Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 694 - 678: Fire Fighting!

The Grand Elder of the Divine Fire Palace, "Master Celestial Yang" Zhao Yuanpu, is a renowned late-stage Nascent Soul great cultivator in the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm.

Zhouyang had long heard of the fame of this "Master Celestial Yang" and also knew that the other possessed a famous Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, the [Celestial Spirit Thunderfire], and had thereby mastered the sect's great divine technique of the Divine Fire Palace, the [Three Flavors Divine Flame].

Therefore, when Master Deng brought up this Grand Elder of the Divine Fire Palace, Zhouyang did not push further.

After all, he was there to apologize, and even though he knew this was merely a formality, he could not be entirely insincere.

Moreover, listening to the whispers of the middle-to-low tier cultivators within Prison Fire City, he knew that his basic goal had already been achieved.

To continue to be overly aggressive at this point would be counterproductive and destroy the progress he had made earlier.

As he remained silent, Master Cyan Yang, who had been quiet all along, knew it was his turn to step in.

"Hehe, what Fellow Daoist Deng said is not unreasonable. As the saying goes, 'vengeance has a source.' Since Fellow Daoist Dai still has a teacher and Dao companion living, it is only right, both emotionally and rationally, to apologize to both parties."

After speaking, Master Cyan Yang cupped his hands in salute to Master Deng and said, "Due to the deeds of my unworthy disciple disrupting Fellow Daoist Deng's cultivation, I, Cyan Yang, feel deeply ashamed. I ask for Fellow Daoist Deng's forgiveness."

Faced with Master Cyan Yang's gesture of respect and apology, Master Deng did not dare to be haughty, quickly returning the gesture, saying, "Fellow Daoist Cyan Yang, there's no need for such courtesy. As a member of the sect, it's naturally my duty to take responsibility for such a major incident."

After saying this, he frowned and glanced at the numerous middle-to-low tier cultivators filling the streets of Prison Fire City. With an unsightly expression, he said, "This is not the place to talk. I invite both of you to move to the City Lord's Mansion to wait while I handle the city's matters."

Then, without waiting for Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang to respond, he turned and flew back into Prison Fire City.

Soon, the guardian cultivators affiliated with Prison Fire City mobilized everywhere, starting to drive away those cultivators expressing unfavorable opinions about the Divine Fire Palace.

"It has worked! Master Deng has really done us a big favor. By doing so, those cultivators who were expelled will harbor resentment and spread the matter everywhere, and others will see it as a sign of the Divine Fire Palace's guilty conscience!"

Inside the City Lord's Mansion of Prison Fire City, Zhouyang sensed the happenings within the city through his Divine Sense, immediately clapped his hands with a smile, his face full of delight.

Seeing this, Master Cyan Yang sighed softly, filled with emotion, "Fellow Daoist Deng had no choice! If he didn't act this way, and allowed the rumors to continue to evolve, it would only get worse, and at that point, it would really be hard to wrap things up."

Hearing this, Zhouyang's smile faded slightly, contemplating briefly before showing a thoughtful expression and nodding lightly, "What the elder says makes sense. Now it all depends on the attitude of the [Master Celestial Yang] who is about to arrive."

Although the location of the Divine Fire Palace's mountain gate is somewhat distant from Prison Fire City, for Nascent Soul cultivators, it is merely a matter of an hour or several hours.

Before long, Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang did not have to wait long until two powerful Nascent Soul-level auras appeared outside Prison Fire City, gradually approaching the location of the City Lord's Mansion.

A short while later, four figures, three men and one woman, slowly descended into the City Lord's Mansion.

Among these four, two are elder males wearing crimson robes, both having Nascent Soul cultivation. They are the Grand Elder of the Divine Fire Palace, "Master Celestial Yang" Zhao Yuanpu, and the Second Elder, "Master Diyang" Wei Qi, with Wei Qi also being the master of Dai Hongle.

As for the remaining young man and middle-aged beautiful woman, they should be the family members of the Divine Fire Palace Golden Core Elder Dai Hongle, who died at the hands of Zhou Guangcheng.

"Junior Zhouyang greets Master Zhao and Fellow Daoist Wei."

