Danzun War God

Chapter Twenty-One: Fiery Clouds Dancing in the Sky

By this time, everyone else in the Danling Hall had arrived, standing on either side of the main hall, quietly watching Elder Situ, who sat with his eyes closed beside a huge alchemy furnace. The dragon on the furnace was carved with lifelike detail. On each side of the hall were two incense burners, from which wisps of smoke were rising, burning incense for calming the mind.

As soon as Han Qi stepped into the main hall, he felt refreshed. Seeing that everyone was silent, he quietly stood at the end of the line.

At this moment, Elder Situ slowly opened his eyes and said, "Is everyone here? I'm sure you've all heard these past few days that Sun Yaozu has been removed from his position as chief disciple. If I hadn't done my best to protect him, he would probably have been expelled from the Xuantian Sect. You should all take this as a warning and never trespass into the forbidden area. As long as you are diligent enough, you will naturally have the opportunity to enter in the future."

Han Qi was taken aback upon hearing this, but seeing the unsurprised expressions on the others' faces, he realized that so much had happened in the alchemy room these past few days. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on with the Xuan Tian Sect's forbidden area. For Sun Yaozu, the chief disciple of the alchemy lineage, to take such a risk, it seemed that this forbidden area was indeed extraordinary and must be hiding some secret.

"Han Qi, have you read the alchemy formula I gave you? Do you have any questions?" Elder Situ had already come to him, and his words startled Han Qi from his reverie.

Han Qi quickly said, "Disciple sees three key points in the formula for controlling fire: 'understand,' 'drain,' and 'extract.' 'Understand' and 'drain' are not difficult to understand, but when is it best to use the 'extract' key point?"

Han Qi had reviewed the alchemy formulas Elder Situ had given him, and while they couldn't compare to his 'Seven-Character Formula for Alchemy,' they still contained much of the essence of alchemy. It would be impossible for an ordinary person to fully comprehend the alchemy formulas in a short time, so to avoid arousing Elder Situ's suspicion, Han Qi asked this question that would give most alchemists a huge headache.

Han Qi's question hit the nail on the head. Elder Situ smiled and nodded, saying, "The success or failure of alchemy largely depends on control, especially the control of timing. The 'Fire Control and Extraction Technique' is mainly used to lower the temperature inside the furnace. It is used most often in the steps of separating the dregs and condensing them into pills. When to use it depends on each alchemist's habits. So practice more. The more you practice, the more you will naturally get the feel for it. It's best if you all work harder when you get back."

Han Qi knew that Elder Situ was right; alchemy mainly relied on accumulating experience through practical combat. However, many others felt that Elder Situ was just spouting nonsense. The group then discussed a few more issues, but Han Qi, deep in thought, didn't interject.

Elder Situ explained things in great detail, and occasionally he would open the fire pit under the alchemy furnace to demonstrate for everyone.

After leaving the Danling Hall, Han Qi pulled Li Ke aside and found a slightly secluded spot to ask, "Do you know what the forbidden area of ​​the Xuantian Sect is all about?"

Li Ke looked at Han Qi in surprise and said, "You really haven't heard about this?" Then he added, "That's right, you live in such a remote place, no wonder you don't know. Five days ago, several disciples of the Xuan Tian Sect came out of the forbidden area. It is said that they stayed there for two months and their cultivation level broke through directly from the Tribulation Realm to the King Realm. Jumping two realms directly is simply too monstrous. It is said that the forbidden area is actually an ancient secret realm with many ancient secret techniques inside."

"So Sun Yaozu is after the ancient martial arts technique?" Han Qi said calmly.

"Of course, I heard that he and a few disciples from the martial arts lineage were planning to sneak into the trial. Sigh, Sun Yaozu is quite pathetic. As the chief disciple of the alchemy lineage, he still has to flatter Lu Yuanba, the chief disciple of the martial arts lineage, every day. He was just hoping to improve his cultivation level and finally be able to hold his head high. Who knew that he would be caught by Elder Lu before he even entered the trial and is now facing the wall in the meditation cave." After Li Ke finished speaking, he couldn't help but shake his head.

After listening, Han Qi remained silent, secretly planning to explore the forbidden area when the opportunity arose. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Where is the forbidden area located? Is Elder Lu guarding it?"

"I heard it's in the back mountain, and the entrance is supposedly an illusion, so ordinary people can't find it at all. I haven't heard if anyone is guarding it," Li Ke said slowly.

Seeing that Han Qi did not react, Li Ke said, "Senior Brother Han, you must not take this risk. I heard that the sect selects a few people to enter the forbidden area every year. With your ability, as long as you win the position of chief disciple, entering the forbidden area is only a matter of time."

Then, Li Ke cautiously looked around and whispered, "The most important thing right now is to prepare for 'Fire Cloud Dance in the Sky'. We should take this opportunity to store up a few Fire Essence Stones so that it will be more convenient to refine pills after leaving the Xuan Tian Sect."

Han Qi simply smiled noncommittally and then said, "Do you know what 'Fire Clouds Dancing in the Sky' is?" He had only heard about it in a teahouse when he first arrived in Fire Cloud City, and now that he was hearing it here again, he guessed that 'Fire Clouds Dancing in the Sky' must be somewhat related to the Fire Spirit Orb.

Upon hearing this, Li Ke chuckled and said, "'Fire Clouds Dancing in the Sky' is a grand spectacle that occurs once every ten years in Fire Cloud City. Legend has it that the Fire Mother will lead countless Fire Essence Stones to fly and circle above Fire Cloud City, like a fire dragon. This magnificent sight will last for a day and a night, attracting countless people to come and watch. However, after three days, the Fire Mother will lead the Fire Essence Stones back underground, presumably because the Fire Mother has excess energy and comes out to release it."

After pausing, he continued, "At that time, the Situ family of Huoyun City and our Xuantian Sect will all be mobilized. First, to protect the Fire Essence Stone and prevent outsiders from taking it away; second, to maintain order in Huoyun City. After all, there are many people and they are diverse. If we are not careful, trouble will break out. We will be very busy now."

Han Qi was certain that the Fire Mother mentioned the Fire Dragon Pearl in the Fire Essence Hall, which meant there was now a chance to obtain the Fire Spirit Pearl. Overjoyed, he asked, "When will the next 'Fire Clouds Dancing in the Sky' appear?"

Li Ke looked at Han Qi in disbelief and slowly said, "Senior Brother Han is really oblivious to what's going on around him. It's spread all over Fire Cloud City, and it's only been about half a month."

After a brief consideration, Han Qi made a plan. After parting ways with Li Ke, Han Qi headed straight for the stone chamber at the back of the mountain. It had been almost ten days since he left, and he wondered how Lin Yuyao and Chen Wei were doing now.

Han Qi walked to the back mountain of Xuantian Sect and deliberately looked deeper into the mountains. He saw that behind Ningcui Peak, there were still layers of mountains stretching to the horizon. Han Qi thought: The forbidden area is in this back mountain. There must be someone guarding it. If someone is guarding it, they will definitely leave clues. After I get the Fire Spirit Pearl, I will definitely go and find out. Then, he went straight back to the back mountain.