Fire Spirit Race, Qi Miaoxuan

Yu Shijiu looked at the Poison Bead in Yu Shier's hand and asked doubtfully, "Why don't you go in and find the clan chief yourself?"

Yu Shier said, "That Long Life Being—I can sense it, and it can sense me too. If I enter He Xu now, it would be the same as opening the way for them.

Yu Shijiu, there is no need for you to doubt my identity. I am Yu Shier. I not only know that He Xu is now in Dongsha Valley, but I also know that the Fire God is hidden within the volcano in Mirage Sand Valley outside He Xu. I also know that the He Xu Ruins can be entered through a Space Crack.

If I had any schemes, the Fire Spirit Race would have been gone long ago. Besides, when you return, tell the clan chief that you saw me. He will naturally understand everything."

"The clan chief knows you exist?" Yu Shijiu asked in confusion.

Yu Shier said, "I find opportunities to meet every generation of Dao Protectors from our Fire Spirit Race. It is merely that only the Dao Protectors and clan chiefs of each generation know about this. The reason you do not know is because you were too young. We feared you would not be able to keep the secret, so we never told you."

Yu Shijiu looked at Yu Shier, fell silent for a while, then slowly reached out and took the Poison Bead from Yu Shier's hand. "Are there any requirements for using this?"

Yu Shier said, "No. You only need to place it in the array eye of the Void Array."

Yu Shijiu nodded slightly, put the Poison Bead into the pouch at his waist, and asked, "By the way, how did you recognize that my sword was passed down from Great Hero Gu?"

Yu Shier said, "I have had dealings with Gu Mo and watched him make a move many times. I know his sword better than you do."

"I see." Yu Shijiu asked again, "I still have a question. Although we of the Fire Spirit Race have long lifespans, we generally only live to one hundred thirty or forty. At most, one hundred eighty. How did you manage to live for nearly four hundred years?"

Yu Shier said, "Because I am no longer human. Your cultivation is insufficient. When you reach the Ascension Realm, you will understand. If you wish to live several hundred more years, there will be many ways. My physical body died long ago. What lives now is merely a Nascent Soul that has found something to reside in!"

Yu Shijiu asked in astonishment, "Does the Ascension Realm truly exist?"

Yu Shier said, "You are the current Dao Protector of the Fire Spirit Race. Your talent and potential are the same as mine were back then. In fact, your talent for cultivation far surpasses mine. My talent lay in the medical path, yet I still cultivated to the Ascension Realm. Naturally, you can as well."

Yu Shijiu was silent for a while before saying, "Fine, then. Let us leave it at that. Let me go. I need to return and see the clan chief now."

Yu Shier waved his hand, and the domain formed by the Black Mist gradually dispersed.

Yu Shijiu swung himself onto his horse, then suddenly thought of something. He quickly turned his head and asked, "Three years ago, Shatuo Temple in Shatuo City was burned down, and Pure Sky Dharma Master was killed. I investigated for three years without finding a single clue. Was that your doing?"

Yu Shier admitted it bluntly. "I did it. You did something incredibly, incredibly foolish. The first rule of a Dao Protector is that anyone who knows the Fire Spirit Race's secrets must be killed immediately. Yet you became friends with him. You truly are foolish."

Yu Shijiu said angrily, "Pure Sky Dharma Master was different. He had always been helping me. You should not have killed him!"

Yu Shier said solemnly, "You are still being foolish. Do not gamble on human nature, Yu Shijiu. What you did was gamble the entire Fire Spirit Race on one person's humanity. You are truly too selfish!"

Yu Shijiu clenched his fists tightly.

Yu Shier continued, "If you wish to avenge your friend, I welcome it. Of course, that is under the premise that you can defeat me. You cannot out-argue me with reason, and your fists are not hard enough either. Why are you still staring at me? Why are you not going to do things?"

Yu Shijiu said nothing more. Riding a horse, he quickly departed.

Yu Shier watched Yu Shijiu's gradually receding back and chuckled. "That foolish boy. Fire Spirit Race, oh Fire Spirit Race, it truly is a miracle that you have survived until now. For your sake, I have truly racked my brains!"

At dawn, the red sun rose, rolling over the sword-ridges of the dunes. Ten thousand grains of sand swept past like a locust plague, weaving a silvery bright net of blades in the morning light.

