《Crimson Moon, Azure Stars》


 Chapter 1: Discussion in the Quaint Pavilion

    Cold and unfriendly rays of the Sun fell throughout the land once again, reminding the world of its eternal existence.


    But despite the soft yet shiver-inducing rays, mortals wake up, living their lives no matter how hard it may be.


    Things are not so different for cultivators, for they too, are not immortals who can be aloof from the secular world.


    And a conversation deeply intertwined with the secular world of cultivation was fated to happen in a distant valley, in a small pavilion even mortals won''t find surprising.


    The pavilion was five-cornered and open, letting the natural wind enter freely. Its pillars were adorned with azure stars and had a simplistic imagery of two crimson moons hanging underneath the roof.


    In that small pavilion, there was a middle-aged man drinking wine and admiring the view of the valley.


    The middle-aged man''s elegant azure robes, well-groomed black hair and goatee, and his way of drinking in tandem with the view of the valley made a picturesque scene that won''t lose to any painting.


    But that painting was ruined when the space just outside the pavilion started to twist and worm.


    From it, emerged another middle-aged man, but this man was not ordinary-looking. For he was dressed in a scarlet and white mianfu. Yet he was not wearing a mianguan crown, instead his long, red-tinted hair was left alone to freely fly in the air like wisps of flame.


    This alone was shocking, but his temperament was even more special. He exuded a presence that could make awe and respect appear in people''s hearts. Truly a majestic temperament.


    Yet this middle-aged man, who can leave people in awe, cuffed his fists and said, "Apologies to Daoist Hou for intrusion, I hope it isn''t bothering fellow Daoist."


    "So this is Daoist Que Zi, please come inside, let us enjoy some wine." Daoist Hou bowed in return as he invited the other.


    "Indeed, who doesn''t enjoy spiritual wines among us cultivators?" Laughed Daoist Que Zi as he entered the pavilion and sat at the side of opposite Daoist Hou.


    "How did fellow Daoist Que Zi even find my seclusion grounds?" Said Daoist Hou as he poured some wine into Daoist Que Zi''s cup.


    To this, Daoist Que Zi raised his cup and said with a smile, "Ah, well, my family''s investigation specialists are not so incompetent to not be able to find this place that you, Red Book Detective Hou Shu is not even bothering to deeply conceal."


    "But surely your investigation specialists have failed you in something. Otherwise, why would Fellow Daoist Que Zi come here uninvited?" Said Hou Shu with a gentle smile on his lips but a cheeky look in his eyes.


    Hearing this and seeing the playful look in Hou Shu''s eyes, Daoist Que Zi responded by taking a sip from his cup of wine and putting a knowing smile, "Daoist Hou surely jests, other than a unique mystery like the one that brought me here, what mystery can stop my Yan family?"


    "You bore me," Hou Shu rolled his eyes, "Us cultivators should have good humor!" He declared.


    Though Hou Shu may appear playful outside, countless thoughts were colliding in his Sea of Consciousness. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''If there is a mystery troubling even the great Yan family, one of seven super forces of the current times, then the matter is truly pressing.'' Hou Shu thought.


    Though his demeanor is still the same carefree on the outside, "Even if there has been a case great enough to require me, fellow Daoist should have just called me through my Crimson Moon, Azure Stars agency, my underlings will surely give you, the Yan Patriarch the respect and courtesy they deserve."


    "Indeed, I should have," Yan Que Zi said calmly but the moment he finished, the cup in his hand shattered from the pressure of his hand as his expression started to distort.


    "but those Zhan scoundrels!" Said Yan Que Zi filled with killing intent and rage towards the Zhan family, "Those battle hungry snakes won''t ever stop their blabbering mouths if they heard that I, the Patriarch of the great Yan family went to find help from someone who is not from the Seven Hegemons!"


    The killing Intent was so great that the cold rays of the Sun started to sizzle, lakes started to evaporate and land started to crumble.


    Seeing that the killing intent is starting to affect his seclusion grounds, Hou Shu''s brows furrowed as he spoke up, "Daoist Que Zi''s status as Yan Family Patriarch doesn''t mean I can ignore the damage fellow Daoist is bringing to my seclusion grounds!"


    Hou Shu released his own Nascent Soul Great Completion stage aura to stabilize the environment.


    The cold rays stopped sizzling, lakes recondensed and land started to reform, returning to normal. Well, as normal as it can be after the Great Calamity anyway.


    The moment Hou Shu finished speaking, Yan Que Zi''s aura vanished as if it was never there, the same with his ferocious expression.


    With a slightly apologetic smile on his lips, he said, "I hope Daoist Hou can forgive me, I had to make a display of force, as you know, because of those Zhan scoundrels."


    "Indeed, I understand the difficulties of someone in your position. Let us forget about it." Hou Shu nodded his head.


    Just as Yan Que Zi was about to respond, both he and Hou Shu looked out of the pavilion.


    Slowly, in their view came an azure crane, riding on it a girl with the appearance of someone in their early twenties, with dark bronze skin and long flowing hair, not typical of the people of Dashou Immortal Province.


    The girl had a worried expression on her face, but the moment she saw Hou Shu, she let out a relieved sigh, as if a mountain has been taken of her shoulders.


    She landed her mount, the azure crane beside the pavilion and quickly entered inside through the circular entrance.


    "Master! what was that!? I was so worried for you!" Said the Girl to Hou Shu the moment she was six feet away from him.


    But then she finally noticed that there was someone else besides her Master so she quickly bowed towards Hou Shu and Yan Que Zi to show respect and said "Disciple greets Master and Senior!"


    Though she had her head down because of her bow, Yan Que Zi could clearly tell that the young girl was embarrassed. Thus, Yan Que Zi gave a hearty laugh and said, "It seems I truly scared this young girl here, I apologize to Daoist Hou once more."


    To which, Hou Shu said nothing but just chuckled in response.


    Yan Que Zi looked at the girl who was still bowing, as if she wanted to borrow her head into the ground like an ostrich to escape from dying of embarrassment, then once again at Hou Shu as he asked, "I didn''t know Daoist Hou had taken a disciple."


    "I only took her in twenty years ago, just before I entered seclusion." Hou Shu then looked towards the girl and said, "Ling''er, introduce yourself to Senior Yan Que Zi."


    The girl jolted straight and then bowed towards Yan Que Zi once again, "Junior here is the disciple of Master Hou, the Red Book Detective, with the family name of Bai and the given name of Ling."


    Yan Que Zi waved his hand and said, "Ah, so this is Little Ling."


    "Haha, She may be a bit clumsy, but she has her merits, I think Daoist Que Zi can feel her Nine Layered Forge Fire Physique?" Chuckled Hou Shu.


    "Indeed, when she breaks through Golden Core stage, her physique will truly be unmatched in her level." Yan Que Zi nodded and remarked.


    Quite a high praise as it is spoken by the Patriarch of the family that has the Celestial Flames from the Immortal Realm of the past.


    But Hou Shu only grunted in acknowledgment and took a sip of his wine.


    But the taste is all ruined by evaporation and recondensation. ''It''s all Yan Que Zi''s fault, I am going to charge him extra for it!''


    So with that in mind, Hou Shu spoke up once again, with a slight smile, "But let''s not talk about me or my disciple anymore, why don''t you talk about the case that brought you here?"

 Chapter 2: Disappearance of the Yan Family Heiress

    "But let''s not talk about me or my disciple anymore, why don''t you talk about the case that brought you here?" Said Hou Shu with a slight smile.


    "Indeed, it is about time that we move onto the matter that brought me here." Yan Que Zi slightly.


    "But I am curious, Daoist Hou, you are a well-known enjoyer of wine, aren''t you going to bring out some special teas for this fellow Daoist to appreciate?" Said Yan Que Zi as he made a drinking motion with his hand.


    "Fellow Daoist stole the words out of my mouth! You will definitely get to appreciate good quality wine!" Said Hou Shu with a glint in his eyes, getting the hint.


    He then turned towards Bai Ling and said, "Ling''er get us some of the Vermilion Lake Spiritual wine from the Earth Vein Cellar, a case involving Daoist Que Zi certainly needs to be accompanied by the best quality wine!" Said Hou Shu as a talisman with characters for ''Fire'' and ''Protect'' in seal script appeared on his hand, which then floated in front of Bai Ling.


    "Take this Talisman, it will protect you from the heat." Said Hou Shu.


    Bai Ling''s heart shook for she knew what her Master meant. But she nonetheless bowed and took the talisman from the air and put it in her storage ring.


    "Yes, Master!" Said Bai Ling, her face filled with resolute determination, before leaving the pavilion to enter the cave deep inside the valley, the cave that leads to Earth Vein. The cave that sometimes echoes with roars...


    "Now let us speak about what matter brought me here." Yan Que Zi said, to which Hou Shu gestured to continue.


    Yan Que Zi also put on a solemn look and said hoarsely, "I came here because my daughter, the heir of the Yan Family went missing."


    Hou Shu''s pupils shrank the moment he heard this.


    "Oh my, that is indeed a serious case." He spoke solemnly.


    "But in truth, we know where she probably is. We just can''t investigate or even go there." Said Yan Que Zi with his head lower, gazing at his recondensed cup of wine, resignation in his voice apparent.


    "Oh? I don''t think many things can stop the great Yan Family. Is it bloodline Restriction or Soul Restriction Array?" Enquired Hou Shu.


    "Daoist Hou is indeed extraordinary! I just mentioned only a bit of the story and Fellow Daoist has already gotten this close to the answer," exclaimed Yan Que Zi and then divulged, "Indeed it is the Bloodline restriction, anyone of my Yan Family cannot enter the seventy-five thousand mu the area surrounding the place where Yan Hu Zi went missing."


    "Daoist Que Zi is saying that Yan Hu Zi only went missing, meaning her Life Candle is still burning?" Enquired Hou Shu.


    "Indeed, her Life Candle is still burning, She is the Heiress of the Yan Family after all!" Said Yan Que Zi with a proud laugh. A father is still a father, no matter his position.


    "But I don''t think Yan Family cannot just brute force their way into the area with your inheritance of the Celestial Flames?"


    "Indeed, Celestial Flames originate from the Immortal Realm. There should be nothing in this world that should be able to hold up against it for long. Yet this Bloodline Restriction Array is abnormal," the bewildered expression on Yan Que Zi''s face couldn''t have been more apparent as he continued, "In its vicinity, Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth seemed to have changed properties, they seemed... So alive."


    "They fought against all methods and even spread themselves thin to be not burned by Celestial Flames and become Celestial Qi and fueling it."


    "Indeed, methods to isolate Spiritual Qi are deeply profound, countering them is hard, even for Celestial Flames. These ''Alive Spiritual Qi'' are even more mysterious." Hou Shu quipped.


    Yan Que Zi nodded as a wry smile curled up on his face, "Thus, as the Patriarch of the Yan family, I had to halt the use of Celestial Flames, no matter how much I wanted to charge through regardless of Celestial Flames extinguishing or not."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "And why did the Heiress of the Yan family go to this mysterious area? I don''t think that place was known as mysterious before Little Hu Zi went there."


    "Indeed, this place in the Nanqing Immortal Province was never well known, it was just an ordinary area with barren plains stretching across it. But one day there came news that an Inheritance of a Fire Celestial Treasure from the Immortal Realm had appeared there." Revealed Yan Que Zi, a news worthy of causing quite a commotion if it were to be revealed to the world.


    "Zi''er, being the only one other than me to be recognized by the Celestial Flame as the sole inheritor, had to go and check its authenticity," Said Yan Que Zi but then the wry smile on his face deepened as he continued, "On the hindsight, I should have gone there, but alas..."


    "Daoist Que Zi must have been held up, no use crying over spoilt milk." Consoled Hou Shu.


    "That''s why I have come over to you." Yan Que Zi said as pointed towards Hou Shu with his cup of wine, a slight smile on his face.


    Hou Shu lowered his shoulders and spoke in a soft voice, "Daoist Yan Que Zi, being one of the few Soul Transformation Cultivators, I have but no choice but to accept."


    "Do not worry, even if you cannot find my daughter and bring her back, as long as you find valuable information, We from the Yan family won''t be stingy when paying you." Said Yan Que Zi with a resolute face, truly encapsulating the majesty of a leader of a super force.


    "Then I will impose on Daoist Que Zi and ask for something precious." Said Hou Shu with a smile as a glint flashed in his eyes.


    "Just ask! What is there that we from the Yan family cannot get?" Scoffed Yan Que Zi.


    Of course, Yan Que Zi''s behavior was not without reason. Yan family is one of the most powerful forces of current times, part of the Seven Hegemons. Their deep mastery of flames naturally makes them good alchemists, leading to their rich and overbearing status in the cultivation world.


    "I want the Incorporeal Nurture Gu that Granny Zhu Ting of Shen Kong Chamber of Commerce recently refined." Declared Hou Shu.


    "You!" said Yan Que Zi as he stood up from shock.


    "Anything from that old coot costs an arm and a leg, even for us Yan family!" Yan Que Zi Exclaimed.


    "So fellow Daoist is saying that Little Hu Zi''s value is lower than Incorporeal Nurture Gu?" Quipped Hou Shu, showing his ambition and courage. Not everyone can even dare to ask for rewards from someone of Yan Que Zi''s status, not to mention asking for something this overbearingly.


    But Hou Shu could. Not only he is one of the closest people to reaching the Soul Transformation stage, he is also the Head of Azure Stars, Crimson Moon agency, the best investigation agency there is.


    These two factors combined could make even someone of Yan Que Zi''s stature hesitant to act overbearingly.


    "You... I understand." Yan Que Zi let out a sigh, "will be arranged."


    "May fellow Daoist forgive me for using Little Hu Zi in such a manner." Hou Shu, too, stood up and bowed to Yan Que Zi.


    "No, I understand, fellow Daoist is at Nascent Soul Great Completion, to enter the Soul Transformation stage, Incorporeal Nurture Gu will be extremely helpful." Said Yan Que Zi as he waved his sleeve, making an information jade appear in front of Hou Shu


    "This has all the crucial information that I haven''t mentioned as well as things Yan Family has discovered." Said Yan Que Zi and then gave a bow, "I shall take my leave, if I am gone for too long, those Zhan scoundrels will start to act up. May we meet again when fellow Daoist has found Zi''er."


    Hou Shu bowed in response, "I will have certainly found Little Hu Zi the next time we meet, but for now, I bid fellow Daoist farewell."


    With that said, Yan Que Zi walked out of the Pavilion and disappeared.


    At this moment, Bai Ling appeared with wine.


    But this time, she was in a disheveled state. Her robes were torn in certain places and singed in others. There were claw marks on her, suggesting she fought some ferocious beasts.


    "Ah! Where is Senior Yan, Master?" She asked bewilderedly, probably because of exhaustion that led to her not grasping what happened.


    "Daoist Que Zi had urgent matters to attend." Answered Hou Shu as he stood up from his chair and walked out of the Pavilion to take in the scenery.


    The valley outside was not that beautiful, but it had a small stream running through it. Occasionally, one can see some animals ranging from deer to tigers coming out of the forest surrounding the valley to drink water from it.


    Others may not find it interesting, but Hou Shu found this scenery to be deeply calming. One of the reasons he chose this place as his seclusion grounds instead of somewhere with dense Spiritual Qi. Well, as dense as it can be in the current era.


    "Isn''t it rude to not drink the wine when Senior Yan asked for it?" Asked Bai Ling as she followed her master out.


    In response, Hou Shu gave a hearty laugh as he exclaimed, " Ha! It''s never about the wine!"


