Eternal madness

Chapter 179 Return to Zhongzhou
Several months later, in the Scorching Fire Mountains,
Burning Flame Valley is located in the Blazing Fire Mountain Range in the southwest of the Central Region. This mountain range is entirely composed of blazing volcanoes. As far as the eye can see, it is uniformly crimson. Thick white smoke constantly rises from the tops of some peaks, and occasionally, lava overflows from them.

This is a sacred place for cultivating fire-attribute battle qi. A thousand years ago, Burning Flame Valley was the most famous sacred place for cultivating fire-attribute battle qi on the continent.

"Xiao Li, this is the Blazing Fire Mountain Range, and the Burning Flame Valley is located here," the Heavenly Sound Elder said with a smile, stroking his beard.

"The environment here is quite nice. For someone like me who cultivates fire-attribute battle qi, it's a natural cultivation paradise. But Elder Su, why did you come all the way here with me? You know that the Ancestor is with me."

Xiao Li looked at the spirited Tianyin Elder beside him. Now that Tianyin Elder had broken through to the Dou Sheng level and become one of the top experts on the continent, why did he need to make another trip?

If the news leaks out and a Dou Sheng appears in Yin Valley, how can we catch them off guard?

"This is the result of my discussion with my senior. My senior learned from somewhere that the ancient imperial clans on the continent do not allow experts stronger than five-star Dou Sheng to take action."

Anyone who violates this rule will be hunted down by the combined forces of the imperial family. Therefore, I must step forward. I will be your visible protector.

"I, a mere Dou Sheng, should be able to protect you for a while. If I'm unable to defeat you, the senior will step in. In any case, we should stall for as long as possible."

The old man Tianyin spoke slowly.

"Tsk, what a troublesome rule." Xiao Li then took out his spatial jade mirror and said to it, "Did our ancestor have such a rule a thousand years ago?"

Before long, the spatial jade mirror flashed with a silver light.

"no!"

The Heavenly Sound Elder slowly said, "There certainly wasn't such a rule a thousand years ago. After all, the Sound Saint Ancestor won over the noble lady with his strength. At that time, the Ancestor's strength must have been above the five-star Dou Sheng level."

Moreover, at that time, both Burning Flame Valley and Pill Tower had top experts in charge. The Burning Flame Ancestor and the founder of Pill Tower were both nine-star Dou Sheng, representing the power of Zhongzhou!
At that time, besides our Sound Valley, many other forces had powerful Dou Sheng (Battle Saints) in charge. It seems that Ice River Valley even had an eight-star Dou Sheng in charge back then. Rumor has it that the Ice River Ancestor was the lifelong rival of the Burning Flame Ancestor.

Xiao Li nodded: "So the Dou Qi Continent was so prosperous a thousand years ago. Then why is there not a single powerful Dou Sheng on the continent now, no! In the Central Plains?"
Aside from that senior figure from the Pill Tower, I haven't seen any other powerful beings.

The old man Tianyin shook his head: "I don't know about that. Anyway, a hundred years ago, a Dou Sheng expert from my Yin Valley, who was also my grandmaster, was severely injured by the Soul Palace Master Hun Miesheng and died not long after.

At that time, several powerful Dou Sheng experts from major forces were also defeated by Hun Miesheng.

Xiao Li sensed that things weren't so simple: "I feel like things aren't simple. The seniors in the Pill Tower might know something. I'll ask them when I have time."

"Is that Master Wang Li of Yin Gu ahead?" an old, excited voice asked.

“Exactly!” Xiao Li replied.

A powerful figure instantly appeared before the two. This person had gray hair, a very robust physique, wore a red robe, and exuded an aura of around a four-star Dou Zun.

"Hehe, I am Yan Huo, the Grand Elder of Burning Flame Valley. I am here on the orders of the Valley Master to await Master Wang Li and the Heavenly Sound Saint."

The old man who called himself Yan Huo clasped his hands in greeting to Xiao Li and Elder Tianyin. At this moment, Yan Huo was already drenched in sweat. He knew that Yin Valley would send someone, at most it would be Valley Master Su.

He never expected that it would be the old monster from Yin Valley who came. Back when Yan Huo was still a Dou Zong, he had seen the Heavenly Sound Elder. After Yan Huo became the Great Elder of Burning Flame Valley, the Heavenly Sound Elder no longer traveled around the Dou Qi Continent.