"Cyan Yang greets Master Zhao and Fellow Daoist Wei."

Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang's eyes swept over the two elders before offering their salutations first.

The difference in their addresses is due to Master Cyan Yang, despite being over a thousand years younger than "Master Celestial Yang" Zhao Yuanpu, representing the Profound Sun Immortal Sect as the Supreme Elder, naturally cannot refer to himself as a junior. Calling him "Master Zhao" is sufficient to express his respect for Zhao Yuanpu.

In contrast, Zhouyang is nearly two thousand years younger than Zhao Yuanpu and came to offer an apology in person. Hence, addressing himself as a junior evidences sincerity.

Zhao Yuanpu, a dignified-looking elder with a commanding presence, returned the greetings with a broad smile, clasping his hands, "Both of you are too courteous. I, Zhao, have long heard of both of your illustrious names and am fortunate to meet you today. A pleasure, indeed!"

Looking at his demeanor, he didn't seem like he came to question harshly. Instead, it appeared as if he was here to meet an old friend he hadn't seen in years.

On the contrary, the red-robed elder with narrow eyes and thin brows behind him, Wei Qi, seemed much harder to deal with.

After Zhao Yuanpu finished speaking, Wei Qi's eyebrows twitched, and in an odd tone, he said, "The Profound Sun Immortal Sect truly lives up to its name. To send two Nascent Soul Zhenrens here to flaunt for the matter of a Purple Mansion Stage junior, how pitiful for Wei's unfortunate disciple, who endured countless hardships to form a Golden Core, having just crossed half of his millennium lifespan, only to meet an untimely end at the hands of a yellow-mouthed child. Truly pitiful, truly lamentable!"

It seemed they had already planned it out, as soon as his words fell, the young man and the middle-aged beauty, who resembled Dai Hongle to some degree, embraced each other and began to wail in grief.

"Sob sob, husband, you died a dreadful death. Without your care, how are Yu'er and I supposed to live from now on?"

"Father, you died a terrible death. I'm useless, unable even to gather your remains. I'm an unfilial son!"

…

A simple trick, but undeniably effective.

At least Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang's formerly calm and composed expressions changed immediately due to the mourning mother and son.

The two exchanged a glance, then, with a mutual look, Zhouyang, as Zhou Guangcheng's father, was the first to speak.

In front of the mourning mother and son, he clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "You must be Fellow Daoist Dai's Dao companion and son, right? My son lacked discipline, leading to the accidental killing of Fellow Daoist Dai. I feel deeply ashamed for this; it's my failure in parenting that led to this tragedy. I deeply apologize to both of you and hope you can accept my apology."

Having said this, he was about to bow and apologize to the two.

This immediately sparked panic in the mother and son; they dared not accept such a bow from a Nascent Soul Zhenren and quickly moved aside, retreating behind Zhao Pu and Wei Qi, answering in a trembling voice, "We dare not accept such a courtesy from an elder. We hope the elder will not trouble the younger mother and son."

They dared not confront a Nascent Soul Cultivator like Zhouyang, but others did.

Immediately, Wei Qi glared with wide eyes and sneered heavily, "Hmph, now that the man is reduced to dust and ashes, what use are your apologies? It's natural law: a life for a life, a debt repaid. If Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly sincere, hand over the murderer to be dealt with by the deceased's family. Saying you're sincere when you don't even bring the murderer here—isn't that a bit insincere?"

"Fellow Daoist Wei's words are incorrect!"

With a solemn expression, Master Cyan Yang took over the conversation and said seriously, "Apart from the fact that this incident has other causes, from the rules of the Cultivation Realm, once cultivators embark on the path of cultivation seeking longevity, they must always be ready to sacrifice themselves for the Dao. Fellow Daoist Dai's death at the hands of the disciple is indeed a painful event, but to demand the disciple's life in compensation—I cannot agree!"

Hearing this, Wei Qi sneered continuously, "Haha, see, now your true colors are revealed! If you're not willing to hand over the murderer, why are you here? Do you think our Divine Fire Palace is easy to bully, not satisfied with oppressing the young and now you want to eliminate us old ones too, to cut off all future troubles?"

"If that's the case, feel free to..."

