Jiang Zuo had now reached a critical 2.2 juncture. He knew the Fire Elemental Army was coming.

Lately, he didn’t really mind the Fire Elemental Army.

’It’s just a bit of fun while I’m leveling up.’

Soon, Jiang Zuo appeared on the Elemental Level.

The Elemental Minions were already in battle formation. Since the Elemental Army could sense that Jiang Zuo had reached a critical moment, the Elemental Minions naturally could as well.

So, the time had come once again to lay down their lives for their Big Bro.

The Water Elemental Sister was quite reserved and not used to such scenes.

She lacked the fiery enthusiasm of the Fire Elemental Minions.

Jiang Zuo’s arrival made the Fire Elemental Minions even more excited. To fight for their Big Bro was their life’s dream.

Just then, the Fire Elemental Army arrived, led, of course, by the Fire Elemental Leader.

But the moment he saw it, Jiang Zuo was slightly stunned.

The Fire Elemental Army was now composed of small, humanoid fire elementals. With shields in their left hands and blades in their right, they looked just like a proper army.

The Fire Elemental Leader and its commanders had gone a step further, becoming cavalry. They were mounted on steeds of fire and clad in armor.

"They’ve gotten much stronger," Jiang Zuo muttered.

He had no intention of waiting, however. He leaped forward, leading the Fire Elemental Minions and the Water Elemental Sister into the fray.

As for the enemy water elementals, they were just a single battalion. A bunch of trash that didn’t even have limbs.

Jiang Zuo dispatched a small squad of Fire Elemental Minions to take care of such worthless foes.

They’d beat them so hard they’d question their own existence.

When the Fire Elemental Leader saw Jiang Zuo, it was especially delighted. ’Excellent, I’ve found the heretic again!’

The Fire Elemental Leader then waved its blade, ordering the charge. ’Charge! The heretic must die!’

But before it could even finish, Jiang Zuo had it pinned under his foot once more.

Fire Elemental Leader: "..."

’How many times has it been?’

’Why?’

’Why does he have to stomp on me like this every single time?’

******

Meanwhile, over with Liuyue Xue, the three investigators had been working all night but still had no leads.

There was nothing wrong—nothing anywhere—yet the climate had undeniably changed, and the flow of Spiritual Qi was abnormal.

After daybreak, Liu Yiyi asked, "Should we rest for a bit?"

Qian Xie said, "You two rest. I’ll keep looking around. There has to be a reason."

’There was definitely a reason, but he just couldn’t find it.’

Liuyue Xue and Liu Yiyi exchanged a look. It seemed the problem here was serious.

Liuyue Xue felt a pang of melancholy.

If something was truly wrong here, they were in for a difficult time.

’We’ll be worked to death for a long time after this.’

Just then, Qian Xie suddenly said, "There’s an abnormal fluctuation."

Liuyue Xue and Liu Yiyi immediately joined Qian Xie.

"It’s an abnormal energy fluctuation, and it’s nearby," Qian Xu added.

Liu Yiyi looked at Liuyue Xue with a questioning glance.

Liuyue Xue shook her head. She had no idea there would be an abnormal energy fluctuation here.

Qian Xie said, "Let’s go take a look first. We might find something."

The others nodded, and they headed toward the source of the anomaly.

But the closer they got, the more surprised Liu Yiyi became.

She couldn’t help but say, "This energy feels very familiar. It seems to be an elemental fluctuation."

"An elemental fluctuation?" Qian Yu asked curiously.

"That means a Mage is involved," Qian Xu said. "But can a Mage cause a Spiritual Qi abnormality?"

Liu Yiyi shook her head. "I’ll go to the Elemental Level and take a look."

Liu Yiyi could use Holy Light and was considered a half-Mage, so entering the Elemental Level was no problem for her.

The moment she entered, she froze.

She couldn’t see clearly, but she could still make out the general situation.

She then snapped out of it and exited the Elemental Level.

Qian Xie asked, "What did you see?"