However, some time ago, Elder Tianyin once again intervened to protect the second-place winner of the Pill Tower, namely Master Wang Li in front of us. This old monster from Yin Valley has already cultivated to the level of a half-saint.

Even a half-saint is still a saint. Although he is only half a saint, he can fight with his hands, so it is justifiable to call him a saint.

"Hmm~" Elder Tianyin nodded simply in response.

"Hehe, Elder Yan Huo, please lead the way," Xiao Li said with a smile. "Please!" Yan Huo then led Xiao Li and Elder Tianyin into the Burning Flame Valley.

A moment later, the three arrived at a spatial barrier. A special rune appeared in Yan Huo's hand, and the spatial barrier opened.

"Master Wang Li, Sage of Heavenly Sound, please!" Yan Huo said with a smile.

After Xiao Li stepped into the spatial barrier, the scene before him surprised him somewhat. The core area of ​​Burning Flame Valley was similar to the Sound Realm, also forming its own space.

The blazing mountains outside were a fiery red landscape radiating intense heat, while inside this spatial barrier lay a lush, green vista.

Xiao Li grabbed the area with his palm, and the fire-attribute energy here was still abundant, but not violent.

After entering the valley, Yan Huo led Xiao Li and Elder Tianyin to a magnificent, fiery red hall.

At this moment, Tang Zhen and more than a dozen figures had been waiting in front of the main hall for quite some time.

"Master Wang Li! Sage of Heavenly Sound!" Tang Zhen was the first to greet him with clasped hands. His reaction was the same as Yan Huo's. Why did the Supreme Elder of Sound Valley have arrived? Didn't they need to stay and oversee Sound Valley?

"Master Wang Li! Saint Tianyin!" Behind Tang Zhen were the elders of Burning Flame Valley, all of whom were at the Dou Zong level.

"Valley Master Tang, it's been a long time! Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation!" Xiao Li said with a fist and a fist salute. He could tell at a glance that Tang Zhen was now a Seven-Star Dou Zun.

Tang Zhen bowed slightly to Xiao Li and said, "I must thank Master Wang for the pills, which helped me break through to the next realm. Enough of this. The journey must be tiring. My Burning Flame Valley will host a banquet to welcome you and the Heavenly Sound Saint."

"It's easy to talk about."

. . . . . .

At the banquet,
Xiao Li drank a little wine. He knew his own alcohol tolerance and couldn't drink too much. He couldn't get drunk this time, after all, he was here to take care of business.

"Master Wang Li, why aren't you drinking? Is it not to your liking?" Tang Zhen asked Xiao Li, his face flushed.

Xiao Li shook his head: "That's not the case. It's just that I can't hold my liquor, so it's best to drink less. After all, we're here to take care of business. If Valley Master Tang likes to drink, then he can drink more on my behalf."

"Alright! Cheers!" Tang Zhen downed a glass of strong liquor, then looked at Xiao Li: "Master Wang, are you married?"

"Of course."

Tang Zhen nodded: "I thought so too. After all, I saw three fairies behind you last time. I wonder if Master Wang has any offspring?"

"Yes, there are two boys and one girl. The eldest son is almost two years old," Xiao Li said slowly, taking a sip of wine.

"Is that so? He's the same age as my Huo'er. I wonder if Master Wang would be interested in arranging a marriage between us?" Tang Zhen immediately became interested.

"As for the arranged marriage, it's best to let the children decide. They have their own ideas, so we shouldn't interfere. Let's leave it to fate."

If there's time, let the two little ones meet; if they hit it off, that's fine too." Xiao Li is quite open-minded about this; he doesn't like arranged marriages.

Tang Zhen nodded: "Then let them meet when they are a little older. By the way, Master Wang, you know the contents of my letter before."

"My Burning Flame Valley also has an ancestor who was injured years ago. His injuries worsened during his advancement, and he now lives in seclusion in the bamboo forest within the valley. Therefore, I would like to ask you for your help in healing him. The reward is negotiable."

　Regarding the character settings of Yan Huo and Huo Yun Lao Zu, I've created two separate individuals. Yan Huo is of the same generation as Yao Lao, while Huo Yun Lao is of a higher rank, given that Yao Lao's talent was top-tier in his generation. It's reasonable for Yan Huo to be a four-star Dou Zun, comparable to Feng Zun Zhe. Huo Yun Lao Zu's cultivation is too high, especially considering he's an ancestor; therefore, I've set him to be of the same generation as Lin Lao Guai of the Pill Tower.
　
(End of this chapter)