Huoxie Holy Beast

There was no denying that Silvermoon Fiend had been startled by the talent Hodan had displayed. He already regarded Hodan as someone on roughly the same level as himself. Even if Hodan didn't have the strength to match him yet, as long as he survived, he would reach the same level sooner or later. Then Silvermoon Fiend would have the friendship of someone of equal standing—and if Hodan reached the pinnacle, Silvermoon Fiend would benefit even more.

Silvermoon Fiend considered it for a moment, then said to Hodan, "There are already blacksmiths in Silvermoon City who can meet your needs. But since you want to make artifacts better suited to you, and I'm just about to visit an old friend, you can come with me. He's an excellent blacksmith himself. We can see if he'll agree to make weapons and armor for you."

With that, he took hold of Hodan and flew out of the city, introducing him to the old friend along the way.

Meeting this old friend had been a stroke of fortune for Silvermoon Fiend. When his elder brother, Purple Blood Fiend, left, Silvermoon Fiend had only been an ordinary Six-Star Fiend. With that level of strength, there was no way he could have become the lord of Silvermoon City. But during one of his travels, he had accidentally wandered into the mountain range where the old friend lived, and that was how they met.

At first, Silvermoon Fiend had seen an old man living alone in the mountains and felt a little sorry for him. With his elder brother missing, Silvermoon wanted someone to confide in, and this old man seemed like a good choice. So Silvermoon Fiend visited him often, and before long, the two became familiar with each other.

The old friend's name was Huoxie. His true form was the only divine beast of his kind in the world, the Huoxie Holy Beast. He had been born in the Celestial Realm, one of the Four Supreme Planes. Ancient legends described the Huoxie Holy Beast as a divine beast with a wolf's head, a lion's body, and eagle's wings, its entire body radiating the Celestial Realm's flames.

It was said to feed specifically on the souls of the wicked, and that the dead consumed by the Huoxie Holy Beast would forever endure the searing of divine flames. The Huoxie Holy Beast was born with exceptional talent in both light and fire.

Most importantly, the Huoxie Holy Beast had an extraordinarily powerful body, on the level of a Sovereign Artifact. Huoxie's mastery of the fire and light Mysteries had also nearly reached the pinnacle; he was just a hair's breadth from becoming a Paragon. Unfortunately, that final step had stumped countless peak Asuras. Even after billions of years, Huoxie remained a peak Asura, unable to attain perfection.

Yet with a body on the level of a Sovereign Artifact and his near-perfect fusion of Mysteries, he could fight a Paragon head-on without being outmatched. Other than lacking Willpower, the Huoxie Holy Beast was no different from a Paragon. What's more, in the previous Plane War, he had collected a complete set of three Sovereign Artifacts. One could say that aside from the Chief Sovereigns, Huoxie feared no one.

The fire Chief Sovereign, Boteier, had once tried to recruit him as a Chief Sovereign's emissary, but Huoxie had refused. Enraged, Boteier had tried to kill the Huoxie Holy Beast in a fit of spite, but Fate Chief Sovereign Oufu stopped him. Oufu pitied the Huoxie Holy Beast as the only one of his kind in the world and couldn't bear to see the species go extinct. He intervened to save Huoxie, on the condition that Huoxie let the Fate Chief Sovereign study his body and talents.

It was precisely because of Chief Sovereign Boteier's actions that Huoxie had lost faith in the world. He had simply gone into seclusion in a remote mountain range outside Silvermoon City. Since he was naturally talented in fire, he took up blacksmithing to keep himself from getting bored.

Huoxie had a remarkable talent for smithing and quickly became a master craftsman. But he valued his peace and quiet, so he produced very few weapons and suits of armor, and his name remained little known. Few people knew that a Paragon-level powerhouse and master blacksmith lived in seclusion near Silvermoon City.

As it happened, Huoxie had also forged Silvermoon's own weapons and armor, and they were extraordinary.

As for how Silvermoon Fiend knew these secrets, Huoxie himself had told him. When people grew bored and lived long enough, they often reminisced about the past. One time, while drinking, Huoxie had shared all of this with Silvermoon Fiend.

It was also after that drinking session that Huoxie began calling Silvermoon Fiend "kid" and occasionally offering him guidance. Thanks to Huoxie, Silvermoon Fiend had advanced to Seven-Star Fiend and challenged for the position of city lord with remarkable ease.

In the mountains northwest of Silvermoon City, far from any sign of human habitation, lay a mountain where underground lava flowed in all directions and scorching heat poured from the surface. With lava winding across it, the mountain had come to be known as Flame Mountain.

The blacksmith Huoxie, the target of Hodan's visit, lived there.

Huoxie had given Flame Mountain another name: Wanlian Mountain, meaning that fine iron was forged here through ten thousand refinings and a hundred hammerings.

Flame Mountain was scorching all year round. Today, Hodan followed Silvermoon Fiend through the air and landed at its foot. He felt waves of scorching wind rush from the barren mountain pass ahead, then glanced at the dry, withered trees all around them.

The desolate land seemed devoid of life, its surface cracked and dry. Strange red grass sprouted along the stone path, built from long, iron-gray slabs, leading step by step up the mountainside.

Hodan was a Highgod, yet he walked without the slightest pause. Whether the path led over sharp peaks, jagged rocks, or steep slopes, he strode forward as easily as if he were walking on level ground.

Hodan followed the stone path at an unhurried pace. The closer he got to the summit, the more oppressive and stifling the waves of heat rushing toward him became.

The scenery before him seemed warped and unreal in the high temperatures. Even with divine power protecting him, Hodan could clearly feel the heat rising straight through the soles of his feet.

Standing in such a harsh environment, and thinking that Huoxie had lived here for countless years, Hodan couldn't help but admire him. Only a strange divine beast like the Huoxie Holy Beast, born of heaven and earth, could live in a place like this for countless years.

At last, Hodan followed Silvermoon Fiend to a natural, fiery-red platform in the mountains. Flames swirled all around it, and the platform itself was pitted with countless hammer marks. Hodan knew this was the place Silvermoon Fiend had brought him to see.

"This junior, Silvermoon, requests an audience with Senior Huoxie!" Silvermoon Fiend took a quiet breath. Then, with his divine power amplifying it, his slightly hoarse voice echoed through the mountains like rolling thunder and lingered for a long time.

After a long while, an aged voice answered, "Silvermoon, kid, what brings you here?"

Hodan looked toward the voice and saw the mountainside beside the fiery platform slowly open.

A short, fat, scaled creature with no hair anywhere on its body and a black iron hammer in one hand stepped out. With his utterly singular appearance, he was one in ten thousand—and the very target of Hodan's visit, the master blacksmith Silvermoon Fiend had mentioned: Huoxie.

"Hey! What's this? You've brought someone along this time?" Huoxie teased when he saw Hodan beside Silvermoon Fiend.

"This junior, Hodan, pays his respects to Senior Huoxie!" Facing the Paragon-level elder, Hodan hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"All right, all right. Enough with the formalities." Huoxie waved a hand dismissively, then said to Silvermoon Fiend, "Got any wine? I finished the bottle you brought last time."

Huoxie certainly seemed to be an old boozehound.