280: Chapter 276 Fire Control 280: Chapter 276 Fire Control That tall silhouette was undoubtedly Chen Hai.
His clothes were neat and tidy, showing no signs of being scorched by flames.
Walking through the sea of fire, the flames automatically parted wherever he went, making way for him to pass through freely.
Beholding this utterly illogical and bizarre scene, Ye Cheng, Tian Mingjian, and the others who were contemplating how to dash into the sea of fire to rescue Chen Hai were dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open on the spot.
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
If this scene wasn’t unfolding before their eyes, they would never believe that such a situation could actually exist in the world.
Chen Hai practiced Tao Cultivation and indeed had some real skills, which both Ye Cheng and Tian Mingjian knew something about to some extent.
However, the skills Chen Hai had shown in the past were mainly divination and talisman drawing.
These skills, though odd and unpredictable,
were considered relatively normal for someone practicing Taoism within the traditions of Yanhuang Country if one had even a slight understanding of this.
But now, within the towering inferno, as he strolled, the sections of fire actually parted to make way for him, splitting off to the sides…
Such an inconceivable scene was completely beyond their comprehension.
At this moment, they looked as if they had seen a ghost, besides standing there dumbfounded, they simply didn’t know what to say or do!
In just a moment or two, Tian Mingjian, Ye Cheng, and the others had not yet recovered from their extreme shock.
Nonchalantly walking through the sea of fire, Chen Hai had already stepped out of the flames and appeared in front of them.
“Sorry, Mingjian, I just borrowed your place to close up and cultivate for a while.”
“I never expected to draw lightning fire and completely turn your house into a sea of flames!”
“The mistake I made, I will definitely help you extinguish the fire and rebuild the house!”
Chen Hai scanned the people in front of him, his gaze finally resting on Tian Mingjian.
With a hint of apology, he sighed lightly and spoke.
“It’s okay, boss.
It’s just an old house and not worth much.
It burnt down, so it burnt down.
As long as you are fine…”
Seemingly flattered, Tian Mingjian quickly responded.
But he had only spoken halfway when his mouth hung open, unable to continue.
“Fire of heaven and earth, heed my command, retract…”
While he was speaking, Chen Hai had already turned around.
With his eyes slightly closed, he took a deep breath, then extended his right hand towards the still blazing sea of fire a few steps away, reaching out into the empty space.
In that instant, all the flames soared up, congregating together in a way that ordinary people couldn’t possibly understand.
Like rivers returning to the sea, the flames surged towards the palm Chen Hai stretched out.
A sea of fire covering one to two hundred square meters, the sparks finally converged into no bigger than half a palm.
Then, that spark was nonchalantly snuffed out by Chen Hai’s hand.
In the sea of flames, the wooden materials that had been burning still had some smoke rising.
But the flames and sparks were nowhere to be seen.
It was as if everything related to fire had been thoroughly cleansed by Chen Hai’s palm.
The true method of Object Control, Chen Hai had not actually received any specific inheritance.
His understanding of Object Control came from glimpsing some scattered information from the Black Water Leech Emperor.
Initially, he thought that Object Control was about manipulating everything in the world.
When he secluded himself, he based his attempts on this idea, hoping to enter the Object Controlling Realm, but unfortunately, he tried countless times without success.
Earth, fire, water, wind—four elements, plus the five elements of nature, each with its distinct attributes.
Even among the human race, considered the most spiritually attuned beings, different individuals will have their own attribute variations.
Some people are more attuned to the wind attribute, while others naturally gravitate towards water.
If this idea of bodily attributes were applied to cultivation, then people of different attributes would definitely experience varying efficiencies when practicing the same cultivation technique.
The sudden epiphany struck Chen Hai when he was continually failing to access the gateway of Object Control.
Realizing that commanding all things wasn’t quite feasible, he took a step back and chose to control just one type of elemental power.
This attempt unexpectedly led to smooth success, and Chen Hai truly entered the realm of Object Control.
Whether the erratic lightning that had descended from the sky was a warning or a celebration for him by the heavens, he didn’t know.
The power he chose to control was inherently of the fire attribute.
The lightning did not strike Chen Hai directly; it merely created a sea of flames that engulfed him.
Within this boundless sea of flames, in the final moments of his breakthrough, needing just one more step, he instantly understood the True Meaning of Fire, mastered control over the flames, and genuinely stepped into the realm of Object Control.
“A Great Immortal?
You are truly a Great Immortal.
I wonder if I am fortunate enough to be accepted as your disciple!”
