Flame-Offering, Bingyang Hall.
Crimson light flashed, and the Great Void split open. A man in magnificent vermilion robes appeared and settled into the seat of honor, his expression solemn. His red-jade eyes glanced toward the rift in the Great Void, catching the rainbow light of Heavenly Demons spilling out.
Crimson flames rose, taking the shape of a treasured furnace and sweeping away every trace of demonic light. Only then did he settle back, resting a hand against his forehead as though waiting for something.
The carvings on the hall's ceiling trembled. Golden Crow, Greater Yang, and Fire Tree patterns flickered, and crimson vapor spread, becoming Fire Crows that wheeled up and down, crying incessantly.
A figure suddenly appeared out of thin air within the hall, clad in deep-purple robes, with ink scales and jade horns. A hint of joy showed on his face as he said in a low voice:
"Senior."
Seeing Dao Yan return safely, Xu Xuan felt considerably more at ease. Dao Yan's eyes brightened slightly as he sat in the seat of honor. He first had Xu Xuan sit down, then asked:
"How have things been on the mountain these past days?"
Xu Xuan recounted everything he had recently seen and heard, then presented the Jiaoyang Abyss-Sinking Record he had obtained from Wu Yan. This cultivation manual contained the method for breaking through with [Darkening Obscurity], and a copy had already been sent into Yang Yuanyi's place of seclusion.
"Good. It is indeed this art. It takes the Greater Yang sinking in the west and descending into the earthly abyss as its image, with the cultivation of baleful qi as its foundation. When I arrived, I saw dark baleful qi rising from Yuanyi's retreat while Bing Fire sank low. It seems he has already made his decision."