The blazing fire was vast and mighty, illuminating heaven and earth.
Such a scene was unique even in the Four Great Ghost Domains. This was because this place was brilliantly bright; the characteristic gloom and death qi of the Netherworld were nowhere to be seen.
It was exactly the [Flaming Mountain].
In the distant sky, three streaks of light shot across the horizon before finally stopping at the outskirts of the mountain, revealing the figures of Lu Yang, the Pill Maiden, and the Cauldron Boy.
Lu Yang clicked his tongue in wonder. The deeper his cultivation base, the more extraordinary he found this Flaming Mountain. He even had the feeling that even if he revealed his full cultivation and took it head-on with the [Arctic Exorcism Court], he would still be unable to break through the vast flames before him and would be instantly incinerated into flying ash!
This is definitely the handiwork of the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak.
While Lu Yang was still pondering, the Pill Maiden beside him looked over and warned vigilantly, "Although you are specially permitted to enter, you'd best not try any tricks."
"The flames here are called the [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire]."
"The 'Purple-Azure' does not refer to the color of the flames, but to its exalted stature. Purple reaching the extreme births azure; it is the flame with the highest stature in the Light Sea!"
The Pill Maiden looked solemn. "We will cast a secret method upon you. If your cultivation is truly only at the Perfected Lord realm, you will naturally pass through safely. But if your stature is wrong—if you are not a Perfected Lord—you will instantly be incinerated into nothingness by the flames. So, if you are hiding anything, you'd best confess now."
—Interesting.
Lu Yang's smile remained unchanged, but his mind began to race: Is such strict defense, absolutely forbidding Great Perfected Lords from entering, really necessary?
So what if it's a Great Perfected Lord?
If the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak truly was a Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord as he expected—the absolute pinnacle of the current Mortal World—then only [Sky-shrouding] could put up a fight against him.
Why the taboo?
Unless... his condition isn't very good, or rather, it's extremely bad. I suspect Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin and the others have vaguely guessed this as well.
Despite this thought, Lu Yang wasn't the least bit worried. Although the Pill Maiden talked up the [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire] as if there was nothing like it in heaven or on earth, and he indeed could sense a lethal crisis from it, he had confidence in [The Book of a Hundred Lifetimes]. Under the effect of [The Dove Occupying the Magpie's Nest], he was the Dao Arts Perfected Lord, Qing Kui!
Of course, this was only one of his sources of confidence.
The other source was the feedback from the [Immortal Nexus Survival Guide]. Therefore, he was certain that the [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire] wasn't a trap for him.
With this thought, Lu Yang smiled immediately.
"Rest assured, Daoist Friend, this lowly one is absolutely not hiding anything!"
"...Very well, then."
Hearing this, the Pill Maiden formed a hand seal and patted Lu Yang. Instantly, a layer of jade-like, glowing light surfaced on his body.
"Follow us."
As her voice faded, the Pill Maiden and the Cauldron Boy stepped into the flames first. Then, standing within the mountain, their two pairs of eyes stared fixedly at Lu Yang.
Lu Yang naturally couldn't show stage fright. He immediately strode forward, stepping calmly into the flames. He allowed the wandering fire snakes to drill into his seven orifices, roam around his internal organs, and then flow back out... Throughout the entire process, not a single abnormality occurred on his body.
Only then did the Pill Maiden nod slightly.
Following that, the woman who had been so talkative outside took a step back, closed her eyes, and stopped speaking, yielding the lead to the man behind her.
It was the Cauldron Boy, who had remained silent the entire time.
"I will guide the way from here, Fellow Daoist."
The Cauldron Boy said, "The Pill Maiden is in charge outside, and I am in charge here. The man manages the inside, and the woman manages the outside. This is also a rule set by my Master."
A guest complies with the host's wishes. Lu Yang nodded immediately and followed the Cauldron Boy, who led the way, all the way to a cave abode within the mountain. They didn't stop once during the journey. It wasn't until they entered the cave abode that Lu Yang saw a praying mat, upon which sat a handsome young man wearing Daoist robes and holding a horsetail whisk.
Seeing this, Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat.
He had once seen the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak in the Old Dragon Lord's memories. He looked exactly identical to the young Daoist before him. However, Lu Yang felt something was off.
His aura is too weak...
Let alone the imagined Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord, he didn't even have the aura of a regular Perfected Lord. At first glance, Lu Yang almost thought the person in front of him was an ordinary mortal.
