Chapter 218: DARE YOU MOCK OLD MAN?

The sun sank beyond the edge of the desert, and the scorching wasteland lay bathed in starlight and moonlight.

Lu Yan hovered high in the air, clad in a Daoist robe, his face dark with anger as he scanned the hundred-li desert for any trace of human figures.

Xi Yanjun stood below at the crack’s edge, calling out loudly:

“Uncle, those three cunning brats—could they really not have come out?”

Lu Yan found this impossible; finding one opportunity was already a stroke of divine favor. Even if they wished to keep searching, they’d first need to return to the surface for supplies before descending again to search slowly—let alone that those three cunning brats had provoked him, the patriarch of the Divination Sect!

Did they think they’d just stay underground and wait to die after stealing the opportunity?

Following the sword marks left behind, Lu Yan raced to the surface exit. Along the way he caught no trace; upon emerging, he found only a few low-level cultivators searching for herbs and a few flying birds—those three had vanished as if into thin air.

Could they truly not have come out…

Or did they exit through some other route…

Logically, they should have retraced their steps—wouldn’t they fear getting lost searching for other exits…

Lu Yan was baffled, yet he still waited aloft like a hunter by a tree, for entering the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum was like diving underwater: unless they’d found another exit, they’d eventually surface here.

But after waiting over half an hour, Xi Yanjun below suddenly shouted:

“Uncle, there’s movement below.”

Lu Yan frowned and immediately descended to the ground, listening closely. From deep within the crack came a rhythmic “thump-thump”—distant, yet clearly audible—as if someone were digging into stone.

At this hour, there shouldn’t be many other cultivators underground…

Lu Yan felt he’d found his target and leapt back into the fissure, heading toward the sound.

Yet after traveling over twenty li, he found no trace of the three cunning brats—only new sword marks etched onto the walls, still fresh: Daoist symbols marking the Life Gate and Death Gate.

??

Lu Yan was no fool—he suspected either a trick or that those three had lost their minds.

After a moment’s thought, relying on his cultivation, he turned inward toward the Life Gate—and found the path completely unobstructed…

——

Whoosh~

The three were inside a cavern, hearing only the faint whisper of qi flowing.

Xie Jinhuan stood at the cave entrance, one hand behind his back. Seeing Sister Hua nearly finished with her refinement, and Lu Yan hadn’t come after him as expected, he relaxed slightly.

Nangong Ye maintained his icy expression. Having spent half an hour already, his inner pressure was immense. He turned and asked:

“Are you done yet?”

Bu Yuehua also wanted to finish quickly, but refining the celestial essence required slow, meticulous extraction—adding yang fire to her body now would cause her to explode. She focused entirely on the last tiny fireball in her palm and replied:

“Almost done. I’ll find yours right away.”

Nangong Ye, seeing the demoness obtain such a precious treasure, felt a pang of envy. His gaze flickered to her plump, rounded hips—he longed for her to repay him with her body, so both would be in the same boat…

But even then, he’d still be under her control. He needed the demoness’s disciple to join too—only then could they be evenly matched…

Lost in such idle thoughts, he didn’t realize what he was imagining. Seeing the demoness nearing completion, he prepared to leave this place of trouble.

But perhaps heaven had eyes, unwilling to let mortals take heavenly treasures so easily—it must create some calamity.

As Xie Jinhuan leaned forward to inspect the crack ahead, ready to move to the next location, the red-clad ghost beside him exclaimed in surprise:

“Oh my~ This old Daoist has some skill—he actually followed.”

No sooner had she spoken than a distant, gruff curse echoed:

“Cunning brats, daring to mock old man! Bing Ding Ying Huo, Vermilion Bird Manifest, Blazing True Flame—obey my command…”

Whoosh~

At the sound, a faint breeze erupted at the narrow crack’s end.

Xie Jinhuan stood within the protection of the Yin-Yang Ruler, feeling no temperature change—but far down the dark fissure, firelight flared suddenly, its brightness surging until it illuminated the hundred-zhang rock fissure!

Sss…

Within the Vermilion Bird Mausoleum, the Five Elements’ yang fire was so intense that cultivators struggled to control it; any sect’s cultivator entering was effectively silenced of magic.

