At the crack of dawn, Zhuo Fan started on his journey with Li Jingtian to find those two old monsters without so much as a goodbye. He left Yan Song behind.
Luo Yunchang was mad after she heard Yan Song tell her this. [He's leaving and going whenever like this place is a tavern!]
Lei Yuting was just as pissed. Because ever since his return, he has not once 'talked' to her. They only spoke about the affairs of the outside and the Luo Clan; never freely!
"Humph, that brat must be seeing someone outside!" Lei Yuting's jaw was in a vice, her knuckles white, ready to pounce like a tigress.
Three days later, Dugu Zhantian had received imperial summons to return. The Dugu Army left swiftly, taking with them Luo Yunhai, since he was his 5th godson.
At the moment of parting with the Luo clan, Luo Yunhai felt somewhat sad seeing that Zhuo Fan wasn't there to see him off. It was normal for Dugu Zhantian to go off to war for decades, and who knew when the two would see each other again. He started feeling down.
Luo Yunchang rubbed his head in an attempt to console him, but it proved useless. Zhuo Fan came and went as he pleased, though all knew he always had the Luo clan's best interest in every move.
But every time he does this, it leaves everyone with a cold feeling! [You could at least say goodbye to the child!]
But Zhuo Fan never even considered such trifles. He only had long term returns in mind…
Three months later, two men stood in front of a hundred mile long steep and winding mountain range. Not able to see the end of it caused Zhuo Fan to sigh.
The mountain before them was called Snowfire Peak. One half was covered in endless snow, while the other in towering flames that made the entire sky shimmer from the heat. It's scorching blaze burned everything in a ten mile radius.
What was curious about it, was the middle ground, where the ice and fire met. The transition was jarring, as if someone drew a line. One step you'd be in ice, the next in a furnace.
People couldn't help but sigh at the world's wonders!
But Zhuo Fan knew this wasn't made by mother nature but men!
This used to be a vibrant place full of life, not the Snowfire Peak what was called today! This happened due to two old monsters staying here. They up and started trading blows shaping the mountain range with every exchange into this, a hell of fire and ice!
"How long did they fight to change the place so damn much?" Zhuo Fan sighed. But in his mind, he approved of such actions. Even in the Radiant Stage, such power was impressive for these experts to have. They sure fit the bill for who he was looking for.
Li Jingtian laughed wryly, "Steward Zhuo, they are a couple that used to fight against Tianyu and caused fear at their mere mention! But their character is strange, to put it mildly. They each cultivate an opposing cultivation method, they are unreasonable and do not answer to anyone! In the end, they settled here and the empire calmed. Though they did ruin this fine place, into this, ha-ha-ha…"
"Since that's the case, how come Regent Estate couldn't get them?" Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow.
Shaking his head, Li Jingtian sighed, "Steward Zhuo, this pair is bizarre to extreme. You need to look beyond their mere lovers' spat. Once an enemy comes, they both rise to meet it. Their cooperation is seamless. At the time, ten Radiant Stage experts were forced to withdraw beaten to a pulp and filled with anger!"
[I see. They look to be at odds, but their hearts are together. To protect each other!]
Zhuo Fan nodded.
Hum~
Then, a sudden soul ripple passed over the two. They realized on the spot they'd been spotted.
"Elder Li, you know what to do, right?" Zhuo Fan spoke coldly.
Snickering, Li Jingtian nodded, "Of course, outsmart our betters, ha-ha-ha… "
"Li Jingtian!"
With a whoosh, a man in red came from the burning side of the mountain range, bellowing with such rage that jarred the two's ears.
Zhuo Fan eyed him carefully. He was a bald man in his sixties, had vibrant eyes as if they could shoot out flames, and heat seemed to be coming from his body constantly.
Not thirty meters from him, Zhuo Fan could feel as the scorching heat was evaporating even his sweat. He reckoned that any closer would have him combust!
[His fire Yuan Qi is so pure!] Zhuo Fan admired.
Li Jingtian took a step in front of Zhuo Fan to shield him and shouted, "Qiu Yanhai, it's been ages, but more uncouth than ever, it seems. You even release such pressure in front of a junior!"
"Humph, uncouth? Were you and Regent Estate any different? There were ten of you and only two of us back then!" Qiu Yanhai mocked, his eyes staring at Li Jingtian, "Mad Dipper, why are you here? There's no way you can beat us alone!"