Yu Shijiu rode into a canyon called Dongsha Valley. Leading his horse onward over a heap of loose stones, he finally arrived beside a massive boulder.

He formed hand seals and muttered incantations. A green glimmer emerged from his fingers and rapidly surged toward the boulder. In an instant, the giant rock rippled, swaying as though it had turned into flowing water.

Yu Shijiu led his horse and rushed towards it, vanishing into it in an instant.

The moment he entered the boulder, the churning liquid surface of the rock hardened into stone once more.

The next moment,

Yu Shijiu appeared in a broad underground cavern. Leading his horse out slowly, he was met by a vast ancient city, with the two words "He Xu" written above its gates.

The morning light was forging the ancient city's outline into gold and iron. Its walls, over thirty meters high, resembled a giant python lying upon the earth. Weathered city bricks layered over countless grains of sand, while even the creeping grass sprouting from the brick seams was coated in saline frost, as though someone had spent a hundred years carving cracks and sword scars across the bricks.

The gate tunnel gaped like the mouth of some colossal beast. The words "He Xu" upon the Bluestone Lintel had been gnawed blurry by wind and sand, while the bronze-rusted plaque swayed in the wind with a hoarse, muffled sound.

This city was filled with an eerie, deathly still aura. It was so quiet that not even the sound of wind could be heard.

However, Yu Shijiu was already accustomed to it. He rode into the city and sped onward. Street scenes, towers, sand drifts, dry bones, and countless other sights continuously fell behind him. He rode circles through the city, back and forth like a headless fly. Yet if a master proficient in arrays had been here, they would certainly have seen that he was racing according to a unique pattern.

At a certain moment, when Yu Shijiu rode out of a long street, the sight before him abruptly changed. He had actually appeared in a picturesque little mountain village.

The small village rested against the mountains, its green tiles and white walls standing in neat rows. A babbling stream wound along the Bluestone Slab Road. Between crisscrossing field ridges, farmers carried hoes and laughed while children chased butterflies across stone arch bridges. Beneath the eaves, old men fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans as they wove bamboo baskets. Several yellow dogs dozed beneath the shade of locust trees, and even the white geese in the stream paddled along lazily, stirring the sunlight and cloud shadows into fragments of gold. It was a scene of peace and contentment.

Yu Shijiu held quite a high position in the village. Along the way, whether old or young, everyone who encountered him respectfully bowed and addressed him as "Divine Envoy."

Very soon,

Yu Shijiu arrived outside a small courtyard in the village and shouted, "Clan Chief, it is Nineteen. I need to see you!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yu Shijiu pounded hard on the door.

Soon, an old man's voice came from within. "I heard you, I heard you! Do not smash my door down!"

When the door opened, a lively and robust old man walked out. His hair had turned mostly gray, but there were not many wrinkles on his face, making him look no more than sixty. In truth, however, he was the current clan chief of the Fire Spirit Race, Yu Tong. He was already over one hundred ten years old, but the Fire Spirit Race generally possessed long lifespans and aged slowly.

Yu Tong opened the door and said, "Nineteen, why are you being so rash? It is not time for you to return yet, is it? Why did you come back early?"

Yu Shijiu pushed Yu Tong inside, then shut the door behind them and asked in a low voice, "Clan Chief, do you know Yu Shier?"

Yu Tong was slightly stunned. "He came to see you?"

"You really do know!" Yu Shijiu said in astonishment.

Yu Tong pulled Yu Shijiu over to sit down and said, "Since he came to see you, that means he has acknowledged you. He believes you have become a qualified Dao Protector."

"What exactly is going on?" Yu Shijiu asked doubtfully. "Was Yu Shier not a traitor?"

Yu Tong shook his head. "He is not a traitor. He is the hero of our Fire Spirit Race. Back then, everyone believed Yu Shier had stolen the clan's supreme treasure and fled, leaving our Fire Spirit Race without a Dao Protector for a long time.

It was not until later, when Dao Protector Yu Shisan appeared and left He Xu for the outside world, that we learned Yu Shier had actually been guarding our Fire Spirit Race outside all along. It was just that a powerful enemy, powerful enough to injure even the Fire God, had been eyeing us like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Fortunately, that person had also been wounded by the Fire God. By a chance encounter, Yu Shier absorbed the supreme treasure's energy and could barely contend against that enemy. For hundreds of years, Yu Shier had been searching for ways to deal with that enemy. He even did not hesitate to test poisons on himself, turning himself into a neither-human-nor-ghost Poison Human."

