How did a bastard like him become an immortal?

Silent all night.

The next morning, when Ling Shanshan opened her sleepy eyes, all she saw was a fire that had burned to ashes.

She shook her head with a wry smile and got up to return to the City of Protectors. Just as she stood up, she found several talismans at her feet. When she picked up the talismans, the message left by Li Muyun entered her mind, including the function and usage of these talismans.

"White-robed, long-sworded young man, alas, I am not your fleeting youth. Young Master Yun, may we meet again by fate." Ling Shanshan's pretty face showed disappointment as she embarked on her journey back to Protectorate City.

Seeing Ling Shanshan's figure disappear into the distance, Li Muyun, who had been hiding behind the tree, came out and gently shook his head. He had wanted to leave as soon as possible, but he was afraid that Ling Shanshan would be in danger if she stayed here alone, so he could only guard her until now.

Li Muyun witnessed the harsh realities of human nature from a young age, and after cultivating immortality, he experienced bloodshed and turmoil, but the kindness in his heart never faded.

......

Five days later.

The outer edge of the Blazing Forest.

Li Muyun wiped the sweat from his face and gazed at the crimson forest in the distance.

The blazing wood was charred black, covered with crimson flame-shaped leaves, and emitted a scorching heat, making it look like a continuous burning forest from a distance.

Li Muyun had only just reached the outer perimeter when he was already drenched in sweat from the scorching heat. "Rabbit Lord, it's already this hot. Wouldn't those fire phoenixes be roasted like chickens deep in the Blazing Forest?"

The Rabbit God said disdainfully, "You naive brat! The Fire Phoenix is ​​a demon beast with phoenix blood. Not only will it not have a negative impact on them, it will even be beneficial to their cultivation. The real Phoenix Clan or Golden Crow Clan even live in flames and lava. What's so special about this!"

With a wry smile, Li Muyun, having grown up in the Marquis's mansion since childhood, was naturally ignorant and lacking in knowledge about such things.

Li Muyun took out several talismans and made them into fire-avoiding talismans, cooling talismans, and turtle-breathing talismans. He then stuck them on his body. With a flash of light, the talismans disappeared, and the intense heat dissipated by more than half, leaving him enveloped in a cool sensation.

The cool, comfortable sensation almost made Li Muyun groan out loud. His entire aura was concealed, after all, he was about to enter the territory of the Fire Phoenix, a group of demonic beasts at the Golden Core stage, so he had to be extremely careful.

Li Muyun had already witnessed the dangers deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountains. There were countless Foundation Establishment stage demon beasts here, and he could encounter Golden Core stage demon beasts every few dozen miles. He even heard a high-pitched dragon roar on the way, which echoed for dozens of miles. The terrifying aura made all the demon beasts around him tremble. Rabbit Lord was probably at least a Nascent Soul stage demon.

Adhering to the principle of avoiding danger if possible, Li Muyun arrived at the Blazing Flame Forest with minimal disturbance and expenditure. After all, his objective was clear: as long as he could obtain the blood of the Fire Phoenix, the mission would be accomplished.

After observing the outer perimeter of the Blazing Forest for a while, Li Muyun sighed helplessly. The Fire Phoenixes all lived deep within the Blazing Forest; not even a single feather could be seen on the outer perimeter. Li Muyun had no choice but to risk venturing deeper.

Gripping the Wine Immortal Sword tightly, Li Muyun headed towards the Blazing Flame Forest along a winding path. The closer he got to the Blazing Flame Forest, the higher the temperature became, and as Li Muyun ventured deeper, he discovered that the temperature was even higher in the depths of the Blazing Flame Forest. The Blazing Flame Forest stretched for dozens of miles, and the temperature in its depths was unknown. Li Muyun had no choice but to affix several fire-repelling talismans and cooling talismans.

Just as he finished affixing the talisman and was about to set off, Li Muyun's expression changed slightly. He swept the Wine Immortal Sword behind him, and then a bolt of lightning burst out along the sword.

With a flick of his sleeve, Li Muyun shook off the charred corpse of the demon beast from his sword. His eyes narrowed, and his expression turned serious. He had thought that there would be almost no demon beasts in this scorching place except for the Fire Phoenix, but he hadn't expected there to be insects.

This monster is called the Fire Demon Insect. It is black and red all over and about the size of an arm. It usually hides on the Blazing Wood to absorb spiritual energy. If any creature passes by, it will attack and devour its flesh and blood.

However, for Li Muyun, the fire demon insect was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage and could hardly escape his perception.

After this incident, Li Muyun became even more vigilant. Although the Blazing Forest was scorching hot, there were many creatures that could adapt to the environment and survive there. If he was not careful, he might end up in trouble before even seeing the Fire Phoenix.

The fiery red Blazing Forest was filled with nothing but scorching winds and sweltering air, and endless stretches of Blazing Wood. Li Muyun had killed many small demonic beasts along the way, but he still couldn't find the Fire Phoenix. "Rabbit Lord, we've already gone thirty miles in. Have I gone the wrong way?"

Long-eared Fairy was also a little puzzled. "Logically speaking, we've already entered the territory of the Fire Phoenix. Except when the Fire Phoenixes are hunting in groups or defending against predators, they should be scattered throughout this Blazing Forest. We should at least encounter a few of them."

"Then we can only keep moving forward. We've already come this far, so I might as well search the entire Blazing Forest."

Li Muyun clenched his fists in frustration and continued forward. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a middle-aged man, his body flushed red, fleeing in a disheveled state. Before he even reached Li Muyun, the man tumbled and collapsed unconscious.

Shaking his head helplessly, Li Muyun walked to the unconscious middle-aged man and poured water on his face. He also poured some into his mouth.

The rare coolness made the middle-aged man open his eyes. He was startled when he saw Li Muyun, then his eyes darted around to look at the boy. Suddenly, he slammed a palm down on Li Muyun's chest.

"you wanna die!"

With a furrowed brow, Li Muyun activated his Golden Qi Mantra and slammed the middle-aged man to the ground with a backhand punch, causing him to cough up blood.

Li Muyun grabbed the middle-aged man by the neck and said coldly, "I wanted to save you, and you actually wanted to kill me?"

The middle-aged man said hoarsely, "Cough cough, the Fire Phoenix flock has gone mad. If I don't kill you to buy time, I'm sure to die."

Upon hearing the name "Fire Phoenix," Li Muyun's eyes lit up, and he loosened his grip slightly. "What happened to the Fire Phoenix flock? What's wrong?"

The middle-aged man's eyes darted around in terror as he gasped for breath, saying, "The Wuji Sect master and his disciples hired over a dozen skilled fighters for a mission, claiming they were coming to the Blazing Flame Forest to find some medicinal herbs. But when we got here, we discovered they actually wanted the Fire Phoenix King's eggs. Right now, He Qing is locked in fierce combat with the Fire Phoenix King, and the rest of the Fire Phoenix flock has gone mad, attacking everyone in a frenzy. Most of our dozen or so brothers are dead or wounded; only I escaped..."

With a sneer, Li Muyun looked at the middle-aged man with disdain, "Just like before? Pushing others into the fire while you use the opportunity to escape?"

"I had no choice; I just wanted to live..."

The middle-aged man's gaze darted away, then a sinister glint flashed in his eyes. He plunged a dagger into Li Muyun's throat, his voice hoarse and menacing:

"Anyone who prevents me from living must die!"