Chương 115: Cloud Ridge Summit

Cloud Ridge Mountain stood within Qing'an County, a volcano and also a minor branch of the Purple Dusk Mountain Range. The fire-attribute spiritual energy here was dense, brimming with rare fire-attuned resources. Cultivators who possessed fire-type Spirit Roots loved to train on these slopes. After three days of travel, Huaijin arrived with Yen Tianyang on his back. The air around them radiated an oppressive, sweltering heat. The spiritual energy itself felt violent and unstable, as if it might snap at any moment.

Anyone who stayed here too long without an exceptionally steady mind would find their temperament growing increasingly irritable, their fuse getting shorter by the day. Ignoring the stares of the other cultivators nearby, Zhang Huaijin carried Yen Tianyang straight up the mountain path toward the summit. A few onlookers felt a flicker of greed.

"Perhaps something valuable was hidden beneath that black cloak?" But the moment Huaijin unleashed the aura of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, those greedy eyes snapped wide open and then immediately looked away.

'A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?' The usual crowd hanging around Cloud Ridge Mountain were all Qi Refining Realm rogue cultivators, scraping by on scraps. Tier 2 experts rarely set foot here.

'Could it be that some heavenly treasure had just been born inside the mountain?' But after that brief display of power, no one dared to entertain such thoughts any longer. They simply watched Zhang Huaijin's back as he climbed, step by step, toward the peak. … The temperature up there was blistering. Deep within cracks in the dark gray rock, rivers of molten lava flowed downward in lazy, glowing streams. Volcanic ash belched into the air in thick clouds.

The atmosphere was bone-dry, and tiny sparks of fire danced and flickered in the space all around. At the very edge of the summit, the lava pool was nearly overflowing. Every so often, it would erupt, hurling blazing magma high into the sky. Even an early stage Tier 2 cultivator would struggle to endure this heat for long. And Yen Tianyang, back when he first arrived, had only been at the late stage of Qi Refining Realm. The fact that he had survived at all was proof of extraordinary fortune.

After all, Yen Tianyang had been chased to this very volcano and forced to jump right into it. … The summit was completely deserted. Huaijin dropped Yen Tianyang unceremoniously onto the ground. By now, Yen Tianyang's nerves were barely holding together. He hovered on the edge of consciousness, his mind foggy, his life hanging by a thread. The long period of unconsciousness had left his body terribly weak. He looked around at the familiar landscape, and a flicker of nostalgia passed through his eyes.

'This is the place,' he thought.

'The place where I unlocked the secret of the map fragment.' Huaijin sat down cross legged on the rocky ground and began to wait for the Day of the Direct Sun. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The days slipped by like water through fingers. —— Twelve days passed. The sky stretched out in an endless expanse of blue, not a single cloud in sight. The golden sun hung overhead, radiating an almost unbearable heat.

Even the earth seemed wrapped in a thin, tangerine colored veil of light. Today was the Day of the Direct Sun, the hottest day of the entire year. Zhang Huaijin slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long, stale breath. He pulled out the map fragment. A layer of violet gold azure armour shimmered into existence around him, forming a protective energy shield. Then, without hesitation, he stepped calmly into the lava. The 'Yang' map fragment in his hand began to tremble.

He could feel the fire-attribute spiritual energy in the lava surging toward his palm, as if drawn by an invisible force. The fragment turned a deep, glowing red. Threads of flame energy traveled along the fragment's meridian lines, connecting with one another to form a strange, eerie pattern. A virtual image flickered to life, rippling waves of energy shaped like a purple thunder lotus, gestating silently in the heart of the sea of fire. Then the fragment trembled more violently.

A wave of profound, mysterious intent wrapped itself around his body. In an instant, his sea of consciousness was transported to what felt like a world made entirely of lightning and thunder. The space around him teemed with countless bolts of lightning, each one different from the next. They wove together in dazzling, dangerous patterns, sending out blinding sparks. Serpents of lightning danced wildly, ravaging everything in sight.

Huaijin's mind plunged deep into the scene, absorbing the mysteries unfolding around him. The strange power of intent from the map fragment accelerated his understanding dramatically. His comprehension of the Dao of Lightning advanced by leaps and bounds. Deep within his very soul resided the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram, which constantly tempered his body. His soul was already powerful, his innate talent extraordinary. His natural power of comprehension was monstrous to begin with.

But now, enhanced by the map fragment, that power grew exponentially. His spirit sank deep into the ocean of lightning. And then the dense lightning energy began to seep from the map fragment directly into his body. The energy hammered his flesh and blood, unleashing terrifying power. His body cultivation surged forward at a breathtaking pace. In the blink of an eye, his body cultivation broke through to the eighth. Huaijin had fallen into a deep state of enlightenment, unaware of the world around him.

But then deep within the previously calm magma, a terrifying aura erupted. A Tier 2, mid grade spirit beast, a Purple Flame Python woke from its slumber. This volcano was its territory. But all the energy within the volcano was being drained away, siphoned off by this intruder. The beast had been jerked out of its sleep. The python shot up from the depths and locked onto Huaijin in seconds. Sensing his aura, at the fifth level, matching its own, a cold gleam filled the python's eyes.

This human cultivator had set up a training session right in its own lair. He was stealing energy that belonged to it. This human had to die. Huaijin was at the fifth level. So was the python. And the python was an expert at hiding its presence. It was confident that with a well timed sneak attack, its prey wouldn't stand a chance. This was practically a free meal delivered right to its mouth. Who knew, maybe after devouring and refining this human, it could break through to the sixth level.

Even before killing Zhang Huaijin, the python's heart blazed with excitement. The python was incredibly fast, moving through the lava in complete silence. In an instant, it closed to within thirty meters of Huaijin. Its gaping maw opened wide. A ball of explosive purple fire condensed silently in its throat. Tiny sparks swirled around the fireball, radiating immense destructive power. If that projectile hit Huaijin, he would be gravely injured. But then… The python's body froze mid strike.

Three Yin Yang Divine Needles had appeared in its sea of consciousness. The power of Primordial Tai Chi erupted. Black and white light swirled violently, ravaging the python's soul from within. For a spirit beast, the soul is its greatest weakness. In an instant, the python's soul shattered. Its fierce aura dissipated like smoke in the wind. The Tier 2 Purple Flame Python was dead before it even touched the surface. The python's corpse vanished into a storage pouch. The lava grew calm once more.

Huaijin's own aura continued to rise, becoming more and more terrifying with each passing hour. … Three days passed like the snap of a finger. Huaijin's body cultivation had now reached the perfection stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, the very summit of the realm. The violent power of lightning continued to hammer his body, tempering it relentlessly. His meridians grew tougher, his blood thicker and more viscous. His foundation deepened even further.

Both his soul cultivation and body cultivation had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Realm. Meanwhile, his qi cultivation, still at the fifth level, steadily advanced as well. And deep within his dantian, threads of lightning energy began to gather. Lightning flashed, emitting a blinding, dazzling light. A walnut sized silver sphere slowly took shape, radiating a terrifying aura. This was the Lightning Seed that Yen Tianyang had mentioned.