Obtaining the Fire Spirit Stone

Traveling westward, the mountains and rivers below gradually changed color.

The once lush, verdant scenery brimming with spiritual energy faded away, replaced by an indescribable desolation and oppression. The earth was crisscrossed with ravines, as if torn apart by the claws of a giant beast. Charred black soil was everywhere, and the air was thick with an lingering smell of blood and a deep, bone-penetrating resentment and Sha Qi. The deeper they went, the denser this Sha Qi became, even beginning to erode the minds of living creatures, causing even some originally docile beasts to exude a fierce and irritable aura.

Li Cha sat atop Mo Ran, his brows slightly furrowed. He knew that someone was secretly causing trouble. Through his Spiritual Sense, he could faintly hear the wails of countless resentful souls deep within the Western lands. This was the work of Demon Ancestor Luohu. To refine the infamous Four Swords of Zhu Xian, he had used the Western Earth Veins as a foundation, laid down a shocking demonic array, secretly collected the corpses and souls of those who fell in the Three Clan War, and cast them into a blood pool demonic furnace, using endless Sha Qi and Resentment Power to temper the sword edges and enhance their might.

"Quite the grand scheme, and a ruthless heart at that," Li Cha mused to himself, but he had no intention of interfering. The conflict between Luohu and Hongjun was a struggle between Dao and Demon, a crucial part of the Heavenly Dao's evolution in the Primordial Era. As an anomaly, rashly involving himself in such a major trend would likely invite backlash from the Heavenly Dao—Not Worth the Effort. His goal remained clear: gather materials, perfect the Tea Dao, and perhaps see if he could cause a little trouble for the future Dao Ancestor Hongjun. He wondered, however, whether Fellow Daoist Yang Mei, whom he had just parted ways with, would intervene in this Dao-Demon conflict. With his methods as the Space Demon God, if he took another step to reach Peak Quasi-Saint, he might not necessarily be at a disadvantage facing Luohu alone, right?

Lost in thought, Mo Ran carried him for over thirty years. During these three decades, they had traversed countless volcanoes, Earth Fire Veins, and places where traces of True Sun Fire remained. Whenever Li Cha sensed an abundance of fire-attuned Spiritual Energy, he would personally descend to investigate. However, top-grade fire-attributed divine stones were rare and hard to come by. Most of what he saw were ordinary Fire Crystals and Flame Jade, utterly insufficient for refining the postcelestial Five-Colored Stone.

Just as Mo Ran was carrying Li Cha and about to step into the Western realm, a sudden change occurred!

Ahead, a seemingly dormant extinct volcano began to tremble violently without warning! The mountain roared, boulders tumbled down, and then a crimson pillar of fire, accompanied by a deafening explosion, burst forth from the crater, shooting straight into the sky! Scorching magma poured down like a breached dam, instantly incinerating the sparse vegetation around the mountain. The air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and an incredibly pure fire-attuned spiritual energy.

"Master, this..." Mo Ran halted, staring warily at the erupting volcano.

A glimmer of joy flashed in Li Cha's eyes. Such a vast and pure eruption of fire spiritual power likely meant a rare treasure had been born. "Mo Ran, let's go take a look."

Mo Ran acknowledged the order, summoned auspicious clouds, and braved the scorching heat and flying magma to quickly approach the crater. Before they could even arrive, a clear, furious phoenix cry rang out from within the volcano, piercing through metal and splitting stone!

"Clang!"

Accompanying the cry, an Extraordinarily Majestic Fire Phoenix burst forth from the surging magma, spreading its wings! Its body was slender, its feathers a golden-red, its tail feathers trailing long flames. It was wreathed in blazing fire, illuminating half the sky. Its aura was clearly at the Early Golden Immortal stage, but with the power of the volcano, its might was enough to rival a Mid Golden Immortal.

This Fire Phoenix clearly regarded the volcano as its territory. Seeing someone approach, especially sensing the Kirin Clan aura on Mo Ran, it flew into a rage.

"A dog of the Kirin Clan, daring to come to my territory? You're asking for death!" A crisp but vicious female voice came from the Fire Phoenix's beak. She flapped her wings, and countless fire feathers condensed from the essence of True Sun Fire shot out like a rain of arrows, blanketing Mo Ran and Li Cha!

In the past, the proud Mo Ran would have been enraged by such insults and charged into battle. But now, having been enlightened by Li Cha's Tea Dao and having heard the sound of the Great Dao, his mind was clear and undisturbed by her words. He let out a low roar, and the dark light of his Qilin Armor formed a solid barrier, blocking the dense rain of fire feathers, which exploded with crackling sounds.