    He then reached out his hands back towards Bai Ling, without turning back, making Bai Ling''s storage ring open on its own. From it, a bottle of wine floated out and towards Hou Shu''s grasp.


    The moment, the bottle of wine was in his grasp, he took a big swig from it and an ancient yet melancholy countenance appeared around him as he said wryly, " Everything begins and ends before the wine comes..."

 Chapter 3: Charging towards the Yan Hua Tower

    Noticing the melancholy atmosphere around her Master, Bai Ling didn''t know what to do, so she just quietly stood behind him.


    This silent, ancient aura around her Master was like a ferocious beast, unwilling to let go of its prey.


    But suddenly, Hou Shu turned his head back and shot her a look. A deep, piercing look. This look stayed on her for what seemed to be an eternity, yet it was only for a few breaths.


    The moment Hou Shu withdrew his gaze, the aura around him vanished. As if the ferocious beast was sent running by its own prey.


    Then Hou Shu drank all the remaining wine in a single big gulp. As the warm, smooth yet acidic wine went down his throat, he couldn''t help but say, "Good Wine! Wines aged above an earth vein are definitely the best of the current time."


    Saying this, Hou Shu went quiet once again. But after what seemed like a few breaths of time, Hou Shu spoke up once more, this time addressing the disciple standing behind him.


    "You came back with the wine when Daoist Que Zi left." Said Hou Shu with a somber voice, without turning back to look towards her.


    Hearing this, Bai Ling lost all color on her face.


    She quickly knelt and said, "Disciple has failed Master! Disciple deserves punishment!"


    Seeing her determined face, Hou Shu couldn''t contain it anymore and burst into laughter.


    He turned around as he caressed her rough, yet delicate face and said in a gentle voice, "Why are you still so serious? Get up."


    The instance he finished speaking, a gentle gust came by.


    This gentle gust lifted Bai Ling to her two feet before she could even respond.


    "Remember, I am not your previous Master. It''s okay to fail, failure is a part of the Dao as much as success is." Said Hou Shu gently while directly looking into her eyes.


    But before Bai Long could answer, Hou Shu started to recite, in a tone that almost seemed sonorous yet sacred, "What is and what is not give birth to one another, What is difficult and what is easy complete one another, Long and short complement one another, High and low incline towards one another, Note and noise harmonize with one another, Before and after follow one another."


    "This is the teaching you were taught in that mortal temple right?" Asked Hou Shu with a smile.


    "Y-yes..." Bai Ling answered softly, clearly recalling something she didn''t want to remember.


    "I don''t think its a wrong teaching." Hou Shu said as his smile took on a sagely demeanor.


    "But Master! These teachings are from the mortal world!" Bai Ling cried out, despite her less-than-ideal state of mind.


    "So what if it is?" Asked Hou Shu.


    "But... But... Master is a cultivator! How can a mortal teaching compare to a cultivator''s?" Bai Ling voiced out.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "A good teaching is a good teaching, no matter if it came from a mortal, a cultivator, or even an Immortal!" Hou Shu spoke with a laugh.


    "I am saying this because I think this teaching is quite compatible with you," Hou Shu stopped for a moment and sent a deep, soul-moving gaze directly into her eyes, "My little Ling''er, you are stuck in the past. But by staying in the past, you lost the acknowledgment of both past and future."


    This left Bai Ling speechless, but not because she was shocked, deep down, whether consciously or unconsciously, she knew she was stuck in the past, but she was unable to come up with an answer to refute her despite her mind screaming for one.


    "Thus, let go, do not think, just follow the joy of the present. By wallowing in the present, you will be acknowledged by both past and future." Hou Shu said gently.


    To this, Bai Ling couldn''t say anything but softly say, "...Yes... Master..."


    To this, Hou Shu gave a wide smile, showing his pearly teeth as he nodded and said, "Now that we have concluded this, let us talk about what I was originally about to say."


    Hou Shu patted Bai Ling''s shoulder as he said, "You may have arrived after Yan Que Zi left, but you were not that far from coming on time."


    "Thus," He then turned around and said, "You are coming with me in this case!"


    Just as he uttered the last syllable, he waved his azure, star-embroidered sleeve. From it, appeared a ship in the sky. A miniature ship one might use to decorate their dwellings.


    But Hou Shu didn''t give that any attention as he floated towards it.


    The moment Hou Shu was two zhang away from it, it expanded in size into a huge majestic ship!


    But that''s not all, if one looks closely, they will notice that this ship was that it was solely made out of arrays!


    Golden Sky Faring Hull Array, Space Stabilization Array, Lightning Wing Array Flag... One could see how ornate and sophisticated it was just from a glance even if one is not proficient in arrays.


    But to Hou Shu, the owner of this ship, it was nothing of significance. Thus, gently floated onto its deck and then turned around to look back at his disciple and said, "Come up, Ling''er."


    Not wanting to disobey her Master, she also floated onto the deck.


    The instance she stepped on its deck, the Space Stabilization Array glowed and covered the sky above the deck in the shape of a dome and then turned invisible.


    Then the ship started to fly in the southeastern direction. The ship''s speed was so great that not many below Hou Shu''s level could catch up to it.


    But just as the Ship started to travel, Bai Ling couldn''t hold back and voiced her newfound worries, "Master... Isn''t it rude to include me in this when Senior Yan sent me away then?"


    Of course, she can see through this blatant euphemism. She is, after all, someone who had come of age long ago, even if she is not considered old by the standards of cultivators. She was surprised earlier when she didn''t see Yan Que Zi only because she was only thinking of the test her Master gave her and her fatigue from that.


    Now that she is well-rested, she can easily figure out what happened without anyone telling her.


    Hearing this, Hou Shu only let out a harrumph as he said, "What if it is? But where can I find such a prime opportunity to teach you?"


    "Don''t worry, while Daoist Que Zi may prefer this to be of utmost secret, I am sure knowledge of this has already leaked. Thus even if he thought ill of this, he won''t speak out!"


    Hearing this, Bai Ling let out a sigh of relief. She cuffed her palms and bowed, "Disciple understands!"


    Hou Shu just let out a laugh, "Don''t worry, if he speaks out for this, let''s see who can find his daughter!"


    The moment he finished, a gust of wind came, despite the barrier out up by the Space Stabilization Array.


    This gust was so strong that even Bai Ling, a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, had to block with a Spiritual Qi barrier.


    But the moment the gust of wind stopped, Bai Ling realized her Master had vanished!


    Just then, Hou Shu''s voice echoed with a small chuckle, "Ling''er, go to your cabin now, for we are charging straight toward Yan family''s Yan Hua Tower!"

 Chapter 4: Grandeur of the Yan Hua Tower

    Hearing her Master''s voice, Bai Ling didn''t delay any further and quickly entered her abode located in the lower section of the ship.


    The moment Bai Ling entered her abode, Hou Shu let out a laugh, "I haven''t used you in so long! Charge, Vajrayana!"


    The ship seemed to have heard Hou Shu as the instance he uttered those words, the ship''s hull let out a golden light, covering the whole ship, which happened in the blink of an eye, the golden light morphed into two majestic golden wings, increasing the ship''s speed countless fold!


    In due time the great array ship Vajrayana''s journey was over and it came to a halt.


    Standing near the helm, Hou Shu gently stroked the ship''s wheel, "I haven''t used in so long, yet the journey already ended... Yet what has ended, has indeed ended, it is better to look towards the future."


    Murmuring this, Hou Shu sent a divine message to Bai Ling, informing her that they had arrived at their destination.


    Bai Ling, who just entered into a meditative state, awakened in shock, baffled by the fact that they arrived at their destination so quickly. She was in awe that her Master had such a method.


    Nevertheless, she quickly approached the deck of Vajrayana, where she saw her Master was standing and looking in front of him.


    Seeing this, She quickly approached her Master and trailed her gaze towards where her Master was looking.


    She noticed that the Space Isolation Array was down but she didn''t put emphasis on it as what she saw in the distance made her freeze in her place.


    In front of her was a gigantic lily burning in the sky, but upon closer look, one would notice that it was not burning, in fact, the whole lily was made of white flames!


    But this is not enough to shock Bai Ling, despite her young age, she is a disciple of a Great Completion Nascent Soul stage expert.


    What made her shocked was the flame lily''s stem. Because the stem was not a stem nor a flame, but a hundred zhang upside down tower!


    On the surface of the tower, there were many illusory eyes ranging from three cun to a zhang in size. These eyes were constantly moving about as if monitoring the whole place.


    The moment Bai Ling''s shock subsided, she realized that this place was where all of the Yan Family''s prisoners were kept, Yanhua Tower!


    "Shock subsided? Good! The Tower Lord has also arrived, follow me." Said Hou Shu as he floated up from the ship''s deck towards the tower.


    Bai Ling quickly followed, not wanting to delay, for her master had the tendency to be punctual.


    "Greetings Fellow Daoist Hou, I long have heard of your reputation and have great admiration for you!" Said a slightly chubby middle-aged man with a laugh as Hou Shu approached him.


    "Fellow Daoist surely jests! Compared to the great Tower Lord Yan Shen Jun, who had battled countless demons, my reputation is in no way better." Said Hou Shu as waved his sleeve, quickly withdrawing his ship back into his storage ring.


    But before Yan Shen Jun could reply, Hou Shu spoke again, "Let''s not waste time on pleasantries and move on to the matter that brought me here."


    Yan Shen Jun''s expression turned into a solemn one as he nodded, "Indeed, I have been informed of this matter by the Patriarch, let this one guide you." He then turned around and flew up towards the Yan Hua Tower''s entrance, which was just below the flame lily.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Not wasting words, both Master and disciple followed Yan Shen Jun into the Yan Hua Tower.


    The interior of the Yan Hua Tower was significantly more spacious than the outside, at least two or three times larger.  Inside this huge tower, there was an inner tower with two cells on each floor guarded by ferocious-looking fire spirits. Surrounding it was a seven-chi-wide stair spiraling down with a myriad of small impish fire sprites roaming around, surveying the whole tower to stop the prisoners from breaking free in case the arrays stopped working.


    As they were walking down the stairs, Hou Shu suddenly asked, "Ling''er, do you know why we are here?"


    Bai Ling, who was occupied by a small fire sprite that was following her, quickly yet calmly answered, "Seeing we are in a prison, and from the information jade that master had given me, I can deduce that we are here for that suspect that informed Yan family of the Fire Elemental Treasure that was unearthed in Nanqing Immortal Province."


    "As expected of my disciple, despite your first visit to this dangerous place, you can remain calm, good child!" Hou Shu laughed, but then spoke in a strict tone, "Also, take out that fire sprite. Taking even one may be detrimental to this place."


    Bai Ling was unwilling, for she really liked these sprites. But her Master was right, so she opened her storage ring, letting the one she secretly took, out.


    "Life Storage Rings are truly precious artifacts, and you are using it to smuggle these fire sprites." Hou Shu smiled wryly.


    "Fellow Daoist Hou, we have arrived. This is the cell where the suspect is being kept." Said Yan Shen Jun with his brows furrowed, as if thinking deeply about something puzzling.


    Hou Shu stopped being playful as he looked at the cell with a deepened gaze.


    This cell was on the third lowest floor, showing the great deal of importance of the suspect to the Yan family.


    There were two fire spirits thirteen chi huge with looks of Dharmarajas guarding the cell. Behind them, the cell''s gate was huge, nine zhang in height and seven zhang in width. It had a white tiger and a vermilion bird inscribed on it.  The gate was comprised of materials of both metal and fire element, showing that a force other than the Yan Family had a hand in creating it.


    After observing the gate for a few breaths, Hou Shu gestured to Yan Shen Jun to open the door.


    Yan Shen Jun didn''t waste any time as he quickly performed a few hand seals and murmured a sutra with a speed so fast that even Hou Shu couldn''t observe the hand seals nor hear the sutra.


    The moment Yan Shen Jun finished, the Dharmaraja Fire Spirits moved out of the gates ranged and pointed at it with their halberd. The moment they did so, the white tiger and the vermilion bird came to life as they started to intertwine and formed a Taijitu, which then separated into Yin and Yang, opening the gate.


    Even after the gate opened, one could not see anything inside, only pitch-black darkness, despite the light emitted by the myriads of fire sprites and spirits in the tower. One could tell it''s an array even if someone did not know about arrays.


    Thus, the Master and disciple nor the Tower Lord made any fanfare or remarks, they all calmed their mind, gathered their thoughts and stepped forward, entering the cell.


    The moment they entered, they were greeted with darkness, just like the view from outside the gate.


    But this darkness didn''t stay for long as candles started to light up on their own, revealing that they were in a long hallway with no end in sight.


    They continued for what seemed a cup of tea''s worth of time when they came in front of the opening leading out of the hallway.


    In front of the opening, Yan Shen Jun stopped and turned towards Hou Shu and said, "This is where the suspect is being held," He then did a light bow, "This one has to leave now and let Daoist Hou interrogate, I hope fellow Daoist can understand."


    "You are the Tower Lord, taking your time to personally escort me is already enough." Hou Shu said and bowed in return.


    "Then this one will take my leave now," saying this, Yan Shen Jun bowed once more and finally left to handle his duties.


    With Yan Shen Jun gone, the Master and disciple duo didn''t waste any time and exited the hallway, entering the cell proper.


    Outside the hallway, what greeted them was a dome made of bronze, with slits covering almost all the surface of it. From them, one could see wisps of flames.


    In the center of the dome, there was a giant ring made of the same coppery material floating, and in the center of it, there was a disheveled person bound to the ring with chains of flame.


    Laying his eyes upon this slight, Hou Shu couldn''t help but remark, "So you are the suspect, Da Tong."

 Chapter 5: Interrogating the Greatly Familiar Suspect

    "So you are the suspect, Da Tong." Hou Shu remarked with a solemn expression but a smile hidden in his eyes.


    The person bound by the chains of flame seemed to have heard Hou Shu as he started to move.


    "Seniors... You are wronging me... I, Da Tong, am innocent..." Said Da Tong in a hoarse voice, as if he had difficulty speaking.


    Da Tong was a Foundation Establishment cultivator with the appearance of a middle-aged man with the top of his head bald and long hair flowing from the sides. Other than that, his only distinguishing features were his small eyes and his high nose bridge.


    This appearance was that of a sage in the mortal world, but currently, Da Tong didn''t have any sagely countenance. Justifiably so, he was imprisoned and had been tortured by Yan family specialist for who knows how long.


    "Whether you are innocent and the Yan family has wronged you, will be known after this interrogation, for I am Hou Shu, Red Book Detective." Said Hou Shu as he floated in front of Da Tong.


    "Ah... So it''s Senior Red Book Detective... It seems that the Yan family has spent quite a bit on this... Alas, they will be disappointed..." Said Da Tong in a voice clearer than before.


    "That will be something for me to worry about," Said Hou Shu as he waved his sleeves and held out his hand, on which wisps of red flames appeared and condensed into a red book.


    "As for you, you just have to act like your name, Da Tong1." As Hou Shu said this, the smile hidden in his eyes surfaced for a split second, clearly, he found this coincidence humorous.


    "Haha... Ask me anything Senior... I have not lied since I have been imprisoned here..." Said Da Tong, who found Hou Shu quite likable. Of course, this is the first time in quite a while that people have behaved in this manner with him, The Yan family are all ferocious people.


    ''Oh Heaven! Your workings is truly mysterious, and your workings can even be humorous like this." Hou Shu jokingly thought as he opened the red book made out of flames, from which, a small wisp detached from it and floated towards Da Tong, entering his Sea of Consciousness.


