Chapter 985

Liu Junyan grabbed Xiao Jiu and stopped her.

"Don't go." Liu Junyan said, "You just came back from there not long ago; if Lady Houtu really wanted to intervene in this matter, she wouldn't have said nothing at all. If you go now, you probably won't have a good outcome."

Xiao Jiu, however, insisted: "I have to try."

"Xiao Jiu, have you considered that this might be their tribulation?" Liu Junyan said solemnly, "If they get past this tribulation, they can truly achieve fruition; if those above lightly intervene, do you think they could still get past this tribulation?"

Xiao Jiu froze abruptly.

Yes, Aunt and the Seven Halls Yama clearly love each other deeply, yet they constantly grind against each other—how is this not a love tribulation?

Since it is a love tribulation, it involves karma; how could those above intervene to manage it?

Xiao Jiu finally became completely calm.

She suddenly thought of something: "Āyàn, I need to make a trip to the Feng Clan; in Cangwu Mountain there used to be something like a teleportation gate that could directly enter the Yao Tian, but I'm not sure if I can still find it, nor do I know whether that gate has been sealed; I want to go check."

Dong Dan said the hot springs in the interior of Hu Shan might be connected to Yao Tian; if one could enter Yao Tian, perhaps one could access the hot springs from that side?

Liu Junyan then accompanied Xiao Jiu as they left.

Indeed, there used to be a place in Cangwu Mountain where one could directly pass into Yao Tian; that was set up by the Seven Halls Yama for Feng Yixun.

When Xiao Jiu first entered Cangwu Mountain and was given trouble by Feng Xianqiu, Tang Xun suddenly emerged from that gate and struck Feng Xianqiu off guard.

But later the Feng Clan underwent a great upheaval, and Cangwu Mountain collapsed as well.

When Shan Shan was born, the wutong tree regrew, Cangwu Mountain was rebuilt; although the Nirvana Fire Domain remained, the internal layout of Cangwu Mountain changed completely.

Everything became uncertain, but if there was even the slightest chance, Xiao Jiu could not let it slip.

They arrived in a hurry; Shan Shan and A Cheng had gone out on errands, leaving the two kids with the male phoenix, who was carrying one child in each hand toward Cangwu Mountain, and happened to meet them.

Feng Mingxiu loved these two children dearly, because he knew his rebirth from the Nirvana Fire Domain was thanks largely to the placenta of one of these two children.

The two children also liked Feng Mingxiu, because this adoptive father was quite impressive!

Yes, the two children have already acknowledged Feng Mingxiu as their adoptive father.

This matter was brought up by Feng Mingxiu himself, because he felt a karmic bond with these two children; in the unseen, even before they were born, they already had a fateful connection.

He therefore wanted to deepen that bond; in this life he would love these two children as if they were his own biological offspring.

Whenever he had free time, the two children would gather around Feng Mingxiu, listening to him tell tales of the ancient Feng Clan, his entry into the Spirit Mirror Space, his subduing of the Hunchen Pearl, and his two successful Nirvanas…

These stories were so shocking that one could hear them a hundred times and never tire.

Of course, Feng Mingxiu didn't always tell them stories; after all, there were still many days ahead, and he needed to keep some suspense.

He preferred to take the two little ones out and about—today flying up Cangwu Mountain, tomorrow delving deep into the snowlands, and in a few days he could still take the two little ones to fly over the sea…

The two little ones sat on the magnificent, broad back of the phoenix, taking in the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers, meanwhile grasping the introductory mind method of cultivation; from time to time they were also fed by their adoptive father, often feeling so happy they forgot to return to Shu.

And today, the adoptive father promised them he would take them to fly to the highest point of Cangwu Mountain, then he would mobilize the flames of the Nirvana Fire Domain to let the two little ones feel the scorching heat and overbearing power of the Nirvana fire.

At the entrance of Cangwu Mountain they met Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu; the two little ones excitedly waved their hands: "Daddy, Mommy, hold me!"

Feng Mingxiu lifted the two little ones and went forward; Feng Yanzhi plunged into Xiao Jiu's embrace, while Feng Yan Zhou directly climbed onto Liu Junyan's shoulder, clutching his head and kissing him loudly, leaving saliva all over Liu Junyan's forehead.

The originally heavy mood was considerably healed by the two children in an instant; after playing with them for a while, Feng Mingxiu scooped the two little ones back up.

He patched Feng Yan Zhou's little bottom and said, "Go play with older sister for a while at the wutong grandmother's place; adoptive father needs to talk a bit with your dad, and I'll come find you later."

From the start, Feng Mingxiu could see that Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu were preoccupied, and thus knew that their visit to the Feng Clan this time certainly involved something important.

First he sent the children away, then he asked.

The two little ones were very obedient; they transformed into tiny phoenixes and quickly flapped their little wings up onto the wutong tree.

Here, after Feng Mingxiu inquired, Liu Junyan told him the general situation, and Feng Mingxiu guessed that they were nine out of ten here for Tang Xun's matter.

"I'll go down with you; I'm relatively familiar with the internal situation of Cangwu Mountain."

Xiao Jiu shook her head: "Let's go down and look first; if we really can't find the entrance we're seeking, we'll ask for your help later."

Feng Mingxiu had indeed stayed in Cangwu Mountain for four years, but during those four years he had been trapped in the Nirvana Fire Domain, so he wasn't familiar with other areas inside Cangwu Mountain and might not be able to help much.

After chatting a bit more, they each went off to attend to their own affairs.

Liu Junyan and Xiao Jiu descended Cangwu Mountain together; Xiao Jiu confirmed a direction and headed toward where that teleportation gate used to be.

The river, waterfall, and fields from back then had all disappeared; as they walked, Xiao Jiu noticed the ground had become so dry it cracked, with hardly any grass growing.

Xiao Jiu frowned, somewhat puzzled: "Could it be that the temperature of the Nirvana Fire Domain is too high, affecting the living beings of this land?"

Logically this shouldn't happen; after all, the Nirvana Fire Domain isn't something that just appeared today—it has always been here, and before this place clearly had plant growth.

The further they went, the more desolate it became.

When they reached the destination, Xiao Jiu did not sense the presence of that gate.

Liu Junyan probed beneath the earth's veins and, upon returning, also felt quite strange: "Near the direction of Cangwu Mountain's entrance, there are living beings underground, but over here, there is nothing at all."

"The situation is the opposite of what I experienced back when I was in Cangwu Mountain," Xiao Jiu said. "This place is even closer to Yao Tian, which is like a utopia, nourished by its spiritual qi; the plants and living beings here ought to thrive."

Upon mentioning this, Liu Junyan suddenly realized something and said, "Xiao Jiu, wait a moment; I think I now know where the entrance is."

Saying that, Liu Junyan entered the earth's veins once again.

Xiao Jiu's words reminded him: the reason this patch of plants and beings used to flourish was due to the nourishment of Yao Tian's spiritual qi; now that it is barren, the cause should be the same.

Therefore, the area most affected should be precisely where that teleportation gate is located.

Soon, Liu Junyan locked onto the location and brought Xiao Jiu straight through.

The moment they landed, both were stunned by the sight before them…