The Dagger Revealed, the Pillar Cracks and a Sound Emerges
Flames rose and danced, and Qiu Yan's figure swayed accordingly. His gaze fell on the Hwamei Bird that flew away quickly. With a thought, flames condensed into streams and rushed over, engulfing the bird and about to burn it!
When he first met Shi Jianhui, he examined the bird and found it to be just an ordinary demon that couldn't even transform into human form. At most, it could only awaken its Aperture Opening. But now, Qiu Yan dared not be careless in the slightest. Even if it was just an ordinary demon, he couldn't be negligent.
Whew! Whew! Whew!
The flames were so intense that they were about to burn the bird to ashes!
"What a show of readiness! Once it moves, it'll be like the sky falling, leaving no way out for anyone else!"
Dong Grand Preceptor, seated on the white bone chair, squinted at the flickering flames below, a sense of melancholy rising within him.
In just a few breaths, the situation reversed. The two crazed gods he had released were entangled in the Earthfire before they could even make a move. Then, Shi Jianhui, was also instantly turned upside down and plunged into Sea of Fire, his life hanging in the balance.
"I originally intended to bring Silver Girl here, but I overlooked this deity. Now it seems I've found a treasure! This deity has a good heart but ruthless methods. If we can win him over, he can definitely become the cornerstone of the Great Qi's restoration! Hmm, he seems to have a good relationship with Silver Girl..."
Thinking of this, Dong Grand Preceptor turned his gaze to Yin Xiao'e, who was also startled by the sudden turn of events. Her surroundings were filled with Earthfire, but the flames, being sentient, avoided her completely.
At this moment, Yin Xiao'e was lost in thought.
"Qiu Yan led the Lianxi Tribe in creating Fire Seed and gained some insights into the Dao of Flames, but I never expected it to have reached this level! The Earthfire in this world is exceptionally fierce, filled with destructive intent. Ordinary gods and cultivators are in danger even if they get close. Yet Qiu Yan can actually manipulate the Earthfire to injure his enemies! Hmm?"
As she was reflecting on this, she suddenly felt something and a look of surprise appeared on her face!
At the same time, Dong Grand Preceptor also noticed something and looked towards the flames!
Within the flames, a Hwamei Bird spreads its wings and sings, its body adorned with three clusters of emerald-colored talismanic light!
"Hmm!"
Qiu Yan suddenly groaned, and the Core Talisman within his body began to vibrate, with the part belonging to Mingyuan Mountain throbbing rapidly. It seemed as if it wanted to break free and leave his body!
"What's going on?" While surprised, Qiu Yan's senses also enveloped the Hwamei Bird. He was shocked when he noticed several clusters of talismanic light and shadow. He sensed a connection to Fortune from one of the talismans.
"This is... the divine talisman of the Great Mountain God of Nine Spirits Mountain!"
Qiu Yan was no stranger to this feeling of interconnected Fortune, but the connection between them was very weak, only vaguely present. If the Earthfire had not forged the talisman and stimulated the connection between the gods, it probably would never have been revealed.
"This bird is just an ordinary demon, so why does it possess the talisman of Nine Spirits Mountain? Moreover, next to the Nine Spirits Mountain talisman, there seems to be..."
Just then, a scream came from the depths of the flames—
"That Lesser God! He ruined my reincarnation!"
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
From the depths of the intense Earthfire, a white skeleton slowly emerged. As it walked, it crumbled, and in less than a breath, its leg bones completely disintegrated, burned away by the flames. The Half-Body skeleton fell to the ground, and among the ribs, a round, glowing red pill spun around.
"This is?"
Qiu Yan's pupils contracted as he sensed a terrifying pressure emanating from the pill. Without hesitation, he manipulated the Earthfire to surge towards it, but it was already too late!
Whoosh!
The pill flew out swiftly, Hwamei Bird squarely and merging into its body!
Then, the bird's body swelled up, shed its feathers, and its head transformed into a human head, with black, silky hair falling down; its wings became two arms, with delicate, jade-like hands gently waving; its legs stretched out, giving rise to fair, rounded legs.
In the blink of an eye, a bird the size of a palm transformed into a naked woman with a face exactly like Shi Jianhui's, exuding Yao Qi and her eyes filled with rage!
Three orbs of light surrounded her, shifting and changing, revealing illusory mountain ranges that exuded a heavy aura, as if they could take root and penetrate the earth the moment they landed.
"My reincarnated body in this life, through countless years and the use of countless precious rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures, finally achieved this level of cultivation. My vital energy and Qi and Blood were almost at their peak, and I was about to merge with the elixir! And now it has been destroyed like this!"
The more the woman thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, and the angrier she became!
Whoosh!
A howling wind dragged her out of the engulfing Earthfire. With a wave of her hand, strands of Colorful Garb emerged, hanging down and clinging to her body like huge feathers. Then, her eyes turned and fell on Qiu Yan. The firelight reflected in her eyes, revealing a mixture of hatred and fear.
Instantly, Yao Qi surged into the sky!
"What astonishing Yao Qi! It really is Mountain-Passing Great King! No wonder! No wonder!"
Seeing this scene, many of Qiu Yan's questions instantly became clear!
"No wonder he could run rampant in the southern border of Ning Prefecture! No wonder he could recognize me as the Minyuan Mountain God! No wonder..."
As Qiu Yan thought this, the flames, like long snakes, moved nimbly and rushed towards the newly born Shi Jianhui!
"Now that things have come to this, there's no need to hide it anymore!" Shi Jianhui sneered. Facing the incoming Earthfire, he flapped his arms and quickly retreated, passing by Dong Grand Preceptor's chair and heading straight for the Totem Pillar. Then he turned and grabbed it!
Boom!
The towering Totem Pillar began to sway!
"What are you doing!?"
Everything happened so suddenly that even Shi Jianhui Dong Grand Preceptor was caught off guard. It wasn't until Shi Jianhui brandished the totem that he snapped out of his daze, let out a low growl, and then vanished from the bone chair, stirring up a gust of yin wind that swept down on Shi Jianhui!
A strong wind swept in, but Shi Jianhui Yao Qi surged on his back, and three orbs of Divine Radiance converged, manifesting into a human form. He rushed upwards and collided with Dong Grand Preceptor.
Divine Radiance and eerie winds scattered and exploded in all directions!
"Dong Grand Preceptor! You've been sitting here for a hundred years, yet you're completely unaware that you're surrounded by treasures! Did you think I came to this Land of the Divine Remains to Sun Plucking? What a joke! The real treasures have always been right under your nose!"
As she spoke, Shi Jianhui had already inserted both hands into the Totem Pillar, and then suddenly pulled it open!
Snap!
The base of the Totem Pillar cracked, and then, surprisingly, the sound of reading aloud could be heard coming from the crack!
The sound of reading aloud echoed in all directions, as if someone were whispering in one's ear.
What was that sound?
Everyone present, including the mad god screaming in the Earthfire, felt a sudden pause in their minds. In a daze, they seemed to see a figure in a tall hat and wide belt, holding a carving knife, reading by candlelight, annotating a scroll of bamboo slips.
However, the light and shadow vanished in an instant, and everyone's mind returned to normal.
Dong Grand Preceptor, however, shattered the Divine Radiance humanoid figure with a claw strike in mid-air, and continued to charge forward without stopping. His aura surged to its peak, exuding an aura of death, loneliness, and decay. The entire surrounding tribe echoed this, with ghosts and billowing death energy surging from the dilapidated thatched huts!
The cries of weeping echoed, ghosts roamed, and a chilling wind swept through the area; in an instant, this tribe became Netherworld realm!