Chapter 122: Inferno and Frost: The Clash of Divine Legacies

The Sunflower Plant of the Golden Crow was said to have been born from the divine essence of the Golden Crow itself, a being of unparalleled radiance and celestial fire that was given birth to by the Celestial Sun. According to ancient myth, the Golden Crow was not merely a creature of the heavens but a guardian of light, a sentinel tasked with preserving the balance between illumination and shadow. Its tale is one of sacrifice, valor, and the eternal struggle against darkness.

Long ago, during an age when the mortal plane was shrouded in an unending night, a powerful shadow demon rose to power and cast the world under enslavement and death. This entity, born from the deepest abyss of the cosmos, sought to extinguish all light, plunging the world into eternal darkness. Crops withered, rivers froze, and the hearts of mortals grew heavy with despair. The sun itself seemed to falter, its rays unable to pierce the suffocating veil of shadow that enveloped the earth.

In this time of despair, the Golden Crow descended from the heavens, its wings ablaze with the fury of a thousand suns being pulled behind it. The creature's arrival was heralded by a blinding burst of light, a beacon of hope that cut through the darkness like a sword. The Golden Crow's celestial fire burned with such intensity that it scorched the earth, purging the land of the shadow demon's corruption. The battle between light and darkness raged for days, the skies trembling with the force of their clash.

Finally, with a triumphant cry, the Golden Crow unleashed its ultimate power—a torrent of divine flames that consumed the shadow demon, banishing it to the void from whence it came. But the victory came at a cost. As the Golden Crow soared above the scorched battlefield, three drops of its divine blood fell to the earth. These drops, glowing with the essence of the sun itself, seeped into the soil, and from them, the first Sunflower Plants of the Golden Crow sprouted.

These sunflowers were no ordinary plants. Their stalks were tall and sturdy, shimmering with golden veins that pulsed faintly, as if alive. Their petals, broad and radiant, glowed with a soft, ethereal light, casting a warm, golden hue over the land. At the heart of each sunflower, nestled within the spiral of its petals, were the Sunflower Seeds of the Golden Crow.

These seeds were unlike any other, their surfaces smooth and lustrous, radiating an otherworldly warmth that could be felt even from a distance. Each seed seemed to hum with a quiet power that, if let loose would cause devastating and irreparable damages, as though they carried within them fragments of the Golden Crow's divine essence.

The sunflowers became a symbol of hope and renewal, their golden light a reminder of the Golden Crow's sacrifice. It was said that the plants possessed a sentient will, their roots delving deep into the earth to draw sustenance from the very heart of the world. They turned their faces always toward the sun as if in reverence to their celestial creator, and their seeds were guarded fiercely, for they were not meant for the unworthy.

Legends spoke of the seeds' miraculous properties. Those who possessed them were said to be blessed with the Golden Crow's favor, their bodies and spirits imbued with a fraction of its celestial fire. The seeds could heal grievous wounds, purify corrupted lands, and even ignite flames that burned with the intensity of the sun itself. Yet, they were not without danger. The seeds' power was immense, and those who sought to wield it for selfish or destructive purposes often found themselves consumed by the very flames they sought to control.

"Ughh!" Jiang Feng gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched so tightly it felt as though his bones might shatter. The outburst of fire spiritual energy rampaged through his body like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path. Dancing yellow flames soared and blazed around him, their heat so intense that his skin glowed a burning red, as if he were being forged in the heart of a star. "If two seeds are already like this, then..." His voice trailed off as he felt the rumble of his essence lake, the core of his spiritual energy, churning violently within him.

Peering inward, Jiang Feng observed his Earth meridian, which had expanded to twice its original size. The rushing sun essence within it was now mixed with a thicker, golden blood—a sign of the Golden Crow's divine essence merging with his own. His Essence Lake, a swirling pool of blue and yellow flames, had grown to 15,152 meters, but it was far from stable. The lake churned and roiled, its surface cracking and reforming as it struggled to contain the overwhelming energy.

Above his head, Caelestis Fornax, his Skyforge Flame in its fairy form, hovered calmly. Its luminous eyes surveyed Jiang Feng's condition before flicking upward, gazing into the deeper parts of the sky where four large, enigmatic eyes watched silently. The fairy's expression remained impassive, but there was a flicker of concern in its gaze as it turned back to look at Jiang Feng.

Inside Jiang Feng's mental space, a replica of the Skyforge Flame fairy floated within the Skyforge Furnace, its eyes closed in deep meditation. The fairy had split itself, creating a clone to house half of its power, as Jiang Feng's body was not yet capable of handling its full might.

"It's becoming hard for me to progress," Jiang Feng muttered, his voice strained. "The amount of resources I need now is tremendous." He watched as his Essence Lake expanded slowly, the process agonizingly sluggish. "It seems that though there's a lot of essence in the sun flame, most of the energy will be locked away due to my Essence Lake's limitations. I can't harness all that power!"

His Essence Lake had grown to 15,320 meters, a result of his recent breakthrough. But Jiang Feng had rushed his progress, failing to fully stabilize and understand his newfound strength through cultivation, practice, or a well-fought battle, before attempting another leap forward. The consequences were now evident—his foundation was shaky, and his body was struggling to contain the immense energy surging through him.

"Energy," a faint thought rippled through Jiang Feng's mind, pulling him from his observations. His eyes snapped open, focusing on the Celestial Dagger as it floated out of his chest. The dagger hovered before him, its runic lines flashing with a soft, pulsating light. It seemed to communicate with him, its hum resonating in his mind like a silent conversation. After a long moment, Jiang Feng nodded. "Okay," he said, his voice firm despite the pain wracking his body.

