Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

Chapter 322 Cemetery
"Roar—Awoo!"

Deep within the jungles of the Tianheng Mountains, the roars of magical beasts rose and fell, sometimes deep and thunderous, sometimes sharp and piercing, piercing through layers of tree canopy and echoing endlessly in the valleys.

Gu Yuan huddled behind a thicket of black thorn bushes, his body pressed against the cold, damp ground. He held his breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

Only when the roars of the demonic beasts gradually faded away did Gu Yuan slowly breathe a sigh of relief. He used his only remaining right hand to support himself on the ground, struggled to lift his head, and warily scanned his surroundings.

After confirming that the monster had completely left, he gritted his teeth and slowly stood up, using the support of a thick ancient tree branch beside him.

"Damn it... If I were still in my prime, things wouldn't be like this!"

Gu Yuan cursed in a low voice, his voice hoarse and dry, his expression extremely frustrated.

He was once a peak nine-star Dou Sheng, the most talented patriarch of the ancient clan in thousands of years, wielding the power of the ancient clan and overlooking the eight clans, how majestic he was.

But now, it hides like a stray dog, and even a few low-level magical beasts avoid it.

This huge disparity ignited a raging fire in his heart, but he had nowhere to vent it, so he could only let out a heavy sigh.

"The foundation laid by the ancient clans and their ancient emperor ancestors, is it really going to be destroyed in my hands?"

Gu Yuan looked at the sky above, which was completely obscured by branches and leaves, and a trace of despair flashed in his eyes.

The ancient clan has been passed down for thousands of years, and has never wavered despite countless trials and tribulations.

But now, facing the iron hooves of the Dragon and Phoenix Son, the ancient clan is so vulnerable, its members have died tragically, and its territory has been lost.

As the clan leader, he was reduced to a homeless dog. How could he face the ancient emperors and ancestors, and the ancestors of the ancient clans throughout the ages?

"No, I must get revenge! I can't die!"

Thinking of this, anger flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes. He endured the excruciating pain in his body and formed a hand seal with one hand.

As he circulated the incantation, a wisp of powerful yet stagnant soul energy slowly overflowed from between his brows, spreading outwards like a fine spider web.

This is currently the only means he can use to explore the environment.

Unfortunately, due to his severe injuries, especially the devastating damage to his soul from the Star Extinction Sword Intent, his soul power can now only barely reach a distance of ten miles.

Compared to its heyday when it easily covered the entire world, it's a world of difference.

Gu Yuan carefully explored the surrounding ten-mile radius with his soul power, but he kept encountering some powerful magical beasts.

Gu Yuan felt a little disappointed. Could it be that there really wasn't a place in the Tianheng Mountains where he could heal in peace?
Just as he was about to withdraw his soul power and continue his escape in another direction.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

An extremely subtle yet exceptionally clear aura suddenly appeared at the edge of the soul power's detection range, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in his soul.

The aura arrived extremely abruptly, as if it had been hidden in the void all along, only to be unintentionally captured by his senses at this moment.

"This is……"

Gu Yuan's mind stirred, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He carefully discerned the aura, finding it extremely eerie, yet containing a surging, domineering energy like flames, intensely hot and violent...

"It's strange fire!"

A thought instantly formed in his mind, and Gu Yuan's breathing became rapid.

Although he was seriously injured, as the patriarch of the ancient clan, he still retained his former vision and knowledge.

The fact that this strange fire can exude such a magnificent and powerful aura means that its grade is definitely not bad; at least it must be one of the top-ranked strange fires!
Upon realizing this, Gu Yuan felt an irrepressible surge of passion within him.

The Yan Clan is renowned among the eight clans for its fire-based prowess, possessing numerous unique flames within its ranks. However, the ancient clans' research into these unique flames is by no means inferior.

Now, he is severely injured, his fighting spirit is disordered, his bloodline is surging, and his soul is damaged... All these discomforts make him urgently need external assistance!
He dared not hope that the strange fire in the Tianheng Mountains could be stronger than the Golden Emperor's Burning Heaven Flame.

However, as long as it can be subdued, the pure energy in the strange fire can not only quickly repair his damaged meridians and soul, but also suppress the turbulent bloodline in his body, allowing him to recover some of his strength!

"God help me too!"

Gu Yuan couldn't help but shout with wild joy in his heart. To encounter such a glimmer of hope in such a desperate situation—wasn't this proof of divine favor?
It seems that Gu Yuan's life is not meant to end here!

"go!"

Gu Yuanqiang suppressed his joy and, supporting himself on the branches of the ancient tree beside him, moved his body with difficulty.

