Boom!
Inside the cavern, the dust and smoke cleared. On a platform that was not particularly large, two figures stood facing each other from opposite ends. A huge ice dragon lay behind the white-clad figure before it. The dust filling the air scattered of its own accord several yards from the old man, allowing his face to be seen. He wore a plain white robe, with both hands clasped behind his back. His long, ice-blue hair fell to his shoulders, and his face bore a few traces of the passing years. He looked no different from an ordinary old man, but the smile at the corner of his mouth gave him an air of unfathomable mystery.
The old man now looked at the stunned Xiao Yan across from him, a faint smile and a trace of helplessness on his face.
Xiao Yan looked at the somewhat familiar old man. His usually calm face was now filled with shock, because the person standing opposite him was none other than Tou She Ancient God, the very image of the enormous stone statue!
"Hey, boy, are you trying to destroy my cave mansion?" the old man asked, a teasing look in his eyes. Xiao Yan was stunned when he heard this. Cave mansion? Doesn't that mean this Heavenly Flame spirit wasn't sealed away by its own doing, but was cultivating in seclusion? In that case, not only did I tear apart his home, I also disturbed his seclusion.
Xiao Yan was dumbfounded. He had fought for ages to get here, only for this to turn out to be someone else's cave mansion for secluded cultivation. Thinking back to the restrictions he had encountered, weren't they there to drive away and intimidate those of lesser strength? At that thought, his face twitched. Did that mean everything he had done amounted to disturbing someone's peaceful cultivation?! And wouldn't the Heavenly Flame he was about to obtain become nothing but a fleeting dream?
As everyone knew, cultivators dreaded being disturbed while in seclusion. If someone in seclusion happened to be making a breakthrough and an outsider abruptly interrupted it, the offense would be tantamount to a life-and-death grudge. Once a breakthrough was interrupted, the turbulent, mixed energies of heaven and earth within the cultivator could no longer be suppressed or refined. They would rampage through the cultivator's body, damaging the meridians and sending the Dou Qi within into a violent frenzy, creating a risk of explosion. If that happened, the cultivator's future would be ruined and their cultivation would stagnate at best; at worst, their Dou Qi would riot and they would explode and die on the spot.
Xiao Yan had clearly broken this rule of the continent. Breaking it was one thing, but looking at the seemingly kindly old man before him, Xiao Yan believed he might not even be able to withstand a single move from him in a fight. His expression grew increasingly grave. The giant dragon behind the old man gave several soft roars, though Xiao Yan did not know what they meant. As soon as the plainly dressed old man heard them, he turned and shot the dragon a fierce glare. The dragon promptly shut its mouth and made no further sound, but a hint of amusement at the spectacle could be seen in its enormous eyes. That left Xiao Yan feeling rather strange.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan seemed to think of something. He abruptly raised his head toward the plainly dressed old man, fixed his gaze on him, and said, "You're an Emperor Grade Pill, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you look like Tou She Ancient God? You must be a pill refined by Tou She Ancient God too."
"Pfft!"
The plainly dressed old man, who had already taken out a bottle of wine and was drinking from it, abruptly sprayed out the mouthful he had yet to swallow. A gust of wind blew it all back onto his wrinkled old face. Ignoring the wine on his face, he glared indignantly at Xiao Yan. Behind him, the giant dragon's mouth hung open, its body trembling violently without cease; all that was missing was an earth-shaking dragon roar. Tears had welled up in its enormous eyes from holding back.
Xiao Yan also seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing, but there was no taking it back now. He could only stand there quietly and wait for the plainly dressed old man's answer.
After a while, the old man finally reacted. He curled his lip and said to Xiao Yan, "You little brat, a mere Emperor Grade Nascent Pill left such a deep impression on you? You really are a poor boy who hasn't seen the world. All right, come with me. I'll tell you who I am myself, so you can broaden your horizons. Otherwise, heh! On this continent, those discerning eyes of yours might pass muster out here on the outskirts, but once you reach the Central Region, tsk..."
The plainly dressed old man chuckled as he spoke, making Xiao Yan repeatedly curl his lip. At the same time, Xiao Yan grew even more curious about him. The old man clearly knew him extremely well. It seemed there were many things about himself that he still did not know.
Xiao Yan followed the plainly dressed old man into the great hall where the old man had been earlier. On the plaque above the hall, Xiao Yan saw three characters written in bold, flowing strokes:
"Serene Bone Hall"
Xiao Yan glanced at it, then continued following the plainly dressed old man inside.
The hall was no different from an ordinary council hall. The only difference was that it contained just two chairs and a meditation cushion. Unable to tell what they were for, Xiao Yan simply paid them no further attention.
The plainly dressed old man motioned for Xiao Yan to sit. The chairs were placed together with a table between them. Xiao Yan sat down without a word and remained there quietly. He knew that he should soon be able to learn the answers to the questions in his heart.
Sure enough, once Xiao Yan was seated, the plainly dressed old man sat down as well. With a wave of his sleeve, a tea set appeared, steaming hot mist drifting out into the hall.
"My name is Gu You. My true form is the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, a Heavenly Flame born of heaven and earth, capable of burning all things under heaven to nothing. Long ago, I followed Tou She Ancient God here. Afterward, I remained here on his orders to keep watch!"
