"Kid, you're just going to leave like this?"

Outside the secret realm, Feng Bingwen looked around. The blue sky was as white as ink, and the clear water and clouds were breathtaking. The young Taoist, who had gained a great deal, should have left. However, a discordant voice arose within him.

"Um!"

Feng Bingwen gave a lukewarm response.

"That three-legged fire crow mocked you like that, how could you tolerate it?"

"Immortal Cauldron of the Void asked in an exaggerated tone."

"This cannot be tolerated!"

On the surface, Feng Bingwen, seemingly calm and collected, answered without hesitation.

"So you're just going to leave like that?"

The Imperial Cauldron looked at him with a disappointed expression.

"A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years."

Feng Bingwen handled the situation with ease.

He certainly couldn't stand the arrogant spirit of the Sun's True Fire, but he had to consider the surrounding situation before he could make a move against it. Not to mention that the spirit was not weak, if he were to make a ruthless move, the Vermilion Bird would certainly not stand idly by.

So no matter how unhappy he was, he could only pretend to be indifferent. If he wanted to vent his dissatisfaction, he could only think about it in the long run.

Are you a gentleman?

The Imperial Void Cauldron chuckled.

"yes!"

"You don't seem like the kind of person who would wait ten years to get revenge."

"You underestimate me, senior. Ten years is a long time, I can wait."

"It's been too long. I think you're planning to take revenge from morning till night."

"If you don't have the strength, all your thoughts will be in vain. Although I want to teach that firebird a lesson, I don't want to put myself in danger. That's not what a cultivator should do!"

Feng Bingwen answered frankly, no longer pretending. He just wanted revenge. He wasn't exactly a saint, but even if he was plotting a dirty trick from morning till night, he needed to have enough strength to back it up.

"You have me, don't you? Don't be fooled by that firebird's arrogance. Once I drag him into the bottomless abyss, let's see how much swagger he'll still have!"

The Imperial Void Cauldron spoke with great conviction, adopting the demeanor of a reliable senior.

"Ha, all talk and no action. You try pulling it yourself and see if you can even manage it!"

A mocking voice rang out from Feng Bingwen's body. It was the Five Elements Heavenly Wheel, which had been suppressed for a long time and had tried desperately to reduce its presence. Now that Feng Bingwen had forcibly summoned it, it no longer concealed its existence.

"Hmph! You shameless old scoundrel, where do you get the audacity to mock me?"

"He just couldn't stand some useless immortal cauldron bragging about nothing, and he didn't even know his own worth before he spoke!"

The Five Elements Heavenly Wheel, Yin and Yang, strange and strange way.

"So what if it's just a fire spirit, even if it's a thousand times stronger? I can suppress it in the abyss, it won't be able to turn the tables!"

The Imperial Void Cauldron was utterly enraged. He could tolerate other things to some extent, but this old geezer dared to question his signature skill. This was truly intolerable.

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"Still worried about that fire spirit? Looks like I overestimated you. You're just a blind fool!"

The Five Elements Heavenly Wheel seized the opportunity to launch a massive mockery.

There was no other way but to let this old thing, whom he had known for countless millennia, witness his current wretched state—he had recognized a mere novice cultivator who had been cultivating for less than half a century as his master, and treated him as his lord.

"What do you mean?"

The Imperial Cauldron sensed something was wrong.

"Can't you sense it? There's something seriously wrong with that secret realm!"

When the Five Elements Heavenly Wheel got cocky, as a celestial artifact, its positioning was rather ambiguous. It seemed that it could lend a hand to cultivation, combat, escape, alchemy, and even weapon forging. It was a celestial artifact with a very comprehensive function.

He could also break through the void and escape with cultivators, but he wasn't as good at that as the Imperial Void Cauldron, which specialized in that area.

However, this immortal cauldron performed extremely poorly, completely failing to detect the special features of that secret realm.

"..."

Upon hearing the words of the Five Elements Heavenly Wheel, the Imperial Void Immortal Cauldron fell silent.

Listening to the exchange and attacks between the two spiritual artifacts, Feng Bingwen remained calm and composed, a conclusion he had already deduced.

