Chapter 6551 - 6560

The two went downstairs to check out. The elderly cultivator, who was dozing behind the counter, was startled awake by the footsteps. He looked up, saw Kai, and quickly stood up, a smile plastered on his face.

“Sir, are you leaving already?”

“Yes.”

Kai placed the room key on the counter. “Going north out of the city, is there anything I should be careful about on the road?”

The elderly cultivator thought for a moment, then lowered his voice: “Going northeast out of the city leads to the Qingyun Mountains. That road isn’t safe; there have been quite a few people there recently. Be careful, sir, and don’t meddle in other people’s business. If you can avoid it, take a detour.”

Kai nodded, without asking any further questions.

The two left the inn, crossed the narrow streets of the city, and headed towards the north gate.

The north gate of Fire Crow City was much smaller than the south gate, and the city walls were also lower. Only two True Immortal Realm cultivators stood lazily against the sides of the gate, barely paying attention to those coming and going.

Outside the north gate was a dirt road extending northward, its surface full of potholes, with sparse withered grass and scattered bushes on both sides.

In the distance stretched rolling hills, barren of vegetation, revealing gray-brown rocks that appeared particularly desolate in the morning light.

According to the map, a two-day journey north from here would lead to the outer edge of the Azure Cloud Mountains.

Continuing northeast from the Azure Cloud Mountains, passing through an area marked “infested with demonic beasts,” and then another three days north, one would reach the edge of the Northern Netherworld Abyss.

Kai did not choose to fly.

Not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t want to.

The battle in the Fallen God Wasteland had made him realize that the dangers of the Eighteenth Heaven extended far beyond the visible forces. The ancient remnants of souls slumbering deep within the wasteland, the spatial rifts scattered throughout, and the demonic beasts and demonic cultivators lurking in the shadows were all threats that could not be ignored.

Flying, though fast, made him a large target, easily becoming a sitting duck.

Walking, though slower, was safer and made it easier to spot the hidden threats.

The two walked north along the dirt road at a moderate pace.

Kai’s divine sense maintained maximum coverage, perceiving everything within a hundred miles.

Just as they had walked about three or four miles from Fire Crow City, they heard hurried footsteps behind them.

Kai turned his head slightly, his peripheral vision catching sight of a group of people rushing towards them from the north gate of Fire Crow City.

There were about twelve or thirteen people, dressed in robes of various colors, each with a uniform magical artifact at their waist: a crimson short sword with flame patterns engraved on its scabbard.

Their cultivation levels were generally between the ninth rank of True Immortal and the first rank of Golden Immortal, with the leader being slightly higher, at the peak of the first rank of Golden Immortal.

The group walked quickly and in unison, clearly an organized and disciplined group.

As they passed Kai and Jiang Xuelan, the leader glanced at Kai, his gaze lingering briefly on the Dragon-Slaying Sword at his waist, before withdrawing his gaze without saying a word and leading his men to continue their rapid northward journey.

The group quickly disappeared into the distant hills, leaving only a trail of deep footprints and a cloud of dust.

Jiang Xuelan frowned slightly as she watched the direction the group had disappeared in. “These people don’t seem to be rogue cultivators.”

“No,”

Kai nodded. “Their steps were too synchronized. Although their magical artifacts and robes weren’t uniform, the short swords at their waists were standard, indicating they came from the same organization. And…”

He paused, “They carried the aura of the divine race.”

“The divine race?” Jiang Xuelan was somewhat surprised. “People from the Fire God lineage?”

“I don’t know.”

Kai shook his head. “Let’s go, ignore them.”

Kai withdrew his gaze and continued north.

The two walked for about another hour. The hills gradually became steeper, and the dirt road became narrower and narrower, finally disappearing into a rocky wasteland.

The map showed that there was no road from here on, and they could only rely on their sense of direction to continue heading northeast.

Just as Kai was about to take out the map jade slip to confirm the direction, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from ahead.

The sound was chaotic, with shouts, the clash of weapons, and the roars of wild beasts.

The roar was deep and powerful, like the rage of some large beast, each roar causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Jiang Xuelan heard it too; her hand was already on her sword hilt, her gaze warily fixed on the direction from which the sound came.

Kai closed his eyes, extending his divine sense forward. After a moment, he opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in his purple eyes.

“There are people ahead,”

he said. “More than twenty people are besieging a demonic beast. That beast is no ordinary creature; its entire body is engulfed in flames. More than twenty cultivators have been attacking it for a long time without success, and quite a few have already been injured.”

“More than twenty people besieging a demonic beast and still can’t defeat it?” Jiang Xuelan was somewhat surprised. “What kind of demonic beast is so powerful?”

Kai didn’t answer, because he sensed a violent, primal fire-attribute aura emanating from those cultivators.

But it wasn’t from the gods.

It was from the demons.

And specifically, from the Flame Demon lineage of the demons .

“Let’s go, let’s go take a look.” Without hesitation, Kai led Jiang Xuelan toward the direction from which the sound came.

Instead of swaggering over, the two stealthily approached the battlefield under the cover of rocks and bushes.

After crossing a small hill, the sight before them made Jiang Xuelan gasp.

It was a relatively flat valley, surrounded by steep cliffs. The valley floor was covered with pebbles and withered grass, the ground riddled with craters.

In the center of the valley, a gigantic beast roared.

The beast was about three zhang tall and over five zhang long, resembling a lion magnified countless times, but its body was hairless, covered instead with dark red scales.

Crimson flames burned on the scales, flowing across their surface like magma flowing across cracked earth.

Its head was enormous, with a single, curved horn protruding from its forehead, wreathed in even more intense flames, the color of which had changed from crimson to dark gold, the temperature so high that even the air itself seemed to distort and warp.

Its four claws were deeply embedded in the ground, each swing leaving several feet deep trenches in the rock, the rock within melted by the intense heat into crimson magma that flowed slowly.

Its tail was about two zhang long, ending in a bone hammer covered in barbs, which itself burned with flames.

Each tail swung, the bone hammer slammed into the ground, creating a crater over ten zhang deep, scattering rubble and flames everywhere.

“This is…” Jiang Xuelan looked at the beast, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes, “The Lava Lion King?”

“You know it?” Kai asked in a low voice.

“I’ve seen it in ancient books,” Jiang Xuelan said in a low voice. “The Lava Lion King, an ancient demonic beast, is said to have the bloodline of an ancient fire beast flowing through its veins. An

adult Lava Lion King’s combat power is comparable to a third or fourth-grade Golden Immortal, and its scales have extremely strong resistance to holy light and divine fire, making it very difficult to deal with. This creature was almost extinct in ancient times; I didn’t expect it to still exist in the Eighteenth Heaven.”

Third or fourth-grade Golden Immortal.

Kai’s gaze swept over the Lava Lion King, estimating its combat power.

Clearly, this Lava Lion King was not yet an adult and hadn’t reached the combat power of a fourth-grade Golden Immortal.

Otherwise, these cultivators would have been dead long ago.

However, with his current strength, killing this demonic beast wouldn’t be difficult.

But the cultivators currently besieging the Lava Lion King obviously didn’t have that kind of strength.
In the valley, more than twenty cultivators were frantically attacking the Lava Lion King.

Their robes were of various colors, and they all wore standardized magical artifacts at their waists, but this time not short swords, but various different weapons: spears, broadswords, battle axes, and iron hammers, each burning with dark red flames.

These flames were different from the golden sacred fire of the Flame God Palace; they were deeper in color, hotter, and more violent, carrying a primal sense of destruction.

It was the supreme fire of the demon race.

Kai’s purple eyes swept over these cultivators, discerning their cultivation levels.

Most were at the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm, a few at the first level of the Golden Immortal Realm, and the leader was a burly, bald man at the second level of the Golden Immortal Realm, wielding a double-edged battle axe burning with dark red flames. Each strike left a shallow wound on the Lava Lion King’s scales.

However, the Lava Lion King’s regenerative abilities were astonishing; the wounds healed quickly under the scorching flames, causing no real damage.

The attack of over twenty people seemed fierce, but to the Lava Lion King, it was merely a tickle.