"Junior Brother, watch what you say!"

The previously silent Zhao Yuanpu suddenly flashed a stern look and quickly interrupted Wei Qi before he could finish.

Yet his cold, severe look was clearly directed at Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang.

"Fellow Daoist Wei's comments are complete nonsense. Fellow Daoists Cyan Yang and Zhou have sincerely come to the Divine Fire Palace to apologize. However, I must clarify with Master Zhao and all the fellow Daoists of the Divine Fire Palace that we are here to apologize, first, because we regret the tragedy that has occurred to Fellow Daoist Dai and are willing to provide some compensation to his family within our capability; second, we do not wish for this misunderstanding to lead to worsening relations between our two sects, resulting in more tragedies!"

As Master Cyan Yang spoke, he swung his sleeve and said sternly, "If the Divine Fire Palace is unwilling to accept the apology, then we, Cyan Yang and Fellow Daoist Zhou, will not stay longer. We will return!"

Having said that, he looked directly at Zhao Yuanpu, waiting for him to speak and make a decision.

Everyone present knew that the only person who could truly represent the Divine Fire Palace was Zhao Yuanpu, its master.

Wei Qi's clamoring was merely a probe before Zhao Yuanpu made a decision; no one believed Wei Qi could decide for the Divine Fire Palace.

"Alas! Junior Brother Wei's loss of a beloved disciple caused an emotional outburst and inappropriate words, please forgive him, fellow Daoists."

Under the watchful eyes of Master Cyan Yang and Zhouyang, Zhao Yuanpu sighed firstly, explaining away Wei Qi's previous aggressive remarks.

Then, he also straightened his face, earnestly said: "This old man and the Divine Fire Palace have absolutely no intention of getting hostile with the Profound Sun Immortal Sect. As for the renowned major sect like the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, this old man has always held admiration for it, often exhorting our sect's disciples to learn from it."

"However, Junior Dai after all was our sect's Golden Core Elder. His death at the hands of your sect's disciples is an undisputed fact. As the Grand Elder of the Divine Fire Palace, if I cannot get justice for him, not only would I be failing in my duty, but it would also be hard to satisfy our sect's thousands of disciples!"

Upon hearing these words, Zhouyang immediately asked in a deep voice: "I wonder what kind of justice Master Zhao desires? Earlier, I have already spoken with Master Deng of your sect, willing to compensate Fellow Daoist Dai's family with a million Spirit Stones for my son's fault, and also hand over the [Thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit] that Fellow Daoist Dai wished to acquire but did not get, for your sect to dispose of as it sees fit. If this does not show my sincerity, then what does?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanpu coldly retorted: "Do you mean that in Fellow Daoist Zhou's eyes, a Golden Core Stage Cultivator from my sect is only worth a million Spirit Stones and a [Thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit]? As far as I know, Junior Dai's personal wealth exceeds this amount, and we have not even found his corpse, not even a fragment!"

Zhouyang's aura was suddenly deflated, and for a moment, he did not know how to refute Zhao Yuanpu's words.

He knew very well that the calculation should not go this way, but he could not say that Dai Hongle deserved to die and was not worth more compensation!

After a while, he spread both hands, helplessly shook his head and said: "Fellow Daoist Zhou will not deceive Master Zhao. Fellow Daoist Dai perished under a treasure I bestowed upon my son for protection. His body and all belongings turned to dust upon death, so my son actually did not acquire any relics from him!"

This outcome was actually anticipated by the Divine Fire Palace, as every cultivator knows the practice of destroying evidence after killing when they first set out.

They just did not expect that Dai Hongle would truly be obliterated, leaving behind no trace.

Upon hearing Zhouyang's words, Wei Qi, who had been silent since Zhao Yuanpu spoke, immediately said sinisterly: "Fellow Daoist Zhou has such a method, just employing a protective treasure to turn Wei's disciple to dust. I wonder if Wei can have a glimpse of this treasure's power?"

"Fellow Daoist Wei, do you not believe my words?"

Zhouyang frowned, stared directly at Wei Qi, and a cold gleam flashed through his eyes.

