69 Gloomy Inferno
Above the Phoenix platform, pink flames surged across Ye Yuyan's body but the flames burned calmly as they fused into his being. On his glabella, the red lotus shone with fantastical runes as the pink flames inundated the fifth lotus leaf with their delirious heavenly flames.
A magical vermillion bird soared amidst the pink flames gathering globules of the flame onto its tail. In an instant, the flames metamorphosed as they elongated forming into a pink tail of light streaming into the distance.
"Sou!" The Vermillion bird shrieked as the mystical flame fused into its being completing part of its heavenly might.
Within the wall of flames Venerable Phoenix coldly watched as the mystical flame fused into Ye Yuyan, he slyly remarked: "His will is strong but stubbornness will be his downfall!"
As the pink flames surged, Liu Kang grunted as he struggled to stand up from Ye Yuyan's blow.
"Activate the East formation..." Song Yue commanded with her hands crossed and her eyes radiating distress.
Liu Kang nodded and looked over at Ming Shan and Xia Yunyi, white marks appeared all across Liu Kang's body as he suddenly yelled" "Marks of Charity, Eleos!"
Ming Shan's eyes shone as mystical bloodline marks manifested on his body and he roared:
"Marks of Kindness, Clementia!"
"Marks of Loyalty, Cerberus!" Xia Yunyi joined in manifesting bloodline marks on his body and stirring the dog heads on his shoulders into action.
"East Formation!" They roared simultaneously stirring their bloodline marks into actions. Hundreds of bloodline marks fused together as they collided with one another forming into an equilateral triangle.
"West Formation!" Song Yue commanded as she noticed the pink flames subsiding around Ye Yuyan. Qin Shui drove the formation again causing a surge of immortal Qi to shoot out from it. Another beam of immortal light shot towards Ye Yuyan, engulfing the sky of the platform in white light.
Ye Yuyan's eyes suddenly flashed open with the pink flames still around him. The darkness remained in his left as he gathered blood Qi into his right hand. A massive sea of Qi burst from his palm filling the heavens as it coalesced into a celestial red river cutting across the horizon.
The gigantic river roiled and streamed across the sky with a never-ending surge of weapons dancing across its waters. Various golden sword intents and treasured weapons glittered amidst the river's violent currents.
Ye Yuyan flicked his wrist sending the red river hurtling towards the white light, the crimson Qi burst through the sky as the two Qis collided.
"Ahhh!" Qin Shui grunted as the crimson Qi overwhelmed his immortal Qi.
The two Qis neutralized in the air sending white and red energies scattering throughout the platform. At that moment, the pink flames around Ye Yuyan finally calmed down.
With that, he sneered as he looked down at the East formation and coldly laughed saying: "Do you think I'll let you finish that?"
A frosty light escaped from Ye Yuyan's eyes as frost Qi constantly emanated from him. A vague silhouette of a white wolf manifested behind him as he roared: "Eternal Frost Law!"
"Awooo!" The wolf howled as suddenly a massive surge of frost Qi burst out filling the Phoenix platform with ice.
The Lunar Qi rippled in the sky as they collided together turning into an ethereal blue moon from an immemorial era. The mystical blue light gave birth to hundreds of blue lotuses within the world of ice and suddenly the wolf silhouette grew.
The small wolf arms bristled with coarse white hairs: its hands arched over and changed into thickly curved claws and its jaws elongated as its figure grew to nearly astronomical sizes!
The wolf turned into a massive white furred demonic beast with tattoos across its body. On its forehead with a blue lotus and just below its navel was a blue moon.
"Fist of the Starry Skies!" Ye Yuyan roared stirring the Moon Demon into action.
"Awoo!" The wolf angrily and threateningly growled as the power of the world of ice filled it with immense strength. Lunar Qi gathered onto its fist and it suddenly punched out releasing a star-sized fist surrounded with lunar Qi. The cyan fist bore down on East formation intent on shattering it!
The formation light increasingly fused as the triangular formation reached completion. When suddenly the wall of flames flared up with fire and the golden gaze of Venerable Phoenix exploded out.
"Flare of Vengeance!" Venerable Phoenix suddenly intoned, red flames burst from the wall of flames and flooded the cyan fist with red flames.
The Moon Demon's fist flew back suddenly as it tried to shake off the flames but the fire only burned brighter. The flames traveled up to its hand singeing its fur and turning its flesh black.
The flames quickly devoured the Moon Demon and globs of red flames appeared on Ye Yuyan body. Ye Yuyan lurched as red flames engulfed his being and turning his perception red with rage.
"Godddamn it!" He cursed as his Moon Demon Aspect lost focus and his lunar world crumbled as the red flames continuously spread.
The burning flames of vengeance surged into his eyes turning the world around him into a burning hot molten world of magma.
He stared on as the West formation reached completion. The three sides of the formation filled with immortal Qi as they erected a triangular barrier.
All around Ye Yuyan appeared the silhouette of a violet robed little boy with a teasing smile and eyes filled with bloodlust. His right hand was covered in thick viscous blood singed with white.
"Hehehe..." The figures mockingly laughed as red energy surged from their body surrounding Ye Yuyan.
