Chapter 73: The Demon Palace in the Deep Mountains

Chapter 73: The Demon Palace in the Deep Mountains

At the edge of the cliff, eternal flames burned, clusters of fire resembling spiritual lanterns embedded in the cliff face, emitting a soft "puff-puff" sound in the wind.

Qi Chan'er sat atop the Half-Sky Cliff, as elegant and enchanting as an orchid growing on the precipice, her beauty fresh and transcendent. Still brimming with curiosity, she asked, "So how did you and Yu Ningsheng actually meet? Why did you fall so deeply in love?"

Ning Xiaochuan had no patience for the question. "Are all women this nosy?"

Qi Chan'er replied, "If you tell me, I might give up my claim to the treasures in the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion's Nest."

Ning Xiaochuan raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"No regrets?"

"None."

"Fine. I'll tell you. Miss Yu and I merely crossed paths by chance. She saved me once, and I promised to redeem her and help her enter the Emperor's Martial Palace. That's all there is to it."

Qi Chan'er naturally didn’t believe him. Her eyes sparkled with envy, her long lashes fluttering as she said, "So it was a beauty saving the hero, and the hero falling for the beauty?"

"Not that dramatic. She was just passing by at the time."

"Then it must be fate—a match made by the heavens!"

Ning Xiaochuan was speechless. He had thought Qi Chan'er was a clever woman, but now it seemed she was just a dreamy, naive girl. He had overestimated her!

To make it absolutely clear that he wasn’t the so-called "Greatest Love-Obsessed Fool in the World," Ning Xiaochuan decided to lay out the entire truth about his relationship with Yu Ningsheng.

After hearing it, Qi Chan'er was utterly disappointed. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly as she said, "So you’re not the greatest love-obsessed fool after all? And your love story with Yu Ningsheng was just made up by others?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded solemnly. "Finally, you understand. I’m just an ordinary man, not some love-obsessed fool. If a woman were to tempt me or throw herself at me, I might not even resist."

Hearing this, Qi Chan'er immediately scooted away, eyeing him warily.

Ning Xiaochuan chuckled and shook his head before returning to healing his injuries.

He remained cautious around Qi Chan'er, so he didn’t take out the Golden-Threaded Purple Wood Box to cultivate. Instead, he circulated the Heaven and Earth Profound Qi technique, drawing the natural profound energy into his body.

Fourfold absorption speed!

A crimson halo of profound energy enveloped Ning Xiaochuan as wisps of energy flowed into him like mist, unceasingly nourishing his wounds and accelerating their healing.

"Only fourfold absorption speed? Could he really be cultivating Heaven and Earth Profound Qi?" Qi Chan'er hadn’t left. She stood at a distance, her long hair swaying gracefully, her beautiful eyes filled with curiosity.

She knew the most powerful scripture of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House was the Heart Furnace Divine Canon, a peerless martial art. Even mastering just its first layer granted a tenfold absorption speed.

For a young genius of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House to forsake the Heart Furnace Divine Canon in favor of a low-tier technique like Heaven and Earth Profound Qi—it made no sense to her!

It took Ning Xiaochuan two full days to completely recover from his injuries and return to peak condition.

During these two days, Qi Chan'er had been the one venturing out to hunt mystic beasts, roasting their meat and bringing it back for Ning Xiaochuan to consume. She also sat cross-legged not far from him, cultivating a profound martial technique while keeping watch over him.

"You really keep your word?" Ning Xiaochuan flexed his limbs, now fully healed, and traced a Tai Chi pattern in the air with his palm. Electric currents coiled around his arm, accompanied by the rumble of Heavenly Thunder resonating from his bones.

Qi Chan'er stood tall and straight, her chest slightly raised, exuding an air of noble elegance. "Since I said I would protect you until your injuries healed, I naturally keep my promises. You're not the only one who stands by their word."

"Now that I'm healed, will you leave or stay?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

Qi Chan'er hesitated for a moment before answering, "I want to see what treasures lie within the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion's Nest."

What a curious woman!

Ning Xiaochuan motioned for Qi Chan'er to step back as he retrieved the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion's Nest from his Heaven and Earth Bag.

The nest was a massive structure, 12 meters in diameter, woven entirely from Poisonous Grass and Poisonous Trees. The moment it was brought out, a thick cloud of Poison Mist billowed forth.

Even standing 30 meters away, Qi Chan'er could feel the terrifying corrosive power of the mist. She hastily enveloped herself in Protective Profound Qi Armor, barely managing to withstand the assault.

The nest radiated dazzling light, revealing large chunks of Mystic Stones, Green Gold, and Spirit Jade—along with six black fire pearls.

Six Black Firewood Pearls.

Upon seeing the nest's vast wealth, especially the incredibly precious Black Firewood Pearls, Qi Chan'er was instantly filled with regret.

She had gone through immense hardship to obtain just one Black Firewood Pearl, enduring fierce competition from other warriors. Yet here, in the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion's Nest, there were six. For young warriors participating in the assessment, this was an enormous fortune.

