Chapter 217: Zhu Ling Fire Mansion

Tap, tap, tap...

Beneath the Fire Phoenix Valley, light footsteps echoed through the rock fissures. Three figures, shielded by the Yin-Yang Ruler, moved swiftly through the narrow space, frequently glancing back.

Xie Jinhuan had already secured the Ling Guang Divine Gift; a small warm stove now felt present within his body, constantly nourishing his physique. Even the extreme yang energy within the Phoenix Tomb felt a few degrees softer, yet he could not feel the slightest bit of pride.

After all, he had tricked a Supreme Grade Immortal Dao cultivator; unless the other party was a mud Bodhisattva, they would most likely come to kill and demand an explanation.

Given Lu Yan's status in Northern Zhou, the three of them were absolutely no match. Northern Zhou and Great Qian were still in direct opposition; if caught, even if he did not perish and his Dao vanish, the opportunity he had tasted would have to be spat out obediently.

Nangong Ye also did not know how a well-earned opportunity had turned into a temple escape. With a Northern Zhou Ancestor chasing behind, the dull and boring treasure-hunting journey instantly became a ghost story. As they ran, he suggested:

"Perhaps we should stop while we're ahead. Securing one is already great luck. If we continue to stay in this place of trouble, and Lu Yan attacks, even the Yin-Yang Ruler might not be saved..."

Bu Yuehua, though desiring the opportunity, valued her life more and was now somewhat hesitant:

"The power of heaven and earth here is too overwhelming, and the space is narrow. A master skilled in Fire Arts could hold off ten thousand here with just one man..."

Xie Jinhuan shook his head: "The location of opportunities is hard to fathom. Even if Lu Yan is cunning, he would not think we, having stirred up trouble and secured one opportunity, would dare to seek another. He will most likely chase the exit we came from. If we go back, we will surely be blocked. Let us go directly to the next one, then find another exit."

The two pondered carefully and found his reasoning sound. Bu Yuehua asked again:

"Are you sure you can find the next one?"

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan looked up at the ghost bride floating ahead, leading the way.

Ye Hongshang, carrying the three of them as they ran with heads bowed, was also watching the movements behind:

"The next fire source is estimated to be over a hundred li away from here."

Xie Jinhuan turned back upon hearing this: "I can find it. The distance is not too far. Save your strength, strive to finish it all in one go tonight, and return quickly."

Seeing this, Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua said no more, simply pressing forward with heads down, constantly watching the movements behind.

Xie Jinhuan followed the ghost bride's guidance through the intricate maze. Since the fire source must connect to the outside and they could not get lost, the journey of over a hundred li was covered in half a shichen.

The refresh point of the second opportunity was quite special, located in a rock cave three zhang square. The cave was two zhang high and semi-circular, naturally formed yet very regular. Cracks appeared in the ground rocks, while a golden-red fireball floated in the center of the two-zhang-high cave.

Ancient characters even adorned the rock walls, the content roughly 'I was here' and the like. It was likely no less than a thousand years old. It must have been left by an ancient treasure hunter who, upon discovering this rather special cave along the way, specifically marked it.

Having found the place, Xie Jinhuan, fearing Lu Yan would chase down in anger to settle the score, had no mind to appreciate the ancient site and asked:

"Who goes first? There is another opportunity thirty li away. Once we take it, we can return."

Although Nangong Ye felt an urge to rush, dragging things out at this moment brought no benefit. Fearing the demoness might get nothing and turn traitor to stab them in the back later, Nangong Ye simply turned her head:

"Hurry up."

Bu Yuehua had originally wanted to whisper secretly: "Sister Nangong, you wouldn't want Linghu Qingmo to know..." But finding Nangong Ye so sensible, she wasted no time, nodded elegantly with a bow, then walked before the fireball, raising both hands to refine it with her qi mechanism.

