Daqin Zhentiansi

Guided by Lieyan, Zhang Yuan and Zhuque traversed the dark red lava of the Burning Bone Wasteland.

Finally, they arrived at a huge cave deep inside a massive extinct volcano.

The cave entrance is hidden by naturally formed, rugged rocks.

Upon entering, a pungent, acrid smell of burning flames, mixed with a strong sulfur odor, assaulted the senses, even stronger than the outside world.

The cave is vast, yet it feels unusually oppressive and dilapidated.

The jagged rock walls were covered with dried, dark bloodstains, and the ground was rough, uneven lava, with hardly any decent nests or dwellings.

Many Qiongqi huddled in the shadows, their bodies writhing in the flickering, unstable light of the demonic flames between their dark red scales, their auras weak and feeble.

Their eyes are mostly empty and numb, filled with exhaustion from endless suffering, and the occasional flash of ferocity carries a heartbreaking despair.

Some emaciated cubs with dull scales hid behind their mothers, emitting weak, sickly whimpers.

The low growl of the Crackling Flame echoed within the cave, carrying a mournful cry.

Soon, several Qiongqi, which were larger and more powerful, but were also shrouded in dense demonic flames and had deep marks on their faces from the passage of time and pain, slowly emerged from the depths of the cave.

The leader was almost a size larger than Lieyan.

Its once majestic amber eyes were now murky, as if covered by a layer of filthy oil, and the whites of its eyes were filled with dark red blood vessels.

When its gaze fell upon the eternally burning, pure and flawless golden-red figure of the Vermilion Bird, an unbelievable burst of excitement suddenly erupted in its turbid eyes, only to be overwhelmed by a deeper and more intense shame and pain.

The leading Qiongqi, its patriarch Jinran, lowered its massive body slightly, its voice hoarse as if grinding sand: "Vermilion Bird... Venerable One?! It... it really is you! Three hundred years..."

For three hundred long years, a time of burning hearts and consuming bones, not a single divine beast has set foot on this scorched inferno abandoned by the heavens…

"My race... has long been forgotten in the most filthy corner of the primordial world, sinking into depravity, becoming a ferocious creature despised by the heavens, knowing only bloodlust and slaughter..."

Its words were filled with endless self-reproach, regret for past glories, and unfathomable sorrow.

The Qiongqi elders behind it also lowered their heads in silence, heavy sighs filling the scorching air, making the atmosphere in the entire cave so oppressive that it almost froze.

As Suzaku looked at the scene before him, a complex sense of pity flashed in his golden-red eyes.

She sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to contain the power to purify the filth, causing the restless demonic flames inside the cave to calm down for a moment.

She turned to the side and pointed to Zhang Yuan, who stood silently beside her: "Clan Chief Jinran, elders. This is Zhang Yuan, a hero of the human race, and also my fellow Daoist, walking side by side with me."

"There may be a glimmer of hope in our visit that can help you escape the torment of this burning demonic flame."

Jinran and the elders turned their scrutinizing gazes toward Zhang Yuan.

They could sense the terrifying power contained within this young human, whose physical strength far exceeded their imagination.

However, seeing that he was so young and not a divine beast, although there was no malice in his eyes, a deep-seated doubt and...disdain could not be concealed.

Even if a human has a strong physical body, how can he break free from the Heart-Burning Demon Flame, which even beings whose bloodline is close to that of divine beasts are helpless against and which is regarded as an extremely poisonous shackle by the Heavenly Palace?
The demonic flames had already penetrated deep into his blood, corroding his bones and melting his soul; they could not be removed by brute force.

A glint flashed in Zhuque's eyes as he keenly detected the suspicion hidden beneath Jinran's respectful facade.

She didn't say much to explain, but her golden-red phoenix eyes suddenly lit up, like the rising sun!
"Wow—!"

A clear and melodious phoenix cry, powerful enough to cleanse the soul, suddenly resounded in the huge cavern inside the dormant volcano!
The Vermilion Bird gracefully raised one wing, and a single, pure, golden-red spark suddenly ignited on the tip of its wing!
The next moment, that spark suddenly expanded and evolved!
flame!

The endless essence of flames flowed and transformed at the wingtips!
This flame sometimes transforms into an apocalyptic flame that burns the eight wastelands and melts the stars; its terrifying power can silently melt the rocks in the cave walls, and even distort space under the high temperature.

Sometimes it transforms into a desolate icy flame that freezes time and space and solidifies the vitality of all things; its chilling aura instantly dispels the scorching heat inside the cave, leaving behind biting frost.

Sometimes it transforms into the karmic fire of the mortal world, which stirs up the seven emotions and six desires and burns the heart and soul.