He put all his weight on the wooden crutch and his intact right leg, and limped slowly toward the source of the strange fire aura.

Although he found hope, Gu Yuan was not blinded by this joy.

He moved with extreme caution, deliberately concealing his presence, avoiding clearings and obvious paths, and choosing only dense thickets and rugged terrain. "Hiss..."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Gu Yuan's forehead. With each step he took, the wound on his left leg would throb with excruciating pain.

But we must persevere and obtain that strange fire!
However, as they delved deeper, a strange sense of unease and oddity gradually spread through Gu Yuan's mind.

His journey has been far too smooth.

Logically speaking, since the Tianheng Mountains are already teeming with beastmen troops, even if this place is deep within the mountains, it's impossible that we wouldn't encounter a single patrolling beastman soldier.

But the truth is, he had been walking for almost an hour, and not only had the beastmen soldiers disappeared, but even the low-level magical beasts that were previously everywhere had vanished. The entire forest was eerily quiet...

Moreover, this smoothness seemed to begin from the moment he sensed the aura of that strange fire...

"What exactly is going on?"

A deep sense of doubt arose in Gu Yuan's heart, and his steps involuntarily slowed down.

His gaze swept warily around him, and his soul power cautiously spread out again, carefully probing the surrounding movements.

But the result remained the same; within a ten-mile radius, there was no sign of any other living creature besides himself.

"Could this be a trap set by the Dragon-Phoenix Child?"

A chilling thought arose, causing Gu Yuan's body to tense instantly.

"No, I can't go any further!" Alarm bells rang in Gu Yuan's mind, and he turned to run away in the opposite direction.

But just as he turned around, his gaze inadvertently swept over the terrain in front of him, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The terrain ahead gradually became lower and lower, and the trees became sparser, revealing the outline of a valley.

The aura of that strange fire came from deep within the valley!
More importantly, he sensed a familiar energy fluctuation in his surroundings... It was the spatial aftershock caused by the shattering of the lightning barrier during his battle with the Dragon-Phoenix Child!
"wrong!"

Gu Yuan's eyes narrowed sharply: "My battle with the Dragon-Phoenix Child shattered the Thunder Realm barrier, and the aftershocks did indeed shake the Tianheng Mountains..."

He muttered to himself, and his doubts gradually dissipated.

Gu Yuan recalled his escape route. He was forced westward by Su Yun's attack and eventually entered the Tianheng Mountains. The core area of ​​the battle was on the outskirts of these mountains.

"The reason I can sense these strange flames is probably because the aftermath of the great battle destroyed the original restrictions that concealed them..."

Gu Yuan gradually found the answer in his heart.

The reason I haven't encountered any orc soldiers along the way is probably because this area is still affected by the aftermath of the great war.

The space here is unstable and the energy is disordered, so the orc soldiers dare not venture too deep, making it a temporary safe zone.

“There are indeed signs of digging around... but it is probably the aftermath of the battle that caused landslides or ground collapses, which caused the soil that was originally buried underground to surge up, rather than a trap set by humans.”

The hiding place of this strange fire was once concealed underground, hidden by a powerful restriction, which is why the Thunder Clan failed to discover it...

"But this time, due to the aftermath of my battle with the Dragon-Phoenix Child, the restriction was broken, and the hiding place was re-emerged, which is why I was able to gain this advantage..."

Having figured all this out, Gu Yuan couldn't help but chuckle to himself, realizing he had been far too sensitive.

Having suffered a crushing defeat in the Thunder Realm, he is now extremely paranoid, and any unusual occurrence makes him suspect a trap.

"As expected, I was overthinking it..."

Gu Yuan completely relaxed. He took a deep breath and focused his gaze back on the direction of the valley ahead, his eyes gleaming with a burning light.

The aura of that strange fire grew clearer and stronger, and he could even feel the pure energy contained within it, causing his damaged meridians to tremble slightly.

"Whatever is in the cave, you'll know once you go in and take a look."

Gu Yuan's expression turned ruthless: "Even if there is any real danger, in my current state, I have nowhere to retreat and can only fight to the death!"

He gripped his wooden crutch tightly, took a step, and limped towards the depths of the valley.

As they drew closer, the valley's outline became increasingly clear.

This is an extremely secluded valley, surrounded by towering cliffs that seem to reach into the clouds. There is only one narrow passage leading into it. The valley is shrouded in mist, and the air is humid and stuffy, with a faint smell of sulfur.

Gu Yuan walked into the valley along the narrow passage and soon saw the source of the strange fire aura. His eyes widened in shock.

"This is--!"

(End of this chapter)