Throughout the silent mountains, the distinctive reddish-black color of dried bloodstains spreads, but these vast mountains are barren, with not a single blade of grass growing. Even in the cracks of the rocks, not a single plant like moss or lichen can survive, and the valleys are riddled with countless large and small cracks.
Because within these mountain ranges, countless fissures of varying sizes were writhing and spewing forth flames of all colors, burning wantonly. And at the entrance to the mountains stood a gleaming, metallic stone tablet, upon which three characters were casually inscribed in obscure, incomprehensible Daoist script:
Volcanoes.
At this moment, at the entrance to the mountains, a Taoist priest with an elegant and extraordinary appearance stood tall and straight, his expression filled with joy as he examined the Taoist inscriptions on the stone tablet at the entrance.
"That's great!"
The Taoist's eyes showed hesitation and struggle, but after thinking for a while, the young Taoist finally couldn't resist. He took a few steps forward and walked to the stone tablet. He then reached out and tapped and knocked on it. He even pulled out a three-foot-long blood-red blade from the void behind him and gently tapped it on the stone tablet, causing countless sparks to fly.
"What exactly is this material?"
Feng Bingwen muttered softly, using the Dao marker to pinpoint the exact location. He easily entered this ancient secret realm, which had been sealed for an unknown period of time. As soon as he entered, he was drawn to a stone tablet inscribed with innate Dao characters.
The Daoist script on the stone tablet, bearing the traces of the Great Dao, held no appeal for him whatsoever. He had mastered nearly a thousand innate Daoist scripts; why would he care about such casually written script?
What truly caught Feng Bingwen's attention was the stone tablet that could bear the traces of the Dao. He could tell at a glance that it was an excellent material for refining weapons, and it was also a rough, unrefined piece.
However, at this moment, a certain elder casually tossed it here, engraved three extremely hasty Dao patterns, and left it here as a landmark.
"Perhaps it's a protective purple gold?"
At this moment, a voice rang in Feng Bingwen's heart, answering his doubts, though the tone was somewhat uncertain.
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"Purple gold? Does this thing have anything to do with purple, even a copper coin?"
Feng Bingwen reached out and tapped the dark-colored, uniquely made stone tablet, and couldn't help but complain.
"The environment here is special. Even rare divine iron like the Evil-Repelling Purple Gold can be affected by external objects and become unrecognizable. It's not surprising."
The Imperial Void Cauldron spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. It wasn't that he was short-sighted, but rather that this thing had long been affected by the external environment and had become an unrecognizable divine iron. It was already quite good that he could trace back to its origin and recognize it.
"Senior, do you think this stone tablet is still useful?"
"Of course it's useful! You've hit the jackpot! With this piece of divine iron, you can take this opportunity to upgrade the quality of those scrap metal pieces you have!"
The Imperial Void Cauldron affirmed, but at the end, it didn't forget to express its own doubts.
"But how did you find this place? It seems you knew about this secret realm all along!"
"This is my destiny!"
Feng Bingwen replied casually.
"Tsk!"
Seeing that Feng Bingwen seemed unwilling to say more, the Imperial Void Cauldron did not press him further; it had seen similar things many times before.
As for the disciples of the Supreme Dao, which one of them wasn't blessed with great fortune? He had even seen immortal artifacts picked up along the way. Of course, they were the kind of immortal artifacts that were no different from broken copper and scrap iron. Someone like him wouldn't be able to find them; they had to be something that caught his eye.
"Take it or not?"
After a fierce internal struggle, Feng Bingwen finally couldn't restrain himself and took a few steps forward, placing his hand on the stone tablet.
After all, it's just a stone tablet marking a place name. It doesn't matter whether it's there or not. At worst, he can just take it and dig up another rock to put it out, and then carve the three Dao characters "Earth Fire Ancient" on it. It won't affect his ability to collect the Dan Fire after handing the secret realm over to Senior Sister Luo.
With that thought in mind, Feng Bingwen stretched out his palm and gently pushed it. As expected, the stone tablet had a weight far greater than its external size suggested, as if it were not a stone tablet only a few feet tall, but a mountain.
Even though it was a mountain, Feng Bingwen was now able to lift it up by force. Therefore, when Feng Bingwen slightly exerted his arm strength, the stone tablet was shaken, the mountains trembled, and the surrounding earth fire erupted.
