Chapter Six: The Bustling Flame Village (Part 3)

The Realm of Hidden Profundity—this is the first stage after the cleansing ritual, often considered a transitional realm. It merely breaks the bodily restraints, granting one the qualification to cultivate and pursue immortality. Whether one ultimately achieves the Dao and becomes immortal depends entirely on personal fate.

To put it plainly, this realm endows beings with abilities beyond ordinary mortals—such as feats akin to lightness skills—rendering them capable of extraordinary deeds.

The Meridian Origin Realm follows the Hidden Profundity Realm. Progress here is much slower, especially for those with meager talents, like the villagers of Flamefire Village, who possess only a single spiritual root. Their cultivation advances sluggishly, and without fortuitous encounters, their prospects remain modest, destined to live out their days quietly within their village.

The chief ability gained in this realm is the formation of an inner core at the dantian when one reaches its peak and prepares to break through to the next stage.

With this inner core, one’s power increases significantly—not only can it heal minor wounds, but it also allows for slight replenishment of spiritual energy. Paired with the cultivation of Daoist scriptures, the inner core harmonizes with the teachings, accelerating progress and indirectly compensating for deficiencies in the spiritual root.

The subsequent realm, Longevity, is aptly named. Its true significance lies in prolonging the cultivator's life, granting time for self-cultivation before achieving godhood. It is not immortality in the strictest sense.

In this stage, a lotus appears beneath the inner core. As the realm nears completion, the lotus takes full form, and upon breaking through to the next level, a petal emerges on the lotus seat.

Each petal instantly extends the cultivator’s lifespan by a hundred years, allowing them to live for over a century longer. With every major breakthrough, another petal appears. By the fifth petal, should one fail to advance further, they reach the height of their journey, forever barred from godhood, and their achievements cease there.

At present, the Fire Qilin is near the late Meridian Origin Realm, just a step away from the next boundary. But do not underestimate this final step—it may demand many days to overcome. The difficulty lies not in the realm itself, but in the Fire Qilin’s spiritual root, which is the lowest-grade blue fire root, guaranteeing a tortoise-paced cultivation.

Yet, it is at least a pure blue fire root; otherwise, he would have no grounds for complaint.

Xu Dong: Divine Ghost Killing Array Disk, activate!

With a glance, he signaled his temporary ally not to use his artifact yet—his own was sufficient to subdue the beast. His aim was for Qiao Anyu’s artifact to be used against Bu Luo.

The master surnamed Qiao understood and prepared his artifact accordingly.

In the next moment, the Divine Ghost Killing Array Disk was unleashed, its immense disk instantly enveloping the beast across from them.

From the artifact, dozens of swords and blades of varying shapes appeared out of thin air, brandishing overwhelming fire, and began their slaughter of the captive beast.

Moments later, as the dust settled, the beast was slain, yet strangely, not a drop of blood was spilled—it simply vanished without a trace.

The two masters found this bizarre. Normally, resistance would entail a battle, and battle would inevitably lead to wounds, yet after such combat, the beast shed no blood?

What was the meaning of this?

Soon, they understood. A golden light flashed through the void, and a phantom began forming. When it was fully shaped, the duo trapped in the array were utterly astonished.

Was this resurrection? What kind of formation was this, that could revive the dead?

Still, now was not the time for complacency, for the beast nearby had already charged forth, poised to attack the two masters.

Though the beast possessed the advantage in strength, its methods were rigid and simple, relying solely on brute force to assault its foes.

Page 1/3

Page 2/3

Seeing the beast approach, the two masters exchanged a glance and immediately shifted their strategy.

Since the beast could revive after being slain, they could only restrain it, not kill it in one blow—otherwise, the ordeal would be endless, making any hope of breaking the array futile.

They withdrew their artifacts, and one of them took up an inconspicuous item.

It was a red pouch, much like the treasured item in Flamefire Village—an Infinity Pouch capable of holding innumerable things.

While the Infinity Pouch was a treasure in the village, to these two masters of the Cave Heaven Realm, it was nothing special. If they wished, they could easily obtain several, let alone one.

Somehow, an unspoken understanding arose between them, achieving unity even in such circumstances.

