Chapter 17 A Glimpse of the Abyss

The vast, torrential waters of the Sinful Spring completely enveloped the Abyss Red Lotus, covering every inch of it. A nine-eyed face surfaced on the spring’s surface, able to sense through karma that Xu Jingming was hiding nearby within his mind realm.

"Hmph, this Wu Ming is constantly guarding the mind realm, clearly not giving up." Lord Yan Zhai was constantly aware of Xu Jingming's presence, and unable to enter the mind realm to kill him, he was naturally very annoyed.

"Brother Yan Zhai, Wu Ming said he just wants to watch the Abyss Red Lotus bloom! What's the harm in letting him see it? It's not a loss to you! Look what you've done, he's hiding in the mind realm, ready to strike at any moment," the withered tree figure transmitted from the side.

"He can only hide. If he dares to come out of the mind realm, I'll attack him immediately! He wants to watch the Abyss Red Lotus bloom in peace? Hmph, beautiful dream," Lord Yan Zhai responded. "If he had offered a generous gift and been polite, perhaps I would have been in a good mood to give him a chance. But no gift, and you expect me to give him face?"

"Brother Yan Zhai, Lord Feng Ke offered you a gift and invited you to join forces. You accepted the gift and even devoured Feng Ke's avatar," the withered tree figure said.

"I said, even with a gift, it depends on my mood at the time," Lord Yan Zhai said.

"I've been with you for so long, and I still don't know when you're in a good mood and when you're in a bad mood," the withered tree figure said helplessly.

"I'm in a pretty good mood when you're with me," Lord Yan Zhai said.

The withered tree figure smiled.

Long ago, he was just a withered abyss tree with nascent intelligence. Lord Yan Zhai was a river. Each had their own territory, and they could sense each other from afar, but neither could move. They slowly grew by devouring other abyss life that passed by.

Over the long years, they grew together and supported each other, becoming the most important beings in each other's lives.

Lord Yan Zhai had a strange temper, and other abyss lords dared not spend long periods with him. Only this withered tree could stay by his side, and Lord Yan Zhai never vented his anger on it.

"Be careful if I fight Wu Ming later," Lord Yan Zhai suddenly transmitted.

"Don't worry, I'm not very strong in direct combat, but I'm good at preserving my life," the withered tree figure transmitted. "Besides, I can see future branches, and this Wu Ming is clear about his grudges. He hasn't attacked me even once."

"Don't trust the future!" Lord Yan Zhai said.

Just as they were chatting as they had for countless years, the Abyss Red Lotus reached its limit and finally began to bloom slowly.

"Hmm?" Lord Yan Zhai and the withered tree figure naturally noticed it immediately. They were the closest to the Abyss Red Lotus.

"It's blooming?"

Xu Jingming, who had been patiently guarding the mind realm, felt the changes clearly. His Nine-Leaf Black Lotus Flame resonated with the Abyss Red Lotus. After accumulating for long years, it was beginning its final, perfect bloom!

"Now's the time." A sharp glint flashed in Xu Jingming's eyes. In an instant, he split into three Xu Jingmings, followed by thousands of densely packed 'Black Lotus Avatars,' all composed of Black Lotus Fire.

"Mind Realm Transfer!"

Although Lord Yan Zhai's Sinful Spring enveloped every part of the Abyss Red Lotus, making it invisible through the mind realm, Xu Jingming used his senses to transfer thousands of Black Lotus Avatars to different locations on the vast Abyss Red Lotus. In an instant, ninety-nine percent of the Black Lotus Avatars were annihilated, leaving only dozens. Only then did he transfer his three avatars over!

...

Lord Yan Zhai had endured Xu Jingming for hundreds of years. Now that the Abyss Red Lotus was blooming, he was naturally ready, mobilizing the Sinful Spring with all his might, covering almost every inch of space.

He needed to wait until the Abyss Red Lotus had fully bloomed before he could pick and collect it.

When Xu Jingming transferred thousands of Black Lotus Avatars over, many were only a few feet away from the Abyss Red Lotus. Some even appeared directly on the blooming petals. But strands of Sinful Spring permeated every crevice, and as soon as these avatars appeared, they were tainted by the Sinful Spring and began to dissolve.

If it were Xu Jingming's true body, he could resist the Sinful Spring to some extent. But avatars made of just a wisp of Nine-Leaf Black Lotus Fire could not withstand it at all.

Of the thousands of Black Lotus Avatars, only dozens managed to penetrate the interior of the Abyss Red Lotus!

Some were transferred into the flower bud.

Some were transferred into the stem channels.

Some were transferred next to the lotus seeds.

"Success." Xu Jingming was very satisfied that dozens of avatars had succeeded. Immediately, his three avatars were transferred in via Mind Realm Transfer. One avatar entered the stem channels of the Abyss Red Lotus, and the other two were on the lotus seedpod inside the flower bud.

"He got inside the Abyss Red Lotus?" Lord Yan Zhai was both angry and anxious.

He had said that he wouldn't let this outsider watch the Abyss Red Lotus bloom. Yet, the other party had forcibly entered, and he couldn't stop him.

"He's inside the Abyss Red Lotus, what can you do? Destroy the Abyss Red Lotus to kill him? Besides, he's of the Mind Realm lineage. Killing one of his avatars is useless to him," the withered tree figure said from the side.

