying aura instantly spread infinitely within everyone's hearts.
Moments later, two more people turned and left.
Only Mo Qi, the female cultivator, and the one trying to please her remained. The three looked at each other, and both the male and female cultivators showed signs of hesitation. Mo Qi said, "You should both leave. It's not shameful to retreat wisely."
The female cultivator snorted, "Ridiculous. If I were to retreat, it wouldn't be for you to dictate." With that, her face filled with determination, and she stepped into the sea of fire.
The male cultivator who had been trying to please her also entered after a slight hesitation. He quickened his steps to catch up with her, and their figures were instantly swallowed by the sea of fire. Mo Qi, without further hesitation, also quickly entered, soon catching up to the other two.
Upon stepping in, he instantly felt his body undergoing a thousand cuts, with alternating waves of cold and heat. When hot, it was as if ten thousand fires were burning him, his entire body feeling like it was being roasted, with oil and sweat constantly flowing out. When cold, it was as if ice blades were striking him, his muscles feeling as if they were being severed, losing all sensation, only for the severed flesh to be roasted again, causing searing pain.
The golden battle suit instinctively activated, and Mo Qi felt slightly better. Although his body was not damaged, the sensation of pain never disappeared.
In such an environment, the body could not rest for a moment. It was no wonder they said that cultivating here would lead to significant progress.
At times, he saw distorted human silhouettes drifting within the sea of fire, emitting eerie cackles.
At times, a dense rain of arrows would suddenly shoot towards him, with nowhere to dodge. Mo Qi had to activate his protective divine light shield and then summon an ice wall to block. The ice wall shattered, but the arrow rain still shot towards him at high speed. Fortunately, the ice wall bought him time to summon his Mo Blade with ten thousand edges. The next moment, with flashes of light and rumbling sounds, countless Mo Blade phantoms clashed with the arrows, sparks flying and extinguishing, flying and extinguishing, continuously. They were like the eyes of demons opening and closing in countless places, leaving infinite fear in people's hearts.
Amidst the booming explosions, Mo Qi's body was affected by the shockwaves, tumbling erratically in the sea of fire. After this exchange, Mo Qi was already covered in wounds. Just as he was about to take a healing pill, he remembered the purpose of his journey. He was here for arduous cultivation, and since it was arduous cultivation, he had to face the pain of his skin with equanimity.
So, he calmly sat down and adjusted his breathing. At this moment, the peerlessly beautiful female cultivator appeared before him. She had sustained some injuries, and her crimson blood stained her snow-white clothes. The disdain on her face was gone, replaced by reverence and admiration.
Upon seeing Mo Qi, her previously panicked gaze turned to surprise. She exclaimed, "It's you! I knew you were different. You are the hero in my heart. Quickly, quickly take me out, I can't stand it anymore."
Mo Qi's heart instantly warmed. "So, you've finally realized, and you need me to protect you? I will protect you."
As he spoke, the woman lunged forward, throwing herself into Mo Qi's arms. Mo Qi spread his arms, embracing her. Before he could savor the soft jade and warm fragrance, he felt a heart-wrenching pain. The woman before him turned into smoke and dissipated, and a dark blade plunged into his chest. Fortunately, his battle suit protected him, and his body was not pierced, but he was still seriously injured. The dark blade also dissipated moments later, but the pain genuinely plagued him.
Mo Qi finally understood that everything that had just happened was merely an illusion cast by the vengeful souls! In this environment, this wound could worsen infinitely, eventually consuming him. Therefore, he dared not underestimate it and hastily took a healing pill.
Before he could even catch his breath, countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky. In a moment of inspiration, he used his lightning and fire divine abilities to resist. After the collision of myriad lightning bolts, his body was further battered.
Forced to act, he accelerated his pace forward. However, the attacks within were continuous and dense, with no gaps. How could there be a safe zone ahead? Retreating was probably the only way to escape. Yet, at this moment, he had no thought of escaping and continued to charge forward regardless.
But the male cultivator who had been trying to please the female cultivator could no longer endure. Covered in wounds, with a look of terror on his face, he rushed towards Mo Qi, crying out, "I want to get out! Where is the exit? Where is the exit?"
At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck directly above his head. Instantly, his body turned into ashes and dissipated into the air. A faint wisp of smoke drifted away, likely his soul not yet dispersed. But here, the vengeful souls would hardly allow him to escape, and he would eventually become one of them, preying on others.
