Chapter 506: True Fire Surging

Once the immortal sword and the little paper crane had departed, the Old Dragon's perpetual smile instantly faded. He looked back into his aquatic dwelling. Though he had mentioned needing to give some instructions, his daughter and son were actually with the Dragon Mother in an underwater palace beneath a small island in the East Sea. The Old Dragon was entirely alone here.

"Alas..."

The Old Dragon sighed, then looked at a Yaksha standing behind him. Noticing the Old Dragon's gaze, the Yaksha quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"What are your commands, Dragon Lord?"

"Ji Yuan just sent an urgent message by immortal sword, requesting my presence for an urgent matter. I must leave and might not return for a short while. Please inform Ruo Li and Feng'er not to worry about looking for me."

"Understood!"

After receiving the command, the Yaksha pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"Dragon Lord, if Prince Feng and the River Goddess inquire about the matter... I am concerned they might overthink things and worry about your safety and Master Ji's."

The Old Dragon looked at him, understanding that the Yaksha wanted to know if the journey posed any danger. After a moment's thought, he decided to provide a partial answer, saying:

"There's nothing dangerous involved. Ji Yuan needs to forge a powerful magical artifact and is short on help, so I'm going to lend him a hand."

This particular Yaksha was the very one who had once helped Ji Yuan catch fish. Now, as one of the Yaksha commanders, he was exceedingly sharp. Hearing the Old Dragon's explanation, he felt reassured and confirmed with a "Yes," then added:

"Dragon Lord, do you require any further preparations?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm leaving now; the sooner I go, the sooner I can witness Ji Yuan's artifact-forging techniques."

After the Old Dragon uttered these words, the Yaksha felt a mighty surge of draconic energy around him, and the waters within the dwelling began to churn violently. By the time he registered what was happening, the Dragon Lord had vanished from his sight.

On the surface of the Tongtian River.

With a resounding "bang," a geyser of water erupted from the river's surface, sending powerful, concentric waves surging towards both banks before finally dissolving into gentle ripples that lapped against the shore. High above, a phantom draconic silhouette had already ascended into the heavens.

A massive Chilong, hundreds of feet long, soared through the air, commanding wind and thunder. Wherever it passed, dark clouds gathered, and lightning flashed with thunder. Only as the Chilong ascended higher and higher did the meteorological anomalies in the clouds below begin to subside.

"Aooooohh————"

The dragon's roar reverberated through the nine heavens, even causing the high-altitude gales to shatter.

At the guest hall of Yunxia Garden on Xianlai Peak, part of Jiufeng Mountain, numerous strange phenomena had emerged over the past ten days, despite multiple layers of protective enchantments on the exterior.

During this time, the clouds and mist surrounding Yunxia Garden had continuously resembled dawn or dusk, entirely reddened by firelight. This radiance naturally emanated from the guest hall; though merely an illusion, it caused the flames in the area to flicker and shift erratically.

Even the cultivators from Xianxia Island, serving as guardians, were forced to retreat to the outermost perimeter of Yunxia Garden, with some even taking to the air on clouds.

Sometimes, even with the intention of keeping one's mind clear and stable, it proves impossible. The cultivators of Xianxia Island had come to profoundly understand what it meant to be unable to control oneself when the mind follows the Dao.

As long as one remained deep within the inner layers of the enchantments, or too close to the guest hall, the Daoist essence flowing from that artistic conception would profoundly affect everyone. Those with insufficient cultivation found it impossible to stand steadily and might even experience a scorching sensation.

At this very moment, Chang Yi and another elder stood upon the aerial clouds, observing the subtle magical light emanating from Yunxia Garden, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"When enlightened masters grasp the profound Dao, ordinary individuals who witness it may find their minds and spirits adrift... Alas, our cultivation is indeed shallow!"

Hearing his senior fellow disciple's lament, Chang Yi felt a deep sense of empathy.

"The old patriarch once said that among Zhu Shibo's generation, he was the most promising to enter the Dao Profound realm and become a true immortal cultivator. And Master Ji is very likely a true immortal. The old beggar, rumored to be surnamed Lu and dressed as he is, is likely the one who departed from the Qianyuan Sect. Daoist Ju from Yuhuai Mountain is also remarkably formidable... With four such figures secluded together, refining techniques, how can ordinary cultivators possibly maintain their mental composure when faced with such extraordinary phenomena!"

Chang Yi and his senior fellow disciple gazed at Yunxia Garden, then their eyes slowly ascended, witnessing illusory, reddish-gray flames raging towards the heavens.

"I fear our enchantments can no longer contain the leakage of these extraordinary phenomena."

"Indeed, Yunxia Garden has truly become a realm of clouds and fiery mist."

The two and the other Xianxia Island cultivators had long since given up trying to conceal the phenomena. They simply maintained a safe distance and looked after themselves, letting the rest unfold as it may.

On Xianlai Peak, the host cultivators of Jiufeng Mountain were all engaged in cultivation at the summit.

Suddenly, cultivators from several dwellings soared out into the air. All of them had just witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon of a sea of fire during their quiet meditation.

"What's going on?" "You felt it too?"

"Yes, and it's still unclear what has transpired."

"Could an external demon have transformed and infiltrated our Jiufeng Cave Heaven, hoping to seize an opportunity to lead people astray into cultivation deviation?"

"Impossible! Not only do external demons lack the power to enter our immortal mountain and cave heaven, but even if they could, Xianlai Peak is currently home to countless masters. To cause trouble here would be tantamount to seeking death, wouldn't it?"