In the next moment, the red Infinity Pouch expanded in the void, its immense suction directed at the troublesome beast.

Without surprise, under Bu Luo’s astonished gaze, the beast was drawn into the Infinity Pouch.

And that was the end of it—not killed, but transferred from one space to another, merely a change of environment.

Changing the environment does not alter the essence, so this counted as half a victory. Now, as long as they found the array’s core and broke it, the formation would be resolved naturally.

This was Bu Luo’s greatest trump card, yet the solution proved so simple—perhaps the Dao is indeed found in simplicity.

Bu Luo: Impossible!

The two masters ignored him, leaving Bu Luo to question everything.

They knew only that breaking the array was essential for their survival.

It must be said, Bu Luo’s schemes were deep. Twice, he nearly succeeded, but fate always played tricks on him—this time was no exception.

Yet, it is not his own foolishness to blame, but rather that his intended victims were more clever than he.

Both under thirty, these two had reached their current heights through their own cultivation, far beyond what Bu Luo—who relied on luck to ascend—could ever match.

Had the two not been so united, perhaps Bu Luo would have stood a chance, but theirs was a relationship of both rivals and allies.

In danger, they could unite and help each other. Without peril, when interests were equal, they were competitors, yet regardless, they would never take each other’s lives.

Such was the bond forged through their shared cultivation of Flamefire’s power, the saying “no acquaintance without conflict” proven true.

Soon, the two found the array’s core and prepared to break it.

But Bu Luo would not let them succeed so easily. Allies or not, he had other tricks up his sleeve.

Bu Luo: You truly are something, driving me to this point. It seems I must show you what I am capable of, lest you think yourselves important.

Bu Luo: Golden Horn Shears, activate!

This artifact, golden and shaped like shears, was his prized treasure—unique and unparalleled in this world.

Page 2/3

Page 3/3

The Golden Horn Shears were forged from the skeletal remains of the ancient beast Pi Xiu, fashioned into scissors, hence their name.

This artifact belonged to the lightning element. Upon its activation, the lightning coursing through the shears appeared purple—utterly extraordinary.

As one of antiquity’s ferocious beasts, Pi Xiu’s power far surpassed common lightning, its force savage and domineering. Now, the two masters were in grave danger.

No one knew how Bu Luo had acquired this artifact; even glimpsing a Pi Xiu was rare, let alone crafting a treasure from its bones.

Yet, at this critical moment, a figure lurking in the shadows could no longer remain still. If things continued, lives would surely be lost.

Yang Zilin: Fellow Daoist, let mercy prevail!

He spoke as he raised his hands above his head, confronting the Golden Horn Shears head-on.

His strength was undeniable—even with his body paralyzed and arcing with electricity, he spoke as if nothing were amiss.

This was thanks to the Dao he cultivated.

Yang Zilin practiced the Ninefold Holy Body Dao. At present, he had attained the perfected Fourth Transformation, just a step away from the Fifth Holy Body.

His swift progress was due to never accommodating alien Daos within his body. He skipped the Cave Heaven Realm altogether, using his own body as the alien Dao, forcibly unlocking his bodily treasures and barely advancing to the Inscription Realm.

He was the first ever to use himself as the alien Dao, and through this, his body’s potential was fully awakened, granting him the unique Ninefold Holy Body Dao.

Bu Luo: Another one courting death? Very well, let us all die together!

He increased his force, yet still could not budge Yang Zilin in the slightest.

Who was this sudden newcomer? Even the Golden Horn Shears could not shake him?

Bu Luo could not fathom the depths of this man, seeing only a golden radiance emanate from Yang Zilin, unable to discern his true power.

But he was no fool. He knew well the might of the Golden Horn Shears, and would not rashly attack simply out of displeasure.

In the next moment, he withdrew his artifact and, at Yang Zilin’s signal, dispelled the array.

This was the most humiliating defeat in Bu Luo’s history, and the last. Henceforth, unless his strength reached its peak, he would never display his prowess so recklessly again.

And so, Bu Luo departed in frustration. As for Qiao Anyu and Xu Dong, under Yang Zilin’s impartial arbitration, they competed for the ultimate ownership of the Flamefire Dao. Afterwards, the three masters each went their separate ways.

Three days later, the story of a young boy began.