Chapter 925: Fame Soars

The Azure Mountain Range is located on the border of Qing Country. Spiritual energy is sparse here, and cultivators rarely appear.

Deep within the Azure Mountain Range, on an endless grassland, a fair-faced middle-aged Taoist priest and a young woman in a yellow skirt stood on a small mound.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was tall and thin, dressed in a red Taoist robe, wearing a red lotus-shaped headdress, and holding a red whisk. He exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

"Madam Huang, why haven't the people from the Golden Goose Sect arrived yet? They aren't going to back out, are they?" the middle-aged Taoist priest said with a frown, glancing at the sky.

The young woman in the yellow skirt smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Sun, rest assured. The Golden Goose Sect will definitely send someone. If they don't come, then the Purple Gold Earth Mine will be ours."

The middle-aged Taoist priest nodded. He suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, what about the person I asked you to help me find? It's been so many years, and there's still no news of him? Given his personality and conduct, he should be easy to find."

"Fellow Daoist Sun, I have heard of the Huang Fugui you speak of. I've sent many people to search for him, but none have found his whereabouts. He might no longer be in this world."

The middle-aged Taoist priest dismissed the idea, shaking his head and saying, "If you told me a Nascent Soul cultivator had died, I'd believe it, but if you say he's dead, I won't. That fellow's ability to adapt to circumstances is unmatched; at the slightest sign of trouble, he runs faster than anyone. Perhaps he's no longer in the Eastern Barrens! Never mind, if you can't find him, so be it. If you do find him, have him set a time and place, and I will go to him."

"Fellow Daoist Sun, you're letting Huang Fugui set the time and place? What ability does he possess that makes him worth such an effort?" the young woman in the yellow skirt asked curiously.

The middle-aged Taoist priest snorted lightly and said, "That fellow's luck couldn't be better. Sometimes, luck is also part of one's strength. He's as timid as a mouse; if I told him to come to me, he'd definitely be afraid I'd set a trap and ambush him. Nobody understands him better than I do."

The young woman in the yellow skirt nodded, her eyes filled with curiosity. The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator possessed considerable divine abilities, yet a person like Huang Fugui, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and was as timid as a mouse, could actually be acquainted with him. It truly proved the saying: the world is vast and full of wonders.

"They're here." A blue streak of light appeared in the sky, swiftly flying towards them. Shortly after, the blue light stopped, and as it dispersed, a blue flying boat became visible. Wang Changsheng and three others stood inside the blue flying boat, then successively disembarked.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, these two fellow Daoists look unfamiliar. Who are they?" the young woman in the yellow skirt asked with a frown, her gaze fixed on Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

"This is Fellow Daoist Wang and Madam Wang; I invited them to help," Shen Feiyan said, gesturing towards Wang Changsheng.

"Enough talk, who will come forward to spar?" the Red Flame Rogue Cultivator urged.

Wang Ruyan smiled gracefully, stepped forward, and said, "I would like to seek guidance from Fellow Daoist Sun. Please enlighten me."

Shen Feiyan had originally intended to ask Wang Changsheng to act, but Wang Ruyan wanted to try out a new musical piece. Wang Changsheng naturally didn't refuse, and Shen Feiyan had no objection.

The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator flipped his right hand, and a red light flashed; a palm-sized red command flag appeared in his hand. Numerous red runes flickered on its surface.

The red runes glowed brightly, and the red command flag rapidly expanded in size, transforming into a crimson banner flag. Wisps of flame emerged from its surface.

He patted his spirit beast pouch, and a red light flew out, transforming into a giant red eagle. This was a mid-tier Rank 3 spirit bird.

Wang Ruyan wasn't idle either; she released her Emerald-Eyed Frost Silkworm and Lion-Lin Beast, took out her Golden Lotus Qin, sat down cross-legged, and began to play.

The crimson giant eagle let out a clear cry, beating its wings as it swooped over. The Lion-Lin Beast spread its wings, gently flapped them, soared into the air, and met the crimson giant eagle.

The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator was slightly surprised to see Wang Ruyan release a Rank 3 spirit beast and a Rank 3 spirit insect. He gently waved the red banner flag in his hand, and rings of crimson fire waves swept out, forming a massive crimson fire cloud that flew towards Wang Ruyan.

Wang Ruyan ignored it, focusing on her playing. The Emerald-Eyed Frost Silkworm let out a strange cry, and sprayed a large volley of white ice cones towards the crimson fire cloud.

*Rumble!* The dense white ice cones pierced through the crimson fire cloud, erupting into a large expanse of crimson flames and white mist.

