Chapter 287: Fire Qilin Appears

When the army reached Winter Sand Valley, Ye Jinglan became consumed by work. He oversaw everything, coordinating soldiers from various units to assist the geomancers in setting up the grand formation. Working almost without sleep, the immense array was finally completed after three days.

Early that morning, Ye Jinglan summoned Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan to a vantage point above Winter Sand Valley. Looking down, they saw that various ritual altars had already been constructed throughout the valley.

At that moment, numerous geomancers were already making preparations.

As noon approached, the sun was directly overhead Winter Sand Valley. A horn sounded, and the geomancers simultaneously acted, activating the formation.

"Rumble," "rumble." The roar of the activated formation sounded like deep thunder rolling beneath the earth. The yellow sands of Winter Sand Valley suddenly rose in a thirty-meter-high blast of air. The ground cracked like a spiderweb, and vast amounts of sand and dust seeped from the dark fissures. Accompanied by a metallic screeching sound from underground, several tornadoes erupted from where the fissures converged.

Sand particles spun rapidly within the eye of the wind, forming dense tornadoes. These tornadoes carried debris and hot air from underground directly into the sky, creating an overwhelming sea of sand. In the center of this sand sea, the earth slowly rose as if lifted by an invisible giant hand.

"It's appearing!" Ye Jinglan pointed at the terrifying sandstorm in the distance, swallowed hard, and exclaimed, "The Ancient City of Heixu! That's the Ancient City of Heixu!"

Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan, however, remained relatively calm. Still, Gu Mo felt a sense of awe at the spectacle. Although he had seen the Ancient City of Heixu once before, three years ago, he hadn't witnessed its emergence.

Amidst the sandstorm, the city walls gradually emerged from beneath the sand, ancient dust flaking away to reveal mottled beast-face carvings and winding runes. Eerie light seeped from the wall seams, intermingling with the lightning within the tornadoes, resembling the eyes of a slumbering giant beast opening.

As the city walls faintly appeared and disappeared, a violet lightning bolt suddenly erupted from the hazy sandstorm in the sky. Like a silver serpent, it struck the rolling clouds, instantly illuminating the entire desert as if it were day.

The wind and sand reached their peak at this moment. The tornadoes transformed into a sandstorm barrier encircling the ancient city. Golden sand particles formed high-speed swirling vortices outside the city walls, emitting a roar like ten thousand galloping horses. The Ancient City of Heixu became increasingly distinct, standing in the center of the desert like a colossal beast. Lightning snakes danced wildly among the battlements, and purple-black clouds spun rapidly above the city towers, creating an eerie cosmic resonance with the golden sandstorm swirling below.

"All troops, advance!" Ye Jinglan descended from the valley, mounted his steed, and raised a military banner. At his command, one thousand heavy cavalry led the way, followed by three thousand light cavalry and six thousand elite infantry. A total of ten thousand elites marched towards the Ancient City of Heixu.

Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan exchanged a glance. Simultaneously, they floated in the air, following the army towards the Ancient City of Heixu. The closer they got, the more they felt the oppressive presence emanating from the Heixu ruins.

"What kind of formation is this?" Gu Mo asked.

Qi Miaoxuan replied, "This is the Void Formation, known as one of the ten most wondrous formations of all time. However, it has been lost for centuries. If I'm not mistaken, the Heixu ruins likely contain the only complete Void Formation remaining in the world today."

"The person who created this formation was truly an extraordinary genius. They must have been inspired by witnessing a true 'Cave Heaven and Blessed Land.' This formation exists between reality and illusion, similar to a cultivator's domain."

Gu Mo asked, "You can't break it?"

Qi Miaoxuan shook his head. "Human capabilities have their limits, after all. Although I've lived for many years and am proficient in many common arts like music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, martial arts, and medicine, there's so much in the world that I haven't had time to learn. This formation is one of the things I don't fully understand."

"That's why I had to figure out a way for Ye Jinglan to bring an army here. Once we enter the city, you'll need to use battle qi to help me resist the Void Formation, so I don't get pulled into the Fire Qilin's fire domain. While I'm confident I can kill that beast, if I'm dragged into its fire domain, I can't guarantee killing it without sustaining injuries. I advise you to be careful too, kid."

