Chapter 215: Fire Phoenix Valley

The next day at noon.

A scorching crosswind swept across the arid plain; beyond a few withered trees and crisscrossing cracks, nothing else could be seen.

Xie Jinhuan stood on the Gobi desert, still feeling the ground scorching through his shoes, as if standing on the brink of an erupting volcano.

Meiqiu, whose black fur already feared heat, now recalled her past experiences hauling water as a laborer; she stood on his shoulder, shaking her head and body incessantly to signal—go back, go back, what's so good about staying here...

Nangong Ye, who had spent about a month here with the demoness last year, walked up to a two-meter-wide crack and pointed at the sword marks on the rock wall:

"Last year, she and I sparred in this very area. We accidentally collapsed the ground and discovered this fissure. It was bottomless inside. We searched several times but found nothing..."

Xie Jinhuan approached the fissure to look down; he could see a slope beneath the crack, appearing only a dozen meters deep, yet he could feel a wave of heat rushing toward him.

The ghostly wife, who had been following like a shadow, now emerged and casually looked down:

"This place is indeed connected to the source of Yang Fire, but the distance is quite far. Let's go."

Seeing that the ghost confirmed it was the entrance, Xie Jinhuan wasted no time; he ordered Meiqiu to wait on the surface in case of an ambush upon their exit, then leaped into the fissure first.

Whoosh~

As they slid down the steep slope, the surrounding light dimmed; it felt like diving straight into the interior of a kang stove, so dry that the air held not a trace of moisture, leaving only the sensation of sweat evaporating from their skin.

Bu Yuehua and Nangong Ye slid into the fissure in succession; having prepared thoroughly for this journey, Bu Yuehua produced a small bead that emitted a soft Bai Guang, illuminating an area several zhang around them.

Nangong Ye then drew the Yin-Yang Ruler; as he manipulated its qi, Xie Jinhuan felt an invisible chill sweep over his entire body, instantly turning the surroundings into a 'Dead Zone'.

The effect of the Yin-Yang Ruler was simple and brutal: it blocked the Yin and Yang of Heaven and Earth; normally, it could only block one of them.

However, the Phoenix Tomb contained only the Five Elements Fire; since Fire is the utmost Yang, once completely isolated, the surrounding area would be left with no Heavenly or Earthly Qi whatsoever. An ordinary person staying within the protective range might feel nothing, but a cultivator inside would find themselves as if trapped in a vacuum, with qi flowing out but none entering; once their Qi Sea was exhausted, even a Zhang Sect Patriarch ancestor could not survive to walk out.

Xie Jinhuan, realizing he was forced into a 'breath-holding' state, warned:

"Manipulating the Yin-Yang Ruler consumes too much energy; using it too early means we won't last long. Let's endure it for now and deal with it when we can't hold on anymore."

Nangong Ye had only been testing its feasibility; he now put away the Yin-Yang Ruler and, while walking, secretly circulated his cultivation technique to refine the utmost Yang qi in the surroundings that he could still endure.

Bu Yuehua had withdrawn early last year precisely because her technique was purely Yin, making it impossible to cultivate qi here; she could only endure by holding her breath.

As for Xie Jinhuan's 'Alternating Candle Burning', although it still had flaws for actual combat, its auxiliary effect was extremely strong; at this moment, Fire generated Earth, Earth generated Metal, Metal generated Water..., converting the Five Elements Fire he could still endure into balanced qi; although the efficiency was low, it was better than suffocation.

Bu Yuehua noticed the qi radiating from Xie Jinhuan's body and looked at him with surprise:

"Is this a method you derived from the Long Xiang Fuying Art?"

Xie Jinhuan nodded: "The method for cultivating qi was indeed derived from the Long Xiang Fuying Art, but splitting it apart and scattering it back into Heaven and Earth is a method I figured out myself."

Bu Yuehua was also half a martial artist, so naturally, she felt some longing for such an adaptability-defying method.

However, the 'Alternating Candle Burning' method was a procedure within the core technique 'Joyful Heart Sutra'; outsiders wishing to learn it would first have to master the Joyful Heart Sutra before they could execute supporting methods like the Silver Dragon Eight Styles or Alternating Candle Burning.

And learning the mental technique established a substantive lineage relationship, reserved only for disciples, Daoist partners, and children.

As Master Wan Yi's teacher, Bu Yuehua could hardly do as Sister Nangong did, first offering her body to a man and then learning these martial arts divine powers; to obtain such methods, she could only wait until her disciple Wan Yi acquired the Martial Arts Divine Scripture and then slowly comprehend them.

The three proceeded along the underground fissure, while Ye Hongshang floated ahead to lead the way; as they delved deeper underground, the entire world fell into dead silence, yet it was not cold, but rather grew increasingly scorching.

Xie Jinhuan had initially expected to encounter demon beasts or dangerous situations, but after half an hour, he found the treasure-hunting process quite dull; they merely wound left and right, descending deeper through cracks in the earth's crust, where the path was all rugged rock layers and fissures, with not a single living creature in sight.

The fissure was not a straight line; there were many branching cracks, all marked with sword scratches left by Bing Tuozi and the others during their previous deep dives.

