Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 409 Soaring to the Heavens
The Sea of ​​No Wonder.

The deep blue seawater churned, and bright red lava rolled into the sea, stirring up white mist that, after cooling, turned into patches of dark rock, with the central sacred mountain reflecting the red light.

The true fire spread with a sense of balance and harmony, lingering for a long time. From the main hall on the mountaintop, one could feel waves of heat from afar. A line of silver lightning swept across the clouds, dispelling the fire's heat, and then descended to the mountaintop.

On the blue stone at the mountain gate lay a fire- tending boy, fast asleep, with a green gourd as tall as him lying askew beside him, a white feather fan covering his face, and he was snoring.

Perhaps he was sleeping too comfortably, for the fire- tending boy revealed a red, cloud-like fox tail, which he rested behind his head.

Xu Xuan waited for a while without disturbing the boy. Suddenly, the blue stone became scorching hot, like a red-hot iron. Tianxin let out a miserable cry, covered his tail, and jumped off the blue stone.

"Please calm down, sir. Please calm down, sir."

Tianxin bowed repeatedly towards the Doutian Hall on the mountaintop, and the red-hot bluestone gradually cooled down, turning into a pitch-black color.

He tenderly clutched his tail, then turned around and saw a swordsman carrying a long sword, dressed in a dark robe with cloud patterns, his silver eyes gleaming. Tianxin, as if seeing a ghost, hurriedly said:
"I've seen the real person."

Xu Xuan simply nodded, but Tian Xin already understood and immediately said respectfully:

“My master is in the hall, and has been waiting for the immortal for a long time.”

After speaking, the boy looked up again, only to see a flash of silver lightning streak across the sky. The True Man of the Tribulation-Slaying Realm had already gone to the main hall on the mountaintop and was no longer in sight.

"So it's this person who's arrived."

Tianxin muttered a few words. Today, a distinguished guest had come to the mountain. He had been caught slacking off. No wonder the master was angry. The little demon immediately stood still and stood steadily beside the blue stone.

At the summit, inside the Doutian Hall.

A crimson flame burst forth from the bronze palace gate, illuminating the two characters "Dou Tian" with a golden sheen. Flames overflowed, and fire snakes flickered as Xu Xuan stood before the palace.

Amidst the deep red glow of the True Fire Divine Power, a bronze alchemy furnace could be faintly seen standing, its eight trigram patterns gleaming. Xu Xuan did not enter, but instead politely asked a question first.

"Fellow Daoist Pingxiu?"

"So you are Fellow Daoist Bijie, please come in."

A slightly aged voice came from inside. Xu Xuan slowly stepped inside. The fire gradually died down, and a young Taoist priest emerged from behind the alchemy furnace. He wore a maroon Taoist robe with black patterns on the cuffs and collar, and his hair and beard were all white. It was Ping Xiu.

The man's gaze fell upon Xu Xuan, and he showed slight surprise, saying only:
"Fellow Daoist, have you achieved your second divine ability? Judging from this aura, is it the [Primordial Order]?"

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Pingxiu has excellent eyesight."

Xu Xuan was impressed that Pingxiu had recognized his supernatural ability at a glance, thinking to himself that he was indeed very knowledgeable. However, Pingxiu shook his head and simply said:

"When you came here, the Heavenly Laws were already in effect in the Great Void. The laws and punishments are complete, and the names and realities are combined. How could you not know this? The [Heavenly Tribulation] is the punishment of Heavenly Thunder, while the [Primordial Order] is the law of the Heavenly Laws. You have already achieved the aura of the Thunder Palace by completing this path."

Pingxiu lowered his gaze slightly. The opponent's cultivation level was naturally no less than his own. She Lei was already powerful, and with the addition of sword intent, if this Sword Immortal who had broken through tribulations were to engage in combat, even ordinary mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivators would have to avoid his sharp edge.

"Fellow Daoist, have you come here today to keep your appointment to exorcise a demon?"

His gaze shifted, and he instantly guessed why Xu Xuan had come here—he must be fulfilling the promise he made years ago.

"Exactly."