    The moment it Da Tong''s Sea of Consciousness, he grimaced in pain.


    "Don''t resist it! The pain will go away, but if you resist, the pain will linger." Hou Shu warned.


    Da Tong heeded Hou Shu''s order and complied and sure enough, his grimace eased, signifying that the pain had lessened or even gone away.


    Seeing this, Hou Shu let out a smile and said, "Now, let us start by you telling me a bit about yourself."


    "This one is called Da Tong... The first son of two mortals from Chijia Village... At sixteen I found my immortal opportunity of a golden core inheritance in the caverns near the village... I have cultivated diligently in my village and seldom left it..." Said Da Tong slowly, adding each bit after careful consideration.


    Just as Da Tong spoke, words mirroring his appeared on the pages of the red book made of flames by extinguishing the flames in the pattern of the characters.


    Hou Shu nodded at the sight of this, although expected, he was glad that the red book worked flawlessly.


    "Good,  Can you tell me more about the fire celestial treasure inheritance? Where did you find it and how did you find it?" Asked Hou Shu gentlemanly way, not in a way someone would expect an interrogator to speak.


    "Yes... I found the inheritance site two months ago, when there was a great earthquake near Chijia Village, my seclusion grounds... At first, I only acted to protect the village so it doesn''t get razed to the great, but..."


    "And what you observed?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "As I moved to mend the cracks that the earthquake left behind... I found that one of them connected to a giant underground ravine... This ravine was quite deep so I went inside to explore, to see if I could find a spirit vein... But as I went deeper, the ravine got stranger and stranger..."


    "Strange? How so?" Asked Hou Shu with his brows furrowed.


    "As I went deeper, protrusions made of rocks in the shape of roots started to appear on the walls of the ravine... The deeper I went, the more they appeared... Until they completely covered the walls..."


    "Yet you still continued?"


    Da Tong weakly nodded and lamented, "Haha... Opportunities follow those who take risks, thinking about this, I went deeper... But I think I shouldn''t have."


    "And what did you see or experience?" Asked Hou Shu, trying to steer Da Tong back on the topic.


    "Ah yes... Senior is here to hear my testimony...." He exclaimed, "After a certain point, the root-like rock protrusions started to have a dried appearance as if they were sun-dried... Nevertheless, I continued... But what I saw..." As he said this, he shivered and a frightened look appeared on his face.


    Seeing the frightened state of Da Tong, Hou Shu sighed and said, "Junior Da Tong, this Senior here knows what you have witnessed is something of great terror, but you have to speak, you don''t want to be imprisoned here forever, do you?"


    In response to this, Da Tong''s forehead creased and a frown appeared on his mouth, as if he was hesitant and contemplating whether to speak or not.


    Hou Shu knew that interrogations don''t show much effect when forced so he didn''t urge Da Tong and patiently waited.


    Finally, after what seemed like two incense sticks worth of time, he spoke, "Y-yes... I will speak, I don''t want to stay here any longer..."


    "One can only  advance if they face their fears, this one is glad that you realize that." Smiled Hou Shu, with a sagely aura around him.


    But the sagely aura went away as he gestured with his hand and said "You may start speaking."


    "When I reached the bottom of the ravine... The rock roots on the wall were burning in a ghostly fire... On the ground, there was a coffin surrounded by eight burning corpses sitting in a bagua formation..."


    "Just this? Surely there is something more."


    Da Tong weakly nodded, "Indeed Senior... This is alone won''t fill me with terror... What was terrifying is that all of those corpses had the aura of Soul Transformation experts!"


    Hearing this, Hou Shu''s face warped into a frown, "This is indeed way more serious than what I expected..." He then shook his head and asked Da Tong once more, "So after that, you escaped from that ravine and came here to report right?"


    "Yes... That sight was enough to make me forgo any thought of fishing for benefits... I quickly left and rushed here to report, not even stopping by my seclusion grounds... hoping to get some rewards from Yan family..."


    Hou Shu started to nod when he paused in the middle. His eyes were wide open as he stared at the red book.


    ''There were different characters than what Da Tong spoke of in the book for a split second!'' Hou Shu exclaimed in his heart, which was heavy as thousand jin.


    Hou Shu flicked his fingers, making the wisp of flame bright enough for one to see it clearly even if it''s inside the Sea of Consciousness.


    He then spoke in a deep voice, "Da Tong, are you sure about the details? Think again!"


    "Yes, I am sure.... The moment I saw those corpses, I ran out of¨C aghhhhhhhh!" Da Tong screamed and started to thrash around as if he was in great pain.


    But before Da Tong started screaming, Hou Shu had already started chanting, "Urgently! Six strings of Simings, Illusory Troops of the Flame Ancient, protect the spirit and the divine thoughts, go!"


    The moment he finished chanting, the red flame book transformed into six strings and pierced into the screaming Da Tong''s forehead, entering his Sea of Consciousness.


    Inside the radiant Sea of Consciousness, the six strings of flames went straight towards Da Tong''s Spirit, which was burning in a grey fire, and wrapped around it.


    From the strings, tiny soldiers with spears made of flames jumped out and started waving their spears toward the gray fire, as if it was a living being.


    ''It''s working! They are damaging the spirit flames!'' Hou Shu exclaimed silently, his heart joyous.


    But suddenly, the intensity of the spirit fire increased, filling the whole Sea of Consciousness and burning everything down.


    "No!" Hou Shu coughed out some essence blood and conjured six more strings of flames in a split second and quickly sent it inside the Sea of Consciousness.


    But it was too late, Da Tong''s screams had already stopped.


    Da Tong had died.

 Chapter 6: Drinking Ayu Kalpa Wine

    "Damn it!" Hou Shu shouted in frustration, his frustration not only at the loss of a major clue but also at his inability to save someone, again.


    "Master! What happened!?" Bai Ling rushed towards Hou Shu.


    She had seen everything from a distance, but after observing the severity of the situation, she didn''t intervene.


    No, even if she wanted to intervene, she couldn''t, this was way out of her league.


    Seeing her, Hou Shu calmed down, ''No! I am not the past me, I can save people, the example is right in front of me.''


    At this moment, Yan Shen Jun also appeared, teleporting directly through the emergency teleportation array.


    His eyes widened the moment his eyes fell on Da Tong''s Corpse. He couldn''t help but ask, "Fellow Daoist... What happened?"


    Hou Shu didn''t answer, instead, he looked at Da Tong''s corpse and into his Sea of Consciousness, which had the appearance of a world made of shattered mirrors.


    After a few breaths, Hou Shu shook his head and chanted, "May you rise to the nine palaces in the afterlife."


    Hou Shu silently walked away from Da Tong''s corpse and approached Yan Shen Jun.


    He then cuffed his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist, while this incompetent one wasn''t able to save Da Tong and unveil the truth, this one did uncover some things."


    In response to this, Yan Shen Jun cuffed his hands and bowed back, "What is fellow Daoist saying? We, the Yan family had Da Tong for more than half a month, yet Daoist Hou came here not even a day ago and had uncovered crucial clues."


    He then gave a deep bow, saying, "In terms of Investigation, we of the Yan family are truly inferior compared to Daoist Hou, the Red Book Detective."


    Hou Shu could only politely say, "Daoist Shen Jun is exaggerating. While it may be true that I have a slight advantage in investigation methods, but Yan Family also has unfathomable methods that I can''t compare at all."


    "If Daoist Hou is insisting, I won''t push anymore." Yan Shen Jun laughed.


    He then looked at Hou Shu seriously and said, "I would like to invite Daoist Hou to my residence in this tower for wine and to discuss the clues fellow Daoist uncovered."


    "Of course, how could I, a lover of wine, refuse?" Said Hou Shu, in an equally serious tone.


    "Then let us go to my residence, this way." Yan Shen Jun said and then started to walk towards the teleportation array he come from.


    Hou Shu and Bai Ling followed suit.


    But just as he was about to step into the teleportation array, he turned around and said, "Fellow Daoist, your disciple..."


    "Don''t mind her, I am taking her out to teach her my methods, she won''t be able to leak anything. Plus, who would pour us wine if she is not there?" Said Hou Shu, in a casual, indifferent tone, unlike his usually polite demeanor.


    "If Daoist Hou assures me, then what is there to worry?" Laughed Yan Shen Jun as the cohort stepped into the array.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    After they stepped in, the array let out a radiant light and then disappeared, leaving no trace.


    This made Da Tong''s corpse the only thing as evidence of the previous incident, which will also be eventually cleaned up, erasing all traces, just like the teleportation array...


    *******


    "So there was a mastermind wielding Spirit Fire..." Said Yan Shen Jun while taking small sips from his wine cup, lost in thought.


    They were not sitting in a courtyard in the middle of a bamboo forest. But this place was not real, but created by illusion arrays. Certainly, someone of Yan Shen Jun''s status won''t live in any random dwelling.


    After a few breaths of time, Yan Shen Jun asked, "So fellow Daoist thinks that the Fire Celestial Treasure Inheritance was already inherited and the inheritor is now looking at my Yan family''s riches?"


    "If one has these clues, this is the most logical conclusion. I have certainly thought of it, but there are some details I am not too sure about, and would like to investigate." Said Hou Shu with a somber look.


    But then, a smile spread on his face as he took a sip from his wine cup, "Good wine! At first, it has a mellow taste but it gets more intense then after a while mellow once more, completing a cycle. How come I, a great lover of wine, didn''t know Yan Family had this spiritual wine?"


    "I knew Daoist Hou would be surprised!" Yah Shen Jun laughed.


    He then went on to explain the origins of the wine, "This is a new wine called Ayu Kalpa Wine, made by the 13th generation elder Yan Hui Bo of my Yan family, who lived during the time pathway to the Immortal Realm was cut off. He saw the despair of the cultivation world and made this wine."


    "Genius! The mellowness at first represents the confidence of cultivators at breaking through this calamity, then the burning intensity represents the wanton slaughter, despair and suicide of many great cultivators of that time, and lastly, the mellowness at the end shows the acceptance  of the cultivators and the silent yet great efforts to break through the shackles of the cultivation and ascend." Hou Shu admired the genius of Yan Hui Bo, a genius at the art of brewing wines like this is truly rare.


    "Daoist Hou has taken such a great case of the Yan family, if we couldn''t even provide this much, our Yan Family is not much." Said Yan Shen Jun with a pleased expression, "Of course, this just doesn''t stop at wines, to complete the case, fellow Daoist can ask for anything that might be helpful for it."


    "Then this one would like to ask for the latest information regarding the Nanqing Immortal Province." Asked Hou Shu calmly.


    "Oh? Isn''t this matter fellow Daoist Hou, Leader of the Azure Stars, Crimson Moon Agency''s forte?  How could we compare?" Inquired Yan Shen Jun, but the smile on his lips suggested he knew the answer.


    "Fellow Daoist surely knows the answer, I was in seclusion for a long while and started to investigate this case as soon as I went out, thus never having the chance to visit my agency." Said Hou Shu as he downed his cup of Ayu Kalpa Wine.


    "Haha! Forgive me fellow Daoist, but I found this matter hilarious and had to take this opportunity." Yan Shen Jun laughed and drank his wine in response, "When is fellow Daoist leaving for Nanqing Immortal Province? If Daoist Hou needs this one as a combat power, I will not hesitate to follow!"


    "That won''t be necessary, I am just a lowly detective, fighting is something I rarely experience, and if I need to fight, other than the peak, who can trouble me?" Hou Shu said with grace, but at this moment, he released his Nascent Soul Great Completion aura.


    Taking in this aura, while Yan Shen Jun himself was a Nascent Soul Great Completion expert, he felt threatened.


    "I was worrying for nothing!" He guffawed heartily, but he also released his own aura to combat Hou Shu''s as well as to remind him where and whose territory he was in.


    Taking the hint, Hou Shu retracted his aura and bowed, "Well then, this one shall leave now."


    "Fellow Daoist should take care." Yan Shen Jun bowed back.


    With that, Hou Shu left, with Bai Ling, who was silent throughout the whole thing, following behind.


    But suddenly, Hou Shu stopped in his tracks and turned around, he put on a sheepish smile and said, "As a tip for my services, can the Yan Family send all of your Ayu Kalpa Wine to my seclusion grounds?"


    Hearing this Yan Shen Jun was stunned, but he quickly recovered and laughed, "Of course! If it''s Daoist Hou, why won''t it be possible?"

 Chapter 7: Visiting the Barren Plains

    The grassy rolling plains covered the land, spread abound on the vast land akin to soft muslin cloth worn by a fair maiden.


    Above it, the clear yet cold sky was like the inverted sea, a picturesque scenery indeed.


    And in this inverted sky, a giant ship with wings double its size, gleaming in luminous golden light, appeared.


    From it, two people appeared, a girl who looked to be in her twenties and an elegant middle-aged gentry.


    At this moment, the young girl''s face was flushed as well as had a smile that could make almost anyone''s heart melt.


    Such innocence? Where one can find it nowadays?


    That''s also what the elegant gentry thought, thus he let out a smile and said, "This is the barren plains of Nanqing Immortal Province, you like it, Ling''er?"


    They were the master and disciple duo, Hou Shu and Bai Ling.


    "Yes, Master! Such a vast land, yet no hills nor forests covering it, only this soft-looking grass! How good it would be to cultivate in this place?" Said Bai Ling, her excitement apparent.


    Hou Shu chuckled as he put Vajrayana back into his storage ring.


    Bai Ling was someone who was born in the mountainous region of Dashou Immortal Province. Being a mortal almost all her life, She never ventured out of the Dashou Immortal Province. Her excitement was something natural.


    "This scenery is something not something common in Dashou Immortal Province, but this place has its downsides as well." Hou Shu said.


    "Ah! What does Master mean?" Bai Ling said, her voice calmer than before, one''s excitement wanes quickly, after all.


    "This place is called the barren plains for a reason, this place has a lack of resources, even spiritual veins. This made the plains picturesque, without any obstructions of different resources making it look unsightly, but this also made the plains have fewer cultivators." Hou Shu explained.


    "Aya? But we are going to investigate the cultivators here right? Why would one like to stay here then?" Asked Bai Ling, discovering the flaw in Hou Shu''s explanation.


    Hou Shu nodded, "Good, never forget to notice even the smallest fallacies like this, this is an essential skill of us detectives," He then explained Bai Ling''s inquiry, "This place is barren, but this barrenness is also this place''s virtue. Without any natural resources taking in Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, there is an abundance of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth despite the lack of spirit veins."


    "This disciple understands... No, why would this place be ruled by independent sects if this place is beneficial for cultivators? Why the Seven Hegemons haven''t annexed this place as their own?" Asked Bai Ling once more, this time almost not noticing her Master''s test.


    Hou Shu let out a hearty laugh, "Ling''er never disappoints Master!"


    "In the past, what you said might have been true, but now... One can hardly gather the Spiritual Qi they were nurtured in, not to mention foreign Spiritual Qi."  Said Hou Shu, a longing expression on his face.


    A few moments later, Hou Shu shook his head and said, "We have been talking about this place for quite some time, let us head towards the place we came for, shall we?"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Yes, Master!" Bai Ling bowed.


    After that, the master and disciple became two streaks of colors, one azure and one white, heading for their destination...


    ***


    Somewhere deep in the barren plains, there was a single mountain in the shape of a pheasant.


    On it, there were many halls and pagodas made with what seemed to be deep purple roots and golden limestones.


    Such a sight, as majestic as it is, is clearly not natural. This mountain is something that was moved here artificially.