Each counterattack from the Lava Lion King posed a significant threat to these cultivators.

Kai saw four or five corpses lying at the edge of the valley; some were charred by the flames, some were smashed into mincemeat by the lion’s claws, and one had been struck by the lion’s tail’s bone hammer, half his body gone.

Their blood seeped into the gravel and sand, staining the valley edge dark red.

“At this rate, these twenty-odd people won’t last long,”

Jiang Xuelan whispered. “That Lava Lion King hasn’t even used its full strength yet.”

Kai remained silent, his gaze continuing to observe the battlefield.

He noticed that although these cultivators weren’t individually strong, their teamwork was remarkably efficient.

They were divided into three groups: one group focused on the front, drawing the Lava Lion King’s attention; one group harassed and restrained it from the flanks; and one group provided ranged attacks from the rear using magical artifacts.

Whenever a comrade was injured, others would immediately step in, and the wounded would be quickly dragged to the rear for treatment.

This kind of teamwork couldn’t be developed overnight; it showed that this group had fought together for a long time and had a deep trust in each other.

“The Demon Clan’s battle formations,”

Kai said softly. “Unlike the God Clan, their formations are more flexible and emphasize individual coordination.”

“Demon Clan?” Jiang Xuelan was somewhat surprised. “You mean, these people are demons?”

“Yes. The Flame Demon lineage.”

Kai’s gaze fell on the bald man’s forehead, where there was a dark red flame pattern, easily overlooked if not carefully examined. “See that pattern?

That’s the mark of the Flame Demon lineage. Every Flame Demon has it on their forehead, but it can usually be hidden with magic power. It will appear when magic power fluctuates violently during battle.”

Kai himself possessed the Demon Clan’s supreme fire and knew the Flame Demon lineage well.

Jiang Xuelan looked closely and indeed found that not only the bald man, but other cultivators also had dark red patterns of varying shades on their foreheads.

“The Flame Demon lineage…aren’t they supposed to be mortal enemies with the Fire God lineage, the divine race? How dare they hunt demonic beasts on the territory of the Flame God Palace?” Jiang Xuelan asked.

“Precisely because they are mortal enemies, that’s why they hunt them.”

Kai’s gaze deepened. “The Flame Demon lineage and the Fire God lineage share the same origin, both wielding the power of the laws of fire. But the Fire God lineage’s holy light follows the path of light, while the Flame Demon lineage’s ultimate fire follows the path of destruction.

They restrain each other, yet also need each other. If the Flame Demon lineage can hunt demonic beasts like the Lava Lion King, which have the bloodline of ancient fire beasts flowing through their veins, and cultivate using the essence and inner core of these beasts, their cultivation can advance by leaps and bounds. And the Fire God lineage’s territory has the most of these demonic beasts.”

“That’s why they dare to take such a great risk, venturing deep into the Flame God Palace’s territory.”

Just then, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

The Lava Lion King seemed enraged by the harassment from these cultivators. It roared to the sky, the sound waves spreading outwards like a tangible shockwave.

The bald, burly man was the first to be hit, thrown backward by the shockwave, crashing into the rock wall and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

The other cultivators were also thrown about, some of the lower-level cultivators unconscious. Taking advantage of

the moment, the Lava Lion King pounced on the fallen bald man, its jaws wide open, a ball of blazing dark golden flame condensing within, the temperature so high it seemed to ignite the surrounding air.

The bald man tried to dodge, but his body was numb from the shockwave, unable to move.

A flicker of despair flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by madness.

He bit his tongue, his blood essence burning, his body surging with intense heat, preparing to fight the Lava Lion King to the death.

Just then, a crimson light streaked across the valley, striking the Lava Lion King precisely in the head.

It was an arrow burning with intense fire. The arrow itself wasn’t particularly powerful, but its angle was extremely precise, striking the Lava Lion King precisely in the left eyelid.

The Lava Lion King, in pain, prematurely spewed out its dark golden flames, deviating from its trajectory and slamming into the rock wall beside the bald man.

A large hole, several meters deep, was blasted into the rock wall, scattering debris and lava everywhere.

The bald man seized the opportunity to scramble out of the Lava Lion King’s attack range, panting heavily.

“Brother, are you alright?” A young cultivator wielding a longbow ran to his side and helped him up.

“I’m fine.” The bald man wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze fixed on the valley entrance, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

But there was nothing there.

Enraged by the arrow, the Lava Lion King abandoned its pursuit of the bald man and instead pounced on the ranged cultivators.

The cultivators scattered and fled, but the Lava Lion King was too fast, catching up with two slower cultivators in the blink of an eye.

With a single swipe of its claw, the two cultivators were smashed into mincemeat before they could even scream, blood and bits of flesh splattering everywhere.

“Don’t panic! Maintain formation!” the bald giant roared, dragging his wounded body back to the battlefield.

The other cultivators quickly regrouped and continued to surround the Lava Lion King.

But Kai could see that their morale had plummeted.

Seven or eight people were dead, and more than half were wounded, while the Lava Lion King was almost unharmed except for a minor injury to its left eye.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before all twenty-odd people were wiped out.

Jiang Xuelan also realized this, turning to look at Kai with a questioning look in her eyes.

Kai shook his head, signaling her not to move.

It wasn’t that he was cold-blooded, but that he was waiting.

Waiting not for these people to be wiped out, but for another group.

He had sensed it long ago: atop the rocky cliffs on the north side of the valley, a group of cultivators from Fire Raven City were hidden in the shadows, observing the battlefield.

Their presence was well-concealed, but it couldn’t escape Kai’s divine sense.

That group didn’t attack; they were waiting.

They waited until the demon cultivators and the Lava Lion King were both severely weakened before emerging to clean up the mess. Sure enough, after about half an incense stick’s time, more than half of the demon cultivators had been killed or wounded, and the Lava Lion King was also seriously injured. Its left eye was completely blinded, and many of its scales were scorched through by the extreme fire, revealing the flesh emitting black smoke.

Although it was powerful, it was fighting twenty against one, and the demon’s extreme fire could indeed harm it. The prolonged battle had left it exhausted.

Kai noticed that the Lava Lion King’s speed had slowed considerably compared to the beginning, and the flames in its mouth were no longer as intense.

It began to show signs of retreat, attempting to break through and escape several times, but was desperately stopped by the demon cultivators.

The bald, burly man was covered in blood, his left arm hanging limply at his side, clearly broken.

His battle axe was stained with the Lava Lion King’s dark golden blood, and the blade was chipped, but it still stood firmly in front of the Lava Lion King.

“Brothers!”

His voice was hoarse but firm. “Hold on a little longer! This beast won’t live much longer! Once we kill it and take its inner core, we can…”

Before he could finish, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the valley floor.

“Can what?”

The bald, burly man looked up sharply, his pupils contracting sharply.

Above the rock wall, twelve or thirteen figures slowly rose, looking down at the valley.

It was the group Kai had encountered outside Fire Raven City.

The leader was a middle-aged man, dressed in a crimson robe, with a crimson dagger hanging at his waist. His face was stern, and a golden flame pattern gleamed in the morning light between his brows.

It was the mark of the Fire God lineage.

The bald, burly man recognized the mark, and his face instantly turned ashen.

“People from the Fire God Palace.” His voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, each word filled with deep-seated hatred.

“Fire God Palace?”

The middle-aged man leading the group sneered. “It’s Flame God Palace. The legitimate lineage of the Fire God in the Eighteenth Heaven is Flame God Palace, not some Fire God Palace. You demon bastards can’t even remember your own names, yet you dare to come to our territory to hunt demonic beasts?”

His gaze swept across the valley, looking at the demonic cultivators lying dead and wounded on the ground, then at the Lava Lion King covered in injuries, a satisfied smile curving his lips.

“Not bad, very well done. Saved us a lot of effort.”

The bald, burly man gripped his battle axe tightly, the dark red lines on his forehead becoming even more pronounced with anger. “This was our prey, we hunted it first. If you want to reap the rewards, you’ll have to ask my axe for permission.”

“Your axe?”