Gu Mo nodded slightly and chuckled, "If it's something that even makes you, old immortal, cautious, then it's certainly worth noting."

Qi Miaoxuan pouted. "You really are an impolite kid. Here I am, a kind old man, reminding you, and you go around calling me 'old immortal'!"

"Aren't you?" Gu Mo retorted. "You probably don't even remember how old you are, do you?"

"Well..." Qi Miaoxuan thought for a moment, then chuckled, "You know what? You're right... Hahaha... Hahaha... I truly have forgotten how many years I've lived... Kid, do you want immortality?"

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "What? Are you going to share your method of immortality with me?"

"I'll give it to you," Qi Miaoxuan said with a strange smile, "I just hope you don't regret it later... Hahaha, kid, I'll soon fully grasp the power of immortality. I'll come find you then; I'm truly lonely!"

With that, Qi Miaoxuan accelerated, flew to the front of the army, and quickly landed before the gate of the Ancient City of Heixu.

Gu Mo watched Qi Miaoxuan's retreating back, his brow furrowing slightly. Before, Qi Miaoxuan had seemed quite normal, but ever since revealing his identity as an immortal, he had started speaking in a cryptic and eccentric manner.

"He was normal before because he was actively playing the role of Qi Miaoxuan, like an actor, with every action and word adhering to the persona. Now, he has shed the identity of Qi Miaoxuan and reverted to being an immortal. The next time he assumes another identity, he'll become normal again." Gu Mo mused inwardly, thinking, "Isn't this just schizophrenia?"

After a silent complaint, Gu Mo also quickly flew over and landed before the gate of the Ancient City of Heixu. The city, as expected of a former national capital, was incredibly majestic and grand, even if it couldn't compare to Chang'an. Though ancient, it still exuded an oppressive aura.

The city gates were open, revealing wide streets inside. Though many of the houses and pavilions on either side were damaged, they were remarkably well-preserved. However, dust permeated the air, limiting visibility.

"Enter!" Ye Jinglan led the charge, holding his long blade as he walked at the very front. Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan followed closely behind, and as the army advanced, their footsteps made the ground tremble.

Inside the Ancient City of Heixu, a deep gloom pervaded. Sunlight was completely obscured, leaving only an inky darkness. The sky was a churning mass of thick dust, and the ground beneath their feet seemed overwhelmed, trembling and shaking violently. Every tremor felt as if it would shake one's soul from their body.

On the streets, withered bones and weapons could be seen periodically. It was unclear whether they belonged to the residents of the Ancient City of Heixu when it vanished, or to treasure hunters who had entered in the years since.

As the entire army gradually entered the city, Ye Jinglan prepared to order a search for treasure. But just as he was about to wave his command flag, Qi Miaoxuan placed a hand on his arm, stopping him.

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled softly, "Don't panic yet, kid. Just look at the sky!" Ye Jinglan looked up, and in that instant, his pupils constricted sharply—

The swirling dust tornadoes above the ancient city were like a funnel gripped by an invisible giant hand, pressing down at an alarming speed. The originally golden sand columns were now enveloped in explosive sparks. Each rotation carved twisted rune trajectories in the air, and the spinning sand particles, following a unique rhythm as they descended, outlined a burning, mysterious formation diagram, searing monstrous cracks across the entire sky.

"Crack—" A muffled sound exploded from the base of the city wall. The grey-green battlements slowly shifted like giant gears, and the high walls encircling the city began to rotate counter-clockwise. Firelight seeping from the brick seams formed a continuous band of flowing light, transforming the entire city wall into a colossal compass suspended above the desert.

The desert all around the ancient city suddenly boiled. The golden sand particles abruptly turned crimson, surging like boiling iron filings towards the ancient city, forming twelve converging walls of flaming sand.

Ye Jinglan felt the intense heat and oppression, his entire body tensing up. Qi Miaoxuan, however, chuckled and patted Ye Jinglan's shoulder. "Kid, this is where I need your help. Once this Void Formation completely descends, this place will become the Fire Qilin's home turf!"

Ye Jinglan's pupils constricted. Fully understanding Qi Miaoxuan's meaning, he immediately swung the long blade in his hand, plunging it into the sand as he roared, "All troops, heed my command! Battle formation, activate!"

