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Chapter 1004: Old Acquaintance

Chapter 1004: Old Acquaintance

Blazing Sun Immortal City.

A spirit boat hung high in the sky.

Fang Xi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing down from the deck.

Everywhere his gaze reached, it was a vast expanse of golden and crimson magma!

Innumerable streams of magma flowed wantonly, as if forming a sea of scarlet gold!

"The Great Sun of Blazing Sun Immortal City has fallen, and now it has become the Setting Sun Immortal City. . . This sea of magma, stretching for countless tens of thousands of miles, is the most beautiful scenery of Setting Sun Immortal City."

Xu Qing Xian Ren arrived beside Fang Xi at some unknown point, sighing.

Huang Jing, who was piloting the spirit boat ahead, gave a slight tremor of his hand, a hint of sadness appearing in his eyes.

Now, however, it had all transformed into a sea of fire.

"Even his life-bound immortal artifact was shattered. . . It seems the Blazing Sun Immortal's fate is indeed grim."

Fang Xi sighed with emotion.

He hadn't expected that Jun Xie Tian Mo, along with the forces behind him, could actually annihilate an Immortal!

"After this battle, the minor powers of the North Star Immortal Domain will likely be on high alert."

The so-called minor powers naturally referred to sects and families like the Divine Wood Palace, which only possessed one or two Immortals.

As for factions without Immortals, they couldn't even be considered powers at all!

"Still, one shouldn't speak too definitively. . . We Immortals are beings of longevity, and over the long years, we can cultivate our magic power to its current bottleneck, and then learn many auxiliary and life-preserving secret arts. . ."

"Even if we encounter a powerful enemy, preserving our lives shouldn't be much of an issue."

Fang Xi looked thoughtfully at Xu Qing Xian Ren: "Daoist Xu Qing, where do you think we should begin?"

"Naturally, we'll start by going to the nearest Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce outpost."

Xu Qing Xian Ren replied as if it were obvious.

...

Black Marsh Market.

Before the octagonal jade archway.

At this moment, several cultivators were already standing there.

Among them, an old woman leaned on a mulberry wood cane, occasionally coughing twice, as if plagued by illness.

Another wore animal hides, with a formidable appearance and a height exceeding ten feet.

The last one appeared the most normal, just an ordinary human cultivator, in the guise of an aged scholar.

At this moment, the beast-hide-clad giant looked at the old woman: "Old Woman Ming. . . When will those two esteemed seniors arrive?"

"Cough cough. . . Those two are Immortals of eternal life. How can an old woman like me, frail and aged, know the thoughts of those great figures above?"

Old Woman Ming coughed, then added: "This old woman is merely a subordinate of the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, which is why I'm waiting here. If you two are impatient, then feel free to leave. . ."

"Hmph."

The beast-hide-clad giant's expression shifted, then he said: "This Hai merely admires Immortals and wishes to pay his respects. Waiting a few more days is nothing; even a few years would be fine!"

"You two are the mainstays of this market. Why must you behave this way? " The ordinary aged scholar cultivator said, his face full of smiles, attempting to mediate.

Old Woman Ming, however, sneered: "Yi Xi, you don't need to pretend to be a good person. You think this old woman doesn't know how many shady dealings your 'Qiyun Gate' has been involved in behind the scenes, do you?"

Yi Xi's face changed, instantly becoming exceedingly unsightly.

'Hehe, Daoist Yi, don't lower yourself to this old woman's level. Her most beloved disciple was in Blazing Sun Immortal City when the incident occurred. It's said that not even her bones remained; how tragic. . . '

Just as Yi Xi was about to retort, a spiritual message from Hai Wan Zhen entered his ears, and he immediately fell silent.

The three of them were the highest cultivated individuals in the market, exchanging secret spiritual messages, which Old Woman Ming was unable to detect.

Half a day later, a flying boat appeared on the horizon.

With a mere flicker, it arrived directly above the octagonal jade archway.

"To think, I would actually have a day to revisit this old place."