Yu Shijiu's heart felt heavy. "So it was true!"

Yu Tong continued, "From the moment our Fire Spirit Race was born over a thousand years ago, our fate has been full of twists and turns. Several times, we nearly faced extermination. Not once did we enjoy peace for more than a hundred years.

It was only after we entered He Xu through a chance encounter four hundred years ago, and Yu Shier appeared, that our clan gained several centuries of peace. The people of our Fire Spirit Race have lived in seclusion for generations. Our minds are simple, and we are easily deceived. Moreover, every generation has only one Dao Protector. One person's strength can only go so far, and all manner of mistakes would occur, exposing the clan's secrets and bringing crises upon us.

But for over three hundred years, with Yu Shier protecting us outside, our Fire Spirit Race has been able to remain peaceful for so long."

Yu Shijiu fell silent for a time, not knowing what to say.

He was deeply angered by Yu Shier's killing of Pure Sky Dharma Master, but he also knew Yu Shier had done it for the Fire Spirit Race. He did not know what to do with this anger and hatred.

After a long while, Yu Shijiu took the Poison Bead from his pouch and said, "Yu Shier gave this to me. He said that the Long Life Being that has been eyeing us for hundreds of years has come again. This time, it has brought an army and intends to break through the Void Array.

Yu Shier asked you to place this Poison Bead into the array eye of the Void Array. At that time, he can form a domain and become Invincible Under Heaven here. He can drive back the Long Life Being and the army, helping us survive this calamity. He also said that he only has a little left to do before he can remove the curse from our Fire Spirit Race, allowing us to live like ordinary people from then on."

Yu Tong looked at the Poison Bead and said, "Helping Yu Shier repel the enemy is possible. But as for removing Fire God's Blessing, let us discuss that later."

"Why?" Yu Shijiu asked in astonishment. "Has this curse not tormented us enough? For over a thousand years, our clan has spent over a thousand years hiding east and dodging west. Though we live long, that is not a blessing—it is torment! Forever staying in this place with only our own clansmen, forever unable to have contact with outsiders. Have you not had enough?"

Yu Tong looked at Yu Shijiu and said, "That is only what you think!"

"No!" Yu Shijiu said excitedly. "That is what all of us think!"

Yu Tong was silent for a while. "But it is not what the Fire God thinks."

Yu Shijiu froze slightly. "What do you mean?"

Yu Tong led Yu Shijiu into the house. He then took a Wooden Box from a larger chest and handed it to Yu Shijiu. "Open it and take a look. You were supposed to learn the truth when you became a Dao Protector, but you were too young, so we did not tell you. Since Yu Shier has acknowledged you, it is time for you to know."

Filled with doubt, Yu Shijiu opened the Wooden Box and saw a piece of jade inside. He reached out and gently touched it. At once, the jade gave off a glow, and words appeared upon it—words only the people of the Fire Spirit Race could recognize. It was actually a contract.

A master-servant contract between the Fire God and the Fire Spirit Race. It stipulated that, generation after generation and life after life, the Fire Spirit Race would serve as the Fire God's slaves and become the Fire God's food.

"What... what is this?" Yu Shijiu asked. After reading those words, he said in disbelief, "We... we are not believers of the Fire God, but... the Fire God's food? How... how is that possible? Do we not make offerings to and believe in the Fire God? Is the Fire God not our god? Why are we slaves? Livestock?"

Yu Tong shook his head slightly. "If the Fire God were our god, why would our Fire Spirit Race have suffered crisis after crisis of extermination?"

Yu Tong pondered for a while before saying, "Many years ago—so long ago that the details can no longer be verified—a Demonic Beast Fire Kirin appeared in the world. This Fire Kirin was the source of all suffering and calamity in the world.

The Fire Kirin constantly went out to eat people. Every time it appeared, all living things were devastated, accompanied by endless mountain fires, with countless people dying unnatural deaths. Under those circumstances, our ancestors rallied many experts to besiege and kill the Fire Kirin.

