Ordinarily, with his current combat power, he would be confident in saving his life even when facing a cultivator who had just entered the Purple Mansion stage.
However, at this moment, his expression was extremely solemn, more solemn than he had ever felt.
One must know that Wu Tao was now a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, with exceptionally discerning eyes. After just a few glances, he had understood many things.
This giant fire vein in the lava cave flowed from the earth's core and then circulated continuously, returning to the earth's core.
This giant fire vein was dark red in color and about ten million feet wide.
As for its length, Wu Tao could not estimate it at all, as it was endless to the eye. Even with divine sense probing, he could only detect less than half of it.
Wu Tao looked at the giant fire vein and muttered to himself, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Before coming here, Wu Tao had already figured out what he should do.
But after arriving here and seeing the giant fire vein with his own eyes, Wu Tao realized that his original plan was somewhat flawed.
The veins of this giant fire vein were actually different from what he had originally imagined.
In a normal fire vein, the veins should flow clockwise, and the pattern should be radial.
It was precisely because of this that Wu Tao had prepared many treasures to deal with such a situation.
But after observing with the Nightmare Eye just now, Wu Tao discovered that this giant fire vein was the complete opposite.
The veins should flow counterclockwise, and the pattern should be radial.
This made Wu Tao want to curse.
After the Nightmare Eye closed, Wu Tao's expression became even more grim.
He never expected things to become so difficult.
Standing above the giant fire vein, after pondering for a long time, Wu Tao gritted his teeth and plunged directly into the fire vein.
In the cultivation world, some places are indeed deadly for cultivators.
For example, places of lightning origin, eye of the wind, source of frost, and source of fire. Not to mention cultivators, even powerful demonic beasts would turn to ashes upon entering such places.
And the depths of the fire vein were even more terrifying, a hundred or even a thousand times stronger than lava, earth fire, or poisonous flames.
"Hoo hoo hoo hoo..."
As soon as he entered the fire vein, Wu Tao saw streams of flames surging towards him.
Under the scorching of the flames, the surrounding temperature immediately rose to a terrifying level.
Everything that met the eye was a fiery red, with endless fire-attribute spiritual energy pervading and churning.
Facing all of this, Wu Tao was completely unconcerned.
He took a step, covering ten thousand meters in an instant.
In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Wu Tao arrived at a main vein of this giant fire vein.
Blazing flames gushed out, making Wu Tao's face glow red.
This main vein looked very peaceful, with only the occasional fire wave to attest to its terrifying nature.
Continuing forward, Wu Tao began to feel some strain.
Pure spiritual energy constantly poured out from his body, strengthening his protective spiritual light.
His feet did not stop, and step by step, the dense spiritual light broke through the torrent of flames before him, allowing Wu Tao to reach a node of this main vein.
Looking at this node, a sharp light flashed in Wu Tao's eyes, clearly having discovered something important.
Wu Tao took out a mineral called Flame Dragon Jade from his storage bag. He then formed hand seals, cast a series of seals, and embedded this Flame Dragon Jade into the node.
Similarly, Wu Tao spared no effort, entering various veins and placing various treasures, and at times, even a few array flags.
If a top-tier formation master saw what Wu Tao was doing, they would gasp in amazement.
Because what Wu Tao was setting up now was the chain explosion formation in formations.
The giant fire vein was vast, with countless overlapping veins and nodes.
Anyone else, even a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator of the same realm as Wu Tao, could not complete this task without the abundance of top-grade recovery pills in Wu Tao's storage bag.
The final result of forcibly attempting it would be the depletion of spiritual power, and finally being burned to death by the flames.
However, Wu Tao, a grandmaster alchemist, had no shortage of pills.
After completing the setup of the chain explosion formation, Wu Tao continued to advance towards the deepest part of the giant fire vein to be safe.
The deepest part of the giant fire vein.
The temperature here had reached over a million degrees. The scorching heat penetrated his protective spiritual light, making Wu Tao feel uncomfortable.
Although he was mentally prepared, feeling the heat that was like a tangible substance, Wu Tao could not help but show a hint of surprise on his face.
Looking around, Wu Tao discovered something that piqued his interest.
Tens of millions of years ago, an ancestor of the Chu family had set up a supreme formation here to control this giant fire vein.
