Chapter 39 - Yanyan

“Senior Brother Huo, we are here on important business to meet Elder Yanyan. Could you introduce us?” Shui Yunyao asked.

“Well! It’s not that I don’t want to introduce you all, but Elder Yanyan is in closed-door cultivation at Flame Ridge all year round. With our current realm, it will be very difficult to enter!” Huo Feng said reluctantly.

“Leng Yan, what should we do?” Shui Yunyao asked.

“Senior Brother Huo, could you take us to the outskirts of Flame Ridge? We’ll try to find a way; this matter is important not only to me but also to Elder Yanyan!” Leng Yan thought for a moment and said.

“In that case, follow me!” Huo Feng stood up and gestured politely.

Leng Yan and the others followed Huo Feng towards a volcano in the distance. At the Fire Sect, they could feel a bit of heat, but it was still tolerable. However, as they approached Flame Ridge, the temperature soared, and the surrounding heat waves seemed almost tangible.

“Profound Ice Cold Air, disperse!”

Leng Yan and Shui Yunyao were both drenched in sweat, but Long Qing seemed unfazed, happily absorbed in her own activities. Meanwhile, Huo Feng, who cultivated a fire element Divine Power, was thoroughly enjoying himself, slowly absorbing the flames to cultivate his technique.

They surrounded themselves with a barrier of Profound Ice Cold Air to fend off the fire’s intensity, providing some relief and making the heat bearable.

As they continued walking forward, small flames started to appear on the ground, and even the Profound Ice Cold Air couldn’t withstand the high temperatures. Huo Feng was also struggling, “Yunyao, this is as far as I can go. Beyond this point, I can’t endure it anymore!”

“Thank you! You can return now. We’ll try to find a way. If we can’t meet Elder Yanyan, we’ll leave on our own!” Leng Yan wiped the sweat from his brow and said.

“Alright! I’ll be cultivating further back, so you’ll see me when you’re heading back!” Huo Feng said and then walked back.

“Leng Yan, what now? We’re still on the outskirts, and it seems impossible to enter Flame Ridge!” Shui Yunyao, surrounded by Water Qi to fend off the intense heat, looked at a hill ablaze in the distance and said.

“We can’t enter, but that doesn’t mean Long Qing can’t! Look at Long Qing! The high temperature stops around her as if blocked by some force,” Leng Yan remarked, watching Long Qing play with her magical treasure.

“You wouldn’t want Long Qing to go in there alone, would you?” Shui Yunyao asked in surprise.

“We have no other choice!” Leng Yan said.

“Long Qing, Leng-Ge wants to find a Senior inside. Could you help us by saying hello?” Leng Yan asked Long Qing.

“Looking for someone? I won’t go!” Long Qing pouted and shook her head.

“Be a good girl, Long Qing. The person inside is the one who gives gifts. You won’t get any gifts if you don’t go in!”

“Oh, really? Then wait for me here, I’ll be back soon!” Upon hearing about the gifts, Long Qing happily ran towards the depths of Flame Ridge.

At this moment, Long Qing was a pure and adorable little girl, but her mysterious origins left Leng Yan deeply troubled. Who could she be, that even cultivators facing the void tribulation would curry favor with her?

“Leng Yan, will Long Qing be safe going in there?” Shui Yunyao asked worriedly.

“She’ll be fine! Long Qing has many secrets that we aren’t privy to. I believe this place doesn’t pose any threat to her. Moreover, Yanyan might already be aware of our arrival. Whether he’ll see us depends on Long Qing!” Leng Yan dispersed the water curtain barrier to fend off the intense heat, looking at the crimson earth beneath his feet.

“Let’s wait here for a while then,” Shui Yunyao waved her hand, and an ice bed appeared within the water curtain barrier. “Come on up! This bed is made from Water Essence Gem, and cultivating on it can calm the spiritual mind.”

Leng Yan smiled, leaping onto the ice bed, sitting cross-legged, and began to consolidate his cultivation level, preparing to break through to the true essence realm.

…

Time flowed quickly, and a day had passed without any sign of Long Qing returning.

Leng Yan felt a tinge of anxiety, looking uneasily into the distance. If something were to happen to Long Qing, Leng Yan wouldn’t know what to do, and his conscience would surely torment him.

“Leng Yan, don’t worry, Long Qing will be fine!” Shui Yunyao, noticing Leng Yan’s unease, comforted him.

