Mountain Flame City was ancient and weathered, its walls densely scarred by thunderfire and weapons, stained deep with blood.
As Xu Xuan entered the city, Monster-kind of every kind called out "Great King" at the sight of him, surprise written across their faces.
Not wishing to invite trouble, Yang Yanxiang drove the demons away and cleared a path for Xu Xuan toward the Perching Feather Tower. Once inside, he led him straight to the highest treasure chamber, the very place where Dao Yan had met Xu Xuan before.
The mixed-feathered Fire Crow behind them withdrew. Xu Xuan entered, sparks of lightning skittering over his ink-gray dragon scales, and saw a majestic, powerfully built man seated on the Red Jade Chair. The aura of the foundation establishment late stage seeped faintly from him. It was Yang Yuanyi.
The Fire Crow clan leader rose to welcome Xu Xuan, a few more friendly smiles gathering around his eyes, though his gaze lingered unobtrusively on Xu Xuan's ink-gray dragon scales.
"Fellow Daoist Youdu, you're here. Come, sit."
Yang Yuanyi was exceptionally warm, truly like an old friend he had not seen in years, and drew Xu Xuan over to a seat.
A mind-clearing fragrance drifted through the room. Once seated, Xu Xuan briefly sensed the other man's aura and found it immensely powerful, far surpassing those few witches in the Wilderness of Witches.
With cultivation like this, he could probably enter seclusion and attempt to break through to the purple mansion stage.
Xu Xuan thought to himself that Yang Yuanyi's prolonged delay in breaking through was probably for the sake of the Grotto-Heaven. As he had said, there were certain matters that purple mansion cultivators could not conveniently intervene in; only foundation establishment cultivators could.
"[Surging Tribulation Heaven] is about to descend. It will