Li Cha's gaze, however, was not fixed on the aggressive Fire Phoenix. His Spiritual Sense had already pierced through the churning magma, locking onto a golden-red divine stone deep within the volcano's belly, floating and sinking in the scorching lava, radiating pure Bing Fire aura—the Fire Bath Stone!

"Mo Ran, subdue her, but don't take her life," Li Cha instructed calmly, while raising his hand and making a grasping motion toward the depths of the magma.

"As you command!" Mo Ran acknowledged, his body suddenly expanding as he reverted to his true form. The overwhelming aura of a Peak Golden Immortal was released without restraint, pressing down on the Fire Phoenix like a mountain. His four hooves trod the air, creating ripples like water beneath them (a crude manifestation of his understanding of the Space Dao), instantly breaking through the blockade of fire feathers and appearing above the Fire Phoenix. A massive claw covered in thick scales descended with the force of a thousand jun, pressing down without mercy!

Though the Fire Phoenix had the advantage of terrain, the gap in cultivation was too vast, and she never expected this Ink Qilin to have such mastery over space. She felt the space around her solidify, her movements becoming sluggish, and the next moment, she was slammed hard onto the still-flowing magma ground by the giant Qilin claw. No matter how she struggled or how her flames burned, she couldn't budge an inch.

"Let me go! You damned dog! You Kirin Clan scum!" The Fire Phoenix, humiliated and furious, continued to curse. If Mo Ran's mind hadn't been steady, her insults against his clan would have already gotten her torn to shreds.

Li Cha paid no attention to the cursing behind him. He circulated his magical power, and the Fire Bath Stone in the magma, as if pulled by an invisible force, turned into a golden-red streak of light, breaking through the lava and landing steadily in his palm. The divine stone felt warm to the touch, but within it contained a terrifying heat that could incinerate all things and the pure essence of Bing Fire—exactly the top-grade fire-attributed divine stone he needed!

"Not bad," Li Cha said with satisfaction, putting away the Fire Bath Stone. He now had four of the Five Elements Divine Stones, only lacking the final metal-attributed one.

He turned around and looked at the Fire Phoenix, who was pinned to the ground by Mo Ran. In her eyes, besides anger and humiliation, there was also a trace of bloodshot color deep within. Clearly, living for so long on the edge of the Western Realm, eroded by Luohu's Demonic Energy, even a sacred bird like a phoenix had inevitably had its mind affected, becoming increasingly irritable and aggressive.

"Having obtained a fortune here, I've formed a karmic bond with you," Li Cha said softly. "I'll give you a cup of tea as compensation."

With a thought, he summoned a cup of tea from within the Chaos Pearl. This wasn't freshly brewed; it was leftover Enlightenment Tea from his own drinking yesterday—so-called "overnight tea." Its Dao resonance wasn't as rich as freshly brewed tea, and its flavor was slightly inferior, but its effects of calming the mind and cleansing Sha Qi remained.

Li Cha flicked his finger, and the cup of overnight tea transformed into a clear stream, accurately falling into the Fire Phoenix's open beak as she cursed.

The tea entered her throat, and a cool, gentle force, carrying a mysterious Dao resonance, instantly flowed through the Fire Phoenix's entire body. She felt an indescribable comfort replace her previous irritability. The chaotic killing intent and resentment in her mind were washed away like by clear water, rapidly receding. The bloodshot color in her eyes faded visibly, restoring her originally clear, bright red pupils.

She stopped struggling, dazedly feeling the peaceful, wisdom-filled power within her body. It even triggered her own insights into the Fire Dao, and the Dao resonance around her began to manifest and circulate involuntarily.

Seeing that she had regained clarity and entered a state of enlightenment, Mo Ran, following Li Cha's intent, released his giant claw.

The Fire Phoenix, freed, did not attack again. Instead, she gave Li Cha a deep, Complex Gaze—one of gratitude, confusion, and a hint of understanding. She said no more, let out a joyful, clear cry, flapped her wings, and dove straight into the rolling magma below, clearly using the power of the tea to go into seclusion and digest it.

Li Cha smiled faintly, didn't linger, and drifted back onto Mo Ran's back.

"Let's go. Continue westward. The metal-attributed divine stone might be in the far west, where the Geng Metal Qi is sharpest."

Mo Ran let out a low roar in acknowledgment, stepped onto the auspicious clouds, and carrying Li Cha, transformed into a streak of ink-colored light, continuing toward the demon-shadowed, Sha Qi-laden depths of the Western heartland.