Chapter 1395: Immortal Grounds on Life and Death

More people are arriving, or something significant is happening.

Five figures stood shrouded in mist, positioned at different points around the Eight Trigrams Furnace, as if preparing for a hunt!

“Heh, this is truly remarkable. It seems there is indeed something beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. The immortal Eight Trigrams Furnace actually fell here, transforming the land into a formidable, desolate expanse.”

They were all immensely mysterious, exuding a palpable pressure that affected everyone. Each figure, clad in black armor within the dense fog, had their true face concealed. They appeared like five demon gods from ancient times, carrying the accumulated aura of countless eons.

“Who are these individuals?” The various clans were deeply shaken.

Zhou Zhengde’s leap into the main furnace was already startling enough, but now five more people had arrived, seemingly intending to enter the furnace as well. This left everyone utterly aghast.

“Hmm, excellent. Let’s begin. There are ready-made offerings inside, but they aren't rare enough.”

One of them spoke. They all carried Cosmic Bags, which evidently contained what they considered rare and precious offerings!

Amidst the blazing fire and swirling smoke, the energy erupting from the immortal underground Eight Trigrams Furnace transformed the area into a veritable hellscape. Molten fire surged, spectral wails echoed, and sand and stones flew wildly. It was as if the countless ancient beings who had perished here were struggling to break free.

Yet, at other times, the Eight Trigrams Furnace appeared as a celestial realm: auspicious glows shimmered, molten fire gently gurgled, and brilliant streams of light scattered. Fairies gracefully drifted by, and Dao Ancestors sat cross-legged on altars, chanting scriptures.

This place was, in essence, a perplexing and astonishing amalgamation of disparate elements, with bizarre and wondrous phenomena constantly manifesting.

As Chu Feng entered the furnace, he found himself oscillating between hell and heaven, treading the fine line between life and death. One step brought him into a realm of pure serenity, while the next plunged him into a throng of malevolent spirits.

With every step he took, the scene before him shifted dramatically.

Though the grotto was not large, upon entering, it felt as if he had stepped into a vast cosmic furnace, being refined by an ancient, primordial world.

At this moment, mist churned and fiery glows danced, completely obscuring the interior from outside view.

Chu Feng took a deep breath, grabbing a handful of Samsara Earth to coat his body for defense. Additionally, he opened his stone jar, ready to retreat inside at any moment.

The danger was palpable; having arrived here, he felt that life and death could hinge on a single breath.

He opened his Fiery Golden Eyes, surveying this purgatorial world. With a resounding *boom*, a blinding golden light erupted from the rock wall, causing him to let out an involuntary groan of pain.

In that instant, his eyes bled and were severely scorched, his pupils damaged.

What kind of fire was this?

The furnace walls were made entirely of rock, and the golden light that had just shot forth was an ancient, incredibly potent flame, so fierce that even his Fiery Golden Eyes struggled to endure it.

With blood streaming from his eyes, Chu Feng staggered back several steps. Yet, he gradually adapted, slowly perceiving the true nature of this place.

It appeared to be a world within a furnace, where he felt as insignificant as an ant, and the space seemed boundless. However, upon calming himself, he realized that the stone furnace's internal diameter was, in fact, merely a few *zhang*.

The actual furnace walls were entirely petrified, covered in natural patterns that, upon closer inspection, resembled supreme Daoist principles, expounding the eternal Great Dao of the world.

Some of the stony patterns glowed with fire; any attempt to touch them with energy, or even observe them with his Fiery Golden Eyes, would provoke a counterattack. This was precisely why Chu Feng’s eyes were bleeding.

“I must integrate with this place, aligning myself with the stone furnace’s pulsations. Otherwise, its intense repulsion will surely lead to my demise.”

Chu Feng took a deep breath. This place was saturated with unique energies; from a section of the furnace wall, purple mist billowed like an aurora from the east, swirling around him with each breath he took.

However, he immediately let out another muffled groan as half of his body, including his mouth and nose, was engulfed by the purple glow. His flesh burned, threatening to incinerate his physical form.

“This…” A wave of horror washed over him. Integrating into this place was indeed proving incredibly difficult; he had barely made a move, yet a burst of fire had nearly incinerated his true body.

The Samsara Earth surged around his body, each crystalline particle isolating him from the fiery assault, bringing Chu Feng a brief moment of calm.

However, this protection was short-lived. Soon, various transformations began to unfold within the stone furnace: a section of the rock wall erupted with a crimson glow, a secret red fire that surged forth with a mighty *boom*.

Its arrival shook the entire stone furnace, unleashing a monstrous inferno.

Next, five-colored light erupted from the furnace's base, shooting skyward and knocking Chu Feng off his feet. Blazing flames engulfed him, as various essences of fire dao wildly expanded and surged forth.

The entire stone furnace had activated, beginning to refine Chu Feng!