The middle-aged man glanced contemptuously at the bald man’s dulled battle axe. “A mere second-grade Golden Immortal demon brat, leading a bunch of defeated soldiers, dares to negotiate with me?”

He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold. “This is the territory of our Flame God Palace. You demon cultivators, daring to trespass and hunt demonic beasts, are already guilty of a capital offense.

I’m giving you two choices—either lay down your weapons, surrender, and come back to the Flame God Palace with me for judgment. Or…”

He drew a crimson short sword from his waist, golden holy flames instantly igniting on the blade, “…and die now.”

“Bullshit!”

A young cultivator behind the bald, burly man couldn’t help but curse. “When did this area become your Flame God Palace’s territory? You can at least control a wretched place like Fire Raven City, but what right do you have to call the shots in this desolate wilderness?”

The middle-aged man’s gaze fell on the young cultivator, his eyes like those of someone looking at a dead man.

“Why?”

He laughed, a cold smile. “Because we are the gods, and you are the demons. It’s only natural for gods to kill demons. Do we need any other reason?”

Before he finished speaking, more than a dozen cultivators behind him simultaneously drew their short swords, golden holy flames burning on the blades, illuminating the entire valley.

The demon cultivators instinctively took a step back, protecting their wounded companions behind them.

Their eyes were filled with anger and resentment, but even more so with a deep-seated sense of powerlessness.

The hatred between the gods and demons had lasted for countless millennia. The gods considered themselves the orthodox race, regarding the demons as heretics; whenever they met, it was a fight to the death.

On this land, the power of the gods far surpassed that of the demons, forcing demon cultivators to hide in the shadows, eking out a living like rats.

The bald, burly man gritted his teeth; he knew today was unlikely to end well.

It was either death here or a desperate fight to carve a bloody path through.

“Brothers,”

he said, his voice low but clear to every demon cultivator, “today might be our last. But even in death, we’ll take a few down with us. Are you afraid?”

“No!”

A dozen demon cultivators roared in unison, their voices echoing through the valley, drowning out the Lava Lion King’s growl.

They raised their weapons, dark red flames burning on them, a stark contrast to the golden holy light of the gods.

The two opposing forces of fire clashed in the valley, the air distorting in the intense heat, the ground cracking.

A flicker of surprise crossed the middle-aged man’s eyes; he clearly hadn’t expected these demon cultivators to have the courage to fight to the death in such dire circumstances.

But after the initial surprise came an even colder killing intent.

“Seeking death.”

He waved his hand, and more than a dozen cultivators behind him rushed out simultaneously, leaping down the rock face and pouncing on the demon cultivators in the valley.

Golden holy flames and dark red supreme fire collided in mid-air, creating a deafening explosion.

The two flames were inherently incompatible; their collision generated violent fluctuations of spiritual energy. Each collision was like a small spiritual energy explosion, scattering the surrounding air in all directions.

Kai and Jiang Xuelan hid behind a pile of rubble in the distance, quietly watching this battle between gods and demons.

Jiang Xuelan’s hand remained firmly on the hilt of her sword, her fingers turning white from the pressure.

She wasn’t trying to help, but rather preparing to deal with any attacks that might affect them.

“Who do you think will win?” she asked softly.

“The gods,” Kai’s answer was brief.

“Why? Although the demons are fewer in number, their individual strength is greater than that of the gods. That bald man is a second-grade Golden Immortal, while the leader of the gods is only at the peak of the first-grade Golden Immortal.”

“It’s not a matter of strength,”

Kai shook his head, “it’s about their condition. The demons have been fighting the Lava Lion King for a long time, suffering more than half their casualties, their stamina is exhausted, and their spiritual energy is depleted. The gods, on the other hand, are well-rested and in perfect condition. Even if their individual strength is inferior to that of the demons, they can overwhelm them with sheer numbers.”

His gaze fell on the center of the battlefield, where the bald giant was engaged in fierce combat with the middle-aged man.

The bald, burly man’s second-grade Golden Immortal realm was indeed a minor realm higher than the middle-aged man’s peak first-grade Golden Immortal realm. However, he was injured; his left arm was broken, and most of his spiritual energy was depleted, making each swing of his axe feel strained.

The middle-aged man, on the other hand, was in perfect condition. The holy light flames on his short sword were intense yet stable, and his swordsmanship was exquisite, each strike aimed at the bald man’s vital points.

With this disparity in strength, the bald man gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. Elsewhere, the demon cultivators were suffering a crushing defeat.

While the number of gods wasn’t much greater than the demons, nearly half the demons had lost their fighting ability, and the rest were heavily wounded and unable to withstand the gods’ onslaught.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, three more demon cultivators fell.

The bald, burly man roared, trying to rush to their aid, but was forced back by the middle-aged man’s sword.

“Don’t rush,”

the middle-aged man sneered, “One at a time, it’ll be your turn soon.”

The bald man’s eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding together.

He knew he might really die here today, but he was unwilling to accept it.

He had expended so much effort, lost so many brothers, and was about to defeat the Lava Lion King, only to encounter the gods at this crucial moment.

He would rather die under the Lava Lion King’s claws than at the hands of the gods.

At least dying at the hands of a demon beast was a warrior’s way of dying.

To be killed by the gods was humiliating.

Just then, the battlefield situation suddenly changed.

Whether provoked by the holy flames of the gods or sensing something else, the Lava Lion King suddenly went berserk.

Its body swelled dramatically, the flames on its scales turned from crimson to dark gold, and the single horn on its forehead blazed with a blazing white flame.

This was its life-saving technique—burning its life essence to temporarily boost its combat power to at least the fourth rank of the Golden Immortal realm.

Using this move would severely deplete the Lava Lion King’s life force, leaving it weak for at least several years, even decades, after the battle.

But at this moment, it couldn’t care less.

It roared to the sky, the sound wave several times stronger than before, causing countless cracks to appear in the rock walls surrounding the valley, and debris rained down.

The cultivators of the gods and demons were all thrown about by the shockwave; several with lower cultivation levels bled from all seven orifices and collapsed to the ground.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the Lava Lion King charged towards the valley exit; it was trying to escape.

“Stop it!” the middle-aged man shouted, taking the lead in chasing after the Lava Lion King.

If he could capture a Lava Lion King alive and present it to the Flame God Palace, he could at least advance three levels and receive a personal reward from the Palace Master.

He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by.

The bald, burly man also gave chase, not for anything else but the inner core.

It was something he had obtained with the lives of more than a dozen brothers, and he absolutely couldn’t let the gods take it away.

Cultivators from both the gods and demons chased after the Lava Lion King simultaneously, and the scene became chaotic.

Although the Lava Lion King had gone berserk, it was still severely injured, and its speed was far less than its peak.

Just as it reached the valley exit, it was slashed in the back by the middle-aged man’s sword. Golden holy flames exploded on its scales, scorching the dark red scales black.

The Lava Lion King, in pain, turned and pounced on the middle-aged man, its horn, burning with blazing white flames, aimed for the middle-aged man’s chest.

The middle-aged man couldn’t dodge in time, and the horn grazed his left arm, instantly burning it to a charred remains.

He screamed and flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the bald giant rushed to the Lava Lion King, raised his battle axe, and cleaved it towards the lion’s neck.

This axe strike concentrated all his power and life essence; dark red flames condensed on the axe blade into a three-foot-long blade of light, slashing down with unstoppable force.

The axe blade struck the Lava Lion King’s neck, and dark golden blood gushed out, splattering the bald giant’s face.

The Lava Lion King let out a piercing scream, its body twisting violently, the bone hammer on its tail slamming into the bald giant’s chest.

The bald giant’s chest caved in, the sound of breaking ribs clearly audible.

He coughed up blood, was sent flying, crashing against the rock wall, sliding down, never to rise again.

Although the Lava Lion King wasn’t decapitated, the wound on its neck was extremely deep, dark golden blood gushing out like a fountain; its life force was rapidly draining away.

It staggered, trying to continue its escape, but after only a few steps, it collapsed to the ground from blood loss, its massive body leaving a long trail of blood.

