Chapter 233: Strange Species

The surrounding world was suddenly stretched into a blur, light and shadow distorting.

All objects seemed trapped in a swamp, appearing to move yet not moving, and even the surging wind beside his ears fell utterly silent.

Yet this abnormality lasted only an instant.

Suddenly, Chen Heng felt his entire body shake with a tremendous boom.

It was much like the essential qi accumulated to the extreme within a pill furnace exerting its force all at once, violently flipping open the heavy cauldron lid, instantly filling the room with mist and causing flames to burst forth!

Before his eyes, bright light erupted, and after a sensation of weightlessness and falling spread through him, he had already entered the Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian from the present world.

Chen Heng flicked his sleeve, and a streak of clear light rose beneath his feet, immediately supporting his form and halting him in mid-air.

And looking out.

The heaven and earth were vast and hazy, a thousand li entirely red—

The layers of clouds and mist beside him were all a ruddy expanse, like red-hot iron just clamped out of a copper furnace with fire tongs.

This place.

"Just now when I raised my finger to form the seal, I was following the guidance in these Daoist ancient texts, releasing my divine intent to resonate with that great heaven and earth."

Ruan Ye hummed in acknowledgment, moved a few steps closer to Master Qiao Rui, then sacrificed several spiritual talismanic artifacts to carefully guard around the two of them.

That would differ from prying into another's private possessions and would surely incur severe punishment from the spirit of the Fan Fan Dongtian.

Master Qiao Rui glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze, saying:

"I wonder if Fire Cloud Fuchan Fuchan Laozu ever raised any innate divine beasts to serve as spiritual pets? Those beasts and birds..."

And upon a slight inspection, although this Fan Fan Dongtian belonged to the unorthodox path and was currently in a state without a master presiding over it, having been worn down by ten thousand years of time.

And after finishing that sentence, the female cultivator did not wait for Master Qiao Rui or Shan Lady Yue to respond; she hastily urged her true qi, changed direction, and continued to flee, not wishing to stay even for a moment.

They could only pound their chests in furious rage on the ground, throwing stones from afar, hoping to smash Master Qiao Rui and Shan Lady Yue down from the sky.

Master Qiao Rui casually slashed with his sword, killing several bizarre birds resembling the Bifang that pounced at him in mid-air, while pondering in his heart.

Shan Lady Yue also seemed to sense something, his eyes flashing.

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong? How is this small Fan Fan Dongtian?"

These were all ancient divine beasts officially appointed by the Profound Tribulation, of extraordinary origin.

A Fan Fan Dongtian spirit with a bad temper would merely reject Master Qiao Rui's attempt to probe with his thoughts, refusing to let him know, and that would be the end of it.

But seeing Shan Lady Yue blink not once, not even looking at himself, merely putting on an appearance as if facing a great enemy.

Furthermore, Master Qiao Rui was indeed quite talented in the path of divination, and he had used tortoise shells to ward off the vast majority of it.

And along this journey.

Let alone any trace of human habitation, even living creatures such as birds, beasts, fish, and insects seemed to be non-existent.

Therefore, every time cultivators in this world performed calculations, backlash was sure to descend.

The mountains and rivers held nothing particularly remarkable, except for the beasts and birds dwelling within, which were indeed strange.

Shan Lady Yue blinked his eyes, then lowered his head, counted on his fingers, and said:

Dense spiritual energy drilled straight into the various acupoints of his body, transforming from above to enter the qi sea in his lower abdomen, and from below, it moistened the Purple Palace between his eyebrows, making him feel as if bathing in warm water, his mind momentarily intoxicated.

In but a moment, the Abi Sword turned into a streak of red light and was taken by Master Qiao Rui into his sleeve.

Seeing this, Shan Lady Yue further denied his previous conjecture.

Yet the abundance of spiritual qi was comparable to Jin Tingshan; it was truly a genuine Xuanzhu Xuanzhu Fudi for cultivating the Dao!

However, the Seven Academies of the Yu Yuchen Sect were concerned about allowing disciples to enter the Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian for cultivation.

Shan Lady Yue blinked, nodding to indicate he understood.

