Ch. 165 - The Storm II

To Ye Fan, the outside world was now more dangerous than ever, if discovered, he’d be doomed. He assumed the Ji Clan wasn’t here for him specifically, it had been over half a year. As long as he stayed hidden, everything would be fine.

He headed deep into the seventh layer of the Flame Domain, stopping only when he neared the eighth. Before him, wisps of multicolored mist swirled, seemingly peaceful and serene. But the eighth layer lay just ahead, and its terrifying heat poured into the seventh like rushing rivers, like Heaven and Earth themselves had become a forge, refining everything within.

Ye Fan drew a sharp breath. Though the Seven-Colored Mist only differed from the Five-Colored Cloud Flame by two hues, the heat was exponentially greater, it defied reason.

The Five-Colored Cloud Flame already scorched him through the Bodhi Seed’s protection. As for the Seven-Colored Mist, even with the seed, it was likely too dangerous to enter casually.

“Most top-tier cultivators only refine weapons in the sixth or seventh layers. If that old monster enters the seventh, I’ll have no choice but to risk the eighth. Hopefully, he stays in the Purple Qi region.”

Ye Fan truly didn’t want to enter the eighth layer. He had no confidence, if he were burned to ashes, it would be game over.

Caw! Caw!

Suddenly, Ye Fan froze in shock. He heard the unmistakable cry of a crow, echoing from within the eighth layer. He stood dumbfounded.

The seventh layer could burn godpower to nothing and incinerate top cultivators. The eighth was simply unimaginable. How could a crow’s cry come from there?

He circled the edge of the eighth layer, cautiously peering inward. The Seven-Colored Mist swirled like countless rainbow threads, forming a vibrant yet deadly expanse. Massive boulders lay scattered, forming a stone forest.

Caw!

Again came the crow’s cry, sharp and clear like splitting metal.

Then he saw it: a giant boulder as tall as a hundred meters, like a small mountain. The ominous cries came from its base. At the foot of the stone mountain was a cave. Ye Fan focused carefully and spotted a few gleaming black feathers at the entrance.

“What…”

He was truly shaken. There was a living crow inside the eighth layer of the Flame Domain!

A chill ran down his spine. This was no ordinary creature. Even great cultivators wouldn’t dare enter the eighth layer. How did a crow end up here?

Do not provoke it.

Ye Fan obediently backed off and hid in a nearby stone forest. Now he was caught, an ancient crow in front, a Ji Clan elder behind. He was trapped.

Fortunately, the Five-Colored Cloud Flame was incredibly consuming, devouring all energies, which meant even powerful figures didn’t dare stretch their divine sense too far.

Ye Fan quietly cultivated in hiding, not daring to summon flames or temper his cauldron, for fear of alerting the Ji Clan.

At first, all was calm. But after eight or nine days, the sixth layer erupted with the sounds of forging, sharp metallic clangs echoed across the land.

Ye Fan relaxed. So the Ji Clan elder had come merely to refine a weapon, it had nothing to do with him. Still curious, he wondered what kind of artifact warranted such commotion.

Purple Qi surged in the sixth layer, and crimson light shot into the sky, brightening the heavens.

“What is that old man forging?”

Ye Fan crept forward, hidden, peering toward the sixth layer from the seventh.

From a distance, he could just make out a massive bronze furnace, it looked like a sacred forge.

It really was a bronze furnace!

Ye Fan moved for a better angle and confirmed: a thirty-meter-tall bronze furnace, wrapped in purple flame, roaring loudly. The red glow came from within.

A gray-robed old man sat beside it, gently waving a jade fan, continuously drawing purple fire from all directions into the furnace.

“This guy doesn’t dare use his body as a forge. He’s relying on a real treasure furnace to refine his weapon.”

The red glow from the bronze furnace intensified and projected into the sky, taking the shape of a divine ark, blood-red like a vessel carved from crimson jade.

“What a treasure! It’s nearly complete and already manifesting in the sky. This old man is truly formidable.”

Ye Fan realized that if the divine ark was successfully refined and etched with Ji Clan’s Dao runes, it would be extraordinary. After all, it was being forged by a top cultivator.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The furnace roared louder, its sounds traveling dozens of miles.

“This divine ark is valuable, but that bronze furnace is even more of a treasure,” Ye Fan thought, before retreating to avoid being noticed.

Back in the depths of the seventh layer, Ye Fan again heard the cawing crow, sharp, erratic, increasingly agitated.

Caw! Caw!

“What’s going on?” Ye Fan stepped cautiously forward, seeing again the stone cave at the base of the mountain. Flames spewed forth; the Seven-Colored Mist churned, intense and blinding.

There were more gleaming feathers at the cave’s entrance, along with some ash.

“Is this a spirit born of flame… or an actual crow?”

“Damn it!”

A voice, angry and unmistakably human, echoed from the cave in the eighth layer. Ye Fan could hardly believe his ears.

Clang!

A chunk of fractured metal flew from the cave, white as snow, lustrous like mutton-fat jade.