All the Qiongqi inside the cave, including Jinran, felt the karmic pain originating from the burning of demonic flames deep within their souls being amplified and then instantly burned away, emitting muffled groans intertwined with pain and relief.

Ultimately, all the flame forms merged into one, and at the core of the flame, a pure and infinitely possible sense of "creation" burst forth!
That tiny glimmer of light seemed to contain the first ray of life at the beginning of the universe, capable of igniting a brilliant flame of life in the ashes of eternal death, and giving birth to a brand new world!

"This is the true manifestation of the new realm of fire path—'the realm of creation'—that my young friend Zhang Yuan deduced and verified for me!"

The Vermilion Bird's voice, carrying supreme majesty and unquestionable power, was like a resounding bell, clearly imprinted deep within the soul of every Qiongqi.

"boom--!!!"

The entire massive volcanic cave seemed to be swept away by an invisible shockwave originating from the very source of the Great Dao!
Clan Chief Jinran and all the elders instantly widened their turbid giant eyes, their eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets!
Their bodies trembled violently, and the previously stable demonic flames on their skin began to sway and contract wildly as if stimulated by a natural enemy, emitting a terrified hissing sound!

They felt it!

The flame contained a vast Daoist essence that far surpassed the original inheritance of the Vermilion Bird and even exceeded their understanding of flames in their bloodline memories!
It transcends destruction and order, pointing directly to the origin of all things and the supreme truth of creation and extinction!
That spark of creation, like the dawn breaking through the eternal darkness, illuminated their numb and desperate souls that had been imprisoned by demonic flames for three hundred years!

All the indifference, doubt, and despair... vanished in an instant, like thin ice exposed to the scorching sun!
Instead, there is an unparalleled sense of awe and reverence that comes from the deepest part of the soul!

When Jinran and the others refocused their gazes on Zhang Yuan, it was no longer out of fear of a powerful figure, but rather like drowning people grasping at the only piece of driftwood, filled with a burning, almost frantic expectation and the most humble respect from the bottom of their souls!
Chieftain Jinran's massive body could no longer support him, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, his forehead hitting the scorching rocks with a dull thud.

Its voice trembled and wailed like never before, as it roared:

"Lord Zhang Yuan! We are blind and ignorant, unaware of the true god! We beg you... to save our people!"

Behind it, all the Qiongqi that could still move, whether elders or ordinary clansmen, all prostrated themselves deeply in Zhang Yuan's direction as if a mountain of gold and a jade pillar had been overturned.

Inside the cave, only heavy breathing and suppressed sobs filled with endless hope remained.

The air, once saturated with despair, now seemed to be ignited by the flame of "creation," giving rise to a faint yet incredibly precious glimmer of life.

Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, his deep gaze returning to his palm.

The wisp of dark red demonic flame, imprisoned by the chaotic runes, was like a venomous snake in captivity, still struggling and leaping wildly, each twist exuding a chilling malice that eroded the soul and twisted the will.

His divine sense condensed into billions of invisible probes, piercing the core of the demonic flames thread by thread, carefully analyzing its composition.

Violent, viscous, and filled with a desire for corruption and destruction... this is the outward appearance of the demonic flame. But deep within, Zhang Yuan's chaotic divine demon body keenly detected a faint yet extremely pure fluctuation of the fire seed, carrying an ancient and sacred aura.

That was the Zhu Yan's original essence, which had been forcibly contaminated and almost completely assimilated and devoured by the demonic flames!
It flickered stubbornly and unwillingly, like a candle flame trapped under a film of filthy oil.

At the same time, the restrictions contained within the demonic flames firmly bind pain to its origin.

Zhuque's concerned voice rang out, her golden-red eyes filled with worry: "Zhang Yuan, this demonic flame has penetrated deep into our bloodline, corroding our bones and melting our souls... Do you have any way to suppress or remove it for the entire Qiongqi clan?"

Her gaze swept over the figures in the cave, their spirits low and their pain agonizing.

Zhang Yuan raised his head, nodded, then slowly shook his head: "Suppress? Or even gradually purify?"

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, a wisp of pale golden creative energy, brimming with boundless vitality, quietly merged into the demonic flames in his palm.

The violently struggling dark red flames suddenly stopped, and the sticky filth on the surface seemed to be burned by the invisible flames. The color actually faded slightly to the naked eye, and the strength of the struggle also greatly weakened.

"With the complete and perfected sixteen layers of the 'Creation Realm' flame essence that I have deduced for you, it is indeed possible to achieve this."

"The power of creation and destruction it contains is enough to restrain or even reverse such filthy demonic flames."

Inside the cave, all the Qiongqi who were watching this scene intently, including Chief Jinran and the elders, instantly had an almost manic light in their eyes!
The purity and vitality brought by that pale golden flame were like the first ray of sunlight piercing through three hundred years of darkness! Hope had never felt so real!
However, Zhang Yuan's subsequent head-shaking was like a bucket of ice water being poured over him.