Boom! Boom! Rumble!
Flames hundreds of feet high shot into the sky, a mixture of all kinds of flames, and a heat wave that distorted the light swept out. However, the Taoist who had already lifted the stone tablet with one hand, as if it were a gentle spring breeze, did not care at all and put the stone tablet into his own blessed land.
"Senior sister, since you don't need it anyway, why not let junior brother benefit from it first!"
Feng Bingwen muttered to himself, ignoring the raging fire caused by his shaking of the stone tablet at the entrance, and stepped into the truly fiery mountain, following his intuition as he walked deeper into the mountains.
The mountains were deserted, devoid of any living beings or even a trace of life. Only various flames, imbued with special powers, burned in the cracks and crevices.
Flames raged around the mountains, but no matter how bright the flames were—white, purple, or red—they vanished without a trace the moment they touched Feng Bingwen's body.
This was because a three-legged divine bird with brightly colored, reddish-gold feathers was perched on the young Taoist's shoulder, and he would occasionally lower his head to preen its feathers.
Without any visible movement, the surrounding flames transformed into fine, hair-like threads of fire, converging on its feathers, making them even more ethereal and giving it an overall more divine and handsome appearance.
"Purifying Azure Flame!"
Feng Bingwen strolled leisurely through this place where all life had perished. He raised his hand and gathered a cluster of flames with an extremely healthy color. After examining it for a moment, he fed it to the little golden crow on his shoulder.
"How come there are all kinds of flames? Are the bosses all that free?"
Along the way, Feng Bingwen had seen countless flames with unique characteristics, at least eight hundred if not a thousand. The closer he got to the center, the higher the grade of the flames became, and the deeper their colors grew.
Upon reaching the center of the mountains, on a seemingly ordinary low hill, a deep, dark flame burned quietly. Approaching it, one could not even feel any temperature, yet Feng Bingwen felt a sense of unease.
Earthly True Fire!
Feng Bingwen recognized the name of the flame at a glance. It was one of the seven great true fires in the world, comparable to the solar true fire that he had acquired through opportunistic means.
Unlike the Golden Crow True Fire, which exudes a majestic and domineering aura and can burn anything, the Earthly True Fire before him is extremely restrained, releasing almost no power. It appears somewhat harmless, but Feng Bingwen knows that this is merely an appearance.
Even if one cultivates one's physique to the extreme through martial arts, becoming a martial arts immortal, if one comes into contact with the Earth's True Fire without any precautions, one will instantly turn into a pile of ashes, perhaps not even leaving a trace.
"Heh heh, kid, are you scared?"
Feng Bingwen stopped in the center of Flaming Mountain, and a voice with a hint of mockery rang out. It was the Imperial Void Cauldron. Feng Bingwen had previously made some sarcastic remarks about this immortal artifact, and Feng Bingwen was in a bad mood. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally had to make a few sarcastic remarks.
"Senior, aren't you afraid? If you're not afraid, I'll throw you in to experience the power of this true fire. If it's convenient, could you also help me retrieve a wisp of the true fire?"
Feng Bingwen immediately replied that he had witnessed the power of true water and true fire.
His Water Spirit has mastered the Profound Origin Heavy Water. Even the incomplete version without a commemorative edition is enough for him to act with impunity. Even now that he has embarked on the path of immortality, he can still be of use.
As for the True Fire of the Sun, there's no need to elaborate further. Although Feng Bingwen mastered it, he only received a fraction of its true essence, and he knew that in his own mind.
The most terrifying aspect of True Water and True Fire is that their power increases almost without limit as their quantity accumulates. Theoretically, as long as one masters enough True Water and True Fire, even a celestial being would have no choice but to submit.
Feng Bingwen was naturally envious of the True Earth Fire that covered a small mountain in front of him, but he was even more afraid of getting burned. If this mountain of True Fire were to really erupt, he would be badly injured even if he didn't die.
The Earthly True Fire is far more malevolent than the magnificent and vast Sun True Fire, because it symbolizes the Yin energy of the earth. Even a tiny wisp of it can cause unbearable pain to living beings—provided they are not immediately burned to ashes.
"What a joke! You think you can scare me with a little bit of real fire? What do you think I was made of in the first place?"
The Imperial Void Cauldron sneered at Feng Bingwen's words, which were tinged with threat and probing, completely unmoved.
