Chapter 92: Departure for Fire Valley, The Ice Fish and Fire Tree

Boom!

As the sword rain descended, a streak of azure lightning flashed across the sky, swifter than the falling blades.

The green thunderbolt tore through the heavens, its brilliance illuminating the land below, so blinding that no one could keep their eyes open.

“Lightning magic!” Wan Jianying’s pupils contracted, a surge of intense danger rising within his heart.

His cultivation technique was called the Six-Jia Gold-Devouring Art, wherein he swallowed metals to fuse them into his very being.

Blades and arrows could not pierce him, nor could water or fire harm him. His body was forged like steel, granting him immense strength. Even if struck by spells, most of their power would be dispelled.

But this technique had a fatal flaw—it was vulnerable to lightning.

Lightning magic was the most forceful and pure of all; its destructive power was boundless, and the requirements to wield it were severe. Never had he expected to encounter it here.

What cursed luck!

“Impossible!”

Wan Jianying roared, and countless droplets of black, metallic liquid oozed from his dark skin, forming an iron shield before him.

Boom!

The Essence Lightning of the Wood Element crashed into the iron shield.

In an instant, azure plasma scattered in all directions. The iron shield conducted the electric current, allowing the lightning to pierce through, carrying its devastating force directly into Wan Jianying.

Bang!

Centered on Wan Jianying, blue lightning engulfed a radius of five yards. The earth beneath him was scorched by the searing current, leaving behind dark red, molten rock.

His iron-forged body melted like wax, limbs and features dissolving away. From a distance, he resembled a massive lump of iron, with a clumsy craftsman having carved crude features into it.

“Tell me everything you know, and I may spare your life,” Lu Qian approached, his golden, vertical pupils fixed intently upon Wan Jianying.

“Hmph, would you really let me live if I told you?” the iron mass on the ground rasped, one eye set high, the other low.

“But if you refuse, you’ll certainly die. The choice is yours,” Lu Qian replied, then fell silent. “Show some good faith—start by telling me everything about the area nearby.”

The atmosphere grew tense before the people of the Xie Household finally snapped to attention.

Xie Han, flanked by ten Mountain Spirit Dao Soldiers, surrounded Wan Jianying in a tight encirclement.

“Dao soldiers?” Wan Jianying was taken aback. The art of forging Dao soldiers was not something wandering cultivators possessed; could this man be a disciple of some great sect?

After a long silence, Wan Jianying finally spoke. “I hope you keep your word. There’s little of note in the vicinity. This is the border of the Dark Tranquility Monastery. Head west, and you’ll enter the domain of the Seven Martial Mountains. South lies the Celestial River, which marks the boundary between north and south. In its center is an island called Myriad Phenomena Isle.”

Myriad Phenomena Isle was the most bustling—and chaotic—place in the region. It sat at the margins of many powers, serving as their buffer zone.

Humans and demons mingled freely there, along with people from every walk of life. The righteous, the heretical, the demonic, and even traitors from every faction—all could be found on that vast island, a thousand miles across.

“Myriad Phenomena Isle…” Lu Qian mused inwardly.

A place teeming with cultivators was rich in resources, and thus, an excellent place to hide.

“How does one reach Myriad Phenomena Isle?”

“Cross the Fire Valley, then take a ferry by the riverbank—make sure to hire a professional waterman. The river is beset by storms year-round, and the waters are strewn with hidden reefs. Ordinary boats cannot make the journey.”

Having spoken, Wan Jianying ventured a suggestion: “I may be of little worth, but I could serve as your guide.”

“Not so fast. Recite your cultivation method to me, word for word,” Lu Qian said with a smile.

Wan Jianying sneered. “If I tell you, that’s as good as dying, isn’t it? If you’re going to kill me, you’ll never get the technique.”

He had lived for over a century; even a pig would grow shrewd. To reveal his art was to invite immediate death; remaining silent, at least, held a sliver of hope.

“Very well.”

With a muffled thud, a pale demonic blade plunged into Wan Jianying’s body, and in an instant, a tremendous suction force drained his blood dry.

He didn’t even have time to scream before he perished.

A sphere of blood formed in Lu Qian’s palm.

He opened his mouth, lined with sharp white fangs, and swallowed it whole.

The Blood-Devouring Demon Blade could absorb blood, but to squander it so would be wasteful.

A wave of heat exploded in his mouth, his entire body flushing red like a boiled prawn, before the sensation faded.

