Inside a hall that was ice-blue throughout, two figures in white robes sat facing each other. One was old and the other young, and both held teacups, sipping their tea leisurely.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan asked Gu You:
"Senior Gu You, since you said you were the Serene Bone Point, one of the Five Flame Sealing Points, I presume the other four are the ones who make up the rest of the Five Flame Sealing Points?"
Gu You showed no surprise. He nodded, set down his teacup, and said:
"That's right. The Five Flame Sealing Points were formed by five Heavenly Flames from between heaven and earth. As long as one of those five Heavenly Flames still possesses sentience, the Five Flame Sealing Points will not vanish and will continue to exist in this world. The other four are stationed in four different directions across this continent, and they are also the ones who possess the other four parts of the Flame Burning Mantra. But our tasks differ, and so does the difficulty of our tests. When the time comes, whether you can obtain the remaining fragments of the Flame Burning Mantra will be up to you. As for who those four are, I can only tell you about two of them for now. The other two are hard for even me to find, let alone you, so I won't say any more about them. Whether you find them will depend on your luck."
Gu You went on to explain the identities of the two to Xiao Yan. One was known to the world as Elder Hai, whose name was Hai Mochen. His true form was the Sea Heart Flame, and he lived in the far north of the continent, where a vast ocean lay. The one of the Five Flame Sealing Points he guarded was there as well.
"That old fellow even founded some North Sea Academy there. You might want to go take a look, though it's just a lousy academy, nothing special," Gu You said, glancing sideways and curling his lip.
Xiao Yan paid it no mind and continued listening. But just because Xiao Yan paid it no mind did not mean others felt the same.
Just as Gu You said those words, an elderly man in a long cyan robe, his face lined with age, sneezed for no apparent reason inside a wooden house far away in the North Sea. He frowned slightly and muttered:
"Hm? Which old fellow is speaking ill of me this time?"
Gu You, meanwhile, carried on explaining to Xiao Yan.
"The second one is a woman, but!" Gu You's voice suddenly rose considerably, though it also carried a note of caution. Only then did he continue:
"Don't ever underestimate women! Ordinary women are one thing, but not just anyone can handle this woman. She's proud and aloof, and cold to everyone. Once she makes a move, she really does take lives! That's also why she's taken only one disciple from back then until now. If her disciple weren't just like her, I'm afraid even she wouldn't be able to stand her. All right, I've told you how dangerous she is, so let me tell you about her true form. Her true form is the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. She's known to the world as Ye Honglian, also called Aunt Red Lotus. She lives in the Fire Maple Forest in the extreme south, in seclusion all year round, with only her disciple out and about. So if you're going there, I suggest you seek out that old fellow Hai Mochen first. He's much easier to talk to than Ye Honglian, and he loves wine as much as his own life. Maybe if you just prepare enough good wine, that old fellow will follow you, haha..." By the end, Gu You sounded almost as if Hai Mochen were following him.
Hearing what Gu You had just said, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, excitement flashing in his eyes. He had spent so long talking with this old fellow Gu You precisely because he wanted Gu You to follow him in the end. But from what Gu You was saying, it seemed the five of them were meant to follow the inheritor of the Tou She Ancient God. Wouldn't that save him a great deal of trouble and let him obtain five Heavenly Flames that had existed for over a thousand years? Tsk, tsk, a Heavenly Flame like that was more formidable than four or five ordinary ones.
As Xiao Yan was happily thinking to himself, Gu You glanced at him, shook his head, and said:
"Forget it. If it were as simple as you think, I would have followed you long ago. Although the five of us are indeed meant to follow the inheritor, we must first see whether that inheritor has the talent and strength to make us admire him. As for your current strength, tsk, tsk, if you had run into anyone but me, you wouldn't have stood a chance."
Xiao Yan froze for a moment before he understood. He raised an eyebrow slightly, grinned, and stared expectantly at Gu You, looking like an eager child full of questions.
Xiao Yan naturally knew that if the five seniors were to follow him, there would surely be many difficult tests involved, just like his entry into Gu You's cultivation dwelling this time.
Although Gu You had not personally taken part in testing Xiao Yan's strength, he certainly knew about it. Otherwise, how could he have greeted a stranger like Xiao Yan with smiles after having his secluded cultivation disturbed? And of course, Xiao Yan could not have coaxed so much information out of Gu You with just a couple of seemingly shrewd remarks. After all, Gu You was a powerful figure who had lived for many hundreds of years. How could a youngster like Xiao Yan, not even fifty, compare? Though Xiao Yan was indeed no longer young, to Gu You he was probably no different from a child.
Gu You sighed, gave Xiao Yan a helpless look, and said:
"The reason my test was so simple was, first, that I considered how you had only just arrived and were relatively weak. So the formation's power was not much different from yours, and even after merging, it was only a shade stronger, giving you a chance to catch your breath. What I didn't expect was that you actually had a human-rank Dou Technique, which was why you got through my trial so easily. As for the second reason, heh heh, that's personal. I thought you were a fine lad, so I deliberately gave you special treatment. You'd better remember how good this old man has been to you, haha!"
