CHAPTER 856: CHAPTER 856: A NEW DECISION

The Earth Core Fire triggered by the Xuanyang Earth Pearl undoubtedly became the last straw that broke Chi Yan’s resistance. Even though he had advanced to the Seventh Rank Advanced as a result, he found himself somewhat at a loss at this moment, as the gap was truly too large.

Swoosh!

Just as Chi Yan was falling into despair, a sound of wind-breaking suddenly reached his ears. Then he felt that the Earth Core Fire enveloping him seemed to have found a channel of release, rushing towards a certain fiery red figure.

The one who suddenly intervened was naturally the young Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, Red Feather. As the Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu had said, if Red Feather took action, none of the Earth Core Fire would be wasted.

With the special Devouring Power of Golden Snake Worm Xiao Wu, he could devour and refine most forces in this world, whether they were immensely powerful poisons or mystical Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

But Xiao Wu was indiscriminate with these things, though the effect varied greatly. Now, even Yun Xiao didn’t know what attribute he really was, but at least he wasn’t purely of the Fire Attribute.

The Ancient Heavenly Phoenix Red Feather was different. Ever since its birth, Yun Xiao had seen its intense Fire Attribute aura more than once and knew that, like Chi Yan, it was an uncompromising Fire Attribute Vein Demon. What’s more, its bloodline was even more powerful than that of the Fire Cloud Rat.

After Red Feather made its move, Yun Xiao saw the Earth Core Fire enveloping Chi Yan being devoured at an extremely fast speed. In the blink of an eye, the flames lingering on Chi Yan were almost completely gone.

At this moment, Red Feather seemed like a Nirvana Divine Bird truly reborn in flames. The intangible silhouette that formed made Yun Xiao’s heart skip a beat, as if an ancient Great Demon was about to break forth from the fire.

"Could it be..."

At the thought of a possibility, a gleam flashed in Yun Xiao’s eyes. Then he felt the surrounding air seemed to be stirred, with the center of the energy fluctuations being Red Feather, who was absorbing the Earth Core Fire energy.

Boom!

At a certain moment, a formidable power erupted from Red Feather’s body. This energy surge was much like Chi Yan’s breakthrough earlier, but the momentum was much greater.

"Really... broke through?"

This was something Yun Xiao had never expected. Or rather, he hadn’t expected the Xuanyang Earth Pearl to attract such intense Earth Core Fire after Chi Yan’s breakthrough.

These formidable Earth Core Fires nearly burned the newly advanced Chi Yan to death, but due to Red Feather’s intervention, they turned misfortunes into blessings. Not only did Chi Yan escape the calamity, but Red Feather, having refined these Earth Core Fire energies, advanced to the Eighth Rank Low Level.

Earlier, while persuading Red Feather, Yun Xiao had promised to find something no less precious than the Xuanyang Earth Pearl to assist in its breakthrough. Yet, he did not expect fortune to come so quickly—Red Feather achieved a breakthrough under the blessing of Earth Core Fire almost in an instant.

This kind of Earth Core Fire exists deep beneath the earth, making it exceedingly difficult even for some Saint-rank Experts to wield it. They must employ certain array masters’ methods to possibly summon a trace of it.

Or like back when Qian Sanyuan refined the Fire Pu Pill, though that kind of earth fire couldn’t compare to Earth Core Fire; they were fundamentally incomparable.

An Eighth Rank Early Stage Vein Demon equates to cultivators at the Origin Seeking Realm Early Stage or even Middle Stage. Yun Xiao believed that Red Feather, who broke through to Eighth Rank Early Stage and bore the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix bloodline, wouldn’t be much inferior even against the Origin Seeking Realm Middle Stage Xu Huang he faced before?

Although the Xuanyang Earth Pearl didn’t enhance Yun Xiao’s strength in the slightest, his two companions in life and death both achieved breakthroughs, thus providing him with more defensive cards for his future endeavors in the Tenglong Continent.

Yun Xiao knew he had killed Xu Huang, the branch president of the Douling Commerce Yuyang City branch, and dealt with headquarters’ special envoy Xia Yong outside Thunder King Valley. Given Douling Commerce’s disposition, they wouldn’t let it go easily.

Even though large forces like Douling Commerce wouldn’t openly do anything underhanded, the powerful beings they could send secretly were beyond Yun Xiao’s current ability to contend with.

Although Yun Xiao was in disguise and no longer showed any trace of his former self as Yun Xiao or Xing, there was no guarantee that those strong from Douling Commerce wouldn’t find him. Therefore, having two boosted companions by his side was undoubtedly delightful for him.

"Alright, it’s time to leave Thunder Mountain!"

Seeing that daybreak was approaching and both Red Feather and Chi Yan’s breakthroughs were complete, Yun Xiao stood up, took a deep breath, and glanced back at the silent Thunder Mountain before vanishing into the depths of the forest in a few flickers.

......