The protective range of the Yin-Yang Ruler had been compressed by the power of heaven and earth to only a zhang or so around the body. The Ling Guang Divine Gift itself was also within the shielding range. Therefore, during refinement, one had to gauge the distance: standing at the edge of the protection zone while keeping the fireball outside, slowly peeling away the yang fire thread by thread.

Nangong Ye had been controlling the Yin-Yang Ruler; maintaining it for a long time inevitably brought some fatigue, yet she remained on high alert, standing at the cave entrance and watching the movements in the cracks outside.

Xie Jinhuan, with his dual weapons hanging at his waist, guarded nearby. Since he could not speak easily with the ghost bride, he moved close to Bing Tuotuo and casually brushed against her hip with the back of his hand.

?

Nangong Ye's gaze sharpened. She first turned to look at the demoness with her graceful waist, then her Bingshan eyes widened slightly. The meaning was clearly a warning for Xie Jinhuan to keep his distance; if he must touch, do it outside...

Xie Jinhuan, having traveled for four or five days, was indeed a bit craving Tuotuo, but he was not without sense. He simply stood with one hand behind his back, waiting quietly...

—

At the same time, deep beneath the ground directly below.

A sky-piercing pillar, cast entirely from purple Jin Shi, stood towering in the boundless darkness. Eight-character incantations were written upon it:

Zhu Ling Fire Mansion, Burn the Fallen to Seal the Ancestor.

The characters carried the heavy weight of tens of thousands of years of sedimentation. Threads of golden-red flowing light poured from the earth above into the pillar, turning the eight large characters and even the Zhu Que relief on the pillar's surface into a golden-red hue, resembling living things suspended in the void darkness.

And in the groove at the very top of the 'Zhu' character, a red-haired figure clad in Jin Jia sat cross-legged, absorbing the five elements spiritual essence within the pillar. It looked as if, um...

A golden termite eating the top beam?

Although calling her a small ant somewhat underestimated the Jin Jia woman, compared to the pillar made entirely of purple Jin Shi, the difference was not very great.

The Jin Jia woman did not know where this pillar came from, but just as mortal beings who discover an unclaimed territory feel that the land belongs to them, since she found it first, this naturally became her cultivation cave. Originally, this seclusion would last a month, and she would leave only after the Winter Solstice passed and no more five elements spiritual essence leaked out.

But this seclusion was not as smooth as usual. Just as the Jin Jia woman was quietly cultivating, movement suddenly appeared above.

Looking up, she could see the rock layer at the pillar's top. Originally, there were three golden-red lines extending in various directions, but one of them suddenly broke and vanished.

This was a sign that the Divine Gift spiritual essence had been taken by a living being. The Jin Jia woman had seen this before and originally only thought the cultivator this time had arrived very quickly.

But after an interval of more than half a shichen, another spiritual vein gradually faded.

?

The five elements spiritual essence leaking from the Zhu Que Tomb appeared randomly beneath the thousand-li Fire Phoenix Valley. Located underground with extreme yang fire, any surveying magical instrument would fail, cultivators found it hard to wield their supernatural powers, and they had to return to the surface periodically to replenish their qi seas. Therefore, for one group to secure one spot was already heaven's favor; the situation of securing multiple spots consecutively had never occurred.

Judging by the position and time of the spiritual veins' disappearance, the Daoist friends digging for treasure above seemed to have rushed to the second spot immediately after taking the first, without even using the normal processes of surveying, replenishing, or taking detours.

It felt as if they were holding a map while seeking opportunities...

Who is this divine being...

The Jin Jia woman's eyes filled with confusion. After a slight consideration, she rose, followed the pillar upward, reached beneath the rock layer, entered through a fissure, then followed the spiritual vein forward, finally arriving beneath a rift valley.

The five elements spiritual essence had diffused to this point until it was barely visible to the naked eye, but golden-red firelight shimmered in the rock fissures above.

The Jin Jia woman looked up from over a hundred zhang away. Through the fissure, she could vaguely see a quiet and dignified face, fully focused on refining a great opportunity, with a man and a woman standing nearby.