Although Wei Qi is the Second Elder of Divine Fire Palace, his cultivation is merely Fourth-Layer Nascent Soul, someone whom Zhouyang does not fear in the least.

Seeing the two of them on the verge of conflict again, Zhao Yuanpu hastily intervened, saying: "Even if what Fellow Daoist Zhou says is true, Junior Dai ultimately died at your son's hands, and now your son cannot even return his relics to his family, this doesn't comply with our customs, does it?"

After seeing this, Zhouyang hesitated slightly before nodding: "Since Master Zhao puts it this way, Fellow Daoist Zhou will give Master some face and is willing to add fifty thousand Spirit Stones on top of the original compensation. How does Master feel about this?"

"One hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Stones are far from equating to Junior Dai's life, but Fellow Daoist Zhou's sincerity is evident to me. As the saying goes, the dead cannot be revived, and I believe Junior Dai would not want his death to lead to animosity between the two sects."

Zhao Yuanpu slightly nodded to express his acceptance of Zhouyang's compensation proposal.

Just as Zhouyang thought the matter was settled, Zhao Yuanpu spoke again: "However, this old man on behalf of the Divine Fire Palace and Junior Dai's kin accepts Fellow Daoist Zhou's compensation solely to avoid conflict with the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, not to let Junior Dai die in vain. If anyone from the Divine Fire Palace intends to spare your son, the murderer, that's absolutely impossible!"

"Master Zhao, are you mocking a junior?"

Zhouyang's expression changed, looking grimly, he said: "If not for my son's future safety, does Master truly believe that Fellow Daoist Zhou, a dignified Nascent Soul Cultivator, would come here to apologize to juniors not even at the Golden Core Stage? Would willingly give away one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones for free?"

Upon hearing these words, Zhao Yuanpu gave a meaningful glance at Master Cyan Yang next to him and then coldly chuckled: "Fellow Daoist Zhou must not forget, if not for your son's status as a True Disciple of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, seeking revenge for Junior Dai would pose little difficulty for our Divine Fire Palace!"

"If Fellow Daoist Zhao puts it this way, Fellow Daoist Zhou has nothing more to say. You may avenge the dead disciple if you wish, only please do so over Fellow Daoist Zhou's dead body, or at that time, I may also retaliate without restraint against your sect for killing my son!"

As Zhouyang spoke, he prepared to turn and leave.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, wait!"

Master Cyan Yang hurriedly spoke to stop him, then looked angrily at Zhao Yuanpu and said: "Fellow Daoist Zhao, are you truly going to do this? Let me tell you plainly, my sect will surely protect that disciple. If you truly reject reconciliation, then my sect will respond accordingly!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuanpu's expression slightly changed. He frowned and said: "I understand Fellow Daoist Cyan Yang's deep affection for his disciple, but does saying such words not affect morale among your sect's disciples? Are you sure you can represent the entire Profound Sun Immortal Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Master Cyan Yang's expression turned even more unpleasant. He angrily said: "As the Supreme Elder of our sect, failing to protect my direct disciple would truly dishearten other disciples. As for whether I can represent the Profound Sun Immortal Sect, that's not for Fellow Daoist Zhao to decide!"

Zhao Yuanpu, hearing this, flashed an odd light in his eyes and muttered thoughtfully to himself: "It appears both our sect and I'd underestimated the importance of your disciple to your sect, considering Fellow Daoist Cyan Yang's uncharacteristic response."

After speaking, he sobered his expression, his gaze swept sternly over Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang, and said in a deep voice: "If you want this old man and the Divine Fire Palace to back down, both Fellow Daoists should each step forward for a match with me. If either can persist for half an hour under this old man's hand, you may take the compensation and leave. I swear on my honor and the reputation of the Divine Fire Palace that no one from the Divine Fire Palace will ever target Fellow Daoist Zhou's son in relation to this matter afterward!"

He possesses a Nascent Soul Seventh Stage Cultivation, two small realms higher than Zhouyang and Master Cyan Yang, who are both Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators. Now saying such words, it is obvious he's planning to use his superior strength to bully the weak.

Therefore, when Master Cyan Yang heard him, he immediately wanted to refuse.

