"Finally fucking made it! I'm exhausted!" Ji Hao sat on the ground without a shred of dignity.
He panted heavily. The journey had truly been far too difficult. He had just emerged from the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone, then sprinted all the way, casually found a place to undergo a tribulation, treated Nüwa's illness along the way, and then... then Ji Hao got lost.
He was unfamiliar with the place and had no map. There was not even a person in the wilderness.
In the end, Ji Hao flew hundreds of thousands of miles north before he saw signs of Living Beings. Just as he was about to ask for directions, he escaped the tiger's den only to enter the wolf's lair. Monster Beasts roared one after another, claiming Ji Hao had trespassed into their territory and shouting that they would eat him.
Could Ji Hao possibly agree to that? It was the perfect chance to test the Secret Technique he had newly created. The result was obvious: with a single slap, he killed that pack of Monster Beasts. Then, after killing the young ones, the old ones came.
Great demons interrogated Ji Hao viciously, asking where their sons had gone.
With no other choice, Ji Hao could only send them to meet their sons. He was just that considerate and helpful.
After he killed the old ones, even older ones came. A Demon King, a Peak Powerful Expert. To be honest, in the past, Ji Hao would not even have bothered looking at such an opponent. But circumstances had changed; he could only run.
Ji Hao possessed more than one Quasi-Emperor Weapon, not to mention a whole pile of Saint Weapons.
But if he relied on the Xuanyuan Sword for everything, then what the hell was he cultivating for? Escaping for his life was also part of cultivation.
This counted as practice in advance.
What if one day he encountered a problem the Xuanyuan Sword could not solve, and he could not solve the person creating the problem either? He could not just sit there and wait to die.
Escaping for one's life was a technical skill.
Thus, one chased while the other fled, and they ended up back at the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone. Ji Hao risked entering the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone again before finally shaking him off.
In the end, it took him more than half a month to find a Domain Gate. After spending some Source, he finally arrived in the Northern Region.
"Which Wuliang Heavenly Venerable, I finally made it to the Northern Region."
"I'm exhausted."
Ji Hao tidied himself up.
"Next, I need to find Purple Mountain and the Lihuo Sect."
"Where is that Lihuo Sect? And where is Purple Mountain? Nine Dragons Guarding Together around one plant... and I don't know Origin Arts either!" Upon reaching the crucial point, Ji Hao's expression stiffened. He said helplessly.
"Forget it. I'll look slowly. There are plenty of people in the Northern Region. If I ask around, someone will know."
"Then it's happily decided."
Ji Hao made himself ready, picked a direction at random, and turned into an Astonishing Rainbow as he flew away.
This time, no accidents occurred. After asking passersby for directions, he quickly confirmed Purple Mountain's location. Two hours later, he arrived at Purple Mountain.
Purple Mountain was entirely purplish-brown, as though it had been polished from dim purple gold. It was immensely heavy and solemn, roughly four thousand meters tall, and extremely steep.
Looking at the precipitous mountain, Ji Hao pondered briefly. Finding the Lihuo Divine Furnace was more important for now. After all, it was a Divine Weapon of the Quasi-Emperor Ninth Heavenly Layer. More importantly, it belonged to his family. With Ji Hao's personality of plucking even a feather from a passing goose, how could he not reclaim it?
Previously, there had simply been too many dangers in his surroundings, so he had not been able to gather more spoils.
However, he could not enter Purple Mountain without Emperor Jade. The Token, Emperor Jade, was effectively an invitation. With it, entering and leaving would be convenient.
He remembered that the Emperor Jade seemed to be in a sect called Qingxia. That sect supported the bandits of the Northern Region, committing every evil imaginable and utterly devoid of conscience. Later, Ye Fan occupied the place. Great Emperor Wu Shi's Emperor Jade was there.
After Ji Hao learned the Lihuo Sect's location, he used the Great Void Technique to cross more than ten thousand miles. At last, he drifted down above an oasis. With its green mountains and clear waters, this place was exceptionally rare in the mostly desolate Northern Region.