Snickering, Li Jingtian said, "Raging Ancestor, take it easy. I've not come as your enemy. It is this young master of ours who has a fire physique and the Imperial Tyrant Body Art isn't suited to him. I was tasked by the Estate Lord to bring him here so you can take him as a disciple."
"Disciple?"
Qiu Yanhai frowned, "Your Regent Estate has many cultivation methods. Why must you come for mine specifically?"
"Ha-ha-ha, you're absolutely right. Regent Estate has many cultivation methods, but none greater than Imperial Tyrant Body Art. This young master wants to go higher, and has to train in the best fire cultivation method in the empire. Which brings me to you. Everyone knows Raging Ancestor's Heaven Searing Inferno is second only to the seven houses' cultivation methods in the profound rank!"
Qiu Yanhai nodded, but the mere mention of Regent Estate stirred a raging fire in him. How could he take a disciple? He snorted, "Li Jingtian, you've become more yellow on the inside ever since you joined the Regent Estate. If you wanted to show some goodwill in wanting me to have this kid as a disciple, the Estate Lord should've come himself. But seeing you here instead, proves all of Regent Estate is only a den of dogs! "
Li Jingtian was starting to get angry.
[Humph, I'm the yellow bellied one? We'll see who has real guts once you swallow this thrifty little Bloodworm!]
"Raging Ancestor, enough bullshit. Will you take him, or not?"
"No!" Qiu Yanhai barked, "You dare ask me to take your young master as a disciple when your ten Venerables had us two surrounded back then? Li Jingtian, you think I'm as gutless as you?"
Li Jingtian gnashed his teeth, his patience wearing dangerously thin. He could only curse, [We'll see soon enough!]
But just then, an annoyed voice sounded, "Elder Li, your boasting of Raging Ancestor to high heavens barely convinced me to come take a look. And what do I see now that I'm here? Hardly anything to look at. He's even worse than our Profound Heaven elders!"
Qiu Yanhai looked to see Zhuo Fan mocking him and snapped, "Cut the crap! I once fought ten of your Venerables and didn't lose once. How dare you say that?"
"Isn't it?" Zhuo Fan pointed at the mountain range with childlike fascination, "Look, our Profound Heaven elders scorched a mountain so thorough that it can't freeze! But you are so weak, with little Yuan Qi, letting half of it freeze back…"
Qiu Yanhai was flummoxed. Did the Regent Estate have such an ignorant youth to not even know of the fight between these two great experts?
To save his own face, Qiu Yanhai was forced to preach to the child, "Kid, I don't quibble with ignorant youths. But you need to understand something, this wasn't a mountain set on fire, but the result of the bitter battle between me and my wife!"
"Wow, amazing!" Zhuo Fan exclaimed, "You caused all this just from the aftermath of your battles. Not even our Venerables can do that!"
Qiu Yanhai nodded pleased, "Sensible lad!"
But Zhuo Fan's next line had him close to spitting blood, "Old Qiu, your wife is amazing. She almost froze your fire!"
Pff!
Qiu Yanhai shuddered from rage, "Punk, stop your nonsense! That's absolutely ridiculous. It is my fire that melted her ice!"
Raging Ancestor, who fought his wife for all this time, hated to be told he was weaker than her. Zhuo Fan knew this and still did it just to spite him.
Zhuo Fan shared a glance with Li Jingtian and the two were giddy inside.
But before Zhuo Fan could irk the old man some more, an elegant voice rang, "Little brother is so adorable. Sister could just eat you up! Hear that, you old coot? Even this pup can see you're weaker, so just admit it!"
A white figure floated before them.
Zhuo Fan looked to see a seventeen year old delicate girl, with bright eyes and dazzling smile. But Zhuo Fan knew it fully well she was a hundred years old hag.
And when she started to call herself sister, it sent a chill right down to his core!
He just couldn't make sense of something. The higher one cultivated, the long one's life was and the stronger one got. But this woman fancied wasting some of her cultivation to keep herself young and fit, to look like a fetching lady!
If this part would've been used to improve her strength, she would've soared by now. Wouldn't she have beaten the old guy ages ago?
Zhuo Fan shook his head. It was simply beyond his understanding.
But that was normal. A pragmatic and cynical man who only saw gain would never understand why a woman dolled herself for her man…