But Lu Yan bore the Vermilion Light Divine Gift—his flames shared the same origin as the mausoleum. Though he couldn’t draw on celestial power, he suffered little suppression.

Sensing the danger, Nangong Ye’s face darkened. He raised the Yin-Yang Ruler before him:

“Heaven-Scorching Li Fire Spell—retreat fast!”

Bu Yuehua leapt out at once, flinging three black flying daggers from her left hand—like butterflies dancing in the wind, they weaved through the rock cracks, streaking toward the fire’s source. At the same moment, a voice came from the other side:

“By the sacred decree!”

BOOM—

As the words ended, a searing flame erupted from over a hundred zhang away, coalescing into a visible golden-red firebird, trailing flames behind it—like a miniature Deathwing. Where it passed, the rock walls turned instantly into glowing coals!

The three flying daggers, mid-flight, were instantly swallowed and dissolved by the true flame, then reversed as molten red iron, surging back.

Sss…

All three looked up—the entire long fissure had turned crimson in an instant, the fire spreading from a hundred zhang away to mere feet before them.

Nangong Ye held the Yin-Yang Ruler before him, shielding a space of several feet around him, feeling as if engulfed by a lava flood.

The flame, capable of melting all things, crushed the Yin-Yang Ruler’s yang-blocking field down to just a few chi around them.

With no room to dodge in the narrow fissure, Bu Yuehua and Xie Jinhuan would die if they showed their heads. They clung to Nangong Ye and retreated backward—first stepping on rock, but after only ten zhang, the ground beneath them glowed red from the true flame.

Fortunately, the three had anticipated the ground turning red when they entered the Fire Phoenix Valley—their soles were made of fire-resistant material, so they wouldn’t be instantly burned through.

Because their protected space was so cramped, they couldn’t maneuver easily. Xie Jinhuan simply scooped up Sister Hua around the waist and sprinted across the iron-hot rock, shouting:

“Master, hold on!”

Lu Yan stood at the other end, holding the Fire Command Token, equally wary. Seeing these three cunning brats dared not retaliate—and yet hadn’t been instantly reduced to ash—he felt a flicker of surprise. Hearing the shout, he still chanted the fire incantation and pressed forward: “You, a grand master like Ye Sheng, fear my clumsy fire technique?”

“I am Xie Jinhuan. I have some past favor with Empress Guo. Master Lu, you’ve mistaken your target—you’ll have trouble explaining this back home.”

“?”

Lu Yan frowned. This time, he didn’t think it was an impostor.

Rumors said Xie Jinhuan was Empress Guo’s favorite. And Empress Guo was the de facto ruler of Northern Zhou.

Though the rumors were likely nonsense, even if Xie Jinhuan wasn’t her lover, he certainly had a powerful master behind him.

The cultivation world walked on thin ice. Acknowledging this carried no downside—ignoring it and making a deadly enemy could spark a major disaster.

Lu Yan paused, reconsidering. He halted his fire incantation. The city-scorching flame vanished, revealing the three figures in the distance.

True flame was no ordinary fire—it could smelt and forge immortal artifacts. The rock layers couldn’t withstand its heat. Even after brief exposure, the fissure walls already showed signs of melting.

Xie Jinhuan stood on the ground. Even through his shoes, he felt his soles scorching—but changing feet would be undignified. He kept his back straight, calm and composed, as if he felt nothing.

Bu Yuehua pulled out her black-wrapped waist knife, slipping quietly from Xie Jinhuan’s arms—only to find no safe ground to land. She inwardly marveled at his composure. Returning to his embrace was inappropriate, so she quickly chilled the ground with her yin energy.

Nangong Ye held the Yin-Yang Ruler before him, eyes locked on the enemy like a man facing death.

Lu Yan was a northern cultivator and didn’t recognize the two women. He studied Xie Jinhuan’s imposing bearing—his appearance matched the rumors. He spoke coldly:

“Rumors say you, young Xie—do you actually believe them yourself?”

Xie Jinhuan, seeing Lu Yan had stopped, knew Empress Guo’s name still carried weight. He replied loudly:

“It’s not entirely rumor. I do have some connection with Empress Guo. Our meeting is fate. I didn’t know it was Master Lu approaching, so I used a small trick to avoid trouble—this was just a misunderstanding…”

A misunderstanding?