This secret realm, which has collected countless spiritual flames including the Seven True Flames, would have been discovered long ago if it didn't contain anything of value. How could it have been discovered today for him to go in and try to get some benefits? He wouldn't have been left with a single hair.

"Young Feng, what do you know about this secret realm? Tell me quickly!"

After a moment of silence, the Imperial Void Cauldron, seemingly sensing something, suddenly pressed Feng Bingwen for an answer.

"I don't know much about it!"

"Don't play dumb. This secret realm is no ordinary place. How did you discover it? If you hadn't taken me in once, I would have almost overlooked it!"

Yu Xu Xian Ding said somewhat urgently. This was the first time he had discovered that there were actually secret realms in this world that he could ignore, and that they were even hidden right under his nose.

Is this some kind of unique spatial divine power technique? Or is it a power he has never mastered? But what is this power that he can so easily ignore?

Unbelievable!

"This is a gift from a senior colleague!"

Feng Bingwen's mind was unclear. This secret realm was indeed a gift, but it wasn't meant for him.

"Which senior? I don't know him."

Both the Five Elements Heavenly Wheel and the Imperial Void Cauldron were extremely curious at this moment.

The Buddha said: It cannot be spoken!

Feng Bingwen held one palm up in front of his chest and muttered something softly.

"You are a Taoist cultivator, not one of those bald monks!"

"He is an elder who is older than all of your lives combined. Are you sure you want to continue asking around?"

Feng Bingwen revealed more information, which was essentially the same as not saying anything at all, but it was quite intimidating.

"...Unless you're about to ascend to immortality, don't come looking for me!"

The Five Elements Heavenly Wheel fell silent, and the Imperial Void Cauldron also performed with great composure. Having lived through countless ages, they knew many secrets, but the more they knew, the deeper their awe became.

Knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing. You never know when you might have violated the taboo of a reclusive, slumbering ancient being and had your memories erased out of thin air. That would be the best-case scenario; perhaps even the vessel that carries your spirit would be erased along with it.

"Tsk!"

Seeing the two magical artifacts disappear in the blink of an eye without making a sound, Feng Bingwen couldn't help but gasp in amazement, and then began to ponder.

Judging from the reaction of the Imperial Void Cauldron, it's unlikely that we can use its power to send those few sentient True Fire Spirits in the secret realm into the sea in the short term.

Simply traversing the vast spatial distance to send those few balls of flame into the sea is no problem, but retrieving those fire spirits from that secret realm is simply impossible, or rather, even if it were possible, they wouldn't be willing to do it now because of the uncertain risks.

"free!"

Feng Bingwen then took out the fire seed that the Southern Ming Fire Spirit had given him. After examining it for a moment, he seemed to be deep in thought and had a sudden realization.

The true fire that transformed into the Vermilion Bird form would undoubtedly have to damage its origin in order to condense into a fire that could directly grant others supernatural powers. Yet, it was still willing to pay such a price, just to gain a sliver of possibility.

"The Vermilion Bird yearns for freedom, but what about the other fire spirits? Are they like the Vermilion Bird?"

Feng Bingwen fell into deep thought. Putting himself in their shoes, he could understand.

However, while he understood, Feng Bingwen couldn't think of a way to use freedom to coerce the fire spirits. A temporary pie-in-the-sky promise might bring some short-term benefits, but if he wanted to continue exploiting them, he had to give them enough hope.

Those fire spirits didn't seem like fools. The fire spirit evolved from the Earthly True Fire might not seem very smart, but the way it picked up a spear and chased after people to slash them was too much for him to handle, not even giving him a chance to fool it.

"How can we get those fire spirits out of the secret realm?"

Feng Bingwen pondered, then stretched out his palm, his fingertips as clear as jade, reflecting a hazy celestial glow. With a gentle stroke, space shattered instantly, and he stepped into it. The power of the Five Elements Heavenly Wheel was guided out by him, protecting his body and allowing him to walk freely through the spatial gaps. Each step covered a distance of tens or even hundreds of miles.

"inappropriate!"

Feng Bingwen shook his head. Even if he found a way to free the fire spirits from their cages, he would still reap the benefits and create hidden dangers.

Because this secret realm is hidden in Donghua Continent, within the territory of the human race, it can be said to be a coincidence. But perhaps that elder's collection is extremely rich, and his collection of secret realms is all over the world, it just so happens that there is one in Donghua Continent.

