The purpose of Ling Xiao's visit was to find out from Han Kai what kind of strange flame was lurking in Chi Gang's body. He wanted Han Kai to be mentally prepared and see if it was the kind of flame he was looking for.
"What? A white snake spirit beast attacked the Xuan Thearch and left behind a white snake pattern flame that even a Xuan Thearch couldn't get rid of?" Han Kai was surprised to hear Ling Xiao's words.
"That's right. I wonder if Senior Brother has heard of this Heavenly Flame?" Ling Xiao nodded.
Han Kai fell into deep thought. After a while, his old eyes burst out with a strange light and said, "If I'm not wrong, it should be a kind of mutated spirit beast that was nurtured by an Earth Fire that is infinitely close to a Heavenly Flame."
Ling Xiao listened attentively. He also wanted to know if it was the kind of flame that was mentioned in his inherited memories.
"A white flame that can transform and hide. It might be the third ranked Earth Fire, the Extreme Flaming Flame!
Only it can nurture that kind of spirit beast that can store the flame and leave behind the hidden injury of transformation, "Han Kai said with certainty.
"I also think that it might be the Extreme Flame Shaped Fire. It has appeared in the ancient times!" Ling Xiao replied with an excited expression.
"You brat, your luck is great. This flame has a very high chance to advance into a Heavenly Flame. Even an old man like me is tempted!" Han Kai looked at Ling Xiao with envy.
Any kind of Earth Fire was very precious. Not to mention a high-grade Earth Fire that could advance into a Heavenly Flame. It was even more difficult to find.
However, it was not easy to subdue it. Even a mid-level Xuan Thearch like Chi Gang was at a disadvantage!
"Haha, it can't be helped. Junior Brother's character is good!" Ling Xiao laughed heartily as if the Heavenly Flame already belonged to him.
"If Qi Yang is not still young, I might throw away my old face and ask you to give it to me!" Han Kai's words showed how much he doted on Qi Yang.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Let's build up his foundation first. In the future, it won't be a problem to find a Heavenly Fire for him!" Ling Xiao said.
If it was any other Earth Fire, Ling Xiao might have been able to let it go. After all, he already had the Heavenly Fire, and one less fire source would not affect him much. The key was that this fire source was of great use to him.
…
A month's time passed by quickly. Chi Gang had indeed recovered his mid-stage Mystic Thearch cultivation, and he had also used the supreme-grade Mystic Thearch Elixir to reach the high-stage Mystic Thearch Realm.
With the improvement of his cultivation level, he also had a place in the Laughing Palace.
Chi Gang successfully broke through and immediately found Ling Xiao. He fulfilled his promise and brought Ling Xiao to the dangerous place he discovered.
The Nanyuan Territory belonged to the Ouyang Clan, the Violet Thunder Sect, the Myriad Flower Sect, and the Gu Clan.
There were also various restricted areas in this region, with the Southern Ancient Ridge being the most restricted.
This was a land of continuous mountain ridges that had existed for tens of thousands of years. It was an existence that was on par with the Death Mountain Range and several other restricted areas in the Central Region.
There were all kinds of towering ancient trees, exotic flowers, and spirit herbs. Many spirit beasts lived there.
According to legend, the Southern Ancient Ridge was the ancestral land of the Phoenix Clan. They lived in the depths of the Southern Ancient Ridge and were rarely seen by ordinary people.
However, the Blue Luan Sacred Bird had once appeared here. It was a high-grade spirit beast with the bloodline of the Phoenix Clan.
Ling Xiao and Chi Gang traveled day and night from the Laughing Palace and rushed for a month before arriving at the Southern Ancient Ridge.
Ling Xiao leaned against the boundless mountain ridge and murmured, "It's said that those who depend on the mountain live off the mountain, and those who depend on the river live off the water. Although this forbidden ancient ridge is dangerous, it also supports the people of the Southern Abyss."
"Yes, if there were no such mountain ridges, it would be impossible for the four major forces to gather here!" Chi Gang sighed.
He belonged to the Nanyuan Territory and once formed a group of mercenaries in the Southern Ancient Ridge. They were famous and were people that all four forces wanted to rope in.
However, after he was injured, he passed his mercenary group to his sworn brother and rushed to the Laughing Palace. Now, it could be considered as returning to his hometown.
"En, let's go. I don't have much time to waste here!"
Ling Xiao responded softly and flew towards the depths of the Southern Ancient Ridge. He was worried that there would be some unforeseen events. If the Ultimate Flame Shaped Flame was taken away by someone else in advance, then it would be a great loss.
Chi Gang did not dare to be negligent and immediately led the way at full speed.
The place where Chi Gang was injured was in the depths of the Southern Ancient Ridge. Both of them were Mystic Thearchs and flew at full speed, but it took them a few days to get close to the place.
However, when they approached the place, something unexpected happened.
"This place has been sealed by our Ouyang Clan. Unauthorized people are not allowed to enter!"
A group of Heavenly Venerate and Earthly Sovereign martial artists in uniform blocked the way of Ling Xiao, Chi Gang, and the others.
They were all riding sixth-grade spirit beasts and looked especially majestic.
"Oh no, could it be that someone got here first?" Ling Xiao immediately shouted in his heart.
"Palace Lord, this …" Chi Gang also had the same thought and asked Ling Xiao.
"This is not the exclusive territory of the Ouyang Clan. Let's go there directly!" Ling Xiao said faintly. Then, his figure swept forward.
"How dare you! You actually dare to barge in. You are tired of living!"
The peak-level Heavenly Venerate leader knew that the two were extraordinary and did not attack immediately. Instead, he warned them again.
