In a quiet courtyard, Yun Yun recounted recent events within Yu Pavilion to Liu Yu.
After Liu Yu consolidated the various factions to form Yu Pavilion, Yun Yun became Deputy Pavilion Master, overseeing Yu Pavilion affairs on his behalf.
Yun Yun's fate was truly one of hardship. Having escaped the Yunlan Sect, she found herself forced to "work" for Liu Yu again.
Besides Deputy Pavilion Master Yun Yun, there were five Dou Huang-level elders: Yuan Yi, Su Mei, Tie Wu, Yin Gu Lao Ren, and Hei Tian. Tie Wu was formerly the leader of the Crazy Lion Gang, Yin Gu Lao Ren was the leader of the Tian Yin Sect, and Hei Tian was the master of the Black Skull Tomb. They had joined Yu Pavilion at Liu Yu's "invitation."
The remaining Dou Wangs were all Yu Pavilion deacons.
After recounting Yu Pavilion's recent developments with Liu Yu, Yun Yun suddenly held a quaint red map in her hands.
"This is the map Yu Pavilion recently acquired. According to the sect's treasure appraisers, it seems to record traces of a strange fire," Yun Yun said softly.
"Strange fire?" Liu Yu was somewhat surprised.
After the establishment of Yu Pavilion, in addition to the routine collection of medicinal herbs, one of their missions was to collect traces of strange fire. He hadn't expected news so soon; establishing a presence in the Black Horn Territory was indeed a wise decision.
"We recently found this map in the treasure vault of a second-rate faction while subjugating them. Seeing it was a map, and considering your mission, we took it to an appraiser, and they actually discovered something."
Yun Yun handed the map to Liu Yu and continued, "It was originally a yellow map with blurred markings, but the appraiser accidentally burned it with flames, revealing its true form. According to the markings and records on the map, in the Eastern Territory, or Eastern Continent, there seems to be traces of strange fire within a magical forest called 'Sky Meteoric Forest.'"
"In the Eastern Continent?" Liu Yu looked at the red map in his hand. The map did indeed indicate that strange fire was present in the Sky Meteoric Forest area of the Eastern Continent, but he didn't know if it was true.
After some thought, Liu Yu decided to go looking. If he didn't find the strange fire, he could just treat it as a trip to see the sights of another continent.
Having made up his mind, Liu Yu prepared to deal with another matter before setting off again. As for bringing a team, weaker ones would simply be a burden, while Yun Yun and the elders needed to oversee the affairs of Yu Pavilion. Yu Pavilion was currently experiencing rapid growth, and the presence of Dou Huang-level warriors was essential. Whether
Yu Pavilion's growth would intimidate the Overlord-level powers and prompt them to take action was unlikely, at least not in the short term.
After all, Yu Pavilion's current growth hadn't infringed upon their interests. The second-tier forces it had subjugated were all unsupported, not to mention the rumors of Yu Pavilion's mysterious leader and sixth-grade alchemist. They wouldn't act rashly without a thorough understanding of the situation.
Furthermore, Liu Yu had already instructed Yun Yun to contact the elders of the Serpent People from the Jia Ma Empire. With this layer of security, even if the forces in the Black Horn Region went haywire, Yu Pavilion could handle it without him.
...
Heping Town.
At the angle between two majestic mountains, a small town loomed.
At that moment, a figure in the sky steadily approached the town. It was Liu Yu.
Although Canaan Academy had a rule prohibiting forced flight within a hundred miles of its perimeter, Liu Yu, possessing the Thousand Illusionary Bodies, had no such restrictions.
Not only would the Canaan Academy law enforcement be completely unable to detect him, even a Dou Zong-level being would be unable to detect his presence unless he intentionally revealed his presence.
Furthermore, he had come to Canaan Academy for the Fallen Heart Flame, the very foundation of Canaan Academy's existence. Obtaining it through conventional means was impossible, so he had to return to his old ways.
...
In the boundless mountains behind Canaan Academy, Liu Yu first crossed the magical beast forest connecting Canaan City to Heping Town, arriving at Canaan City itself. Then, he entered the academy and headed directly for its hidden inner courtyard.
In the boundless mountains beyond, Liu Yu, relying on his spiritual realm soul, soared through the vast forest. Near a bottomless mountain stream, he sensed an unusual spatial fluctuation.
It hadn't been easy, but he had finally found it. A charming smile curled Liu Yu's lips.