As they discussed, they looked down towards the surrounding base of the mountain, observing streaks of magical light escaping—some riding clouds, others harnessing wind, and still others stepping on magical artifacts. Clearly, many of the visiting cultivators attending the assembly, being spiritually astute, had also been disturbed and were now emerging to assess the situation.

One streak of light even soared to the peak of Xianlai Peak, materializing into a woman in white robes who bowed to the Jiufeng Mountain cultivators.

"Fellow Daoists of Jiufeng Mountain, do you know what has occurred? Was it triggered by the grand formation of Jiufeng Mountain?"

The host cultivators of Jiufeng Mountain returned her salute, then answered truthfully:

"It was not triggered by the grand formation within Jiufeng Mountain. We are still unaware of the source and are currently investigating."

Meanwhile, inside the guest hall of Yunxia Garden, Ju Yuanzi's hands moved like blurs, continuously separating the five elemental energies from the metal-attributed spiritual materials, effectively transforming the entire area into a grand metal spirit array.

Metal spirit energy continuously permeated the heavily protected silken threads. The imperial decree characters inscribed upon the silk all manifested as glowing script, absorbing the surrounding metal spirit energy while simultaneously resisting the intense heat.

"Master Ji, increase the heat even further. Treat this place as the alchemy furnace connected to your Golden Bridge. Refining these golden threads is akin to concocting elixirs. I want absolutely no other elemental power here, only true fire, Yin and Yang, and metal. Use the true fire of the alchemy furnace to force the metal spirits to merge!"

Ji Yuan's eyebrow twitched; these three were truly formidable individuals. He had already intensified the Samadhi True Fire multiple times; under normal circumstances, he himself would have considered it dangerous, yet Ju Yuanzi was still urging for more.

However, with these three present, Ji Yuan felt both emboldened and more resolute. He was not incapable of controlling the Samadhi True Fire, and even if there were any deviations, the other three were already assisting.

"Very well, the three of you must maintain your positions at the three critical points. The alchemy furnace is manifested here; if anything goes awry, the Samadhi True Fire will burn us!"

"Rest assured, Master Ji!" "Master, proceed without hesitation!"

"Let's do it!"

All three possessed absolute confidence in their cultivation. Furthermore, Ji Yuan was not using the true fire to attack them; they themselves were in a state of fire manipulation and control, and with four of them working in concert, even though Samadhi True Fire was immensely potent, it could not cause irreparable chaos.

Under these circumstances, and with the forging of their own magical artifact at hand, no one had any reason to flinch, and Ji Yuan was no exception.

The next moment, a conceptual landscape of mountains and rivers manifested as if solid. In the eyes of Ji Yuan and the other three, they were no longer inside the guest hall of Yunxia Garden, but seated atop a high mountain peak.

Surrounding them were lush green mountains and trees, glistening lakes and winding rivers, the sun, moon, and stars, and even auspicious clouds of primordial yellow and black hues. Most conspicuous was the gigantic alchemy furnace before them, its surface adorned with constellations and spiritual inscriptions, radiating a dazzling array of colored lights.

Despite having mentally prepared for such a transformation, even the old beggar and the others couldn't help but be momentarily distracted by it.

"Fellow Daoists, the moment is now!"

Ji Yuan's calm voice resounded. With a flick of his sleeve, the lid of the alchemy furnace, which seemed indistinguishable from a real object, slowly began to rise.

*Whoosh!*

Overwhelming heat surged upwards, and true flames leaped from the alchemy furnace. The faces of all four, including Ji Yuan, were scorched to a reddish-grey hue.

Ju Yuanzi let out a great roar, and magical light flared in his hands. The other cultivators immediately stepped forward to assist. The silken threads, now transformed into gold, along with the surrounding flowing metal energy, circled and hovered above the alchemy furnace. They dared not sink into the fiery sea, only refining from above with the intense heat.

Outside, at this very moment, countless streaks of escaping light soared from Xianlai Peak. Even the cultivators from Xianxia Island did so, as the mountain had become unbearable.

From the main central peak of Jiufeng Mountain, several streaks of light ascended, rapidly flying towards Xianlai Peak.

"This is our Jiufeng Mountain Daoist sanctuary. Which fellow Daoist is casting spells here?"

In the spiritual vision of these Jiufeng Mountain masters, the entirety of Xianlai Peak was engulfed in raging flames. They could also vaguely discern a colossal alchemy furnace shrouding the entire peak. The flames were a reddish-gray, flickering without intense heat, yet even so, despite not being physical fire, their sight caused a restlessness in one's heart, making approach difficult.

As expected, there were numerous masters attending the Immortal Gathering. At this moment, many immortal cultivators of considerable skill and profound cultivation were also using their spiritual eyes to investigate from outside Xianlai Peak.

Among them was a woman holding a whisk, her long hair reaching her waist, with red silk ribbons tied around her sideburns that trailed down to her feet. If Ji Yuan and Ju Yuanzi were to see her clear face and attire, they would surely recall her as the female cultivator from Weimei Sect with whom they had a brief encounter.

"Grand-master, do you know where the problem originated? It seems even the people of Jiufeng Mountain are unaware!"

A junior next to her inquired of the female cultivator, hoping to gain some information from their grand-master.

The woman glanced at her juniors beside her, noting that a few even appeared slightly panicked. She briefly closed her eyes, then reopened them, and pointed towards Yunxia Garden on the mountainside of Xianlai Peak.

"It's over there. There's a master casting spells, and traces of enchantments, but the enchantments have broken. It's nothing serious... What an enormous alchemy furnace..."