Lord Yan Zhai said, exasperated, "This Mind Realm lineage is indeed troublesome. He really got inside the Abyss Red Lotus. Fine, I'll just harvest it as soon as the Abyss Red Lotus is in full bloom and take it away."

The huge Abyss Red Lotus flower bud had already begun its slow blooming process.

On the lotus seedpod, two of Xu Jingming's avatars were carefully observing the entire Abyss Red Lotus.

Another avatar was in the 'stem channels', sensing the internal workings of the Abyss Red Lotus.

"The entire Abyss Red Lotus is truly intricate." Xu Jingming watched. After all, he had cultivated the Red Lotus Fire to the Nine-Leaf Black Lotus realm and had studied the 'Abyss Red Lotus Diagram' for many years.

Seeing the real Abyss Red Lotus now, he felt suddenly enlightened! Many past confusions were instantly resolved.

"This Abyss Red Lotus is like a real universe, with incredibly intricate operating rules. These rules easily purify sin and turn it into nutrients, nourishing the Abyss Red Lotus," Xu Jingming marveled.

"Purifying sin can be so easy."

Xu Jingming began to construct an Abyss Red Lotus Diagram within his body. In the past, he could never fully comprehend it. According to the inheritance description, one had to see the Abyss Red Lotus in person to have a chance of understanding it. Xu Jingming had seen it this time and understood.

"The Abyss Lord's Abyss Red Lotus Diagram has already explained all the mysteries. But that is dead! The real Abyss Red Lotus is alive."

Of the three Mind Realm lineages Xu Jingming studied, Red Lotus Fire was the first he had explored, yet the Mind Weapon and Illusion lineages had reached the half-step third realm first. Red Lotus Fire was the slowest.

But now, with the key understood, everything fell into place.

The aura of the Abyss Red Lotus Diagram constructed within Xu Jingming's body became even more vast. The Nine-Leaf Black Lotus Fire originally condensed within his body merged into the 'Abyss Red Lotus Diagram', naturally transforming into blood-red flames!

Red Lotus Fire uses sin as nourishment, burning the body, burning the soul, burning all entangled karma and grudges! Surrounded by Red Lotus Fire, there is even an effect of severing karma!

"Red Lotus Fire?" Xu Jingming felt a wisp of Red Lotus Fire transforming within his body.

"Chi chi chi~~~"

Red Lotus Fire burned within Xu Jingming's body, which was entirely composed of Mind Realm power! Possessing the physique of the Abyss Body and extremely high energy density. After all, the Red Lotus Fire was condensed by Xu Jingming. When burning within his body, it naturally restrained its power and did not cause extreme destruction.

"Red Lotus Fire can burn one's own sin, one's own body, and one's own soul and consciousness." Having obtained the inheritance, Xu Jingming naturally knew how to use it.

Using it against enemies was only one application of Red Lotus Fire.

Severing karma was also a use.

It could also be used to cultivate oneself.

In fact, every lineage is helpful to oneself. The vastness of the Abyss Body, the energy density of the Mind Weapon lineage, and the Red Lotus Fire lineage, for the body, is a kind of 'burning and tempering' both inside and out.

"Burning away the entangled sins and grievances, making one's body and mind clear, maintaining the best state."

"Burning the body can purify the body, reaching a more perfect state."

"Burning one's own soul and consciousness is also another way to train the soul and consciousness."

Xu Jingming felt warm all over, with Red Lotus Fire burning every part of his body.

Red Lotus Fire burns enemies for the sake of destruction.

Burning within one's own body is slow and gentle, burning away everything that is not pure and powerful enough.

"Only a body that undergoes Red Lotus Fire's burning without any changes is a perfect body." Xu Jingming felt his own transformation, his body able to contain even greater Mind Realm power, and his soul power became even purer.

Xu Jingming could feel that he could previously maintain two Abysses at the same time, but now he could maintain at least three.

...

The petals of the Abyss Red Lotus slowly bloomed, revealing the lotus seedpod inside and the two Xu Jingming avatars standing on the huge lotus seedpod.

"I've finally found you." The nine-eyed face surfaced on the surface of the vast Sinful Spring, staring at Xu Jingming, but revealing a look of shock.

Because at this moment, the bodies of the two Xu Jingming avatars were rising with very faint blood-colored flames, as if these blood-colored flames were emerging from every pore on Xu Jingming's skin, burning every part of his body.

"In my karmic perception, he has completely blurred!" Lord Yan Zhai was shocked. "Besides confirming that he is still alive, I can't sense the location of any of his avatars."

"Severing karma?"

Lord Yan Zhai naturally understood that some lineages were good at isolating karma.

Like the animal skin space left by the father of the high-dimensional child, 'Liu Mang Xing', it could isolate karma.

The 'Red Lotus Fire' method created by the Abyss Lord is also good at severing karma.

With this method, it is difficult to lock onto the other party's location through karma! Let alone attack the other party through karma. Severing karma methods may be inferior in terms of killing enemies, but they are of great help to oneself.

"I can't sense how many avatars he has, or where they are," Lord Yan Zhai looked at the blood-colored flames rising from Xu Jingming's body. "He has mastered Red Lotus Fire?"

At this moment, Lord Yan Zhai could hardly believe his eyes.

"Mastering three half-step third realm methods after only 34,000 years of birth?" Lord Yan Zhai's heart trembled. "This is the first time I've seen such a monster!"