The intense sensation of weightlessness as she plummeted made Shi Yu’s heart pound violently, almost causing her to faint. Howling wind rushed past her ears, accompanied by the fading sounds of the battle between the two Fire Spirit Giants high above on the ground.
Having been suddenly dragged into the battlefield earlier, Shi Yu had felt as if her soul was about to be shattered. Though she was still in grave danger, falling here actually let her breathe a sigh of relief.
The chasm was still tearing open to both sides, as if being forced apart by a giant hand. Loose rocks rustled and fell downward around her, tossed in all directions by the turbulent spiritual Qi. As she plummeted, Shi Yu also had to dodge the stones hurtling toward her.
“I need to stop this fall as soon as possible.” Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the Three-Split Curved Fang Hook she had seized from Pei Yanji.
Falling from a depth of thousands of feet, the consequences would be dire if she couldn't stabilize herself and check her momentum in time.
With a thought from Shi Yu, the Three-Split Curved Fang Hook shot forth from her hand, transforming into three streaks of silver light that flew toward the cliff walls on either side of the chasm.
Clang!
Like a wild beast spreading its claws, the hook's sharp, resilient blades embedded themselves deeply into the rock wall.
A powerful pulling force surged through the tether. Dragged back by the Three-Split Curved Fang Hook, Shi Yu’s body jerked violently, tilted to one side, and slammed hard against the cliff face.
With a muffled groan, she tightly gripped the line attached to the artifact, not daring to let go.
Her descent slowed slightly. The sound of the hooks carving through the rock wall was sharp and ear-splitting. She watched three deep gouges lengthen along the cliff face as she slid, sparks flying like shooting stars.
Rocks constantly flaked away from the rock wall, preventing the hook from anchoring securely. Swung left and right through the air by the line, Shi Yu repeatedly collided with the cliff and falling boulders. Even with her spiritual Qi shield and protective talismans, she was soon covered in blood.
Fortunately, her falling speed gradually diminished. Shi Yu slowly regained control of her body. Spotting several protruding rocks along the wall, she used them as leverage to catch herself and finally halt her descent.
Standing on a rock ledge with her back against the wall, she panted heavily and looked up. “The battle between those two giants won't end anytime soon. The surface is no longer safe.”
Gazing into the pitch-black depths of the chasm, Shi Yu thought to herself, I don't know what lies at the bottom... Regardless, I should stay here for now and see how things develop.
Her Yanyang Token still needed five days to take effect. She only had to endure those five days.
With this thought in mind, Shi Yu sat cross-legged on the rock ledge and waited quietly.
By now, the tearing of the chasm had stopped, and the surrounding commotions gradually quieted down. Only loose debris occasionally tumbled past, making sparse sounds.
After swallowing pills and completing several cultivation cycles, her injuries improved significantly. Noticing that the rock ledge beneath her was trembling slightly and clearly wouldn't hold much longer, Shi Yu stood up, pushed off with her movement technique, and leaped toward another protruding rock.
Right then, an extremely faint and distant calling voice echoed from the deepest part of the chasm.
It sounded like celestial music or ancient chants.
Thinking she had misheard, she looked down toward the bottomless, jet-black abyss. Twitching her ears slightly and focusing her perception, she caught the ethereal, delicate sound once again.
Keenly sensing a powerful and ancient aura within the voice, Shi Yu’s brows twitched slightly. “That is...”
It sounded like an ancient, mysterious language. Though she couldn't understand it, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Staring into the chasm's depths once more, she saw a faint glimmer flickering in the dark, which seemed to be the source of the voice. Shi Yu felt an invisible force pulling at her mind. After a brief hesitation, she made up her mind and headed toward the bottom of the chasm.
Casting out her Three-Split Curved Fang Hook once again, she nimbly leaped across fissures, drawing closer and closer to that faint light.
As she descended deeper, Shi Yu felt her body grow hotter and hotter. Plumes of smoke began rising from the surrounding rock walls, as though the cavern itself was under immense pressure.
Surprised, a hunch formed in her mind. Could it be...
Sure enough, upon reaching the absolute bottom, she stepped onto solid ground and followed a narrow path. The darkness suddenly gave way to light, revealing an indescribably beautiful blessed paradise.
Shadows draped over the cavern walls as a suspended celestial river cascaded down with majestic force, its splashing spray forming a waterfall. Yet both the celestial river and waterfall were composed of liquid flame.