“To become his disciple, without great fortune, it definitely won’t be possible!”
“I, Li Aotian, couldn’t have dreamt of becoming a disciple to the Great Immortal.
To just be a Fire-Burning Boy under the Great Immortal’s guidance is already the greatest luck I could ever have.”
…
The roaring flames, grasped in one’s hand and then extinguished effortlessly.
Without witnessing this scene, one could never understand how shocking it truly was.
Those who came with Ye Cheng were iron-blooded soldiers, mostly his subordinates.
Logically speaking, with such resolute wills, they should not be easily influenced by external factors.
Yet, at this moment, amidst the extreme shock, some of them bowed their heads to Chen Hai without a second word.
Some others, their world views upended and cognition shattered, began to mutter and talk nonsense.
Take for instance, Li Aotian, who pleaded to be a Fire-Burning Boy, was almost forty years old.
To actually have him tie up his hair in twin braids and dress in a belly band to play the part of a Fire-Burning Boy?
Just the thought of it had caused an eye-scorching image to start forming in Chen Hai’s mind, and he was already feeling nauseous, ready to vomit.
“Brother Cheng, you suddenly stormed here, yelling and almost ruined all my previous efforts!”
“Can you tell me what exactly you want from me?”
Chen Hai paid no attention to those men as his gaze fixed directly on Ye Cheng.
Not long ago, Ye Cheng had been shouting outside the dilapidated house, hurling sarcasm and scorn at him.
Chen Hai vaguely heard some of it.
At that very moment, he was at the critical juncture of his breakthrough.
He had used great resolve to finally block out part of his perception to avoid disturbances and prevent those unpleasant words from affecting him.
Vandalizing someone else’s path in Tao Cultivation was akin to annihilating their entire lineage.
In Chen Hai’s heart, cultivation was always his top priority—nothing was more important than cultivation.
The few words that came out of his mouth seemed polite, but they contained a clear dissatisfaction toward Ye Cheng.
Truth be told, it was only natural for Ye Cheng to come here and act this way, as he was concerned about his sister.
Believing that his sister, Ye Qingqing, was greatly wronged, he had gone to great lengths to find this place and question Chen Hai.
Chen Hai understood Ye Cheng’s intentions and could relate, but that didn’t mean he harbored no concerns in his heart.
Fortunately, the recent secluded cultivation had resulted in a successful breakthrough, allowing him to enter the Object Controlling Realm.
Otherwise, had Ye Cheng’s reckless actions truly ruined all his efforts and sent them down the drain, his response would’ve been more than just questioning Ye Cheng.
“Chen…
Chen Hai, I came here with no other intention!”
“I just wanted to ask if Jiang Zhendong’s death half a year ago, had anything to do with you.”
“Before he left Capital City for the USA, he had quite a conflict with you.”
“He died under unclear circumstances, and since then, there’s been no news of you, you’ve completely disappeared.”
“His uncle, Jiang Limin, even visited our Ye Family because of this…”
Still gaping and not fully recovered from the extreme shock, Ye Cheng, under Chen Hai’s questioning, finally cleared his mind a bit.
His face flushed and he hemmed and hawed, murmuring an explanation.
Though he had been determined to confront Chen Hai about his intentions toward his sister,
somehow, standing in front of Chen Hai, he felt an indescribable fear from the depths of his heart.
The words he wished to express remained stifled in his throat in Chen Hai’s presence.
“Jiang Zhendong is dead?” Chen Hai was slightly startled.
Indeed, he had harbored thoughts of revenge, of killing that man, but due to his breakthrough, he hadn’t even started to act on them.
“This matter definitely has nothing to do with me!”
“Tian Mingjian has been here all along.
He can attest that since the beginning of the year until now, I’ve been secluded inside the house without once going out!”
“Jiang Zhendong once sent an assassin after me, but that assassin has already been dealt with by me!”
“If it was someone I killed, I would certainly admit it.
Since it’s unrelated, I definitely won’t carry this black pot!”
Calm and collected, Chen Hai smiled slightly.
He looked at Ye Cheng and continued, “I understand that you are concerned about Qingqing and me!”
“But I will explain things to her myself.”
“If there’s nothing else, you can leave now…”
Strength breeds confidence, giving one sufficient self-assurance.
Having stepped into Object Control and being able to manipulate fire, Chen Hai’s state of being seemed to be on a different level from ordinary people.
At that moment, with just a few words, he had directly issued a dismissal decree to Ye Cheng and his companions.
PS: Updating one chapter now, the next might be a bit late