Chapter 49: Seed Spark of the Evil God (Part 2)

Such a gathering, appearing in any corner of the Cloud Wind Empire would suffice to stir up a commotion, but in this remote backwater, it could only be described as unimaginable.

Yun Che lifted his gaze and, with a single glance at the northern sky, saw five dark dots approaching from that direction. In the Tian Xuan realm, one could traverse voids and soar through the air. Undoubtedly, as Jade had said, these five individuals were genuine, top-tier masters of the Tian Xuan realm!

Their flight speed was not swift; after Yun Che saw their shadows, it took quite a while before they finally drifted up above him. Upon noticing someone beneath them, two of them cast a fleeting glance downward at Yun Che… but only a glance, then they averted their eyes. The other three didn’t even look at him once. A mere cultivator at the initial Yuan realm had no right to make them acknowledge or concern themselves with him.

After they flew away, Yun Che mused for a moment, then immediately made up his mind. He gathered all the medicinal herbs collected by Tian Cao into the Venom Jade, swapped into different clothes, and set off with each step toward the direction the five Tian Xuan masters had departed.

“What do you intend to do?” Jade furrowed her brow.

“Of course follow those five!” Yun Che replied quickly, his footsteps quickening as he spoke.

“You don’t expect to catch up with them, then ask them to take you as a disciple?” Jade’s voice was indifferent.

“Impossible! I already have Jade as my master—how could I possibly look up to anyone else?” Yun Che patted his chest with a smirk, his eyes glinting with determination: “The reason these Tian Xuan realm masters appeared here is most likely to pursue a mystical beast, and not just any mystical beast—if it were a high-grade one, they’d have no reason to act in such a coordinated manner! High-grade mystical beasts carry treasures in their bodies; if they could defeat it together, it would be an enormous gain.”

“How do you know they weren’t just passing through?” Jade raised an eyebrow.

“It’s simple. Their flight speed was slow—so slow I could catch up. Whether traveling, hunting, or even in their thoughts, they should be in a hurry. Their speed shouldn’t be this slow. The best explanation is that they’re confronting a powerful mystical beast, and they’re already close to their target, so they’ve slowed down to proceed cautiously and plan their strategy.”

“Even so, what can you do by chasing after them? A mystical beast requiring five Tian Xuan realm masters to subdue must be a high-level one. That kind of battle is beyond your reach—are you going to be their sacrificial lamb?” Jade scoffed disdainfully.

“If my guess is right, and if they actually succeed in the end, I’ll always be able to snatch some benefits from the sidelines. For instance, that mystical beast might take its elixir, eyes, claws… I don’t believe they’d take everything, not even the flesh!” Yun Che growled.

“What a useless fellow.” Jade let out a cold sneer.

Above them, their flight speed continued to slow, as Yun Che had suspected—they were drawing near their destination. Yun Che trailed far behind, entirely unconcerned about being discovered. For even if they spotted him, a mere cultivator at the initial Yuan realm, fourth level, they wouldn’t even deign to notice him, let alone give him a second glance.

“Beware! A fierce mid-tier mystical beast is present ahead. Do not enter if you are below the tenth level of the initial Yuan realm.”

An old warning sign appeared before Yun Che. The Red Dragon Range was vast; the deeper one ventured, the more ferocious the mystical beasts became. But overall, the beasts here were no match for a cultivator of Yun Che’s level.

Not far into the mountains, another sign appeared:

“Ahead lies a high-grade mid-tier mystical beast. Leave swiftly if you are below the fifth level of the Tian Xuan realm!”

Along the way, Yun Che encountered five warning signs in total. The final one bore blood-red characters:

“Red Dragon Restricted Zone!”

Just those four words, yet they carried an oppressive force that made the heart race.

All the residents of Qinglin Town knew that ahead lay an area one could never enter—for none who had gone in had ever returned alive.

At that moment, the five above had also stopped. Far below, Yun Che could barely make out their whispered conversation.

“Is this the area around here?”

“Exactly. That red region ahead should be the habitat of the Flame Dragon.”

“Are you certain about its strength? Have you fully investigated it?”

“Yes, a tenth-level Tian Xuan beast! We’re sure of it. An elder from our sect confirmed it—we have no reason to fail!”

“If we can obtain its flame-type elixir, it would allow the Patriarch’s Fiend-Burning Decree to break through again. If successful, we’re confident we can surpass the Xiao Clan in the next Cloud Wind Ranking Tournament, even the Bingyun Divine Hall!”

Fiend-Burning Decree?

These three words struck Yun Che like lightning. These five individuals—were they from the Funeng Gate of the four great sects of the Cloud Wind Empire?