Fang Xi stood with his hands behind his back, a wave of emotion in his heart.

When Old Woman Ming saw the flying boat arrive, she excitedly struck her mulberry wood cane against the ground. Her figure transformed into a streak of green light, and she actively flew into the air to greet them: "Ming Yu Lan, Garrison Commissioner of the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce, respectfully greets the two esteemed Immortals!"

"Old Woman Ming, who are these two?"

Xu Qing Xian Ren's divine consciousness swept over them without ceremony, causing Hai Wan Zhen and Yi Xi's faces to turn pale.

"Reporting to the two esteemed Immortals, these two are the helmsmen of the market's largest powers."

Ming Yu Lan hastily replied: "They are Hai Wan Zhen of the Myriad Beasts Merchant Guild, and Yi Xi of Qiyun Gate. . ."

The Myriad Beasts Merchant Guild primarily dealt in spirit beast business, while Qiyun Gate's ventures were far more varied; they basically did anything that could earn spirit stones or immortal jade.

These two's cultivations were not weak either; both were in the Mahayana stage.

"Esteemed Immortals, you must be weary from your journey. I have already prepared a banquet. . ."

Hai Wan Zhen stepped forward, his face wreathed in smiles.

"No need."

Xu Qing, however, had a cold disposition. With a flick of his sleeve, he said: "Old Woman Ming, let's go. . ."

He had always disdained interacting with these shady characters of the market.

What if they were Mahayana cultivators?

If they didn't overcome their tribulations and become Immortals, then after tens or hundreds of thousands of years, they would still just be a handful of yellow earth!

Conversely, Fang Xi eyed Yi Xi with a slight hint of surprise.

This Mahayana cultivator had aged considerably since then, and his cultivation had also improved greatly.

Presumably, over such a long period, he must have encountered some fortuitous opportunities.

Yi Xi, true to his talent developed from serving as a greeter, immediately sensed something and bowed respectfully.

"No, I just felt you bore some resemblance to an old acquaintance of mine."

Fang Xi laughed heartily and walked side by side with Xu Qing Xian Ren.

"Alright, old brother. . . " Just as Yi Xi was deep in thought, Hai Wan Zhen approached him: "Could it be that you have some direct relative or elder who is actually acquainted with an Immortal from the Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce?"

Being old and shrewd, he saw things very clearly.

Although Xu Qing Xian Ren's aura was immensely powerful, there was a faint sense that Fang Xi was the leading figure.

It was evident that even among Immortals, that esteemed senior was an extraordinary individual.

"Well. . . this old man truly doesn't know."

Cultivators all possessed the ability of photographic memory. Once they reached the Mahayana stage, with a perfected Nascent Soul, they wouldn't forget even the smallest detail.

However, what Yi Xi had seen back then was Fang Xi's appearance after using a disguise, so naturally, he felt no sense of familiarity.

"Daoist, have you been to this market before?"

Xu Qing entered a cave-dwelling and asked curiously.

"When I was living in Blazing Sun Immortal City back then, I occasionally visited once. That person was just a small greeter at the time, and his cultivation was incredibly poor. . . To think he's now Mahayana."

Fang Xi was quite moved, and felt there was nothing worth concealing.

"This is normal. Sometimes, after one of us enters seclusion, a former Qi Refinement cultivator might become a Mahayana Patriarch."

Xu Qing, however, was indifferent to this, as if he had experienced it many times: "It's also possible that after a long seclusion, all familiar acquaintances have already passed away. . . That kind of tragedy, being utterly alone in the world, is truly unbearable."

A hint of sadness appeared in his eyes, but it quickly dissipated, and he chuckled: "I see that Yi Xi's foundation is impure, and it seems he even switched to cultivating Buddhist magic power. For him to have luckily broken through to Mahayana is already a miracle; there's basically no possibility of him becoming an Immortal."

"From my perspective, it's the same. " Fang Xi nodded. After a brief comment, he called Ming Yu Lan over.