Returning to the natural state?
Hiding his true strength?
Countless guesses flashed through Lu Yang's mind, but outwardly he respectfully stepped forward, bowed, and said in a deep voice, "This lowly cultivator Qing Kui pays his respects to Perfected Lord Pill Cauldron."
"Rise."
The young Daoist on the seat smiled slightly. "I have made a fool of myself before you, Fellow Daoist. My injuries have not yet healed, so it is truly inconvenient for me to personally meet Fellow Daoist Supreme Law."
As he spoke, streaks of blazing fire plummeted from the sky and coiled around the young man. It made him look solemn and dignified, while also displaying an incredibly high level of fire control technique. Coupled with the inherent mighty power of the [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire], this move alone was enough to scare off the vast majority of Perfected Lords.
However, this didn't scare Lu Yang. Instead, it made him narrow his eyes.
A bit weak, isn't he...
Excessive intimidation only revealed a lack of confidence. At the very least, Lu Yang asked himself, if their positions were swapped, he absolutely wouldn't bother showing off this fire control technique.
However, he remained expressionless and continued:
"My Lord Supreme Law fully understands Senior's difficulties. That is exactly why he specifically sent this lowly cultivator over. Once the Origin Jade is verified, this lowly cultivator will leave immediately."
Hearing this, the young Daoist smiled. Then, with a flick of his horsetail whisk, a fist-sized piece of jade suddenly appeared before Lu Yang's eyes. It was a profound color, carrying the depth of an empty valley. It made one involuntarily focus all their attention on it, like falling into an abyss, unable to look away.
So straightforward?
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids, but the doubts in his heart grew heavier. He just felt it wasn't right. The young Daoist's reaction was completely different from what he had imagined.
One must know, even though Perfected Lord Supreme Law Upholding Origin had spoken very politely...
Fundamentally, this so-called "verification" was actually a sign of distrust. The Master of Pill Cauldron Peak should logically have shown some displeasure towards it.
Because if he didn't show such an attitude, the other party could very well push their luck. Would the First-generation Master of Pill Cauldron Peak not understand the logic that yielding one step leads to yielding every step?
But the young Daoist's behavior looked more like—
He wants to get rid of me as quickly as possible?
Lu Yang lowered his head and seriously examined the profound jade before him. Then, his expression grew increasingly bizarre, and a playful look gradually surfaced in his eyes.
Origin Jade? A Void Stone?
It's a fake.
Although the profound jade the young Daoist presented had exactly the same characteristics as a [Void Stone]—both were nearly indestructible and could suppress mighty power...
The essence is wrong!
If it were anyone else, this piece of profound jade might have fooled them. But Lu Yang, who had already seen through the [Long Stairway to Divinity], could see past the phenomenon to the essence.
Although this thing is very well-made, and all its characteristics correspond to a [Void Stone], almost enough to pass off the fake as genuine, its essence is still a [Plane]. It hasn't been elevated to the [Void] level. It's a perfect, high-quality counterfeit... Good heavens, is Pill Cauldron scamming the Dao of Dao Arts?
Or perhaps...
Thinking of this, a bold guess finally popped into Lu Yang's mind. After a brief hesitation, he decided to try and verify it.
The next second, Lu Yang spoke in a low, eerie voice:
"Are you sure this Origin Jade is genuine?"
Hearing this, the young Daoist immediately frowned and said coldly, "What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist? Do you think I would use fake Origin Jade to deceive you?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, Senior," Lu Yang shook his head. "It's just that this junior has shallow experience."
"Then you can take it back and let Supreme Law—"
"No need."
Before the young Daoist could finish, Lu Yang had already made his move.
Are you kidding me? A dignified Heaven Treading Great Perfected Lord being questioned like this by a mere Perfected Lord, and your first reaction isn't to slap me half to death?
This is a fake!
"Boom!"
In an instant, the flowing light shattered. The [Purple-Azure Doushuai Fire] surrounding the young Daoist was clearly far inferior to the powerful flames covering the outside of the mountain; at most, it could deal with a Perfected Lord.
The moment Lu Yang elevated his stature to a Great Perfected Lord, these flames were directly suppressed and extinguished. Simultaneously, a look of sheer terror abruptly surfaced on the young Daoist's face. Then, with a bang under Lu Yang's palm, he exploded into nothingness—it truly was just an empty shell!