Chapter 45: The Fire Virtue Palace Hidden in the Mountains
By: Gu Zhenren
Date: 2013-02-09
The boat stopped at a secluded shore, and Chu Yun and Jin Bihan disembarked.
“Thank you. I believe our cooperation will be very pleasant,” Chu Yun waved goodbye to Hongshang Xian.
“I hope so,” Hongshang Xian stood at the stern of the boat, the night breeze fluttering her flame-like dancing robes. Even in the deep darkness, it couldn’t hide her radiant beauty.
“By the way, I’ll give you this Ten Thousand Whisker Ginseng Dragon’s Eye Necklace.” Hongshang Xian suddenly tossed a necklace as the boat had already set sail.
This was one of the gifts Tie Ao had given Hongshang Xian at great cost.
Chu Yun was stunned for a moment and instinctively caught the necklace. He hadn’t expected to obtain another Supreme grade Dragon Beast’s eye, following the Arctic Ice Dragon’s eye.
The Ten Thousand Whisker Ginseng Dragon, Arctic Ice Dragon, Azure Sea Dragon, and Ten Thousand Year Azure Dragon were all Supreme grade demonic beasts.
“No need to thank me, just adhere to our cooperation agreement.” As the boat gradually sailed away, Hongshang Xian’s voice faded into the rushing waves.
“Brother Chu, what poem did you write? It has such great charm that Hongshang Xian risked her life to escort you. And she even gave you such a valuable necklace before leaving?” Jin Bihan finally couldn’t hold back her curiosity and suspicion. She looked at Chu Yun with questioning eyes.
Chu Yun trusted Jin Bihan and naturally didn’t hide anything from her, explaining everything in detail.
“Hongshang Xian is the Scarlet Tiger?” Jin Bihan’s eyes widened in disbelief at this explosive revelation. “Then Chu Yun, how did you know?”
Chu Yun snorted. He naturally wouldn’t reveal the secret of his rebirth, so he recounted the analysis he had used to deal with the Scarlet Tiger once more. This immediately stunned Jin Bihan.
“To deduce this based on these clues, Chu Yun, you are truly remarkable. The inheritance of the third generation of courtyard masters, the Star Sea Dragon Palace, and this incident… If you were to become an Explorer, you would undoubtedly be a top-tier expert!” Jin Bihan’s gaze was fixed on Chu Yun, as if glued. She felt Chu Yun was like a box full of “surprises,” and every time she opened it, she received a new marvel.
“However, we still don’t know the Scarlet Tiger’s objective or what she wants to collect. What should we do when the one-month deadline arrives?” Jin Bihan furrowed her brow, contemplating this problem.
“Therefore, I must use this time to repair the Drunken Snow Saber. With the combat power of a Spirit Monster, we will have a greater advantage. Besides that, I need to figure out the Scarlet Tiger’s true objective,” Chu Yun replied. Currently, with the help of the Clear Snow Drunken Jade and the Extreme Ice Crystal, the Drunken Snow Saber could be upgraded to Supreme grade.
He had never possessed the combat power of a Spirit Monster in his previous life, so he naturally looked forward to it.
“Indeed, you have deciphered the inheritance of the third generation of courtyard masters and the Star Sea Dragon Palace one by one. You will surely handle matters like this with ease, Brother Chu,” Jin Bihan nodded, full of confidence in Chu Yun.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
“So that’s how it is! Hongshang Xian is the Scarlet Tiger! What an earth-shattering secret!”
Flames erupted, forming a giant fiery net that instantly enveloped the unsuspecting Chu Yun and Jin Bihan. The Yan Family Ancestor, with a loud laugh, appeared out of thin air.
“Yan Family Ancestor, how did you manage to infiltrate Shu Island?” Jin Bihan exclaimed in shock.
Chu Yun struggled desperately, but the fiery net tightened, binding him tightly like five human knots.
“Struggling is useless. My Heart Blaze Brush is a Spirit Monster-grade artifact. Hahaha!” The Yan Family Ancestor’s eyes flashed with greed, and he brandished his Heart Blaze Brush, drawing fiery circles in the air with incredible speed.
