Chapter 53

"Wh-What is this thing?" Yun Che held the strange crimson bead, asking with a mix of surprise and doubt. Despite holding it in his hand, he could not feel its weight or temperature at all. Its light was seductive and intense, displaying a crimson color he was all too familiar with, yet it gave Yun Che a strange feeling as if he had never seen such a color before.

His heart no longer beat wildly, but suddenly, the profound meridians began to tremble violently. In an instant, even his entire bloodstream began to boil slightly, and another strange sensation also swept over Yun Che's heart... He was certain he had never seen this crimson bead before, but when he held it, he felt a sense of stability, as if it was something that should have always belonged to him, now finally returning to him.

"Princess here doesn't know what this is, but Princess can confirm that you are doomed." The voice of Jasmine inside the Heavenly Poison Pearl grew low, her small face taking on an incredibly solemn expression. Despite her repeated attempts to dissuade him, she could not stop Yun Che from taking risks... In the end, they were forced to this point.

If it weren't for her life being linked to Yun Che's, she would have really wanted to use her small hands to slap this rash and bold man to death, who was willing to risk his life for what he called an "opportunity"!

Just as Jasmine's voice faded, a deafening roar of a dragon suddenly came from outside the cave!

"Roar!! Despicable humans!! It turns out you were coveting my greatest treasure! You despicable scoundrels, I cannot forgive... I cannot forgive!!"

A single lowest-tier King Profound Beast, even ten Level 10 Heavenly Profound Beasts might not be able to defeat it, let alone a Level 10 Heavenly Profound and four below Level 6 Heavenly Profound Beasts. In the instant the Flame Dragon unleashed its true power, the five members of the Skyburning Sect were already in dire straits. The dragon-shaped flames were not only scorching hot but also carried immense tearing force, gradually pulling the five members of the Skyburning Sect into the vortex of death.

The five great experts of the Skyburning Sect all showed signs of despair, but at this moment, the Flame Dragon suddenly went berserk, releasing a terrifying aura that made everyone's hearts tremble, and let out a deafening roar. A massive ball of flame, several dozen meters in diameter, slammed into the five, causing them to scream in agony... However, the Flame Dragon did not continue its attack but suddenly changed direction, charging towards its lair with immense fury.

The five great experts of the Skyburning Sect barely escaped from the Flame Dragon's flames, each suffering varying degrees of injury, with their hair, beards, and clothes burned off. Seeing the Flame Dragon suddenly retreat, they were all still in shock.

"What happened? Why did it suddenly rush back?" one of them panted.

"From the sound of it, it seems someone took advantage of its battle with us and sneaked into its lair..."

"Now is not the time to worry about that! Let's retreat! We actually provoked a King Profound Beast, and we're still alive, it's like we picked up a life for free!"

"Whatever, let's go!"

The five great experts of the Skyburning Sect no longer dared to stay, gathering their strength and retreating as quickly as possible, not even daring to look back. At this moment, their thoughts were completely aligned... When they returned to the Skyburning Sect, they would definitely give the person who said this Flame Dragon was a high-level Heavenly Profound Beast a severe beating.

Inside the cave, Yun Che also felt a great sense of danger. His brows furrowed, and he no longer dared to delay, rushing out as quickly as possible. However, before he could even reach halfway, the sound of thunderous footsteps came from ahead, and a vast wave of fury accompanied by scorching heat rushed towards him, making the walls and ground of the cave tremble. Soon, the massive head of the Flame Dragon appeared in Yun Che's line of sight.

Yun Che's weak aura made the Flame Dragon clearly pause. When it noticed the crimson bead in his hand, its large eyes emitted a fiery glow of anger: "Bold and presumptuous human, to covet the greatest treasure of this King! Prepare to bear the wrath of this King!"

Oh no!!

Yun Che was startled, quickly calming down and thinking of a way to escape. Of course, he would have to return the bead... But the Flame Dragon did not give him a chance to speak, a powerful force already firmly locking onto him, and in the next second, it would burn him to ashes.

"If you don't want to die, stop now!"

Just as the shadow of death descended, a tender yet icy voice suddenly came from above. At the same time, a terrifying pressure as if the sky was collapsing and the earth was splitting enveloped the entire Flame Dragon's cave.

The Flame Dragon stopped, its body trembling uncontrollably under this immense pressure. It lifted its head, looking at the red-haired girl who had appeared above, the anger in its large eyes turning into shock and... fear.

The power aura emanating from this goddess was overwhelmingly strong. In the face of this power, it felt as small as an ant that could be crushed into ashes at any moment. It opened its mouth, its voice trembling with fear: "Who... who are you!"

"You don't have the right to know Princess's name," Jasmine said coldly, her beautiful eyes emitting a sharp, blade-like light: "This cave, we want. If you don't want to die, disappear from Princess's sight immediately."

