Eight Hells of Heat  

Crown Prince Wanli finally reached the mountaintop, followed closely by Zhang Juzheng and the remaining soldiers of his elite guard.

"What is he doing?" Zhang Juzheng wondered, observing the scene with a puzzled expression.

On the summit, only Fan Li and Lu Fubao remained. Fan Li was fiddling with a peculiar contraption he had retrieved from his storage treasure – a sturdy frame made of huanghuali wood, draped with a large piece of colorful deer hide.

The hide, taken from a seven-colored deer, was triangular in shape and stretched taut over the wooden frame.

"An umbrella?" Zhang Juzheng thought, scrutinizing the object. "No, not an umbrella. It's not a spiritual treasure either, it doesn't seem to possess any spiritual energy."

Crown Prince Wanli also glanced at Fan Li, his lips curling into a sneer.

"A desperate struggle? Can't even produce a decent spiritual treasure, what a waste!"

Wanli was about to strike when Lu Fubao acted first. She pulled out a bamboo tube, uncorked it, and a burst of fireworks shot into the sky.

"A signal for help?" Wanli laughed mockingly. "Too late. Even if a Great Vehicle realm expert were nearby, they couldn't reach us in time to stop me from killing you both!"

"Idiot, haven't you noticed there are five people missing?" Lu Fubao retorted, her youthful spirit momentarily forgetting the gravity of their situation.

Fan Li shook his head. Talking too much at a time like this was unwise. "Act quickly," he urged in a low voice.

Lu Fubao's words, however, had alerted Zhang Juzheng.

"Your Highness, be careful! They have set up a formation on the mountaintop!"

A gust of wind swept across the peak, revealing the cinnabar formation diagram hidden beneath a thin layer of soil.

Eight Hells of Heat!

Each stroke of cinnabar seemed to pulse with molten lava, transforming the mountaintop into a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"I will kill you first!" Wanli realized he had been tricked, but he still didn't consider Fan Li and Lu Fubao a threat.

He raised his right hand, once again gathering the crimson light of the sun into his fist.

"You're too slow," Lu Fubao said, taking a step back towards Fan Li. She held the Fire Repelling Pearl, its cool touch offering a small measure of comfort. The pearl could only protect her, and she wasn't sure what methods Fan Li had to shield himself from the flames, but she hoped its effects would extend to him as well.

In the next instant, Nine Nether Yin Fire erupted from the formation diagram!

The peak of the lone mountain was instantly engulfed in flames!

"Ahhhhhhhh!"

"What kind of fire is this?"

"Golden Core cultivators are dying on contact?!"

"Your Highness, save us! Please save us!"

Crown Prince Wanli was furious! The moment the Eight Hells of Heat activated, he had shielded himself with his dragon-shaped Righteous Qi. Zhang Juzheng and a few of the elite guard commanders also remained unharmed in the initial burst of Yin fire.

However, the ordinary soldiers, with their Golden Core cultivation, were no match for Lu Fubao's most powerful formation, unleashed by a Nascent Soul realm expert!

"You… retreat!" Wanli reluctantly ordered his soldiers to fall back down the mountain.

But it was too late.

Five thunderous explosions erupted from different directions around the mountain! Five separate plumes of Yin fire ignited the surrounding forest, quickly merging into a massive inferno.

The lone mountain, where Wanli stood, was at the heart of the blazing inferno.

Both above and below, there was no escape from this hellish landscape.

"I will kill you all!!!" Wanli's fury was reaching its peak.

He couldn't accept that with his overwhelming advantage, his entire elite guard had been outmaneuvered by a woman!

No! It wasn't just the woman's fault!

He and his troops wouldn't have charged up the mountain if not for Fan Li. It was Fan Li who had lured them to the peak with his taunts, sacrificing himself as bait.

The Duke of Jin of the Great Chu, a man of immense wealth and status, had willingly put himself in harm's way?

"Second Hell of Heat!" Lu Fubao shouted.

A second wave of crimson flames erupted from the formation diagram, its temperature several times hotter than the first. Even with his Righteous Qi shield, Wanli found it difficult to move.

He felt as if he had returned to the Flaming Mountain, and the sensation fueled his hatred even further.

"Sun and Moon in the Sky, Great Ming Eternal!"

Wanli activated the Sun and Moon Profound Scripture. A beam of sunlight descended upon him, easing his burden. With renewed strength, he took three steps forward, closing the distance between him and Fan Li and Lu Fubao.

"Hahaha!"

"Die!"

He raised his right fist, ready to strike them down.

"Third Hell of Heat," Lu Fubao whispered.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A wave of heat, several times more intense than before, washed over them. Wanli screamed in agony, his face contorted in pain.

Behind him, the thousands of soldiers were unable to even scream as they were instantly incinerated by the inferno.

"I will die with you!"

Wanli thrust his right fist forward, still imbued with the power of the sun. But his sleeve had been burned away, and his arm was covered in blisters.

"Fourth Hell of Heat!" Lu Fubao's forehead was beaded with sweat. Controlling such a powerful formation was taking a toll on her.

Wanli's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He slowly extended his fist, determined to strike Lu Fubao down. Kill the formation master first, then Fan Li!

"Cough!"

"Fifth… Hell of Heat!"

Lu Fubao bit the tip of her tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The heat was indescribable!

The killing intent in Wanli's eyes vanished, replaced by sheer terror! He turned to flee, but even this simple action seemed to drain all his strength.

"You… you won't escape. Wood feeds fire, it's the natural order of the five elements. In this formation, the eye is the Gate of Death, while the five positions that draw in the Yin fire are the Gates of Life. Yin fire entering the Yang realm, Yin and Yang combined, amplifying its power."

A triumphant smile finally appeared on Lu Fubao's face, though her voice grew weaker with each word.

"I… I have gathered the five elements, Yin and Yang, life and death… it should be enough to incinerate you. Unfortunately, we lacked the manpower. The Eight Hells of Heat… three hells short… damn it."

"Fan Li, you must praise me…" With those final words, Lu Fubao's eyes closed, and she collapsed unconscious.

Behind her, where Fan Li had been standing moments ago, there was nothing but empty air.

Fan Li had vanished?

The next second, as Wanli was about to be consumed by the Fifth Hell of Heat, a cascading torrent of blue light enveloped him.

Righteous Qi, so dense it resembled a waterfall!

This waterfall of Righteous Qi did not originate from Wanli, but from another figure present.

Zhang Juzheng!

Amidst the inferno, Zhang Juzheng stood unscathed, not even a corner of his robe singed by the flames. However, his once jet-black hair had turned completely white, and his long beard was now as white as snow.

Without a master to control it, the Eight Hells of Heat quickly dissipated.

The area surrounding the lone mountain, within a radius of several miles, was reduced to ash. The thousands of elite guards were all dead, leaving only five faint traces of spiritual energy at the five fire-drawing positions – the last remnants of Fan Li's guards.

Of the Great Ming's expedition to Mount Yunmeng, only the aged Zhang Juzheng and the severely burned Crown Prince Wanli remained.

"Sigh," Zhang Juzheng lamented. "I have sacrificed a hundred years of my lifespan with a secret family technique to ensure Your Highness's safety. May you never forget the trials of this day."