Sea of Zhurong

"Mr. Zhuge, since you wish to travel to the Sea of Zhurong, why don't I personally accompany you?" Upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's words, who wanted to borrow someone to guide him, Erlang the Emperor, Yang Jian, offered his assistance.

"No need, Your Emperor Lord. You are busy with official duties, and I would not dare to bother you too much. It is just to lead the way. Sending any immortal will be enough," Zhuge Xiang replied, shaking his head, upon hearing that Erlang the Emperor Yang Jian was willing to accompany him personally.

Although he knew that the Immortal Realm Hou Yi reputation highly, and that his identity as a descendant of Hou Yi would be of some use Immortal Realm, Zhuge Xiang never expected that even a powerful Great Emperor level like Erlang the Emperor would be willing to personally lead the way for him.

"Mr. Zhuge, there's no need to be so polite. The Great God Hou Yi has done a great favor for countless beings in the Three Realms and Six Paths. As the representative of the Great God Hou Yi, it would be my honor if I could help you." Since Erlang the Emperor said he was willing to lead the way for Zhuge Xiang, he naturally wouldn't just say it.

"Really, there's no need. Your Emperor Lord, please summon a few of your capable subordinates. I'll just pick one shrewd and competent one," Zhuge Xiang said, but it was merely an excuse. He wanted to use this as a pretext to get close to Ying Qianshan. If the Erlang the Emperor followed him, wouldn't his purpose in coming here be wasted? Following the Erlang the Emperor's announcement, a group of seven or eight powerful figures soon entered the Great Hall. Each of them possessed the cultivation Immortal-Demon level, and were renowned figures in the Immortal Realm.

"Mr. Zhuge, these are all my capable subordinates, the Six Friends of Plum Mountain, and Ying Qianshan, who only followed me thousands of years ago," Erlang the Emperor introduced, pointing to the powerful figures who entered the Great Hall. Then, he said to them, "You lot, why don't you quickly greet Mr. Zhuge? Mr. Zhuge obtained the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow and is the representative of the Great God Hou Yi in the Three Realms and Six Paths."

The Six Friends of Plum Mountain and Ying Qianshan entered the Great Hall. Seeing the Erlang the Emperor's polite demeanor towards Zhuge Xiang, they were initially puzzled, wondering why Zhuge Xiang, with his Great Accomplishment Stage Realm cultivation, could command such respect from the Erlang the Emperor. However, upon hearing the Erlang the Emperor's words—that he was actually the representative of the Great God Hou Yi, and wielded the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, hailed as the strongest weapon in the Three Realms and Six Paths —they suddenly understood. "Gentlemen, there's no need for such formalities," Zhuge Xiang said, glancing at the Six Friends of Meishan Sea of Zhurong, "I wish to travel to the Sea of Zhurong, but I'm not very familiar with the route. Therefore, I've asked the Ying Qianshan Erlang the Emperor for a capable guide. Which of you Six Friends of Plum Mountain immortals would be willing to accompany me?" He also stated his purpose.

Upon hearing that Zhuge Xiang's purpose was simply to find someone to guide him to Sea of Zhurong, the Six Friends of Plum Mountain and Ying Qianshan naturally gave him, as the Hou Yi's Divine Spokesperson, a great archetype, great face and successively offered to accompany Zhuge Xiang to Sea of Zhurong.

"Since that's the case, thank you all," Zhuge Xiang said, expressing his gratitude after hearing that everyone was willing. Then, he glanced at the Six Friends of Plum Mountain and Ying Qianshan, pondered for a moment, and then asked Ying Qianshan, "Fellow Immortal Ying, would you like to accompany me?"

"It is my honor," Ying Qianshan said with a nod. After choosing Ying Qianshan, Zhuge Xiang and Mo Lingna took Ying Qianshan and bid farewell to Erlang the Emperor, flying towards the direction of Sea of Zhurong.

"Second Master, it is said that the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow is the most powerful weapon in the Three Realms and Six Paths. It has been missing since Ancient Times. Did that Mr. Zhuge just now really possess the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow?" After watching Zhuge Xiang leave with Ying Qianshan, the eldest of the Six Friends of Plum Mountain asked Erlang God. The other five also looked on with questioning expressions.

"I saw his Sun-Shooting Divine Bow with my own eyes, there's no mistake about it. Moreover, His Majesty personally confirmed Your Majesty identity," Erlang the Emperor replied.

"It was Your Majesty who confirmed it personally? Then there shouldn't be any mistake." Hearing Erlang the Emperor's words, the Six Friends of Plum Mountain put aside their doubts. The Jade Emperor Great Sage is a Great Sage level being. Since he personally confirmed it, there naturally wouldn't be any mistake.

"Ah Da, go find Thousand-Mile Eye and Favorable-Wind Ear and tell them what's going on here. His Your Majesty has ordered them to keep an eye on Mr. Zhuge's every move," Erlang the Emperor said to the eldest of the Six Friends of Plum Mountain.

Zhuge Xiang, Mo Lingna, and Ying Qianshan flew towards the Sea of Zhurong. Along the way, Zhuge Xiang and Mo Lingna secretly observed Ying Qianshan...