Speaking of which, it was a coincidence; she knew all three of them!

The man was the great opportunity she had picked up three years ago upon hearing the 'Divine Oracle'. He had not yet repaid her, but judging by the three of them being able to find this place 'as if aided by gods', this youth had clearly found something she had sought in vain.

The Bingshan swordswoman beside him was a disciple of a disciple of an old acquaintance of hers. The grievances between them need not be mentioned; anyway, since meeting that bandit 'not as tall as a green onion', she had not had a moment of peace.

As for the Miss currently refining the opportunity, she was the head of a small mountain manor in the Southern Border.

For over ten years, she had stayed here cultivating. When the spiritual essence was thin, she would go out to wander, sometimes passing the small mountain manor outside the Fire Phoenix Valley.

The first time she saw this little girl, she was only a few years old, raising poison insects and practicing poisons at home, chased everywhere by venomous snakes. Later, she grew up slowly, taking on the appearance of a witch.

But on one occasion while passing by, she suddenly discovered this girl holding a knife, chopping at a wooden stake.

She had not paid much attention at first, but over the next two years, whenever she passed by, she found that the girl was persistently practicing martial arts and had even made some progress. Out of curiosity, she descended to ask the reason.

It turned out that this little Wu Sect maiden's father had been harmed by someone, and she had to shoulder the burden of her sect. However, Poison Witches possessed little direct combat power, and she did not wish to also cultivate the Corpse Witch path to raise puppets, so she prepared to practice both Wu arts and martial arts, becoming an ancestor who excelled in both internal and external aspects.

Practicing both Wu arts and martial arts, or cultivating immortals and Buddhas together, is widely recognized in the cultivation Dao as a domineering path. The two schools complement each other, possessing not only extreme offensive output but also an impressive physique.

Yet very few people cultivate this way because the efficiency is low; the two schools are basically incompatible. One must go through the entire process of a martial artist refining the body and learning techniques, and a Witch refining poison and forging the soul spirit. Even then, the result is merely having no weaknesses against opponents of the same realm. Even if one mastered all five schools, a First Grade cultivator could not possibly contend with a Super Grade specialist in a single path.

Therefore, cultivators usually specialize in one path first to break through realms, and only when they truly cannot break through further do they dabble in a hundred schools to increase their depth. The representative figure of this approach is undoubtedly Shang Lianbi.

Seeing that this girl possessed some perseverance and ambition, she casually offered a few words of guidance and taught her a sword technique. On subsequent passes, she also secretly provided some assistance—for instance, when the Phoenix Feather Grass sprouted, she secretly notified the girl to come and take it before someone else got there first; she also caused the ground to collapse to provide guidance to the entrance of the Phoenix Tomb...

The reason she did not reveal herself was that she had "martyred herself for the Dao" during the Wu Sect turmoil. Her strength has not yet recovered, so she can only nurture herself in secret here. If her enemies learned she was still alive, they would inevitably strike when she was down, or perhaps some fierce bandit would take advantage of the situation to profit...

At this moment, Xie Jinhuan, who had changed his appearance, was up there searching for opportunities with two girls. The Jin Jia woman felt quite gratified.

After all, there was a time when she was also forced to team up with "Meicong Gao Laomo" to eliminate demons. The process was just like this: finding a path when encountering a mountain, finding a bridge when encountering water. There was no need to use one's brain; one just had to keep one's head down and charge along.

She had always wanted that kind of ability, but unfortunately, she could not obtain it. Now that Xie Jinhuan possesses this foundation, once he reaches Northern Zhou in the future, he will surely advance like a storm breaking bamboo and help her resolve quite a few troubles.

However, although she had already heard of Xie Jinhuan's deeds, she had indeed never witnessed his capabilities with her own eyes. How strong is this child's ability? Can it compare to the Meicong Gao Laomo of those years...

Thinking of this, the Jin Jia woman searched the surroundings, and then turned her gaze toward the surface...

(End of this chapter)