Chapter 92: Chapter 64: Great Sun True Flame
Inside the pagoda, Xuzhuang stood beside a pile of white bones, an eyebrow raised slightly. "And here I thought you were incredibly fragile. So it was just an incarnation."
After a moment of thought, Xuzhuang suddenly reached out. Pinching with three fingers, he extracted an invisible wisp of aura from the shattered white bones. He formed a spell and cast a minor Tracing Technique. The formless aura at his fingertip gradually took shape, wavered in the air a few times, and finally pointed in a specific direction.
Xuzhuang smiled faintly. Not in a rush to pursue, he temporarily stored the wisp of aura and once again surveyed the treasures on the fifth floor of the pagoda.
On this floor, there were only nine treasure shelves, five of which were already empty. Xuzhuang rummaged through the Qiankun Bag left behind by Tantai Jing’s skeletal incarnation. As it belonged to a mere incarnation, the bag was pitifully sparse. It wasn’t hard to guess that among its contents, the only two unrefined Perfectly Forbidden Magical Artifacts must have been taken from here.
Now that Xuzhuang had formed his Golden Core and possessed a number of powerful treasures, his standards were much higher, so his heart remained unstirred. As he swept his gaze over the items on the remaining four shelves, however, his eyes suddenly lit up. He saw a Jade Lamp resting on one of the shelves. Inside it was a speck of golden flame, radiating a dazzling light. It was as if countless colors had merged to form this gold, and a single look was enough to sting the eyes.
Xuzhuang walked to the shelf and examined it closely, thinking, ’Could this be the Great Sun True Flame?’
The Great Sun True Flame was not naturally formed. Rather, it was created by cultivators who had reached an extremely profound level in fire-based techniques, spending vast amounts of time to gather and refine Great Sun Fire Essence.
Though this flame was man-made, it was anything but ordinary. The majestic great sun burns eternally, its light and heat immeasurable. A Great Sun True Flame, refined from the sun’s fiery power, would naturally be no less mighty than any Spirit Fire in the world.
Upon seeing this True Flame, Xuzhuang immediately thought of his grand plan to create the Five-Clawed Flame Dragon Divine Technique. It wasn’t that he was obsessed with this particular Divine Technique; it was simply the first time he had ever considered creating a technique of his own, so he was naturally invested in it.
"This is worth taking." Xuzhuang extended a hand from his sleeve and pressed it toward the treasure shelf. This immediately triggered a restrictive spiritual light, halting his hand’s advance.
Xuzhuang frowned. Silently circulating his Magical Power, he pressed his palm down forcefully. The treasure shelf shuddered. The shelf and the restriction upon it seemed to be a single, integrated whole, and it let out a grating creak as if it were about to collapse. The light from the flame inside even flickered, threatening to extinguish.
Xuzhuang abruptly pulled his hand back. When he saw the spiritual light return to its original state, his brow furrowed. ’Looks like I can’t use brute force. My only option is to slowly refine it with Magical Power?’ After pondering for a moment, a plan formed in his mind. He turned, scanned the area, and his gaze landed on another treasure shelf.
Silently circulating his Magical Power, Xuzhuang raised a single finger and lightly tapped the spot between his eyebrows. He channeled his power for a moment, then moved his finger away from his brow and pointed it at the other treasure shelf.
An invisible, colorless ray of divine light shot past without a sound. A finger-wide section of the treasure shelf’s leg instantly vanished, causing it to tilt and topple over. A cyan jade bead rolled off, bounced a few times on the floor, and came to rest at Xuzhuang’s feet.
’This method really works,’ Xuzhuang thought, nodding to himself. He levitated the jade bead off the ground and swept it with his Spiritual Sense, understanding immediately. ’So it’s an item for storing Magical Power.’
Items that could store Magical Power were quite rare and unusual. However, the amount of Magical Power this bead could hold, when compared to Xuzhuang’s own reserves, was like a single jar of water next to a flowing river—it was far from being useful to him.
He casually tucked it into his sleeve and delayed no further. Once more, he silently activated his technique, unleashing the Innate Primordial Dissociation Divine Light. After carefully calculating the trajectory, the divine light shot out, instantly shattering the restriction while grazing past the treasure shelf without leaving a single scratch.
Surprisingly, no heat or light radiated out when the restriction broke. Xuzhuang brought his hand close to the lamp and felt no scorching heat whatsoever. It was only after picking up the lamp for a closer look that he realized this was an effect of the lamp itself. No wonder it could preserve a wisp of True Flame for such a long time.