This might be to make it easier for his senior sister Luo to receive gifts, but there is a hidden danger at this moment. If those fire spirits leave the secret realm and come to the human territory, what kind of attitude will they have towards those mortal humans?

Just look at that Spirit of the Sun's True Fire; it carries the arrogance of the Golden Crow Clan, and its attitude towards the human race is self-evident.

In particular, the information Feng Bingwen told him, which originally might have been about how humans viewed the ants, now seemed to be about burning down the anthills one by one.

"Let's find a suitable opportunity to send this fire spirit, which may harbor malice towards humanity, to its eternal rest!"

Feng Bingwen made a decision in his mind, and then a sudden flash of inspiration struck him.

"Rebirth? Transcendence!"

The young Taoist's eyes suddenly shone brightly, and a dazzling divine light burst forth from them, illuminating the dark void.

"I see!"

Feng Bingwen suddenly felt that he understood everything. The reason why those flame spirits were able to develop intelligence was not only due to the accumulation of time, but also due to the deliberate arrangement of a powerful being.

The Seven True Fires, nurtured over a long period of time, developed spirituality. The moment their intelligence was born, they surpassed all other fires in the secret realm, becoming the most noble and powerful beings within it.

However, even with their immense power, they could only remain trapped in the secret realm, knowing that it was a cage from which there was almost no hope of escape.

Such a familiar feeling!

Feng Bingwen felt that this was not just a coincidence. This was not the spiritual flame collection secret realm of that old man in green robes, but an experimental field used to deduce the method of transcendence!

Those seven balls of true fire represent innate gods and demons who are born with a profound understanding of the great Dao of Heaven and Earth.

Therefore, the way to leave the secret realm is obvious: simply retain the most basic spirituality and relinquish all power, and you can transcend and go to the more vast world outside.

"What a cruel truth!"

After feeling that he had figured out the reason why that secret realm was established and preserved to this day, Feng Bingwen couldn't help but sigh. The dissatisfaction he had felt towards the Spirit of the True Sun Fire had now turned into pity.

How tragic it is that the birth of intelligent beings is designed from the very beginning, with even the process and the final outcome arranged perfectly.

"Thank goodness it wasn't me!"

Feng Bingwen muttered to himself, "If one day cultivators knew that the world they lived in was merely a breeding vessel used by some powerful and majestic being to observe and deduce something, their Dao hearts would probably collapse."

Dragon and Snake Secret Realm!

Feng Bingwen, who had been pondering all the way and had not known how much time had passed, returned to the Dragon-Snake Secret Realm. He found Luo Lingxiao next to the remains of the Heavenly Serpent, where she was digging and processing medicinal herbs. He then handed her a crystal-clear incandescent fire crystal.

"Nanming Fire?!"

As an alchemist, Luo Lingxiao recognized at a glance what Feng Bingwen had handed over. He even realized that it was not just a simple true fire, but a fire seed that could be refined and used to control the Nanming Li Fire.

"Senior sister has a good eye; she truly deserves to be the most talented alchemist in our sect!"

Feng Bingwen praised, then extended the flame in his palm forward. Luo Lingxiao rolled her eyes at the praise, somewhat annoyed. Of the three generations of disciples, she was the only one who refined pills; such praise was anything but pleasant.

"Such a precious True Fire Seed, Junior Brother, why don't you refine it yourself? Why give it to me?"

"I already possess the True Fire of the Sun. Mastering the Southern Bright Fire would merely be icing on the cake, not of much use. Senior Sister, please accept it; it's what you deserve!"

Feng Bingwen demonstrated the True Fire of the Sun, but his words were merely a pretext.

The opportunity to gather all seven true flames was right in front of him, so how could he possibly give it up? The reason he sent the flame away was because he suddenly realized the true purpose of that secret realm.

A vague plan had already emerged in his mind. He felt that he should do a good deed to the end and push the evolution of that secret realm to the final step—that is, to help the seven True Fire Spirits achieve transcendence.

He sent out the spiritual essence nurtured by the true fire, and as for the "remnant" of the true fire that they had abandoned, he, as the cultivator who had contributed the most from beginning to end, should naturally accept it.