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Just as Shawn Young felt he was about to collapse, a frantic voice suddenly echoed from the Red Dragon inside the Ascendant Vessel in his mind: "Waaah—this is the Hellfire Furnace! Master, wake up! You absolutely can't pass out here! Otherwise, you'll really die—come on—get up!!"
Hearing its call, Shawn's nearly shattered spirit was jolted back to life, but he still couldn't lift his exhausted eyelids. The scorching waves of heat had dehydrated his skin so badly it was starting to crack. Instinctively, he gaped his mouth wide, desperately gulping the sparse air, like a fish thrown onto the shore!
"Oh no—Master, you have to wake up! Hurry and use the Astral Projection spell to call for backup! If this keeps up, we're all doomed!" The Red Dragon inside the Ascendant Vessel urged anxiously again. It didn't want Shawn to die here; after all, it and its 'wife', and even Mai Kanda, were all living inside Shawn's mind. If Shawn died, they'd all become wandering ghosts and vanish into thin air!
"Astral Projection!!" Shawn jolted, suddenly remembering he'd already mastered that technique. But for a moment, he had no idea where to find backup, and if he used Astral Projection, his soul could leave his body, but his physical form would be instantly obliterated under the Infernal Overlord's terrifying attacks! For someone who treasured his body—especially his 'big weapon'—this was absolutely unacceptable!
Seeing Shawn hesitate, the Red Dragon immediately understood his concerns and grew even more anxious, shouting again, "Master—if you don't figure out a way to escape, we're really all done for—"
Just then, the Infernal Overlord noticed Shawn's distraction. The Frost Shield weakened further, even cracking in several places. With a monstrous roar, the demon seized the chance and opened his mouth wide—"Whoosh—" A dazzling fire serpent swept down from midair, instantly wrapping Shawn up!
"Waaah—so hot—" Shawn was knocked to the ground by the overwhelming blast, falling straight into the boiling magma. The fiery red lava, carrying unstoppable heat, seeped through the weakened barrier and ignited every cell in his body. He couldn't help but scream out loud.
The terrifying sensation was like pouring ladle after ladle of boiling oil onto a bonfire. Countless tiny flames scorched his organs, streams of molten heat surged around Shawn, rampaging wildly through his body.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Shawn had never felt such burning heat before—it was so intense he nearly blacked out, about to lose consciousness. He was like a wild beast engulfed in flames, instinctively howling like mad.
The burning magma and demonic flames weren't satisfied with just rampaging inside him—they burst out from his skin, swirling around his body. Shawn was practically a man on fire, his consciousness fading. If he'd been fully awake, he'd have been terrified: his whole body was ablaze with deep red, domineering fire, mercilessly devouring him! Especially the demonic flames unleashed by the Infernal Overlord after breaking into the barrier—they were even scarier than the magma below, raging so fiercely they could melt bone! Shawn's screams grew lower and his body felt like it was being torn apart, while the flames burned even hotter. In this state, his willpower was nearly incinerated. He felt like giving up, knowing full well that struggling was useless!
"Heh—heh—heh—Little Taoist, how does it feel to be roasted by my Earthflame Soul Refinement? Feels nice and toasty, doesn't it?! Hahaha—even if you summon every Divine Guardian in heaven, I'll burn them all to ashes!" The Infernal Overlord saw Shawn's resistance weakening and laughed arrogantly, but his attacks didn't let up.
"Uh—every Divine Guardian in heaven? I don't need that many—just one will do!" Shawn heard the Infernal Overlord's taunt and a sudden thought flashed through his mind. He remembered a Legendary Saint known to every Chinese person, and he knew only this peerless, world-shaking god could sweep away all evil without fear of demonic fire!
But he was also keenly aware that he practiced Taoist methods, and it was a long shot to ask for help from a Buddhist god—especially one with such a strong personality. Still, with things this dire, if he didn't try, he was dead for sure!
Gritting his teeth, Shawn threw caution to the wind. He scrambled out of the magma onto a patch of mud, freed his right hand, and bit down hard on his middle finger until blood oozed out. Without hesitation, he quickly drew a cross on the ground with his bleeding finger, then sat down cross-legged, right leg over left in a single-lotus pose, pressing his calf onto the cross. He even bit his tongue, the sharp pain snapping his mind awake. He hurried to focus, plunging his consciousness deep into his Second Sight, arriving beside his Divine Core. Staring at the radiant Divine Core, Shawn hesitated only briefly before diving straight in.
"Boom—" A flash of golden light—Shawn's vision blurred, and the scenery around him spun so fast he couldn't tell where he was. Everything was a swirl of dazzling, psychedelic colors. His Second Sight was rocked by violent tremors and began to change rapidly—a weird rustling sound echoed, and beneath the endless light, an invisible force surged upward like a wide river. In an instant, waves of strange, warm energy crisscrossed and surged along the river's surface.
Hiss—hiss—hiss!
The warm energy flowed along the river, spilling out of his mind and spreading through every nerve and limb. Shawn felt his eyes could see himself floating in midair inside his Second Sight, surrounded by towering flames, while below, the river surged and roiled. The rising warmth kept expanding through his meridians, spreading throughout his whole body!