Chapter 1247: The Strange Eyes

No matter where one is, once a person becomes famous, they easily shoot to stardom.

The four words "Xu Que's father" now carry immense renown in the Tianxiang Immortal Domain, with an influence far greater than in the Ziwei Immortal Domain!

For instance, right now, the moment Xu Que stepped out of the Yaochi Pond, he immediately attracted considerable attention.

As the group followed Bai Cailing toward the center of Tianxiang City to board the Teleportation Array, they drew crowds of onlookers the entire way.

"Wow, that old man—is he the legendary Xu Que's father? So domineering!"

"Domineering my ass! When we first saw him, didn't you all say he looked sickly?"

"That's different! Now that we know his true strength, we realize just how fierce he is!"

"Hey, but where are they heading this time?"

"Oh my god, could this group be out to stir up trouble again? Even the Yaochi Saintess is traveling with them!"

"The Yaochi Saintess is his daughter-in-law, so traveling together isn't strange, but have you noticed something?"

"What is it?"

"Why does this Old Man Xu always like taking his daughter-in-law out? Look! First it was Liu Jingning, then Bai Cailing, and soon he might even add Jiang Hongyan, the Heavenly Fortune Body!"

"Wow, it seems that Old Man Xu really knows how to play!"

"Maybe it's just his hobby; he likes taking his daughter-in-law out to roam!"

People chattered endlessly, especially after Xu Que and his group entered the Teleportation Array and left Tianxiang City; their conversations grew bolder and bolder, daring to say things like "Xu Que's father likes taking his daughter-in-law out to roam!"

Yet this casual remark, made unintentionally by someone, sparked widespread enthusiasm; within a few days while Xu Que and his party rushed toward the Secret Realm, the sentence spread throughout Tianxiang City and across the entire Tianxiang Immortal Domain!

Perhaps next time someone greets Xu Que, saying something like, "Yo, Old Man Xu, taking your daughter-in-law out to roam again?" will be perfectly normal—of course, provided they have the guts!

A few days later, Xu Que successfully arrived outside the Secret Realm Bai Cailing had mentioned.

This place also possessed great age; records about it existed hundreds of thousands of years ago, and predecessors called it the "Li Fire Secret Realm"!

Legend had it that this was the Cave Mansion of a certain generation's Fire God, containing a Giant Mountain perpetually shrouded in flames, which people called Flame Mountain, and which had never extinguished to this day.

Strangely, however, the flames on that mountain possessed no heat whatsoever; many Cultivators approached without sensing any rise in temperature, only to be inexplicably burned to ashes near the flames and killed instantly!

As time passed, everyone began to realize the strangeness of that Flame Mountain and stopped approaching it, instead seeking Creation in other surrounding areas or hunting Demon Beasts born within the Flame Mountain.

Those Demon Beasts shared one common trait: born from the Flame Mountain, their beast cores contained powerful Fire-attribute Immortal Yuan, offering tremendous aid to Cultivators practicing Fire-attribute Dharma Spells; thus, over the years, this Secret Realm remained highly sought after by many Cultivators.

Even the Shennong Clan frequently sent their Heavenly Prides to travel thousands of miles from the Taiyin Immortal Domain just to train here; perhaps long ago, they obtained some Creation within, discovered an unnoticed spot, found the Resurrection Thousand Gold Vine, and began cultivating it on a large scale, returning periodically to harvest.

Bai Cailing informed Xu Que about the Secret Realm along the way; upon hearing this, Xu Que became quite interested, for although he possessed a Strange Fire, at his current cultivation level, its primary use had shifted to Artifact Refining or pill refining; while it still retained some offensive power against opponents, it was far less terrifying than in the past, at least no longer capable of crushing or instantly killing foes!

"It seems that after securing the Resurrection Thousand Gold Vine, I should definitely check out that Flame Mountain; if I can obtain some unusual flames, that would be interesting!" Xu Que narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking silently to himself.