After countless rounds of attacks, although Mo Qi had his battle suit for protection, he was still wounded all over. The critical issue was that the attacks were endless, leaving him no chance to breathe or recover. Even a moment's respite might have allowed his body to recover.
However, even now, he had no intention of retreating. If he were to die, he would die here.
With this thought, he took the opportunity to put the preliminarily processed and purified medicinal herbs into his mouth, using his own body to refine Golden Body Pills, and added some healing ingredients. When the sea of fire attacked from the outside, he used that flame for refinement. When the chilling cold attacked from the outside, he used his internal fiery spiritual energy for refinement.
As time passed, the medicinal effects within gradually took hold, rapidly permeating his body and causing it to gradually be enveloped in a layer of thick, almost tangible golden yellow. The attacks that struck this golden yellow battle suit slid off like raindrops.
At this moment, the peerlessly beautiful woman emerged from somewhere, her body covered in blood and grime, with several wounds gaping open, revealing flesh and blood. Upon seeing Mo Qi, she rushed towards him as if he were a lifesaver, frantically asking, "Where is the exit? Where is the exit?"
Mo Qi rubbed his eyes, confirmed it was not an illusion, and then grabbed her, rushing towards the exit.
At this moment, myriad phantom images converged from all directions, forming the outline of a giant human face that blocked Mo Qi's path. Once formed, it opened its mouth, and a colossal black hole grew larger and larger, devouring them.
The peerlessly beautiful female cultivator was now filled with terror, completely different from her previously arrogant demeanor.
Mo Qi then remembered that he had a special technique for dealing with souls. He raised his right hand, and five claw shadows shot out, slamming into the black hole. With a fierce pull, the giant face twisted in pain for a moment, and finally, with a low thud, it was torn apart, dissipating into myriad soul bodies.
Mo Qi then pulled the female cultivator and continued to fly towards the exit. With a clear mind, finding the exit was actually easy, as they had not gone far. It was only due to the dual torment of body and mind that they had become exhausted and disoriented, unable to find the exit even when it was within reach.
Under Mo Qi's guidance, the two quickly reached the exit. Without a word, Mo Qi pushed her out.
The woman lay on the ground, gasping for breath, as if reborn.
Her outer clothing had been burned away, leaving only her undergarments clinging to her body, revealing her perfect figure. She no longer cared about her appearance, lying sprawled on the ground.
Mo Qi couldn't help but glance at her a couple more times, then said, "Take care of yourself. I can only escort you this far." With that, he turned and stepped back into the sea of fire.
The peerlessly beautiful female cultivator looked back, only to see a resolute figure disappear from her sight. She murmured to herself, "Who exactly is he? Why is he so strange?"
She slowly sat up, every movement pulling at her wounds, every movement causing a piercing pain. Her mouth stretched into a wide grin. After finally settling down, she prepared to circulate her energy to heal herself, when she suddenly found a pill in her hand, likely slipped to her by the young man.
She couldn't help but give a wry smile. She, who had traversed the world, was today saved by a weakling and had to take his inferior pill.
She figured the pill wouldn't have much effect, but it was a gesture of goodwill, and anything was better than nothing. She decided to take it for now, as it couldn't hurt. Then, she tilted her head back and swallowed the pill.
Then, a miracle occurred.
The wounds on her body healed at a visible rate, and in moments, the countless gashes were gone. What had made it difficult to walk or sit now allowed her to move freely.
This was incredible.
As the internal temperature gradually decreased, she suddenly realized how revealing her current attire was.
Fortunately, no one saw her. She immediately took out a set of outer clothing from her storage bag and put it on.
Who was this young man? She became even more curious.
Looking at the vast sea of fire, she hoped to see him emerge alive, so she stood there for a long time, her gaze fixed on the sea of fire, wishing to catch even a glimpse of his figure. However, as far as her eyes could see, there was only the sea of fire, the ice and snow, and the mountains of knives and pots of oil...
Time quietly passed. Unknowingly, three months went by. The young man still had not come out. With his cultivation, it was impossible for him to last this long. She assumed he was already in dire straits. The peerlessly beautiful female cultivator had only wanted to see him one more time, even if just to thank him in person, but she never expected this outcome. Unknowingly, two streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. She sighed softly, turned, and slowly walked away.