"You … you are the leader of the Red Flame Mercenary Group, Chi Gang?" Another high-level Heavenly Venerate from the Ouyang Clan recognized Chi Gang and shouted.
"Yes, it is this Emperor!" Chi Gang responded.
In the past, the Ouyang family had tried to recruit him, but he didn't want to. If he hadn't been severely injured, he wouldn't have chosen to join the Laughing Palace. Besides, he was tired of the mercenary life, and he wanted to live a peaceful life. That was why he made this decision.
The Ouyang Clan was an ancient power, second only to the Dongfang Clan. However, these clans had a very serious idea of valuing the inside and despising the outside. Although he was the Mystic Thearch, he was still considered an outsider. If he joined, he would certainly not have any status. This was also one of the reasons why he finally decided to join the Proud Smiling Palace. At least, the Proud Smiling Palace offered a very sincere bargaining chip. It was also a sect without hereditary inheritance. If he went, he would certainly be put in an important position. The result also proved that joining the Proud Smiling Palace was the right choice.
"Could it be that your Red Flame Mercenary Group thinks that you can compete with our Ouyang Clan?" Although the high-level Heavenly Venerate knew that Chi Gang was powerful, he was not afraid of him and stared at him.
"Sorry, this Emperor is no longer the leader of the Red Flame Mercenary Group. If you really use the Red Flame Mercenary Group to threaten this Emperor, this Emperor may destroy you right now!" Chi Gang frowned and said.
Although he had left the Red Flame Mercenary Group to others, it did not mean that he had no feelings for the Red Flame Mercenary Group.
"I am just stating a fact. You clearly know that our Ouyang Clan is doing business here, yet you still force your way in. Do you really not put our Ouyang Clan in your eyes!" The high-level Heavenly Venerate still responded with full confidence.
When Chi Gang still wanted to say something, Ling Xiao said, "Let's go. It is useless to say more!"
"Yes, Sovereign!" Chi Gang responded.
Immediately after, the two of them directly flew over the Ouyang Clan's group.
The Ouyang Clan's people were about to launch an attack, but the two of them were already thousands of meters away. It was simply not something they could stop.
"Immediately send a message to the elders in front!" The peak Heavenly Venerate shouted and hurriedly chased after them on his spirit beast.
At the same time, another person shot a beam of light into the sky, followed by a roar, and a firework-like spark was emitted.
"Sovereign, this is the Ouyang Clan's transmission signal!" Chi Gang said to Ling Xiao.
"It doesn't matter. This isn't their Ouyang Clan's territory. There is no need to be afraid of them!" Ling Xiao said confidently.
Chi Gang nodded and didn't say anything more.
After the two of them flew for a while, they arrived in front of a towering cliff.
One side of the cliff seemed to have been cut open by some kind of divine weapon, making it look abnormally steep and dangerous.
"It's under the cliff in front!" Chi Gang pointed at the cliff and said.
Ling Xiao nodded lightly and said, "The fire attribute here is already stronger than elsewhere."
Ling Xiao was sure that it was in the vicinity. The Demon Spirit Heavenly Fire Pearl in his sea of consciousness was already faintly jumping.
"Sovereign, there are a few spirit beast corpses over there!" Chi Gang pointed to a few desolate places below and said.
Ling Xiao also saw it and replied, "The blood hasn't dried yet. It should be done by the Ouyang Clan."
This was a place where spirit beasts roamed freely. If someone intruded, there would naturally be spirit beasts attacking.
Just at this moment, dozens of figures flew out from the bottom of the cliff.
These were obviously people from the Ouyang Clan. All of them were riding on spirit beasts and wielding spirit artifacts as they charged towards Ling Xiao and Chi Gang.
"Who are you? How dare you barge into my Ouyang Clan's sealed area. You must be tired of living!"
The leader was a middle stage Xuan Emperor. He held a pair of copper hammers in his hands and sat on a seventh level middle stage Desolate Bull. He looked very menacing.
Other than him, there were also two low-level Xuan Emperors and dozens of Empyrean experts.
With such a group of people moving out at the same time, it was obvious that they had discovered some shocking gains.
"Chi Gang, you dare to provoke my Ouyang Clan's prestige?" A low-level Xuan Emperor immediately recognized Chi Gang's identity and shouted.
Chi Gang had been in the Southern Ancient Ridge for more than eight hundred years and he was also a talented rogue cultivator. There were definitely many people who knew him.
"So it's Elder Lin. My Palace Lord and I are here. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with your Ouyang Clan!" Chi Gang replied.
That low-level Xuan Emperor was called Ouyang Lin. He was the one who invited Chi Gang to join the Ouyang Clan.
Other than him, the middle-level Xuan Emperor was called Ouyang Feng and the other low-level Xuan Emperor was called Ouyang Ke. They were all elders of the Ouyang Clan.
Looking at their tattered clothes, it seemed like they had been burnt. It was obvious that they had just experienced a huge battle.
"No matter who you are, leave immediately or you will be killed without mercy!" Ouyang Feng shouted with a gloomy face. The aura of a middle-level Xuan Emperor was immediately released.
"What a big tone. Even if Ouyang Hong was here, she wouldn't dare to speak to this Palace Lord in such a loud voice!" Ling Xiao replied arrogantly with his hands behind his back.
At the same time, Chi Gang had also released his aura of a high-level Xuan Emperor.
"What a powerful aura. You … you are a high-level Xuan Emperor?" Ouyang Feng stared at Chi Gang.
To be able to overshadow his aura, the other party must be of a higher level than him.
"If you know what's good for you, then move aside. We are going to the bottom of the cliff!" Chi Gang said faintly.