The cultivators of both the gods and demons stopped, staring at the fallen Lava Lion King, none daring to approach.

Although the beast was on its last breath, its final, desperate attack was enough to kill anyone who came near.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate, neither daring to make the first move.

The middle-aged man rose from the ground, his left arm charred black, completely useless.

His face was deathly pale, but the killing intent in his eyes remained undiminished.

“You demon bastards,”

his voice trembled with pain, but remained icy, “your people are either dead or wounded, what do you have left to fight us for? If you know what’s good for you, lay down your weapons, and I might consider giving you a quick death.”

The bald, burly man leaned against the rock wall, blood gushing from his mouth, but his gaze remained defiant.

“Bullshit!” he spat out the words through clenched teeth with his last strength.

The middle-aged man’s face was extremely grim.

He raised the short sword in his right hand, golden holy flames burning on the blade, and walked towards the bald, burly man.

He wanted to kill this ignorant demon brat with his own hands.

One step, two steps, three steps.

His steps were slow, each step heavy, as if he were enjoying the hunt.

The bald, burly man closed his eyes, not out of fear, but because he didn’t want to see the smug faces of the gods.

“Die.”

The middle-aged man raised the short sword, aiming for the bald, burly man’s neck.

Then, his body suddenly froze.

The short sword stopped in mid-air, only an inch away from the bald, burly man’s neck.

The middle-aged man’s pupils suddenly dilated, his mouth opened, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

An arrow burning with dark red flames pierced through his chest, the arrowhead protruding from his chest, bringing with it a spray of golden blood.

He looked down at the arrow in his chest, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This was… the supreme fire of the demon race?

But how could the supreme fire of the demon race be so powerful?

His consciousness was rapidly fading, and his body slowly fell forward, crashing to the ground in front of the bald, burly man.

Golden blood gushed from his wounds, pooling on the ground.

The bald, burly man opened his eyes, saw the middle-aged man lying before him, and was initially stunned. Then, he abruptly looked up in the direction from which the arrow had come.

Three dark red beams of light descended from the sky above the valley.

The beams struck the ground, creating three craters about ten feet deep.

As the light dissipated, three figures were revealed.

All three were demon cultivators, two men and one woman.

The two men were burly, with rugged faces, and the dark red markings on their foreheads were more pronounced than the bald man’s. Their cultivation was around the third rank of the Golden Immortal realm.

They wore dark red armor, inscribed with complex fiery runes, and wielded swords burning with intense fire. Their entire bodies radiated a violent killing intent.

However, that killing intent was not directed at the bald man and his companion, but rather at the gods.
The woman made Kai freeze.

She stood between two burly male cultivators, appearing remarkably slender.

She wore a dark red dress embroidered with burning flame patterns on the hem, and her long, ink-black hair swayed gently in the wind.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her brows carrying an innate nobility and aloofness, but her eyes were dark red, like burning embers, or deep, blood-red gems, shimmering with an eerie light in the morning light.

Upon seeing this face, Kai was instantly stunned.

Because he recognized this woman.

Su Yuqi, the woman he had longed for.

The woman who had followed him from the very beginning of the mortal world.

The woman who had followed him from the mortal world to the Celestial Realm.

He wanted to stand up, to rush out, to call out her name.

But his shoulder was held firmly by a hand.

Jiang Xuelan.

Her strength wasn’t great, but that hand felt like it was made of iron, firmly pressing down on Kai’s shoulder, preventing him from moving.

“Let go.” Kai’s voice was low, so low that only Jiang Xuelan could hear it.

“No.”

“No.”

Jiang Xuelan’s voice was equally low, but her tone left no room for argument. “Look carefully, she’s a demon now, and she’s on the territory of the Flame God Palace. If you rush out now, you’ll harm her.” Chen

Ping froze.

Jiang Xuelan was right.

Su Yuqi was now a demon, and clearly held a high position within the demon race. The two Golden Immortal realm demon cultivators were half a step behind her, indicating that her status was above theirs.

Kai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse in his heart, and slowly, little by little, released his grip on the sword.

But his gaze never left the dark red figure.

In the valley, Su Yuqi’s appearance stunned everyone.

The divine race cultivators, seeing the corpses of their companions on the ground, seeing Su Yuqi and the two Golden Immortal realm level three cultivators behind her, showed fear for the first time on their faces.

Golden Immortal realm level three.

In the Eighteenth Heaven, this cultivation level wasn’t top-tier, but for these lower-level divine cultivators, a third-grade Golden Immortal was an overwhelming force.

Moreover, the opponent wasn’t just one Golden Immortal, but two, plus a woman whose cultivation was unfathomable.

“Retreat!” someone among the divine cultivators shouted, turning and running.

The others followed, abandoning their weapons and the corpses of their companions, fleeing wildly towards the edge of the valley.

Su Yuqi didn’t chase.

She didn’t even glance at the fleeing divine cultivators.

Her gaze swept across the valley, looking at the heavily wounded demon cultivators lying on the ground, her brow furrowing slightly.

Then, she raised her right hand, a ball of dark red supreme fire condensing in her palm. The supreme

fire wasn’t large, only about the size of a fist, but the power contained within it made Kai, hiding in the distance, feel a chill.

Second-grade Golden Immortal? Or third-grade? Or even higher?

Su Yuqi’s cultivation was far higher than he had anticipated.

She tossed the supreme fire in her hand into the air, where it exploded into dozens of tiny fire lines, precisely striking each of the wounded demon cultivators.

These fire lines didn’t burn their bodies; instead, they transformed into warm spiritual energy, flowing into their meridians and healing their injuries.

The bald giant’s chest dent healed visibly, broken ribs rejoined, and internal injuries rapidly healed.

In less than ten breaths, all the surviving demon cultivators regained their mobility.

They struggled to their feet, knelt before Su Yuqi, foreheads pressed to the ground, their posture utterly devout.

“Thank you for saving our lives, my lord!”

Su Yuqi didn’t speak, only nodded slightly.

Her gaze fell on the dying Lava Lion King, a flicker of emotion flashing in her dark red eyes.

She walked to the Lava Lion King, bent down, and placed her hand on his forehead.

Sensing the aura of the supreme fire in her palm, the Lava Lion King trembled violently, as if in fear, yet also in submission.

Su Yuqi’s hand lingered on the Lava Lion King’s forehead for a moment before she withdrew it.

A fist-sized, dark golden inner core appeared in her palm, its surface swirling with intense flame patterns and emanating a rich aura of an ancient fire beast.

The Lava Lion King’s life force rapidly dissipated; its massive body slowly lost its temperature, and the flames on its scales extinguished layer by layer.

Finally, it closed its still-intact eye and died completely.

Su Yuqi stored the inner core in her storage ring, straightened up, and her gaze swept over the kneeling demon cultivators once more.

“Take your companion’s body and leave this place.” Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable authority.

“Yes!” The bald, burly man kowtowed heavily, then stood up and directed the other cultivators to clean up the battlefield and move their companion’s body.

Su Yuqi turned to leave, but at that moment, her gaze suddenly froze.

She looked at a pile of rubble outside the valley, a hint of doubt flashing in her dark red eyes.

She sensed something.

Someone was watching her from there.

It wasn’t a cultivator from the Divine Race; they had all fled long ago.

Nor was it a cultivator from the Demon Race; all the Demon Race members were here.

It was… someone else.

Her brow furrowed slightly, her gaze lingering on the pile of rubble for a moment.

Then, she sensed a familiar aura.

That aura seemed…

no, that couldn’t be, how could this aura appear in the Eighteenth Heaven?

She shook her head, dismissing the thought.

Impossible.

He couldn’t be here.

She took a deep breath, turned, and leaped into the air. Her dark red figure drew an arc in the air, disappearing into the sky above the valley.

Two Golden Immortal-level Demon Race cultivators followed closely behind, three dark red lights swiftly disappearing into the distance, leaving only a scene of devastation in the valley.

The bald, burly man, along with the remaining Demon Race cultivators, finished cleaning up the battlefield, carrying the Lava Lion King’s corpse, and staggered out of the valley.

Soon, the valley fell silent once more.

