Chapter 47: Crimson Flame Mountain Range

  Second update! Click! Red ticket! The new book list was exploded again, so worried~

  ————

  Wow!

  Chen Xiao woke up from his meditation, took a deep breath, and a stream of white smoke burst out, like a dragon, like a galloping horse, with an endless and lingering aura.

  "I've broken through! After a night of arduous cultivation, I have reached the Pre-Heaven Nine Layers Realm and am now just one step away from the Purple Mansion!"

  Chen Yao stood up, stretched his limbs and felt the powerful energy flowing through his body. He thought to himself: "In the past, I could crush my peers with my innate eightfold Qi refinement, and even defeated Li Hua. Now that I've reached the Innate Completion Realm, I should be able to hold my own against those Purple Mansion Realm experts."

  However, Chen Xiao also understood that in the battle of Nanman Mingyu, due to the limited strength of the Zifu Realm cultivators, he was able to compete with them. If this limitation were lost, facing the true strength of the Zifu Realm cultivators, the outcome would be unpredictable.

  The sky had already brightened up and returned to that dark red state. As Chen Yao walked out of the stone house, he saw Du Qingxiang and the other two were already packed and ready to go.

  "Has your cultivation advanced?" Du Qingxi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as she looked at Chen Xiao's radiant and introspective expression.

  "It seems like yesterday's battle was a great help to you." Endo Takeru's eyes also flashed with surprise.

  "Hmm, I think it's a matter of course." Song Lin gave Chen Yu a profound look, the meaning of which was difficult to decipher.

  Chen Xiao didn't know that yesterday's battle with Li Hua, whether it was the exquisite swordsmanship, footwork, or the majestic collapse fist that merged heaven and man, all made Song Lin certain that there must be a master guiding him from behind.

  The morning light was bright, and most of the Taixiu monks who had been stationed in the Blood City had already left the city to hunt down the fierce beasts. Only a few people, like Chen Tai and his three companions, followed the predetermined route, heading deeper into the bloody mountainous region, which was also the direction of the southernmost part of the Nanyang Underworld.

  When leaving the Blood City, Chen Xiao finally saw that there were more than 30 cultivators with strong auras heading out of the city. According to Du Qingxi's explanation, all these cultivators were in the Purple Mansion Realm, including disciples from the eight major sects of Longyuan City, three universities and six major families, as well as high-ranking experts from other cities in Nanjiang, which could be called a gathering of masters.

  Su Jiao and Cang Ming were also among them, with seven or eight young men and women standing beside the two of them, each with a strong aura, their eyes gleaming brightly, extremely eye-catching.

  Are you starting to gang up now?

  Before Chen Tang could react, a bright and cheerful laughter came from afar. From the crowd in the distance, four or five young men and women with different attire but all with spirited faces walked towards this direction.

  "Endwood brother, Song brother, Du sister, you've all arrived." The young man in black clothes said with a smile.

  After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chen Tai soon learned that the young man in black was named Chai Le Tian, from the Xing Luo Palace, one of the eight major sects of Long Yuan. He was tall and handsome, with a scar on his left cheek, which not only didn't disfigure him but added to his rugged masculinity.

  The three men and one woman beside Chai Le Tian are from the three universities of Longyuan City, and in terms of status, they are not inferior to Chai Le Tian. They are Yu Haobai from Longyuan Wan Yun Academy, Du Quan and Du Kui from Feng Ling Academy, and Mu Rong Wei from Qingmu Academy.

  Yu Haibai is a slightly delicate and handsome young man with an elegant and extraordinary demeanor.

  Du Quan and Du Kui are a pair of twin brothers, both tall and majestic in appearance, but extremely introverted and taciturn in personality.

  Murong Wei was the only woman among them, with a delicate and slender temperament, like an orchid in a quiet valley, charming and moving, making people can't help but feel protective of her.

  These five people have apparently reached some kind of tacit understanding, all looking up to Chai Le Tian as their leader.

  Chai Letian and Du Qingxi's relationship seems to be good, facing Chai Letian's small talk, the cold and snowy Du Qingxi also couldn't help but reveal a rare smile.

  Chen Yao noticed that when he saw Chai Le Tian and Du Qing Xi chatting happily, the faint smile on Duan Mu Ze's lips disappeared, and a hint of vigilance and alertness flowed out from his eyes.

  "Alas, Xiao Zeze is actually quite pitiful. He pursues Su Jiao, but has the powerful rival Cang Ting; he pursues Qing Xi, and then Chai Le Tian appears. It's truly sigh-worthy."

  A faint whisper pierced his ears, and Chen Xiao looked up to see that Song Lin was standing beside him, looking disheveled and sleepy, as if he had never been awake.

  "What are these people going to do?" Chen Tang asked in a similar manner.

  "Nature is an alliance, in fact if you observe carefully, the five people of Chai Le Tian and Su Jiao's group, although they come from different forces, are actually two completely different camps..."

  With Song Lin's explanation, Chen Tang finally understood what was going on.

  The so-called Longyuan City has eight major sects, three universities and six major families, with complex relationships between each other, divided into two camps.

  Xiale Tian's representative Xingluo Palace, as well as Yu Haibai and others' representative of the three universities, and Du Qingxi's three representatives of the Du, Duanmu, and Song families, all belong to the same camp.

  Su Jiao, Cang Lin and the seven or eight young men and women behind him represent another camp.

  This time, both major camps have people entering the Nán Màn Míng Yù, in order to prevent each other from making a sneak attack, traveling together is undoubtedly the best choice.

  "In fact, the relationship between these forces is complicated. After all, they are all some enormous entities that have been passed down for nearly ten thousand years, with mutual competition and communication between them. The complexity of their relationships makes one's head spin just thinking about it."