The fire circles descended, swiftly encircling the openings of the Immortal Pouches on Chu Yun and Jin Bihan’s waists. This way, even if Chu Yun broke free from the fiery net, he wouldn’t be able to open his Immortal Pouch and summon his demonic creatures to fight.
“As the art of war states: ‘When strong, feign weakness; when weak, feign strength.’ I never expected I would be waiting for you on Shu Island?” The Yan Family Ancestor towered over them, his aura fierce and unrestrained, like roaring flames.
“If you think capturing me will win this war, you’re dreaming, old man,” Chu Yun’s tone was indifferent, as if he were an outsider, not someone trapped.
The more treacherous the situation, the calmer he became.
“Brat, kneel down and beg for mercy! Kowtow and admit your mistake!” The Yan Family Ancestor sneered, annoyed by Chu Yun’s composed expression in the face of danger.
“Dream on,” Chu Yun scoffed.
“If you have the guts, then I’ll kill your companion first!” The Yan Family Ancestor laughed heartily and pointed his Heart Blaze Brush toward Jin Bihan’s forehead.
“Stop!” Chu Yun’s eyes were about to burst. “The dignified Yan Family Ancestor, to be so despicable! You bring shame upon the ancient Five Clans!”
“I told you long ago, I always act with impunity. If you obediently kowtow to me, I will spare him for now.” The Yan Family Ancestor enjoyed seeing Chu Yun grind his teeth, which eased much of his internal frustration.
“Hmph, this flimsy net can’t hold me! Chu Yun, hang in there. I’ll go back and get reinforcements immediately!” Jin Bihan, left with no choice, activated her true trump card – the Supreme grade Dao Method within the Golden Cicada Robe.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed, and she vanished from her spot, leaving behind only a phantom image of a golden cicada. The fiery net ensnared the phantom image, remaining motionless.
“Hmm, a Supreme grade Dao Method, ‘Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell’?” This unexpected turn of events surprised the Yan Family Ancestor. By the time he tried to stop her, Jin Bihan had already disappeared.
“Slippery little rascal, you have quite a few tricks up your sleeve. Let’s go!” The Yan Family Ancestor snorted coldly, then grabbed Chu Yun and transformed into a soaring pillar of fire, shooting away.
Not long after, a shocking dragon roar echoed across Shu Island.
The Azure Sea Dragon transformed into its true form, carrying Shu Tianhao, and soared into the sky, pursuing the direction where the pillar of fire had vanished.
Witnessing all this, Chu Yun’s expression was grim.
“It seems you hold considerable weight in Shu Tianhao’s heart. It’s a pity the Fierce Tiger of Many Stars is without cunning, easily falling into my trap,” the Yan Family Ancestor had not left. Holding Chu Yun, he stood in the dense forest of Shu Island, laughing triumphantly.
The fiery pillar that had just shot into the sky was merely a diversion to lure out Shu Tianhao. He himself remained on Shu Island.
Shu Tianhao’s affection for his son had been exploited, luring him away from the island.
Chu Yun remained silent, secretly channeling the spirit energy within him, attempting to summon his demonic beasts. However, the fiery net around him tightened, and he couldn’t help but groan, revealing a pained expression.
“Don’t struggle. This is the gap in strength. Without Spirit Monster combat power, how can you break my fiery net’s restraint? If you behave obediently, I might show you mercy and spare your life.” The Yan Family Ancestor sneered and, carrying Chu Yun, walked deeper into the forest.
As they moved, demonic beasts retreated, clearing their path. The Yan Family Ancestor held the Spirit Monster-grade Heart Blaze Brush, its rank overwhelming lesser creatures. Even the highly cultivated demonic beasts in the Shu Island forest were only at the Great Demon level.
The Yan Family Ancestor’s steps did not falter. He arrived at the nameless volcano where Chu Yun had previously hatched the Sky Fox egg. He then leaped directly into it.