    And above this mountain, there appeared two streaks of light. And from it, appeared the master and disciple duo, Hou Shu and Bai Ling.


    And as soon as they appeared, Hou Shu signaled Bai Ling.


    To which, Bai Ling quickly nodded and went forward and said in a voice reinforced with Spiritual Qi, "Junior Bai Ling, the disciple of Hou Shu, The Red Book Detective, greets the seniors of Zhiji Mountain Sect!"


    Bai Ling''s face was flushed as this was the first time she represented her Master, despite this representation being quite minor.


    "So it''s Junior Bai Ling and Senior Hou."  An old voice echoed throughout the mountain as a seven or eight-year-old child with a head full of grey hair floated towards the duo.


    The child cuffed his hands and said, "Junior Dan Xuan greets Senior Hou."


    "So this is the genius Sect Master of Zhiji Mountain Sect who is said to be half a foot into Nascent Soul stage, not bad." Hou Shu hummed in acknowledgment.


    "Senior flatters me, this barely made it to this stage." Said Dan Xuan with a laugh.


    "If Senior doesn''t mind, this one would like to invite both Senior Hou and Junior Bai Ling to my  Zhiji Mountain Sect." Said Dan Xuan in a manner that only those who have gone through many perilous times can.


    This manner of speech and Dan Xuan''s child-like appearance made Bai very amused but she knew that cultivators have their own eccentricities, just like how her Master had a deep love for wines.


    "Good, lead us to your abode." Said Hou Shu.


    "As Senior commands!" Said Dan Xuan with a smile and led them onto the back mountain.


    On the back mountain, there was a small pagoda made of some type of Yang Gold and Yin Wood.


    As they entered the pagoda and sat down at a table, Dan Xuan poured both of them wine.


    "Forgive this one if Junior''s wine doesn''t satisfy Senior, this is the best wine this one has." Said Dan Xuan with an apologetic smile.


    "No, this is quite good, very vigorous!" Said Hou Shu as he took a sip of it.


    "Our barren plains have nothing but this vigorousness, if we couldn''t even capture this in wine, then we are no worse than those cultivators of the black path." Dan Xuan said with a peal of laughter.


    This sweet laughter, not unlike the previous old man''s voice, was filled with childish innocence, which Bai Ling found adorable.


    But suddenly, Dan Xuan then put on a somber expression and asked, "May I ask what the purpose of Senior''s visit is?"


    Hou Shu nodded, "This time, I came here to investigate the situation of barren plains, as the sects of barren plains seem to be at war against each other?"


    Hearing this, Dan Xuan''s face twisted from shock.


    Just as he was about to retreat and prepare to escape, Hou Shu raised his hand and said, "Don''t worry, none of the other sects have hired me, they can''t afford my services."


    Hearing this, Dan Xuan''s face once again broke into a flattering yet apologetic smile, "Senior... Please forgive me, this one is at war with other sects in the area so I had to be on guard... This one didn''t mean to disrespect you."


    While Dan Xuan apologized on the surface, he was deeply embarrassed on the inside.


    ''By saying that the opposing sects can''t afford him, isn''t Senior saying that we, the Zhiji Mountain Sect are also poor?'' Dan Xuan thought.


    "No, it''s fine, I understand your position, I also am a leader of an organization." Said Hou Shu, he then spoke with a mysterious smile, "Now, will Sect Master Dan speak of the situation?"

 Chapter 8: War of the Barren Plains

    "Now, will Sect Master Dan speak of the situation?"


    While Hou Shu said this with his usual courtesy, Dan Xuan could feel the Nascent Soul Great Completion Aura constricting around him like a python.


    While Dan Xuan himself was someone who was half a foot into the Nascent Soul stage, he still felt great pressure.


    He knew he would have to speak of everything and not hide anything, even sect secrets, or he would have to pay a great price.


    He gritted his teeth and started to speak. "It all began fourteen years ago... There was an enormous blizzard during Chou month of that year... It took all the residents by surprise as this place is usually permeated with Earth and Fire and Wood Qi."


    "While unexpected, changes in the four seasons are not rare. And by the looks of it, this blizzard was not of an unprecedented scale that would cause scarcity of resources, no matter how barren this place may be." Hou Shu spoke.


    Hearing him talk about Barren Plains as some backwater place, even if in an elegant manner, made Dan Xuan feel that his heart had been pierced.


    But despite the turmoil in his heart, Dan Xuan didn''t show it on his face, he is a sect master after all.


    "Yes, the blizzard was not the main cause, it was those bastards who took advantage of it!" Dan Xuan bellowed, resentment in his voice apparent.


    "Who were they?" Hou Shu narrowed his eyes.


    "A group of demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, their leaders were at quasi-golden core stage. They made use of the blizzard as a cover and broke into various sects, with the help of a lone array master they seemed to have hired at a great price, and stole a lot of resources from Zhiji Mountain Sect, All Blue Sect and Green Bull Sect." Said Dan Xuan with a scowl.


    "So it was these cultivators of the demonic path that made the sects of the Barren Plains go into war?" Said Hou Shu with a pondering expression.


    "They might have claimed to be from one faction when they were caught." Bai Ling who was silently listening, remarked.


    "No, truth confirmation methods should have ratted them out. Not every member of the group should have techniques to bypass it..." Hou Shu refuted this.


    "Senior''s and Junior''s deduction skills are advanced! This one is jealous of this level of talent." Dan Xuan remarked.


    "Enough flattering!" Hou Shu waved his hands, not just because he wanted to investigate the matter at hand but because he didn''t want Bai Ling to be showered in praise, which Dan Xuan seemed to be glad to do.


    "Tell me about what really happened." Said Hou Shu, not wanting to waste any more time.


    "What Junior Bai Ling said really happened!" Dan Xuan emphasized, fearing that Hou Shu might not believe it, "After much interrogation by the joint forces of my Zhiji Mountain Sect, All Blue Sect and Green Bull Sect, they revealed that they were a group formed by disciples of South Sky Sect and Misty Plains Sect, two behemoths of the southern part of Barren Plains."


    "Of course, we didn''t believe them, but when the combined forces of our sects repeatedly confirmed that they were the disciples of South Sky and Misty Plains Sect, we had no choice but to believe them." As he said this, Dan Xuan had a strange glow in his eyes, barely noticeable.


    "Sect Master Chen, Sect Master Dun and I went to southern Plains to confront the Misty Plains Sect and Green Bull Sect. And of course, they vehemently denied it, but..." Dan Xuan''s forehead creased, appearing rather unsightly on his child-like face, "They were too unprepared and shocked."


    "One can fake being in shock, but faking unpreparedness is nigh impossible." Commented Hou Shu.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Seeing them, we decided to not pursue the matter. But because we had already made a move, we couldn''t return empty handed either, so we and the Sect Master Ji and Dong from the two southern sects made an agreement that we would be provided with compensation."


    Seeing that Dan Xuan didn''t try to fawn over them, made Hou Shu pleased.


    At this moment, Dan Xuan let out a hollow laugh and said, "I don''t know if the heavens have forsaken us, because just as we were taking vows and exchanging seals to complete the agreement, the news of Misty Rain Sect and Green Bull Sect pillaging our resources accidentally spread through the lower echelons of our sect."


    "Are you sure that it was accidental?" Hou Shu sent a piercing gaze toward Dan Xuan.


    Dan Xuan felt the Nascent Soul Great Completion Aura tightening around him, making him feel as if he was suffocating.


    But even in this suffocation, Dan Xuan said with a miserable smile, "No matter how much Senior pushes, what I have said is the truth... We had thoroughly investigated who had leaked this matter, but it was only by chance that an inner disciple heard it from an elder because of the divine ability that he was born with. Oh heavens! You are so cruel."


    "And this leak led to a riot in the three sects and later evolved into a war... Senior, We, the Sect Masters, don''t want this war... Barren Plains is already not wealthy, and this war is only making us poor."


    At this instance, Dan Xuan felt Hou Shu''s Nascent Soul aura disappearing, making him feel as if a mountain was lifted off his shoulders.


    "This one understands," Hou Shu nodded and waved his sleeve, making a spirit stone appear in his hands.


    "I have my methods and have confirmed what you have said is the truth. So I can''t just leave without giving you any compensation. Please accept this pinnacle-grade spiritual stone." Saying this, Hou Shu sent the spirit stone towards Dan Xuan.


    Dan Xuan quickly took it and put it into his storage bag.


    He then cuffed his hands and said, "Forgive this Junior for being crude, but my Zhiji Mountain Sect is really in dire need of this."


    "This one doesn''t mind, I was also someone with low cultivation in the past, this one understands a thing or two about this." Hou Shu laughed.


    "Now that all matters are complete, this one will take my leave then." Said Hou Shu as he and Bai Ling stood up from their seats.


    "Let this Junior escort Senior out of my sect." Said Dan Xuan as he also hurriedly stood up.


    "No need, I have bothered Sect Master Dan quite a bit, I shouldn''t bother anymore." Said Hou Shu, slowly walking out of the pagoda with his disciple.


    Dan Xuan quickly followed them, "No, how could Junior be bothered? Let this ju¡ª"


    But before he could reach them, the master and disciple duo had already turned into two streaks of color, flying through the cold sky, leaving Dan Xuan standing at the entrance of the pagoda.


    ***


    As they were flying through the sky, Bai Ling couldn''t hold on and asked, "Master, why didn''t you use the Red Book? This would have resolved that interaction quite quickly."


    "Good question, as expected of my disciple," Remarked Hou Shu, "There are two reasons I didn''t use Red Book, each reason not weaker than the other."


    Hou Shu raised his index finger, "One, while Red Book is an artifact that dominates in all matters of interrogation, Red Book has its drawbacks too. Red Book can extract almost all information the moment it appears in the mind, but it needs the target''s compliance or the cultivator''s Sea of Consciousness will be destroyed."


    "Dan Xuan is the Sect Master of Zhiji Mountain Sect, even though he acted subserviently in front of me if I tried to extract information from his mind, he would rather self-destruct than let others know the true teachings of his sect."


    He then raised his middle finger, "Two, We are from the orthodox way, we have rules we have to abide by. We are not demons nor members of the black way, we cannot wantonly attack others without a cause. Dan Xuan is just a Sect Master  in the eyes of the cultivator world, I don''t have any proof that he is an accomplice or the mastermind, so I cannot extract information from him."


    He then closed his eyes and connected the index and middle finger together, forming the Taiyi hand seal and said, "Sage relies on nothing, yet his task is accomplished."


    "I may have a powerful artifact, but I do not need it to investigate. I have been following the way of investigation for hundreds of years, I can deduce things from minute details... As for what I deduced from Dan Xuan, he told what he knew and believed in, but his mind was in confusion." Said Hou Shu with a solemn look.


    "What else do you want to ask, Ling''er?" Said Hou Shu, while still solemn, his lips were curled up ever so slightly, expressing gentleness.


    "Yes Master, where we are heading? Chijia Village?" Asked Bai Ling.


    Hou Shu laughed and said, "No, we are going to the rest of the sects of Barren Plain!"

 Chapter 9: Visiting the Hong Di Immortal Town

    # CHAPTER 9


    Two streaks of color slice through the cold and clear sky, as if the heavens were painting with a vigorous stroke.


    But suddenly, the heavens'' stroke came to an abrupt halt, revealing that it wasn''t the heavens painting on the sky, but two cultivators flying through the air.


    These two were naturally the master and disciple pair, Hou Shu and Bai Ling.


    Hou Shu''s gaze sweeps across the horizon, they have traveled across the Barren Plains, visiting every sect, but their investigation bore no fruit.


    "Master, why do we have to visit every sect? They''ve all told us the same thing." Said Bai Ling, unable to hold her frustration and impatience any longer.


    Hou Shu smiled at this, ''Despite her excellence, this is her first time leaving the valley in years after all.''


    "It is the way of investigation to search for even the smallest of details. It is often those minute details that others overlook that lead to answers." Said Hou Shu, his tone steady and gentle.


    "Disciple understands!" Bai Ling didn''t refute Hou Shu even if the answer didn''t quell her frustration. She knew refuting would be futile, her Master is the greatest in the way of investigation throughout heaven and earth.


    But suddenly, Hou Shu''s gentle smile disappeared as his lips pressed into a thin line, "But Ling''er has good instincts, sensing something is off is a great tool for a detective. But the real problem isn''t that they all gave us the same answer¡ªit''s that they all said the same thing, word for word. As if they all were reading the same script."


    Bai Ling''s eyes widen in realization, her thoughts racing, "Master thinks that they were controlled by the same person that killed Da Tong and kidnapped Yan Hu Zi?"


    Hou Shu nodded and spoke with a low voice, "It''s highly likely. Looks like whoever obtained the Fire Celestial Treasure Inheritance has obtained for at least fifty years. One cannot control so many people in such a wide area without any experience."


    "... So what should we do, Master?" Asked Bai Ling, her brows furrowed.


    "We are going to visit Hong Di Immortal Town, the only Immortal Town in the seventy-five thousand mu radius of Chijia village." The moment he finished speaking, Hou Shu broke into a flight once more, with Bai Ling soon following behind.


    Soon they entered the five thousand li radius surrounding Chijia village.


    Hou Shu noted that there were no traces of any array being in place, the plains were covered in grass, except for the unusual amount of mortal trees, and there was nothing strange that might indicate that there was a formation in place.


    Soon, they appeared before a giant city.


    This City was surrounded by walls seventy-five zhang high, spanning for more than tens of li on every side.


    The buildings inside were all made from mellow yang jade or true yin rocks, with the base of true yin rocks and mellow yang jade as the walls, the craftsmen of these buildings clearly wanted to enhance the quality of spiritual qi to compliment the environment of barren plains.


    This city was so massive and luxurious that even the mortal capitals couldn''t compare.


    "Whoah! This place is so big! Is Master sure that this is a town?" Asked Bai Ling.


    "Of course, you may be familiar with mortal countries, but in the cultivation world, this place can only be an immortal provincial town for the Da Qian Immortal Dynasty," But Hou Shu then chuckled, "Though it doesn''t matter nowadays, Da Qian Immortal Dynasty is a hollow husk now, ranking last of the Seven Hegemons." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Saying this, Hou Shu led Bai Ling into Hong Di Immortal Town.


    But as he traveled through the roads, his eyes narrowed and a frown appeared on his lips.


    The roads were too quiet, there was not even a hint of a shadow of people on the roads.


    Suddenly, he flicked his fingers, sending a ribbon made of flames towards a three-story building to his right, destroying its walls and the anti-detection array.


    Inside the building, what seemed to be a library, there were many cultivators with their cultivation stages ranging from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment stage.


    They all were sitting in a lotus position, no matter where they were as if they hurriedly started cultivating.


    They were not startled awake even after the destruction of the building.


    Seeing this, Hou Shu flicked and sent another ribbon of flame towards a building to his right.


    But the sight that greeted him was almost parallel to the three-story building, making Hou Shu blitz through the pathways and appear in front of the Town Lord''s palace.


    The Town Lord''s Palace was different from any other buildings as it was built with Nether Silver and Blue Sky wood. It had an entrance with two pillars made of what seemed to be hollow spirit stone shells of top-grade quality. Above the pillars, there was a plaque that had "ºìµÛÏÉÕòÖÁ¸ßÏÍÖ÷1 " written on it.


    As impressive as this palace was, it soon disappeared as Hou Shu destroyed it with his flames. But even after destroying the Palace, the Town Lord didn''t come out.


    Hou Shu''s eyes narrowed, it was understandable that normal cultivators got lost in cultivation and forgot to guard themselves, but even the Town Lord, who had to be someone capable, forgone guarding themselves.