“However,” he said in a deep voice, “the true meaning of this realm is vast and boundless, requiring extremely high levels of cultivation and control.”

"At my current level, I am not yet able to control this level of power on a large scale for an extended period of time to benefit the entire clan. Forcing it would be like a drop in the ocean, and it would easily trigger a backlash from the demonic flames, with unpredictable consequences."

He could forcefully suppress the demonic flames.

However, he couldn't possibly suppress these deeply ingrained techniques one by one.

Moreover, such suppression only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause.

The flames in Suzaku's eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.

The ecstasy that had just ignited on the faces of the Ember Clan Chief and the elders instantly froze, and a tremendous sense of loss surged into their hearts like an icy tide, dragging them back into the abyss of despair.

Could it be that... all hope is ultimately just a mirage?
Zhang Yuan remained calm and spoke again: "What I'm more curious about is, what kind of 'tricks' did the Heavenly Palace use to so 'easily' suppress this demonic flame that even I would need a very high cultivation level to deal with?"

"What exactly is their 'spring of clarity and turbidity'? How does it work?"

In Zhang Yuan's view, Tiangong must possess more "efficient" control methods.

Upon hearing this, Jinran's massive beast face twitched, revealing a deep-seated humiliation and bitterness.

He trembled, as if performing some extremely humiliating ritual, and carefully took out a jade bottle no bigger than a thumb from deep within the thick hair on his chest, which was stained with the scorch marks of demonic flames.

The jade bottle is carved entirely from ten-thousand-year-old cold jade. It is icy to the touch, and its surface is densely engraved with countless fine sealing talismans, emitting a faint but extremely pure and cool aura, barely resisting the heat and filth of the surrounding environment.

His withered fingers trembled as he cautiously unscrewed the cork just a barely perceptible crack—

"hiss……"

A cool, pure aura, carrying a strange sense of purification, instantly emanated from the crevice. Although extremely faint, it was like a refreshing rain in the desert.

The demonic flames on the bodies of the closest Qiongqi elders, which had been slightly agitated due to their emotional excitement, visibly calmed down, and the painful, distorted wrinkles on their faces seemed to have smoothed out a bit.

However, after this brief respite came a deeper, more unsettling sense of morbid dependence, as well as a deep-seated hatred and powerlessness towards the shackles of the Heavenly Palace!
"Your Excellency is wise... This is the very thing, the 'Clear and Turbid Spring'."

Jinran's voice was dry and hoarse.

"This spring... originates only from the 'Cleansing Spring,' controlled by the core area of ​​the Heavenly Palace, and is strictly sealed off by the Patrol Guard. It is only available on the day of the Blood Tax..."

His gaze turned to the outside of the cave, filled with grief and indignation, as if he could see through the rock wall to the bloody altar.

"We are required to hand over... mountains and seas of spirit stones, rare spirit ores, even powerful demonic beasts we have hunted, and even the flesh and blood essence or inner cores of hostile races..."

"In the end... all that can be exchanged for a mere few drops!"

His words revealed the cruel nature of the blood tax, which uses plundered resources and lives to exchange for life-extending poison.

In fact, the Heavenly Palace has always suppressed all living beings in the primordial world in this way.

Those human garrisoned temples, don't they also pay various supplies every year?

Jinran's hands trembled as he gestured with his fingernails at the insignificant weight, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred and despair.

"Only when a member of the clan completely loses control and goes mad, on the verge of self-destruction, or... when the bloodline of a cub is too weak and is about to be burned to death by the demonic flames... will I be willing to use a drop... to temporarily suppress the extreme pain caused by the backlash..."

He slammed the cork shut, as if the breath itself was a form of torture.

"This spring water... is like the most poisonous wine! Drinking it eases the pain slightly, the demonic flames subside, and one seems to be saved..."

"In reality, the fundamental shackles are even deeper! The dependence on the Heavenly Palace is even stronger! They will forever lock our race into this hellish realm where life is worse than death!"

Chief Jinran's words struck the hearts of every Qiongqi like a heavy hammer.

Just then, from the depths of the wasteland, the deep, oppressive, death knell-like horn sounded once again, piercing through the scorching air.

"Boom-"

"Boom-"

Inside the cave, the flames of anger in the eyes of the Qiongqi, including Lieyan, were instantly suppressed by the familiar horn sound that symbolized humiliation and pain. Instead, they were replaced by an irresistible, deep-seated urgency and numb suffering.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed the budding hope.

Zhang Yuan and Zhuque exchanged a glance, needing no further words. (End of Chapter)