All that remained were bloodstains, shattered weapons, and a few corpses of the gods that hadn’t been carried away.

Behind a pile of rubble in the distance, Jiang Xuelan finally released her hand from Kai’s shoulder.

Kai slowly stood up, his gaze following the dark red light that had vanished into the horizon, his purple eyes swirling with complex emotions.

“She didn’t see us,” Jiang Xuelan said softly, standing beside him. “Or rather, she saw us, but wasn’t sure.”

Kai remained silent.

He knew that Su Yuqi’s last glance at the rubble wasn’t because she had discovered them, but because she had sensed his presence.

They were too close.

But she didn’t recognize him.

Not that she couldn’t recognize him, but that she couldn’t believe it.

Su Yuqi probably couldn’t believe she had arrived at the Eighteenth Heaven.

And Kai couldn’t imagine how Su Yuqi could be in the Eighteenth Heaven either.

If Su Yuqi was here, then where was Ning Zhi?

Why hadn’t Ning Zhi appeared with Su Yuqi this time?
“What do you plan to do?” Jiang Xuelan asked.

Kai remained silent for a long time.

He stared in the direction Su Yuqi had disappeared, a direction north, the same direction as the Northern Cold Abyss.

“Keep going,” he finally spoke, his voice regaining its calm, “To the Northern Cold Abyss.”

“And then?”

Kai didn’t answer.

He withdrew his gaze, walked into the valley, squatted down, and picked up a discarded crimson dagger from the ground—the one left behind by the middle-aged man he had killed.

The blade was covered in dust and blood, but it was still sharp.

Kai turned the dagger over; a small character was engraved at the bottom of the hilt—”Flame.”

A standard magical artifact of the Flame God Palace.

He put the dagger into his storage ring and turned to walk towards the northern hills.

Jiang Xuelan followed behind him, without asking any more questions.

She knew what Kai was thinking.

The Northern Cold Abyss was in the north, and the direction Su Yuqi had disappeared in was also north.

This was no coincidence.

Perhaps they would meet again on the way to the Northern Cold Abyss.

Perhaps not.

But in any case, Kai’s gaze was already locked on the north.

In that direction lay not only the ruins of the Ice God’s lineage, but also someone he thought he would never see again.

The two walked in silence for about half an hour. The hills gradually flattened, and the outline of a continuous mountain range appeared in the distance.

That was the Azure Cloud Mountains.

According to the map, crossing the outer perimeter of the Azure Cloud Mountains and traveling north for three days would lead to the Northern Netherworld Abyss.

Kai stopped, took out a map jade slip from his storage bag, and confirmed the direction.

“We’re entering the outer perimeter of the Azure Cloud Mountains from here,” he said. “The map indicates that demonic beasts roam this area; we need to be careful.”

Jiang Xuelan nodded, her hand on her sword hilt, her gaze warily scanning their surroundings.

The two continued forward, walking north along a dry riverbed.

Towering cliffs lined both sides of the riverbed, covered in moss and vines. Occasionally, a few small demonic beasts would dart out from the vines, fleeing quickly upon seeing the two.

Kai’s divine sense maintained maximum coverage; everything within a fifty-mile radius was within his perception.

The battle in the valley had lasted for more than half an hour. The fleeing divine cultivators should have already returned to Fire Raven City, or were on their way back.

They would certainly report their encounter with the demons to the Flame God Palace.

The people of the Flame God Palace would soon know that demons were lurking in the area north of Fire Raven City, and that there were even Golden Immortals of the third rank or higher among them.

This meant that this area would soon become unsafe.

The Flame God Palace might send people to wipe out the demons, or they might seal off the area, or they might even increase patrols.

Kai had to cross the Azure Cloud Mountains and enter the Northern Netherworld Abyss before the large force of the Flame God Palace arrived.

The Northern Netherworld Abyss was an extremely cold forbidden land that even Golden Immortals of the fifth rank were unwilling to easily set foot in, and the people of the Flame God Palace would certainly not pursue them there.

Once they got there, they would be safe.

The two walked for about another hour, and the sky gradually darkened.

The gold and crimson of the three blazing suns had already set below the horizon, leaving only the silvery-white moon hanging in the sky, casting its cold moonlight on the earth.

Kai found a relatively secluded cave and decided to spend the night there.

The cave wasn’t large, about three zhang deep, and the entrance was hidden by vines, making it difficult to spot.

The cave was dry, with no trace of demonic beasts, so it should be a safe temporary shelter.

Jiang Xuelan took out several spirit stones from her storage bag and set up a simple warning array at the cave entrance. If any creature approached, the array would sound an alarm.

Kai sat cross-legged inside the cave, taking out the crimson short sword he had picked up from the valley from his storage ring, examining it closely.

The holy light runes on the blade glowed faintly in the moonlight—the mark of the Flame God Palace.

“Flame God Palace,” Kai murmured, a cold glint flashing in his purple eyes.

His enmity with the gods had been forged in the Celestial Realm.

He needed to find the God King of the gods and force him to release Wan Jianxing.

Wan Jianxing was his sect leader, and Kai was determined to rescue him no matter what.

If the God King refused to release him, Kai wouldn’t hesitate to annihilate the entire god race.

However, not now. Kai was no match for the God King,

nor even for Yan Wuji .

But he knew that day wouldn’t be far off.

He sheathed his short sword, closed his eyes, and slowly circulated the Mind Concentration Technique.

Chaotic power surged through his meridians, replenishing the spiritual energy he had consumed that day.

The Chaotic Fire in his dantian burned quietly, melting spiritual energy, medicinal power, and fragments of laws into the purest chaotic power.

The protective runes of the Great Luo Golden Scripture continued to spread under the nourishment of spiritual energy, and the golden dragon patterns had covered 65% of his skin. He

was one step closer to achieving the Great Golden Body.

Kai already possessed an indestructible golden body, and with the protection of the Great Luo Golden Scripture, the golden dragon patterns spread so quickly.

At the cave entrance, Jiang Xuelan did not enter meditation but sat on a rock, gazing at the faint, icy blue halo on the northern horizon.

The halo was exceptionally clear under the moonlight, like someone had lit an icy blue lamp on the horizon.

That was the direction of the Northern Abyss.

The ruins of the Ice God lineage lay there.

Her fingers gently caressed the hilt of her sword, a complex mix of emotions surging within her.

If members of the Ice God lineage truly lived in the Northern Abyss, what did that mean?

It meant that the Ice God lineage’s patience was stronger than that of other branches.

So many years had passed, and there were still members of the Ice God lineage in the Eighteenth Heaven.

Perhaps even in the Twentieth Heaven, at the Divine Clan’s headquarters, there were members of the Ice God lineage patiently enduring?

She took a deep breath, withdrawing her gaze from the icy blue aura and turning back to the darkness outside the cave.

Something was moving in the darkness.

Jiang Xuelan’s hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her spiritual energy circulating within her, icy blue light swirling around her fingertips.

But she didn’t move, because the creature’s aura was weak; it was just a low-level demonic beast passing by, posing no threat whatsoever.

The beast passed by the cave entrance, not even noticing anyone inside, and hopped away into the darkness.

Jiang Xuelan loosened her grip on her sword hilt and sat down again.

She turned her head and glanced at Kai, who was meditating cross-legged inside the cave.

Purple chaotic energy flowed around him, casting flickering light on his face.

His young face was expressionless, as calm as a stagnant pool.

But Jiang Xuelan knew what turbulent emotions lay hidden beneath that calm surface.

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at the northern horizon.

An icy blue halo flowed silently in the night, like a summons to her.

The Northern Cold Abyss, the lineage of the Ice God.

She would definitely find that place, find the ruins of the Ice God lineage, find the people of the Ice God lineage, find the inheritance of the Ice God lineage.

Not for herself, but for the tens of thousands of years of humiliation and waiting endured by the Ice God lineage. “Xue Lan…” Kai opened his eyes and called out softly.

Jiang Xue Lan was startled. Although Kai didn’t say anything, she saw something in his eyes.

Jiang Xue Lan waved her hand, and the entire cave entrance was enveloped in a white mist, obscuring what was happening inside.