"Boom—!" At his command, in an instant, the soldiers' battle qi erupted like a golden tide, surging towards the general's banner at the formation's core. The battle banner, embroidered with a profound tortoise, suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light. This golden light transformed into a solid wall of light, shooting skyward and crashing against the oppressive flames.

The fiery wall tendrils that enveloped them from all directions shrieked as they hit the light wall, dissipating into plumes of thick smoke. The roaring of the turning city walls and the groaning of shifting buildings were now drowned out by the thunderous clash of battle qi.

Immediately after, Ye Jinglan waved the military banner again. One thousand heavy cavalry pressed forward in unison. Under the impetus of these thousand heavy cavalry, the immense battle qi directly pressed one of the fire walls in front, causing it to become illusory and then vanish.

However, black rain suddenly fell from the sky. When it hit the ground, it directly corroded and pierced through the thick stone slabs. Ye Jinglan looked up. From the fiery cracks in the sky, streams of vast black mist poured down. This mist was not a chaotic mass; rather, it surged like an inverted sea of ink. Billions of black tendrils outlined bizarre stellar trajectories as they moved, sometimes coalescing into spinning whirlpools, sometimes dispersing into the forms of rushing beasts, and finally transforming into countless strange human faces diving down.

As someone integrated with Qilin blood, Ye Jinglan's perception was incredibly strong. He immediately sensed that the black mist was a potent poisonous fog and shouted, "Qi Miaoxuan, the Plague God has made a move!"

Qi Miaoxuan smiled faintly, floating beside Ye Jinglan. "Kid, just focus on using battle qi to resist the Void Formation for me. Leave this Plague God to me; I'll deal with him in half an hour at most!"

"Half an hour?" Ye Jinglan exclaimed. "What if the Fire Qilin comes out?"

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled, "Originally, many people would have died, but now..." He pointed at Gu Mo and added, "With this impolite Gu Mo here, what are you afraid of?"

With that, Qi Miaoxuan shot skyward, raising one hand above his head. In that instant, a terrifying suction force appeared from his hand, immediately forming a gigantic vortex that directly drew all the overwhelming poisonous mist into it. Afterward, he instantly vanished into the poisonous mist and dust above the sky.

Immediately, immense energy fluctuations erupted above the sky. Clearly, Qi Miaoxuan and the Plague God had begun to fight.

The Void Formation continued to operate. The entire Ancient City of Heixu was functioning, with sustained high temperatures that were already beginning to overwhelm the heavy-armored cavalry. As for the pressure from the grand formation, that was manageable, as battle qi was least afraid of pressure. However, the continuous high temperature was an ordeal.

Ye Jinglan's expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "Half an hour..."

"Leave it to me!" Gu Mo chuckled slightly, then immediately stepped forward. Activating his Limitless Reverting Qi, supplemented by Ice True Qi, he thrust out a palm. In an instant, the void solidified, and waves of chilling intent surged forth, freezing even the dust in the air. The scorching high temperature quickly subsided.

Ye Jinglan gave Gu Mo a thumbs-up. Immediately afterward, he directed another squad of troops to begin searching the city for treasures left behind by the ancient Heixu Kingdom.

Gu Mo, meanwhile, flew to the top of a tall building, looking up at the vast churning sand and dust in the sky. Although he couldn't see what was happening inside, he could sense two powerful forces clashing within. One was a pure primordial spirit power, which he surmised belonged to the legendary Plague God, who was neither human nor ghost.

Seeing that the Fire Qilin hadn't appeared yet, Gu Mo considered joining the fight against the Plague God, so Qi Miaoxuan wouldn't take all the credit.

However, Gu Mo suddenly had a feeling. He detected a trace of his own sword intent, specifically the "Break" sword intent he had comprehended from the "Break" character of the Nine Swords of Dugu. "Yu Shijiu?"

Gu Mo's pupils constricted. His sword intent had only been released once before: three years ago, when he first came to Mobei and met a young swordsman named Yu Shijiu, known in the martial world as "Flying Swordsman."

