劍問蒼天 - 第251章 妖物 - 翰墨軒

Yet hearing Xiao Hui carry on like this, and catching its antics from the corner of his eye, Ming Li actually felt calmer at heart. To be able to fan itself and cry out in pain—so it seemed that apart from some superficial wounds it had not been gravely hurt. Slightly reassured, Ming Li flew with even greater ease. Those blood-flames were mighty indeed, but for all their force they were slow, and in his eyes no longer much to fear. And seizing the chance, in the intervals between dodging the flames, he began to look around and observe the blood-qi giant itself from afar.

Beneath his feet lay a depth like an abyss, and yet the blood pool below the abyss presented a most uncanny sight—especially when Ming Li saw the four spirit beasts soaking within the pool, and was struck dumb for a moment. Of the four great spirit beasts, apart from the primeval Torch Dragon, which he had never encountered, the other three had all been close to him. To think they should all be imprisoned here.

And in his heart he suddenly recalled how the Netherworld King had spent these years exhausting the full strength of the entire Netherworld Sect—from the Kui Ox ten years ago at the earliest, down to now, when all four great spirit beasts had been gathered. So all of it had been to lay down this bizarre formation here?

A thought stirred in him, and he jerked his head up to look at the blood-qi giant. A blood-flame came crashing down at him head-on, the air around scorched like fire; Ming Li's figure, like a phantom, flashed several zhang away in an instant and evaded it. The blood-flame struck the stone wall behind him with a roar, sending rocks flying wildly and leaving a crater several zhang wide in the hard rock.

Ming Li hovered in midair, gazing far off. The giant's whole body was formed of blood-red spiritual qi, its crimson radiance seething and surging like cloud-vapor, rolling unceasingly. In its two enormous eyes the blood-light burned especially fierce, blazing like roaring flame, fixed intently upon Ming Li's figure. It opened its mouth and another blood-flame came crashing out. The spiritual qi of this giant seemed inexhaustible, endless.

Ming Li just barely evaded again, but this time a sharp light flickered in his eyes and he did not linger where he was. Instead, following the direction of the blood-flame, he charged upstream, keeping less than three chi from the searing flame—charging straight at the blood-qi giant itself. Xiao Hui clung to Ming Li's shoulder, watching the dreadful giant draw nearer and nearer, yet showing not the slightest fear—rather, it chattered *zhizhi-zhizhi* in great excitement, brandishing its little fist, quite full of the spirit to fight to the death.

The blood-qi giant seemed not to have expected Ming Li's sudden counterattack; besides, its own body was too vast, and naturally too slow to react. In an instant, Ming Li became a streak of azure shadow, shooting like an arrow loosed from the string into the giant body formed of blood-qi.

The moment he entered, Ming Li felt a heavy pressure rushing at him from all sides, and his figure slowed at once. At the same time his ears filled in an instant with frenzied wailing and howling, like the weeping of ghosts in hell, and his qi and blood surged. Before his eyes all was a hazy sea of blood-mist; nothing could be seen. He furrowed his brow, and a flash of golden qi passed over his face. His mind turned, his thought moved, and the wondrous dharma was born: a solemn golden radiance lit about his whole body, majestic in bearing, and in an instant it forced the blood-qi back three chi. The discomfort within his body eased as well.

But then the blood-qi around him shifted once more. In the vast red haze of blood-mist, countless human faces suddenly appeared all around Ming Li—some laughing, some grieving, some enraged, some savage, in endless variety, like ten thousand ghosts gathered together, encircling him.

"Save me!"

"Give me your life!"

"Don't go..."