  Song Lin let out a sigh and said weakly: "Just remember, Su Jiao and those people are our enemies."

  Chen Yu was speechless for a moment, and before he knew it, he had also been divided into factions, without knowing whether it was good or bad.

  "Could it be that this Taoist friend is the Chen Chao who defeated Li Hua yesterday?" Chai Le Tian suddenly turned around, smiling and looking at Chen Chao.

  Du Qingxi nodded and said, "Exactly."

  "Not bad, not bad." Chai Le Tian smiled brightly and turned around to continue chatting with Du Qing Xi, never giving Chen Tang a chance to speak from start to finish.

  Obviously, in Chai Le Tian's heart, Chen Tang was just an existence that could be had or not, a greeting would suffice, and it wasn't worth paying too much attention to.

  Chen Xiao didn't think much of it, but Du Mu Ze was displeased and transmitted a message: "Being ignored by someone, can you swallow this insult?"

  "It doesn't seem...that serious, does it?" Chen Tai said hesitantly.

  Du Mu Ze saw Chen Tang being so nonchalant, and immediately felt a pang in his heart, saying: "A person living in the world, dignity and integrity are of utmost importance. If one has no dignity, what's the difference between being alive and being a dead fish? As the saying goes, 'a person lives by their face, a tree lives by its bark...'"

  "Do you have a grudge against Chai Le Tian?" Chen Tai interjected, unable to bear Dong Mu Ze's nagging.

  "We will be enemies until death!" Du Mu Ze angrily replied.

  "Shall we join hands and kill him?"

  Du Mu Ze's expression hesitated, and he suddenly came to his senses from that inexplicable frenzied state. His face changed color constantly, and finally, he said dejectedly: "No way, if I do this, Qing Xi will look down on me for the rest of her life."

  As he spoke, he patted Chen Xiao's shoulder: "Brother, you're really thoughtful! Someday when we go to Longyuan City, the two of us will definitely have a good drink together."

  Chen Xiao was taken aback, suddenly remembering what Song Lin had said before. Du Mu Ze was indeed pitiful when facing off against Shi Le Tian, this emotional rival of his.

  "Let's go!" Far away, Su Jiao waved her hand and led a line of people beside her to rush towards the distance.

  Chen Tuo suddenly saw that behind Su Jiao and her group, Li Hua was also following. This guy seemed to have been hiding in the crowd earlier, and now he too turned his head towards Chen Tuo. When their eyes met, his face instantly turned as dark as water.

  "Let's set off too."

  It was Chai Letian who spoke up, and judging from Du Qingxi's expression, he obviously acknowledged his leader status.

  "Hmph, except for Qingxi, I won't listen to anyone else's orders. What about you, Chen Tang?" Du Mu Ze asked through the transmission.

  "What?" Chen Xiao was taken aback and replied: "It doesn't matter."

  Duanmu Ze patted Chen Yao's shoulder and said, "Alright, from now on we'll be together through thick and thin. As for Chai Le Tian... well, isn't he just an old ancestor with a Realm of Eternity? If it weren't for that, when would he ever get the chance to lead the team?"

  Facing Tanaka's familiar actions, Chen Yu rubbed his nose helplessly and didn't object.

  ……

  The Red Flame mountain range is extremely vast, with peak after peak standing like sharp swords supporting the sky, towering into the clouds. Faintly, there are low and violent beast roars coming from within.

  The Red Flame Mountains are located ten million li outside of the Bloodlust City, sprawling across the vast expanse of flying sand on the barren plains, and is a must-pass place to reach the end of the Southern Barbarian Nether Realm.

  Here, the ferocious beasts are not only numerous, but deep within them, there are also ferocious beast leaders roaming about. In countless years past, disciples who participated in the Nán Màn Ming Yu trial would be warned by their seniors to never approach the Red Flame Mountains, which was a treacherous and forbidden land.

  Normally, no one would venture in, but today is clearly not a normal time. Figures suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain and rushed towards the depths of the mountain range with loud shouts.

  Their speed was not slow, but they still encountered wave after wave of fierce beasts attacking them. These fierce beasts came from all sides of the Red Flame Mountain Range, with a ferocious and cruel aura, as if defending their own territory, and charged at these cultivators with reckless abandon.

  Suddenly, wails and screams rose one after another, casting a terrifying atmosphere over the Red Flame Mountains.

  But that group of people soon disappeared into the depths of the mountain range.

  "Is this the Red Flame Mountain Range?"

  Before long, Chen Yu and his group also appeared at the foot of the mountain, looking up at this vast mountain range with an unusually solemn expression on each of their faces.

  "This is the last barrier on the way to the end of Nanyuan Mingyu, where fierce beasts are rampant and there's no escape. We can only force our way through."

  Chai Letian furrowed his brow and said, "We must speed up our pace. Su Jiao and the others have already taken a step ahead of us, and there are only three days left until the deadline is one month away. We must arrive before then."

  Splash!

  As soon as the words fell, Chai Letian took the lead and plunged into the depths of the mountain range.

  Others saw this and rushed up, Du Qingxi was about to leave, but suddenly found Chen Tang standing still on the spot, motionless, and couldn't help asking: "What's wrong with Chen Tang?"

  Du Mu Ze was also extremely shocked, shook his head and patted Chen Tai's shoulder: "Brother Chen, it's time to go."

  "Oh, okay." Chen Xiao's body stiffened for a moment before he responded vaguely as if he had just woken up from a dream.

  No one noticed that in Chen Xiao's gaze towards the majestic and towering Red Flame Mountain Range, a hint of brightness flashed by quietly.