At this moment, a Fang Shi had been constructed at the entrance to the Secret Realm, filled almost entirely with Xi Zhan and shops, where many Cultivators lived year-round!

However, Xu Que chose not to stop here for rest; the two souls within the Wind Fire Wheels were nearly unable to hold on, and the remaining thirty stalks of Resurrection Thousand Gold Vine could sustain them for at most three more days; after three days, the two souls would gradually begin to dissipate.

Therefore, Xu Que had no time to rest; he immediately asked Bai Cailing to lead the way, entering the Secret Realm directly.

The arrival of their group also attracted considerable attention from many Cultivators; most had only heard tales of Xu Que's father without recognizing his appearance, but Bai Cailing was different—as the Yaochi Saintess, she would be recognized instantly not only throughout the Tianxiang Immortal Domain but even in any of the other Thirteen Immortal Domains.

At this moment, as Bai Cailing and Xu Que's few companions passed by the Secret Realm entrance together, everyone immediately realized who they were.

"Damn, I was just saying that combination of people looked so familiar; could it be Xu Que's father, Er Gouzi, and Duan Jiude?"

"Seems like it; recently there have indeed been rumors that Xu Que's father has come to the Tianxiang Immortal Domain again!"

"No need to guess; who else but Xu Que's father could have the Holy Maiden Bai traveling with him?"

"That's true; Holy Maiden Bai is his daughter-in-law, after all!"

"Speaking of which, the Shennong Clan sent people again a few days ago; this time it's Yi Fang, also one of the strongest candidates for the new generation's Divine Son of the Shennong Clan; wonder if he'll get killed by Xu Que's father too?"

"Haha, surely not; the Shennong Clan has already softened up; this time, when their people see Xu Que's father, they'll probably give him a wide berth!"

Meanwhile, inside the Li Fire Secret Realm.

Xu Que and his group had already entered; there were no Restrictions at the entrance, but after proceeding a short distance forward, they encountered a Plain filled with giant rocks, forcing them to stop as they all sensed something amiss!

"Damn, this place seems to be a Natural Formation!" Er Gouzi frowned.

"Actually, this place was originally a Divine Array, but it gradually perished over the ages and later merged into Heaven and Earth; now it has indeed become a Natural Formation." Bai Cailing smiled gently, "However, we have a way to pass through this Array, which will save us much time!"

Having said this, she waved her slender hand and summoned a lantern, which turned out to be a Ninth-Grade Magical Treasure.

Flames burned inside the lantern, with wisps of green smoke curling upward, making it extremely conspicuous!

"Old Man Xu, sometimes Illusions appear within this Array, and you might even lose sight of those beside you; so once inside, no matter what you see, just follow this lantern or the green smoke!" Bai Cailing looked at Xu Que and instructed softly.

"Alright!" Xu Que nodded, signaling Bai Cailing to lead the way.

Bai Cailing spoke no more, turned, and stepped into the Plain, with Xu Que and his group following directly behind.

The next moment, as Xu Que set foot on the Plain, the surroundings changed instantly; from a rocky Plain, it suddenly transformed into an Ancient City, or more accurately, a Lonely City.

The city was incredibly dilapidated; many buildings and roads were long unrepaired, exuding an antique aura, completely deserted; even Er Gouzi, Liu Jingning, and others who had entered together had vanished without a trace, yet ahead, near several Streets, a wisp of green smoke rose slowly, extremely conspicuous!

Had Bai Cailing not warned him in advance about such occurrences, Xu Que would have almost thought he had fallen into her trap!

He immediately stepped forward, heading toward the green smoke.

However, after chasing only a few steps, Xu Que's body suddenly halted; he stopped in front of a decrepit Iron Smith Shop.

The Forge inside the Iron Smith Shop had been extinguished for many years, yet at the position of the air vent, a pair of eyes now stared straight at him!

【Bonus Update Four. Three chapters remaining; let's keep going!】