Gu You had started out solemn, but halfway through he began joking, leaving Xiao Yan rather speechless.
"But speaking of which, you'd better be careful. The difficulty of my test was a hundred and eight thousand li short of even the most basic requirement. If you go to Old Man Hai, that's one thing; I might be able to deal with him for you. But if you go to Ye Honglian, tsk, tsk, just tell her you've never met me. Otherwise, I can't say whether you'll make it back alive. And if your luck is truly bad and you run into those two monsters, just pretend you don't know anything. Those two are stubborn beyond reason." Toward the end, Gu You's expression grew slightly grave as he warned Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan was astonished. If the formation today had not even qualified as a test, just how difficult would the real tests be? Still, this gave Xiao Yan ample time and motivation to grow. Increasing his strength was only a matter of time, and as for motivation, with the fragments of the Flame Mantra to spur him on, there was naturally nothing to worry about.
Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then looked at Gu You and asked, "Elder Gu, may I call you that?" Gu You nodded, and Xiao Yan continued:
"Since I've already passed Elder Gu's trial, does that mean I can obtain the fragment of the Flame Burning Mantra in your possession?" As he spoke, Xiao Yan held out a hand to Gu You, palm up.
Seeing this, Gu You shook his head and said to Xiao Yan with some apology:
"No. Back then, partly to ensure the Flame Burning Mantra would not be lost and partly as another test for the inheritor, the Tou She Ancient God fused its fragments into the bodies of the five of us. Unless you refine the Heavenly Flame Origin, there is no way to obtain them. Your strength is far too weak now; you simply cannot refine my Origin Flame, so you cannot obtain it yet. At most, you can keep me inside your body and fuse with me once you are strong enough. The fusion is also extremely dangerous. When you fuse with and refine my origin, my soul will be erased automatically. This was done so that the inheritor would not be left with any strange aftereffects after refining the Heavenly Flame."
"Uh..."
Xiao Yan stared blankly, his face twitching slightly. This really was too much: the treasure was right there, yet he could only look at it. How could anyone stand that? Unfortunately, Xiao Yan had no choice but to bear it.
Still, that was fine too. From now on, he would have an extraordinarily powerful fighter at his side, free of charge. Just as the corners of Xiao Yan's mouth began to curl, a calm, elderly voice rose beside his ear. Gu You said:
"Don't get any ideas. I cannot take action for you. Even if your life is in danger, I absolutely will not intervene." Gu You spoke with such firmness that even Xiao Yan could not detect the slightest hint of a joke. Xiao Yan could only look at Gu You and say nothing more.
After a moment, seemingly to break the somewhat quiet atmosphere, Xiao Yan finally spoke to Gu You again:
"Then could Elder Gu tell me about the origins of the Flame Burning Mantra? Since it is so powerful, surely it was not created by some nameless nobody? Please clear up my doubts, Elder Gu."
Xiao Yan's voice was filled with a desire for knowledge. This was truly the first time he had ever felt such a strong desire, though it was only natural. After all, someone who could create a supreme cultivation method as unrivaled under heaven as the Flame Burning Mantra was certainly no ordinary person. Hearing about his origins was bound to be thrilling, and so Xiao Yan's question made Gu You rather pleased with himself.
Gu You grinned, revealing a row of old, yellow teeth. He smiled at Xiao Yan with an expression that seemed to say the lad was making progress, and said:
"The Flame Burning Mantra! Mm! The creator of this cultivation method was indeed an extraordinary figure of overwhelming might. With this Flame Burning Mantra alone, he reached the peak. With the power of flame in his hand, he fought his way to a place of his own and saved countless people from fire and flood. His might shook the very heavens!" As Gu You went on, his voice grew more and more excited, but then he suddenly became like a deflated balloon. The soaring momentum that had just risen fell back to where it had begun in an instant.
Gu You continued in an even voice, without the slightest fluctuation:
"Unfortunately, in the end, he died at his own brothers' hands. A peak expert of his generation, and all because of a few brothers, he died in loneliness..."
As soon as the words fell, Xiao Yan felt the hall fall deathly silent. In an instant, it returned to normal, but Xiao Yan felt as though he had lived through an entire era. Only when Gu You gave a snort did Xiao Yan come fully to his senses.
Xiao Yan looked at Gu You in horror. He had not expected that merely recalling an ancient expert could stir a person's emotions and thoughts. He truly could not imagine how imposing that expert would have been if he were still alive.
"All right, I won't say any more. Once I've sealed this place, we'll leave."
Gu You spoke calmly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan collected his thoughts and said no more, following Gu You out of the hall. Outside the doors, Gu You took several long looks at the Serene Bone Hall, where he had spent a thousand years. He slowly raised both hands, and seals appeared one after another between his aged fingers. The ground before the hall trembled, and an ink-black wall rose from the earth, completely blocking the entrance to the hall behind it.
The moment the wall appeared, Xiao Yan drew a deep breath. He could not recognize the material it was made from, but from that fact alone, he knew he was incapable of damaging it in the slightest.
Gu You merely grinned at the sight. Without another word, he flew out of the mountain.
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