But ten thousand years had passed; without the nourishment of the master's magic power, and with no obstruction or resistance encountered when everyone entered.

And before the Great Mortal Pure Yang Chen Yuanshu Chen Yuanshu Zhenjun opened a Fan Fan Dongtian with his own magic power, he would create a spirit named Dong Ruan Ye Lan, using this spirit to manage the earth, water, wind, and fire, as well as the movements of the seven qi within the Fan Fan Dongtian on his behalf.

The spirit of this Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian, perhaps worn down by ten thousand years of time, had already passed away, or else it had been slain or subdued by the high-true great-virtue elders of the Yu Yuchen Sect; in any case, it would not cause much trouble.

He released his mind, casting out a wisp of divine intent.

And at this moment, on the ground.

Regardless of whether it was the Ying Ape, the Bifang, or the Earth Mole.

And beside him, Shan Lady Yue also took out a small lotus lamp with a rough appearance, raised his hand to sacrifice it, scattering hundreds and thousands of bean-sized flame lights outward, then immediately circulated his true qi to emit a blue and brilliant water wave about seventy zhang long, shielding Ruan Ye and herself in the center.

And the countless mountains and hills beneath their feet were all as if stained with blood, possessing a vivid and deep hue.

"Since I spoke my words beforehand, I will not break my promise; during these eight years within the Fan Fan Dongtian, I will do my utmost to protect your safety."

But in merely an instant, the number of these strange apes was reduced by more than half.

Following that great roar, the ground instantly rustled and shook; like bamboo shoots before the rain, hundreds and thousands of ape-like strange beasts drilled out in unison.

But the rest, as if fearless of death, did not retreat, showing not a shred of fear.

Although the scales and armor on these strange apes were soft, their strength exceeded that of an ox.

And before he could continue pondering, his expression suddenly changed; he halted the escaping light beneath his feet, raised his eyes, and gazed toward a Chen Heng.

"..."

Simultaneously, the middle and ring fingers of his right hand crossed over the back of the index finger, hooking with the middle finger, then the thumb pressed down on the tip of the middle finger, while the index and middle fingers hooked together, forming the Heavenly Gate Spirit-Penetrating Seal; he stepped the Flying Pace, and his qi mechanism instantly became ethereal and misty, resonating with that half-ruined small Fan Fan Dongtian.

The wind sound suddenly rose, shaking the myriad mountains.

"..."

Therefore, although there was backlash, it did not damage the overall situation, merely costing some true qi and vital essence.

Ruan Ye's eyes flashed as she looked at the grim giant shadow rushing rapidly through the distant sky, resembling a Chen Heng, and sighed:

Chen Heng merely guided it with a slight thought, dissolving that fierce and evil nature of the fire-sha within the spiritual energy of the Fan Fan Dongtian.

When breathing through the nose and mouth, the spiritual energy of this Fang Fan Dongtian carried whiffs of fierce and evil fire-sha aura.

Their bodies possessed a limited, bounded strength, devoid of any divine peculiarity; even as mere hybrid offspring of the Heroic Ape, they were far beyond comparison with those strange apes!

Yet even though they possessed some measure of vigor, separated as they were by layers upon layers of cloud seas, their power ultimately fell short.

Making you appear all the more like a delicate flower of soft jade, bright and radiant...

However, Master Qiao Rui's purpose in this journey was not, after all, for spiritual opportunity...

Seeing that their eyes were bloodshot and utterly devoid of any glimmer of spirituality, Master Qiao Rui knew they were not merely undeveloped in spirit and lacking in wisdom; rather, due to some cause, they were even inferior to the wild beasts of the mountains and forests.

"..."

"Is that a Heroic Ape?"

And although their forms bore considerable resemblance to the Heroic Ape, the Heroic Ape itself was a type of ancient divine monster.

Shan Lady Yue suspected that the spirit of this Fan Fan Dongtian had likely long since turned to dust.

This entire calculation lasted until the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense had passed.

The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Derivation is forty-nine, and humanity escapes as the one.

Ruan Ye suspected.

Shan Lady Yue looked deeply at me, then nodded his head with force, speaking earnestly:

It was also rare to encounter such strange beasts and birds, which caused Master Qiao Rui to feel surprised in his heart as well.