"If you want to take the true fire, do it with your own abilities. Don't even think about borrowing my power. I can only guarantee your life. No, that's not right. I can only guarantee the safety of that little girl. As for you, you are not within my scope of responsibility. I'm just letting you hold onto it temporarily."
"Hey senior, you're living quite comfortably in my dantian, aren't you? Shouldn't you pay the rent?"
Feng Bingwen replied expressionlessly, "If we can use the power of the immortal artifact to collect it, that would be best. Of course, he knows that the forging of top-tier immortal artifacts will inevitably use true fire, or at least a power of equal strength."
"Kid, I helped you refine your immortal power, shouldn't you hand over this reward to me?"
The Imperial Void Cauldron immediately countered. It resided in the cultivator's dantian, which was certainly a burden for the cultivator—the cultivator needed to constantly expend a large amount of mana to nourish it. However, its feedback could also greatly benefit the cultivator, and the weaker the cultivator, the better the effect.
"Senior, let's be frank. You know how much you've helped me. I don't need much of this True Fire. You've helped me extract a wisp, and I'll allow you to stay in my dantian until we return to the sect. I won't use you unless absolutely necessary!"
Feng Bingwen was full of confidence in his immortal spiritual energy. He believed that its quality, while not comparable to that of a celestial immortal, was definitely on par with that of an earth immortal. Otherwise, the immortal artifacts in his body wouldn't be like the Taotie, which only took in and never gave out.
"Tsk, although it's a small matter that can be easily accomplished, isn't there a useless old man living in your mind's sea? He calls you 'Master,' so why don't you order him around? Instead, you come to me for advice?"
"You said he's useless, I'm afraid he'll be burned to ashes if he touches the real fire!"
"Aren't you worried about burning me down?"
"Senior's material is extraordinary. A mere True Fire will certainly not be able to harm your body in the slightest. Moreover, even if you are destroyed, what does it have to do with me?"
"Ha, you've finally told the truth, kid. You're really ruthless!"
Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, the Imperial Void Cauldron was immediately delighted. However, collecting a wisp of true fire was indeed a trivial matter for him, and he didn't seem to notice any change in his condition.
With just a slight flicker, Feng Bingwen sensed something amiss. He then used his divine sense to examine his dantian and saw a wisp of dark flame burning quietly within the small immortal cauldron, remaining perfectly obedient.
"There, it's done!"
"Thank you, senior!"
Looking at the wisp of true fire in the immortal cauldron, Feng Bingwen was overjoyed. With this wisp of true fire, he could use it as a reference to deduce the method of refining the Earthly Extreme True Fire, then refine the fire seed, and then use the power of the true fire to fight enemies.
"Don't thank me yet. This ball of true fire seems to have been here for quite a while, so..."
Who has disturbed my slumber?
A deep voice rang out, and the moment that voice rang out, the Flaming Mountain, which was originally ablaze with fire, was instantly transformed into a frozen hell. Feng Bingwen, who was completely impervious to heat and cold, felt a chill run down his spine.
"Damn it!"
Upon realizing the source of the sound, Feng Bingwen cursed angrily, then turned and left without hesitation.
Everything in the universe has the potential to give birth to a spirit. A bluestone slab that may be trampled by millions of people, a broom that has been abandoned, or an inconspicuous stubborn rock may all be born with intelligence and transform into a demon.
Aside from these, those spiritual beings that inherently possess strong spirituality also have the potential to develop intelligence. However, because their spirituality is so powerful, the process of developing intelligence is extremely difficult. But once born,
boom--
A spear formed from jet-black flames fell from the sky. It was just a small, seemingly insignificant spear, but nothing could stop it. Rocks and mud that had been burned by the flames for countless millennia were instantly evaporated and melted.
clang!
A crisp sound echoed through the mountains. The originally graceful Taoist, using the impact, transformed into a long rainbow and rushed out of the Flaming Mountain. Looking back, he saw a general covered in black armor, standing on the inconspicuous sand dune with his sword drawn.
"It has taken human form!"
Seeing this, Feng Bingwen fled even faster. For ordinary demons, encountering an immortal like him was an opportunity. They would be more than willing to sell themselves to him as a Taoist disciple or maid.
However, encountering such a ferocious creature formed from real fire is not a stroke of luck, but a calamity!
"Why are you running? Capture him!"
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