It had taken him the better part of a day to finally reach the entrance to the inner courtyard from Heping Town. Without his immense spiritual power, simply finding the inner courtyard would have taken a considerable amount of time.
Sensing the spatial fluctuation, Liu Yu descended to the opposite side of the mountain stream below and stood in a clearing.
Gazing at the space ahead, Liu Yu's mind stirred, and the blood wings transformed from his fighting spirit vanished. A bloody light shone behind him, and three pairs of enormous, blood-red wings, covered in strange patterns and runes, slowly unfolded from behind him.
The Blood Thunder Sky Wings, when fully utilized, could allow for spatial leaps, and were the very reason Liu Yu dared to sneak into the inner courtyard.
The Dou Qi within him surged, pouring into the six wings behind him. The blood-red wings began to flutter slightly, creating a strange spatial ripple. With a flash of blood, Liu Yu vanished from the spot.
…
At this moment, at the same forest entrance, a six-winged figure suddenly emerged from the void, accompanied by a faint spatial ripple. "
We should be reaching the inner courtyard now," Liu Yu muttered, gazing at the forest ahead. "The Blood Thunder Sky Wing's spatial leaping ability is truly flawed. It's like a foretaste of the wonders of spatial power at the Dou Huang realm. Now, as long as we pass through this forest, we'll truly reach the inner courtyard."
The six blood-red wings flapped gently, and Liu Yu's figure vanished again.
…
The inner courtyard was an enormous, sunken basin, its shape resembling a massive meteorite crashing down from the sky.
Within the basin, towering buildings rose, and from time to time, dark shadows like fleas could be seen flitting and leaping over the structures.
He glanced slightly toward the north of the basin, where relatively few buildings lay, and within it lay a vast open space. Furthermore, the shadows were generally moving in a northerly direction.
Seeing this, Liu Yu immediately performed a spatial jump, instantly escaping into the void. When he reappeared, he had already reached the top of a sunken area. Concealed within the void, Liu Yu silently observed everything below.
What appeared within Liu Yu's sight was an extremely large black tower, buried deep underground, with only a spire and a pitch-black entrance visible above the surface.
Liu Yu perceived an invisible barrier surrounding the tower. This kind of space-distorting defense required at least Dou Zun-level strength to construct.
The Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower was arguably the lifeblood of the Inner Court, for beneath it was suppressed the Fallen Heart Flame. The tower utilized the fragmented fire projected by the Fallen Heart Flame to help the inner court students refine the mottled Dou Qi absorbed from the outside world, eliminating the need for Dou Qi purification and the time required to accumulate Dou Qi, maximizing cultivation efficiency.
This Fallen Heart Flame could be considered a true cultivation cheat!
Of course, its effect on those above the Dou Huang level was less pronounced, but it still had some effect.
Watching the stream of people coming and going below, Liu Yu's six wings fluttered, and he performed another spatial jump, entering the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, sixth floor.
The moment Liu Yu emerged from the void, a formless flame suddenly emerged from his body. However, the instant it appeared, it was consumed by the Mysterious Lotus Ice Flame within him.
Liu Yu naturally knew about the fragmented flames of the Fallen Heart Flame, but what he sought was not that, but a ray of its essence.
Arriving at the center of the sixth floor, Liu Yu gazed toward the bottomless black hole. At the same moment, icy-blue flames began to emerge from his crimson eyes. In a moment, the red pupils transformed into icy blue.
As if sensing something, the endless darkness below the cave entrance began to subtly warp. Then, like an invisible fire python, the distorted space climbed toward the cave entrance at a terrifying speed, followed by an unusually sharp hissing sound!
"Hissing..."
The strange sound, like a flash of lightning, continuously spread from the pitch-black cave. In an instant, the dim space below suddenly brightened, and the temperature in the air rose rapidly. A terrifying and ancient aura slowly emerged from the black hole, like lightning tearing through the night, breaking free from the seemingly endless darkness.
At this moment, at the cave entrance not far from Liu Yu, the void of space distorted to the point of near-rupture.
The source of this commotion was unseen to the naked eye. The distorted space, coupled with the hissing sound, gave the entire sixth floor of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower an eerie and eerie air.
Liu Yu's gaze now revealed a massive, invisible fire python, over ten meters thick, though its length was unknown!
Its entire body was enveloped in twisting flames, its maw gaping. Its fangs, as thick as Liu Yu's thighs, shone with a distorted ripple. Its enormous triangular eyes continuously blazed with invisible flames.