Xie Jinhuan initially followed the marks, drilling over a hundred li through the underground fissures before reaching a relatively open rock layer crack, having no idea where in the Fire Phoenix Valley he had arrived; the utmost Yang qi had already become so strong that direct exposure would burn his meridians. Bing Tuozi then summoned the Yin-Yang Ruler again, looking at some chisel marks on the rock wall: "Was this where you dug up the Jin Shi last time?"

Bu Yuehua nodded: "Yes, but unfortunately, it was only a small piece, not enough to forge an immortal artifact, so I made a hairpin. I didn't dare go further afterward, so I'm unclear if there's any more inside."

Xie Jinhuan surveyed the intricate network of fissures and couldn't determine which way to go, so he turned to the omnipresent ghost.

Ye Hongshang sensed slightly, then raised a finger to point at a fissure entrance only wide enough for two people:

"Go this way; we're not far now."

—

Every time the Ling Guang Divine Gift appears, it splits open fissures in the earth strata, causing geological changes; over tens of thousands of years, the area beneath the Fire Phoenix Valley, spanning a thousand li in all directions, has become a large maze.

Because the power of Heaven and Earth dissipates toward the surface, the ground fissures must connect to the source, but the path in between is impossible to deduce; if luck is bad, one could search from early autumn until the following early summer without necessarily finding anything.

Just as Nangong Ye had done last year, the Fire Phoenix Valley was not being searched by just one group; cultivators from the Dragon Bone Beach had already started attempting to delve deep last month. Although they were all underground, their position was over six hundred li away from Xie Jinhuan, so the two groups could not possibly meet.

Additionally, the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Southern Frontier had many scattered cultivators attempting to hunt for treasure underground, but their foundations were too thin to withstand the Yang Fire, so they could only grope around the surface layers.

But the world is so vast that there are always a few cultivators with better luck.

While Xie Jinhuan followed the ghost's guidance toward the source of the Yang Fire, in a rock layer fissure over thirty li away.

Lu Yan, dressed in a yellow-and-black Daoist robe and holding the ancestral artifact of the Five Spirit Mountain, the 'Imperial Fire Talisman', which isolated the Yang Fire within three zhang of his body, searched carefully through the rock layers, all the while explaining to his junior:

"Sixty years ago, your master and I entered together through this fissure and luckily obtained a portion, which I gave to your master. Later, your master, at the Andong Protectorate, captured a demonic path cultivator who hid this lineage and gave it back to me..."

Xi Yanjun was a direct disciple of the Zhang Sect of the Divination Sect; his cultivation was not low, but this was truly his first time entering such a secret realm; he cautiously looked left and right, guarding against any demon beasts that might appear:

"According to legend, the Five Old Divine Gifts, each time they nurture the essence of Heaven and Earth, are enough for two or three living beings to refine. Did Junior Uncle not find a second one back then?"

Lu Yan shook his head: "This thing relies entirely on fortune; most of the time, they are scattered in various places. Finding one is already considered Heaven's favor; no one is lucky enough to find three in a row. Even if found, one person cannot consume them all.

"Moreover, if all the essence of Heaven and Earth is taken, the place will cool down rapidly. The underground cracks open due to geothermal expansion; when it cools, it naturally contracts. At that time, the entire Fire Phoenix Valley will hear a 'Boom~' sound coming from underground. Outsiders will immediately know the opportunity has been taken and will block people on the surface; whoever comes out dies..."

Xi Yanjun understood the meaning: "If you obtain one, as long as it doesn't cause any heavenly anomalies, you must leave quickly, or you might not be able to get out of the Fire Phoenix Valley?"

Lu Yan nodded: "Greed leads to indigestion. Once the opportunity is taken, it means that for the next sixty years, all cultivators in the world can only obtain this item by snatching it from others; if you take it all, people will naturally fight you. Shang Lianbi, who dominates the Dragon Bone Beach, dares not hoard all the Green Dragon Divine Gifts; every time he releases a portion for outsiders to fight over. Otherwise, by cutting off the hopes of all cultivators in the world, no matter how high his cultivation, he cannot rest in peace..."

"Oh..."

Xi Yanjun nodded thoughtfully and was about to speak further when his peripheral vision suddenly moved, looking toward a fissure entrance.

Lu Yan also noticed the anomaly; holding the glowing Imperial Fire Talisman, he approached and saw a sword mark on the stone wall, causing his brows to furrow.

The underground fissures connected in all directions; leaving marks at junctions was to prevent getting lost if the current search yielded nothing and one entered again later; Lu Yan had also left marks when he arrived.

However, judging by the sword mark, more than a year had passed.

After searching around, Lu Yan found that several nearby fissure entrances bore marks; although the three horizontal lines were discontinuous and the directions varied, making the marks very subtle, as the Zhang Sect of the Divination Sect, a slight observation revealed some insight:

"Qian is three continuous lines, Kun is six broken lines... still a fellow Daoist."

Xi Yanjun carefully observed the seemingly casual sword marks and nodded slightly:

"The Death Gate resides in the Kan Palace, great misfortune; this path is definitely impassable."

Lu Yan glanced around: "This fellow Daoist has likely been searching for months. Going deep last year was impossible; let us follow the Life Gate to where this Daoist stopped, then continue searching. We may save a great deal of effort."

Xi Yanjun said nothing more upon seeing this. Following the auspicious and inauspicious directions of the Eight Trigrams and the marks, he proceeded deeper into the crack...

(End of this chapter)