Then Jiang Xue Lan began to undress. After so long, she wanted to cultivate with Kai.

As the two embraced, the temperature inside the cave gradually rose.

And with each thrust, Kai called out Su Yu Qi’s name.

Jiang Xue Lan didn’t care, because she knew that Su Yu Qi’s position in Kai’s heart was irreplaceable.

Meanwhile, in the Flame God Palace.

In the main hall, Yan Wuji sat on the Flame God Throne, his body engulfed in golden flames.

Kneeling before him were three people: Yan Hu and Yan Bao, who had escaped from the Fallen God Wasteland, and the deputy of the middle-aged man who had been killed by Su Yu Qi in the valley earlier that day.

Yan Hu and Yan Bao were covered in wounds. The sword wound on Yan Hu’s chest, though bandaged, was still bleeding. The indentation in Yan Bao’s chest, though treated, still caused him excruciating pain with every breath.

They knelt in the center of the hall, supporting each other, their foreheads pressed to the ground, afraid to look up.

After a day and a night of rest, they finally returned to the Flame God Palace. They

had left full of pride, but now returned in utter disarray.

The deputy, a divine cultivator, trembled violently, his face deathly pale, as if he had just crawled out of the gates of hell. Yan Wuji remained silent

.

He was silent for a long time, so long that everyone in the hall thought he was asleep.

But his eyes were open, his crimson-gold eyes flickering in the flames like two burning stars.

“So,” he finally spoke, his voice chillingly calm, “Yan Po is dead. Thirty Flame Dragon Guards, all wiped out. You two, you fled back in such a sorry state.”

Yan Hu and Yan Bao’s bodies trembled violently.

“Your subordinate is incompetent.”

Yan Hu’s voice was hoarse to the extreme. “That Kai… his chaotic power suppresses all holy light. My Xing Huo is like waste paper before him. Senior Brother Yan Po burned his essence blood to push his cultivation to the threshold of the fourth rank of the Golden Immortal Realm, yet he was still pierced through by Kai’s sword.”

“Pierced through by a single sword.” Yan Wuji repeated these four words, his crimson-gold eyes narrowing slightly.

He stood up, the flames surging with his movement, and the temperature of the entire hall suddenly increased several times.

The divine fire lamps in the hall exploded again, golden sparks flying everywhere. Several disciples kneeling on the ground were hit by the sparks, their skin instantly burned, but they dared not move, not even utter a sound.

“Eighth rank of True Immortal Realm, one sword to kill the peak of the third rank of the Golden Immortal Realm.” Yan Wuji’s voice held a hint of fear that even he himself did not realize. “Just who is this Kai?”

No one could answer this question.

Yan Hu and Yan Bao lowered their foreheads even further, almost touching the ground.

Yan Wuji’s gaze shifted from the Flame Tiger and Flame Leopard to the divine cultivator serving as his assistant.

“What about your side?”

The cultivator trembled, his voice shaking. “Reporting…Reporting to the Palace Master, I was ordered to lead a patrol north of Fire Raven City. Today, on the outskirts of the Azure Cloud Mountains, I discovered a group of demon cultivators hunting the Lava Lion King. I intended to wait until they were both weakened before wiping them out, but…but…”

“But what?”

“But just as I was about to succeed, three powerful demons suddenly appeared. Two were at the third rank of the Golden Immortal realm, and one…and one woman, whose cultivation was at least at the third rank of the Golden Immortal realm. She killed my leader in one move, and I barely escaped with my life.” Yan

Wuji frowned.

Demons.

At least the third rank of the Golden Immortal realm.

These two words together evoked a long-forgotten unease in him.

The demons’ power in the Eighteenth Heaven had always been weak, suppressed by the Flame God Palace and the Bright Hall in the barren lands of the far north, unable to cause any significant trouble.

But recently, the Demon Clan’s activities have become increasingly frequent.

First, someone discovered traces of the Demon Clan on the edge of the Fallen God Wasteland, and now someone has encountered a high-ranking Demon Clan cultivator on the outskirts of the Azure Cloud Mountains.

This doesn’t seem like a coincidence.

“What are the woman’s characteristics?” Yan Wuji asked.

The cultivator thought for a moment, “She wore a dark red dress, had a beautiful face, and a very complex dark red pattern on her forehead, which should be the mark of the Flame Demon lineage. Her supreme fire… the holy light of my subordinates is utterly powerless in front of her, unable to even get close to her.”

A dark red dress, complex patterns, a cultivation level of at least the third rank of the Golden Immortal Realm.

Yan Wuji searched his memory for powerful Demon Clan members, but none matched this description.

He knew all the Golden Immortal Realm cultivators of the Flame Demon lineage, but in the Heavenly Realm, the Demon Clan was always suppressed by the God Clan.

Where the God Clan was, the Demon Clan couldn’t cause any trouble.

But now, a new face has appeared in the Eighteenth Heaven, a new female demon.

“Interesting,” Yan Wuji said softly, a hint of killing intent flashing in his crimson-gold eyes. “What are the demons up to?”

He turned around and sat back on his throne, the flames engulfing him once more.

“Issue the order,”

his voice came from the flames, cold and authoritative. “Send out the first and second teams of the Flame Dragon Guard to seal off all passages north of the Azure Cloud Mountains.

The first team is responsible for searching for Kai’s whereabouts. If you find him, kill him without mercy. Do not capture him alive, just kill him.

The second team is responsible for investigating that demon woman, finding out her identity, origin, and purpose. I want results within three days.”

“Yes!”

The people in the hall acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Yan Wuji sat alone on his throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, producing a dull thud.

Kai, the demon woman, the Fallen God Wasteland, the Azure Cloud Mountains, the Northern Netherworld Abyss…

These words swirled in his mind, like scattered chess pieces, their pattern yet to be found.

But he had a hunch that these pieces would connect into a line.

And the end of that line will definitely not be a good thing for him.

“Whatever you want to do,” Yan Wuji muttered to himself, his crimson-gold eyes flashing coldly in the flames, “on my territory, you have to follow my rules. Whoever breaks the rules will die.”
…

Qingyun Cave Heaven, Enlightenment Cliff.

Master Yuxu still sat cross-legged on the bluestone, his white hair and beard fluttering gently in the night breeze.

Before him floated a bronze Bagua mirror, Yun Yi’s face reflected on its surface.

“Master Uncle,”

Yun Yi’s voice came from the mirror, calm and clear, “This disciple has recorded the details of the battle in the Fallen God Wasteland in a jade slip and sent it back to the cave heaven via the teleportation array. Furthermore, a conflict occurred today on the outskirts of the Qingyun Mountains, where the gods and demons fought over a Lava Lion King.”

“And the result?” Master Yuxu’s voice remained calm.

“More than ten gods died, and the demons also suffered heavy casualties. But in the end, three powerful demons appeared, one of whom, a woman, possessed a cultivation level of at least the third rank of the Golden Immortal Realm. She killed the god leader with a single move. The demons left with the Lava Lion King’s corpse.”

Master Yuxu’s brow twitched slightly.

A demon woman of at least the third rank of the Golden Immortal Realm.

This information interested him more than Kai’s battle.

“What were the woman’s distinguishing features?”

“A dark red dress, a mark of the Flame Demon lineage on her forehead, her cultivation… I can’t quite discern it, but at least at the peak of the third rank of the Golden Immortal realm, possibly higher.”

Yun Yi paused. “There’s something else, Master Uncle might be more interested in.”

“Speak.”

“Before leaving, the woman glanced at a pile of rubble outside the valley. I sensed two people hiding behind that pile of rubble. They were there from beginning to end, witnessing the entire conflict.”

Master Yu Xu’s eyes widened slightly for a moment, then returned to calm.

“Did the woman discover them?”

“Not sure. She looked for a long time, seemed to sense something, but didn’t stop, turned and left.”

Yun Yi said, “I dared not get too close, afraid of being discovered. But when she left, she headed north.”

North.

The direction of the Northern Cold Abyss.

Master Yu Xu’s fingers tapped lightly on his knees, lost in thought.