That battle was extremely brutal, but they were ultimately defeated. Just when everyone believed they would die there, the Fire Kirin discovered during the battle that our ancestors possessed special constitutions. It actually spoke human tongue and proposed a deal with them."

At this point, Yu Tong pointed at the jade and said, "This was the content of the deal. The Fire God would use our ancestors' special constitutions to cultivate a Spirit Race, because whether in body or soul, the people of the Spirit Race would be purer than normal people outside.

The Fire God had grown tired of eating the people and beasts outside. Though it was a god and did not need food to replenish its strength or power, it still had appetites. Spirit Persons who had been transformed were comparatively tasty ingredients to the Fire God.

As long as our ancestors agreed to the terms, the Fire Kirin would stop going out and wreaking havoc upon the human world. Most of the reasons it appeared in the world were to seek tasty food. Once the Spirit Race provided regular sacrificial offerings, it could reduce the number of times it went out, or even stop appearing altogether. The disasters of the human world could then be ended.

Afterward, in order to save the people of the world and rescue the companions who had accompanied them, our ancestors agreed to the deal without any hesitation and signed a contract with the Fire God.

From then on, the Spirit Race was born. We were born with the gift of being free from illness, disaster, and injury. Our blood contains pure Spiritual Energy, but all this was merely to make us taste better to the Fire God.

That is why, after people of our clan die, they are thrown into the Divine Mountain. It is not, as the village says, a return to God's embrace. In truth, they are sent to be eaten by the Fire God. It is only because the Fire God has been sleeping for over three hundred years and rarely leaves the mountain that living sacrifices are no longer needed. In the past, every time the Fire God awoke, living people had to be offered as sacrifices."

After hearing this,

Yu Shijiu asked in confusion, "Then should we not be even more determined to remove the curse? Why are you still hesitating?"

Yu Tong said, "Because once we break the contract, the Fire God will once again appear in the human world for the sake of its appetite. The world will again be brought endless suffering. That would go against our ancestors' will."

Yu Shijiu said in a deep voice, "But we should have the right to choose. Why are we predestined from birth to become food for the so-called people of the world? Most importantly, no one is grateful to us. Instead, our Fire Spirit Race has been persecuted time and again by the very people we protected!"

Yu Tong sighed. "Yes. That is why I said we should discuss it later, not that I was directly opposed. If it truly can be done, I will let the clansmen choose freely. Those willing to remove it may remove it, and those willing to remain may remain.

Besides the greater good of the world, there is another reason. I do not believe Yu Shier can remove Fire God's Blessing. If the attempt fails and angers the Fire God, our Fire Spirit Race will face utter annihilation. The Fire God can decide the life and death of any Spirit Race member with a single thought. It is not as though no one in our Spirit Race's history has tried before, but they all failed."

Yu Shijiu said, "But Yu Shier said he can remove it."

"I cannot be certain whether Yu Shier can truly do it," Yu Tong said. "But when Yu Shier became a Dao Protector back then, the talent he received was medical skill. Perhaps it truly may be possible."

Yu Shijiu waved his hand. "Forget it, let us not talk about this for now. First, let us put this Poison Bead into the array eye!"

Yu Tong nodded slightly and led Yu Shijiu to a high mountain outside the village that pierced straight into the clouds. Upon reaching its summit and looking down in all directions, they found themselves precisely at the center of an ancient city.

Yu Tong said, "Look carefully. This He Xu City is a great array—the Void Array. Although Mirage Sand Valley, where our Fire Spirit Race lives, appears to be within the city, we are actually in the outside world. It is only because the Void Array lies between truth and falsehood, reality and illusion, that we can be hidden within the He Xu Ruins while also existing outside."

As he spoke, Yu Tong began forming hand seals. Streams of unique power spread from between his palms, supporting the Poison Bead as it slowly floated into the air. At a certain moment, the phantom image of a great array emerged in the sky, covering the entire He Xu Ancient City.

The Poison Bead flew into the center of the great array, releasing streams of Black Mist that surged and spread without cease. Only after covering the entire array did they gradually disappear.

"Let us go. Down the mountain!"

Yu Tong's face was slightly pale as he panted heavily.

