Chapter Thirty-Six: The Mysterious Celestial Demon Hall

In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by a sea of fire. Leng Tian felt the searing heat of the flames and wondered with shock what the Ant Emperor was doing, but he soon had his answer.

With a deafening roar, a stream of magma surged from beneath Leng Tian's feet. Caught off guard, he was engulfed in its fiery embrace. The molten rock burst outward, and Leng Tian, his expression grim, broke free.

At that moment, the entire volcano region was swept clear of all mist by the fierce heat, uncovering its hidden face. Leng Tian's whole body erupted in golden light, and within the inferno, he sliced through the surging magma like a golden sword.

The earth trembled and the mountains shook. Magma spouted from the ground ahead of Leng Tian, rising dozens of yards high before crashing down, right above his head.

Staring up at the falling magma, Leng Tian did not dodge but let it flood over him. The heat was not enough to harm him; he drove the Ninefold Heaven-Shaking Force to its utmost, a golden aura an inch thick protecting his body, repelling the burning pressure.

Leng Tian suspected this was the Ant Emperor's lair and that he was being toyed with at will. If he didn't escape soon, his strength would be exhausted.

With that thought, the light on his body shifted; the golden hue was instantly replaced with three colors. As the Seven-Colored Divine Aura emerged, the flames around him were dispersed by its vast, ancient energy.

With the tri-colored aura unleashed, Leng Tian felt the pressure lessen drastically, his speed reaching its peak. With each step, he crossed over a yard, and in a single breath, he had traveled hundreds of meters!

It wasn't long before the edge of the fiery sea appeared as a thin line of white in his vision. Wild joy surged in Leng Tian's heart as he charged through waves of magma, flying toward the border of the inferno.

The rolling white mist was almost upon him. Leng Tian dashed tens of yards in a flash, burst from the sea of fire, and turned back to gaze at the volcano pouring out streams of magma. Puzzled, he wondered why the Ant Emperor hadn't attacked him—had it forgotten?

Indeed, that was the case. The Ant Emperor had simply forgotten him, luxuriating in the flowing magma and restoring its strength, so absorbed in its excitement that the hateful human who had slaughtered its children was forgotten entirely.

Immersed in the dense mist, Leng Tian could no longer determine his direction. He could only race onward by instinct, quickly leaving the volcano and Ant Emperor far behind.

"Sister, what do we do? This creature is too tough—its defenses are impenetrable!" Guoguo and Luan Yudie sped through the air, one after the other.

Behind them, a massive monstrous insect was in pursuit—a purple bull-horned bug, several yards tall, and judging by its size, clearly another Insect Emperor.

Guoguo's jade-like hand repeatedly pressed back into the empty air, sending invisible energy palms crashing onto the armored spine of the Insect Emperor. The blows sparked bursts of energy, scattering in all directions, but failed to inflict the slightest harm!

Luan Yudie wielded her long sword, sending forth four flaming birds to hinder the insect's pursuit. Their attacks were fierce, but against the Insect Emperor, they were woefully inadequate. In mere moments, all four firebirds were scattered by the energy waves from the bug's mouth, dissolving into sparks that faded away.

Guoguo was already a little out of breath, her inner energy depleted; Luan Yudie's face was pale as well. The two of them had tangled with this Insect Emperor for a long time, both running low on true essence. Anywhere else, they might rely on speed to escape, but here, enshrouded in mist and trapped in the insect hive where the sky was hidden, such flight was but an empty dream.

Guoguo handed Luan Yudie two sugar pills, taking two herself to restore a little true essence. Luan Yudie glanced anxiously at the pursuing Insect Emperor.

"Guoguo, don't attack it anymore. Let's just keep moving and try to escape this wretched hive as soon as possible!" Luan Yudie grabbed Guoguo's hand, ignoring the bug behind them and focusing on fleeing ahead.

"Sister, what if we fly higher? Wouldn't it be safer than staying down here?" Guoguo glanced upward, suggesting the idea.

"Better not. At least on the ground, our lives aren't immediately threatened. Up there, we might be in even more danger."

The purple bull-horned Insect Emperor, seeing the two women cease their attacks, flashed a playful glint in its round eyes. Its mouth opened, shooting out two blasts of gale-force energy that exploded a dozen meters from the girls, sending them tumbling dozens of yards. No matter how they struggled to right themselves, they couldn't escape the grip of the winds and were slammed hard into a stone wall, shattering the rocks.

