CLANG!
A fierce metallic clang rang out, accompanied by a violent gust of wind. Wen Qingye’s feet scraped across the ground as he was thrown back dozens of yards.
"You’re quick, kid."
The old woodcutter now wore a savage expression. Clutching an iron blade, he stared coldly at Wen Qingye. Ripples of red light pulsed from his body, and the surrounding temperature seemed to climb steadily.
"The Qinghuo Race?" Wen Qingye asked, frowning at the old woodcutter before him as he suppressed the throbbing pain in the web of his hand and his chest.
’So there really are members of the Spirit Race here.’ From the moment Wen Qingye saw the Zike Tree, he’d had a faint feeling that something was strange.
The Spirit Race was a race blessed by creation itself. They looked no different from ordinary people, but parts of their anatomy were extremely peculiar, and their lifespans were far beyond that of the Human Race.
They were the darlings of the heavens.
Their only weakness was their extremely low fertility, making their population incredibly small.
It wasn’t that the old woodcutter’s concealment was particularly skillful; rather, the Spirit Race was inherently gifted at it. If a Spirit Race member truly wanted to hide, not even someone with a cultivation several realms higher than his own would be able to find them.
A murderous light danced in the old woodcutter’s eyes. He roared, "You know of my Qinghuo Clan? Then I have even more reason to kill you!"
WHOOSH!
A streak of red light shot toward Wen Qingye like a Rapid Fire Meteor, filling the air with the scorched scent of burning flames.
From their single exchange, Wen Qingye knew the old woodcutter’s strength was terrifying. ’I’m definitely no match for him.’
HISS!
The One Thought Sword was bone-chillingly cold, pulsing with waves of blue light. An endless chill swept out from it, spreading rapidly in all directions.
"Cold Ice Sword Technique, Second Sword—Coldly Arrogant as Ice!"
SWISH!
A wave of energy, like a frigid tide, billowed from the One Thought Sword’s blade and swept toward the old woodcutter.
"Petty parlor tricks. You dare disgrace yourself with such a display?"
The old woodcutter snorted, thrusting a palm glowing fiery red toward Wen Qingye’s blue Sword Aura.
BANG!
The red and blue lights clashed violently in midair, erupting in a dazzling flash. The blue light then shattered instantly, retreating so quickly it vanished without a trace.
Instead of slowing, the old woodcutter accelerated, charging toward Wen Qingye. But he suddenly realized Wen Qingye had already dashed into the grove of Fire Fox Trees.
"How dare you, brat!"
The old woodcutter roared, a look of extreme anxiety in his eyes. With a heavy stomp, his body shot forward even faster as he unleashed a deadly punch.
BOOM!
The punch landed, and the image of Wen Qingye in front of him dissipated into nothing. Dirt and dust exploded from the ground, creating a shower of grit that filled the air.
Wen Qingye was by no means slow, especially since he had used the Swift Wind Law. He moved like the wind, leaving a trail of afterimages. The old woodcutter’s punch had only destroyed one of them.
By then, Wen Qingye’s real body had already vanished into the Fire Fox Tree grove, disappearing without a trace.
"You little bastard!"
The old woodcutter froze, watching helplessly as Wen Qingye vanished from sight. He cursed under his breath, "Greed-blinded brat, daring to trespass in our clan’s Forbidden Land. Last year, those other kids only wandered the outskirts, and barely any of them made it back alive. If you dare go any deeper, I guarantee not even your bones will be left."
...
The moment he entered the Fire Fox Tree grove, Wen Qingye felt like he had plunged into a sea of fire. A scorching heat washed over him. Even though he had practiced the Five Elements Body Refining Technique, his skin became scalding hot.
The canopy of red leaves looked like blood, so vivid it was piercing to the eye.
"Thank goodness that old man didn’t follow," Qing Ruo’ai said as she floated out, patting her chest, still shaken. "He hid himself so well. I actually thought he was just some ordinary old man."
"You might not know this, but when a member of the Spirit Race truly wants to hide, they’re impossible to find. That’s just how they are," Wen Qingye said, pointing to the trees ahead. "This place is full of Fire Fox Trees. I think it must be a very important place for the Qinghuo Race, which is why they wouldn’t dare to follow us in here. You can relax."
Qing Ruo’ai wrinkled her nose and huffed, "The Spirit Race? Who hasn’t heard of them? Of course I have. But didn’t that race go extinct?"
"Extinct?" Wen Qingye shook his head and said softly, "For a time, the race was indeed on the brink of extinction due to problems with procreation. But later, a peerless expert emerged from their ranks and united all the scattered branches of the Spirit Race. Now, not only are they far from extinct, they’re more prosperous than ever. The people here are likely just remnants of an old clan; the other members have long since gathered together in one place."
The place Wen Qingye spoke of was, of course, the Immortal Realm. The territory of the Immortal Realm was boundless; it was home to more than just the Immortal Court and the Human Race.
"Tsk, tsk. You know more than I do, kid. Pretty impressive," Qing Ruo’ai said, looking at Wen Qingye with amazement.
Wen Qingye looked at the Fire Fox Trees ahead and smiled. "Speaking of these Fire Fox Trees, did you know they’re part of a beautiful and moving legend about the Fire Fox?"
"A legend? What legend?"
Wen Qingye started walking deeper into the Fire Fox grove. As he went, his lips parted, and his calm voice began to drift through the trees.
The Fire Fox Clan was not an exceptionally powerful race, but it held a respectable position among the Demon Beasts. In particular, a Fire Fox that reached a certain level of cultivation possessed an understanding of the Fire Dao that no ordinary Human Race expert could hope to match.
In an unknown time and an unknown place.
There was a place where verdant mountains rose and ten thousand trees grew lush and green. The trees towered to the heavens; a single one was like a small mountain, and one of its leaves was as large as a great boat.
Countless Demon Beasts roamed this land, all possessing incredibly high cultivation. Taking human form was a simple matter for them. Among these creatures lived the Fire Fox Clan.
「One day.」
A young maiden from the Fire Fox Clan snuck away from her home. She just wanted to go out and play, to see the outside world. The confines of her clan’s territory felt too narrow; they could not hold back a heart that yearned for freedom.
In that land, the territory of each Demon Beast race was determined by its strength. To set foot in another’s territory meant inviting only one outcome.
Therefore, to prevent their younger generation from accidentally straying into the lands of other races, the Fire Fox Clan forbade anyone from leaving their territory until their cultivation reached a certain standard.