Yun Che looked up at Jasmine, his heart also filled with shock... This little girl's power aura actually intimidated this King Profound Beast! What level of profound power did she possess?

But at this moment, he suddenly noticed that the Flame Dragon's trembling had stopped.

"Hehe," the Flame Dragon laughed: "This King understands. You two cunning humans are just bluffing! Although this King doesn't know how you created this terrifying pressure, do you think this King is as foolish as your kind?"

Jasmine's brows furrowed sharply: "Do... you... want... to... die?"

"Of course, this King doesn't want to die, but you can't kill this King!" the Flame Dragon said mockingly: "If you really had the ability to kill this King, you would have come openly to take this King's treasures. Why would you choose to sneak in while this King was battling those foolish humans... If you really had the ability to kill this King, this human's expression upon seeing me wouldn't be so terrible!"

Yun Che's heart suddenly grew cold. The intelligence of dragons was indeed far beyond that of ordinary profound beasts!

"And you, little girl. Your eyes are cold and merciless, and the killing aura you emit is so strong that it surprises this King. With such eyes and killing aura, you must have killed countless beings. If you really wanted to kill this King and had the ability to do so, you would have acted already and wouldn't bother to talk to this King. Your age is far too young. With the speed of human cultivation, it's impossible for someone so young to have such a powerful aura. This is all just an illusion, and this King won't be foolish enough to fall for it!"

"Coveting this King's treasures and attempting to mock this King, how can this King forgive you! Turn to ashes!"

The Flame Dragon's mouth opened wide, and a scorching flame suddenly shot towards Yun Che.

"Bang!" A powerful force struck Yun Che's shoulder, sending him flying, narrowly avoiding the Flame Dragon's lethal fire. Jasmine appeared where Yun Che had been standing, her fair face covered in a terrifying aura of killing intent: "Since you want to die... Princess will grant your wish!"

Whoosh!!

A powerful and overwhelming profound aura suddenly erupted from Jasmine's body. This profound aura was so terrifying that the originally invisible aura stirred up a violent storm, instantly extinguishing the Flame Dragon's burning flames.

Yun Che, who had been pushed away, hit his head on a rock and was dazed for a while. When he regained consciousness and saw Jasmine, his pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted in alarm: "Jasmine! Stop! Do you want to die!!"

"It's all because of you! If you die, Princess dies too!!"

Jasmine shouted angrily, her boundless killing intent locking onto the Flame Dragon. Under the terrifying profound aura and killing intent, the Flame Dragon was frozen in place, its large eyes filled with deep fear and disbelief. It couldn't believe that a human girl could release such a powerful profound aura!

"Die... Star God's Radiant Slash!"

"Jasmine, stop!!" Jasmine's actions made Yun Che pale with shock, but before he could stand up, her slender body had already shot towards the Flame Dragon, and like a meteor, she pierced through the Flame Dragon's body...

In that instant, all the elements in the world seemed to stop. The wind's howling ceased, the flames stopped burning, and all sounds in his ears disappeared, even his own shouts could not be heard... The Flame Dragon's massive body was frozen in place, a clear blood-red "X" mark clearly visible on its body.

"Impossible..."

The Flame Dragon's pupils contracted sharply, as if it had seen the most terrifying and unbelievable scene. Then, these pupils slowly lost their color and focus... Its massive body split into four flat pieces, scattering on the scorching ground.

The powerful Flame Dragon, in Jasmine's hands, was destroyed in an instant.

The Flame Dragon's body was incredibly tough; even the Skyburning Sect's Grand Elder, Fen Molin, could only leave a shallow scratch with his Skyburning Blade. Yet, Jasmine, without any weapon, merely used her delicate, smooth, and fair hands to slice through the Flame Dragon's body like cutting through tofu.

Looking at the Flame Dragon's body split into four pieces, Yun Che was stunned, unable to speak. Suddenly, his heart trembled, and he looked ahead, shouting "Jasmine" and running forward desperately.

Jasmine was now lying on the ground, her face, neck, hands, and feet pale and devoid of any color. The massive release of profound power for just a few seconds had caused the poison in her soul to go berserk, undoing all the months of suppression and purification in the Heavenly Poison Pearl.

"Jasmine!" Reaching Jasmine's side, Yun Che quickly squatted down, his left hand pressing on her emaciated shoulder, the purification power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl working at full strength on her body. However, the poison in her soul was too terrifying, and even with the purification speed of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, it was impossible to quickly suppress its rampant spread. Her body was gradually becoming cold and transparent, almost ethereal...

"This time... I... should... really... die..." Jasmine murmured, her voice as light as a breeze. The eyes that were usually filled with coldness and pride now showed only a heart-wrenching dimness and sorrow...