Arson

Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

It was the moment when the morning sun first rose, the boundary between dawn and dusk.

The sky gradually brightened, and a crimson sun leaped into view.

The instant the sun ascended, the Morning Sun Purple Qi bathed the land.

Zhou Yi had long been seated cross-legged on the highest peak of Black Mountain. As he breathed in and out the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, he carried strands of purple qi into his body to refine it.

Inch by inch, his muscles, bones, and tendons grew tougher under the tempering of the Morning Sun Purple Qi. A faint layer of purple haze flickered across his skin and vanished in an instant.

The mountain wind howled, but Zhou Yi sat steady as a rock. Only when the purple qi dissipated and the Great Sun was left with nothing but solar fire did he slowly cease his practice.

"Legend says the Morning Sun Purple Qi is merely an exotic strain of spiritual energy unintentionally released by the Great Sun True Fire at the boundary of dawn and dusk. A pity my cultivation is too shallow to dare connect directly with the Great Sun True Fire."

Below Black Mountain, the crowd surged.

Travelers moved about, some carrying loads on their shoulders or in their hands, others pushing small carts together.

Jar after jar of Fierce Fire Oil was transported up the mountain. Wherever bare rock still showed through, they would smash the oil jars with a bang.

After several days of work, tens of thousands of jars of Fierce Fire Oil had dyed Black Mountain a true black. A pungent odor drifted through the air.

"It's time to settle this..."

With a thought, Zhou Yi opened his status panel.

Name: Zhou Yi (Other Self) Race: Human Cultivation: Qi Induction into Body Lifespan: 20/150 Origin: 1125 (+2 points/day) Talent: Great Luo Endowment: Earth (1) Techniques: Primordial Chaos Technique (Perfected); Golden Toad Technique (Perfected); Python Ape Body Refining Technique (Perfected) Spells: Sword Control Technique (Perfected); Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture (Perfected); Xiahou Sword Scripture (Perfected); Wind Breaking Saber Technique (Perfected); Mountain Cleaving Saber (Perfected); Great Tablet Breaking Hand (Perfected); Falling Flowers Palm (Perfected); Heart Shattering Palm (Perfected); Gold Pointing Finger Technique (Perfected); Golden Bell Shield (Perfected); Iron Head Skill (Perfected); Bone Shifting Disguise Technique (Perfected); Turtle Breath Technique (Perfected); Great Strength Eagle Claw Technique (Perfected); Bell Striking Skill (Perfected); Carefree Steps (Perfected); Eight Steps to Catch Cicadas (Perfected)... Divine Abilities: None Equipment: Purple Lightning Sword

His cultivation had made great strides, advancing from nothing to Qi Induction into Body. In the eyes of mortals, he could already be considered an immortal.

Aside from the Primordial Chaos Technique, he had also cultivated the Golden Toad Technique two years prior. The Primordial Chaos Technique tempered the muscles, bones, and skin externally, while the Golden Toad Technique refined the internal organs. Both techniques belonged to the Daoist lineage.

The Python Ape Body Refining Technique was a martial art practiced by his senior brother, Yan Chixia. He had stumbled upon it as a child, hidden behind a statue in a dilapidated temple.

This technique trained both inside and out—the ape form tempered the body, the python form refined the organs. Even in the martial world, it was a supreme technique.

"Senior brother is the Child of Destiny of this world—there's no escaping that..."

Zhou Yi didn't believe for a moment that a person could have one lucky encounter after another, as his senior brother Yan Chixia had since childhood. That was definitely not normal.

In the spells column, aside from the Sword Control Technique and the Purple Sun Sword Qi Scripture, the rest were mortal martial arts below grade—thirty-six in total.

Sword techniques, saber techniques, finger techniques, palm techniques, fist techniques, body-tempering methods, leg-tempering methods, lightness skills, footwork—thirty-six techniques in all, making every part of Zhou Yi's body a killing move.

"Merge the thirty-six techniques and call them the Martial Canon."

At Zhou Yi's command, the Martial Canon appeared in the spells column.

Spells: Martial Canon (Perfected) Description: Created by the extraordinary Zhou Yi by combining thirty-six martial arts, discarding the dross and keeping the essence. Each ordinary martial art has undergone a mysterious transformation.

"Still below grade. If I could combine the top sect techniques of the martial world and compile a Martial Canon, it might become a grade-ranked spell."

Zhou Yi only entertained the thought. At his current level, a casual slash of his sword or saber far surpassed the power of any top-tier sword or saber technique.

Yan Chixia's Python Ape Body Refining Technique was a top-tier martial art, yet its effect on enhancing Zhou Yi's body was negligible.