“To think such a secluded paradise exists deep underground.” Shi Yu opened her eyes wide and continued forward.
In the center of the pool formed beneath the waterfall, a large mass of hazy crimson spiritual Qi swirled.
At the center of the spiritual Qi floated a cluster of red flame. Unlike the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame, which was red laced with brilliant gold, this was a pure, unadulterated red without any other attributes.
The moment Shi Yu saw the flame, her footsteps came to a halt involuntarily. She murmured, “This is—”
From within the flame came a calm and distant voice: “My name is the Yanyang Xuancang Flame.”
Yanyang Xuancang—the pinnacle of fierce fire. Its color was as red as the sun, its light as brilliant as the stars.
This was none other than the Yanyang Xuancang Flame that everyone had spent nearly a month searching for in vain!
Shi Yu’s heart stirred. Facing a being radiating such a vast aura, she cupped her hands and bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”
The crimson flame slowly floated forward, finally coming to a stop in front of Shi Yu.
At the same time, the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame emerged from between her brows. The two flames faced each other, their lights intertwining.
Shi Yu did not stop the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame from emerging. Before the Yanyang Xuancang Flame, her Void Fissure Spiritual Flame—which was not its true body—was like an infant, and so was she.
Fortunately, it bore no malice. The two flames communicated in a way unique to Heavenly Fires. A moment later, the Void Fissure Spiritual Flame returned to the space between Shi Yu’s brows with a sense of joy, sinking back inside.
Gathering her thoughts, Shi Yu asked, “May I ask why Senior called me here?”
“There is a certain origin connecting us,” the Yanyang Xuancang Flame chuckled softly. Instead of answering her question directly, it asked, “Do you know that you possess the ancient Divine Phoenix bloodline?”
Shi Yu remained silent for a second. Before such a powerful entity, there was no point in hiding anything, so she nodded directly.
“Regrettably, your bloodline is sealed, preventing you from employing the natal fire of the Divine Phoenix clan. Otherwise, this matter would be far simpler.”
Hearing this, Shi Yu understood that this Senior Heavenly Fire needed her help with something, which was why it had called her down. It was likely that her earlier sudden dragging back into the battleground of the two Fire Spirit Giants was also this Senior’s doing.
Letting out a bitter laugh, Shi Yu asked directly, “What is 'this matter' that Senior refers to?”
Her neither submissive nor arrogant, dignified posture suited the Yanyang Xuancang Flame’s taste. It chuckled and got straight to the point without beating around the bush: “Do you know why I was born?”
A hundred years ago, when the Yanyang Spiritual Realm emerged, cultivators who entered found the location of the Yanyang Xuancang Flame. However, as for when this Heavenly Fire was born or what its origins were, no one knew, and no records existed in any ancient texts.
Shi Yu bowed slightly. “Please enlighten me, Senior.”
The Yanyang Xuancang Flame floated back and forth within the paradise, much like a person pacing in thought. It fell silent for a moment, seemingly recalling events from an extremely distant past, before uttering a quiet, echoing sigh: “In ancient times, a great flood surged up from the Boundless Black Sea, submerging the Four Directions and Five Continents.”
Upon hearing these words, Shi Yu was startled.
The land of the Origin Realm was divided into five continents: East, West, South, North, and Central. Great distances separated them, bounded by the Boundless Black Sea, making travel between them difficult for cultivators. The place where she currently stood was merely a corner of the East Continent.
Yet in ancient times, the great flood spoken of by the Yanyang Xuancang Flame had submerged the entire Four Directions and Five Continents.
This was no different from an apocalyptic catastrophe... she thought to herself.
The Yanyang Xuancang Flame continued, “There was a mighty cultivator named Xuancang, who proclaimed, 'I shall burn the sea with fire and restore the Four Directions and Five Continents.' He then drew upon a projection of the scorching sun and burned for ten thousand years to forge this spiritual realm. And thus, I was born within this place.”
Shi Yu’s heart trembled upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but murmur, “Burn the sea with fire and restore the Four Directions and Five Continents...?”
What grand ambition and heroic resolve resided in those few words!
With what incredible vision and courage must that mighty cultivator named Xuancang have possessed to persevere for ten thousand years to create the Yanyang Spiritual Realm?
Exhaling softly, she said, “To think there was such an origin behind it.”
The Yanyang Xuancang Flame stopped there, declining to elaborate further on the past, and turned to the main topic.
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