Chapter 51: Probing the Wind and Flame with Xiang Fangjing

The roaring sound of the great ship splitting apart, mixed with a sense of weightlessness, made Zhao Chun close her eyes tightly, letting the raging winds toss the two people inside the Black Light incessantly.

When she opened her eyes again, the clouds had cleared and the rain had ceased.

Still feeling somewhat dizzy, Zhao Chun broke free from the Black Light. Surrounding her was lush mountain forest, with the faint sounds of insects and birds.

"Look!" Meng Han pointed toward the continuous green mountains in the distance and smiled. "That is Fangjing Mountain! Once we find it, we won't be far from the ruins!"

As the saying goes: *Watching a mountain from afar makes the horse run to death.* Although Zhao Chun could see it clearly, it would be impossible to reach that place in just two days.

Meng Han pulled out a Smoke Boat Talisman and took Zhao Chun on their way. He then heard her say, "I suppose I owe Senior Brother a life."

"That doesn't count as mine. That talisman was made by Brother Xu; you just go back and thank him!"

Xu Feng? Zhao Chun didn't realize he had followed the path of a Talisman Cultivator.

Meng Han pulled out several more black talismans from his person, the same kind used earlier, and smiled. "They aren't anything special; Brother Xu gave me quite a lot."

"What kind of talismans are they? I haven't seen many like them." There were countless varieties of talismans; how could she have seen them all? There were yellow paper talismans, jade plate talismans, and even beast tooth talismans in the Hundred Treasures Market, but she had truly never seen these—entirely pitch-black with ragged, wrinkled paper.

"These are Brother Xu's unique creations..." He picked one up, the small black paper fluttering in the wind, looking both fragile and resilient. "Brother Xu always enjoys researching new things. A few years ago, he felt that the Smoke Boat Talisman couldn't reach high altitudes or very distant places, and he found its speed too slow. He wanted to build a more convenient and usable new talisman based on its foundation."

Looking at the black talisman in his hand, Zhao Chun thought: *He must have failed...*

Sure enough, Meng Han spoke with a hint of schadenfreude: "How could a new talisman be made so easily? If he had truly succeeded and handed it over to the sect, even a small share of the profits would have made him incredibly wealthy."

"What he finally produced was this thing. Whether it's a 'smoke' or a 'boat' is debatable, but it can reach the clouds—it just requires a person to carry it up."

Zhao Chun laughed. If a person could reach the clouds on their own, they wouldn't need a Smoke Boat.

Meng Han continued, "If I hadn't spent years traveling and encountering countless dangers, accidentally discovering that this talisman could be used for a slow descent, this useless talisman of his would truly be useless."

"When you go back, just praise him, saying this Slow Descent Talisman is exquisitely made. He'll surely stuff a handful of them into your hands. There's no sense in not using them."

How could a Slow Descent Talisman be compared to a Smoke Boat Talisman? The latter was exquisite and studied by entry-level Talisman Cultivators, while the former used simple brushwork and was a mandatory study for beginners. To use such praise for Xu Feng, it was no wonder he might feel embarrassed or angry.

Meng Han forced a few onto her, claiming he had too many on him, and Zhao Chun accepted them with a smile.

After traveling peacefully for two days, they entered the territory of Fangjing Mountain. Upon closer inspection, a semi-large city had expanded at the foot of the mountain. It was currently dusk, and lights had already been lit within the city. Many cultivators were coming and going; it was quite lively!

"Fangjing City. Most of those coming to explore the ruins rest here."

Zhao Chun said in surprise, "So many people, and they are all here for the old sect ruins?"

"Not at all!" Meng Han steered the Smoke Boat downward, explaining, "Only one or two out of ten come to hunt for treasures. The rest are here for Fangjing City itself."

As the two landed, the city unfolded before their eyes, filled with shops. The shopkeepers were not mortals, but rather cultivators at the mid-stage or even late-stage of Qi Refinement.

To resolve her confusion, Meng Han explained that the territory of Fangjing Mountain was quite special. Located at the junction of two domains and nine sects, it served as a transportation hub for all four directions and was not governed by any single power. Furthermore, because it produced various unique and rare spiritual herbs, spirit beasts, and spirit minerals, it saw extensive trade and had become a land of prosperity in its own right.

"There is a spirit beast on Fangjing Mountain called the Yellow-Maned Pig. Cultivators who eat its meat can strengthen their bodies. You should know that the early stage of Qi Refinement requires the most physical foundation; local cultivators often eat this, so their cultivation progresses faster than others. My trip here is specifically to bring some back for Junior Brother Feng. He has reached the peak of the third layer and hopes to enter the mid-stage soon to become a formal disciple."

