Chapter 1059: Suzaku Will Projection

"No, that’s completely different," Huo Rulie said, waving his hand before sighing. "I know your master had no intention of harming Ye’er back then. In fact, the moment she realized what was happening, she forcefully pulled back, otherwise, Ye’er wouldn't even have survived, let alone left a body. If you say Ye’er brought it upon himself... actually, you wouldn't be wrong."

"But Ye’er is my only bloodline, after all. I was so overwhelmed and stimulated back then that I completely lost my composure. Every time I saw Ye’er's condition afterward, I just couldn't calm down." Huo Rulie shook his head. "Forget it, forget it, no more talk about it. In short, my ambush on Mu Bingyun back then was truly despicable of me. It's certainly best that she's recovered, and now Ye’er is also recovering. When the time comes, I'll find an opportunity to go to the Snow Song Realm by myself and let those two women... ahem. Let your master beat me, scold me as much as she wants, as long as my life is spared, I won't say a single word in return."

With Huo Ye rescued, Huo Rulie's mood and mindset were completely renewed. Where he had once been seething with hatred, he now adopted a stance of acceptance, willing to do anything as long as Huo Ye recovered, even initiating self-reflection.

"But your rescue of Ye’er is an entirely different matter," Huo Rulie declared, thumping his chest. "I, Huo Rulie, will not take back a single word I just said."

Huo Rulie's temperament was indeed unique. As the Grand Sect Master of the Golden Crow Sect, he had made such a weighty promise directly to a junior—a junior he didn't even know very well.

"Brother Yun, please don't hesitate to ask for help if you ever face a difficult situation in the future," Huo Ye said with a slight smile. "My father's nature has always been like this; if this kindness isn't repaid, he won't be able to rest or eat peacefully."

"Alright," Yun Che replied, no longer refusing. "Then if I encounter difficulties in the future, I certainly won't be polite with Sect Master Huo."

"Hahaha, that's more like it!" Huo Rulie burst into laughter, then abruptly stopped. He quickly took out a golden sound-transmitting jade, his face lighting up with excited joy.

Seeing this, Huo Poyun quickly asked, "Master, has the Ancient Horned Dragon appeared?"

Huo Rulie gripped the sound-transmitting jade tightly and nodded emphatically. "That's right! The Ancient Horned Dragon has finally appeared, about seven thousand li from here. Poyun, immediately transmit a message to all the elders guarding the Fire Prison. Tell them the Horned Dragon has appeared, and they must retreat at once!"

"Understood!" Huo Poyun quickly took out his sound-transmitting jade and closed his eyes to send a soul transmission.

"I'll contact my master right away," Yun Che said, picking up his Ice Phoenix Jade at the same time. However, Huo Rulie waved a hand. "No need. With your master's strength, she would undoubtedly be the first to discover the Horned Dragon's appearance. There's no need for anyone else to tell her. She's probably already crushed her sound-transmitting jade by now."

"Crushed her sound-transmitting jade? Why?"

"During a fierce battle with the Horned Dragon, one must be completely focused. If someone sends a transmission during such a fight, even a momentary distraction could lead to danger. In the past, the first thing your master would do before engaging the Ancient Horned Dragon was to crush her sound-transmitting jade," Huo Rulie explained.

Yun Che nodded. "I see."

No distractions whatsoever... It seemed that even if his master could defeat the Ancient Horned Dragon, it would only be by a narrow margin; otherwise, why go to such lengths?

He hoped that this time, it would truly be as everyone expected.

Indeed, it was clear that everyone was very optimistic about this hunt for the Horned Dragon, not just in the Blazing Heaven Realm, but Mu Xuanyin as well. This optimism was not without reason: first, they had nearly succeeded last time; second, Mu Xuanyin's profound energy was now far greater than it was a thousand years ago; and third, the Ancient Horned Dragon's dragon horns were injured.