The sky abruptly turned crimson. A massive crimson fire cloud appeared above Wang Ruyan's head, emitting muffled roars.

The crimson fire cloud churned violently, and over a dozen giant fireballs, each the size of a water vat, flew out, menacingly hurtling towards Wang Ruyan.

At the same time, the Red Flame Rogue Cultivator's body was enveloped in a dazzling crimson firelight. A strong gust of wind rose, and a red light flashed, causing a crimson tornado, over thirty feet tall, to appear out of thin air, rapidly sweeping towards Wang Ruyan.

The crimson tornado was formed by countless flames, emitting monstrous heat waves. The very air seemed on the verge of igniting.

This was the Wind Flame Art.

This was not all. The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator moved his fists, and dense red fist-shadows flew out, raining down on Wang Ruyan like a tempest.

Wang Ruyan remained calm. She pulled a string with two fingers, then released it, and a rapid burst of zither music rang out. A blue sound wave, over a hundred feet long, swept out, meeting the crimson tornado.

She flipped her jade-like hand, and the Azure Essence Talisman Soldier flew out. Countless azure spirit patterns lit up on the Talisman Soldier's body. The weeds on the ground grew wildly, reaching over ten feet in height, weaving into a massive azure sphere that enveloped Wang Ruyan.

*Rumble!* The dozen-plus giant fireballs struck the azure sphere, instantly igniting a blazing inferno. The flames rapidly spread. Soon, a large expanse of azure fist-shadows flew out, smashing the falling giant fireballs into dust.

The blue sound wave collided with the crimson tornado, unleashing a powerful blast of air that swept outwards in all directions. Wherever the blast passed, the weeds on the ground were uprooted, the earth tore open, and large amounts of soil were swept into the sky. The blast grazed a yellow boulder taller than a person, turning the boulder into a large expanse of yellow dust.

The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator was slightly stunned. He had not expected Wang Ruyan's strength to be so great.

Just as he was about to continue casting spells to attack Wang Ruyan, the zither music became rapid, as if a myriad of soldiers were locked in battle, with blood flowing like rivers. His breathing involuntarily quickened, and his eyes became glazed with infatuation.

"Oh no, an illusion!" The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator realized something and tried to regain his senses, but he simply couldn't. The scene before his eyes became blurry.

He felt a blur before his eyes, and suddenly found himself in a crimson space. Millions of soldiers were battling, blood flowed like rivers, and corpses lay everywhere. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

Not only the Red Flame Rogue Cultivator, but Shen Feiyan and the young woman in the yellow skirt were also affected. Musical attacks did not distinguish between friend and foe. Wang Changsheng's divine sense was comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, so the impact on him was minimal.

"Stop, quick! We surrender, we surrender!" the young woman in the yellow skirt quickly shouted loudly. She spat out a yellow shield, which instantly expanded and spun around her, her eyes filled with apprehension.

Wang Ruyan ceased playing, and the zither music immediately disappeared. The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator also exited the illusion, his eyes filled with fear.

After Wang Ruyan advanced to the ninth layer of Core Formation, her strength had greatly increased and was now incomparable to before.

The Red Flame Rogue Cultivator took a deep breath, cupped his fist towards Wang Ruyan, and politely said, "Madam Wang, your Daoist magic is profound; I, Sun, am truly impressed. I have been defeated. Thank you, Madam Wang, for showing mercy. I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now."

After saying this, the Red Flame Rogue Cultivator leaped onto the back of the crimson giant eagle and transformed into a red streak of light that vanished into the sky.

Wang Ruyan smiled gracefully, without saying anything.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, that Purple Gold Earth Mine now belongs to your Golden Goose Sect. Farewell." After the young woman in the yellow skirt finished speaking, she transformed into a yellow streak of light and quickly soared away.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, thank you very much. We'll split the Purple Gold Earth Mine fifty-fifty." After witnessing Wang Ruyan's strength, Shen Feiyan's tone became much friendlier, changing the distribution from sixty-forty to fifty-fifty.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan exchanged glances and smiled at each other.

They stayed in Qing Country for half a month, guiding the younger generation and sparring with Core Formation cultivators from Qing Country. None were their match.

The Wang family of Black Hawk Mountain's reputation soared. Upon learning that the Wang family had two cultivators at the ninth layer of Core Formation, forces with grievances or conflicting interests with the Wang family all backed down, not daring to make enemies with them.

Seizing this opportunity, Wang Qingjun proposed marriage to other cultivation families, thereby expanding their influence and increasing the number of cultivators.