Chapter 521: Ten Suns in the Sky

The fire vein quaked under the relentless bombardment of fireballs and Golden Earth Qi. A fierce wind swept through, dispersing the smoke and dust. A massive crater appeared where the battle had taken place; all the lava essence stones vaporized, and even Daoist Buyu was utterly annihilated.

“Your Five Elements Sect elders are quite ruthless,” Lu Yang remarked, clicking his tongue as he appeared beside Meng Jingzhou. He wondered what his master had done at the Five Elements Sect to provoke such widespread anger.

Yuan Gang was startled, looking at Lu Yang as if he’d seen a ghost. “Why are you here? Who was that person just now?”

Lu Yang said lazily, “Of course it was a clone. Couldn’t you tell? A wood clone. Doesn't a wood clone using a wooden sword seem quite fitting?” Otherwise, the Fire Vein Elder and the Gold Vein Elder wouldn't have attacked with such overkill. If he’d used his real body to transform into Master, he wouldn’t even know how he died.

“Haha, truly a disciple of the Dao Inquiry Sect, excellent performance, quick-witted,” Song Duantian’s hearty laughter resounded from seemingly nowhere, as the Five Vein Elders and Qiu Jin'an appeared one by one.

“Yuan Gang, remember the saying, ‘there’s always someone better, and a higher heaven beyond.’ Learn from this lesson and do not be arrogant or conceited in the future.” Aside from Meng Jingzhou’s use of continental gravity and Lu Yang’s provocative transformation into Daoist Buyu, Li Haoran’s infinitely accelerating Ox-hair Needles alone showcased an artifact refining concept vastly superior to Yuan Gang’s.

“Yes, Master, I will certainly remember this lesson,” Yuan Gang replied, tactfully stepping back.

“This competition is a victory for your Dao Inquiry Sect. That unworthy disciple just now promised you could freely choose a True Fire from this place, and that prize still stands. This is your karmic opportunity; you may choose from our vein, but each person only gets one chance. Whether you succeed in learning it, or can comprehend the profound mysteries of True Fire, depends entirely on yourselves,” Song Duantian chuckled, sounding a bit dismissive.

What is True Fire? It’s something even Core Formation cultivators find difficult to master. Even exceptionally talented individuals capable of grasping True Fire face a challenge; there are 108 types. Could he possibly master them all? One can only master the True Fire that is most suitable for them. As for what is truly most suitable, that is beyond human control; it all depends on destiny.

Song Duantian snapped his fingers, and the earth cracked open. Reddish soil collapsed, white smoke billowed, and the temperature rapidly soared. Clusters of True Fire emerged: some ethereal and shrouded in misty fog, some emanating the melodious cry of a phoenix, others resembling blooming red lotuses, each concealing profound mysteries.

“Chaos True Fire, Nirvana True Fire…” Li Haoran murmured, naming each True Fire he saw, greatly surprised. These True Fires had stable foundations and immense power, a level higher than even what his master commanded.

Song Duantian, slightly smug, declared, “How can the True Fires mastered by the likes of Zhou Xin even compare to mine? These True Fires are the accumulation of our Five Elements Sect’s Fire Vein over a hundred thousand years!” Indeed, the True Fires collected by Zhou Xin alone couldn’t compare to the vast collection amassed by the Five Elements Sect over a hundred millennia.

The Five Elements Sect disciples cast envious glances, knowing how many missions they’d have to complete just to acquire a single True Fire.

“Although you two did not participate in the competition, you are still disciples of the Dao Inquiry Sect. Come, make your choice.” Tao Yaoyao and Mang Gu were surprised they also had the opportunity to choose a True Fire. However, neither of them were fire-attribute cultivators, nor did they possess the exceptional comprehension of someone like Lu Yang, leaving them uncertain if they could acquire a suitable True Fire.