Yu Shijiu hurried over to support Yu Tong as they walked down the mountain. He asked, "By the way, Clan Chief, is there any way for us to awaken the Fire God? This matter began because that Long Life Being wants to kill the Fire God. We should wake the Fire God and resist that Long Life Being together!"

Yu Tong shook his head. "Our clan has no way to contact the Fire God. The Divine Mountain is underground, and you know what it is like within. People simply cannot enter it."

Yu Shijiu's expression turned solemn.

Yu Tong patted Yu Shijiu's shoulder and said, "We are the Fire God's slaves. If it lives, we live. If it dies, we die. Protecting it is the mission for which we exist. There is no need for resentment. The moment our ancestors chose to make a deal with the Fire God for the sake of the people, it was already predestined. Besides, did that deal not also buy our ancestors a chance to live? Without that deal, how could there be us today?"

Mobei, military camp.

In the distance, a swirl of yellow sand rose up, accompanied by the sound of horseshoes. Several messengers galloped rapidly over, holding urgent command tokens. At once, the soldiers of the military camp opened the checkpoints one after another, allowing the messengers to ride directly to the outside of the central command tent.

"Reporting to General Ye, the target has been found!"

Ye Jinglan, Gu Mo, and Qi Miaoxuan, who had been drinking tea in the camp, all raised their heads.

Immediately, Ye Jinglan hurriedly rose and walked out. Qi Miaoxuan, meanwhile, lay sprawled in his chair and said, "After so long, we finally found it. If we had not found it soon, it would have been New Year's!"

Gu Mo smiled faintly. He had already spent seven or eight days in Mobei, and it was now late in the twelfth lunar month. There truly were only a few days left until the New Year. He had already made plans—if they still could not find it by then, he would fly back to Linjiang on New Year's Eve to spend the holiday with his younger sister before returning.

"But do you celebrate the New Year too?" Gu Mo asked curiously.

Qi Miaoxuan rolled his eyes. "I am not a New Year's pig. Why can I not celebrate the New Year?" Then Qi Miaoxuan suddenly asked, "Gu Mo, are you really not interested in the kirin's power? I am serious. If you want it, I can truly help you. I guarantee I will not tamper with anything. I will let you obtain the kirin's power properly and securely!"

Gu Mo waved his hand. "The more you say that, the less I dare take it."

Qi Miaoxuan asked in confusion, "Then what are you after?"

"I already told you. The Fire Kirin is a wanted criminal, and Ye Jinglan is my friend. It is that simple," Gu Mo said.

Qi Miaoxuan said nothing more, but his face clearly showed an expression that said, You think I believe that?

Gu Mo did not offer much explanation either.

Before long, Ye Jinglan walked in and said, "Clues to the He Xu Ruins have been found near Dongsha Valley. I have already given orders for those diviners to set the array. The army here has also begun preparing to depart. Once we arrive, we will lock down the array. We will definitely be able to force the He Xu Ruins out."

Qi Miaoxuan immediately stood up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let us go!"

Gu Mo suddenly said, "Actually, there is something I cannot figure out."

"What is it?" Ye Jinglan asked.

Gu Mo said, "According to what you said, Old Qi, the Dao Protector of the Fire Spirit Race is the Plague God. It has guarded the He Xu Ruins for all these years. With its methods, would it not be easy for it to stop this by simply releasing poison? If the army became infected with plague, it would be impossible for us to find the He Xu Ruins again."

Qi Miaoxuan waved his hand. "Do you think my medical skill is just for show? It can release poison, and I can cure it. Besides, once it releases poison, I will be able to sense its location. Without the help of the great array within the He Xu Ruins, it is no match for me. Do not be fooled by the fact that I have spent most of these years avoiding it. It is not because I fear it, but because I have special reasons for not wanting to fight it to the death. What is more, the army is here now. If it dares make a move outside, it will truly be courting death!"

Gu Mo chuckled. "I am truly curious just how strong you old fellow are."

"My old arms and old legs cannot beat you young people!" Qi Miaoxuan said with a smile and a wave of his hand, then strode directly out.

Afterward,

Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan followed close behind.

Ye Jinglan transmitted his voice, "What? Did you discover anything wrong with Old Qi?"

Gu Mo transmitted his voice, "I could not see any problem. He is completely normal, but that is exactly why he feels abnormal. Could an old immortal who has lived for hundreds or thousands of years still think like a normal person?"