Fire Drives Out the Qi, and Heat Waves and White Flames Illuminate the Patriarch's Portrait

The bright moon rose, wrapped in clouds of Pure Qi. Its luminous glow fell upon them, and for a moment, their minds wavered!

No matter how advanced their cultivation, none of them could keep their minds steady. Scenes flashed before their eyes, and in a daze, they seemed to behold a wondrous sight—

A mountain town, a rushing Great River, vast stretches of water, and farther away, blurred shapes of immense figures...

But all three possessed profound cultivation. Once they steadied their minds, the visions vanished.

Then they felt the bottlenecks in their cultivation stir.

"Could this... truly be..."

Hui Shuo Zi stared at the bright moon behind Chen Cuo, his eyes filled with shock and alarm. Bathed in its light, he felt thoughts of transcending the mortal world take root in his heart. He jolted awake, severed the thoughts that had been tainted, and looked away. His gaze flickered across Daoyinzi's and Yan Yin Zi's faces.

He needed a definite answer.

But the two faces he saw only deepened Hui Shuo Zi's confusion.

Yan Yin Zi's astonishment was plain to see.

The bright moon startled him, and he also sensed the rippling aura within it.

"This aura..." Yan Yin Zi instinctively beckoned the White Jade Seal back into his hand. As he studied it, delight gradually joined the surprise on his face. "That boy Master Soaring never fails to catch people off guard. Just like when I was in Southern Chen... Hm? Southern Chen?"

He had begun excitedly, but his voice faded as he spoke. At last, he clutched one side of his head.

"When I was in Southern Chen, I must have seen something connected to this. Why is it so hazy..." The more he tried to remember, the more alarmed he became. Then a streak of black