Chapter Forty-Six: Chaotic Water and Fire

The five elements of heaven and earth: wood begets fire, fire begets earth, earth begets metal, metal begets water, and water begets wood. Among them, water and fire serve as crucial links. Moreover, among elemental warriors, those with water and fire attributes possess the most diverse attack methods. Especially fire warriors, whose strength and dominance are unparalleled among their peers.

The water and fire powers mastered by Hu Mo are by no means at the level of ordinary elemental warriors. The Chaos Fire is the very origin of fire; the so-called Nurturing Water is the counterpart, the Chaos Water, the wellspring of all water.

It was as though Hu Mo had journeyed from hell to heaven. The scorching torment of the flames just moments before had subjected his body and spirit to unimaginable suffering. Under the searing of Chaos Fire, the foul, black liquids on his body congealed into a thin, hard shell, the stench so overpowering it could put even the notorious Huang Sheng to shame.

Gradually, movement returned to Hu Mo’s eyes. With a crisp cracking sound, the black carapace began to flake away, revealing pale, tender skin as soft as that of a newborn. Faint black light shimmered over the surface, as though a sheer black veil had settled upon him.

This time, he had truly shed his old self. The first and second stances of the Ripple Step had purged the impurities from his muscles and meridians. The third stance focused on cleansing his internal organs. Having mastered all three, Hu Mo was free of all internal impurities, finally setting foot on the path to true strength.

“How do you feel? Everything go smoothly?” An icy voice abruptly sounded at his ear, interrupting his reverie.

“Mmm, I feel great, refreshed… Wait, how did you get in here? What have you done to me—?”

“Why all the shouting? Shut up!” Cang Ling snapped coldly, her face as frosty as ever as she eyed the pitiful Hu Mo, who was desperately covering his private parts. Seeing the shape-shifting witch in such a state, Hu Mo’s heart was full of dread, utterly convinced that he had already suffered at her hands.

Cang Ling shot him a furious glare and scoffed, “So tiny—even if you gave it to me, I wouldn’t want it. Hurry up and take a bath, you reek!”

With a cold snort, she turned and strode straight through the door without opening it. Only then did Hu Mo realize that she never needed to open doors to enter.

He released his hands, glanced down, and muttered, “Is this really small? What poor taste!”

He sighed softly, leapt from the bed, and upon seeing the flakes of hardened shell scattered across the sheets, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. “So I had such vile stuff inside me? The stench is unbearable!”

Disgusted, Hu Mo instinctively waved his hand. Suddenly, a ball of black flame shot from his palm onto the fouled bed.

In the blink of an eye, the bedding was utterly consumed by the black fire. It continued to burn, gnawing a large hole into the wall and spreading further.

“Damn, what kind of fire is this? It’s insane!” Hu Mo exclaimed, still bewildered from his recent awakening and uncertain about the cultivation he had just undergone. Only after recalling the black flame he had glimpsed during his practice did he piece things together.

“Could this be the Chaos Fire?” he murmured. With a wave, the flame leapt back into his hand and danced excitedly across his palm.

Chaos Fire: burns gold, burns wood, burns water, burns earth, burns fire—even space itself can be consumed if mastered to the extreme, incinerating all things as the very origin of fire.

This description surfaced in Hu Mo’s mind. He was stunned, his expression growing ever more animated—such a fire was truly monstrous.

He willed the Chaos Fire to move, and after a few leaps upon his palm, he absorbed it back into his body, settling it within the Divine Wood Cauldron. Looking at the half-charred wall, Hu Mo could only offer a bitter smile and a shake of his head. He was about to go bathe when he suddenly halted mid-step.

Water. He abruptly felt water. Gentle as a maiden’s touch, floating and ethereal—it left Hu Mo momentarily breathless.

A massive sphere of water welled up around his feet, enveloping his body and lifting him weightlessly into the air. The reeking filth on his skin was cleansed away, stripped and carried to the bottom of the watery orb.