If only she hadn't let her momentary curiosity make her give up her share of these treasures!

But there was no medicine for regret in this world.

Ning Xiaochuan picked up one of the Black Firewood Pearls. It was scalding hot, like holding a red-hot iron bead. A faint, elusive energy seeped into his mind, forming a bizarre image.

"Boom!"

In the vision, a towering Blood-Red Mountain pierced the clouds, its peak shrouded in black mist. A waterfall cascaded down from the dark clouds.

At the very top of the waterfall, barely visible, stood a Ruined Demon Palace.

Only a corner of the palace was exposed, yet it was enough to send shivers down one's spine, making the heart tremble uncontrollably.

The palace, though ancient and dilapidated, still exuded an overwhelming grandeur—as if it had once been the dwelling of an ancient demon god.

Sweat beaded on Ning Xiaochuan's forehead as he abruptly opened his eyes, staring blankly at the Black Firewood Pearl in his hand. Then, his gaze shifted toward the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

A strange thought crossed his mind—that the scene he had just witnessed might truly exist deep within the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

Perhaps... that place was real.

The Blood-Red Mountain, the Waterfall from the Heavens, the Ruined Demon Palace... These images gathered together, stirring Ning Xiaochuan's curiosity to the fullest, making him eager to venture out and find the place he had just glimpsed.

"You sensed it too, right?" Qi Chan'er said.

Ning Xiaochuan replied, "You saw it as well?"

Qi Chan'er nodded. "The Black Firewood Pearl is formed from the condensed earth essence of the Fire Demon Mountain Range, essentially its spiritual root. If I'm not mistaken, any martial artist who obtains a Black Firewood Pearl can see that place deep within the Fire Demon Mountain Range. It’s the pearl guiding us."

Ning Xiaochuan pondered for a moment. "The Heaven and Earth Academy sent us to the Fire Demon Mountain Range to search for Black Firewood Pearls as part of the examination. Yet, those who obtain the pearls can also see that place deep within the mountains. Could that place also be a test for us? Or perhaps... an opportunity?"

"That’s how I understand it too," Qi Chan'er agreed. "All examinees who obtain Black Firewood Pearls will surely head toward that Blood-Red Mountain. There might truly be a great opportunity waiting there."

After discussing, the two decided to travel together, advancing deeper into the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

Both had reached the Divine Body Realm, making them among the strongest of the examinees. Traveling together would provide mutual support.

The deeper they ventured into the Fire Demon Mountain Range, the more perilous it became. First-Grade Mystic Beasts were almost nowhere to be seen—the weakest creatures here were Second-Grade Mystic Beasts.

"Any martial artist below the ninth level of the Profound Qi Realm would undoubtedly die if they came here."

After traveling another 50 kilometers deeper into the Fire Demon Mountain, the environment grew even more treacherous. The flames on the ground burned fiercer, and the trees resembled iron cast from molten metal. Some thickets were perpetually shrouded in poisonous miasma, making them utterly inhospitable to martial artists.

The miasma shimmered in five colors, and the forest floor was littered with white bones.

"This is the Five-Colored Poison Miasma, an extremely deadly type. Any martial artist below the third level of the Divine Body Realm who enters will surely perish." Ning Xiaochuan, having read extensively, was knowledgeable about toxic barriers.

The Five-Colored Poison Miasma posed no threat to Ning Xiaochuan, and entering wouldn’t be difficult. Yet, he refrained from rushing in recklessly.

Hiding at the edge of the miasma forest, Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er observed that it was teeming with highly venomous mystic beasts.

A Unicorn Serpent with a single horn on its head, a Hundred-Legged Centipede over 10 meters long, and even atop a mountain within the miasma forest, an adult Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion lay coiled.

This place was practically a Forbidden Zone of Life. Even if one were immune to all poisons, survival wasn’t guaranteed.

In the end, they decided against pressing further inward and instead planned to circumvent the Five-Colored Poison Miasma forest. However, the miasma forest formed a ring with no end, completely encircling the depths of the Fire Demon Mountain Range.

"It seems the only way into the heart of the Fire Demon Mountain Range is through the Five-Colored Poison Miasma forest. What do we do now?" Qi Chan'er looked at Ning Xiaochuan.

Ning Xiaochuan glanced behind them. "Someone’s coming this way—probably other examinees. Let’s hide first."

Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er quickly climbed onto a massive tree trunk, using leaves to conceal themselves.

Before long, a group of fourteen young martial artists dressed in luxurious robes approached in their direction.

"Thud, thud!"

At the forefront was a handsome and imposing young man with thick eyebrows and piercing eyes, clad in golden armor and wielding a Halberd. He stood atop a third-grade mystic beast, the Six-Legged Lion.

In his hand, he held a Seven-Star Beast-Sealing Chain, the other end of which was nailed into the lion's horn, firmly suppressing the beast beneath his feet. The group came to a halt at the edge of the Five-Colored Poison Miasma Forest.