Southern Bright Departing Fire

That day, the Three Pure Ones and the others took their leave, preparing to return to their mountain for secluded cultivation. Jieyin and Zhunti also proposed to depart upon seeing this.

Jiang Yun bid farewell to Qingfeng and Mingyue as well, both of whom were somewhat reluctant to see him go.

There were no peers at Wuzhuang Temple for them to chat and play with, making their days quite dull. They weren't particularly fond of cultivation either, so only Ancestor Hongyun would sometimes come to entertain them.

Jiang Yun, having come from a later era, understood quite a bit about entertainment. When Qingfeng and Mingyue spent time with him, they found that simply chatting about anything became very interesting. Of course, this was limited by their own perspectives. If Jiang Yun had known their inner thoughts, a single phrase would have immediately come to mind: downward compatibility. When one converses with someone more knowledgeable and emotionally intelligent, they often feel as if bathed in a spring breeze and have a delightful chat. Sometimes, this isn't simply a shared interest, but rather the other person is "downwardly compatible" with you.

Zhenyuanzi and the others could actually see this. However, seeing that Jiang Yun showed no impatience or distress when interacting with the two, but rather listened and communicated earnestly, they didn't interfere. Interacting with outstanding individuals naturally refines one, making them more excellent – this is a good thing.

The group bid farewell at the gates of Wuzhuang Temple. Jiang Yun, accompanied by the Mysterious Turtle, followed his two teachers back.

Along the way, Jiang Yun brought up his idea to them: he wanted to go to the southern volcanoes to find the Fire Spirit Pearl and would not be returning with them to Mount Sumeru for the time being.

Considering that Jiang Yun's physical cultivation had already reached the Great Luo realm, and that he had the great god Mysterious Turtle guarding him, they felt reassured about letting him seek his breakthrough opportunity.

At this point, Jiang Yun thought of some plans from not long ago: When he returned from the Northern Sea Dragon Palace last time, he passed by the Spirit Bamboo Mountain Dao Field and Pengxuan Grotto-Heaven. He had seen that the Hall Masters of the two branch offices performed well, and their cultivation and potential were acceptable. He had been thinking of taking them as disciples, so he mentioned this matter to them again.

Speaking of which, the timing of Jiang Yun's emergence was rather awkward.

Those who emerged before him were already powerful figures of the current era, all possessing the origins of Congenital Demon Gods and cultivation above Great Luo, such as his Teacher and Martial Uncle, the Three Pure Ones, Zhenyuanzi, and others. Those who emerged after him were the future second-generation figures of various races and sects, like his junior disciples, Duobao, Guangchengzi, and so on. These individuals had not yet matured, and their cultivation was all below Golden Immortal.

This also resulted in a consequence: with his cultivation, which was neither here nor there—better than those below but not as good as those above—it was difficult to make arrangements!

Jieyin carefully considered his temperament and cultivation. In the end, he simply let him officially become a disciple, thus granting him the qualification to take disciples. From then on, he would no longer need to reside long-term at the Mount Sumeru Dao Field and could freely travel throughout the Primordial Desolation.

Not long after the master took his first disciple, the disciple was already starting to take his own. This was quite rare among the great powers of the Primordial Desolation.

However, thinking of the tremendous changes this disciple had brought to the West, Jieyin felt very gratified. Before parting, he reminded Jiang Yun not to forget to seek help from Mount Sumeru if needed, and that he must return to the mountain to rendezvous before the second sermon.

After parting ways with Jieyin and Zhunti midway, Jiang Yun and the Mysterious Turtle headed straight for the southern volcanoes.

The southern region of the Primordial Desolation had a complex and diverse landscape. Across this vast land, there were rolling mountain ranges extending from the ancestral veins of Kunlun Mountain, as well as mighty rivers formed by the convergence of underground mountain waters. Compared to these rivers, the eight hundred li of the Tongtian River in the Journey to the West was insignificant, not worth mentioning. The great river flowed through the central region, splitting into two tributaries that emptied into the Eastern Sea and the Western Sea respectively. In the lower reaches, vast plains and swamps were formed by erosion. Further south lay the southern volcanic region.

Beyond the river waters, the closer they got to the southern part of the Primordial Desolation, the drier the air became, and the Spiritual Energy was very restless. The ground, lacking moisture, began to crack, almost as if it could spew fire.

One day, Jiang Yun followed the deduced route and arrived before a volcano. This southern region was very peculiar. Although this was a volcano, the flames emanating from it, while scorching, carried a strong vital force. As a result, many plants and creatures thrived around the volcano. They used the flames that occasionally erupted from the volcano to temper their bodies, removing impurities through the burning, and then used the vital force within to repair themselves, making their bodies incredibly sturdy.

"Hmm... Jiang Yun, have we reached the Immortal Volcano? Why is there a trace of Southern Bright Departing Fire's aura?" the Mysterious Turtle yawned on Jiang Yun's shoulder and spoke.

"Senior Mysterious Turtle, we have already reached the southern volcanic region; the Immortal Volcano is still quite far!"

Legend had it that the Phoenix clan mastered the Southern Bright Departing Fire, a very magical and powerful flame.

The Southern Bright Departing Fire was vermilion in color, and its flickering seemed capable of burning away all evil and impurities in the world. It was born in the most yang place between heaven and earth, with an inextricable connection to the power of the sun.

Its flame temperature was extremely high. Once ignited, ordinary metal and stone instantly turned to dust. Even some powerful magic treasures, without special resistance, would find it difficult to withstand the scorching of the Southern Bright Departing Fire. Moreover, its flames contained immense vitality. The Phoenix clan was able to achieve phoenix nirvana and rebirth from fire precisely by borrowing this great vitality.

In the eyes of many cultivators, the Southern Bright Departing Fire was truly a treasure that could only be encountered by chance and not sought. It had always been in the possession of the Phoenix clan.

If someone were to obtain this flame by chance, not only could it be used for alchemy, greatly enhancing the quality of pills and removing impurities, but it could also elevate the pill's grade by using the vital force within the flame. In combat, it could also serve as a powerful offensive weapon.

The mountain range Jiang Yun found contained flames that, while not reaching the level of Southern Bright Departing Fire, possessed characteristics remarkably similar to it.

He protected himself with his Mana and approached the volcano's crater. Similar to his last treasure-hunting trip, he released the four Spirit Pearls he possessed, hoping to use their connection to reveal the Fire Spirit Pearl.

As expected, after circling the crater for a while, the four Spirit Pearls plunged into the volcanic magma. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the flames within the volcano began to contract inwards, all energy converging towards the interior.

The magma erupting from the volcano lost its heat and began to solidify, losing its original bright red appearance. After all the energy had concentrated internally, five Spirit Pearls slowly floated out from within the volcano. The Fire Spirit Pearl among them had a cluster of flames flickering around it, and a stream of fire-attribute spiritual energy continuously flowed from the Fire Spirit Pearl, infusing into the flames, as if nurturing them.

"It's actually a flame seed of Southern Bright Departing Fire! This is a good thing." The Mysterious Turtle had encountered members of the Phoenix clan during its Fierce Beast Era and had some understanding of Southern Bright Departing Fire.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun first waved his hand and collected all the Spirit Pearls.

Without the spiritual energy of the Fire Spirit Pearl, the previously stable flames began to become erratic, erupting outwards in a torrent. Jiang Yun's Mana shield was instantly burned through by the Southern Bright Departing Fire, forcing him to quickly summon the Twelve-grade White Lotus to block the flames outside his body.