Chaotic World Book
Chapter 330 - 323 Flame Kunlun

Chapter 330: Chapter 323 Flame Kunlun

Ye Wuzong wasn’t angry after being tricked into chasing the wrong person by two children.

He was just embarrassed by his mistake, but in reality, he found more pleasure in the challenge and pursued with great enthusiasm into the mountain.

Zhao Changhe even intentionally misled his pursuers with signs of his presence, such as breaking branches on one path while actually taking another. To a seasoned Thief Sect Grandmaster like Ye Wuzong, these traces were clumsy and childish, but amusing.

As the winter brought snow to the mountains, your Qinggong couldn’t achieve traceless steps. No matter how much you try to cover your tracks or walk atop the branches, to someone in the know, these signs were as clear as a lantern illuminating the way—just follow them.

But the mountain was vast, and it must be admitted that as time dragged on, finding someone deliberately hiding quickly was not easy. Thankfully, the deadline was three days, and Ye Wuzong was confident that it was enough time to locate the person.

However, as he continued the pursuit, he felt something was amiss.

After crossing two mountain peaks, the area ahead was once the site of a volcanic eruption, and the rocks were different from the surroundings.

This difference was usually unnoticeable due to the heavy snow cover, visible only when the snow melted.

But there was no snow here. Of course, it hadn’t melted naturally... but because a mighty battle had taken place, heating the area with intense cultivation techniques until the widespread snow turned into rivulets as if spring had returned.

Who were these strong fighters? Zhao Changhe definitely wasn’t at this level. This power was no less than his own.

Yet, as he followed the trail of melted snow deeper into the mountains, he could find no bloodstains, no bodies, and no trace of Zhao Changhe.

If Zhao Changhe was in these mountains, the distance should have been close enough for him to sense the aura of the sword pills. But there was no such aura... Could he not be in this mountain?

That would be troublesome: the tracks here were all muddled, impossible to follow now...

Ye Wuzong watched the sunset falling to the horizon, dumbfounded. The old man was just playing a game with the younger generation; where did these powerful fighters come from to spoil it?

The sun had set... Could he only grope around in the dark, hoping for luck to sense the sword pills?

Even if he wanted to rely on luck to sense the sword pills, it was destined to fail.

Because at that moment, Zhao Changhe had already entered the Secret Realm.

......

When Xia Chichi took Yang Qianyuan to find Liu Tuzhang, Zhao Changhe quickly made his way into the mountain to the northwest.

The mountains in the deep winter were scarcely populated, which wasn’t conducive to hiding or confusing one’s trail. He felt his footprints were blatantly obvious, but there was no helping it.

Fortunately, crossing mountains and ridges was second nature to him, and he ran quite swiftly, with an added advantage—the Dragon Sparrow could now be stored inside a ring. The spatial separation completely ignored weight, and with dozens of pounds less to carry, Zhao Changhe had never felt his Qinggong to be so effortless, touching the treetops lightly and soaring like a great bird.

Soon, he reached the first mountain peak.

Who’d call me an old bear? What bear is as graceful as this?

Unwittingly, the sun dipped below the horizon.

Zhao Changhe felt the scene was quite beautiful, with the sunset reflecting on the snow and clouds enshrouding the mountains, as glorious as the sunset over the Changhe River.

From afar came the singing of a woodsman: "Cloud Mountain, separating the Red Dust Shore; roaming around, the universe inside a gourd seems vast..."

Listening to the song, Zhao Changhe unconsciously slowed his pace.

Indeed... If Tang Wanzhuang were here, she’d probably say to slow down and enjoy the scenery along the way. You come to Kunlun, engaging in intense rivalries, but do you remember what Kunlun looks like? How is Yuxu? What constitutes Kun Gang?

It’s a pity... Despite such thoughts flashing through his mind, he couldn’t stop. Urgent matters called and left no time for such indulgence.

He’d come back for a proper look after his affairs were settled.

An old woodsman, carrying two baskets of firewood on his shoulders, descended the mountain against the setting sun.

The mountain was cold, and the woodsman’s clothes were thin, but this time Zhao Changhe found it difficult to judge whether the woodsman was a master like when he watched Ye Wuzong selling dumplings; after all, sweating from chopping wood doesn’t necessarily mean one would feel cold. From the deep footprints he left in the snow, he didn’t seem very strong.

After some thought, Zhao Changhe leapt down from the treetop, summoned the Control Crane Skill to retrieve a coat from his ring, and handed it to the woodsman: "Old man, it’s cold as you come down the mountain. Put on this coat."

The woodsman gave him a curious glance and laughed, "Why be so kind in the Land of Evil?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "My heart is mine; what does it have to do with the land?"

The woodsman laughed heartily, "Fair point, fair point..."