Xu Xuan's expression turned slightly solemn. He had promised Ping Xiu that after he broke through, he would help him kill a demon. Today, he had come to the sea to keep his promise.

"Excellent, excellent."

Pingxiu raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and sighed:

“We have been able to predict the movements of this nun this year. We originally intended to send someone to invite you, but since you have come here yourself, it is the perfect time to make our move.”

"I wonder what that nun's cultivation level and lineage are like?"

When Xu Xuan mentioned this matter, his heart stirred. According to what Ping Xiu had said before, this demon should be a cultivator of the Metal Virtue, already at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, so it must have some background.

"This demon cultivator, Xin Jin, is extremely skilled in the transformation of reality and illusion. He has mastered the [Jade Table], [Comforting the Cold Bones], and [Washing Away the Lead] techniques. He possesses a secret treasure from the Yuqing Dao Sect, which empowers him to travel through the void without encountering fire obstacles."

Pingxiu expressed his deep hatred for this nun, which caused the fire in the nearby alchemy furnace to blaze brightly, with the true fire and precious flames roaring forth.

"As for its origin, this monster escaped from the Great Illusion Barrier, which was poisoned by itself. It was originally the mount of the God of Barrier, but after its master died, it stole treasures and came to the Western Sea to roam freely."

"What kind of place is the Great Illusionary Barrier Land? And what about that Barrier Yan, is he also practicing the divine path?"

Xu Xuan had a sudden thought. He knew very little about Sindhu, so now was the perfect time to ask Pingxiu.

“Sindhu has twelve regions, hence the division. The largest is as large as several states of Li Kingdom combined, such as the [Luo Tong Zhang] region occupied by the Peacock, which is large enough to establish a country, with many demon kings and a great Asura in charge. The smallest is like the [Yun Mo Jia] region, which is only comparable to a county of Li Kingdom.”

"As for the cultivation method of Sindhu, it is called the Ancient Divine Path. It imitates the ancient gods and also cultivates supernatural powers, but it is quite different from my Immortal Path. It is more primitive and does not talk about life and death, but only about cultivation."

"I see."

Xu Xuan had gained some understanding by now, and he was now somewhat confident in dealing with She Ni.

"Where does this demon appear now?"

"It is in a fire cave in the middle of the West Sea, next to the Great Flame Milk Sea. A fellow Daoist used divination to determine its location. This demon must have been after the spiritual fire, which is why it exposed its presence."

"The Great Flame Milk Sea is an important location within the West Sea Dragon Palace. It is filled with poisonous afflictions. Even if one enters the Purple Mansion and is not of dragon descent, a single misstep can result in serious injury."

"If we are to go, I need to refine these few [Divine Dew Antidote Pills] first, otherwise if we get poisoned inside, the consequences will not be good."

Pingxiu shook his head and looked at his alchemy furnace, where azure dew and mysterious light were condensing, transforming into jade-like spiritual essence, about to form an elixir.

This elixir belongs to the Gui Water element and is a top-tier antidote in the world. Only a great alchemist like him would have the resources and the skill to refine it at will.

"So this is the location of the Dragon Palace of the West Sea. Are there any relics left behind by the Dragon Palace?"

Xu Xuan's eyes brightened slightly, and he made up his mind. Ping Xiu, standing to the side, simply shook his head and said:

"The good stuff has already been taken away, so there's no chance for us to cultivate. But at the bottom of the Milk Sea, I've heard there's some spiritual water that transforms into water, a sacred substance for prolonging life and healing injuries, which is hard to find in the world."

"The seabed is milky white, and only dragons can swim in it. Others can only go as far as the shallows and can never go any further."

"In that case, wouldn't it become the private property of the Eastern Han Dragon Clan?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan suddenly had some thoughts. Ping Xiu, who was standing beside him, immediately replied: "That's right. Every year, dragons come to the bottom of the Milky Sea to collect spiritual water. I've heard that because of this, there have been many conflicts between the Holy Land of Pudu and Donghan."

"Why?"

"They are the orthodox lineage of water transformation, but they lack this one spiritual water which is not under the control of adults and has been stolen by the dragon seed, so naturally there is a conflict."