Liu Yiyi said with a strange expression, "I saw someone repeatedly and violently stomping on Elements. I don’t know if I was hallucinating."

’A Mage stomping on Elements... That’s a bit hard to imagine.’

The others were just as confused. Soon, they drew near the center of the elemental energy.

Only then did they see that the area was engulfed in flames, a great fire burning ceaselessly. In one small spot, however, rain was constantly falling.

Qian Xu asked in surprise, "What is this Mage doing?"

Liu Yiyi shook her head. "I don’t know. But this person might be like me—only a half-Mage. He’s probably a Cultivator, too."

Liuyue Xue, however, took out her Heaven-Breaking Spear. ’How dare this person cause trouble on my turf!’

She was determined to unleash an attack on him.

With this thought, she charged forward, intending to break through the flames.

But just as Liuyue Xue charged out and was about to launch her attack, she scurried back, looking completely dejected.

Liu Yiyi and the others stared, dumbfounded.

Liu Yiyi asked, "What happened?"

"F-Fellow Daoist Po Xiao," Liuyue Xue stammered, a rare occasion of her speaking aloud.

Liuyue Xue had a beautiful voice. The combination of her looks and voice could charm countless people.

Of course, the same could be said for Jingyue.

However, while their looks might work on others, they were completely useless on Jiang Zuo.

As Liuyue Xue charged, Jiang Zuo had opened his eyes at that exact moment.

His cold, indifferent gaze had landed right on her. In that instant, Liuyue Xue finally understood how Mo Yan felt.

When it was time to back down, you had to back down.

Upon hearing the name Po Xiao, Liu Yiyi was also shocked. "Are you sure it was Fellow Daoist Po Xiao?"

Liuyue Xue nodded.

Liu Yiyi sighed. "I can’t tell if you’re lucky or unlucky."

Liuyue Xue: "..."

’It’s not like I wanted to. If someone was sneaking around your house, wouldn’t you do something about it?’

’Too bad Mo Yan isn’t here. He would’ve definitely handled this.’

Qian Xie asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao? Who’s that?"

Liu Yiyi smiled. "He’s the more experienced Daoist I mentioned yesterday. He should be able to solve the problem."

"I just didn’t expect him to show up here."

Qian Xu and her companions were unconvinced. They had spent the entire night searching; no matter how powerful this person was, it was unlikely he could just find the source.

’Besides, judging by this display of power, he’s Tier Two at most.’

As Jiang Zuo fully awakened, the fire and water in the surroundings began to rapidly disappear.

’This was a good harvest,’ Jiang Zuo thought. ’The Fire Elemental Minions have grown quite a bit and have even started wearing crude armor.’

The water elementals were the same as ever, having only grown slightly larger.

As for Jiang Zuo himself, his Spiritual Power had also improved once again.

But he had just awakened to see Liuyue Xue charging at him with killing intent. Just as he was about to make a move, she had suddenly fled.

’Otherwise, he would have liked to see just what kind of strength was needed to face Liuyue Xue and her Heaven-Breaking Spear.’

Soon, the flames vanished. Jiang Zuo saw Liuyue Xue, Liu Yiyi, and the trio from yesterday standing not far away.

The moment they saw Jiang Zuo, Qian Xie and his companions were rather surprised. They hadn’t expected it to be him.

Liu Yiyi immediately stepped forward. "Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, when did you get back? Weren’t you in the Celestial Cloud Mountain Range?"

"I just finished up my business," Jiang Zuo said. "Where is this?"

He truly didn’t know where he was, but he could tell the place had an owner.

Liu Yiyi quickly replied, "This is Liuyue Xue’s home, Baili Valley."

’Baili Valley?’

Jiang Zuo then asked, "Is the Spiritual Qi here abnormal?"

Hearing Jiang Zuo’s question, Liuyue Xue was overjoyed. She immediately began typing, and an automated voice spoke: "Yes. Fellow Daoist Po Xiao, do you have a way to fix it?"