Chapter 29: The Spirit Flame Mountain Range

At the same time, in the hall of a certain cave dwelling.

A gaunt old man in an ochre robe sat in the main seat, holding a tea cup and gently skimming the leaves. Before him, a middle-aged man with narrow eyes stood with his hands at his sides, his expression respectful.

"By my reckoning, Lu Ya should be done by now," the gaunt old man said slowly without lifting his head.

"With Elder Lu on the case, it's certainly foolproof. Only the Patriarch could have persuaded Elder Lu to act," the middle-aged man said deferentially.

"Alas, the younger generation of the clan are all useless. Only Hao'er truly pleased me, but unfortunately... Hmph, that Han brat deserves to die ten thousand deaths to quell the hatred in my heart!" The gaunt old man slammed down his tea cup with a crack and roared in anger.

"Patriarch, calm your anger. Regardless, that Yu Menghan is an unexpected boon. The Patriarch's great technique may soon be perfected," the middle-aged man said hastily, seeing the old man's displeasure.

"Hmm. Speaking of which, she is also implicated in Hao'er's death. For the sake of her spiritual physique, I'll spare her life for now," the gaunt old man said, his anger somewhat abated.

As soon as he finished speaking, his expression shifted, and he turned his gaze toward the entrance of the cave dwelling.

A moment later, with the sound of footsteps, a young maidservant appeared at the door and bowed, saying:

"Reporting to Elder Qi, Elder Mo requests an audience!"

Before the gaunt old man could speak, a man's voice, neither yin nor yang, came from outside:

"Elder Qi Xuan is in high spirits, able to enjoy tea in peace at such a time."

Then, a middle-aged man in a black robe and tall crown appeared at the door, his face utterly indifferent.

The gaunt old man Qi Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly, gestured for the maidservant to withdraw, and without rising, asked, "Mo Chen, our Enforcement Hall and I have always kept to ourselves. What business do you have with me?"

"Not long ago, Elder Lu Ya's soul tablet suddenly shattered. Does Elder Qi have anything to say?" Mo Chen did not answer the old man's question but instead countered rudely.

"What did you say?" Qi Xuan leaped up from his seat, his face livid as he roared.

"According to those who traveled with Elder Lu, he was sent by you to intercept a group, which led to his untimely death. May I ask Elder Qi, who exactly did you ask him to intercept?" Mo Chen asked coldly.

"Impossible! How could two mere Nascent Soul cultivators be a match for Lu Ya!" Qi Xuan looked utterly incredulous.

"Heh, to kill a Deity Transformation cultivator and prevent even his nascent soul from escaping—what kind of strength does that require? Surely Elder Qi has some idea. I only hope Elder Qi does not bring troublesome enemies upon the sect for personal grudges. Regardless, please accompany me to the Enforcement Hall, Elder Qi." Mo Chen gave a cold laugh, his voice suddenly turning icy.

...

A few days later, the flying boat carrying Han Li and the others finally left the Huanglan Ancient Desert.

Along the way, aside from several attacks by swarms of Yin Calamity Flying Ants, which Han Li easily dealt with through Mo Guang's power, there were no further pursuers from the Heavenly Ghost Sect.

With the precedent of killing a Deity Transformation cultivator, Gu Yunyue was no longer surprised that Han Li could repel the Yin Calamity Flying Ants.

The days of travel and turmoil had left Yu Menghan and Liu Le'er somewhat weary. They leaned against each other on one side of the spirit boat and fell into a deep sleep.

Han Li sat cross-legged alone at the stern of the boat, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression somewhat unusual. Before him lay seven or eight green jade bottles and white porcelain bottles, all empty, scattered haphazardly.

"Fellow Daoist Han, how is it?" Mo Guang's voice sounded in Han Li's mind.

"Most of these pills came from that Deity Transformation cultivator, and some are of high grade, but none are useful," Han Li sighed lightly.

In the previous battle, he had relied on his formidable physical strength and the power of the Five Mountains to crush his opponent with overwhelming force, without expending much magical power. But his magical power was only decreasing, not increasing, and this could not continue in the long run.