Gu Mo greatly admired him. Yu Shijiu was not only the most sword-talented youth Gu Mo had ever encountered, but his decisive style of action and chivalrous character also earned Gu Mo's high regard.

Therefore, Gu Mo had given Yu Shijiu a sword and a trace of his sword intent. In return, Yu Shijiu had given him two miraculous elixirs. One was given by Gu Chutong to the Old Celestial Master at Longhu Mountain, and the other remained in Gu Chutong's large book trunk.

Immediately, Gu Mo looked in the direction from which the sword intent emanated. As a surge of primordial spirit power flowed forth, he surprisingly saw a shimmering, illusory world, like a mirage, hidden within the Ancient City of Heixu.

Immediately, Gu Mo took a step forward. Relying on his powerful mental strength, he instantly seized an opportunity between reality and illusion. Stepping into it, he found himself in a small village nestled amidst beautiful mountains and clear waters. Strangely, this village was clearly *inside* the Ancient City of Heixu, yet after he entered, it felt as if he were *outside* the city, and even in Winter Sand Valley, while still being able to see the Ancient City of Heixu in the distance.

"Great Hero Gu!" A voice called out. Gu Mo looked over; it was indeed Yu Shijiu.

Three years had passed, and Yu Shijiu had grown considerably. However, apart from his height, little else seemed to have changed; he still had dark skin and a youthful face.

Yu Shijiu held a sword in his hand—the very one Gu Mo had given him years ago.

"Shijiu, long time no see. What are you doing here? Are you from the Fire Spirit Tribe?" Gu Mo asked.

Yu Shijiu stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Great Hero Gu, I am the current Guardian of the Fire Spirit Tribe. Are you... here to kill the Fire God?"

"The Fire God? The Fire Qilin?" Gu Mo asked. Yu Shijiu nodded. "The Fire God is the Fire Qilin."

"I am indeed here to kill it," Gu Mo answered directly, without concealment. "Does your tribe intend to stop me?"

Yu Shijiu said, "Great Hero Gu, you are the foremost hero under heaven, allied with that legendary immortal, and supported by an army. Apart from me, the guardian, none of my tribe practice cultivation, so we are naturally not qualified to stop you."

"I just observed you in the city and deliberately invited you here because I want to tell you that you will not succeed this time, Great Hero Gu. Please leave quickly."

"What do you mean?" Gu Mo asked, puzzled. Yu Shijiu said gravely, "The Plague God is invincible within the Ancient City of Heixu. If you add the Fire God to that, you stand no chance of victory, Great Hero Gu. I don't wish for you to die here, so I specifically advise you to leave!"

Gu Mo asked, "Are you so sure I can't defeat the Plague God?" Yu Shijiu said, "Great Hero Gu, your martial arts are unmatched, but the situation here is different. This is the Ancient City of Heixu. The Plague God told me himself that no one here will be his opponent!"

Gu Mo asked, puzzled, "Has the Plague God been in the Ancient City of Heixu all this time?" Yu Shijiu shook his head. "No, he and that immortal can sense each other's presence. He didn't come in early; I met him outside."

Gu Mo's pupils constricted. "How did you know they could sense each other's presence? Did the Plague God tell you that too?" Yu Shijiu nodded.

Gu Mo said, "Alright, I understand. Thank you for the warning."

"Great Hero Gu, please leave quickly!" Yu Shijiu urged.

Gu Mo chuckled and patted Yu Shijiu's shoulder. Without saying anything further, he turned and flew back towards the Ancient City of Heixu.

This Void Formation was indeed bizarre. Entering that small village from the Ancient City of Heixu was like crossing into another world. Yet, going from the small village to the Ancient City of Heixu felt perfectly natural. Although he was still on that small path, far from the Ancient City of Heixu, in a single step, he found himself inside the Ancient City of Heixu, and when he turned around, all trace of the small village had vanished.

At the entrance of the small village, Yu Shijiu watched Gu Mo disappear, sighed faintly, and whispered, "Great Hero Gu, I'm sorry. I cannot control myself. I'm sorry to betray your kindness in imparting the sword art..."

