All ninety-three friends fell into the trap together.

Qin Yue spoke calmly, “Let me see if I truly am impervious to water and fire.” He opened his mouth and spat forth blazing golden flames, which spread out in the air to form a giant net, swiftly sweeping toward the Celestial Suppressing Ruler.

The demon ghost cried out in alarm, “The Yang Extreme True Fire!” He hurriedly urged the Celestial Suppressing Ruler to evade, but how could the treasured artifact move faster than the true fire? In an instant, it was tightly enveloped. Qin Yue pressed the true fire against the Celestial Suppressing Ruler, which struggled violently in the air, managing to shake off some flames and reveal a corner.

Though, according to the Five Elements, fire overcomes metal, it is merely a matter of “can overcome.” Among all things fire can subdue, metal is actually the hardest; burning wood is much easier than burning gold. At this moment, the true fire faced this stubborn golden artifact and found it tough to break through.

The demon ghost grew anxious within: his artifact could resist for a time, but this Yang Extreme True Fire was formidable—he couldn’t hold out for long! Relying on his superior magical power, he forced the Celestial Suppressing Ruler to break through. After a brief struggle, the ruler erupted with a surge of magical energy, scattering the golden net and returning it to golden flames, then shrank swiftly and darted back into the demon ghost’s mouth.

Swallowing his artifact, the demon ghost chuckled, “Let’s see how you fare against my ‘Snow Silkworm Moth’!” He reached into his robes, and when he opened his palm, there appeared a jade box two feet long.

Opening the jade box, he revealed a branch with three or five crystal-clear leaves, each about the size of a hand, and several white berries at the tip. The demon ghost delicately plucked a leaf, which was densely covered with tiny moth eggs. He blew a breath of multicolored strange air onto it, then tossed it into the air—the leaf instantly became riddled with holes, vanishing at a speed visible to the eye; the eggs hatched into snow-white moths, fluttering toward the dazzling Yang Extreme True Fire.

Qin Yue frowned, watching the swarm of moths rush toward the flames, though he felt no fear: a bunch of minor shadow moths—he was curious to see their abilities.

Qin Yue drove his true fire forward; the moths, upon touching the flames, burst with a pop and died instantly, leaving only thin mist drifting in the air.

The demon ghost, seeing this, calmly plucked all the leaves and continued blowing them into the air.

Qin Yue frowned at the demon ghost’s actions, growing suspicious. He worried the mist might induce hallucinations and dared not probe with his spiritual sense, so he kept his distance and carefully examined his true fire, finding nothing amiss. Without hesitation, he burned all the moths to ashes.

Yet the demon ghost seemed pleased rather than disappointed, a sinister smile curling on his lips. He suddenly cast a spell, gathering all the mist together into a pea-sized drop of water, then swiftly produced a jade vial to contain it, as though afraid someone might snatch it away.

Qin Yue’s brow throbbed: was he just used? Was the water drop the demon ghost’s true aim?

All the while, Luo Yu, watching the battle from atop the city wall, wondered aloud, “What exactly is this Snow Silkworm Moth?” Lin Zecheng pulled out a jade book from his Heaven and Earth pouch, searching it with his spiritual sense. Luo Yu peered at the text, reading, “The ‘Catalogue of Netherworld Strange Insects’?” Lin Zecheng nodded, then said, “Found it… Snow Silkworm Moth, native to the frigid lakeshore of the Netherworld’s Far North, among icy mulberry groves. This rare insect feeds on ice mulberry; within it forms the ‘Snow Silkworm Crystal.’ When exposed to advanced true fire, it transforms into ‘Snow Silkworm Cold Water,’ extraordinarily cold, injurious to body and soul, classified as ‘Exotic Water’ according to its grade.”

Luo Yu nodded: not an especially formidable thing, on par with the Ghost Blood Exotic Flame. This demon had already reached the Nascent Soul stage; its use was unclear.

Qin Yue, having been played by the demon ghost, was deeply displeased. He moved, wielding the Scarlet Abyss blade directly at the demon ghost. The demon ghost hastily summoned a white sword to block; as it clashed with Scarlet Abyss, sparks flew, numbing his arms. The demon ghost was shocked: this fellow’s strength was astonishing! Thankfully, he had a true artifact, and his Snow Wall Sword could withstand the assault.

After several exchanges, the demon ghost dared not take direct hits and instead let go, using his mind to command his artifact. Yet the youth somehow tracked the sword’s movements with his spiritual sense, his speed outpacing the demon ghost’s; such entanglement gained him nothing. Best to fight with magic!

Dodging left and right, the demon ghost finally found an opportunity to break away, standing at a distance and snarling, “Let me show you my true powers!” With a flourish of his sleeves, he cast a rainbow-hued ribbon into the air, which vanished.

Qin Yue’s brows knitted; the Yang Extreme True Fire blazed outward, enveloping him in golden flames, while a strand of true fire lashed out at the demon ghost.

The demon ghost dodged the flames, sneering, “You think your true fire can break my ‘Shadowless Heaven-Bewildering Technique’?”

Qin Yue did not reply, continuing his assault; yet the demon ghost’s spiritual sense and speed nearly matched his, always narrowly evading.

The demon ghost growled, “You court death, don’t blame me! The Yang Extreme True Fire is splendid, but it’s useless to me… Let it be your burial shroud!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Yue’s attack slowed, then stopped altogether, even withdrawing the flames around him.