Ye Fan froze.

That was divine iron, a legendary and precious metal, perfect for forging. Even the Radiant Light Sacred Lord's weapon was said to contain only some of it.

Someone had been forging and messed up, tossing out ruined divine iron!

Crow Spirit! Ye Fan shivered. This was no mere crow, it was a terrifying ancient being. He turned and fled immediately, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the cave.

In the following days, the eighth layer echoed again and again with crow calls, each more frenzied than the last.

Five days later, in the sixth layer, the Ji Clan elder’s furnace emitted thunderous booms, shaking the sky and rattling the entire Flame Domain.

At that moment, from the cave at the base of the mountain in the eighth layer came a furious cry, and more fragments of divine iron were thrown out.

“You ruined it!!”

Seven-Colored Mist surged. From the cave burst blinding light and endless flames. A furious old Daoist stormed out.

He wore feathered robes woven from shimmering black crow feathers. He looked no older than 50 or 60, but had the presence of a crow in human form.

“Who’s forging without restraint, shaking the Flame Domain?!”

The old crow Daoist’s voice rang loud and clear.

Enraged, he soared skyward toward the sixth layer.

Ye Fan’s heart trembled. He saw a streak of light, like a crow flying across the heavens, descend into the sixth layer.

An ancient demon forging in the eighth layer, what kind of being was that?!

Even imagining it made Ye Fan’s scalp go numb.

“Who are you…” It seemed the Ji Clan elder spoke up, but a deafening boom cut him off. He fell silent for a long time.

Ye Fan couldn’t see it directly, but he could guess: that crow spirit was no joke.

Boom! The sixth layer exploded with terrifying energy. Purple Qi roared, like boiling lava.

“Why did you…” a Ji Clan expert’s voice rang out.

“Because of you!” the old crow raged. “Your damn racket ruined my divine bell! Explain yourself!”

“I never start trouble, but today, I must act!”

“What’s that got to do with me?!” the Ji elder clearly felt uneasy.

“If it weren’t for you shaking the heavens, I wouldn’t have messed up! If I hadn’t been in seclusion, I’d have dealt with you long ago!”

Ye Fan listened from afar, not daring to get close. He didn’t want to be caught in the crossfire.

“The Flame Domain is unclaimed territory! You have no right to blame me! The Ji Clan never fears provocation!”

“Oh? So you're reminding me you're from the Ji Clan?” The old Daoist’s voice turned cold. “Had it been anyone else, maybe I’d have let it go. But a Ji Clan member…”

Ye Fan’s heart jumped. This crow spirit clearly had a grudge against the Ji Clan.

BOOM! The sixth layer erupted violently. Purple Qi surged everywhere, flames burned wildly.

The battle had begun!

Ye Fan was stunned but held himself back, he dared not approach. These were top-tier cultivators, keen and perceptive. If he got too close, he’d be found.

Luckily, the multicolored mist devoured all energy signatures. Even great cultivators couldn’t scan through it. Otherwise, he’d already be exposed.

The energy waves were terrifying, but quickly fell silent. Not a sound remained.

“So soon… the fight’s over?” Ye Fan’s heart tightened.

“I, Dark Crow, was already battling Ji Clan elders when your grandfather wasn’t even born!”

A streak of crow-light pierced the sky.

Ye Fan only caught a glimpse, a lean figure clad in black feathered robes, vanishing in a blink, leaving the Flame Domain behind.

Dark Crow…

Only once he was sure the being had left did Ye Fan approach the sixth layer.

The massive bronze furnace was gone, likely taken by the Dark Crow.

The Ji Clan elder lay dead, head separated from his body, lying in a pool of blood. Around him were a dozen black feathers, blocking the purple flames from consuming his corpse.

Ye Fan felt a chill. That mighty Ji elder had been killed, just like that. How terrifying was that old crow?

The body remained, but the soul was obliterated, completely annihilated. There was no chance of resurrection.

Ye Fan stood silently. Powerhouses like that could still die so easily, cultivation truly was a brutal path. Without reaching the peak, life itself could not be guaranteed.

He quickly composed himself and began searching the corpse. After all, this was a Ji Clan elder, he must have carried valuable items.

But, disappointment. The body held nothing. Every secret realm, Oceanic Wheel, Dao Palace, etc., was empty. Not a single treasure remained.

“That damn crow took everything,” Ye Fan muttered.

He eyed the black feathers on the ground, growing alert. The Dark Crow had left them deliberately, clearly to taunt the Ji Clan.

One of their great elders was dead. This would cause a massive storm. The Southern Region would not remain peaceful.

Rip!

Suddenly, space split open, and a Ji Clan elder appeared, wearing a special multicolored robe to resist the purple flames.

He froze at the sight of the corpse, and then Ye Fan. Shock and disbelief filled his face.

“You…”

Ye Fan didn’t hesitate. The moment the space tore, he summoned his cauldron and smashed it downward!

Whatever their past grievances, there was no way to explain this scene. Only by seizing the moment and taking the man down could Ye Fan hope to survive.

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