Pingxiu chuckled lightly. The emperor was far away and Donghan could only govern the Jinshu area at most. He wasn't afraid of the other party coming to his door.

Xu Xuan remained silent, but his mind was racing. There was a lot to be done about this. They were all dragon offspring. If Donghan could obtain them, why couldn't Nanming?

Since his dragon body is injured, he has a good excuse. Right now, he only needs to ask Mingze and see what the Holy Land of Universal Salvation thinks, and then he can go there and make contact with the human body in the process.

"Then we'll wait until you finish refining this pill, and then we can go and slay the demon. But I wonder which fellow cultivators will be there?"

"The True Man Wuyou of the [Secret White Path] cultivates 'Metal Exchange' and already possesses two supernatural powers. The True Man Jianzhuo of the [Hall of Hidden Yin Yama] has recently broken through, but his lineage is quite extraordinary, being the Netherworld's 'Earth Subjugation'."

"Lying on the earth".

Xu Xuan was somewhat surprised to hear this, as it was extremely rare to find someone cultivating in the underground world. At least, he had never seen anyone cultivating in the northern part of Dali, only in the Xiwei Mountain of the Chen family.

This path is the orthodox path of the underworld, and its rank is even above that of the Wraiths. In ancient times, the Underworld Marshals worked for the sake of the great men of this path, capturing the souls of the dead.

"Now that the four of us are working together, we should be able to take down that Shenni. Her cultivation techniques are very rudimentary. She only managed to break through to the mid-stage by relying on that strange spiritual artifact and wasting the resources of many fellow cultivators over the years."

“Xin Jin is not a manifest Dao, and it was severely suppressed in ancient times. If it were a direct confrontation, it probably wouldn’t be my match.”

When this was mentioned, Pingxiu seemed rather proud, but Xu Xuan was quite convinced. Regardless of his cultivation level, this True Man was probably a very wealthy man in the Western Sea.

Judging from the aura emanating from him, he must possess many powerful spiritual artifacts, not to mention numerous spiritual flames. Once unleashed, their power would be unimaginable.

“Fellow Daoist Bijie, you may stay on my mountain for a while. Once I have finished refining this batch of spiritual pills, you may go to the Great Flame Milk Sea to search for the whereabouts of Sheni.”

“There is a pool called the Wind and Thunder Pool in my mountain, which contains the two natures of thunder and pure qi, making it perfect for cultivating thunder magic. Fellow Daoist, you may enter and take a look first.”

"Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Xu Xuan immediately agreed. Pingxiu was a great alchemist, so the things he left behind were naturally of extraordinary quality. It would be a good opportunity to go and take a look.

As the two were talking, the palace doors suddenly opened, and a fire-tending boy rushed in, looking as if he had lost his parents, and said in a trembling voice:

"Master, something terrible has happened! The cave where the true disciple [Zheng Yan] was in seclusion has opened, and his true fire has erupted, leaving only ashes. It seems he has failed to break through to the Purple Mansion realm!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan's expression darkened. His failed attempt to break through to the Purple Mansion realm seemed to be due to Ping Xiu's true teachings—a real pity. He turned around, only to see Ping Xiu calmly say:
"What's the panic? Just shovel the ashes and put them in the alchemy furnace to burn once. This is the second time; don't you know what to do?"

Tianxin seemed to understand something and immediately left, apparently to make arrangements for the aftermath.

Xu Xuan was completely bewildered by Pingxiu's words, assuming it referred to some unique burial method passed down through generations. He looked at Pingxiu and simply said:
My deepest condolences, fellow Daoist.

Pingxiu looked over with a strange expression and a puzzled look in his eyes. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he stroked his beard and smiled:

"Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand. Zheng Yan is my true disciple, cultivating the Great Dao of the Heavenly Profound Fire. How could you not know about the 'True Fire Has Regret'?"

"This is."

"I cultivate true fire, and I rarely die from breaking through realms. If I fail to break through to Foundation Establishment or Purple Mansion, I am often reduced to ashes. If I am put into the fire to be nurtured, my life can be restored."

Xu Xuan was somewhat taken aback by this illogical event, but then he saw that Tianxin had already returned from outside the door carrying a green gourd, inside which there seemed to be some firelight.