But Zhouyang directly stopped him and then looked at Zhao Yuanpu with a determined expression, saying, "Very well, Fellow Daoist Zhao, as you've said it yourself, I, Zhou, am not talented, but I will be happy to learn from your excellence!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, you..."

Master Cyan Yang looked at Zhouyang with complete astonishment, his eyes full of worry.

However, Zhouyang simply smiled nonchalantly and said, "After all, this incident was caused by my son. As his father, it is only natural for me to clean up after him. Elder Qingyang can rest assured, I know what I'm doing."

The confidence in his words naturally stemmed from his assurance in his own strength, confident that even a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator could not defeat him within half an hour.

But others did not see it this way. The gap between Late-Stage Nascent Soul and Early-Stage Nascent Soul, although not as wide as between the Golden Core Stage and Nascent Soul Stage, was still significant.

If a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator was determined to kill an Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, it was highly possible to achieve this.

Therefore, even Zhao Yuanpu, upon hearing Zhouyang's words, couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "It's touching to see a parent's love for their child. If Fellow Daoist Zhou can truly withstand for half an hour, I would be honored to befriend you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang merely smiled without saying much, simply extending his hand and saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, please."

Seeing this, Zhao Yuanpu immediately composed himself and respectfully replied, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, please follow me."

He then flew out of the City Lord's Mansion, heading towards a place near the Wilderness Jungle outside the city.

Eventually, the group stopped high in the sky over the outskirts of the Wilderness Jungle.

In the sky tens of thousands of feet high, the invisible Gang Winds were sharper than a blade and so piercing that a normal Golden Core Stage Cultivator would not last even a quarter of an hour at this altitude. However, Zhouyang did not even use a Body-Protecting Technique, relying solely on his physical defense to withstand the damage of the Gang Winds.

This was something that Zhao Yuanpu, a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, could not achieve even when separated by tens of thousands of feet.

Thus, witnessing this scene, even Zhao Yuanpu could not help but exclaim in amazement, "I've long heard that Fellow Daoist Zhou's body refining divine techniques are top-notch and unrivaled among Human Race Cultivators in the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm. Seeing it today, it indeed lives up to its reputation!"

Then, his eyes flashed, and he said loudly, "However, compared to your body refining divine techniques, I am more interested in seeing the power of the Qianyang True Flame you possess. Let's see whether my Three Flavors Divine Flame or your Qianyang True Flame is more formidable among top-tier fire element divine techniques!"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang immediately responded, "Since Fellow Daoist Zhao has such a keen interest, I am naturally happy to oblige. Please watch carefully!"

After saying this, he rubbed his hands together, and a pure golden Qianyang True Flame rapidly ignited between his palms. It grew stronger and stronger, quickly forming into a golden fire dragon several feet long, which flew out under his control.

"Wonderful!"

Zhao Yuanpu exclaimed with excitement as he also rubbed his hands together. A silver-purple divine flame quickly ignited in his palms, transforming into a fire phoenix with a wingspan of several feet, which swooped fiercely at the golden fire dragon.

In mid-air, the dragon and phoenix met, roaring and shrieking as they fought closely, determined to extinguish each other.

Because they wanted to see whose mastery of the fire element divine techniques was stronger, neither Zhouyang nor Zhao Yuanpu injected any additional magical power into the fire dragon and fire phoenix, relying solely on their flame control abilities and using Divine Sense to remotely direct the battle between the dragon and phoenix.

In this regard, Zhouyang was somewhat at a disadvantage. After all, Zhao Yuanpu had lived nearly two thousand years longer, and the Divine Fire Palace was an expert in playing with fire. Even though Zhouyang often used Qianyang True Flame for artifact refining, he couldn't match Zhao Yuanpu's control over the Three Flavors Divine Flame.

However, he wasn't without advantages. Firstly, his Qianyang True Flame was a Talent Divine Technique, innate to him, and the flame would not resist his control at all.

Secondly, his Qianyang True Flame was enhanced by the Qianyang Treasure Pearl, a Tier Seven Immortal Artifact, increasing its power by at least ten to twenty percent compared to the normal Qianyang True Flame used by Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Don't underestimate this ten to twenty percent increase, as it enhances a Great Success Realm top-tier fire element divine technique!