As he muttered, tendrils of flame emanated from Yu Shijiu, his skin turned crimson, then burst open to reveal individual scales. "Roar..." Yu Shijiu suddenly let out a roar. His clothes instantly incinerated, and his body began to twist and mutate. The next moment, flames surged powerfully around him again. He lunged forward with his hands, collapsing to the ground, where his entire body transformed into a Qilin the size of an adult water buffalo, burning with fierce flames.

From that small village, two to three hundred Qilins rushed out, emitting terrifying roars as they frantically ran outwards. Their stampede resembled a surging sea of fire.

In the next instant, two to three hundred Qilins appeared within the Ancient City of Heixu. Before the soldiers could react, nearly three hundred Qilins charged towards the army formation. Their momentum was like a rainbow, a pervasive sea of fire, terrifying and unmatched. They actually intimidated the army, causing the battle formation to loosen and the battle qi to waver for a moment.

Fortunately, Ye Jinglan reacted swiftly. He shot into the sky, unleashed a blade strike, and his thirty-meter-long blade aura directly split the foremost Qilin in two, splattering blood. "What's there to fear? They're just beasts!"

Ye Jinglan roared, instantly stabilizing the morale of the army. He then swung his long blade again and shouted, "Heavy cavalry, press forward!" Immediately, one thousand heavy-armored cavalry advanced, unleashing battle qi. However, those Qilins were fearless, extremely fierce, and erupted with surging flames that burned away the battle qi as they charged towards the army.

Although Ye Jinglan stabilized morale, only a minority could single-handedly kill these Qilins. The army was still greatly affected; battle qi from various sides began to weaken, especially Gu Mo's Ice True Qi which was being incinerated. The high temperatures returned, and the army inevitably weakened.

However, this time, Gu Mo did not intervene again, because he had already sensed the aura of the true Fire Qilin.

At this moment, the Void Formation was finally complete. Instantly, the world changed color, and the entire realm was engulfed in fire. The sky became a sea of flames, the earth began to glow red, and the air was intensely hot.

Above the void, a monstrous flaming vortex suddenly appeared, churning wildly. Crimson magma surged like a long river in the depths of the vortex, each wave carrying intense heat. Suddenly, the magma at the center of the vortex violently collapsed, and a black fissure abruptly tore open. This was not a spatial rift, but a premonition of some colossal entity about to break through. The magma, like boiling porridge stirred by an invisible giant hand, burst forth in fire columns several meters high. The flames at the vortex's edge were forcibly compressed into solid molten rock, crumbling down the vortex wall and revealing a collapsing volcanic world at the core of the vortex.

"Roar—!" A roar tore through the void before any form appeared. It was not merely a sound, but a materialized energy impact. The flames on the vortex's surface were instantly shattered into countless flowing fires, like shattered glass struck by a heavy hammer, bursting into spiderweb-like cracks with a crash.

The void's fiery vortex churned, and magma surged like a stellar river. Suddenly, the center of the vortex split open, and a gigantic claw, covered in rhomboid molten armor, extended out. Flames dripped from its claw tips, and each time it pierced the void, space twisted like water, and the air shrieked like shattering glass.

As the giant claw braced against the vortex's edge, a head wreathed in fierce flames rose. Its two horns intertwined like an archway, their tips supporting a collapsing nebula of fire. When its amber vertical pupils opened, the swirling flames within them burned the void, causing black smoke to seep out.

A crimson body slowly emerged. Star-core-like light flowed between its millstone-sized scales, and electric arcs wrapped around the flaming mane on its spine. As it rose, it forcibly pushed the vortex open, and magma poured like a waterfall from its shoulders and back.

A destructive aura, capable of incinerating the very essence of matter, permeated its entire body. Its fifteen-meter-tall body crushed the void, each step making space groan. Once it fully emerged, the fiery vortex behind it instantly shriveled into dim sparks, and all the buildings on the ground beneath its feet were instantly incinerated.

"The Fire Qilin!" Standing on the tall building, Gu Mo gazed at this true, legendary, forbidden Fire Qilin. Only then did he realize the terror of this fierce beast.

Recalling Lu Canyang's Qilin form in Qingzhou and Ye Jinglan's Qilin transformation in the Jiang Kingdom's imperial palace, compared to this true Qilin, they were utterly incomparable—like night and day. He instantly felt they were just two common dogs.