Slightly twisting its massive body, the fire python glared intently at Liu Yu, who, in turn, suppressed the intensely agitated Black Lotus Ice Flame within him, sensing the provocation.
He knew Xuanlian Bingyan was furious, but he didn't want to get angry just yet. Scaring off the Fire Python wouldn't be good. The Fire Python was a spiritual intelligence born from the Fallen Heart Flame, a Fire Spirit, and its power rivaled that of a mid-level Dou Zong.
However, Liu Yu's Xuanlian Bingyan was comparable to the eighth or ninth-ranked Strange Fires on the Strange Fire List. While its strength didn't match that ranking, being only at the Dou Zong level, it was still a "young man," still developing. Only when it reached maturity would it truly be considered a true "mature."
Even so, there was a vast difference in fundamental origin between the Fallen Heart Flame and his Xuanlian Bingyan. His aura alone was likely enough to "scare the hell out" of the Fallen Heart Flame... (Falling Heart Flame:?)
After calming Xuanlian Bingyan, Liu Yu pulled a jade bottle from his storage ring, poured out several Qi Cultivation Pills, and without regard for his appearance, stuffed them all into his mouth.
The Blood Thunder Sky Wing's spatial jump, known as the Queshi technique, was useful, but it also consumed a lot of Dou Qi. With his current Seven-Star Dou Huang strength, he could probably use it a dozen or twenty times.
As for the hissing, glaring fire python, Liu Yu simply ignored it, hoping to see it return to its peak condition.
However, at this moment, Liu Yu sensed someone approaching the sixth floor of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower.
He had made the space jump to the sixth floor because he sensed Dou Huangs in charge of the lower floors, while the elders guarding the sixth floor were absent, along with no one else.
Liu Yu frowned, instantly concealing his presence and vanishing from the scene.
At the entrance to the sixth floor of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower, a young woman in a silver dress slowly entered.
She was tall, with a slightly slender figure and a face of rare beauty, her skin as white as snow, her features strikingly beautiful, and her waist-length hair a rare silver. This silver hair, combined with her silver dress, gave her an aloof, aloof aura, a presence that was meant to be admired from afar, not touched.
In the shadows, Liu Yu's expression shifted slightly. "Hair color clash?!"
Carefully examining the woman's hair color, Liu Yu discovered that her silver hair was actually tinged with gray, while his was pure silver... (Han Yue: ...)
The enormous, invisible fire python at the cave entrance suddenly realized the disappearance of the person who had caused it such agitation, and roared in anger.
The space at the pitch-black cave entrance suddenly trembled, and the space surrounding the black hole twisted strangely, forming a spatial cage. When the mighty fire python collided with the spatial cage, it merely caused it to tremble briefly, without any further effect.
Seeing no hope of breaking through, the fire python grew increasingly frantic, spewing invisible flames from its enormous maw like a blanket of flames. The flames were powerful enough to instantly reduce a Dou Huang to ash. They continuously burned the spatial cage, but unfortunately, no matter how hard they burned, the spatial cage remained firmly in place.
Han Yue, who had now entered the sixth floor of the Tianfen Refining Qi Tower, couldn't help but show a look of surprise and doubt on his cold face.
The constant hissing from the sixth-floor central cave entrance, the distorted space surrounding it, and the unusually high temperature filled her with a deep sense of unease. It felt as if some unparalleled ferocity gazed fiercely at her from within the pitch-black cavern.
Han Yue's suspicions were correct. Within the black hole, the fire python, its rage unleashed, its enormous triangular eyes slowly fixed upon her.
Feeling increasingly eerie, Han Yue hesitated no longer, preparing to report the matter to the elders.
However, just as Han Yue was about to turn, her body suddenly froze. Her beautiful, cold face instantly flushed a crimson. A faint white mist, hissing like barbecue, seeped from her body.
Han Yue was filled with horror. The invisible flames that had suddenly appeared within her were completely different from those she normally cultivated. This one was much thicker and larger, and it wasn't just scorching her body; it was also forging her soul!
The fire python at the cave entrance roared with fury, then twisted into a formless form, burrowing back into the depths of the black hole.
Within a few breaths, Han Yue was exhausted, her mind blurring. She knelt on one knee, barely holding on with her delicate hands. Now, relying solely on her body's instinct for survival, she resisted the invisible flames.
At this moment, a figure with six blood-red wings silently appeared before Han Yue.