“The blood and energy of a Qi Refining cultivator is quite something,” Lu Qian remarked with satisfaction.

He could consume the soul as well, but it still had its uses.

With a rustle, the black banner hovered at his side, wisps of dark mist trailing down.

A fierce wind swept by, and the black mist wrapped around the corpse, drawing a translucent shadow into the banner.

Within the banner was a mysterious, shadowy world, suffused with ghostly green flames that tormented the soul, as the black mist enveloped it completely.

In a short while, it transformed into a ghastly, pallid specter like the other evil spirits within.

“Now, tell me your cultivation method.”

Wan Jianying began to speak.

His technique was called the Six-Jia Gold-Devouring Art—a most unusual body-forging method.

Through a secret art, one swallowed gold and iron to merge with metal, thereby gaining its properties and the ability to manipulate it.

It began with swallowing copper, using a refining technique to digest it. Once the body became as tough as copper, one would move on to iron, then silver, then gold, each time imbuing the body with the metal’s essence.

Once the Immortal Golden Body was achieved, it was said to rival a master at the Tribulation Stage.

However, all methods beyond silver had been lost to time.

“Descendant of the Gold-Devouring Clan?” Lu Qian recalled tales of the Metal-Eaters from the Exotic Records, which was why he’d recognized the technique the moment Wan Jianying appeared.

It was a decent art, though not quite suited to himself. Still, it was worth keeping.

With a sweep, the black mist of the banner withdrew into his hand.

Gazing upon the two hundred fearsome ghost faces etched densely upon the Form-Refining Banner, Lu Qian’s thoughts stirred.

Ghosts were not strong individually, but their endless numbers were an advantage. The paper men, while agile, lost flexibility when summoned en masse; at most, he could handle forty or fifty at once before it became taxing.

Perhaps a combination of the two…

But that was not the most pressing matter.

“Xie Han,” Lu Qian called, “prepare a trade caravan. Under the guise of an armed escort, we are heading to the Celestial River.”

They had tarried long enough. Now that their supplies were replenished and his cultivation restored, it was time to depart without delay.

“Yes, sir,” Xie Han replied, bowing with clasped fists.

With the elite of Wan Jian Manor wiped out, the Mighty Escort Agency was now the sole overlord of Fengxi City.

The following day.

A caravan rumbled down the official road, heading south.

At its center, ten armored riders flanked two black carriages. The canvas wagons bore the Mighty Escort Agency’s black-and-white banners.

Other merchant convoys gave way, while bandits and brigands along the road dared not utter a word.

Xie Han sat atop the leading carriage, a sleek black Nine-Eared Hound lounging beside him—four ears on the left, five on the right.

The Nine-Eared Hound, native to Fengxi City, was prized by hunters. Its ears would twitch when game was near: one ear for one beast, all nine for nine.

Lu Qian sat within the carriage, lifting the curtain to observe the passing scenery with interest.

Along the way, he encountered many strange sights and wonders. Many mythical beasts, once thought only to exist in legend, now lived among common folk—like the Nine-Eared Hound Xie Han had purchased at great expense.

After traveling two hundred miles, night fell. The sky was clear, the stars arrayed in formation—a rare sight amidst the gloomy, mist-shrouded lands of the Dark Tranquility Monastery.

“Sir, ahead lies the Ice Lake. Let us rest here; by tomorrow, we should reach Fire Valley,” Xie Han said, rapping softly on the carriage door.

“Very well.”

Stepping down, Lu Qian was greeted by a breath of crisp, clean air.

Before him stretched a crystal-clear lake, reflecting the stars above like a flawless mirror, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth.

“Sir, the lake abounds with transparent icefish. They require no cooking—simply melt in your mouth. Exquisite,” Xie Han said with relish.

“Oh? Then I must try some.”

A guard dipped a ladle into the lake. Though the water seemed empty, a gentle scoop revealed several slender, translucent fish.

Icefish were not rare; whenever it rained, thousands would leap across the water’s surface—a truly spectacular sight. Standing by the shore, one could feel the chilly fish brushing against their face.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, they traveled another hundred miles.

Vegetation grew sparse, the air grew hot, and sweat trickled down their faces.

“Sir, we’ve arrived at Fire Valley.”

Lifting the carriage curtain, Lu Qian saw that at the entrance to the valley, only one type of tree could be seen.

He finally understood why it was called Fire Valley.

These pine-like plants bore no leaves. Instead, they burned with open flames—trees that blazed with fire.