One after another, laser-like substances shot from the stone walls, all converging on Chu Feng’s body.

His heart sank. This wasn't merely a characteristic of the Eight Trigrams Furnace; rather, it was imbued with a malevolent aura—a blend of resentment and furious obsession—aimed at destroying him.

“Sacrificing blood to the furnace isn’t enough!” Chu Feng sighed. Immediately, he protected himself with the stone jar; his body seemed to shrink as he sat cross-legged on its opening, the lid hovering above him, unsealed.

He understood what this was. In times past, countless powerful beings had come here—mighty cultivators from the river of history, elites of various races, and paragons of their eras. But they had all perished, refined by the furnace itself. Their obsessions and heroic spirits had left lingering traces, accumulating on the furnace walls, now stirring up chaos.

This was precisely why, after his research, he had decided to offer blood to the furnace. Yet, it was clear now that it was insufficient.

How much sacrifice would be enough? No one could say, for countless prodigies from every era throughout history had perished here.

Some of them were even more ancient than the Fire Spirit Race, the current masters of the Supreme Desolate Land.

At the bottom of the furnace, skeletal imprints remained, not yet fully erased, leaving traces of ash and even ghostly outlines of human skeletons.

Of course, these weren't actual bone fragments, but rather the imprints left behind after their complete incineration.

Even so, it was astonishing. This was the Supreme Eight Trigrams Furnace, an entity that incinerated all things. Under normal circumstances, nothing could persist within it.

“I must endure this, resolving the traces left by these ancient heroic spirits and dissolving their lingering obsessions. Otherwise, it will be incredibly troublesome. However, this can also be seen as forging my true soul; if I can withstand it, there will be immense benefits!”

Most importantly, after eroding the remnants left by the past generations of prodigies, he needed to activate the vital essence of this place. Otherwise, the Eight Trigrams Furnace, by itself, would incinerate anyone attempting to withstand it.

True body refinement within the Eight Trigrams Furnace required activating the Fire of Life!

Chu Feng began to act. While temporarily shielding himself with Samsara Earth, striving to integrate with the environment, he also manipulated the domain, seeking to activate the ancient nurturing patterns within the furnace.

It could be said that within this stone furnace, as time flowed, this was a path fraught with myriad deaths. The sole chance for survival lay in drawing forth the Fire of Life, transforming the space into a ‘Nurturing Ground.’

Suddenly, raging flames boiled and lightning intertwined. A gigantic face materialized, lunging towards Chu Feng.

This made him gasp. It was a prodigy from antiquity, their malevolent obsession having taken form. How powerful and unwilling must that individual have been in their time, for a mere remnant of their consciousness to persist independently for so long!

Divine light shimmered as the Vajra Girdle appeared in Chu Feng’s hand. Now considered a rough-hewn artifact of the Thirty-Three Heavens, it was exceptionally profound and used by him to transmute evil.

“Transmuting demons, ghosts, immortals, and gods; delivering all spirits!”

Chu Feng uttered a soft cry. Since forging this girdle, he had meticulously consulted ancient texts. Artifacts of the Thirty-Three Heavens had been exceedingly rare since antiquity, and records spoke of such rough embryos being immensely mysterious, possessing boundless terrifying power. They could bring salvation to all races and even transmute malevolent spirits, with astonishing efficacy.

Now, he intended to test it. Though still a nascent form, awaiting further development, its power was undeniably extraordinary.

“Ah…”

With a shriek, the colossal face twisted, blurring into obscurity after being struck by the Vajra Girdle. Then, the Girdle began to glow, as if illuminating all the heavens, a prescient glimpse into the future.

The face vanished, transmuted into nothingness by the Thirty-Three Heavens Vajra Girdle, as the mist and light dissipated.

Rumble!

As the Vajra Girdle spun, the surrounding obsessions, monsters, and ghosts all shrieked, dissolving into dust and smoke.

Even Chu Feng himself gasped. The Vajra Girdle possessed such astonishing efficacy; it was truly extraordinary. He had previously considered that attempting such a transmutation himself would require immense effort, perhaps even a hefty price in blood, with no guarantee of full success. Yet, this single bracelet had now delivered numerous heroic spirits.

The so-called Thirty-Three Heavens artifact was not mere legend; the rumors were indeed true.

At this moment, from one of the stone walls, vast purple mist surged forth, like the turbulent Yangtze River, like a mighty, overflowing river, or an ocean breaking its dam, rushing over him.

The Vajra Girdle was submerged, enveloped by the purple mist, seemingly destined to be refined and imprisoned. The Eight Trigrams Furnace's flames had launched an autonomous counterattack.

“Hmm!?” Ultimately, the Vajra Girdle floated, resonating with the furnace. Instead of melting, it became even more crystal clear, as if nourished and refined by the substance, radiating an increasingly profound, natural Dao essence.