Breath Absorption—that was the true path of cultivation!

Chen Kuan, watching from afar, saw Zhou Yi finish his practice and hurried over.

"Lord Sword Saint, the entire Black Mountain has been covered with Fierce Fire Oil. As you instructed, ten thousand jars have been buried on the mountain."

Chen Kuan spoke cautiously, his face full of reverence.

In the past, the title of Guo Bei Sword Saint had been grand, but he was still a mortal. Now, he had become an immortal.

Zhou Yi nodded. "Have everyone leave Black Mountain. Make sure not a single person remains!"

Chen Kuan acknowledged the order, took a few steps back, then mustered his courage to ask, "Miss Chen asked me to inquire when you would..."

"Once this matter is settled, I will enter a closed-door death seclusion for a time."

With those words, Zhou Yi vanished.

Chen Kuan sighed, then immediately descended the mountain to summon his men and leave Black Mountain without delay.

Zhou Yi returned to Lanruo Temple.

"Senior Brother, everything is ready. Tonight we move. Are the Spirit Fire Talismans prepared?"

Yan Chixia's face lit up with joy. With a wave of his hand, a stack of talismans fell into Zhou Yi's grasp.

"All as you said, Junior Brother. I'm no good at strategy, so I'll just lend my strength."

"You're too modest, Senior Brother. My part is just a minor trick—setting the stage. What truly decides victory or defeat is cultivation and spells. Strategy is only a small craft."

A day passed in the blink of an eye.

The sky gradually darkened.

"Senior Brother, you take the east, I'll take the west. We'll burn the mountain and force out the Tree Demon."

"Good! Be careful on your own, Junior Brother. That Tree Demon has lived a thousand years—her strength is unfathomable."

The two rose on their flying swords, heading east and west, each gripping a Spirit Fire Talisman.

Zhou Yi channeled his true essence, and the Spirit Fire Talisman transformed into a ball of spirit flame, landing on the mountain.

The entire Black Mountain was drenched in Fierce Fire Oil, and the flames ignited by the Spirit Fire Talisman were no ordinary blaze. In an instant, a raging inferno erupted.

The wildfire spread in unbroken sheets, burning everywhere, consuming everything.

From Guo Bei County, looking toward Black Mountain, the clouds in the sky were scorched crimson, the night sky bright as day.

The county magistrate stared at Black Mountain from his office, a nagging feeling in his heart that something momentous was about to happen.

But asking the magistrate to put out the fire was utterly impossible. Not only was the sky-high blaze too dangerous, but the silver needed for firefighting was more than he'd part with.

"Burn, then. They're all bandits anyway. A single fire to roast them all—call it bandit suppression."

This world had no concept of environmental protection. Human settlements were far smaller than forests and wilderness. The Great Jing Court constantly encouraged burning mountains to clear land, but results were meager.

Zhou Yi was setting fires everywhere when suddenly a tree root burst up from underground, lashing toward him.

"Haha! Held out this long, and finally you can't take it anymore!"

With a thought from Zhou Yi, his true essence condensed into a flying sword no longer than an inch, easily severing the root.

The ground was now a sea of roaring flames. Zhou Yi couldn't land, and the Tree Demon's roots fared even worse—emerging only to be scorched by the Fierce Fire Oil, losing most of their power while the burning torment made the Tree Demon wail in agony.

Black Mountain had always been a place of dense yin energy and rampant ghosts, but with the vast fire spreading, the Chimeras and Ghouls hiding in the shadows screamed in misery.

Flames inherently suppressed ghostly beings, and this Fierce Fire Oil had nearly burned through the entire mountain.

"Hee-hee-hee—courting death—courting death!"

A bizarre voice, male and female intertwined, rang out as a towering tree dozens of zhang high burst from underground, its massive canopy seeming to blot out the sky.

"I'll kill you first, then destroy that stinking Daoist Yan Chixia! Great Myriad Ghosts Technique!"

Before the Tree Demon's words faded, an endless tide of Fierce Souls and vengeful spirits surged forth like a river of yin.

Tree Demon Granny's true form was a thousand-year-old locust tree. This kind of tree naturally gathered yin energy and was also called a ghost tree. After gaining sentience, it was born with the ability to command souls and control ghosts.

Over a thousand years, everyone she killed had their soul extracted and refined into this Great Myriad Ghosts Technique.

With tens of thousands of Fierce Souls and vengeful spirits charging, even Yan Chixia would have to dodge their edge.

"This Daoist is off!"

With a thought, Zhou Yi vanished into the horizon in an instant.