Pingxiu immediately took the green gourd, glanced at it, sighed, and took out a red-gold treasure furnace, which was actually a Purple Mansion spiritual artifact with a Dao pattern that looked like a red phoenix on it.

The ashes, still glowing with tiny sparks, were taken out from the green gourd and placed into the red-gold furnace, where the crimson phoenix Dao patterns flickered.

Pingxiu activated his supernatural powers, casually unleashing three spiritual flames: Bing, Li, and Zhen. His extravagant display left Xu Xuan speechless. Those skilled in alchemy and artifact crafting were indeed extraordinary, and that Zhujian Zhenren was also quite wealthy.

Ashes were put into the furnace and refined by three spiritual fires, the power of true fire and supernatural abilities was generated. A red light shot out from the furnace, landed on the ground, and transformed into a young man in a maroon Taoist robe. He was somewhat dazed and immediately bowed to his master above.

"Master, your disciple is dull and has made another mistake."

"It's alright. I coughed back then. Never mind, each generation is worse than the last. Go back and refine it. You should have a deeper understanding of how to cultivate [Reignition] now."

"Yes."

After Zheng Yan retreated, Xu Xuan was somewhat dazed. The fact that he could break through to the Purple Mansion realm and start over was truly astonishing. He immediately asked:
"Fellow Daoist, what kind of inheritance does this [Heavenly Profound Fire Great Dao] come from? Such wondrous things are rarely seen even in the immortal paths of the Great Li."

"This kind of wonder is also my true fire, and Ding fire also gets a share of it. Other lineages do not have such an opportunity."

Pingxiu's eyes sharpened slightly. He put away the red-gold alchemy furnace in his hand and smiled:
"If we were to discuss this in detail, it was only because our great master had performed such a feat that we, the lower cultivators, have a way out today."

"In ancient times, the Western Sea was the location of the Three Palaces of True Fire, which predates the time when the Dragon Seeds divided the sea. It was called the [Dou Tian Palace]. There once emerged a [Xuan Ming] Immortal Lord. This great man upheld the truth and righteousness, and was one of the great men who promoted the establishment of the Heavenly Court."

"He cared deeply for the world and saw that once cultivators broke through, they often faced certain death. He couldn't bear it, so he began to study how to survive. Later, he cut himself once, falling to the Nascent Soul stage. He then used his great power to repeatedly cut himself nine times to break through the realm, eventually returning to the body of an Immortal Lord."

Xu Xuan felt as if he were listening to a heavenly book. The Nascent Soul stage was already an immortal, let alone the Immortal Lord. He wondered what realm that was. He knew that the later master of the Thunder Palace was the Immortal Lord Tianpeng, who already had the power to govern the morality of the world.

"Unfortunately, He was only one step away from success, but He was not tolerated by Heaven and Earth. The Fire Deity protected Him and forbade Him from severing His own flesh and ascending again. Otherwise, it would not be 'True Fire Regrets,' but 'All Cultivators Regret.'"

"This blessing only involves the True Fire and Ding Fire paths. My True Fire path can be rebuilt nine times, while the Ding Fire path has the potential to spread like wildfire, and can also be rebuilt once."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of respect and admiration, and simply said:
"This great man has great vision and great merit. He holds a high position, yet he cares about the world and is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of all cultivators. He is very different from the cultivators of today."

"Not everyone thinks He did the right thing. According to records, when He first took this action, the officials of the Thunder Palace came to his door to stop him."

"Lei Gong, may I ask which lord this is?"

Xu Xuan's mind stirred. As a cultivator of the Thunder God, how could he not take this matter seriously? The only one who would come to seek out this Immortal Lord Xuanming was probably him.

"Naturally, it is [Tianpeng]."

Pingxiu seemed somewhat bewildered, and whispered:
"The morality of the Thunder Palace is not a path of benevolence, but rather the maintenance of the order of heaven and earth. Xuanming Immortal Lord's actions have simply created countless parasites in the world. If the number of cultivators increases significantly, how can this world bear the burden?"

"According to the prevailing opinion at the time, this Immortal Lord Xuanming had fallen into demonic possession."

(End of this chapter)