“Fire for nurturing artifacts?” Chu Feng was surprised. It seemed that nascent artifacts of the Thirty-Three Heavens were blessed by the heavens wherever they were, being refined in such a manner.

As for Chu Feng himself, he could only remain seated atop the stone jar's opening, still surrounded by perilous danger despite the protection of the Samsara Earth.

“Where is the Fire of Nurturing? It must be activated!” Chu Feng once again manipulated the domain; he intended to refine himself.

Rumble!

The Dao fire was boundless, composed entirely of order and rules. Various beams of light shot forth, activating one furnace wall after another. Diverse light-flames boiled, and chaotic lightning erupted, striking within the furnace.

Chu Feng’s hair stood on end. He summoned the Vajra Girdle, and a surge of purple mist countered many of the lightning bolts. As the lightning clashed, the crystalline bracelet radiated order, becoming increasingly imbued with the essence of the Dao.

However, in the very next moment, a massive crisis emerged. Mysterious patterns appeared on the furnace floor, from which endless, multicolored flames erupted.

With a *boom*, Chu Feng was violently thrown to the ground, the stone jar tumbling away from him as he was dislodged.

He cried out in agony. The pain was so intense it felt as if his very soul-light was being seared through. His physical body immediately began to burn, shriveling, and even some of his bones fractured.

What kind of fire was this?

The stone furnace vibrated as mysterious, shimmering symbols appeared at its base, threatening to annihilate all life within.

“The Gate of Death is wide open, meaning life should not be far! With the Gate of Life accompanying, stars shifting, and an eternity in an instant, open!” Chu Feng roared.

He exerted all his strength, manifesting the domain. According to his deductions, this was the most perilous moment, yet also potentially when opportunity would arise, as the Fire of Life was not far off.

A chaotic electric arc cleaved past, charring half of Chu Feng’s body. This was merely a graze; had it struck him directly, both his form and spirit would have been annihilated.

The danger at this moment was extreme!

Crack!

Another chaotic electric arc cleaved past, again failing to make direct contact. Yet, half of Chu Feng's body was already shriveled, his flesh almost entirely gone, and his bones grotesquely distorted.

Was this… to transform into a realm of utter extinction? His heart trembled.

However, as he exerted his utmost effort to make the terrain resonate, the other half of his body was enveloped in a surge of vitality, feeling as if it were bathed in a spring breeze.

It was truly half heaven, half hell; he was on the very dividing line between life and death. The experience was utterly terrifying.

He ceased all movement. The slightest misstep, and if the Fire of Life were to vanish, he would perish without a trace. This Fire of Life had only been temporarily drawn forth.

The stone jar was not far away, and the Samsara Earth had also settled. The Vajra Girdle, however, remained submerged in the purple mist. At this point, he could only rely on himself.

“Heh, did you hear that scream? That person is likely dead. What an unexpected and excellent offering.”

Above the Eight Trigrams Furnace, one of them spoke.

The five mysterious powerhouses, like everyone else, could not discern the true situation within the furnace.

Dense mist and surging molten fire obscured all truth. With the stone furnace now revived, no one could see through to the true heavenly secrets.

They had only heard Chu Feng’s final shriek of agony.

“He might still be alive. That would be even better; a living sacrifice. Such a prime offering is rare, and he even naturally attracted Dao Ancestor essence.”

One of the five spoke, observing the Dao Ancestor essence manifesting across the sky and converging into the furnace.

“It’s our turn now. Let’s continue the offerings.”

One of them smiled, untying his Cosmic Bag and casting its contents into the furnace: unique golden bone fragments, feathers from some peerless fierce avian, and strange silver blood.

These were unimaginable offerings, each emitting beams of runic light imbued with foundational rules.

“Why do I sense he’s still alive?” One of them frowned.

“Haha, isn’t that even better? We’ll pluck the peaches midway. Let him offer himself to the furnace; once the Fire of Life emerges, we can calmly enter and dispatch him.”

“Precisely. Even the world's most formidable domain prodigy would lose most of his life attempting to draw forth that Fire of Life. We’ll simply enter the furnace, seize his achievements, and then eliminate him. It’s absolutely delightful! I particularly enjoy the sensation of reaping the fruits of others’ victories, haha!”

The five figures continued their clandestine plotting, whispering their plans.

However, they continued their offerings simultaneously.

“Hmm, allow us to give you a hand. What if you die midway? Pave the way for us, and we’ll be right there!”

One of them smiled. If the person died, so be it. But if he survived, they would simply snatch the fruit of his labor midway, enjoying the benefits of his creation.

“Almost time. It’s nearly time to enter the furnace. Our thanks to this individual; whether he lives or dies, he’s served his purpose. Hmm, I rather hope he’s still alive, so we can thank him in person—and then send him on his way, heh!”