    "Ling''er, wake up that Town Lord." Hou Shu commanded.


    Thus, Bai Ling entered the palace with the gaping hole in the roof of the palace and woke up the Town Lord.


    But the moment Hong Di Town Lord woke up, he directed his Golden Core aura, which seemed to alternate between the Late stage and Great Completion stage.


    His eyes bloodshot, he roared in fury, "This one was just about to reach the Great Completion of Golden Core stage, now that you have awakened me before I reached it, feel my wrath!"


    But Bai Ling was not afraid. In fact, even a small smile was spreading on her lips.


    Suddenly, Hong Di Town Lord felt as if a mountain was pressing on him, his body started to burn and sizzle, cracks started spreading through his skin like lightning, and from it, essence blood started to seep out. At this moment, a cold, ruthless and domineering echoed in his ears, "Wrath? Humph! Junior didn''t greet me, and even attacked my disciple, you sure have guts!"


    "Senior, Please Forgive me! I didn''t mean it, Senior!" Hong Di Town Lord screamed in despair, if too much essence blood leaked out his chances of entering Great Completion of Golden Core would be impossible.


    He didn''t think he would encounter such a strong expert in this place!


    Hou Shu harrumphed and released his aura, "Kowtow to me and my disciple! or else..."


    Hong Di Town Lord didn''t even need to hear the threat-laced words, he had already jumped into a kowtow, not even mending his essence blood leakage.


    He smashed his head three times on the ground in front of Hou Shu and Bai Ling and shouted, "Junior had eyes but couldn''t see Mount Tai! Please forgive this one Young Miss, Senior!"


    "Now that you have known about your mistake, I won''t punish you anymore." Hou Shu made Zhen and Li hand seals with both of his hands in quick succession, sending warm, but not scorching flames toward Hong Di Town Lord, quickly mending his wounds.


    Hong Di Town Lord noticed that not only his essence blood leakage was healed, but his realm moved into the Great Completion stage from the Late Stage.


    "Many thanks, Senior!" Hong Di Town Lord bowed, his heart filled with gratitude.


    "Don''t mention it," Hou Shu shook his head, "Answer me why the whole town has been in seclusion, forgetting everything and even prompted you, a Golden Core expert to attack a junior."


    In front of Hou Shu, Hong Di Town Lord bowed subserviently, " Forgive this one for attacking Senior''s disciple, because of this immense fortuitous opportunity, I couldn''t stay calm and lost control."


    "Speak clearly when I am asking politely, I have enough justification to use forceful methods if it comes down to it! Even Da Qian Immortal Court wouldn''t be able to save you!" Howled Hou Shu, his voice laced with killing intent.


    Hong Di Town Lord started to perspire sweat out of fear, he spoke in an uncertain and confused tone, "... Senior can''t notice the viscous spiritual qi of Heaven and Earth?"


    Hou Shu''s pupils shrank into thin needles and started to shake.


    That''s right, why didn''t he notice this obscene amount of spiritual qi?

 Chapter 10: Bizarre Chijia Village

    "Even if it is big of a fortuitous opportunity, one shouldn''t bully juniors!" Bai Ling scolded.


    "Young miss is absolutely right! I am just a barbarian living in this remote place, I don''t know anything!" Hong Di Town Lord profusely apologized, even if his cultivation base leagues better than Bai Ling.


    Seeing this comical sight, Bai Ling had a hard time keeping a straight face while scolding, she even leaked some stifled laughs here and there.


    But Hou Shu didn''t notice the comical sight in front of him at all, his mind was wandering.


    The mastermind doesn''t have the ability to forcefully control a Nascent Soul Great Completion expert without any contact right? No, it can''t be!


    Thinking this, Hou Shu asked Bai Ling in a hoarse voice, "Ling''er... Why didn''t you tell me, your Master, about the abnormal increase in the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth?"


    Hearing this, Bai Ling''s cheek flushed pink as she lowered her head and spoke in a sheepish voice, "Disciple thought that despite the decrease of Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, there still should be places where Spiritual Qi should be as dense as the time before the Great Calamity," She then threw a quick glance before bowing once more and saying, "And since Master didn''t seem bothered by it, I didn''t think it wasn''t something worthy of notice."


    As she was saying this, Hou Shu noticed that the jade pendant he gave her during the day she was initiated didn''t grow in red and azure flames.


    "So the mastermind didn''t make me forget... I am just too used to it..." Hou Shu mumbled as he let sigh.


    Hou Shu looked at Bai Ling once again, thinking that even though she was smart, she was still that naive child from that mortal temple.


    He shook his head and spoke in a mild tone, like honey, "Ling''er, I am not an Immortal, I still have seven emotions and six desires," he pointed towards himself, "I forget things, or don''t take it into account."


    He then pointed towards Bai Ling, "Thus, one should speak of whatever they noticed, even if the person they speak to is their superior or even Master."


    His finger then pointed towards the blue, freezing sky, "This doesn''t hold true to just the way of investigation, but to every way that exists under the heavens."


    "Disciple thanks Master for giving this precious teaching!" Bai Ling offered a deep bow, her mischievous countenance disappeared as if an illusion. She understood, that even though it seemed like her Master gave this teaching to cover for his face, it was truly a meaningful teaching.


    "As they say, Teacher for a day, father for a life!" Hou Shu laughed.


    He then turned towards, his face once again stoic, "Have you or your subordinate visited the Chijia Village recently, when did you last visit?"


    Hong Di Town Lord nervously said, "Chijia Village is a seclusion ground of a peak foundation establishment cultivator, because of his reclusive attitude, we didn''t have much contact with him... The last time my people went there was twenty-seven years ago."


    "Thought so," Hou Shu sighed and waved his hand, "You may go now."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    This was something Hong Di Town Lord didn''t show any courtesy in, the more he waited, the more chance that he would lose this fortuitous opportunity.


    "The only place we can go to now is Chijia Village." Hou Shu spoke in a mysterious tone, he had a hunch that the simple village was not so simple anymore.


    ***


    As Hou Shu and Bai Ling were traversing through the barren plains, they noticed that the surroundings were getting quieter and quieter. Even Barren Plains have countless spiritual beasts grazing the grass, yet now, not a single one is in sight.


    Compared to silent Hong Di Immortal Town, this place''s quiescence was unparalleled, comparable to the difference between Heaven and Earth.


    This sight didn''t faze Hou Shu, but it did faze Bai Ling.


    "Master, why don''t instate the help of Hong Di Immortal Town? There is such a big manpower there we can use." Asked Bai Ling.


    While Bai Ling''s face didn''t indicate anything, her Master, Hou Shu could tell that she was deeply unsettled from her hidden yet present nail scratching, "That won''t work, Hong Di Immortal Town is already under the effect of the culprit."


    "Besides," he turned towards Bai Ling, "Relying on the Intel of others is the way or arbitrary, not the way of investigation. Ling''er is a tough girl, don''t be afraid of a little danger!"


    "Y-yes master." Said Bai Ling, but one can tell that she was still unsettled.


    As soon as they finished talking, the sight of Chijia Village appeared on the horizon.


    Chijia Village was surrounded by tall trees. These trees were so long that some of them even pierced the clouds. But these trees were not like what one would expect, they looked like gnarled and twisted ginseng roots made of rocks, and had an ethereal black fire with ghostly faces as fruits and leaves. These trees were blocking most of the village behind them.


    But there were not just these trees, Chijia Village seemed to have been overgrown with life as if all of the life was gathered here at one spot. The master and disciple pair could hear countless screeches coming from the village.


    But these were not what truly attracted someone''s attention, what was the most eye-catching aspect of Chijia village was the burning village chief''s manor.


    One could see the burning manor through the forest of twisted trees, because, for some reason, these seemingly fire-resistant trees were not growing anywhere near it, leaving a huge hole in the forest.


    This sight might have scared ordinary cultivators, but not Hou Shu as he led Bai Ling into the forest.


    The moment they stepped inside, a huge, ravenous-looking insect jumped onto them.


    But Hou Shu launched a wisp of flame into its mouth, burning its interior to a crisp while keeping the exterior in a pristine condition, showing the excellent control Hou Shu had over flames.


    Examining the corpse, the sack-like appendage hanging from its abdomen fought Hou Shu''s eyes, "Wu Xing Gu Insect, an insect said to have been common during the time before the great calamity, their discerning feature was the ability to live in any environment despite the difference in spiritual qi and the sack that both males and females have hanging from their abdomen for carrying their offspring. It''s said that their offspring has one in ten chance to turn into a wild gu, though the external environment matters."


    Remarking that, they went deeper into this forest, occasionally killing Wu Xing Gu Insects.


    Hou Shu found it odd that the number of Wu Xing Gu Insect was surprisingly low, despite the high amount of life readings this place was giving before and still is. But seeing that there was no answer nearby, he could only continue on their journey.


    Soon, they reached a house amidst this dense overgrowth.


    Though calling it a house was an overstatement. It was a shack, a house of a commoner, a poor one at that.


    Yet despite its humble appearance, Hou Shu''s divine sense couldn''t penetrate inside, prompting Hou Shu to say, "Ling''er, go open the door to see if there is something or someone still there, but do not forget to be on guard."


    "Yes, Master!" Bai Ling nodded and slowly opened the door of this shabby dwelling.


    But what she saw made her freeze in place.

 Chapter 11: Submerged in the Ocean of Gu

    Inside the shack was a gaunt person, with skin that was flaking off, rotten blue flesh and a belly that was plump and bloated like a pregnant woman and squirming, as if there were too many gu insects living inside this person.


    Yet they were not bothered, they were sitting in the lotus position, with a gu insect in hand, they were muttering something.


    Suddenly, the gaunt person seemed to notice them and looked towards them.


    In a time less than that of a blink of an eye, the person crushed the gu insect in their hands and shouted, "Heavenly Ghost will grant Immortality!"


    Just as this person said this, Hou Shu''s Sea of Consciousness started to burn in crimson and azure flames, making his expression morph into one of horror as he tried to pull Bai Ling back and escape.


    But it was too late, before Hou Shu could pull her back, the ginseng root-like trees and the earth erupted, releasing an ocean of gu, enveloping everything and anything.


    The obscenely high life signatures were because of these gu insects!


    Hou Shu wasn''t someone who would be hapless in perilous moments, he quickly started to chant, "Profound Martial! I beseech you, lend me the Northern Oblivion Waters!"


    Icy waters glowing in black appeared around Hou Shu like a coiling dragon, forcefully distancing the ocean of gu from him for two zhang.


    Yet in half a breath, water started to turn illusory, flickering as if it was about to disappear, Hou Shu was not someone suited to use water elemental techniques.


    Hou Shu was not in distress about it, he continued chanting, "Flame Ancient! I implore you! Bestow upon me the Southern Auspicious Flames!"


    With Hou Shu as the center, thin rays of pink flames started to spread in all directions around him in rapid succession.


    Just as the flames were about to get in touch with the flickering water, Hou Shu brought his two palms together and roared, "Kunpeng Taiji Explosion!"


    Flames and Water combined, forming a whale made of clouds, with wings spanning many zhang, putting out an invisible pressure that forced the ocean of gu insects back even further.


    Just as it was completed forcing them back, the kunpeng roared and flapped its enormous cloudy wings, dispersing itself in all directions, causing an unprecedented explosion.


    The blinding light and the unprecedented shockwave displaced the ocean of gu, sending countless of them flying in every direction for almost a li, yet it was not enough. Before Hou Shu could take this window of opportunity and escape, more gu fell upon him, there were too many of these.


    "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Hou Shu cursed, "These gu are of fire element on the surface but have hidden wood element! Water nourishes wood and wood feeds fire, making my method restricted!"


    But at this moment, the gaunt person abruptly emerged from the ocean of gu under him and grabbed his leg, sending some type of electricity that seemed to originate from the person''s squirming bloated stomach.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So many internal gu!" Hou Shu exclaimed, "But thunder originated from fire! You are underestimating me!"


    Hou Shu easily sent the gaunt person flying, but it was still wasn''t enough, there were more people similar to the gaunt person emerging from this accursed ocean!


    Even if Hou Shu is strong, he can''t keep up with this unending siege.


    He gnashed his teeth, his look unsightly, "Looks like I have no choice but to use that method..."


    Moment he said, a blinding yet illusory azure light emerged from Hou Shu, revealing an illusory figure akin to young Hou Shu, his Nascent Soul!


    The Nascent Soul wrapped its arms around Hou Shu, embracing him tightly.


    Burning in azure flames, it shoots through the ocean of gu, burning even these fire elemental gu insects!


    But just as they left the Chijia village for ten li, the ocean of gu caught up to them and submerged them once again.


    "So the enhanced spiritual qi is to support the gu so they can leave Chijia village!" Hou Shu exclaimed, "But I won''t lose my life here, Nascent Soul, burn, burn, burn!"


    The Nascent Soul started to burn in even greater flames, making almost all of the gu insects in ten li of them burn up completely leaving not even their ashes.


    But this was just the side effect, by the time gu insects finished burning, Hou Shu and his nascent Soul had left the seventy-five thousand mu radius.


    Such speed is comparable to Soul Transformation experts performing spatial merge!


    But this speed was not without its cost, the moment Hou Shu exited that accursed area, he crashed into the barren plains akin to a fallen star, destroying the soft ground of the plains and creating a crater spanning a bit more than a mu.


    But Hou Shu didn''t get up, he stayed there unconscious for two days. After that, he slowly woke up and soon sat in a lotus position, separating all the flame spiritual qi from the wood spiritual qi and drawing it in.


    This process went on for many days, completing only after two full moons.


    Hou Shu slowly opened his eyes, he looked towards his Nascent Soul, which was sitting in a lotus position opposite to him. He didn''t recall it back, he never had the chance to.


    "This journey to the Chijia village was really perilous," Hou Shu mumbled softly, every time he saw his Nascent Soul, it made his heart ache as if it was stabbed by tens of thousands of daggers.


    Hou Shu''s Nascent Soul looked like a young man in his early twenties, an exact copy of what he looked like at that age. But now, the Nascent Soul was like an older adolescent. If the previous appearance could make one think Hou Shu and they were a pair of eldest and youngest brothers, then the current appearance could make one think they were father and son, only if they could ignore that one of them was an illusory figure shining in azure light, which was dull and even more transparent now.


    "I was treading on thin ice back there, one wrong step and what would have awaited me was death," Hou Shu then sighed, "Nevertheless, I still suffered losses regardless. I was at the pinnacle of Nascent Soul Great Completion stage, but I am barely at Great Completion, if I was a bit more injured, I am afraid I would fall back into Late stage."


    Abruptly, Hou Shu shook his head, "There is no use in wallowing in my losses. I should head back to Yan Family''s territory and report what I have found. I would get the Incorporeal Nurture Gu regardless if I succeeded or failed."


    Saying this, Hou Shu beckoned at his Nascent Soul with two fingers, recalling it back into him.


    He then took out his glorious and radiant ship Vajrayana.


    Just as he was flying towards it, the quiet Sea of Consciousness of his started to burn in vigorous azure and crimson flames, shocking Hou Shu.


    "Why did they surface!? They didn''t appear when I was submerged by the ocean of gu insects!" Hou Shu''s eyes widened as he put his vigilance to the highest degree.


    Despite his constant searching for threats, they were rendered futile, leaving him no choice but to stop searching, "This place is too dangerous, I should leave quickly."


    Thus, Hou Shu quickly boarded Vajrayana and left the Barren Plains, heading straight for the Yan Family''s core area, Tian Yan Grotto Palace.