Through the control and dilution of the formation, the originally violent fire-attribute spiritual energy began to become gentle.
Countless multicolored lights flickered on the restrictions of the Fire Controlling Formation, controlling the flow speed and direction of the giant fire vein.
Wu Tao stood before the heavenly curtain-like restriction, a look of admiration on his face.
"Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation!"
There were myriad formations in the world, and each formation had different uses.
Ordinary formations could be set up with spiritual objects and array flags from heaven and earth.
However, to be powerful and long-lasting, it was necessary to use some rare treasures from heaven and earth.
But most formations in this world operated and moved on their own power.
The Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation was a rare cyclic formation in formations that relied on heaven and earth for its existence and support.
The most marvelous aspect of such cyclic formations was that they did not suppress the terrain with their own power, but rather achieved a continuous cycle through integration.
That ancestor of the Chu family had put in a great deal of effort.
To protect this giant fire vein, he spared no effort and built this Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation.
However, there were exceptions. The ancestor of the Chu family would probably never have dreamed that tens of millions of years later, his family's enemy would break into the formation.
However, Wu Tao's gaze was soon drawn to something else.
"Emperor Flame Immortal Fire!"
A faint immortal fire, seemingly without substance, yet also seemingly substantial, was embedded within the Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation.
With the ripples of the Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation, the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire continuously vibrated and drifted.
The lotus-pod-colored Emperor Flame Immortal Fire emitted a dim, extremely bright radiance, like a strange flower.
Wu Tao's eyes were fixed on this Emperor Flame Immortal Fire, watching it rise and fall.
The aura emanating from this Emperor Flame Immortal Fire was scorching, majestic, and powerful, capable of burning away everything in the world.
...
The Emperor Flame Immortal Fire was one of the few immortal fires in the cultivation world.
The formation of this immortal fire was difficult, yet not difficult.
To obtain this immortal fire, one had to spend ten thousand years refining a sea of fire spanning a million miles.
The Emperor Flame Immortal Fire was known as the Emperor of all fires. Its temperature was more than a notch higher than that of the True Sun Fire. Among immortal fires, it was considered one of the most powerful.
This was truly a fortuitous occurrence.
Originally, Wu Tao had only intended to disrupt the giant fire vein to achieve his goal of destroying Chu Shan City. However, upon discovering the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire, this unexpected bonus, he naturally would not let it go.
Wu Tao hesitated for a moment, then took out the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle.
It should be known that the temperature and power of the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire were so high that ordinary magic treasures could not withstand it.
Holding the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, Wu Tao swung it fiercely, smashing open a gap in the operating Fire Assimilation Transformation Formation.
Then, the golden light on the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, swelled like a bubble and gradually enveloped the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire.
As soon as it came into contact with the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire, the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, emitted extremely resplendent and radiant divine Buddhist light.
However, this Emperor Flame Immortal Fire was not to be trifled with.
...
The mysterious imperial patterns on the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire flickered, and flames hotter than the sun scattered. Immediately, the divine Buddhist light, which was like a heavenly curtain before them, began to tremble.
The aura of the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, fluctuated, appearing and disappearing as if it were colliding with something.
And this entire space also became unstable with the collision of the two, like a calm lake suddenly giving rise to two giant beasts from the water, engaged in a fierce battle.
One party was the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, in Wu Tao's hand, and the other was the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire.
Both sides had their advantages.
The advantage of the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, lay in Wu Tao's continuous supply of spiritual power.
The advantage of the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire was that it was currently within the giant fire vein, able to absorb a large amount of fire-attribute spiritual energy from its surroundings at any time.
The low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, displayed numerous phenomena, creating a Buddhist land, attempting to absorb the fiercely burning Emperor Flame Immortal Fire into it.
Meanwhile, the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire continuously increased its temperature, releasing immortal flames capable of burning all things, intending to stop the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, and even expel it.
After a period of pulling, the two were locked in a stalemate.
However, at the moment when the two were stalemated, Wu Tao seized the opportunity and struck out with a palm.
A concentrated power of time instantly hit the Emperor Flame Immortal Fire.
Under the suppression of the power of time, even the fiercely burning Emperor Flame Immortal Fire could not help but pause for a breath.
And in that single breath, the low-grade spiritual treasure, the Demon Subduing Vajra Pestle, absorbed it into its body.