Qingyang Commandery, Qifeng Mountain.
Qifeng Mountain was the tallest mountain in Qingyang Commandery. Its slopes were crimson, strewn with jagged rocks, and scorching hot all year round. The land was barren, not a trace of green in sight.
Legend had it that tens of thousands of years ago, Qifeng Mountain had been cloaked in lush ancient pines, roamed by ancient beasts, and brimming with life.
But later, a divine phoenix had undergone nirvana there. Divine Fire had swept across the entire mountain, burning for thousands of years without ever going out.
Ye Jing and Yao Qingyin arrived at the foot of Qifeng Mountain. Waves of heat shimmered in the air, and a searing blaze rushed toward them.
The two circulated their Mystic Methods, locking in the vitality around their bodies as they made their way toward the summit.
Though Qifeng Mountain was scorching year-round, it was a favorite of Blazing Sun Grass. The plants grew especially thick along the cliffs.
Blazing Sun Grass was entirely crimson and no more than a foot long. It was the primary spiritual ingredient used to refine Spirit Nurturing Pills.
On the way, Yao Qingyin told Ye Jing that her ancestor, Yao Xingchen, had once come here to gather Blazing Sun Grass. He'd slipped and fallen off the cliff, only to turn misfortune into fortune and stumble into that Secret Realm.
When they reached the summit, a sheer cliff ten thousand zhang deep yawned below them. Clouds drifted and billowed into a vast sea, while the cliff face was smooth and razor-sharp, as though cleanly severed by some enormous weapon.
Standing at the peak, Ye Jing used his Innate Divine Ability, All Things Understood, to peer through the churning sea of clouds. Sure enough, powerful energy pulsed from beneath the thick clouds.
Beside him, Yao