Half a month later, in Lushan City!

Lushan City is a large city located to the far north of Thunder Mountain, nearly ten thousand miles away. Its scale is even larger than Yuyang City, which once hosted the Spirit Fighting Conference, bustling with activity.

At the South Gate of Lushan City, a middle-aged man with a slightly travel-worn appearance walked leisurely forward. It was Yun Xiao in disguise. Seeing such a grand city, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Over the past half month, Yun Xiao had taken desolate paths, avoiding any major troubles. As for minor issues, they naturally posed no threat to him.

Lushan City is a central hub for this region, attracting many cultivators from the surrounding areas who gather here whenever they have the chance. Therefore, as Yun Xiao headed towards the South Gate, many cultivators were moving in the same direction, and he inadvertently overheard some whispers.

"Hey, I heard the disciple selection conference of Lianyun Mountain is about to start. Are you interested?"

"Sigh, I’m no Meridian Refining Master. Brother Zhao, you’re definitely going, right?"

"Haha, since I’ve luckily broken through to a Low-Level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Master, I should give it a shot!"

"Then I wish Brother Zhao all the best in surpassing the competition and taking the top spot!"

"Taking the top spot is too much, I just hope Lianyun Mountain takes notice and accepts me as an Outer Disciple!"

"..."

The discussion from a group on the left clearly reached Yun Xiao’s ears, stirring something within him. Having been on the Tenglong Continent for so long, he certainly knew what that place called "Lianyun Mountain" was.

The Tenglong Continent has four major superpowers, known as the "Palace and Dual Guilds". Yun Xiao had experienced the Spirit Fighting Commerce, while the other guild was the Meridian Refining Master Guild, headquartered in the core of the Continent at Lianyun Mountain. Hence, the Meridian Refining Master Guild is also referred to as Lianyun Mountain, referring to the headquarters of Meridian Refining Masters.

Once, during his time on the Tenglong Continent, Yun Xiao had received an invitation from Qian Sanyuan, the Vice President of the Meridian Refining Master Association. However, he had declined at that time as he had not yet decided on the path he wanted to take on the Tenglong Continent.

Moreover, Yun Xiao did not know much about Lianyun Mountain and the people within it. He was unsure if everyone was as righteous as Qian Sanyuan.

After all, Yun Xiao did not want his fate to be in the hands of others. He knew that with his current strength, he could not compete against a superpower like the Meridian Refining Master Guild, so he decided to observe for a while.

However, the current situation is vastly different from when he was on the Hidden Dragon Continent. After spending half a year on the Tenglong Continent, Yun Xiao’s strength had naturally increased, but he had also made many formidable enemies.

Aside from the irreconcilable Spirit Fighting Commerce, he had unpleasant encounters with Li Qingran of Sky Thunder Valley while at Thunder King Valley, and clashed with two geniuses from the Killing Heart Sect, with one injured and the other escaping. They likely bore a deep grudge.

It was these reasons that prompted Yun Xiao to change his initial plan, realizing that he needed an ally on the Tenglong Continent. Not being familiar with Xuanyin Hall and Wuyan Palace, his first choice was naturally the Meridian Refining Master Association.

Of course, this decision was based on Yun Xiao’s strong foundation in Meridian Refining Technique. He knew that in such a unique power, strong meridian refinement skills command admiration, even if formidability in Meridian Qi Cultivation is not highly valued.

"Hehe, Senior Sister Mo Qing, Senior Sister Han Yi, are you doing well at the Meridian Refining Master Association?"

With a plan in mind, Yun Xiao stepped boldly towards the South Gate of Lushan City. Two familiar, graceful figures surfaced in his mind, as he knew these two had been noticed by Qian Sanyuan in the past.

However, Yun Xiao was unaware that Qian Sanyuan had his reasons beyond the two women’s inherent talent in meridian refinement.

Now, it seems Qian Sanyuan’s subtle approach had succeeded. Yun Xiao decided to participate in the disciple selection conference of the Meridian Refining Master Association, partly due to Mo Qing and Liu Hanyi.

In theory, Yun Xiao could join the Meridian Refining Master Association by sending a message to Vice President Qian Sanyuan, but the Yun siblings did not want to owe anyone too many favors, so he intended to join with his own strength.

Moreover, entering the Meridian Refining Master Association through connections would certainly be looked down upon. Yun Xiao was confident that his meridian refining talent was no less than those geniuses at the Meridian Refining Master Association.

"There... must be Lushan City’s Meridian Refining Master Branch!"

After wandering around Lushan City for half an hour, Yun Xiao’s eyes lit up at the sight of a massive black-green palace. He was no stranger to such special structures.

Recalling his time with the Meridian Refining Master Branch of the Lingtian Empire on the Hidden Dragon Continent, Yun Xiao felt a surge of heroism, and a desire to compete with the Tenglong Continent’s meridian refining geniuses arose, impossible to dispel.