With a wave of his hand, the remaining two sunflower seeds shot into his mouth.

BANG!!

The explosion of energy was instantaneous and catastrophic. Bright light filled the chamber as Jiang Feng's robes disintegrated, torn apart by the sheer force of the flames erupting from his body. Cracks spread across his skin like fissures in dry earth, and waves of heat radiated from him, sending Ji Moran flying backward. Jiang Feng's scream echoed through the chamber, a raw, guttural sound that spoke of unbearable agony. His skin charred instantly, blackening and peeling away as he threw his head back and roared.

But the most shocking sight was yet to come. The Sunflower Plant, the source of the seeds, trembled violently before rising into the air. It cracked and splintered, its golden petals shattering into fragments that were sucked into Jiang Feng's mouth. The plant, a symbol of the Golden Crow's divine legacy, was being consumed entirely.

BOOM BOOM!!!!

BOOM BOOM!!!!

Explosions rocked Jiang Feng's body from within, each one sending shockwaves through his meridians. His flesh burst open, spraying blood in every direction, and his bones cracked under the unbearable pressure. The energy was too much, too volatile, and his body was on the verge of collapse.

ROOAAARRRR!!!!

Above Jiang Feng's head, the image of the Aetherion Dragon materialized, its massive form rippling with power. The dragon's black scales crackled with dark lightning, and its four horns gleamed ominously. Its body had grown larger, more imposing, and around it, frigid spiritual energy formed and shattered, sword lights rumbled and broke, spear lights crashed and crushed, and the power of darkness devoured everything in its path.

The sight of the dragon froze Ji Moran in place. She had never seen such a creature—its presence was overwhelming, a force of nature that defied comprehension. The dragon, having absorbed the stored tribulation lightning and the energy from the Dao Threads Jiang Feng had comprehended, had grown stronger than Jiang Feng's body could handle. But with Jiang Feng's body on the brink of destruction, the dragon had no choice but to reveal itself and absorb the energy from the Sunflower Plant.

The dragon opened its mouth and pulled hard, drawing the furious flaming energy into itself at an alarming rate. Yet, even with the dragon's intervention, Jiang Feng was still being crushed and burnt from the inside out. The weight of the Aetherion Dragon, combined with the raging energy of the Sunflower seeds and plant, was too much for his unstable foundation to bear.

"Do it now!" Jiang Feng's voice thundered, his command echoing through the chamber. The Celestial Dagger trembled in response, its runic lines flashing as it shot into the air. The dagger began to expand, its form shifting and growing until it resembled a staggering sword that blocked out the sky.

The sheer weight of its presence caused the walls of the battleground chamber to crack and crumble. A loud hum emanated from the dagger as a vortex formed on its blade, pulling the blazing energy leaking from Jiang Feng into itself. The runic lines on the dagger blazed with light, their patterns shifting and swirling as they absorbed the energy frantically.

The Skyforge Flame Fairy stood to the side, its luminous eyes watching the scene unfold. It could not intervene, bound by the limitations of Jiang Feng's current strength and the fact that it could not absorb the sun flame, thus it could only observe from the sidelines.

"Now, Moran!" Jiang Feng shouted again, his voice strained but resolute. On his back, the Eternal Character blazed to life, its intricate lines glowing with a fierce light. The Eternal Flame Codex granted Jiang Feng the means to comprehend and understand the power he was trying to acquire. Ji Moran, hearing his call, hurriedly swallowed the Phoenix Blood Leaf without hesitation.

BANG!

The moment the leaf touched her tongue, the area around her froze solid. Above her head, a massive icy tree grew, its branches made of shimmering ice crystals that refracted light into a dazzling array of colors. The tree's presence was awe-inspiring, its beauty matched only by its power.

Above the tree, a large Phoenix materialized, its eyes closed in serene slumber. The Phoenix's body radiated an icy brilliance, its feathers glistening like frozen fire. The destroyed walls turned the chamber into an open space which was now divided into two distinct worlds—one of fire and one of ice.

On Jiang Feng's side, the air shimmered with heat, the flames around him roaring and crackling as they consumed everything in their path. The ground beneath him glowed red-hot, and the walls of the chamber seemed to melt under the intense temperature. The Aetherion Dragon loomed above him, its dark form a stark contrast to the golden flames that surrounded it. Not only that but a massive dagger caused the space above Jiang Feng's head to crumble and reform, a shocking sight to see.

On Ji Moran's side, the world was frozen in a crystalline stillness. Snowflakes drifted lazily through the air, their delicate forms catching the light and scattering it in every direction. The icy tree stood tall and majestic, its branches reaching toward the heavens, while the Phoenix above it exuded an aura of tranquil power. The temperature on this side of the chamber had plummeted, the cold so intense that it seemed to freeze time itself.

Ji Moran seemed to have been frozen in time, her black hair now had a tinge of white as her Golden Core rumbled.

The two forces—fire and ice—clashed and intertwined, creating a breathtaking spectacle of opposing elements. The new open space trembled under the strain, its ground cracking and groaning as the two worlds fought for dominance. Yet, amidst the chaos, there was a strange harmony, a balance that spoke of the delicate interplay between creation and destruction, light and darkness.

Jiang Feng and Ji Moran, each consumed by their respective powers, stood at the center of this maelstrom. One had swallowed the Sunflower Plant and its four remaining seeds, while the other had consumed the Phoenix Blood Leaf. Their fates were now intertwined, their paths leading them toward a destiny that would shape the very fabric of the world.