Heaven’s Secrets Sect Leader
Translator/Editor: Mr Voltaire
The Vermillion Bird City’s layout was incredibly similar to that of the Azure Dragon City’s, and there were also many other similarities. After going to the Vermillion Bird City Central Square and wandering around in the marketplace, Ling Chen was disappointed to find that exactly the same things were sold here as in Azure Dragon City. It seemed that higher grade potions, equipment and crystals could only be bought at the Royal City.
After spending some time scouting around in the Vermillion Bird City, Ling Chen once again focused on his mission, “Qi Yue, do you know where the Vermillion Bird is now, or where it was in the past?”
“Easy,” Qi Yue replied, “As the guardian beast of the Vermillion Bird City, it will not be more than 100 kilometres away from the Vermillion Bird City. The hottest place within 100 kilometres of the Vermillion Bird City should be where the Vermillion Bird is. The Vermillion Bird’s flames are beaten only by those of the Golden Crow and Phoenixes, and in order to maintain its energy, it likes to rest in extremely hot places.”
The hottest place within 100 kilometres…
Ling Chen took out his map, and looked around the area within 100 kilometres of the Vermillion Bird City. Very quickly, he found that a part of the map was coloured in crimson red. This region’s name was…
Lava Purgatory!
[Lava Purgatory]: A region that emits monstrously high temperatures all year round. It is split into the Outer Region, Middle Region and Inner Region. The Outer Region is filled with wild flames, the Middle Region is almost impossible to get through and the Inner Region is filled with raging magma. Most creatures will instantly die by going into such a place. It is the hottest place in the entire Forgotten Continent, and some of the flames inside can burn through almost anything. Many years ago, a person got through the Outer Region through sheer determination and the Middle Region with the help of the Underworld Armour. However, after entering the Inner Region, the Underworld Armour began to quickly melt, and that person could only retreat, and never again dared to try to enter the Inner Region. The Lava Purgatory is said to be where the Vermillion Bird was born, and their flames are linked to each other. Legend says that if the Vermillion Bird dies, the fires within the Lava Purgatory will also be extinguished.”
“Lava Purgatory.” Ling Chen said to Qi Yue.
“Oh… if that place still exists, then it should be where the Vermillion Bird is. After all, that’s where the Vermillion Bird was born. However, the Lava Purgatory is the hottest place in all of the Forgotten Continent, and even Celestial, or even Heaven’s End, beasts would be burnt to crisp inside. It’s simply impossible for little master to get close. Even so…”
“Let’s have a look.”
Qi Yue’s words didn’t have any effect on Ling Chen. He quickly memorised the fastest route to the Lava Purgatory, and checked the number of potions he had, before calling out the Cloud Stepping mare and charged towards the southern gates of the Vermillion Bird City.
“What a stubborn child,” Qi Yue laughed, “I hope that with your efforts, another ‘miracle’ will happen.”
Ling Chen had spent more than half a month travelling to the Vermillion Bird City. This was despite knowing that he might not even find the Vermillion Bird, and that even if he could, it would be very unlikely that it would sacrifice itself for Xi Ling… after all, if a stranger brought another dying stranger to Ling Chen, asking him to give up his life for that stranger, he would definitely reply with 2 words: “Piss off!”
It was possible that after hearing what he said, the Vermillion Bird might even just instantly burn him to crisp. As the guardian beast of a major city, how could it sacrifice itself for a player’s pet?
Despite all of this, Ling Chen had spent so much effort and time to get here, and had never considered giving up. Only the Vermillion Bird could save Xi Ling! No matter how little hope there was, he definitely had to try. What gave him a bit of hope was that Xi Ling’s flames were special- she had the same level of flames as the Golden Crow, which was even higher than the Vermillion Bird’s flames. Maybe, just maybe, seeing how special Xi Ling was, and considering that it had lived for long enough, it might just decide to save Xi Ling…
Just this tiny bit of hope was enough for him to give it his all.
100 kilometres was not too far away. With his current Movement Speed, while continuously charging at full speed on the Cloud Stepping Mare, he could reach the Lava Purgatory before the end of the day.
…………………………
Somewhere to the south of the Vermillion Bird City
“You old monster, even with our bonds, you’re still not willing to help?! With your personality, no wonder you’re still single!”
“Ai, how many times have I told you- it’s not that I’m not willing, it’s that I really can’t help. Revealing heavens’ secrets goes against the natural order. After living so long, if I continue to reveal heavens’ secrets, I’ll definitely receive divine punishment, and might even die on the spot.”
Two old men were talking to each other. One looked around 60 years old, and had a messy beard and hair that was mostly white. He was wearing tattered grey clothing, which seemed to at least look decently clean. Although he was an old man, he kept jumping up and down, and his expressions were extremely comical. The other old man looked around 70 or 80 years old, wore a green Daoist robe, and held a horsetail whisk in his hands. His hair was extremely white, and was so long that it reached his waist. The ancient and wise look in his eyes made him look like an enlightened immortal. Despite the ramblings of the man opposite him, his expression did not change at all.