Kai was going to the Northern Cold Abyss, and so was the woman.

Coincidence?

Or arrangement?

If it was arrangement, whose arrangement?

The Demon Clan?

Or some other force?

“Yun Yi,” Master Yu Xu spoke.

“Disciple is here.”

“Stay close to Kai. Don’t get too close, and don’t let him notice you. If he encounters danger, help him without revealing your identity. If he enters the Northern Cold Abyss… you go in too.”

Yun Yi was silent for a moment. “The Northern Cold Abyss is an extremely cold forbidden area, and my cultivation level…”

“Your Daoist techniques cannot withstand that kind of extreme cold,”

Master Yu Xu interrupted him. “But your Heavenly Wood Sword can. The Heavenly Wood Sword is forged from peach wood struck by lightning ten thousand years ago. Peach wood is warm in nature and can resist all cold. With it, you won’t freeze to death.”

“Disciple understands.”

“Also,”

Master Yu Xu paused, “if you encounter that demon woman, do not engage in conflict with her. Her cultivation level is above yours, and… her background may be more complicated than we imagine.”

Yun Yi did not ask any further questions, accepted the order, and ended the message.

The image in the Bagua Mirror dissipated, returning to an ordinary bronze mirror.

Master Yu Xu placed the bronze mirror on his lap and looked up at the night sky above the Enlightenment Cliff.

The night sky above Qingyun Cave Heaven lacked the blazing sun, only a deep darkness and countless stars.

The stars twinkled in the night sky, like countless eyes watching over this land.

“The inheritor of the Great Luo Golden Scripture, the possessor of Chaos Power, an ally of the Ice God lineage, and now he’s entangled with a woman from the Demon Clan,”

Master Yuxu murmured to himself, his voice carrying an unusual gravity. “Just how many secrets does this young man hold?”

No one could answer him.

The night wind blew across the Enlightenment Cliff, ruffling his white beard and hair, and his azure Daoist robe.

Below the cliff, the blessed land of Qingyun Cave Heaven slept in the night, the waterfall on the sacred peak shimmered with silver light under the moonlight, and cranes rested quietly in the sacred lake.

Everything was peaceful.

But Master Yuxu knew that the peace was merely a facade.

Undercurrents were surging, and a storm was brewing.

And that young man from the lower realm stood at the eye of the storm.

…

The next morning, Kai and Jiang Xuelan continued their journey.

A night’s rest restored Kai’s spiritual energy to its peak. Chaotic power surged through his meridians, and the barrier of the mid-stage eighth rank of True Immortal Realm had become even more pronounced.

One more battle, or perhaps another batch of resources, and he could break through to the late-stage eighth rank of True Immortal Realm.

The two continued north along the dried-up riverbed. After about two hours, the riverbed gradually disappeared, replaced by a dense primeval forest.

This was the outer edge of the Qingyun Mountains.

The trees in the forest were tall and ancient, some probably over ten thousand years old, their trunks so thick that it would take more than a dozen people to encircle them.

Their canopies blocked out the sun, obscuring most of the intense sunlight, with only sparse rays filtering through the leaves to create dappled shadows on the ground.

The air was filled with the damp scent of earth and decaying leaves, occasionally punctuated by birdsong from the depths of the canopy, creating a serene atmosphere.

Kai’s divine sense covered a radius of fifty miles, and he proceeded with extreme caution with every step.

The forest teemed with far more demonic beasts than the outside world. His divine sense had already detected the auras of at least a dozen beasts; some were asleep, some were hunting, and some were fighting amongst themselves.

However, the cultivation levels of these beasts were not high; the strongest was only around the fifth rank of True Immortal, posing no threat to him.

The two walked for about another hour. The forest grew increasingly dense, and the fallen leaves on the ground became thicker, feeling like walking on cotton wool.

Just as Kai was about to take out the map jade slip to confirm their direction, he suddenly stopped.
Kai suddenly stopped, and Jiang Xuelan almost bumped into his back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Kai didn’t answer immediately, but closed his eyes, spreading his divine sense in all directions.

After about ten breaths, he opened his eyes, a complex emotion flashing in his purple eyes.

“There’s the aura of demonic cultivators,” he said, “about twenty miles ahead, not just one, at least a dozen.”

Jiang Xuelan’s hand rested on her sword hilt. “Is it the group from yesterday?”

“No.”

Kai shook his head, his voice low. “That group has already left with the Lava Lion King’s corpse. This group… just entered this area, and their direction of travel is the same as ours.”

He paused, his purple eyes narrowing slightly. “One of them has an aura… that of Su Yuqi.”

Jiang Xuelan was silent for a moment.

She could understand why Kai had become so agitated. In

that fleeting glimpse in the valley yesterday, he seemed completely different; she had clearly seen the impulse of emotions that had been suppressed for so long erupting in an instant.

And now, that aura was only twenty miles ahead.

“Shall we go take a look?” Jiang Xuelan asked tentatively.

Kai stood still, silent for a long time.

His hand gripped the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Sword tightly, then loosened, then gripped again.

Finally, he took a deep breath and shook his head.

“No.”

His voice returned to calm, but that calmness was the result of deliberate suppression, like an undercurrent beneath ice, calm on the surface, yet turbulent deep within. “Continue along the original route to the Northern Abyss.”

“But…”

“She has amnesia; she won’t recognize me if she sees me.”

Kai interrupted Jiang Xuelan. “If she’s here now, it means they’re also going to the Northern Abyss. Since they share the same destination, they’ll meet again.”

He turned and continued walking north, his pace much faster than before.

Jiang Xuelan watched his back, a barely perceptible smile curving her lips, and then followed.

She noticed that although Kai said he “wouldn’t go,” his pace had noticeably quickened.

This was probably what they called “saying one thing but meaning another.”

The two quickened their pace, traversing the dense forest.

Kai’s divine sense remained locked onto the familiar aura ahead, an aura that fluctuated in strength, seemingly deliberately released yet unable to be contained.

The distance was gradually closing.

Twenty li, fifteen li, ten li…

When the distance closed to ten li, Kai’s pace slowed again.

He sensed something more.

There were sixteen demon cultivators in total. Besides Su Yuqi, there were two Golden Immortals, two at the third rank, and one at the second rank.

The remaining thirteen were all at the ninth rank of True Immortal.

These were not scattered individuals, but a well-trained group.

There was a peculiar resonance between their auras, an aura formed only through long-term cultivation and combat together.

What concerned Kai even more was that these demon cultivators were traveling in the same direction as him, heading directly north, towards the Northern Netherworld Abyss.

They were also heading north.

Moreover, they didn’t seem to be in a hurry, their pace neither fast nor slow, always maintaining a distance of about ten li from Kai.

Not too far, not too close, just at the edge of their divine sense’s perception.

This made Kai somewhat uneasy.

What exactly were the demons doing?

Had Su Yuqi discovered his trail and was deliberately waiting for him?

Or were they already heading to the Northern Cold Abyss, and just happened to be traveling the same route?

Or perhaps… they were tracking him?

Kai couldn’t figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

In any case, he and Su Yuqi would eventually meet in the Northern Cold Abyss.

At that time, everything would be answered.

The two walked through the dense forest for about two more hours. The terrain gradually rose, the trees began to thin out, and a chill filled the air.

Kai stopped and took out a jade map to confirm their direction.

According to the map, they had already crossed the outer edge of the Azure Cloud Mountains. After about a day’s journey, they would enter the Northern Cold Abyss.

“Almost there.” Kai put away the jade map and looked north.

The horizon ahead was no longer the outline of continuous mountains, but a hazy gray mist, within which a faint, icy blue light could be seen flowing, like the aurora borealis frozen for millennia.

The halo appeared clearer and more eerie in the daytime than at night.

It wasn’t static, but slowly flowing, like an icy blue river suspended in the sky, flowing silently.

But Kai could sense that the power contained within that halo was terrifying.

It wasn’t the aurora, but a solidified entity of frigid air frozen for hundreds of thousands of years.

Any cultivator below the Golden Immortal realm who came within a hundred miles of that icy blue halo would be frozen into an ice sculpture.