Yun Che couldn't know how much Mu Xuanyin's profound energy had grown over the past millennium, nor could he gauge the full impact of the injured dragon horns on the Ancient Horned Dragon... Yet, for some reason, upon learning that the Horned Dragon had finally appeared, instead of the expected excitement and anticipation, a sudden sense of unease and irritation welled up within him.

Was he worried about his master's safety?

Yun Che shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel these unwelcome thoughts... It wasn't his master's first time fighting the Horned Dragon; she had always held the upper hand, and last time, she had nearly hunted it successfully. This time, facing a Horned Dragon with injured horns, her chances would only be greater, and the risk smaller... Even if they failed again, with his master's power, retreating safely would be effortless.

"Ye’er, rest well here," Huo Rulie said. "We will definitely succeed this time! Your injury was ultimately caused by that Horned Dragon. This time, I'll tear its bones apart and boil them into soup for you to drink!"

Huo Ye smiled and nodded. "This child also has a premonition that this time, we will not fail."

"Hahaha, let's go!"

Huo Rulie grabbed Yun Che and Huo Poyun directly and shot towards the Fire Prison like a bolt of lightning.

The continuously churning God Burying Fire Prison roared as if a storm had erupted, the fire waves surging even more violently, with pillars of flame shooting skyward, burning directly into the firmament.

At the edge of the Fire Prison, dozens of elder-level experts from the three Blazing Heaven Sects already stood. Each of them had a solemn expression, their red robes billowing high with profound energy, which they used to block the searing heat from the God Burying Fire Prison, preventing the younger disciples behind them from enduring it for too long. This also served to prevent the battlefield from shifting northward during the fight, potentially sweeping residual energy towards their position.

All those from the three Blazing Heaven Sects who were meant to be there had arrived. Although not a huge number, there were nearly a thousand people. Despite their different sects, they were all gathered in one spot, at the very edge of the crowd, less than a hundred steps from the God Burying Fire Prison.

"Why are they all gathered together?" Yun Che asked in surprise.

"Haha, you'll find out in a moment," Huo Rulie laughed, quickly descending with the two, landing at the very front of the crowd.

Sect Master Yan Wancang of the Vermillion Bird Sect and Sect Master Yan Juehai of the Phoenix Sect stood side by side there. Behind them were Yan Zhuo and Yan Mingxuan, whom Yun Che had met before in the Snow Song Realm. Further back, the various elders and disciples stood in orderly ranks, all with excited expressions. The younger disciples, in particular, were about to witness the legendary Ancient Horned Dragon for the first time.

"You've arrived," Yan Wancang turned and nodded slowly towards the three.

"Sect Master Yan, the Snow Song Realm King must already be approaching the Ancient Horned Dragon. Let's begin," Yan Juehai said.

Yan Wancang nodded and stepped forward. Vermillion Bird flames silently ignited around him, and then a stream of Vermillion Bird flame suddenly flared from beneath his feet. It rapidly spread towards the God Burying Fire Prison, quickly merging with its flames.

A thin, elongated line of fire instantly connected Yan Wancang's body to the God Burying Fire Prison.

At this moment, Yan Wancang closed his eyes. Almost simultaneously, the surrounding sounds quieted down, and some of the younger disciples held their breath.

What was he doing? Yun Che wondered, surprised, as everyone around them fixed their gaze on Yan Wancang.

This silence lasted for a long time. Only after a full quarter of an hour did Yan Wancang suddenly open his eyes. He swung his left arm upwards, palm facing the sky, and diagonally above them, a massive profound formation suddenly lit up, covered with dense flames within.

Yan Wancang changed his hand seals again, and instantly, the flames within the profound formation dissipated. Inside the formation, the image of a vast sea of fire was clearly projected.

At the center of the image was a colossal beast, floating in the sea of fire, its entire body covered in fiery scales!