The energies coiled like vipers as they circled and turned into hundreds of chains. The chains shot towards Ye Yuyan wrapping around him in an instant.
"YE TU TIAN! I WILL KILL YOU!!!" Ye Yuyan roared frantically as red flames dug into his body, filling his meridians with tyrannical powers.
As the red flames enshrouded Ye Yuyan, Song Yue, the solar prince, and lunar princess stood together in front of the east and west formations.
Song Yue stared into the sky at Ye Yuyan's figure hidden within the red flames. His body shone with a splendorous burning light like a dying red giant devouring the sky.
"Quick before the flames die down, complete the formation!" Song Yue quickly commanded with a stern expression.
The Solar prince and Lunar Princess glanced at each other and jumped to the east and west formations respectively. The triangular barriers rippled as the Solar prince fused into the west formation and on the east formation, the Lunar Princess entered.
Fantastical energies and lights bounced off the formation as the three corners shone with various lights. On the west formation, radiant red energy burst from the center like an immortal sun. The energy filled the formation turning it into a shining blazing inferno.
A golden robed figure shrouded in flames rose from the center of the formation and levitated over the top as the flames cascaded down his body. On the east formation, mystical blue lights filled the formation with lunar energies.
A chilling wind passed through the formation turning it into a frozen end world. From the center of the east formation, a blue-robed figured enshrouded with mystical lunar light rose to the top and sat above the world like an immemorial blue moon.
As the two formations shimmered with their respective lights in the sky, the burning red flames gradually receded into themselves. The giant blip in the sky disappeared revealing an almost charred figure in the sky.
Ye Yuyan's robes crackled as the flames danced on the edges of his singed clothes. He took deep inhales as he tried to process the tyrannical flames within his body.
Behind Ye Yuyan's body appeared the silhouette of a two-colored vermillion bird. Radiant light shimmered from its being as it spread its massive wings and eclipsed the heavens. Two red embers burned in Ye Yuyan's eyes as the vermillion bird absorbed the flames of vengeance ever so slowly.
Ye Yuyan looked down to see the burning west and frozen east formations growing. He then turned his gaze towards the Phoenix wall and stared towards the immense eyes of Venerable Phoenix and with a slight smirk he intoned: "Venerable Phoenix, you are a fool if you think I would let myself be subjugated to your trials."
'This bastard, what is he hiding?' Song Yue thought as she gritted her teeth in anger. Her gaze flitted past Mercer indicating to him something.
Mercer reached to his side and swiftly unsheathed his sword with a single motion. He raised his sword high and summon a sea of Qi towards him. The Phoenix wall vibrated as an immense amount of Qi shot through the walls and surrounded the Verulyim King.
"By my decree, take my sword as my virtue and grant me the power of the land! Rank 5 Heaven Earth Sword Suppression" Mercer commanded as he swung his sword down suddenly and instantly the sea of Qi came crashing down. The weight of the world fell onto Ye Yuyan, forcing him to falter slightly.
Around Ye Yuyan's body, the native Qi vibrated frantically without order even the sword forces behaved disorderly as they zoomed across the sky.
"What will you do now that the Qi within 100 meters will no longer obey you?" Mercer chuckled maniacally as he released his sword law unto the world.
Ye Yuyan coldly glanced down at the Verulyim king and ignored him once again turning his gaze towards Venerable Phoenix.
"So you will no longer take part in my design? What gives you the courage?" Venerable Phoenix insisted with a booming screech.
Ye Yuyan coldly chuckled as he curtly replied: "Heh, you would have me absorb these flames and turn them into emotions. Yet I have another way out!"
"Wait...you wouldn't!!!" Venerable Phoenix's voice stuttered with shock as he realized Ye Yuyan's intentions.
"I wouldn't what? I am more than willing to resort to any means since long ago. You see I have but one goal and that is to be eternal." Ye Yuyan coldly intoned as the embers in his eyes turned gray and dark.
"No amount of sacrifice whether it be my emotions, my past, or my attachments can ever surpass it." Ye Yuyan continued as the vermillion bird behind him gained another color, Gray!
"Raise the formation!!!" Song Yue frantically yelled as she and Mercer flew into the formation walls and the east and west formations combined and turned into a rhombus. Blue and red swirled together turning into a thick barrier as Song Yue and Mercer disappeared into the formation.
In the sky, gray flames swirled around Ye Yuyan's body growing increasingly larger and emanating an infernal heat that could rival the birth of a universe!
"Let my gloominess give birth to a Gloomy Inferno!!! Hahahaha" Ye Yuyan laughed as the Qi around him suddenly retreated and a massive burst of gray flames exploded from his body.
His ominous cackling echoed throughout the Phoenix platform and the gray flames shoot through the Phoenix wall tearing it apart.
Venerable Phoenix's will disappeared as the gloomy flames devoured the Phoenix wall and scattered throughout the platform. The flames crashed into the Bloodline End Formation and danced atop the swirling barrier of blue and red unable to pierce the barrier.
Ye Yuyan stood amidst the gloomy flames as a shadowy figure from his memories disappeared and gloominess left his heart materializing into the Gloomy Inferno before him.