“Death, death, death- you’ve lived more than 2,000 years and yet you’re still afraid of death! Tch, after cultivating for so many years, this is as far as you’ve gotten? It seems that the more you cultivate, the worse you get. No wonder you’re still single.” The old man in grey said.
“Ai, it’s not that I’m afraid of death, but I simply can’t afford to die. Brother Xiao, when you were locked up in the Lunar Sky Hell, you were determined not to die either- was that because you were afraid of death? I am the same as you were then- I don’t want to die without finding a successor for my Heaven’s Secrets Sect. I will try to help Brother Xiao with his request, but I can’t guarantee anything.” The old man in green said as he sighed.
“Forget it, forget it.” The old man in grey waved his hand, “I’ve heard you give this excuse hundreds of times. However, you finding a successor will be even harder than me finding one. Back then, I looked throughout the entire Forgotten Continent, but couldn’t find anyone. After suffering in the Lunar Sky Hell for 1,000 years, I found an exceptionally talented successor, so I guess that was worth it. As for you, apart from newly born babies, in this day and age, where can you find someone whose heart contains no malice or wickedness at all? Even if it’s someone who has never done a single bad deed in their life, their hearts will always be hiding some sort of wickedness. Otherwise, they definitely wouldn’t be a normal person However, you’re adamant that you won’t pass on your power to infants. Old monster, you’re such a smart person, and yet you found such a trash disciple in the past. He actually tried to use the Heaven’s Secrets Sect’s power to try to find treasure troves. He totally deserved being struck to death with lightning.”
“Desires are shapeless and colourless, and are almost impossible detect. By the time I found out, it was already too late. Moreover, newborn infants aren’t without wickedness or malice either- it’s just that their wickedness hasn’t had time to develop yet. Only a person who has grown up, and yet still has a pure heart, can become the successor to my Heaven’s Secrets Sect. I have at least 30 years in my lifespan; If I can find this sort of person within those 30 years, then I can die with no regrets.” The old man in green replied.
The old man in grey rolled his eyes as he gnashed his teeth, “Goddamit, you old fool weren’t able to help me at all, but asked so much of me. Forget it, since you’re still pitiably single, I’ll help you. Since the Forgotten Continent’s so big, there’s bound to be all sorts of people. Maybe these sorts of naïve fools really do exist. I’ll see if I can find one for you.”
“Haha, thank you for your trouble, brother Xiao.” The old man in green said as he laughed.
In the distance, the sound of a horse galloping travelled into their ears. The old man in grey muttered, “Damn, there are even people coming to this god-forsaken place?” When he looked closer, his eyes widened as he jumped up, “Holy crap, it’s that kid!”
“Oh?”
“He’s the one who I mentioned to you a hundred times; the freak who was able to counter my Feng Chen Curses! The one who needs your help!”
“……”
The further Ling Chen rode, the hotter it became, and the less people there were. Most of the monsters here were fire type, which would make this place heaven for Water Mages… of course, the prerequisite was that they could endure the heat here. After riding for a long time, he saw two people. When he saw the old man in tattered grey clothing, his jaw almost fell to the ground. He stopped the Cloud Stepping Mare and jumped off, calling out, “…Brother… Xiao, why are you here?”
This old man… was Xiao Feng Chen!
“I should be asking you. There’re no shops or even grass around here, so why would you come all the way out here?” Xiao Feng Chen looked up and down Ling Chen more than 10 times. He simply couldn’t believe in such a vast Forgotten Continent, they had met again in such a short time. What’s more, they had met in the north of the Forgotten Continent, whereas this was the south of the Forgotten Continent. Xiao Feng Chen could travel hundreds of kilometres in a day, but it would take a normal person more than a month to get from that place to where they were now. This kid’s Feng Chen Technique shouldn’t be so effective.
“This is perfect though,” Xiao Feng Chen pulled Ling Chen over in front of the old man in green, “Look, you told me to help you find the Heaven’s Secrets Sect, so I immediately went to find this guy. This is the old monster from the Heaven’s Secret Sect… what was your name again? Anyways, I found him, but he’s not willing to help, so it’s not my fault. If you have any methods, you can ask him yourself.”
The old man in green had already heard about Ling Chen from Xiao Feng Chen. After finding a successor, Xiao Feng Chen couldn’t help but boast and boast and boast. The old man in green swung his horsetail whisk, and amicably smiled at Ling Chen, “This humble Daoist is the current Sect Leader of the Heaven’s Secrets Sect, Tian Qing. These days I’ve heard much about this little friend from old man Xiao.”
“Hello, Daoist Tian Qing.” Ling Chen bowed in respect. The Heaven’s Secrets Sect Leader was an incredible figure. Back then, he had only mentioned the Heaven’s Secrets Sect to Xiao Feng Chen to test him- he never expected Xiao Feng Chen to take it so seriously. After separating for less than 10 days, Xiao Feng Chen had already found the person, and they had actually met by such coincidence.
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