Gu You's voice was filled with the imperious air of one who looked down on the world, and his old face was full of arrogance. Xiao Yan, however, caught another hint in his words. Gu You was actually waiting for someone!
And since Gu You had now said this in front of Xiao Yan, that person was presumably Xiao Yan himself. At the thought, Xiao Yan suddenly grew nervous. He did not know why, but up until now, he had always had a particular feeling: he needed strength, immense strength. That was also why Xiao Yan had kept pressing onward into this enormous mountain. After hesitating briefly, he asked Gu You:
"I think I can take what you just said to mean that you're waiting for someone. If you are, then, unless I'm mistaken, that person is me, right?"
Gu You nodded and continued, "My task is to help you obtain the complete cultivation method you practice and assist you in cultivating it to great mastery."
Xiao Yan had been listening intently, but then he heard the words "the complete cultivation method you practice." He instantly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared fixedly at the plainly dressed old man before him.
Xiao Yan naturally knew exactly what the old man meant. The cultivation method he spoke of was, of course, the one Xiao Yan practiced: the Flame Mantra.
Xiao Yan swallowed hard with a gulp, gazing at the plainly dressed old man with burning eyes. His entire body trembled with excitement. Only after a long while did he speak, his voice slightly hoarse:
"You mean there's another part to the Flame Mantra? The Flame Mantra can grow even stronger?"
Hearing Xiao Yan's hoarse voice, the plainly dressed old man knew he must be exceptionally excited. So he refrained from joking and nodded to him.
Xiao Yan was overjoyed. He was just about to ask another question when Gu You spoke again:
"Although I will help you cultivate the Flame Burning Mantra to the realm of great mastery, you will still have to obtain the complete text yourself. Even I possess only one-fifth of the complete Flame Burning Mantra. The other four parts are in the hands of four other fellows. Whether you can get them is entirely up to you."
Xiao Yan had been looking at Gu You expectantly, but after hearing those last words, he drew back and looked at him with a gloomy expression. Gu You was also rather gloomy and helpless. Tou She Ancient God was the one who had done this back then, so why was all the blame falling on his head? But the next moment, Xiao Yan came to his senses and asked:
"You said the other four parts are in the hands of those other people. Could it be that you know who the four of them are? Then why don't you take the parts back?"
Xiao Yan was about to continue questioning him, but he suddenly seemed to think of something. He looked at Gu You with shock in his eyes and spoke again:
"Or could it be that you're no match for those four? Is every one of them stronger than you?!"
Gu You had been listening to Xiao Yan speculate wildly about the whereabouts of the four remaining fragments of the cultivation method, but when he suddenly heard those words, his eyes instantly grew agitated, and he let out a thunderous roar:
"You junior, how can you speak about a senior like that?! How could those four old fellows possibly be a match for me?! Besides, I was the first to find the inheritor. How could they possibly compare with me?! Uh..."
As if suddenly realizing he had let something slip, Gu You turned and saw the sly look on Xiao Yan's face. He froze on the spot and said no more. Only after Xiao Yan had stared at him for a long while did Gu You let out a long sigh.
"Ah! You brat, you said that on purpose because you were sure I wouldn't hurt you, didn't you? All right, all right. I'd have to tell you sooner or later anyway."
"I, Gu You, am the one who keeps watch over the Serene Bone Point, one of the Five Flame Sealing Points. Back then, Tou She Ancient God-the original body of the five of us-was born of the Dou Qi Continent. He fused with numerous Heavenly Flames and ultimately reached the pinnacle on this continent!"
"On the day of his breakthrough, heaven and earth trembled. Fire rained from the sky, burning the eight wilds to ashes like a calamity upon the continent. The earth shook ceaselessly, and magma surged into the sky like spring water, answering the rain of fire. Above and below, all was a sea of flames. The entire continent became a purgatory on earth."
"Seeing this, Tou She Ancient God used his power that reached through heaven and earth to summon the life Qi of heaven and earth and reshape all things on the continent, allowing the living beings under heaven to survive. A hundred years later, having experienced all the affairs of the world, Tou She Ancient God wished to return to heaven and earth. But there was a secret matter on this continent that had yet to be settled, so he left behind his inheritance for a fated person to come and claim."
"Fearing it would be seized by those who preyed upon the good, he afterward separated the five of us from his body and ordered us to select an inheritor here. He himself then dispersed his cultivation and passed into stillness between heaven and earth."
"Whew... Now that I've told you this much, you should understand, shouldn't you?"
Finally, Gu You let out a long breath before speaking, his heart somewhat stirred.
Xiao Yan nodded, but then he looked up, frowned, and asked Gu You:
"Since Tou She Ancient God dispersed on this continent, what about Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion on the Dou Qi Continent?"
"Well, what, can't a living person leave behind a cave mansion? Heh, it's just a cave mansion. What's there to make such a fuss about?"
Gu You's brow rose almost imperceptibly at the question, and he answered calmly. Xiao Yan still looked at him somewhat suspiciously, but he could not see anything amiss. In the end, he could only give up thinking further about it. Yet he suddenly felt somewhat perplexed about the Heavenly Flame Plaza far away on the Dou Qi Continent. Something there that he did not know about seemed to be drawing him, but Gu You interrupted him.
Even so, Xiao Yan spoke in a daze:
"That Heavenly Flame Plaza... why does it feel like I've just seen it somewhere?"
When Gu You heard this, his pupils abruptly contracted.