"From here, traveling eight hundred li to the east, there is a mountain where we can take shelter."

"This place is, indeed, a precious land for cultivating the Dao for me!"

Such actions of mine would be extremely difficult to accomplish.

Therefore, I did not use the Escape Realm Shuttle to directly teleport the two of us beyond those eight hundred li, but instead rose with the light, darting eastward.

Master Qiao Rui also wished to see the geography of this small heaven and earth with his own eyes, keeping a preparation in mind.

Before long, within their sight, a beautiful woman riding a jade ring and flying in escape rushed toward them, as if being chased by something, her expression filled with terror.

But the result, naturally, went without saying...

Not a single one of those large stones had been able to climb to such a high place.

In the ancient era, shortly after heaven and earth first opened, some remote, barbarous realm-spaces and landmasses even revered them as gods!

Have you ever seen a Fan Fan Dongtian?

Upon catching sight of Master Qiao Rui and Ruan Ye, that man opened his pink lips and shouted with great urgency:

But before the Abi Sword, there was not the slightest room for resistance; upon mere contact, head and body immediately separated.

White smoke billowed, churning unsettled!

According to the records in ancient Daoist scriptures.

One must know that even ordinary wild beasts should know to seek benefit and avoid harm, fearing and dodging various dangers.

And looking across the vast Sizhou and Seven Seas.

However, what I calculated this time was merely the fortune or misfortune of the direction traveled, enough to discern a clue; tasting it lightly and stopping there, without making any deep investigation.

But observing the behavior of those strange apes...

He easily probed the true and false conditions within the Fan Fan Dongtian with his divine sense, truly confirming this thought.

Just before she could act, Master Qiao Rui suddenly opened his eyes wide, shooting forth two beams of brilliant light from them, the corners of his mouth slightly smiling, as if he had gained something.

Ruan Ye frowned slightly, carefully examining it a few times, yet felt something was not quite right, and could only shake her head.

Or perhaps it has become a truly ownerless land...

He lightly raised his hand, intending to strike and kill those strange apes to settle the matter, lest that noise create an even greater disturbance.

Master Qiao Rui had intended to say that the two of them did not need to stand so close.

"It is beyond my expectations; though three days have passed within the Fan Fan Dongtian, only one day has elapsed in the present world... Furthermore, while resonating with this small heaven and earth, I vaguely sensed that this Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian should be able to sustain itself for another eight years before sinking."

The entire world before their eyes exuded an aura of decay and desolation, like an elderly person in the mortal realm whose years are advanced, heavy with the spirit of twilight.

And that strange beast's eyesight was also formidable; even with layers of fiery clouds acting as a barrier, it spotted Master Qiao Rui and Shan Lady Yue in the sky at a glance, hammered its chest angrily with both fists, and then raised its head to let out a long howl.

There were also strange birds resembling the 'Bifang', and horned odd beasts exactly like the 'Earth Mole'...

"Is that... a Heroic Ape?"

Then it would absolutely not tolerate a spirit of the Fan Fan Dongtian capable of wielding the mighty power of the Fan Fan Dongtian and easily controlling the life and death of all disciples, causing obstruction within.

Shan Lady Yue saw that Ruan Ye still kept her eyes slightly closed, resonating with the small Fan Fan Dongtian.

Shan Lady Yue raised his head, looked at Master Qiao Rui, and asked.

And the so-called method of divination is nothing other than grasping 'humanity escapes as the one', perceiving the subtle to know the manifest, thereby inferring outwardly the way of heavenly mechanism's operation.

It struggled and darted about incessantly, seeking to scorch the skin and bones of living humans, fiercely cruel, exuding a meaning of irritability and untamability!

"Fellow disciples, depart quickly, do not linger; ahead, a fierce bird is approaching, impossible to contend with by force! Do not throw away your lives in vain!"

Master Qiao Rui's eyebrows moved slightly, but ultimately he spoke not a word, merely taking out a tortoise shell into his hand, reining in his mind, and activating the Master Zhou Yuan Secret Manual's Tortoise Divination.

After completing all this.