Chu Yun’s heart skipped a beat, fearing he was about to fall into the searing lava. However, the Yan Family Ancestor suddenly summoned the Ashen Horse, carrying both of them, and flew into a side passage on the cave wall.
Following the passage, the Young Master of the Yan Family, leading a group of Yan Family elites, appeared before Chu Yun.
“Your subordinate(s) welcome the Ancestor’s triumphant return!”
“The Ancestor’s divine might! It was child’s play! Chu Yun is like a mouse meeting a cat when he encounters the Ancestor.”
“Chu Yun, so this is your downfall! Ancestor, just kill him and use his head as a sacrifice!” Someone’s eyes flashed with malice as they looked at Chu Yun with ill intent.
“This brat is somewhat interesting. Keeping him alive will make Shu Tianhao hesitant to act, giving him value,” the Yan Family Ancestor glanced at Chu Yun and sneered.
“Immortal Pouch…” The Young Master of the Yan Family’s eyes lit up with greedy fire. Thinking of Chu Yun’s Supreme grade demonic creatures, he reached out towards Chu Yun’s waist.
“Hiss… It hurts!” However, the next moment, he recoiled as if electrocuted.
“Hmph, so you know the consequences of acting rashly?” The Yan Family Ancestor snorted coldly, admonishing, “My fiery net can only restrain his actions. Grandson, you need to change your attitude. How can you be so impatient?”
“Grandfather’s reprimand is justified. Your grandson will remember it,” the Young Master of the Yan Family obediently tucked his tail between his legs.
“Hmph, the Sky Fox and the Lishan Dragon Eye Flower Branch will be mine sooner or later. I’ll leave them with you for now, to keep them safe.” The Young Master of the Yan Family then glanced at Chu Yun and snorted again, his face looking very grim.
The simplest way to obtain a possessed demonic creature is to kill the Monster Tamer directly, causing the creature to become ownerless and wild. Then, using means like an Immortal Pouch, one could capture the wild demonic creature.
However, the Yan Family Ancestor did not want to kill Chu Yun; he intended to keep him alive to win the war. In this case, to seize the Sky Fox and the Lishan Dragon Eye Flower Branch, they would have to forcefully sever Chu Yun’s spiritual connection with them.
This was troublesome.
Not only were the methods complicated, but they also took a considerable amount of time. The conditions here were not suitable; they would have to return to the Yan Family Island before they could proceed slowly.
Chu Yun’s expression was stern, but his heart was greatly shaken. A group of Yan Family elites was hidden on Shu Island. How did they get here, and what were they doing?
“How is the progress?” the Yan Family Ancestor suddenly asked.
The Young Master of the Yan Family reported grimly, “We’re still stuck at that checkpoint, Grandfather. We’ve been searching for a long time, but we can’t find a way to open the great door to the next level.”
“Let’s go and take a look,” the Yan Family Ancestor said, deep in thought.
What followed was an astonishing scene for Chu Yun.
Carried by the Yan Family Ancestor, he was led down the passageway, descending into an ancient palace. They stopped before a massive, tightly shut door, at least three zhang high.
“How can this be? A palace ruin is hidden within the nameless volcano of Shu Island! What is going on?” Chu Yun was shocked, his eyes wide in disbelief as he looked at the scene before him.
“Hmph, surprised? Do you think the Yan Family attacked your Shu Island for no reason? Why did we deliberately give up benefits during the peace talks and engage in trade?”
Seeing Chu Yun’s astonished expression, the Young Master of the Yan Family felt quite smug. He laughed heartily and continued, “Without merchant ships entering your Shu Island, how could we have secretly set up the Gem Secret Tunnel? Without the Gem Secret Tunnel, how could we have entered here without anyone noticing?”
“What exactly is this place?” Chu Yun no longer cared about the intricate details spoken by the Young Master of the Yan Family. He asked the crucial question.
The Yan Family Ancestor laughed heartily, “Well asked! This is the death ground of an ancient King level expert, King Huode—an ancestor of our Yan Family—and the place of inheritance left for his descendants: the Fire Virtue Palace!”