Its head was enormous, with three-pronged long horns on its crown burning with sky-piercing flames. Although its face was ferocious and menacing, it was clearly a dragon's head. Its body was robust, its claws far thicker and longer than any fire dragon Yun Che had ever seen, and its tail, resembling a giant python, was longer than its body. Its entire form was covered in crimson scales, each reflecting dazzling fiery light.

A terrifying aura emanated from the colossal beast in the profound formation's image, causing the young disciples to turn pale with shock.

"This is... the Ancient Horned Dragon!" Huo Poyun's eyes widened as he muttered, "It's exactly as Master described. It just looks much more terrifying."

This colossal beast was indeed the Ancient Horned Dragon, or more accurately... the Ancient Horned Dragon as it appeared at this very moment!

Yun Che was utterly astonished. What was happening? Was it spiritual reflection? Yan Wancang's profound energy was at the Divine Sovereign Realm, indeed incredibly powerful, but for his spiritual sense to extend seven thousand li to such an extent was too exaggerated... not to mention being able to materialize it so clearly.

"Sect Master Yan's spiritual sense is actually this powerful?" Yun Che murmured involuntarily.

Huo Poyun turned his head and shook it, explaining, "That's not it. Brother Yun might not know this, but this is actually a special will projection performed by Sect Master Yan using Vermillion Bird Flame energy."

"Special... will projection?" Yun Che was even more perplexed.

"This is a special soul ability possessed only by those who wield Vermillion Bird flame energy and possess the Vermillion Bird soul. It allows one's 'Vermillion Bird Will' to be transmitted through flames to any corner. As long as the flames persist, the will can reach everywhere."

Huo Poyun pointed to the flame connecting Yan Wancang to the God Burying Fire Prison. "Brother Yun, look at that flame. Sect Master Yan's 'Vermillion Bird Will' is transmitted through this flame to the God Burying Fire Prison, and then through the prison's flames to the Horned Dragon's location. This allows him to project everything in that area. Not just images, but even sounds and rough auras can be projected."

Yun Che thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, finally understanding a bit more. Simply put, it was like "conducting" the "Vermillion Bird Will" through flames; as long as the flames didn't extinguish, the conduction would continue... In nature, it was similar to electrical conduction.

And since the God Burying Fire Prison was entirely made of flames, as long as one's mental power was strong enough, it could be "conducted" to any corner.

"It's just a pity that the depths of the God Burying Fire Prison are too terrifying. Even with Sect Master Yan's immense power, his strength and mental energy would be instantly incinerated if they went below a thousand zhang. Otherwise, he could have detected the Ancient Horned Dragon's location much sooner, and even discovered the secrets at the bottom of the Fire Prison," Huo Poyun sighed with some regret.

Yun Che's brows twitched... Vermillion Bird Will Projection, a unique ability of Vermillion Bird Flame. This ability was terrifying just to imagine. If a massive sea of fire erupted during a battle and the Vermillion Bird Will was deployed, then no matter how many enemies there were, as long as they were within the sea of fire, their positions, changes in aura, and every movement would be perfectly clear and completely known.

It was entirely equivalent to having the entire fiery sea as one's own eyes!

Vermillion Bird Flame...

"Master says this ability consumes quite a bit of mental energy," Huo Poyun whispered. "And with such a great distance, the mental energy drain must be enormous. Even Sect Master Yan probably can't maintain it for long."

Just then, the aura abruptly changed.

Within the Vermillion Bird projection, the sky above the Ancient Horned Dragon suddenly tore open with a cyan-blue spatial rift, and a streak of white appeared, as if from a dream.

"Master!" Feeling the aura, Yun Che quickly looked up, a low cry escaping his lips.

Mu Xuanyin's icy gaze swept downwards. Her figure seemed exceptionally petite before the Ancient Horned Dragon, but the moment she appeared, an overwhelming chilling might instantly suppressed the Horned Dragon's terrifyingly ferocious aura. The surrounding sea of fire, which had been ceaselessly churning, was forcefully quelled as if pressed down by the heavens, becoming eerily calm without a single ripple.