At such a distance, I could even smell that faint sweet fragrance upon her body.

Yet those strange beasts, though similar in appearance to us, no matter how alike they might be, possessed not a shred of spiritual wisdom, and their abilities were mostly inadequate, extremely useless.

"Then if we cultivate in this space for eight years, only one year will have passed in the present world, correct, Xiao Xiao Shixiong?"

Shan Lady Yue turned his gaze to look.

And indeed.

And just as Shan Lady Yue's thoughts were in turmoil, a large mountain peak within the cloud sea suddenly trembled violently; following a booming explosion, chaotic rocks flew in all directions.

It did indeed broaden my horizons quite a bit.

The living creature resembled a giant ape, yet possessed neither scales nor armor; its spinal spines were sharp and ferocious, and before its back stretched a massive tail four feet long, white-painted and darkly heavy, so that merely hearing the sound of it slicing the air as it swung revealed the tremendous force behind it.

"With such imposing momentum, it would hardly resemble a divine marvel at all."

"... Since such beasts and birds are born with such appearances, they are indeed connected to the innate divine marvels."

"Please ask Qiao Shimei Master Qiao to guard you while you first attempt to use divination to calculate where you should set foot next."

And the more trivial the object of the calculation, the weaker the backlash naturally becomes!

Master Qiao Rui had just withdrawn the tortoise shell when a vague sense of exhaustion began to spread through her mind.

But if it were someone with a worse temper like Fan Dongtian Ruan Ye, it would not be impossible for him to immediately strike down several bolts of Lei Ting, damaging Ruan Ye's consciousness and causing him to suffer a hidden loss.

Several small hands had not even fully opened, intending to seize the Abysmal Sword, before using sharp teeth to crush it.

Only a pile of severed limbs and shattered flesh remained, emitting a pungent stench of blood.

"Once a year has passed, no matter what affairs have detained the people of your grandfather's lineage, by that time they will surely not come to Crane Song Mountain to rendezvous with you."

She blinked at Master Qiao Rui, her small face tense, her eyes crystal clear and faintly carrying a trace of a smile; the pomegranate flower crown beneath her head was brilliantly dazzling, and the tassels hanging down swayed gently with each nod of hers.

Ruan Ye's robes fluttered as if flying or dancing; he glanced up at the sky and spoke with a smile:

After secretly glancing at me, she looked around in all directions, her bright eyes filled with considerable curiosity.

Although those strange apes roared fiercely, not a single one possessed the ability to fly through the air.

Then a living creature exerted its strength to burst open the mountain's interior, causing white smoke to surge forth from its entire body, rising straight up ten-odd feet, thick and dense like congealed ink.

Ruan Ye gazed at the mountain range and spoke in a low voice: "However, when I calculated the fortune and misfortune of this journey, I could scarcely reach a clear conclusion; Qiao Shimei Master Qiao should still keep a precaution in mind and be careful just in case."

Along this entire route, Ruan Ye had encountered not only the strange apes previously mentioned that closely resembled the ancient innate divine marvel known as the 'Heroic Ape'.

"Eight days within the Fan Fan Dongtian equal one day in the present world; can it really sustain another eight years before the Fan Fan Dongtian sinks?"

But a dead and lifeless Fan Fan Dongtian like Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua, indeed, this was the first time he had ever seen such a thing...

Master Qiao Rui offered a few words of comfort, saying:

Instead, when its strength was exhausted and it fell, it crushed several strange apes, splitting their skin and flesh, breaking their heads and causing blood to flow, which again stirred up a chorus of shrieks and roars.

"I will definitely listen to Xiao Xiao Shixiong's words."

To investigate the current condition and true reality of this small world.

He glanced once at the sky above, said nothing more, merely joined two fingers and pointed, whereupon a sword light flew out from his sleeve, shuttling back and forth several times among those strange apes, raising waves of bloody light and sending severed limbs flying in all directions.

There were no rivers to be seen in this place, and even moisture in the air was scarce.

If the Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian still has a Fan Fan Dongtian Spirit guarding it.

Looking out in all directions.

Because this was his first entry into the Liuhuo Liuhuo Honghua Fan Fan Dongtian.