Conjured from nothing? A human vanishing act? How could a room suddenly be filled with water? Hu Mo’s face was a portrait of confusion. Wrapped in the water sphere for the first time, the sensation of suffocation was overwhelming.

Chaos Water: heavier than a mountain or lighter than a feather; scalding as molten rock or colder than the deepest ice. When fully mastered, it allows control over all water, as the very origin of water.

Hu Mo felt as if he were dreaming. Chaos Fire and Chaos Water—though he didn’t yet grasp their full power, the names alone were awe-inspiring.

Under the cleansing of Chaos Water, he soon regained his pristine appearance. Yet the once-clear water sphere was now black with filth. At his command, it drifted out through the hole in the wall, merging with the earth and vanishing without a trace.

“To control both water and fire… So this is the power of the third level of the Ripple Step. That means my Fire God Transformation and Water God Transformation should advance even further.” Talking to himself, Hu Mo finally understood and quickly focused his mind.

Last time, when the Three Treasures had passed the Elemental Transformation technique to him, he had only grasped the basics. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but because the technique itself had its unique limitations. Without the right opportunity, no amount of effort would suffice.

Now he understood what that opportunity was: the Elemental Transformation deepened with each step up the Ripple Step. In other words, the Ripple Step was the very foundation of the Elemental Transformation.

Enlightened, Hu Mo began to channel the Elemental Transformation with all his might, primarily focusing on the Water God and Fire God Transformations.

Complex seals formed with his hands, gathering the power of fire first. Soon, behind him, a colossal figure of flame took shape—golden with hints of black, humanoid, and nearly twenty feet tall, radiating intense fire energy.

Hu Mo paused, recalling how Hu Yihu had manifested a similar giant figure when saving Old Fu. Back then, he’d been too upset to dwell on it, but seeing it again now brought the memory back in a rush.

“What is this? Such a strange power,” Hu Mo muttered.

Though the flaming avatar was condensed from his own strength, he sensed a strange feeling—as if the avatar possessed its own will.

“This is a War Soul, a supporting force that only manifests when your battle power reaches the level of a Battle King,” Cang Ling’s voice abruptly echoed at his ear, startling him.

“Damn it, are you trying to scare me to death? How did you get in here again?” Hu Mo demanded, then realized his current state and yelped, hurriedly covering himself.

“I come and go as I please. What can you do about it? I just saw an idiot floundering and, out of the goodness of my heart, came in to help,” Cang Ling retorted with utter disdain, casting a glance so piercing that Hu Mo felt his skin crawl. For some reason, whenever Cang Ling looked at him, he always felt as if her eyes were stripping him bare—a most unsettling sensation.

“If you want to ravish me, just do it! I won’t resist. But please, stop looking at me like that, it makes me so embarrassed…” Hu Mo grumbled inwardly, though he dared not say it aloud. This witch’s temper was too unpredictable; better to play it safe for now.

“Elder Sister Cang, could you at least wait until I’m dressed before coming in? The way you look at me is really embarrassing,” Hu Mo said with a cheeky grin, edging toward the wardrobe.

“Don’t make such a fuss, you’re acting like a girl. Hurry up, I have things to discuss with you!” Cang Ling snorted, her tone brash and domineering.

Hu Mo hastily rummaged through the wardrobe, pulling on whatever clothes he could find. By now, nothing about Cang Ling could surprise him; she was a demoness incarnate—how could he expect her to behave normally?

Finally, no longer half-naked, Hu Mo relaxed, standing tall. He stepped forward to stand beside Cang Ling and said with a smile, “All right, Elder Sister Cang, I’m ready.”

He sounded as if he’d resigned himself to being ravished, and even Hu Mo found his own words rather odd.

Cang Ling, still disdainful, turned to look him over. Suddenly, her expression shifted as she pointed below his waist. “You’re exposed again.”

Hu Mo froze, feeling a chill between his legs. Looking down, he let out a wail of dismay.

“Damn it, what’s going on here? Is this a joke—?”

As a wisp of flame flickered out, Hu Mo’s “third leg” was perfectly exposed before Cang Ling, leaving him utterly mortified.

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