He set down his firewood and took out a gourd of wine, taking a delightful swig, "I have my wine to keep me warm, I don’t need another’s clothing. Young man, take it back."

Zhao Changhe didn’t insist, taking back the coat and untying the gourd from his waist to share a drink. A thought suddenly crossed his mind—damn, did he still have the Heavenly Spirit’s gourd?

The woodcutter saw that he also drank and laughed, "Little brother keeping warm too?"

Zhao Changhe shook his wine gourd, "The world inside the pot is vast."

Pretending to be deep... ha.

The woodcutter burst into hearty laughter, "Impatient and anxious, like flames consuming the body, where lies the vastness in that?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "For the vastness that comes later."

The woodcutter nodded, "Heart Fire that burns fiercely and manifests externally is a demon. The Evil of Kunlun is exactly that. Little brother, be cautious, and don’t wait until it’s too late."

Is the woodcutter alluding to my intended direction, or is it just a coincidence?

Zhao Changhe became cautious and asked, "What should one do if the Heart Fire turns into a demon?"

"External demons can be killed, but internal demons are hard to restrain, only with feelings," said the woodcutter as he leisurely hoisted his load of firewood and continued down the mountain, saying no more.

Zhao Changhe watched his leaving figure and suddenly called out, "Once I have finished my affairs, if I wish to visit Kunlun, I’ll find the old man for another drink."

The woodcutter laughed without turning his head, "How will you find me?"

Zhao Changhe replied, "If the old man welcomes me for a drink, please leave an address. It’s not a problem if you prefer not to talk about the perils of Kunlun."

The woodcutter continued down the mountain.

His song drifted up with the mountain wind, "I live in a three-roomed house by the clouds and waters, with a thousand bamboo stalks stirred by the wind and moon. While puppets cause a riot in their tent, I gaze upon the peak of Kunlun. In tranquility, I lay overturned without worries; while roaming, the world inside the pot is vast."

Zhao Changhe watched the woodcutter’s figure disappear into the distance, his heart not only found no pretension in the woodcutter but rather quite appreciated this ambiance. It seemed his own literary artist’s disposition wasn’t instilled by Wanzhuang but was innate.

So that was also in harmony with Wanzhuang?

Unfortunately, worldly matters rush by, and it’s been so long since I last played the zither.

Aren’t we all the same? Isn’t Wanzhuang herself like this?

Zhao Changhe sighed and quickened his pace, heading straight for the volcano.

Ye Wuzong has probably already caught up; there really is no time to appreciate anything.

After crossing two more mountain ridges, the sun was nearly set. If the sword pills’ guidance wasn’t wrong, the Secret Realm should be just ahead on the next peak—that place people in Kunlun City talk about where the "Fires of Kun Gang" once raged.

Since this place is legendary, it had obviously been dug up inch by inch countless times; just like with Ancient Sword Lake and Xuanwu Lake, a group of those without fate could search endlessly and still never find it.

If it were up to Zhao Changhe himself to look, he wouldn’t have much confidence either. The solution to the mystery of the Xuanwu Secret Realm didn’t rely on him; that was Master Yuan Xing’s fate... But this time, with the guidance of the sword pills, there might be a chance.

As he was thinking this, a fierce fire suddenly ignited in the mountains ahead.

It was as if the blaze reached the heavens, coloring the clouds around Kunlun fiery red, an illusion of red overhead.

Of course, this was an illusion, caused merely by the overpowering and brutal intent of the fire ahead, creating psychological pressure.

Looking intently, a woman was being surrounded and attacked by a group of bandits.

Not only was the fiery intent being emitted by the woman, but everyone present... Almost visibly, some of their eyes took on the shape of flames, looking very fantastical and quite terrifying.

Flames replaced their eyes...

Zhao Changhe suddenly remembered the woodcutter’s words... Heart Fire that burns fiercely and manifests externally is a demon.

A group of demon-possessed... Perhaps due to the idea that they were three times stronger when possessed, these people were very powerful. Zhao Changhe felt each of them was stronger than himself; one sweep of their longsword was a burst of fire, one palm strike was like a dragon ascending.

The heat wave started to melt the surrounding snow, turning it into streams that then began to evaporate.

Yet the woman was more terrifying.

"Whoosh!" Her slender hand shot through the flames, seizing a man’s throat.

With a "boom," the flames erupted, burning him to char.

As swords and blades attacked from behind, the woman moved like a serpent, flew like a bird taking to the sky. Any enemy she passed turned into a burnt corpse.

A group Zhao Changhe thought to be stronger than himself, none could withstand a single round in her hands, an absolute massacre! Her fierce energy shook the skies, her Dharma Image becoming prominently visible, forming the illusion just now that painted Kunlun in red.

Zhao Changhe ran forward. As he drew nearer, he could clearly see the woman’s face.

Below those fiery eyes was the long-missed face of Huangfu Qing.