At this moment, Ye Jinglan, looking at the Fire Qilin, was trembling all over, shivering from the depths of his soul. His body uncontrollably began to emit flames. He had originally thought that, with his cultivation, the Fire Qilin form he transformed into, even if not as magnificent as the original, would at least possess 40-50% of its grandeur. But at this moment, he understood that no matter how big a cat was, it could never mimic the aura of a tiger.

Gu Mo suddenly unleashed a sword strike. A vast coldness permeated the area, instantly tearing a rift in this fiery world and directly carving a huge gap in the city wall of the Ancient City of Heixu. "Let's go, Old Ye!"

Gu Mo took a step, instantly teleporting in front of Ye Jinglan. He slapped Ye Jinglan's shoulder, suppressing the Qilin blood that Ye Jinglan was on the verge of uncontrollably unleashing, then shouted, "Are you not withdrawing the troops yet?"

Ye Jinglan snapped back to reality, immediately waved his military banner, and roared with all his might, "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Everyone, get out!"

Immediately, the army began a frantic retreat. Gu Mo, wielding his sword, and Ye Jinglan, with his blade, remained at the rear, both releasing immense auras to deter the smaller Qilins. As for the true Fire Qilin, it seemed uninterested in Gu Mo and the others, instead gazing up at the void.

Qi Miaoxuan swiftly descended from the sky, appearing beside Gu Mo and Ye Jinglan. He looked at Gu Mo with a bewildered expression and asked, "Kid, what are you doing?"

Gu Mo shrugged. "Nothing much. I can't beat it, so I'm getting out of here. Old immortal, I'll leave this to you. We mortals shouldn't interfere in your non-human battles!"

Qi Miaoxuan was speechless. "Didn't you want to kill the Fire Qilin? He's a wanted criminal!" Gu Mo pouted. "You want me to fight alone? I can't beat it, so why wouldn't I run? I do want to kill wanted criminals, but I'm not going to risk my life for it. I'm out, I'm out. Old Qi, take your time fighting. I have faith in you. One against two, no problem!"

Qi Miaoxuan: "..."

A black mist quickly surged down, taking on a human form. It was the Plague God. Immediately, both Gu Mo and Qi Miaoxuan became vigilant.

To their surprise, the Plague God sent a mental message to Gu Mo and the others, saying, "I want to kill the Qilin too. We can team up first!"

Gu Mo, Ye Jinglan, and Qi Miaoxuan exchanged glances, seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

The Plague God continued his mental message: "The Fire Spirit Tribe needs to break free from the Qilin's curse. Everything I've done has been for the Fire Spirit Tribe. The reason I've been fighting you desperately for centuries is that I hadn't found a way to lift the Qilin's curse. The Qilin couldn't die. But now that a way has been found, I want to kill the Qilin even more than you do!"

Gu Mo smiled faintly. "Then you go first. Otherwise, we can't trust you."

"Alright."

In an instant, the Plague God transformed into a wisp of smoke again, appearing in the void. With a pull of his hand, the black mist permeated the sky, instantly isolating the flames in this part of the void. "The Qilin's fire domain has been isolated by me, significantly reducing its power. But I can only maintain this for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. We must act quickly!"

As the Plague God transmitted his message, he directly swooped down towards the Fire Qilin, transforming into a vast black mist that enveloped it.

Qi Miaoxuan looked at Gu Mo and nodded. "Let's kill the Fire Qilin first, then we can team up to kill the Plague God. Anyway, both of them are wanted criminals and your targets. What do you say?"

"Alright," Gu Mo nodded. "But you have to lead the way."

Qi Miaoxuan rolled his eyes, said nothing more, and directly transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the Fire Qilin.

At this moment, Ye Jinglan gripped his long blade, his blade aura surging forth, ready to charge as well. However, Gu Mo's voice reached his ears: "You retreat first. Be ready to provide support for me at any time. Old Qi has a big problem!"

Ye Jinglan, however, showed no decrease in his aura. His eyes, fixed on the Fire Qilin, were full of fighting spirit and defiance. And so, with an imposing aura, he turned and ran, his retreating figure disappearing from the city in a remarkably dashing manner.