"What about the top-grade spirit stones?"

"The same—completely unabsorbable." Han Li gave a bitter smile, opening his palm to reveal a spirit stone that had turned dim and lusterless.

"It seems only certain special pills are effective," Mo Guang said flatly.

"Perhaps. Only the Wangxi Pill and that unknown golden pill from Qi Minghao have worked so far. Anyway, once we reach the Cold Flame Sect, I'll ask for another Wangxi Pill to study. Maybe then I'll understand." Han Li touched the small bottle inside his robe and said calmly.

...

Half a month later, above a lush mountain range of overlapping peaks, a peculiar crescent-shaped spirit boat sailed slowly.

On the boat stood one man and three women—Han Li, Gu Yunyue, and the others.

"Fellow Daoist Han, Meng Han, Le'er, this Spirit Flame Mountain Range is the mountain gate of our Cold Flame Sect," Gu Yunyue said with a smile, her gaze sweeping over the forests below.

"Stable spirit veins, dense spiritual energy—truly a rare blessed land," Han Li said, his eyes gleaming as he nodded.

Yu Menghan felt a surge of joy at first, but after looking around, she turned to Gu Yunyue with a puzzled expression.

The little fox girl gripped the edge of the boat, leaning out to look around, but saw only lush forests and ancient trees, with no sign of any sect buildings. She couldn't help asking:

"Brother, I also feel the spiritual energy here is very rich, but I don't see any sect at all?"

"Every major sect has a protective formation to conceal itself. We are now outside the formation, like standing outside a high wall—naturally, we can't see the scenery inside," Han Li said with a smile.

Liu Le'er and Yu Menghan nodded, somewhat understanding.

"Fellow Daoist Han, please wait a moment while I send word," Gu Yunyue said to Han Li.

With that, she turned her wrist, and a palm-sized golden token engraved with a flame pattern appeared in her hand.

As a light flickered on the token, the flame pattern suddenly trembled, as if it had truly ignited.

A beam of light shot from the token, straight down into the mountain range below.

A moment later, ripples suddenly appeared in the void beneath the spirit boat, and a faint, almost invisible arc-shaped pale golden light curtain emerged.

Looking up, the entire Spirit Flame Mountain Range, stretching for hundreds of miles, seemed to be covered by this light curtain.

"Truly worthy of being one of the great sects of the realm—the aura is indeed impressive," Han Li said, his gaze sweeping over as if in admiration.

Liu Le'er and Yu Menghan, gripping the edge of the boat, wore expressions of utter disbelief, their beautiful eyes darting around as they scanned below.

Beneath the pale golden light curtain, amidst the dense forests, palaces, towers, pavilions, and terraces were scattered everywhere.

Some hung alone on high cliffs, others clustered together to form garden complexes, some nestled in valleys and ravines, and others perched on mountainsides as unique courtyards.

At the center of the entire mountain range stood over a dozen peaks far taller than the rest, shrouded in white mist and purple qi, with rainbows leaping between them, exuding the aura of a celestial blessed land.

"It's so beautiful..." Yu Menghan couldn't help but exclaim.

Liu Le'er nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Fellow Daoist Han, Elder Luo is waiting for us at Chuyun Peak. Let's go there now," Gu Yunyue said, clearly in high spirits, a noticeable smile on her face.

Han Li nodded.

As the spirit boat passed through the light curtain, he sensed a divine sense probing him—it should be this Elder Luo.

After they officially entered the Cold Flame Sect, Liu Le'er curiously looked up and saw that the light curtain had disappeared, leaving only the blue sky and white clouds in view.

The spirit boat flew toward the central part of the mountain range, eventually descending toward a verdant peak that towered into the clouds.

At the foot of the peak was a wide white stone plaza, where a burly man stood, looking in the direction of the spirit boat.

This man had a rugged face, wore an ochre-yellow robe with a black belt, and his chest muscles were clearly outlined. From the aura he emitted, he was unmistakably a Deity Transformation cultivator.