The demon ghost smiled wickedly and spat out a small, verdant gourd, which floated in the air, its mouth opening downward. From it streamed a beam of magical light, enveloping Qin Yue entirely.

Luo Yu, watching from the city wall, sensed calamity as Qin Yue stopped moving. He wanted to rush to the rescue, yet knew too little of the enemy’s techniques—only that the rainbow ribbon was behind it all. Even the Yang Extreme True Fire couldn’t ward it off; charging in recklessly might land him in hot water. With the green mountains gone, where would he find firewood?

Anxious, he saw the demon ghost unleash the gourd, seemingly to capture Qin Yue. No longer hesitating, Luo Yu flashed with firelight, transforming into a phoenix, tearing through space to instantly arrive, grabbing Qin Yue to escape.

But the demon ghost was prepared: naturally frail, his strength relied on artifacts and magical powers, always cautious, fleeing when outmatched. After ensnaring Qin Yue, he watched the city wall, wary of a sudden rescue. Spotting Luo Yu’s transformation, his heart skipped: a phoenix, his natural nemesis! Luckily, it was still young and couldn’t break his illusion; he must destroy both together!

He set his trap, waiting for Luo Yu to step in.

Luo Yu, clutching Qin Yue, attempted to teleport, only to discover both were trapped by the demon ghost’s spiritual barrier. He quickly used the “Soul-Stirring Spike” to break it; though the demon ghost’s spiritual sense was formidable, the barrier’s dispersed strength was no match for the spike—it shattered instantly. Luo Yu rejoiced, preparing to teleport, but in that split second of delay, the magical light behind them suddenly exerted a powerful suction, and in a dizzying whirl, both were drawn inside.

Luo Yu cried out, instantly unleashing his Nirvana True Fire to shield them. Glancing around, he saw they were inside a spatial artifact, the space not large, just fifty cubic units, both suspended in the vacuum above.

Suddenly, Luo Yu felt his consciousness blur, knowing the illusion was taking hold. He cursed inwardly, unable to fully survey the space, but felt danger looming. Forcing himself to look down, he saw a pool of water at the bottom, surging upward with waves. In the vacuum below, water spheres of various sizes floated upward, spreading throughout the space. The water seemed ordinary, but filled him with dread and unease. He bit his tongue, tossing a magical artifact at a water sphere as a test; sure enough, the artifact dissolved instantly upon contact.

Luo Yu was terrified: what was this? Stronger than aqua regia! If he passed out, he’d be doomed!

The illusion’s effect intensified; Luo Yu’s mind slipped into hallucinations. He tried to teleport upward with Qin Yue, but instead moved into the cluster of water spheres, about to touch a giant one. At the critical moment, strong arms wrapped around him, dragging him back—Qin Yue! Having just broken free from the illusion and seeing their predicament, he acted quickly to restrain Luo Yu. Noticing Luo Yu’s unfocused gaze, he realized he too was affected, and had to forcibly hold him, carefully guiding them away from the water spheres, finally returning to safety.

Qin Yue observed coldly for a long while, then cast a ball of true fire at a small water sphere. The sphere resisted the Yang Extreme True Fire, eventually dissipating into mist due to lack of control. The fire was depleted somewhat, but the mist remained dangerous—a pyrrhic victory.

The water spheres in the air multiplied; at this rate, the space would soon be filled, leaving them no escape.

Qin Yue was silent: the demon ghost was cunning. Had they not practiced mental clarity techniques, both might have died just now.

Within the illusion, Luo Yu felt himself struck by water and swept away, yet unharmed, guessing Qin Yue must have awakened and stopped fighting, focusing on resisting the illusion. After a long while, his body trembled lightly, long lashes fluttering, and finally he cleared his mind in Qin Yue’s embrace.

Upon waking, Luo Yu blinked and looked around: they were already surrounded by water!

Unable to contain himself, he transmitted, “What is this water? It’s terrifying!”

Qin Yue replied, “It should be a kind of true water, able to contend with our true fire.”

Luo Yu was delighted, “True water? Can we collect it?”

Qin Yue said, “We can, but it requires Exotic Water to refine. This demon ghost likely couldn’t find Exotic Water and thus crafted this artifact to store it.”

Luo Yu was stunned, “Exotic Water? The demon ghost has it! The water left behind after you burned those moths was Exotic Water! No wonder he set up this elaborate scheme!”

Qin Yue said woodenly, “So that’s it. Since we can’t collect the true water, how do we escape?”

Luo Yu hesitated: this space was self-contained, cut off from the outside; teleportation only worked within, making escape impossible. Destroying the space was nearly impossible, as it was fused with the artifact and supported by the demon ghost’s magical power—beyond Luo Yu’s abilities. Creating a black hole might work, and he could protect Qin Yue temporarily… but who knew what time or place they’d end up in? Their spiritual energy might not last until they found a habitable world…

After pondering for a while, Luo Yu’s eyes lit up, “Let’s store them in the ‘Chaos’!”

Qin Yue frowned, “This true water devours magical power, it can’t be touched—how?”

Luo Yu said, “When we collected true fire before, we used a Fire Control Array. Surely there’s a Water Control Array at the bottom of this space… We’ll use that!”

Brotherly Cultivation Chronicles 93_Brotherly Cultivation Chronicles Full Free Reading_93 All Brothers Fall for the Trap—Update Complete!