No wonder they’d dispatched such a fearsome assembly—they were from the four great sects! And one of them was an elder, meaning their group was a core force even within the Funeng Gate.

Their purpose was indeed to pursue a powerful mystical beast! The tenth-level Tian Xuan beast they spoke of—the “Flame Dragon”—was it the legendary “Crimson Dragon” that had long been whispered about in the Red Dragon Range?

“It seems someone’s been following us.”

“Hmph, just a lowly cultivator at the initial Yuan realm. Probably followed us out of curiosity, not knowing whether to act or not. Pfft, if he wanted to die, he wouldn’t need to wait for the Flame Dragon to act—I’d dispatch him myself.”

“Nonsense. A mere initial Yuan realm cultivator isn’t worth our concern.” Yun Che suddenly stiffened, realizing he’d been discovered. Though he’d been careful all along, it was clear he’d been spotted. After all, they were terrifying Tian Xuan realm masters.

He sucked in a sharp breath, stepping backward, his mind filled with the urge to retreat. For his strength was too weak to even have the right to take risks. One misstep, and he’d be dead.

He took a few steps back, preparing to leave, when suddenly his heart began pounding wildly, and he even heard a faint “thud-thud” from his chest.

“What’s…?”

“Thud-thud… thud-thud…”

His heart pounded again, and an unfamiliar feeling surged within him, growing stronger by the second.

What was this feeling?

Yun Che placed his hand over his chest, his face filled with inexplicable astonishment… something… was calling to him?

He turned his head toward the south, that strange sensation clearly emanating from that direction. It was subtle, ethereal, inexpressible, yet it left no room for doubt or resistance in his heart…

“What’s wrong with you?” Jade noticed his odd demeanor and called out.

“That way… something’s calling me.” Yun Che stared southward, his expression calm.

“Calling?” Jade’s voice was filled with surprise.

“It can’t be wrong—it’s definitely that place.” Yun Che’s brow furrowed slightly: “What could it be? Some kind of mystical enchantment… No! The source of this sensation isn’t just consciousness—it’s also his meridian! No choice… I must go see for myself!”

Above, the five had continued forward. If Yun Che kept going, he’d be dead before he could even face a single mystical beast. If the Funeng Gate noticed him following them, they might fear he’d cause trouble and attack him…

After a moment of hesitation, Yun Che bit his lip, took out the last Star-Hiding Herb, clenched it in his left hand, and when he released it, it transformed into a brilliant Star-Hiding Elixir.

Swallowing the elixir, Yun Che’s body vanished into thin air, and without a trace, he took a step forward, rushing ahead at speed.

The moment he stepped into the “Red Dragon Restricted Zone,” a scorching heat flooded his senses, making him gasp for breath. Ahead lay a modest-sized hill; he quickly climbed to the peak and frowned, peering forward.

Before him sprawled a vast crimson area. At its center stood a massive cavern nearly a hundred meters tall, surrounded by barren land. Streams of scorching vapor and flickering flames erupted from the ground and cracks in the cavern, as if freshly scorched by celestial fire.

At that moment, the five from Funeng Gate had also arrived above the cavern. Yun Che’s position allowed him to finally see their faces clearly. Four of them appeared to be around fifty, their robes embroidered with a cluster of crimson flames. The middle-aged one, with white beard and solemn face, radiated an overwhelming aura that made Yun Che’s breath catch in his throat.

Five Tian Xuan realm masters… the one in the center was the top-tier master Jade had mentioned, a step away from becoming a true master!

The Funeng Gate had dispatched such a fearsome assembly—it was clear their “Flame Dragon elixir” was truly vital to them.

“It seems the information was correct after all! A massive fire-type mystical beast resides within!” The rightmost middle-aged man said solemnly.

“Don’t act rashly. There may be unforeseen mysteries inside that cavern. It’d be better to lure the Flame Dragon out.”

“Let me handle it!”

The leftmost middle-aged man stepped forward, wielding a three-foot-long dark-gold blade in his right hand. The Funeng Gate’s primary weapon was the blade, and one of their key techniques was the “Fiend-Burning Blade.” When the Funeng Sect’s core technique activated, the blade blazed with flames, the inferno trailing the blade with terrifying power.

“Roar!”

The middle-aged man raised his blade, flames erupting along its edge. With a roar, he slashed downward.

*BOOM!*

A massive fire dragon burst from the blade, trailing scorching heat and a howling wind, crashing into the cavern ahead. A thunderous boom followed, and the ground, once relatively even, was blown into a pit over ten meters deep, surrounded by blackened earth and smoke.

Even the vast cavern itself trembled slightly.