“Is this the Six Ding Divine Fire?” Li Haoran stopped before a cluster of flames, immensely excited, his eyes shining brightly. The Six Ding Divine Fire is another True Fire suitable for artifact refining. Its inherent balance of gentle and fierce fire, combined with its Qimen Dunjia potential, allows it to devour impurities and makes it exceptional for inscribing runes! The Fifth Elder also possessed the Six Ding Divine Fire, a True Fire passed down through generations of peak masters. Li Haoran had originally planned to learn it from his master after returning from the Five Elements Sect, but since the opportunity to learn the Six Ding Divine Fire was now at hand, he realized destiny was at play and he couldn't miss it. A Core Formation cultivator could, at most, learn two True Fires; attempting to learn more would only prove to be a burden. Li Haoran had already mastered the Grand Evolution True Fire, so the slot for this second True Fire was naturally reserved for the Six Ding Divine Fire.

“Grand Yin True Fire?” As Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were selecting True Fires, a pure white True Fire emitting a chilling aura caught their attention.

“Old Meng, you should learn this. You already have Pure Yang True Fire; with Grand Yin True Fire, you’d have both yin and yang,” Lu Yang chuckled mischievously, poking Meng Jingzhou with his elbow.

“Get lost, get lost! With my meager cultivation, having both yin and yang would only lead to my self-destruction.”

“Phoenix Nirvana Fire?” They then found another True Fire, from which indistinct phoenix cries could be heard.

“It’s said this is the True Fire of the Phoenix clan’s bloodline, possessing the ability of nirvana and rebirth,” Meng Jingzhou observed the Phoenix Nirvana Fire with great interest. However, being a bloodline True Fire of the Phoenix clan, it is incredibly difficult for outsiders to master.

“Don’t even think about nirvana and rebirth; that’s just a rumor,” Lu Yang stated, recalling the phoenix nirvana story the Immortaless had told. “However, while nirvana is false, its ability to restore injuries is real, which makes it quite suitable for you.” Meng Jingzhou, who often engages in close-quarters combat and frequently sustains injuries, could use the Phoenix True Fire to compensate for his vulnerabilities.

“I’ll choose this one!” Meng Jingzhou declared with certainty.

Only Lu Yang remained. His gaze was drawn to a cluster of scorching flames, within which an ethereal silhouette of a Golden Crow flickered, seemingly alive—the Solar True Fire. The Solar True Fire, also known as the Golden Crow True Fire, is one of two ultimate Yang-attribute True Fires, renowned alongside Meng Jingzhou’s Pure Yang True Fire for its extremely powerful attack capabilities. Ancient legends also tell of a time when ten suns hung in the sky, as ten Golden Crows emerged simultaneously, sweeping across the land, leaving it barren and bringing widespread disaster and destruction. Immortals, unable to bear the world’s suffering, shot down nine of them, leaving one to illuminate the earth, thus revealing the immense danger posed by the Golden Crows.

“My Samadhi True Fire’s attack power is insufficient; Solar True Fire can make up for that,” Lu Yang muttered to himself.

“Ah, Golden Crows. The Nine-layered Immortal loved these the most,” the Immortal Fairy suddenly remarked.

“The Nine-layered Immortal?”

“Yes, back then, the Nine-layered Immortal was researching the Yin-Yang Dao Fruit and hit a bottleneck, so he sought solutions everywhere. One method was to gather Golden Crows, representing extreme Yang, and Jade Rabbits, representing extreme Yin, and have them mate, hoping they might give birth to the Dao of Yin-Yang and provide him with inspiration. He worried one pair wouldn’t be enough, so he gathered ten Golden Crows and ten Jade Rabbits. Those ten Golden Crows mated day and night until they finally couldn't bear it anymore. They escaped into the night, all ten Golden Crows soaring into the sky simultaneously, creating an unbearable heat. When the Nine-layered Immortal saw his experimental subjects escaping, he wouldn't stand for it. He immediately took out his bow and arrows and shot down nine of them, but kept them alive for further experiments. I was right there, pointing at the tenth Golden Crow and saying I hadn’t tasted Golden Crow meat before. I suggested he shoot the tenth one dead so I could treat you four to some meat. At that moment, the Nine-layered Immortal’s hand trembled, he accidentally shot wide, and that Golden Crow escaped. What a pity,” The Immortal Fairy shook her head, still feeling regretful to this day.