“The Northern Abyss of Cold Water,” Jiang Xuelan said, standing beside him, gazing at the icy blue halo, her voice filled with undisguised awe, “We’re almost there.”

“Yes,” Kai replied, withdrawing his gaze. “Keep going. Try to get as close to the edge of the Northern Abyss of Cold Water as possible before dark, and enter first thing tomorrow morning.”

The two continued onward.

The demonic aura behind him remained close, never too close, always maintaining a distance of about ten miles.

Kai noticed that among the demonic cultivators’ auras, Su Yuqi’s aura was becoming increasingly clear.

It wasn’t because she was getting closer, but because she seemed to no longer deliberately conceal her aura.

The feeling was strange, as if she knew Kai was sensing her, so she intentionally released her aura for him to detect.

Kai’s heart pounded uncontrollably.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and continued walking.

Another hour passed, and the sky began to darken.

The gold and crimson of the three blazing suns had already sunk near the horizon, dyeing the western sky in gold and red.

The silvery-white moon had risen, its cool light spilling across the earth, reflecting the western sunset.

Kai found a relatively flat rocky plateau and decided to spend the night there.

The plateau wasn’t large, only a dozen or so feet in circumference, surrounded by a sparse pine forest. The tree trunks were covered with gray moss, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of pine resin.

Looking north from here, the icy blue halo was much clearer; one could even see faint ice crystals shimmering within it, like countless diamonds suspended in the sky.

Jiang Xuelan set up several warning arrays around the plateau, took out some spiritual fruits from her storage bag, and handed them to Kai.

Kai took them but didn’t eat them.

He sat cross-legged on the edge of the plateau, his gaze fixed on the icy blue halo to the north, his purple eyes reflecting a swirling icy blue light.”Still following us?” Jiang Xuelan walked to his side and asked softly.

Kai nodded. “Ten miles, no more, no less.”

“What do you plan to do?”

Kai was silent for a moment. “We’ll enter the Northern Abyss tomorrow. If they continue to follow, it means their target is also the Northern Abyss. We’ll see how things go then.”

Jiang Xuelan didn’t ask any more questions.

She sat down beside Kai and also looked towards the icy blue halo to the north.

The night wind blew from the north, carrying a biting chill.

That was the cold air emanating from the Northern Abyss. Although it was still hundreds of miles away, the cold air had already reached this place, indicating that the coldness of the Northern Abyss far exceeded what was marked on the map.

Jiang Xuelan shivered.

She was a descendant of the Ice God lineage and cultivated ice-attribute techniques. Ordinary cold was nothing to her.

But the cold air emanating from the Northern Abyss made her feel cold.

This meant that the temperature in the core area of ​​the Northern Abyss was extremely low.

She turned to look at Kai, but found that Kai was expressionless, seemingly completely oblivious to the cold.

Chaotic power circulated around Kai, forming an invisible shield that kept out all the cold air.

Chaos was the origin of all things, encompassing and restraining everything.

This bit of cold air was nothing to him.

Jiang Xuelan withdrew her gaze, took out a white fur cloak from her storage bag and put it on, then took out an ice-blue pill and swallowed it, which slightly relieved the chill in her body.

“You said,” she suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, “that there are really still members of the Ice God lineage in the Northern Abyss?”

Kai did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes, his divine sense probing into his sea of ​​consciousness, trying to awaken the Northern Abyss.

But the remnant soul of the Northern Abyss was as silent as if it were dead, without any response.

“Senior Beiming said he sensed a trace of the Ice God lineage’s bloodline aura.”

Kai opened his eyes, his voice somewhat low, “but he was not sure whether it was a living member of the lineage, a remnant soul, or something sealed within.”

“So… maybe there’s nothing at all?” A hint of disappointment appeared in Jiang Xuelan’s voice.

“It could be anything.”

Kai turned to look at her, his purple eyes shimmering softly in the moonlight. “Whatever it may be, we have to go see. You’ve come all this way with me, haven’t you? You wanted to find your people and revive the Ice God lineage, didn’t you?”

Jiang Xuelan remained silent for a long time, then nodded.

“Sleep.” Kai stood up. “We still have to travel tomorrow.”

He walked to the edge of the plateau, leaned against a pine tree, sat down, placed the Dragon Slayer Sword across his lap, closed his eyes, and slowly circulated the Mind Concentration Technique.

The power of chaos surged through his meridians, gradually dispelling the fatigue of the day.

His divine sense still maintained its maximum coverage, everything within a fifty-mile radius was within his perception.

The auras of those demon cultivators were still there, having stopped in a valley ten miles away, presumably to spend the night.

Su Yuqi’s aura was at the very center of that group of demon cultivators, clear and stable, like a dark red flame burning in the darkness.

Kai sensed that flame, his heart surging with indescribable emotions.

She was just ten miles away.

Ten miles.

For a Golden Immortal cultivator, this distance is merely a blink of an eye.

But he couldn’t go to her.

Not because he didn’t want to, but because he couldn’t.

He didn’t know her current identity, who the demon cultivators around her were, or what her purpose was in appearing near the Northern Cold Abyss.

A hasty recognition might bring trouble to her, and it might bring trouble to himself.

The best way was to wait.

Wait until he reached the Northern Cold Abyss, wait for the opportune moment, wait for everything to become clear.

Kai took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts, and fully activated the Mind Concentration Technique. Chaotic power surged through his meridians, launching an attack towards the late stage of the eighth rank of the True Immortal Realm.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, Kai opened his eyes from meditation, a glint of light flashing in his purple pupils.

Although the night’s cultivation hadn’t allowed him to break through to the late stage of the eighth rank of the True Immortal Realm, the chaotic power in his meridians was more condensed than before, and his total spiritual power had increased significantly.

He was only a thin veil away from breaking through.

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and his bones cracked slightly.

Jiang Xuelan was already dressed and stood on the edge of the plateau, gazing north.

Her attire was different from yesterday; she wore a long, ice-white dress with ice-blue snowflake patterns embroidered on the hem, and her long hair was tied up with an ice-blue hairpin, making her look like a snow lotus blooming in the icy world.

“This outfit…” Kai was somewhat surprised.

“The clan robes of the Ice God lineage,”

Jiang Xuelan said softly. “If there are indeed members of the Ice God lineage in the Northern Abyss, I want to meet them as a descendant of the Ice God.”

Kai nodded without saying anything more.

The two continued on their way.

Heading north from the plateau, the terrain became increasingly steep, the pine forests gradually disappeared, replaced by large areas of bare rocks and pebble beaches.

The temperature dropped lower and lower, and the moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals, shimmering with iridescent light in the sunlight.

Frost began to appear on the ground, initially a thin layer, but thickening as they went north, eventually crunching underfoot like snow.

Kai noticed that the auras of the demon cultivators were still following, remaining about ten miles away.

However, their speed had noticeably slowed, not because they didn’t want to move faster, but because they were also dealing with the chill emanating from the Northern Abyss.

While the demons’ supreme fire could resist the cold, the chill of the Northern Abyss was not ordinary cold, but the extreme cold power inherited from the Ice God lineage for hundreds of thousands of years, naturally restraining fire attributes.

The True Immortal realm demon cultivators were already struggling, their speed significantly slower than yesterday.

But Su Yuqi and the three Golden Immortal realm demon cultivators remained relaxed; their cultivation was high enough that the chill had negligible effect on them.

“They’re still following,” Jiang Xuelan whispered.

“Yes,” Kai’s gaze turned north, “Ignore them, let’s go our own way.”

The two quickened their pace, heading towards the Northern Abyss.

After walking for about two more hours, the sight before them made Kai and Jiang Xuelan stop simultaneously.

They had arrived at the Northern Abyss.

Standing at the edge of the Northern Abyss, Kai finally understood why the map described this place as an “extremely cold forbidden land.”

Before them stretched an endless expanse of ice, its surface a deep, icy blue, like a giant sapphire laid across the earth.

The ice was riddled with cracks and folds, each crack several meters deep, each fold a mark of immense pressure, recording the history of glacial movement over hundreds of thousands of years.