 Chapter 12: Yan Shan Blessed Land

    In a land where there were mountains as far as one could see, there was once a tall volcano reaching thousands of li in height, holding up the sky.


    That mountain is a tale of old, But its vestiges still live to this day in the form giant valley that was cleaved by a heavenly axe.


    And at the very center of this valley was a giant city made of countless grottoes spanning for hundreds of mu. This was the Yan Shan Blessed Land, one of the only surviving blessed lands of the current era, the central territory of the Yan Family.


    Below the sky and above this blessed land appeared a radiant ship spreading its golden wings like a kunpeng, and from it emerged a middle-aged gentry¡ª it was Hou Shu.


    The moment Hou Shu appeared, a majestic and awe-inspiring voice that was filled with laughter echoed through the blessed land, "So Daoist Hou has already come to our territory, please enter and let this old man entertain fellow Daoist!"


    This voice was naturally Yan Que Zi''s.


    "Indeed, Daoist Que Zi! Last time I entertained you, and now it''s your turn!" Hou Shu laughed, his voice also spreading through the blessed land.


    While they didn''t do anything on the surface, they were in fact, competing for face. They were not immortals freed from concepts such as face after all.


    Thus, without delaying any further, Hou Shu soon was guided into a special hall inside of a grotto.


    There were nineteen thrones there, each occupied by someone. But the highest three thrones were on the other end of that hall on an elevated platform, facing the entrance. These thrones were made of what seemed to be frozen flames, unlike the others, which were made of Tai Yang Yun Gold.


    On the central throne, Yan Que Zi in his usual scarlet and white mianfu sat while to his left sat the chubby Yan Shen Jun while his right was occupied by a thin but tall person who was like a spear.


    Behind them, there was a giant scarlet banner hung with the words, "Ñ挢½yÖÎÊÀ½ç1" written on it.


    "Hou Shu greets the Patriarch and Elders of the Yan family!" Hou Shu bowed and greeted.


    "I didn''t expect that I would get to meet fellow Daoist Hou so soon, this is a great pleasure!" Laughed Yan Shen Jun. But as he laughed, his figure flickered as if it was a flame, clearly, this was not his real body but a unique method of the Yan family.


    While Yan Que Zi didn''t say anything, he just hummed in response as he gently stroked his well-trimmed mustache.


    Getting Yan Que Zi''s intention of letting him continue, Hou Shu spoke up, "Since I, Hou Shu, the Red Book Detective, am here, I have obviously investigated this case thoroughly." He then swept his gaze towards the elders and cuffed his fist, "But before I speak of the results, whether I failed or succeeded, I would like to know about my payment..."


    "Who do you think you are!? Trying to ask something like that, do you think our Yan family are greedy dogs!?" The person who spoke this was the thin spear-like person sitting next to Yan Que Zi, called Yan Li Yun, the Lord of the Golden Elixir Hall.


    The Golden Elixir Hall was one of the main pillars of the Yan family, as the lords of Golden Elixir Hall inherited the Qiankun flames, the top alchemical flame of current times.


    The Qiankun flames of the Lord of the Golden Elixir Hall, the White Flower Suppression flames of the Lord of the Yanhua Tower and the Celestial flames of the Yan family Patriarch were collectively known as the ''Three Yan2 of the current times.''If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    But Hou Shu was not someone to be intimidated by this.


    Hou Shu''s eyes narrowed as his lips pressed into a cold smile, his Nascent Soul Great Completion aura erupted from his body like a great tidal wave of the northern seas, "Yan Li Yun, your Yan family may be great, but I, Hou Shu am also not some insignificant figure. Do you think, you, who have not even entered Great Completion of Nascent Soul, can threaten me?"


    At this moment, a fiery aura that seemed to burn everything spread through the hall, countering Hou Shu''s, "Fellow Daoists, we all are old monsters here, we shouldn''t quarrel like children right?"


    It was Yan Que Zi who spoke, a light smile on his face


    He then moved his gaze to Hou Shu and spoke, "Daoist Hou, Yan Li Yun didn''t mean to imply such meaning, he was just worried that Daoist Hou would collude with the other six hegemons and feed false information to derail us while taking the reward that used up a hefty amount of funds," Yan Que Zi let out a hearty Laugh, but it seemed to have sinister edge to it, "But Daoist Hou, a man of great reputation, won''t do that right?"


    "Of course not, if I, the first in the way of investigation do that, then the way of investigation is dead." Chuckled Hou Shu, but that''s only on the surface, he knew that this farce was a threat to not hide anything no matter what, with Yan Que Zi''s cultivation level, why can''t stop a Nascent Soul cultivator who hasn''t achieved Great Completion?


    "Then, let us hear Daoist Hou''s findings." Yan Que Zi raised his hand, gesturing Hou Shu to continue.


    "Then let me begin after I left Yanhua Tower, as I presume fellow Daoists already know about the incident there." He paused for a brief moment, he felt the Azure and Crimson Flames start to surface on his Sea of Consciousness.


    Nevertheless, he continued, his eyes vigilant for any signs of danger.


    "I visited the various sects of barren plains, whose detailed records are in this spiritual jade slip," he gently made a white jade slip float toward Yan Que Zi, who quickly took it, "But the main point is that the mastermind was skillful enough to control a vast land such as Barren Plains and had them descend into a war."


    This made Yan Que Zi''s pupils narrow into a thin line like a dragon''s as his hair started to float without any wind, "This means the mastermind had inherited the Fire Celestial Treasure for at least fifty years... Scheming for so long, there is something grand at play."


    "That is what I thought. Thus, I had no choice but to enter the seventy-five thousand mu radius."


    "Hong Di Immortal town was submerged in quiescence as everyone was in seclusion, cultivating in the increased spiritual qi that seemed to match the time before the great calamity."


    The moment he uttered those words, the flames in his mind raged like never before, making Hou Shu quiver for a split second.


    But despite that, he couldn''t just leave this place without any obvious signs of danger, leaving him no choice but to continue.


    "This left me with no choice but to go to the Chijia village, where I reached a dilapidated shack."


    "There, I encountered a person that chanted a calling spell which submerged me in an ocean of gu, leading me to escape and come here."


    Hou Shu''s Sea of Consciousness started to shake from the turbulent flames, but he gnashed his teeth and continued, having figured out that the moment he spoke of this sentence, the source of the agitation of the flames would be revealed.


    "All of this leads me to conclude that the inheritance was never of fire element, but of wood! Ancient wood element!"


    Clank! Clank! Clank!


    The sounds of mirror shattering echoed in Hou Shu''s ears as a gentle and sublime flame of azure and red slowly floated outwards from him and formed a figure in front of which only he could see.


    What seemed to be a gentle smile appeared on the flaming figure''s face as a melodious voice left its mouth, "Jing''er, haven''t you forgotten something?"


    The instance those words were spoken, grey fire quietly burning in Hou Shu''s Sea of Consciousness extinguished. From its appearance to its extinguishment, its operation was shrouded in quiescence.


    But Hou Shu couldn''t hold a straight face any longer as his face morphed into one of shock, disbelief and horror.


    Forgotten? Yes! He had forgotten Bai Ling!

 Chapter 13: Master and Disciple

    While Yan Que Zi and his cohort of elders were stunned by Hou Shu''s revelation, they quickly noticed his abnormality. Thus, Yan Shen Jun coughed as he directed most of his aura to get Hou Shu out of his stupor.


    The moment Hou Shu was brought back to reality, Yan Shen Jun opened his mouth before Hou Shu could utter anything.


    "Fellow Daoist Hou seems to be most fatigued from investigating this case. Now that we have gotten the report, why doesn''t fellow Daoist stay in our grottoes? Cultivating here can be considered to be a really good opportunity for anyone."


    To which Hou Shu absentmindedly nodded along. Clearly, thoughts have clouded his Sea of Consciousness.


    As Hou Shu was led away by Yan Family servants, Yan Que Zi and the rest had grim expressions, a somber aura filling every inch of the hall.


    "Ancient Wood element... Looks like we have no choice but to contact the New Leaves Sect." Muttered Yan Que Zi as he rhythmically tapped the handrest of his throne.


    *******


    In a quaint and secluded grotto, Hou Shu was seated in front of an eight immortal table, with a cup and Ayu Kalpa Wine bottle in front of him.


    From where he was seated, he could peer out to see the magnificent scenery of lush valleys filled with trees of all shapes and sizes bearing colorful spiritual fruits, the molten lava river going through the middle and spiritual foxes and birds of fire element wandering about.


    This was something that was perfectly tailored to Hou Shu''s preference, Yan Family is one of the seven hegemons after all, only a group of their caliber could arrange something like this.


    But Hou Shu was neither enthralled by the beauty of the scenery nor the Ayu Kalpa Wine. Instead, he was just swirling his cup of wine.


    Suddenly he looked towards his left, where there was a figure made of flames that only he could see, which was facing the direction of the south ever since it emerged from his Sea of Consciousness.


    It hasn''t spoken once since then, but Hou Shu didn''t find that puzzling, speaking last time had already put a great burden on it, and speaking once more would bring severe harm to it, especially in the Spiritual Qi deprived condition of current times.


    "But... This matter... I am not strong enough... I didn''t plan to face something like this at this time..." Spoke Hou Shu as his forehead creased and his lips pressed into a frown, losing all the gentlemanly countenance he normally exuded.


    He once again moved his attention to the swirling cup of wine, his mind conjuring the image of Bai Ling, the image of the time he first met her.


    It was a temple, a mortal temple in an ordinary mountain, a kind no one would bat an eye for.


    But in that temple, there was a mortal, a mortal pursuing immortality.


    "Hahahahaha! My disciples, your contribution to my immortal path won''t be forgotten! When I become immortal, all of you will be revived and become my thunder officials!" An old priest was laughing crazily.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Though his deranged laugh was screeching, it was drowned by screams, screaming of children.


    In front of the priest was massive a bronze furnace covering half of the room, and inside it, there were countless children, burning and screaming in anguish, externalizing their torturous pain the only way they could.


    But as if fate didn''t this priest to become immortal, a small jade pendant fell from the sky and entered the furnace, making it erupt into flames.


    "How could this be!? Elixir of Immortality was so close to forming!" The old priest shrilly shouted, myriads of emotions could be felt in his voice, though anger and disbelief were the chief of them.


    This old priest''s deranged laughter was put to a halt, leaving only the screams of the burning children echoing.


    Yet, this did not last, as soon the old priest started to let out his peals of crazed laughter once again, running towards the destroyed bronze furnace.


    "Even if the heavens don''t want this priest to become immortal, then I shall defy the heavens! I, began cultivating at the age of five and I am now eighty, I shall become an immortal, I must succeed!"


    The old priest jumped into the burning ruins of the furnace, and started to tear both dead and alive children''s burning flesh, and started to swallow them!


    Tears started to fall from the old priest''s beady eyes, "Hahahaha! I have become immortal! I have finally become immortal! Disciples, your Master has become immortal... We shall... shall leave for the heavens... It is awaiting us... We are immortals..."


    In tears of joy and bathed in flames, the old priest''s eyes lost color as he fell back into the pile of dead children.


    At this moment, rain started to fall, as if mourning for the innocent lives of children... Maybe even the unending pursuit of immortality...


    But from this place of death, a life crawled out.


    Its flesh blackened all over, yellow pus leaking out from every crevice of its body, which itself was disintegrating as it crawled. One could not tell whether it was male or female, whether it was young or old, whether it was even a human.


    Despite the horrible condition, it clung to its life, trying desperately to survive. Its will was no less than the old priest''s will to pursue immortality.


    Perhaps it was this will that a sigh echoed, "Heaven and Earth are heartless, they made the Immortal Dao die. Men are heartless, they made the Human Dao die."


    The jade pendant emerged from the furnace ruins, burning in azure and crimson flames, and gently descended onto the mass of flesh and bones, making it burn once more. But the flames did not damage it, instead, they started to heal it, revealing a pubescent girl.


    The moment the flames subsided and went back to the jade, a figure appeared and picked the girl in his arms.


    "You survived through hell on earth and even after your destined end approached, you held on. From now on, you shall be my disciple."


    This moment of reminiscing made a gentle smile appear on Hou Shu''s lips.


    He focused his attention once more on the swirling wine and drank it in one gulp, "This moment right now is just like the burning of the Ayu Kalpa Wine, but just like this wine, the mellowness will return and I will rescue Bai Ling no matter what. Because..." He looked at the burning figure and said with a resolute tone, "A master is a teacher for a day, parent for a life, isn''t it right, Master?"


    The instance those words were uttered, the figure let out a smile and broke into two balls of light resembling crimson moons and entered Hou Shu''s grasp.


    He stood up and started to walk out of the grotto in slow and steady steps, the crimson moons in his hands started to glow and elongate in shape, taking what seemed to be the shape of sword swords.


    "I may not have been able to help you Master, but that doesn''t mean I can''t even rescue my own disciple!"

 Chapter 14: Heavenly Ghost

    The grotto hall of the Yan family was empty except for the three high thrones made of frozen flames, which were occupied by the Yan Que Zi, Yan Li Yun and the projection of Yan Shen Jun.


    They seemed to be discussing something, though their discussion seemed light, unlike what one may think after what happened a few hours earlier.


    Suddenly, just below the elevated platform, a blinding light shone and from it, appeared Hou Shu.


    Yan Que Zi and the others didn''t seem to be surprised by Hou Shu''s sudden arrival, as just as he appeared, Yan Shen Jun spoke up, "We were expecting fellow Daoist, especially after the abnormality Daoist Hou displayed back then," he then lowered his voice and said, "I assume that another major clue has been uncovered by fellow Daoist?"


    "Yes, but I want to speak with Daoist Que Zi, privately." Hou Shu spoke coolly and frankly.


    The instance he uttered those words, Yan Que Zi forcefully waved his palms against the air, making Yan Shen Jun and Yan Li Yun disappear from their seats.


    "Wha¡ª Just because he said so, Big Brother teleported us!?" Exclaimed Yan Li Yun, as he looked around, he noticed that they were teleported to one of the pavilions by the molten lava river''s shore.


    "Don''t be so harsh on Big Brother, although he may keep a calm appearance on the surface, he is still a father, how can he not be worried? Every clue is hope for him, hope that little Hu Zi could be rescued." Yan Shen Jun''s projection said in a somber tone as he noticed that it was getting dimmer.


    "I... I know that... But this Hou Shu has been really daring," Yan Li Yun shook his head, "But I didn''t expect Big Brother to have made such progress at the Soul Transformation stage, he can use spatial merge on others now."


    "I knew that he could probably use spatial merge on one person if he gave it his all in the past, but to do that on the two of us... Is truly quite something." Replied Yan Shen Jun, awe and respect for Yan Que Zi evident in his voice.


    And just as they were conversing, wondering what Hou Shu and Yan Que Zi were discussing, they were once again brought back to their frozen flame thrones in Yan Family Hall.


    "I shall take my leave, Daoist Que Zi." Said Hou Shu.


    "Is fellow Daoist sure about this..." Asked Yan Que Zi, uncertainty tainting his voice.


    "I have given my word, I will either succeed or will die trying, Daoist Que Zi doesn''t have to worry." Announcing this, Hou Shu left in great strides, each step increasing his speed.


    When Hou Shu was gone from Yan Que Zi''s divine sense, Yan Que Zi spoke up, "Stop all efforts to reach out to the New Leaves Sect for now."


    To this Yan Shen Jun''s projection, which also returned to its previous splendor, said, "Big Brother, what have you discussed with fellow Daoist Hou to order this..?"