No wonder he hadn't brought Feng Sanchu along; he was currently in quiet cultivation and had no time to come here.

However, the effects of the Yellow-Maned Pig meat were indeed useful. Zhao Chun nodded slightly; she could bring some back for her Senior Sisters to assist in their cultivation.

The two purchased twenty catties of pig meat. It wasn't overly expensive, but rather because Fangjing City had regulations in place, implementing a quota system to ensure the Yellow-Maned Pigs could continue through generations and avoid overhunting.

In addition, Zhao Chun purchased a scabbard made from a snake's skin, which happened to fit the size of her Crimson Blade Dagger perfectly, finally allowing her to rid it of its cloth wrapping.

After resting for one night, they set off toward the old sect ruins early the next morning.

The "one or two out of ten" Meng Han mentioned amounted to quite a large number of people when calculated. Along the way, they saw several Smoke Boats heading in the same direction as them.

Upon landing, they saw an octagonal altar with white stone steps leading down toward the base.

The Wind Flame Sect ruins were underground. This altar was built by Fangjing City; there were nine in total, intended to sacrifice to the souls of righteous cultivators and record the crimes of evil cultivators.

The two entered through one set of stairs. The interior was very spacious, with torches lit on all eight sides, making it quite bright.

They had not yet reached the outer layer of the Wind Flame Sect and had to continue descending. They walked through a deep, central corridor. The light before Zhao Chun's eyes gradually dimmed, but fortunately, there were dim lamps in the corridor to provide illumination so they wouldn't completely lose their way.

Aside from the sound of footsteps, the sound of wind brushing through forest leaves gradually emerged. Before Zhao Chun could feel anything strange, she heard Meng Han say beside her, "We've arrived."

It was a place as quiet as a deep valley.

They were positioned above the Wind Flame Sect, so looking down, one could see the general layout of the entire sect: mountain springs surging between rocks, staggered tree shadows, and lush vegetation.

"Hidden underground for thousands of years, yet the water flows incessantly and the plants have not decayed!" Zhao Chun exclaimed in admiration.

Meng Han, however, shook his head. "It is not plants." He grabbed Zhao Chun with one hand and leaped down. The distance was only about a hundred meters, which was nothing for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Falling from the height into the forest took only two breaths. Zhao Chun reached out to touch a towering giant tree; it felt cold to the touch and did not feel like a plant.

Suddenly, a strange thought flashed through her mind, and she turned to look at Meng Han.

"This is actually made of iron and stone!"

Meng Han nodded and praised, "When Brother Xu and I first came here, we were also astonished by the divine craftsmanship of the Wind Flame Sect. Everything within sight is a product of artifact refining. Such celestial skill, even thousands of years ago, was considered the work of a small sect..."

"A hundred years ago, when the ruins were first excavated, the surrounding nine sects all came to fight for the methods of artifact refining. It caused endless conflict in the Fangjing territory for a time, and only ceased after they divided the spoils."

Zhao Chun nodded. It was no wonder many sects fought for such marvelous methods. If the Lingzhen Sect were also nearby, they would likely have moved to claim a share of this destiny as well.

She felt both surprise and regret—surprised that a sect capable of such grand scale was merely a small sect, and regretful that these immortal legacies had not fallen into the hands of evil cultivators...

As they moved further in, she heard Meng Han explain why it was a small sect.

The Hengyun World was like other small worlds, governing a thousand minor worlds, with spiritual sources constantly flowing and life regenerating. Tens of thousands of years ago, a great catastrophe occurred, and half the world was shattered by an object. Many minor worlds were consequently displaced, causing a massive loss of spiritual source.

Local cultivators continuously sought out the lost minor worlds and slowly repaired the spiritual source, which allowed the Hengyun World to avoid collapsing entirely. However, the spiritual energy had been lost, and it could never return to its former glory.

The Wind Flame Sect perished thousands of years ago, but it was a sect with a lineage of tens of thousands of years. In the old Hengyun World, immortal opportunities were abundant and there were many cultivators; most sect and family lineages were long and enduring, unlike today, where quality varies wildly and lineages are often interrupted.

In those days, the Nascent Soul stage was widespread, the Soul Transformation stage was numerous, and there were even spiritually gifted infants born at the Foundation Establishment stage. By the standards of that era, the Wind Flame Sect was naturally classified as a small sect.

Zhao Chun sighed at the impermanence of worldly affairs and asked, "What was it that actually shattered half the world?"

Meng Han smiled, seemingly skeptical. "According to the ancestors, it was a single tear."

(End of Chapter)