With the lamp protecting it, there was no need to worry about the True Flame spilling out or igniting other objects. Xuzhuang safely stored it away. He then repeated the process to retrieve the two remaining treasures.
It had to be said that Flying Swords had been the most beloved type of magical artifact for cultivators since ancient times. One of the two Perfect Magical Artifacts in Tantai Jing’s bag had been a Flying Sword. Now, among the two remaining treasures here, there was another Flying Sword, this one perfected with an Earth Demon restriction. As for the last item, it was yet another one of the jade beads used for storing Magical Power.
Xuzhuang’s harvest since entering this Grotto Heaven had been astounding. Yet, compared to the entire legacy of a complete, ancient Daoist lineage, it was merely a drop in the ocean.
After collecting all the treasures, Xuzhuang didn’t linger. He headed back down the way he came, collecting the remaining magical artifacts and materials on the lower floors one by one.
These things held little value for Xuzhuang personally, but they would serve well as rewards for his sect’s disciples.
Just as he returned to the first floor, but before he could step out the main gate, Xuzhuang suddenly sensed something. He strode quickly over the threshold and looked up to see countless beams of Sword Qi bursting across the distant sky. They kicked up rolling thunder and fire, the ensuing booms echoing for miles.
’Tai Su Sword Qi. Is Senior Brother Yue fighting someone?’
With a flicker in his eyes, Xuzhuang’s figure blurred. He instantly teleported to the edge of the cliff, leaped off, and let the wind and snow carry him swiftly downward.
Even though he had to be wary of the restrictions, Xuzhuang’s Escape Technique still allowed him to travel through the mountains with incredible speed. After about a quarter of an hour, he had already passed several mountain paths when the landscape ahead abruptly changed. The towering, snowy peaks gave way to a volcanic, scorched earth. It was a strange sight indeed—a single step separated the two realms. In front of him, it was as hot as a sweltering summer day; behind him, a blizzard raged.
Xuzhuang marveled at the sight for only a moment. Ahead, the Sword Qi was growing fiercer, the thunder and fire were churning, and the rumbling was ceaseless. He didn’t pause, instead speeding onward. A short while later, his Spiritual Sense detected something else. While still in motion, he took out the wisp of aura he had extracted from Tantai Jing’s incarnation and looked at it. The wisp was gradually disintegrating in the wind, fading into nothingness.
’He’s dead?’ Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow. He looked toward the sky again and saw that the Sword Qi was fading and the thunder and fire were gradually dying down. ’Could it be that the Yinji Demon ran into Senior Brother Yue and was killed by him?’ he wondered.
After a moment’s thought, Xuzhuang casually let the last wisp of the aura dissipate and continued onward. A little more than half a quarter-hour later, the scenery of scorched, volcanic earth changed once more, giving way to a panorama of verdant, rolling hills and clear green water. Xuzhuang followed the direction of the battle from memory and soon spotted the marks of Sword Qi slashes on the rocks and trees. He quickened his pace, and a swath of forest that looked as if it had been ravaged by a natural disaster came into view.
In a clearing crisscrossed by Sword Qi and littered with the signs of a fierce battle, two figures stood. However, Yue Junlan, whom Xuzhuang had expected to find, was not among them. One was a man with his hair in a Daoist topknot, stroking a long beard and wearing a simple Daoist Robe. The other was a woman with a slender figure in elegant clothes. She carried a gold-and-wood Sword Box on her back that was half her height, and she stood with an elegant, statuesque poise.
Sensing Xuzhuang’s arrival, the two turned their heads. The Daoist’s face showed a hint of surprise as he called out, "Fellow Daoist Xu."
It turned out these two were none other than Yan Renhe and the Sword Step Master.
Xuzhuang hadn’t expected to run into the two of them here. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "Fellow Daoist Yan, Senior Sister Bu."
The Sword Step Master gave a cool, detached nod before turning back to examine the battle scars on the ground. Xuzhuang paid it no mind and asked, "Fellow Daoist Yan, I was separated from you two after descending the stone steps. How did you manage to find each other?"
Yan Renhe laughed awkwardly. "It was Fellow Daoist Bu who found me."
Without turning her head, the Sword Step Master stated flatly, "I left a trace of my Sword Qi on Fellow Daoist Yan. As long as he is within a hundred li, I can sense it."
"I see," Xuzhuang said. "You arrived just before me. Did you find anything?"
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