"Ouch!" Guoguo cried, her voice tinged with tears. "Sister, that hurts! My chest is going to be flat! Waaa…" Luan Yudie pulled her from the rubble, watching as the girl clutched her developing chest and moaned, "At least I can still get up… It hurts so much…"

Luan Yudie teased, "Come, let me see if it's scraped. I'll kiss it better… hehe…" The girl's face flushed bright red as she pouted, "Sister, you're naughty! Taking advantage of me!"

Luan Yudie only smiled, lightly patting Guoguo's chest. "Hmm, nice elasticity and great potential—you might even surpass your sister!"

"Sister…" Guoguo whined, but Luan Yudie took her hand and they resumed their flight. This time, they moved in erratic paths instead of a straight line, making it impossible for the Insect Emperor to lock onto their position.

The Insect Emperor's round eyes flickered with surprise as it sensed the two elusive humans ahead. Its massive jaws opened wide, gathering invisible energy into a swirling storm. In just a few breaths, a one-meter-wide compressed blast of gale-force energy had formed, death radiating from its gaze.

With a thunderous boom, the wind burst forth, crossing hundreds of meters in a flash and leaving a tornado of mist in its wake. Through the eye of the storm, one could glimpse the Insect Emperor's massive head, eyes fixed on the two women at the far end.

Sensing the oncoming wave of annihilation, Luan Yudie glanced back, her beautiful face draining of color in terror. In this moment of crisis, her training as a disciple of a great sect showed through—a green light shot from her body, forming a deep green leaf. With Guoguo in tow, they mounted the ancient treasure and soared into the sky.

No sooner had they risen than an unimaginable surge of force blasted upward from below, threatening to capsize them like a tiny boat in a hurricane. Luan Yudie desperately channeled her true essence into the ancient treasure, its green radiance bursting forth to create a protective shield around them. Though they were tossed and battered by the storm, they remained unharmed. Guoguo, pale, clung tightly to Luan Yudie's waist, burying her face in her sister's chest and muttering, "If only these were mine…"

Caught in the merciless gale, Luan Yudie had no way to control the treasure and escape the storm's reach, relying solely on its protective glow to keep them safe.

Thus, the two were swept through the air, spinning like a green-tailed meteor until they vanished at the edge of the fog.

On the ground, the purple-horned Insect Emperor sensed their direction and beat its wings to pursue, but a commanding voice rang out in its mind, "Little Purple, do not chase them further. As long as they do not cause trouble here, a small lesson is enough—let them go."

Though reluctant, the Insect Emperor did not dare to disobey. With a few roars, it turned and lumbered away.

At the heart of the insect hive, surrounded by ancient mountains, stood a solemn and archaic palace. The structure was old, covered in the marks of time, exuding a heavy and primeval aura. Above the open doors hung a plaque, its characters worn by the ages yet still discernible—three grand, bold seal script characters: "Heavenly Demon Hall."

The doors stood wide, the interior shrouded in darkness and silence. The hall was vast, feeling as if the space within was a boundless void—far larger than its exterior suggested. There, a gigantic shadow lay motionless.

This dark-golden form, nearly ten thousand yards long, was sheathed in massive scales. Its forked horns thrust toward the sky, eyes closed as if in slumber, yet its majestic voice echoed through the hall, ancient and ethereal as if from time immemorial.

"Tens of thousands of years have passed like a dream. The Supreme Will descended and shattered the limits of martial power. Who knows how long the next cycle will take? Perhaps this world no longer needs the turning of fate. The devouring of millennia past should have exhausted this world's fortune!"

The voice paused, then resumed, "Are these countless realms truly unable to break their shackles? What is it that blocks the way? What is the Supreme Will? When will the Demon Lord return? Can the immortal gods ever awaken? Alas…"

"The Dao has an end, but the martial path does not… Even the Heavenly Martial Sovereign, are you powerless…" The voice abruptly ceased. The hall returned to silence, the immense body lying motionless on the cold floor, as if eternally sleeping, waiting in lonely anticipation for destiny's call.

At the edge of the insect hive, Leng Tian sat on a clean boulder atop a peak, draining the last of his wine. Only then did he look out over the endless expanse of gold before him. "A desert!"

Leng Tian narrowed his eyes, rose, and leaped down the mountain.

Martial Dao: The Pinnacle — Chapter Thirty-Six: The Mysterious Heavenly Demon Hall, End of Update.