In the Cultivation World, although Ying Qianshan always liked to wear a large black robe, obscuring his face, once one's cultivation reached the Void Returning Stage, appearance was no longer important, as it could change at any time. What truly confirmed a person's identity was their aura, the fluctuations of their essence, Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and Divine Sense —these were far more reliable than a person's appearance.

While there may be people in the world who look alike, there will never be two people who are exactly the same in Divine Sense and aura.

Therefore, Zhuge Xiang secretly observed that Ying Qianshan, who was standing beside him, was exactly the same as the Ying Qianshan he had encountered in the Cultivation World, whether it was his aura or the fluctuations of his Divine Sense. Zhuge Xiang could almost conclude that the Ying Qianshan in the Immortal Realm and the Ying Qianshan in the Cultivation World were the same person. However, Zhuge Xiang's intuition told him that they were two completely different people.

"Fellow Daoist Ying, before you ascended to heaven, who were you from?" On the way to Sea of Zhurong, Zhuge Xiang asked Ying Qianshan casually, as if it were a normal chat.

"Before ascension? That was thousands of years ago," Ying Qianshan said, having nothing to hide from Zhuge Xiang's question. His expression, however, held a hint of nostalgia. "Before ascension, my country was in turmoil. I was a prince of Qin, and at that time, Qin was at war with the other six states. So many years have passed; I don't know what the situation is now."

Ying Qianshan's words caused Zhuge Xiang and Mo Lingna to exchange a glance, both of them seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

Judging from Ying Qianshan's words, he actually ascended to the Immortal Realm before the Great Qin Six Nations the six kingdoms? Then why is there another Ying Qianshan in the Cultivation World?

"Oh, as far as I know, the spiritual energy in the Mortal Realm is far less abundant than that in the Immortal Realm. Those who can ascend are all the best among them, and it is rare to see one every hundreds or even thousands of years. It seems that Fellow Immortal Ying was also a dragon among men in the Mortal Realm back then," Zhuge Xiang said without changing his expression, praising Ying Qianshan.

"Mr. Zhuge, you flatter me." Upon hearing Zhuge Xiang's praise, Ying Qianshan looked somewhat embarrassed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Zhuge Xiang also remembered the rumors about Ying Qianshan. When Qin Shi Huang was conquering the Six Nations, Ying Qianshan was just a Spoiled Young Master and a second-generation rich kid. It wasn't until after Qin Shi Huang unified the country that Ying Qianshan used his methods to seize the throne of the Great Qin Empire.

However, the Ying Qianshan before him claimed that he ascended to the Immortal Realm before Qin Shi Huang Six Nations the six kingdoms. Therefore, the point of intersection between the two Ying Qianshan should be the period before the Great Qin Empire unified China.

Ying Qianshan had always been a Spoiled Young Master. How could he possibly ascend to the Immortal Realm? When Zhuge Xiang praised him as a dragon among men in the Cultivation World, the awkward, hesitant look on his face only solidified Zhuge Xiang's suspicions. After all, who wouldn't be embarrassed to admit to having such a period of spoiled youth? (Many words...)

Their suspicions had been largely confirmed. However, since they were meeting for the first time, it wasn't appropriate to ask Ying Qianshan about the details of his ascension to the Immortal Realm. Instead, they changed the subject and chatted for a while. By then, the three of them could already see the Sea of Zhurong in the distance.

Zhuge Xiang's suspicions were confirmed, but his mood became even heavier. Thinking about it, it made sense. This further confirmed that Ying Qianshan's identity in the Cultivation World was very likely fake. To be able to impersonate someone else and seize the Great Qin Empire's territory for thousands of years, this scheme must be no small matter.

The Sea of Zhurong stretches to the horizon. Although it is a Sea of Zhurong, there is not a trace of water-based spiritual energy to be felt. On the contrary, the fire-based spiritual energy here is very active. If you close your eyes and do not look at the Sea of Zhurong, no one would think that they have come to the sea. Instead, they would think that they have come to Volcano.

"What a vast and wondrous Great Thousand World! An ocean formed from the energy of Flame!" Zhuge Xiang exclaimed, gazing at the boundless Sea of Zhurong.

An ordinary ocean, stretching to the horizon, gives one a sense of its vastness and tolerance. But the Sea of Zhurong, with its incredibly dense fire-elemental spiritual energy, gives one the feeling that a peerless Fierce Beast lurks within, making one feel as if walking on Sea of Zhurong.

"Indeed, every time I see the Sea of Zhurong, I am deeply moved," Ying Qianshan echoed Zhuge Xiang's sentiments while gazing at the scenery of the Sea of Zhurong. He then asked, "Mr. Zhuge, we have arrived at the Sea of Zhurong. May I ask where you are going in the Sea of Zhurong?"

"Do you know the habitat of the Phoenix Clan?" Zhuge Xiang asked.

"The Phoenix Clan?" Ying Qianshan paused slightly, then replied, "The Phoenix Clan are Divine Bird of Fire, born noble and elegant. However, Phoenix Clan also harbor a certain degree of hostility towards the Human Clan Cultivator."

At this point, Ying Qianshan paused slightly, then changed the subject. "But Mr. Zhuge, as the representative of the Great God Hou Yi, wielding the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow, I believe the Phoenix Clan will not make things difficult for us. Mr. Zhuge, please come with me. The Phoenix Clan's territory is in the Sea of Zhurong, on Wutong Mountain, where the fire elemental energy is most abundant."