Upon seeing Ji Hao suddenly appear, the Lihuo Sect disciples hurried forward to stop him, while someone went to notify an elder.
"Who dares trespass into my Lihuo Sect!"
A long howl rang out. An old man streaked through the air like a meteor and landed before the mountain gate.
"I have come to take back what belongs to me," Ji Hao said calmly.
"Our Lihuo Sect has nothing belonging to you." The elder seemed to think of something. He crushed a jade slip while keeping a composed expression.
The Lihuo Divine Furnace was said to be a Supreme Treasure that the Lihuo Sect's ancestor had found. This youth before him was very likely a descendant of the Lihuo Divine Furnace's true owner.
However, as long as they killed him, the Lihuo Divine Furnace would forever remain the Lihuo Sect's treasured sect artifact.
Ji Hao saw his little action clearly but did not expose it. He wanted to see what tricks they could come up with.
"What matter disturbs my cultivation!" A streak of rainbow light flew from the Lihuo Sect and turned into a white-haired old man.
That elder hurried forward and explained what had just happened.
Upon hearing this, the Tai Shang Elder turned and carefully examined Ji Hao. "Your things? There is nothing of yours here."
Seeing Ji Hao covered in travel dust, he relaxed. Disciples of great sects cared greatly about their appearance. Although Ji Hao was remarkably handsome, he did not resemble a disciple of a great sect at all. He clearly looked like some rogue cultivator who had appeared from nowhere.
Before Ji Hao could speak, he continued, "Enough. You covet my sect's Supreme Treasure, so you should die."
"Begone!"
The Lihuo Sect's Tai Shang Elder gave a light shout and struck first. He opened his mouth and spat out a dazzling beam of light, which fixed itself in midair.
A scorching bronze furnace appeared, gleaming brilliantly. It rapidly expanded from one inch tall, and in the blink of an eye, it towered beneath the Firmament, reaching a hundred meters in height as flames surged into the sky.
"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"
The furnace shook, unleashing a sound like a tsunami. It seemed capable of shattering the sea of stars, making everyone's ears buzz.
The lid atop the bronze furnace gleamed. Though made of bronze, it was nearly transparent like multicolored glazed crystal, and the blazing flames within could be seen clearly.
"Tai Shang Elder is mighty!"
"So this is our sect's Supreme Treasure, the Lihuo Divine Furnace!"
"How domineering. You want to kill me right away!"
Ji Hao spoke expressionlessly.
"So what if I kill you? Boy, this is how the world works. You cannot resist it. Remember that in your next life," said the Lihuo Sect's Tai Shang Elder.
"Crack!"
The bronze furnace's lid shifted, flashing with multicolored glazed light before sliding open at once. Instantly, flames surged into the heavens, and a blazing expanse of Lihuo fire swept toward the high sky.
Ji Hao's expression remained calm. Using the Lihuo Divine Furnace against him was utterly laughable!
Ji Hao used the Eight Gods Desolate Force Secret Technique. Emperor Blood boiled within his body as he shouted, "Come here!"
"Buzz!"
The Lihuo Divine Furnace trembled and flew down from the sky. It slowly shrank, turning one inch tall before appearing in Ji Hao's palm. Its entire body gleamed crystal-clear, heat spilling from it in waves. The bronze lid closed again, shining brightly and looking exquisitely refined.
"Seeking death! You dare steal my sect's Supreme Treasure!"
He continuously activated his Dharma Technique for controlling weapons, yet the Lihuo Divine Furnace did not move in the slightest.
The Tai Shang Elder's expression turned cold, instantly becoming incomparably gloomy. He assumed Ji Hao possessed some trick for controlling the Lihuo Divine Furnace.
"Our sect's Supreme Treasure was actually taken by him."
"How is that possible!"
"So what if you have a Dharma Technique to control the Lihuo Divine Furnace? Before true strength, you cannot escape death."