Chapter 119: Twenty Violet Flames

Lin Yuetian was dead; everyone saw it.

The first to witness it were Lin’s own men—over fifty of them—who were closest to the spot where he fell. They were completely baffled as to why the golden-armored warrior had targeted Lin so specifically, ignoring everyone else just to swoop down and execute him. Yet, deep down, they felt a sense of relief. Lin had treated them as nothing more than cannon fodder, and now he had finally reaped the consequences of his own cruelty. Truly, those most afraid of death are often the first to meet it.

However, a suffocating atmosphere of terror immediately descended upon them. After killing Lin, Zhou Jie turned and glared at the group, his bloodlust undiminished. It was as if the brutal slaughter of Lin had not been enough to sate him.

In the distance, Chu Jie watched the scene unfold. He had been controlling Zhou Jie through the Blood Dragon Ring, and at that moment, he felt a surge of intense murderous intent radiating from the warrior. It seemed that the act of killing Lin had fully ignited Zhou Jie’s inner desire for carnage; he was far from satisfied.

Zhou Jie let out a thunderous roar toward the sky.

At that moment, the lightning in the heavens seemed to respond. The vortex in the clouds spun violently until three streaks of purple-red lightning plummeted to the ground, striking directly beneath Zhou Jie. Amidst the blood-soaked earth, a violet flame ignited, followed by another, and another, until twenty such flames burned in succession.

Blood-red light, over a yard in length, shot from Zhou Jie’s eyes. Although his celestial energy was more than half depleted, the golden armor remained dazzling and magnificent.

"Twenty violet flames!"

The eyes of those who had not yet fled lit up. The golden-armored warrior had actually summoned purple lightning, manifesting twenty violet flames!

Even Chu Jie was stunned. He didn't know if this was a coincidence or a result of Zhou Jie’s own nature. When he had worn the golden armor himself, he hadn't summoned any lightning; it had only descended when Zhou Jie roared just now.

"Could it be because Zhou Jie is in the Star Core Realm?" Chu Jie wondered.

Regardless, those twenty flames were now his. With Zhou Jie standing guard, who would dare attempt to snatch them?

The onlookers swallowed hard. Twenty violet flames were a rare treasure; few of them possessed even one. They were difficult to obtain because the purple lightning fell so infrequently, and competition was always fierce.

Zhou Jie hovered motionless over the flames. Chu Jie had originally intended to use Zhou Jie to attack the others, hoping to exhaust his strength before finishing him off, but he had grown calmer. If he killed Zhou Jie, would that peerless, fearsome figure hold him responsible? That mysterious master was as formidable as the Old Man of the Dungeon—a single thought from him could likely mean Chu Jie’s end.

Zhou Jie was a creation of that fearsome master, sent here to sow slaughter for reasons unknown. It was highly likely that the changes occurring in the Abyss were all linked to him. With the master nowhere to be found and only his proxy, Zhou Jie, active, Chu Jie realized that keeping him alive was better. As long as the master did not appear, having a powerful Star Core Realm puppet who obeyed every command without question was a massive advantage.

Meanwhile, the onlookers kept their eyes fixed on the flames, praying for the golden-armored warrior to leave. Based on previous encounters, they knew the warrior was only interested in killing, not in collecting loot. Once he left, they could scramble for the flames.

Word had spread from the higher-ups at the center of the Abyss that possessing violet flames was a prerequisite for claiming the ultimate treasures. Even if they didn't intend to hunt for treasures, the various benefits of obtaining these flames were enough to justify the risk.

The problem was how to collect them. If Chu Jie walked over openly, his connection to the golden-armored warrior would be exposed, placing him in a precarious position. He could not afford to reveal that he controlled the warrior, or even that he possessed the golden armor.

Seeing the crowd eyeing the flames with greedy, fearful gazes, Chu Jie turned to Duan Kun and his team. "I'll have Zhou Jie scare those warriors away, and then we'll move in to collect the flames."

It was the only way. Chu Jie had no interest in a mass slaughter; he didn't want to draw unnecessary attention or raise suspicion by being the only one left standing.

Under Chu Jie's control, Zhou Jie began to move. He headed straight for Lin Yuetian's former subordinates, who were the closest. Seeing the warrior approaching, the fifty-some men were paralyzed with terror. They were exhausted and still reeling from the previous shock.

"Run! If we're too slow, we're all dead!" someone screamed.

The group scrambled toward Chu Jie’s position, hoping to escape in that direction. Chu Jie, meanwhile, led his own group away to avoid Zhou Jie’s path.

He kept his eyes locked on the twenty violet flames. He wasn't the only one; over a hundred people remained in the area, all high-level experts at the fifth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm or above. Anyone weaker had already fled.

Chu Jie held back, forcing Zhou Jie to slow down and occasionally fire off a blood-red sword beam to keep the panic alive. The beams narrowly missed the fleeing men.

"Keep running! The golden warrior is losing strength; he's slowing down. We have a chance!" one of them shouted. "Aim for that boulder ahead and hide in the rocky ravine!"

Driven by a desperate will to survive, the group ran faster than they ever had in their lives. But as soon as they reached the rocky ravine, Zhou Jie suddenly stopped, his blood-red gaze fixed upon them. The men, blinded by panic, didn't notice he had stopped pursuing and continued to sprint until they vanished from sight.

Once Zhou Jie began his pursuit, the others seized their chance. Figures surged toward the twenty violet flames, but Chu Jie and his team arrived first.

Wu Long and the others immediately formed a protective circle around Chu Jie and Duan Kun. "Boss, you collect them! We'll hold off the others," Wu Long commanded.

Chu Jie nodded and began to channel the Fire-Absorbing Spirit Art. The higher one's cultivation, the faster the collection. He was currently not at his peak, and his team was severely drained, so a defensive posture was necessary.

They had collected three flames before the other warriors arrived. A man in black stepped forward. "Aren't you being a bit too greedy? You want to take all three?"

Chu Jie ignored him, continuing his work.

"Get lost! Don't disturb our boss," Wu Long barked.

The man in black’s expression darkened. "Do you really think you can handle all of us?"

Wu Long scanned the area. There were over eighty experts gathered, all at the fifth level of the Spirit Gathering Realm or higher, each arguably stronger than anyone in their group.

"Heh, I know you aren't strong enough," the man in black said, staring at Wu Long. "I won't make things difficult for you. Since you got here first, take five and leave the rest to us."

He didn't attack immediately because he was still wary of how Chu Jie had manipulated the golden-armored warrior into killing Lin. That mystery was the only thing holding them back.

"We are taking all of them," Chu Jie said coldly, his hands never pausing. "If you continue to chatter, I won't mind taking the violet flames you already possess as well."

By then, he had collected his fifth flame, and Duan Kun had secured three. Collecting the flames required delicate control of one's spiritual energy; one wrong move and the energy sphere would ignite. Chu Jie’s control was significantly superior to Duan Kun's. If it had been left to Wu Long and the others, they would have been lucky to secure even one in such a short time.