"Blazing Sun Immortal City, what exactly was the situation on that day?"

"Reporting to the two esteemed Immortals, on that day, this old woman happened to go to Blazing Sun Immortal City to find her disciple. Although I was accidentally burned by fire poison, by chance, I managed to record a segment with a 'shadow stone'. . ."

Ming Yu Lan took out a piece of dark black rock and infused it with a stream of magic power.

Fang Xi and Xu Qing felt as if they were present. They saw the Great Sun Immortal Furnace of Blazing Sun Immortal City shatter and collapse not far away. . . A sun had fallen into the city!

The terrifying temperature instantly vaporized countless restrictions and living beings. . .

Following that, a destructive tide of scarlet-gold magma churned and surged forth!

"Oh? I see your aura is unstable, and your lung-metal qi is damaged. Clearly, your Nascent Soul was burned by the Great Sun True Fire. . ."

The recording ended there. Both Fang Xi and Xu Qing were deep in thought.

After a long while, Fang Xi finally spoke.

"Cough cough. . . Esteemed Immortal's discerning eyes are unerring. This old woman, anxious for her disciple's safety, used an ice-attribute magical treasure to protect herself and charged into the sea of fire. However, after only a few hundred miles, my Nascent Soul was burned by the fire poison, and I had no choice but to retreat in disarray. . ."

Ming Yu Lan's face was full of bitterness.

Her earlier intervention not only failed to save her beloved disciple but also cost her dearly; it was truly losing the wife and losing the army.

"Here is an 'Ice Toad Pill'. It has miraculous effects in treating your injuries. I'll bestow it upon you."

Xu Qing nodded and tossed out a jade bottle.

Ming Yu Lan took it, and within the translucent jade bottle, she saw a snow-white pill emitting astonishing cold qi.

In the center of the pill, the pill lines seemed to come alive, transforming into a red-eyed ice toad. She couldn't help but be overjoyed: "Many thanks for the esteemed Immortal's generous gift."

"You're excused. How many people are left in my Fengyuan Chamber of Commerce now?"

Xu Qing asked casually.

"Everyone in Blazing Sun Immortal City was reduced to dust. Afterward, this old woman tried her best to gather survivors, but only found three deacons and seventeen disciples, all of whom had left the Immortal City before the incident occurred. They are now settled in the market."

Ming Yu Lan reported in detail.

"That's enough. You may leave."

Xu Qing nodded, dismissing Ming Yu Lan. Huang Jing then walked in: "Senior Fang, Yi Xi requests an audience. He says he has intelligence regarding Blazing Sun Immortal City. . ."

'Truly worthy of someone who was accustomed to being a greeter back then and managed to rise opportunistically. His ability to observe expressions and adapt on the fly has truly reached its peak. '

Fang Xi praised him silently, then spoke: "Let him in."

"Yi Xi greets the esteemed Immortal! " Yi Xi bowed with utmost respect and presented a shadow stone: "This is the intelligence this junior collected, hoping it will be useful to the esteemed Immortal."

"Oh?"

Fang Xi was a little surprised, gazing at the light and shadows on the shadow stone.

Shadow stones crafted with immortal world technology could not only perfectly recreate the scene at the time, making viewers feel as if they were there, but also preserved the spiritual aura of the individual who made the move that day!

One could say, it exposed a great deal of information about the opponent.

Yi Xi's version was clearly much clearer than the one Ming Yu Lan had provided earlier, and the angle was entirely different.

Although light and shadows flickered within the scene, the fight concluded in an instant.

But Fang Xi's divine consciousness was incredibly meticulous; he still saw a cultivator with fiery red hair, who was none other than the Blazing Sun Immortal!

"It truly was Jun Xie Tian Mo?"

Fang Xi murmured, watching the Blazing Sun Immortal and Jun Xie Tian Mo engage in a fierce battle.

And at this moment, the void suddenly shattered, and another sword light emerged, heavily wounding the Blazing Sun Immortal with a single strike!

"This person is. . ."