“Let’s hope so,” Leng Yan took a deep breath and muttered softly.

As the two were talking, the flames and heat waves on Flame Ridge suddenly parted, retreating to the sides, and a passage appeared before them. A cold, indifferent voice slowly echoed from above.

“You two, come in!”

Leng Yan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “It seems Long Qing has found Yanyan!”

Holding Shui Yunyao’s delicate hand, they walked together into the depths of Flame Ridge. As they ventured further, the flames on either side transformed into fiery dragons, silently roaring at them. However, a force shielded them, preventing any harm to Leng Yan and Shui Yunyao. Looking around, Leng Yan was certain these fire dragons were manifestations of a grand flame formation.

After about an hour, they had traversed into the fiery inferno, where massive giants forged from fire patrolled back and forth. Each wielded colossal hammers, striking the crimson ground with intense explosions, powerful enough to instantly kill a cultivator at the golden core realm.

Ahead, on the mountain’s summit, stood a flaming red pavilion surrounded by fire. Four enormous fire giants guarded its periphery, as if protecting someone within.

The pavilion, seemingly ordinary, exuded an invisible aura of oppression, and the presence of the four gigantic fire giants added an overwhelming momentum.

“That’s a supreme-grade dao artifact! I never expected Elder Yanyan to be so wealthy! Even Elder Xuan Yi only has a middle-grade dao artifact!” Shui Yunyao said in astonishment as she looked at the red pavilion.

“Supreme-grade dao artifact! Isn’t that comparable to an immortal artifact?” Leng Yan remarked with slight surprise. For most, seeing a supreme-grade dao artifact would be shocking, but possessing an immortal land, Leng Yan’s perspective had broadened, so he wasn’t overly stunned by it.

“No! Though formidable, a supreme-grade dao artifact is still a far cry from an immortal artifact. Even a hundred supreme-grade dao artifacts can’t compare to a single low-grade immortal artifact,” Shui Yunyao explained, shaking her head.

“The gap is that large?”

“Of course! An immortal artifact contains the laws of immortals, something a dao artifact can never match!”

“Well, let’s not dwell on that now. We should hurry along, so we don’t keep Elder Yanyan waiting,” Leng Yan said, eyes filled with anticipation as he stepped toward the pavilion.

“Primordial Fire Pavilion,” Leng Yan softly read the words as he looked up at the plaque above the door.

This pavilion was Yanyan’s place for closed-door cultivation.

On the flaming red doors, two fire dragons appeared so lifelike that Leng Yan dared not push the doors open recklessly.

“Creaaak!”

The doors slowly opened on their own, revealing a passage for Leng Yan and Shui Yunyao to enter.

As one foot stepped into the pavilion, the fiery scenery suddenly transformed before Leng Yan’s eyes. Instead of an ocean of flames, there was now a sea of flowers, where various mystical spirit beasts frolicked and played.

“What a beautiful place!” Shui Yunyao closed her eyes slightly, taking in the floral scent in the air with a smile on her face.

“Is this Elder Yanyan’s cave heavens? Truly a beautiful place!” Leng Yan hadn’t expected that an elder who practiced fire element cultivation techniques would have a cave heavens this stunning and serene. It was completely unexpected for him.

“Leng-Ge! You’re here, isn’t it pretty? Look, this is Little White!” Long Qing emerged from a cluster of flowers, holding a pure white little rabbit in her arms.

“Long Qing, did you meet Elder Yanyan?” Leng Yan asked.

“Yeah, I did. He gave me lots of fun things. He lives in that little thatch hut on top of the waterfall. I’ll take you there!” Long Qing said with a cheerful smile, setting the little white rabbit back among the flowers.

As they appreciated the scenery, Leng Yan and Shui Yunyao followed Long Qing up toward the waterfall.

The thatch hut was an ordinary structure without any signs of magical power. It was clearly real, not an illusion.

Long Qing pushed open the door with a smile and called out, “Leng-Ge is here!”

Leng Yan and Shui Yunyao entered the wooden house, where they saw a young man with long black hair in a green scholarly robe, his face strikingly handsome.

“This is Elder Yanyan? He looks about the same age as me!” Leng Yan thought to himself as he observed Yanyan.

However, Leng Yan knew better than to assume that Yanyan was actually his age. Despite Yanyan’s youthful appearance, the air of wisdom and experience he exuded was enough to confirm his identity as a seasoned elder for Leng Yan.