Lu Yan wasn’t an idiot. He’d announced himself clearly—yet Xie Jinhuan had called him “Master Lu” and quoted “Dao follows nature.” This was outright insolence!

Though furious, Lu Yan didn’t curse further. Instead, he said:

“For now, I’ll overlook what happened, since we’re both of the orthodox path. But even orthodox cultivators have rules: heavenly treasures belong to the capable. Since you’ve entered this blessed land, gain and loss depend on your own merit.

“You’ve already claimed two opportunities. Greed leads to choking. Give up one, and the Five Spirit Mountain will offer you a single Minghe Grass as thanks for guiding your way. What do you say, young Xie?”

Minghe Grass was a herb from the Northern Ming Lake, similar in effect to Tiger Bone Vine—a treasure, yes, but nowhere near the level of the Vermilion Light Divine Gift, which appeared only once every sixty years.

Yet Lu Yan’s words were remarkably courteous. Had he not feared Xie Jinhuan’s hidden master, he’d have killed him outright for the treasure. They weren’t even from the same country—what did “orthodox” or “evil” even mean here?

Nangong Ye judged that, given their cultivation gap, Lu Yan’s offer was already restrained. He glanced at Bu Yuehua.

Bu Yuehua cared deeply for the treasure she’d just obtained—but no treasure mattered if you were dead. She looked at Xie Jinhuan, silently asking whether to give it up.

But Xie Jinhuan was always the one who took from others—who ever took from him? He glanced at the ever-capable ghost.

Ye Hongshang had been observing the opponent. Now she replied:

“He can only use fire here. His own qi isn’t suppressed, but he can’t draw on celestial power. With the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection, you can hold out—but you can’t outlast him. Collapse the fissure and leave. He can’t burn a tunnel through the rock.”

“?”

Xie Jinhuan thought it made sense. Here, they couldn’t fly or tunnel. If the fissure collapsed, even Lu Wu would have to dig slowly—wasn’t blocking faster than digging?

With this in mind, Xie Jinhuan looked across the hundred-zhang gap at Lu Yan:

“I say there’s another treasure not far off. Do you believe me?”

Lu Yan snorted: “Do you really think I’m a fool? If there were another, you’d go get it yourself.”

“Fine. I’ll go get it!”

BOOM—

No sooner had Xie Jinhuan spoken than his Heaven’s Gang Club erupted from its sheath, striking the side rock wall.

The wall, already heated and swollen, shattered and collapsed like a flood. Xie Jinhuan grabbed Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua and retreated backward.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Lu Yan sensed the danger and acted instantly. His Fire Command Token shot a line of fire like an arrow through the tunnel, blasting a several-zhang-deep crater into the falling debris—but behind it, the sound continued:

BOOM… BOOM… BOOM…

The sound faded into the distance.

Xi Yanjun frowned, stepping out from behind the rock wall:

“What now?”

Lu Yan moved clumsily in this cursed place, glancing left and right:

“If I let this brat slip away clean today, I’ll reverse my name.”

Xi Yanjun followed behind, searching for a path, still thinking his uncle’s threat was delivered with remarkable flair.

After all, “Lu Yan” reversed left to right truly became “Na Yul”; but reversed top to bottom, it was still “Lu Yan…”

Yet Xi Yanjun dared not voice this aloud; he followed the winding turns, and after roughly half an hour of searching, unexpectedly spotted fresh sword marks on the wall—marking the Living Gate and the Death Gate.

?

Lu Yan recognized the familiar marks and realized Xie Jin was no fool—he was just a dog being led around by the nose!

Xie Jin was clearly no fool, so…

“Cunning brat, dare you toy with me? Utterly lawless! I’ll see what tricks you can pull!”

Lu Yan, hair bristling with rage, charged straight toward the Living Gate…

——

Wrote over fourteen thousand characters, deleted and revised for two chapters—sigh or2!

Drop a name: Recommend a new book, “Wilderness Live Stream: Starting from the Lop Nur,” everyone interested can check it out~

(End of Chapter)