    Yan Que Zi didn''t answer, instead, he hoarsely muttered, "Star Felling Twin Tasselled Swords... To think they still exist..."


    Hearing this, Both Yan Shen Jun and Yan Li Yun''s expressions changed.


    *******


    Above the Barren Plains, Hou Shu wavered and swayed like a broken kite adrift on gentle winds of the heavens, his Star Felling Twin Tasselled Swords leaving profound streaks of flames that seemed to distort the air around them. His speed even seemed to surpass that of Vajrayana.


    And just like that, the grass covered plains surrounding Chijia Village came into view.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    As he approached, as if expecting him, the ordinary grassy plains of the Barren Plains underneath Hou Shu cracked and shattered, revealing huge ravines. From it, the wriggling ocean of gu insects emerged once again like viscous oil, threatening to submerge him.


    A huge sword radiance made of blinding azure light spread from all around Hou Shu in the shape of waves made of countless arcs, burning all gu insects in its vicinity despite their resistance and distorting the gu insects nearby, freeing him easily.


    After clearing his vicinity of any gu insects, Hou Shu looked at the swords he carried in his hands, a solemn expression on his face, "I had made an oath to Heaven and Earth for the future of the world that I won''t use these swords ever again.¡±


    But the solemn countenance soon went away as a gentle smile spread across his lips, ¡°but for my disciple, what if the Heavens crumble, what if the Earth shatters?"


    Having declared that, Hou Shu flicked his wrist, sending another slash of azure sword radiance, one that was like a heavenly pillar, towards what seemed to be the endless ocean of gu, parting it like the Red Sea.


    "If you want to stop me, such measly efforts aren''t enough!" Hou Shu continued to rain down slashes upon slashes on the ocean of gu as he advanced.


    As if responding to his words, gaunt figures stuffed with internal gu insects emerged from the ocean and exhaled, exhaled until they all dried up and turned to dust and ash.


    Their exhalation turned into a ferocious gust that carried their ashes and rose above the ocean of gu and spiraled around Hou Shu''s slashes, matching their speed. They clamped down on them and themselves until it turned into a giant coffin made of wind and ashes.


    The Swords in Hou Shu''s hands glowed in an azure light until it turned into a blinding white. And with a slash this white radiance descended like the crescent moon on the coffin, sending cracks through the sky.


    The coffin''s cover dissipated into countless tendrils as it let the arc land into it and the tendrils weaved and sealed the coffin of ashes.


    Without any warning another crescent moon landed on the coffin, dissipating many parts of it, not giving it any chance to open once more. This slash was too fast!


    Abruptly, before the coffin could recover from the damage, another slash descended. But this time, the coffin didn''t resist, instead it dissipated without any resistance.


    Soon, the ocean of gu followed suit, submerging itself into the cracks it emerged from, turning the land before Hou Shu into a truly barren one.


    Hou Shu didn''t chase the ocean of gu, for he already knew the mastermind acknowledged that they couldn''t beat him without revealing itself. The ocean of gu retreating was an invitation, an invitation for a battle, a battle to end it all.


    Hou Shu accepted this invitation with resolution and pride, burning everything in his wake in dazzling azure flames until he reached the heartland of Chijia village.


    The center of this accursed place was a manor burning in the grey spirit fire. It didn''t burn anything while protecting anything it was on from the azure flames of Hou Shu, which suddenly opened an entrance as if gesturing him to come in.


    At this sight, Hou Shu took a deep breath and clenched his swords tightly, stepping inside the manor.


    The entrance didn''t lead to the interior of the manor, but deep inside of a ravine stretching to the deepest abyss whose walls had protrusions in the shape of rocky ginseng roots.


    Hou Shu rushed down with the highest speed he could muster, but despite that, he took more than an hour to reach the bottom of what seemed to be an endless abyss.


    At the bottom, there was a crater which had a coffin at the center surrounded by a bagua formation with formation eyes occupied with burnt husks of cultivators at the soul transforma¡ª no, they exude the aura of the Half-Immortal stage!


    Yet, what made Hou Shu freeze wasn''t this, he has seen countless such scenes, but because amidst the array eyes, there was his disciple, Bai Ling!


    She was burning, but her resolute look was once more showing on her face, the face that is determined to live no matter the consequences...


    But before Hou Shu could dive and rescue Bai Ling, a voice echoed from in front of the coffin, where a figure was sitting.


    "I never thought you would discover what happened, Senior Hou... I am Da Tong''s sworn brother, we found this Wooden Immortal Lord inheritance together way back, but I wanted this for myself, thus I schemed and manipulated Da Tong... But it seems his death was in vain."


    The figure stood up and turned around, revealing Hong Di Immortal Town Lord!


    "I am going to die anyway now... why doesn''t Senior Hou listen to the story of my life?"


    Yet, he was only met with a crescent moon of blinding azure light and flames, turning him into a scorched corpse.


    "Shut up! I know who you are, Immortal Lord Tian Gui1!"

 Chapter 15: The Dance of Crimson Moon, Azure Stars [Finale]

    The azure sword radiance struck Hong Di Immortal Town Lord, burning him to a crisp. But a wispy soul reminiscent of a straw doll emerged, entering the black coffin, whose lid slowly came undone, revealing a wooden figurine that slowly stood up. Countless roots, branches and brambles grew from it, transforming the surroundings itself.


    "I underestimated you." Tian Gui snickered but was only met with a barrage of attacks from Hou Shu, turning myriad of his branches and brambles to ash.


    Countless roots and branches regrew with great vitality, with several dozen sprouting in place of every burned one as if mocking Hou Shu''s effort at extinguishing them, extinguishing this body. But they soon stopped, not sprouting a single branch more. This made what resembled a frown appear on the expressionless bark-like face of Tian Gui, "The Thousand Spirit Wisdom Bodhi Body is still incomplete, I shall deal with you with great swiftness, or else both this body and I will perish."


    Amidst the branches and brambles, Tian Gui slowly raised his hand with great ease and clenched it into a fist, his actions opposite of his words. He punched out, nothing note than a light jab. But this light jab made countless illusory thorny vines materialize from thin air, which hurled themselves towards Hou Shu.


    Hou Shu''s heart palpitated from shock and disbelief. Those vines didn''t consume anything to materialize, not even Spiritual Qi! But he didn''t let his shock affect his actions in a battle, this he thrust out with his twin swords, sending countless needs of azure flames in the blink of an eye.


    Alas, the instance the thorny vines and the needles of azure flames clashed, the thorny vines overwhelmed the flame needles without any resistance, instead they grew and increased in speed, striking Hou Shu before he could even raise his swords to block, sending him flying like a comet.


    The vines fused together into the figure of Tian Gui, who struck down with his hand, which had morphed into a gargantuan claw.


    Hou Shu''s eyes gleamed as he rotated his body while mid-flight, using all the torque he could muster to send a sword radiance so powerful that it turned white from azure.


    The rebound force resulting from the confrontation sent both Tian Gui and Hou Shu flying back.


    Tian Gui''s burnt claw regenerated but into one of human proportions. He clenched his claw into a fist, making an illusory wooden hand a dozen zhang tall appear and stopping him in his place.


    "Petty tricks! Is that all you have?" Tian Gui snorted as he sat on the hand as if was his throne, but he soon looked down towards his chest, which was burnt to a crisp, turning almost into charcoal.


    "To damage me is a remarkable achievement even before ''that'' struck." Tian Gui remarked, one could feel the taunting smile, even though one could not see it on his expressionless bark-like face.


    "Even though Thousand Spirit Wisdom Bodhi Body is incomplete and you got that woman''s inheritance, you are truly the strongest of current times, for you have the strength of the Half-Immortal stage." Muttering this, Tian Gui appeared before Hou Shu in a flash with the illusory hand behind him, which broke apart into countless splinters, shooting toward Hou Shu like poison darts.


    "Flame Ancient! I implore you! Raze the malignant and refine the true!" As Hou Shu chanted, countless talismans with the characters of "Fire" and "Protect" appeared before him, which arranged themselves in the shape of a divination compass, creating a great barrier made of the purest of flames.


    But the splinters passed through without any resistance, as if they didn''t exist in the same plane as they, and struck him.


    These splinters had no great force and dissipated the moment they had contact with him. But these splinters made Hou Shu''s head thump as if a great gong was repeatedly rung inside his Sea of Consciousness. These splinters were made of soul fragments, soul fragments of Tian Gui.


    As the divination compass was fizzling out of existence, Hou Shu coughed out blood, essence blood, dying his goatee deep crimson and his face pale. Yet, his lips curled up into a smile, for despite Tian Gui''s overwhelming might, his objective was completed.


    Indeed, the area surrounding the coffin and Hou Shu was empty of any living beings, for Hou Shu closed the distance not to attack, but to put every living person in his life storage ring! A storage ring descending from the Immortal Realms!


    But Tian Gui was calm as before as if nothing would faze him, leading him to only chuckle lightly, "You are that old hag''s inheritor after all, of course, you have the ring."


    "Now that your petty tricks are over, we should put an end to this for real." Saying this, Tian Gui flexed his wooden shoulders, making the branches and brambles behind his back crunch and twist and curl as they started to conjoin into one another, forming thousands of hands with ghastly faces on their palms, forming a grotesque rendition of a peacock''s enchanting and elegant plumage.


    Aiming for Hou Shu, These thousands of hands stretched out, with the faces on the palms letting out shrill wails capable of shaking even the walls of his Sea of Consciousness, rendering him immobile.


    Hou Shu''s eyes bled streams of blood as he willed the Azure and Crimson Flames in his Sea of Consciousness to turn into beams and pillars, supporting the walls and preventing them from shaking. But he didn''t stop there, he started to chant, "Urgently! Six strings of Simings, Illusory Troops of the Flame Ancient, protect the spirit and the divine thoughts, go!"


    Six strings made of crimson flames materialize and wrap around the flame pillars, supporting them firmly. Yet, it didn''t end there as countless illusory soldiers emerged from the strings, who went and supported every beam and defended against the invasions of the wails.


    These countermeasures granted him the ability to move once more as well as finally letting his Sea of Consciousness have a moment of respite.


    Yet, his body and soul couldn''t relax, for just as he dealt with his Sea of Consciousness, Hou Shu noticed that he was submerged by the hands, which were battering him, dealing grave injuries to both his body and soul.


    This made Hou Shu grit his teeth as he let out his Nascent Soul despite the risks. As expected by Hou Shu, the azure illusory figure got struck with soul attacks the instance it appeared but He didn''t withdraw it, but willed it to charge towards the twin swords, and made it fuse with them.


    A great sword brilliance, a sword brilliance echoed with a silent scream as it spread out in a crescent moon arc in all cardinal directions, uprooting all of the hands as if they were grass.


    Hou Shu quickly retreated for a few Li and stopped, his Nascent Soul once again entered his dantian. This time its condition was far worse than before, its visage was almost transparent as its appearance also regressed back to even more of an adolescent one.


    Hou Shu himself was not in good shape, for his figure was swaying in mid-air as his body was aching in indomitable lethargy, his thoughts flowed slowly as his Sea of Consciousness dimmed, while his eyes turned dreary as well as hazy as he panted with great difficulty.


    Burning one''s Nascent Soul twice in such a short period of time had drastic effects and Hou Shu, who burnt it despite the repercussions, had to suffer its consequences, even if he was in a life-and-death battle.


    Yet, the Crimson and Azure Flames were miraculous, they quickly spread out on his body, curing it of its lethargy and healing almost all the physical wounds. In conjunction with the illusory troops, Crimson and Azure Flames quickly made the Sea of Consciousness return to its former glory, returning Hou Shu his ability to think rapidly.


    But before Hou Shu could rejoice, his heart sank into the deepest abyss as he heard the voice coming from his right, "You are not that smart after all, did you really think I was going all out before?"


    Tian Gui was standing leisurely beside him, observing him with great interest, his gaze similar to a cat eyeing its prey. He didn''t attack, as if certain of his victory, instead, he chuckled and spoke, "You tell me, old hag''s inheritor, why would I use my full extremity of mg power and accidentally kill those guiding flames when I need them?"


    Hou Shu twisted his body, his right hand slashed with a wide arc, sending a sword radiance which was followed by another sword radiance. Hou Shu didn''t stop as he charged forward and thrust with his sword in quick succession, sending countless needle-like sword radiance towards Tian Gui.


    Yet just as the devastating sword radiances hit what should be malleable wood, they themselves scattered away into nothingness, as if the wood was an armor made of the greatest metals of Heaven and Earth.


    The scorched wounds on Tian Gui started to close rapidly as countless vines and roots stitched with each other to close them as if no wound could be eternal on this body. But suddenly, the vines and roots unfurled and started to form bizarre thorn-like aberrations, making Tian Gui exclaim, pity evident in his voice, "Despite its performance, thousand Spirit Wisdom Bodhi Body is still incomplete after all!"


    Saying this, Tian Gui chopped down towards the aberrations with his right hand as he started to form hand seals, while he chanted, "Fuse Hun with the straw doll! Purge the impurities and leave behind Po! Heaven can''t forsake anymore!"


    Countless brambles and branches grew from his back once more, but instead of forming hands, they formed many stems, from thousands upon thousands of flowers flowers grew as well as wilted as their petals fell. These petals soon turned into yellow talismans which whizzed towards Hou Shu.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    These may have seemed to have taken a while, but every action of Tian Gui was so swift that it happened in less than one-tenth of a blink of an eye, not even giving Hou Shu the opportunity to raise his swords into a guard, let alone deploy defensive methods.


    The moment the talismans collided with him, there were no grand explosions nor great shockwaves. Instead, shrill screams spread around him as a mass of corporeal yet incorporeal flesh materialized, compressing him as they turned into countless hungry ghosts.


    Tian Gui nodded at such a sight, for in his mind, even if he is the inheritor of that old hag''s inheritance and his strength has regressed quite a lot, to think of opposing him, is truly delusional.


    And true to his thought process, Hou Shu was suffering great wounds both on his body and soul. His body bleeding from every orifice while his Nascent Soul had started to crack.


    But as if all of this was the final shove, Hou Shu gritted his teeth as his ferocious expression slowly morphed into one of solemnness, as azure dots slowly started to appear around his shoulders and arms.


    "I am not that helpless, Tian Gui!" Hou Shu''s crisp and sonorous voice rang, even through the screams of the wriggling mass of hungry ghosts, reaching Tian Gui.


    This made Tian Gui, lunge towards Hou Shu while he raised his right arm and formed it into a claw without an ounce of hesitation. For some reason, the aura of danger surrounding Hou Shu increased manifold. But before he could reach him, a great azure light, a light so blinding that even the illusory which light won''t shine on was revealed.


    Two moons dyed in crimson, a river of azure stars meandering about in the sky, the Celestial Dancer turned them into a scarf and two swords, praised even the Emperor of Vast Heavens!


    As the mirage dissipated, a dancer clad in a glowing azure scarf and with crimson swords in hand was standing in front of Tian Gui!


    Tian Gui froze in his place, his eyes widened as his pupils shrank into thin needles, shaking from incredulity. He uttered words he didn''t dare belief despite the proof was right before his eyes, "You... You are not just an inheritor, but Gongsun''s disciple, Huo Jing!"


    One sword raised, one sword tipped down, Hou Shu''s feet gracefully stomped down, cracking the void and spreading ethereal ripples, which merged into countless falling stars, raining down as if the heavens themselves shed tears. A performance so divine that even the lofty immortals would be enchanted.


    Yet Tian Gui was cold and somber, for he fully knew the might of the dance before him. Thus without any delay, he raised his hands and formed the hand seals of the Bagua as he roared, "Eight Corpses, Rise! Disgorge out the Boundless Grand Extremity Gu!"


    The husks rose from the ground and vomited a gargantuan amount of gu insects, each one the size of a hundred zhang, their jaws unhinging and stretching to an abyssal amount as they did so.


    As soon as gu insects appeared, they formed a rotating bagua, which came above Tian Gui akin to an umbrella, to protect from the rain of falling stars.


    Surprisingly, this umbrella didn''t protect him at all, the stars passed through it as if its existence was a lie.


    Yet, despite the stars colliding with him, he wasn''t injured in the slightest, but those Half-Immortal husks started to flake and crack instead as if they were the ones struck by those stars.


    Tian Gui raised his hands as a giant phantom of a bell appeared before him and started to toll in rapid succession, each of the Grand Unity Extremity Gu exploding into pieces, dying with every toll. He then gestured with his fingers and towards Hou Shu and from the debris of the gu insects a thin vine shot forth towards him as well as binding him.


    Hou Shu''s azure scarf went berserk as the stars on it connected with each other into countless tiny constellations, charging toward the vines and tearing them apart as if the scarf were alive.


    But Tian Gui was already upon him, with countless hands with ghastly faces growing from his back, he struck out in a fashion reminiscent of a herd of a thousand bull''s stampede.


    Hou Shu''s swords glowed in crimson light as he raised them in an arc and with a flick of his wrist, he sent two brilliant crimson sword radiances which formed the illusions of two moons.


    Their clash with the thousands of hands was effortless as they glided through them as if they were made of silken tofu, which flung back Tian Gui like an arrow.


    Hou Shu didn''t stop, he put his swords in parallel to each other and with a graceful spin, he sent a ginormous mirage of a crimson moon towards the flying Tian Gui, engulfing him.


    Inside the mirage, Hou Shu appeared as the twin swords became crimson spheres once more, gracefully bouncing off Tian Gui, launching him down before he could even register what happened, creating a massive crater.


    Tian Gui slowly rose up. His countless branches and roots were broken, multiple splinters and burnt chunks all throughout his body as well as countless aberrations growing faster and faster like an infestation.


    Tian Gui''''s situation wasn''t looking good, But he still laughed, "Good, Good, Good! You have dealt great damage to me, Thousand Spirit Wisdom Bodhi Body is falling apart. But can you keep up with it? That old hag had already used all the lesser yang of the moon to burn the lesser yin of the sun, even If you use your lifespan to hold on, how long can you last?"


    Hou Shu remained silent for what he said was true, quite a large chunk of his hair and goatee had already turned grey. He had no choice but to use his lifespan, even though the lesser in yin and yang had accumulated in the two celestial bodies, they were not nearly enough. Only through the support of his lifespan can he use them.


    Suddenly, Tian Gui''s laugh turned hysterical, "I won''t hold back in fear of Thousand Spirit Wisdom Body collapsing anymore, I can make another one! Let''s see who burns first, you or me!"


    Tian Gui''s wooden visage twisted and contorted, shedding every trace of human resemblance. His limbs splintered into countless thorn-covered tendrils with ghastly wisps at the end, writhing with unholy vitality. His torso swelled as it protruded outwards, sprouting jagged thorns from its side like the horns of a rhinoceros, while his lower abdomen erupted into a dense, bristling bush, draped in leaves that rustled like the feathered plumage of a peacock. His face cracked apart into three grotesque segments, each more monstrous than the last, evoking the image of Naraka-dwelling asuras.


    Just as Tian Gui''s nightmarish transformation, grotesque evolu¡ª no, degradation ended, the ghastly ends of the thorny tendrils burst out with great power as countless faces of hungry ghosts appeared, which Tian Gui thrust towards Hou Shu like the unstoppable astral wind qi above the ceiling of the sky, completely ravaging everything in his path.


    Hou Shu''s Azure scarf became animate once more as the dot-like stars expanded, weaving with each other, creating a mesh that wrapped around him akin to a cocoon, protecting him from Tian Gui''s barrage, albeit barely as the scarf lost its luster as he was thrown back akin to a taut arrow being fired.


    The stars disjointed from one another making the cocoon start to unfurl. But before it could fully return to its original state, Tian Gui appeared above Hou Shu, his agility so swift that it was as if he was always there. His chest started to creak as a crack started to spread along the line where his sternum was, unhinging into a terrifying jaw with countless jagged obsidian-like spikes, which he brought down with his whole body, like a mighty war hammer descending from the heavens, the netherheavens, daring to crush and crunch through the even the armors the world has to offer.


    Hou Shu could only gnash his teeth as he witnessed more of his hair turn grey as crossed his swords in front of him, sending a crimson sword radiance towards the maw on Tian Gui''s chest, to halt him, to flick himself away from danger, to regain his footing.


    Yet, Tian Gui was halted for what seemed to an only a split second, despite Hou Shu''s countless wishes to be more.


    He appeared before him once more, with that strange sensation of distance being irrelevant to him. He shot out his thorny tendrils, both hammering Hou Shu as well as binding him in place, bringing him closer to Tian Gui.


    These tendrils didn''t look impressive and only seemed to to damage the material body, but it was far from the truth, even the slightest contact with those faces of hungry ghosts not only deals significant damage to the soul, it also injects a substance that even the soul couldn''t defend against!


    With large holes in his illusory soul, Hou Shu slashed forward without any care for his lifespan. But as much as Hou Shu burned and destroyed the tendrils, they grew more and more, each time stronger than the last, not letting him create the slightest distance nor letting him perform dance movements. Hou Shu could only use the twin swords in his hand, he couldn''t come up with any countermeasures.


    Suddenly, even the sword radiances stopped as Hou Shu''s swords stopped in mid-movement as his heart sank to the deepest abyss, for the lesser yang of the moon was completely used up, even before his own lifespan ended.


    As if responding to this, Tian Gui''s three faces slowly crumbled away, leaving behind three jagged, hollow voids where his mouth should have been. From these gaping voids emerged a sound akin to the eerie howls of the winds rushing through tall canyon walls, a shrill and piercing resonance that rippled outwards, fracturing the very surroundings.


    "Looks like you reached the end of your path before I reached mine. In the end, I have won this gambit."


    Tian Gui''s echoed true, for Hou Shu was heavily wounded. His soul was in shambles, with countless fragments of it dissipating into nothingness. While his material body'' fared no better as rivers of blood poured out from every orifice and his hair was stark white, making him seem like a rotten tree in its twilight years.


    Yet, even in this condition, despite Tian Gui''s disbelief, Hou Shu''s lips curled up into a smile,


    Tian Gui froze, his gaze snapping upward. At the ravine''s edge, at the opening of the ravine, appeared three figures he never thought had the capacity to appear. For the first time, Tian Gui seemed to be genuinely shaken as he exclaimed, "T-that''s impossible, you shouldn''t be able to come here!"


    Above him, at the entrance to the ravine, were the three Yan of the current time, Yan Que Zi, Yan Li Yun and Yan Shen Jun!


    Yan Que Zi stepped forward, purple flames dancing among his palm, "There is nothing impossible in this world, Lord Tian Gui, you... Are not an Immortal Lord anymore, you have been tainted with mortality..."


    Otherworldly and aloof Celestial Flames, sublime and mild Qiankun flames, and tyrannical and domineering White Flower Suppression Flames descended in unison, merging with Hou Shu''s swords, who with effortless action swung one sword downward, freeing him, and creating a magnificent crimson moon even the heavens had forgotten with another.


    The crimson moon collided with Tian Gui, erupting into a cascade of stars, each fragment glowing in azure. Before they could fall, they merged into three crimson figures once more, each wielding a sword¡ª purple, white, and green.


    With terrifying swiftness and precision, they hurled themselves toward Tian Gui, their blades creating colorful flares as they sank into the wooden body of Tian Gui.


    "I am unwilling, unwilling to let it end like this!"


    Tian Gui made his abominable wooden body erupt into a thunderous explosion, shattering the three figures, and tearing apart the very fabric of reality itself!


    Yet, even as the body met its demise, Tian Gui''s soul couldn''t escape, not for a second time. For his fate was sealed, for he was burned by the true flames, flames of all.


    "I won''t accept this! I was so close to resurrecting the Immortal Dao! I hate this... I hate it! I hate it all!"


    Tian Gui''s voice reverberated one last time across the world as his soul fractured into countless particles of light, slowly fading into nothingness, slipping away from the fleeting miracle called life...

 Chapter 16: Spirit Severance [Epilogue]

    The ravine started to fracture and crack, its pieces disappearing into nothing even before it could become one with the world, revealing the soft grass and the azure sky of the Barren Plains.


    The ravine was a spatial dimension created by Tian Gui, who used himself as the fuel and the core eye that held it all together. But now that he has met his own demise, it was only natural that the spatial dimension would break apart.


    The crimson swords of the moon and the azure scarf of the stars started to fizzle in and out of existence, one instance corporeal, another incorporeal. But Hou Shu didn''t even glance at them. He was shaking, shaking like an old withered tree that was about to fall over at any moment.


    At this moment, the three Yan slowly descended, each of them having a solemn expression on their fierce faces. They didn''t speak, as if hesitating over a great matter in their Sea of Consciousness.


    Yet, the uncomfortable silence was broken as they dropped down to their knees and cuffed their fists, kneeling towards Hou Shu.


    Yan Que Zi spoke out, "I, Yan Que Zi, 63rd Patriarch of the Yan lineage of the True Fire Sect greet the Young Guardian!"


    The wrinkles on Hou Shu''s face creased as he let out a carefree soft chuckle, but one could feel boundless sorrow and regret buried deep within it, "The past is in the past, neither True Fire Sect nor the Immortal Passageway exists anymore, so why should Huo Jing?"


    "Young Guardian, the oath..." Yan Que Zi, the fierce man who led a force that is one of the Seven Hegemons, a ruthless Soul Transformation expert, one of the few that almost everyone in this world wouldn''t dare to look in the eye, uttered those words with great difficulty and care as if he was a junior greeting a senior, not having any demeanor of a great expert.


    "Just like the oath your ancestors made, I too made one," Hou Shu looked down towards his scarf and swords, which had turned into an incorporeal mist, "An oath to Heaven and Earth to never use them again, to never let the identity of Huo Jing walk out of the passages of history." The incorporeal mist dispersed into countless particles, dissipating from the bellows of Heaven and Earth.


    "I may have broken it for my disciple, but no matter other than this will make me break it," Hou Shu''s voice firm and unyielding, but it gradually mellowed out, "So you should meet your daughter, for I know how eager you are."


    Hou Shu spread his bloody and torn start embroidered robe towards the grassy plains to his left, releasing all the people Tian Gui abducted to be used as guiding flames from his life storage ring.


    Yan Que Zi didn''t delay any further and instantly appeared in the middle of the unconscious guiding flames, before his daughter. He quickly picked her up and tightly embraced her among his strong arms, "Zi''er..."


    Seeing this, a gentle smile spread across Hou Shu''s lips, with his current appearance, making him seem like an elderly who has seen the world.


    Soon, he turned towards the two elders, the tall Yan Li Yun and stout Yan Shen Jun, who were still kneeling, and spoke in a soft voice, "Since Daoist Que Zi is busy, I will have to bother fellow Daoists and request that they care for the rest of the cultivators Tian Gui abducted."


    "Of course we will, Daoist Hou doesn''t need to worry at all, we swear by the name of the Yan family!" They spoke both at the same time, but the reverence in there was something that didn''t exist in the past.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Taking in this sight, Hou Shu couldn''t do anything but helpless, as he let out a small peal of laughter and shook his head, saying, "Then I will take my leave, please say my farewell to Yan Que Zi, take care!"


    Despite their reverence, Hou Shu still bowed towards them and then waved his hands towards the guiding flames, making a gentle wind come by, which made Bai Ling float as she gently made her way into his hands as he carried her close to his bosom.


    Without any delay, on the clear and azure sky of the Barren Plains, Vajrayana appeared once more, taking Hou Shu in. Thus, it spread its majestic wings like a kun transforming into a peng, and quickly ascended into the sky, as if desiring to visit the Northern Oblivion Pool, soon leaving Yan Shen Jun and Yan Li Yun behind on the ground as they watched this majestic view.


    Yet, just as Vajrayana was crossing through the overturned sea-like azure skies, above the forests upon forests of the Nanqing Immortal Province, the sky in front of it started to glow and squirm like maggots, and from it, Yan Que Zi appeared.


    "Daoist Hou may have forsaken the oath, but this one will at least keep my word, please take the reward fellow, Daoist!" Saying this, he brought out a pristine black box.


    It was a box made out of a strange metal, for it didn''t have the sheen most metals have. Instead, it seemed to devour all the light it was in contact with. And when the black box''s lid opened slowly, revealing the abyss-like interior, it seemed like this box had been molded by the void itself.


    From the abyssal gorge of the black box, a faint light, a light as if someone shined it through dewdrops, rose, revealing a sphere that was neither light nor was it matter, but certainly had existence. It was the Illusory Nurture Gu, refined by Granny Jia Zhu herself.


    At this moment, Hou Shu, with Bai Ling in hand, appeared on the bow of Vajrayana, standing straight like a spear. As if expecting him, he let out a soft smile and said, "Daoist Que Zi is being too polite, without fellow Daoist''s help, how would I form the True Flames of All, not to mention defeating Tian Gui?"


    But this time Yan Que Zi didn''t relent, "We could only enter because Daoist Hou discreetly burned a pathway through the Bloodline Restriction Array when marching towards Chijia village, not to mention that Tian Gui, although afflicted with Mortality, couldn''t sense us approaching because felloe Daoist kept him occupied!"


    Hou Shu burst out into a hearty laugh, his eyes turning into crescents, "I am not just being courteous, I don''t need it anymore."


    Hou Shu''s injured Nascent Soul left his body and rose to the skies, becoming corporeal on its own as it aged, from its child-like appearance to adolescence to adulthood to its prime. But it didn''t stop, it continued to grow, not in age but in size! And it grew, grew and grew! Until it rose to a gargantuan figure spanning thousands of li! Formation of the Origin Soul, the mark of those in the Soul Transformation stage!


    "Sever the Spirit! Return to oneself!"


    The Origin Soul shook, then slowly dissipated throughout the heaven and earth, making the skies burst with seven colors of the rainbow as countless figures from the both past and future appeared on the painting that was sky, as if the Heaven and Earth themselves were rejoicing!


    Hou Shu''s hair once again turned to black as all the wrinkles on his face smoothened out like northernmost snow, his figure burst out with an aura, an aura countless times stronger than Great Completion Nascent Soul but it was not the aura of Soul Transformation!


    At this moment, Bai Ling, who was carried by Hou Shu, fluttered her eyelashes, finally awakening. But at the sight in front of her, she couldn''t help but exclaim, "Tian Gui... No... Is that you, Master?"


    Hou Shu''s laughter went away as he lowered his head, meeting his gaze with his disciple, giving her the gentle smile she was all so familiar with.


    He then turned towards Yan Que Zi, who was frozen mid-air with his eyes bloodshot, both dumbstruck but also filled with boundless anticipation, then towards the various figures in the sky, who lowered their heads, as if showing their respect and reverence.


    He spoke with majestic awe, his voice thundering throughout all four corners of the world, as if announcing to the Heavens and Earth "From henceforth, the Yang Spirit shall be severed, for the Immortal Dao has recovered!"