Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 204: The Mysterious Beast’s Illusory Flame

Liu Xiangshi did not answer directly but instead asked, “Tianyu, Feifei, have you noticed any changes along the way we’ve taken?”
“Other than the terrain becoming steeper, I don’t see any major changes. Just the rocks here have a strange color—all dark…” Xue Feifei replied after thinking for a moment.
“And there seems to be a burnt smell in the air, and it’s getting stronger!” Chu Tianyu added.
“Oh right, now that Tianyu mentions it, I can smell it too. I didn’t notice it before we started walking. I really hadn’t paid attention to this smell,” Xue Feifei said, wrinkling her nose as she sniffed.
“Hmm, since you’ve noticed it too, it’s not that I’m being deliberately mysterious. It’s just that I actually don’t know what exactly we’re dealing with this time! I’ve never even seen what it looks like!” Liu Xiangshi said surprisingly.
Hearing his words, Xue Feifei didn’t seem too concerned, but Chu Tianyu really wanted to strangle this old rascal. How could he bring them here so rashly without even knowing what they were facing? Wasn’t it because he was afraid of danger? With their three combined strengths—his own power comparable to that of a Tyrannosaurus, Xue Feifei’s invisible yet deadly skills, his senior brother’s experience and broad knowledge, not to mention his endless treasures and clever ideas—they were definitely a super team with strength, wisdom, and cunning.
What annoyed Chu Tianyu the most was that such aimless actions were delaying his meeting with Ouyang Ziyi and Bai Lei—something utterly unforgivable!
Before Chu Tianyu could react, Liu Xiangshi, as if knowing what he was thinking, calmly said, “But don’t worry. Let me finish speaking. Although I don’t know what’s here, based on my last visit, I’m sure the treasures hidden here are nothing ordinary. If not something like the dragon energy or dragon-like powers you possess, they’re at least spiritual artifacts that are thousands of years old!”
“Senior brother, didn’t you say you didn’t know what it was? How can you be so sure it’s a thousand-year-old spiritual artifact? Just based on these black rocks and the burnt smell?” Xue Feifei asked in confusion.
Liu Xiangshi smiled slightly and said, “It’s not exactly as you said, but the gist is similar. Last time I came here with my master, I was probably about Chu Tianyu’s age…”

“What!? The master was here too?” Chu Tianyu didn’t wait for his senior brother to finish speaking before exclaiming in shock. His expression, once filled with resentment, was now one of concern.
“Mm~” Liu Xiangshi stroked his thin beard and smiled slightly before continuing, “That’s right. When I was training with the master, we accidentally came here by chance. At first, we didn’t pay much attention to the differences between this place and others. But as we went deeper, we encountered a very large sulfur pool. The area around the pool was completely scorched—well, actually, it was more like burnt rock. The rocks around it seemed to have been burned in fire, with the outer layer almost like coke. When the master and I passed by, the fragile ground instantly raised a layer of black ash…”
“What exactly happened?” Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei asked almost simultaneously. It seemed Liu Xiangshi’s tactic of leading with a hint had worked, so he stopped teasing them and explained directly, “At that time, the master didn’t know what caused the unique landscape and rocks here. He was deep in thought. It wasn’t until we reached the edge of the sulfur pool that he saw several obvious burn marks, as if something had crawled there. His expression changed instantly, as if he suddenly remembered something. Without saying more, he pulled me away quickly and we returned the same way without stopping.”
Hearing this, Chu Tianyu’s lips curled slightly as he said calmly, “It seems there’s something strange about this pool that made the master so wary!”
Yet beneath his calm expression, his fighting spirit grew infinitely stronger. Even Liu Xiangshi and Xue Feifei could sense the fierce determination and murderous intent emanating from him.
For some reason, although Xue Feifei’s Heavenly Mysterious Sound could effectively neutralize the negative effects of Chu Tianyu’s lunar energy, refining it and removing the impurities, it couldn’t restore his personality to its former humble, modest, and reserved state. Xue Feifei didn’t understand why, but she actually preferred his current personality. After all, in her eyes, a man should be straightforward, proud, bold, and domineering—no problem, that’s just character!

But Senior Liu Xiangshi didn’t care whether Chu Tianyu had any particular personality or not. He simply said, “Not bad. After returning, my master explained the reason to me. It turns out that kind of cliff has a unique geographical structure that gradually gives rise to a ‘Flame Vein.’ At the center of this vein, a spring will form, filled with sulfur stones. Once the spring is established, the Flame Vein has the potential to take shape, resembling a dragon or snake—its scientific name is ‘Illusory Flame’! Although the chance of it forming is extremely slim—only one in ten thousand such terrains might present such an opportunity—we saw exactly that one in a million!”
“Is this Illusory Flame that powerful? Even my master is so wary of it?” Xue Feifei asked in confusion. Her tone now completely matched Chu Tianyu’s, and she naturally referred to Xianyun as master as well.
Liu Xiangshi nodded and said, “Mm, almost invincible! Later, after we returned, we found related records in an ancient book in our sect, ‘Records of the Spiritual World.’ My master had read it before and knew how dangerous it was. So when he saw that the Illusory Flame had already formed, he quickly retreated. If one happened to encounter it at the moment it emerged from the spring, that invisible yet extremely hot flame could, upon sensing the life force of living beings, instantly release an invisible flame that would burn everything around it. Any living being caught in its path would have its blood boil and burn to death in an instant. By then, trying to escape would be pure delusion!”
“Is this Illusory Flame a spirit that guards treasures? Or does it itself contain some rare treasures? If there’s nothing special about it, then causing trouble for no reason seems pointless, right?” Chu Tianyu asked.
“To be honest, the records don’t mention anything about that. After all, no one has ever been able to deal with this illusory ‘monster.’ As for any treasures or gains it might hold, that’s unknown. That’s why my master didn’t act rashly—out of that very consideration,” Liu Xiangshi replied honestly.
“Since humans can’t deal with it, then what can we do by coming here?” Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but ask further.
“Yes, even Master Xianyun can’t handle this so-called Illusory Flame. How can we?” Xue Feifei said worriedly after hearing that.

“I’ve never regarded you as ‘humans’! Needless to say about that terrifying guy, Chu Tianyu. Even Xue Feifei is said to possess a body that embodies heaven and earth, capable of using the sounds of heaven and earth, plus she has the precious Jade Condensation—she’s definitely beyond the scope of what can be achieved by human effort! I’d be failing myself if I didn’t bring you here to deal with the Illusory Flame! Sigh, who could blame you for having a senior brother like me who loves such rare treasures?” Facing their doubts, Liu Xiangshi thought secretly with disdain. If Chu Tianyu could hear these words, there was no need to say more—at least one thing was clear: the origin of the names of these two brothers, the “rare treasures,” was now known…

Though he thought this way, he still had to explain, saying, “Sure, of course it’s possible. Otherwise, why would I bring you here? Actually, our master has also been speculating for a long time about the Illusory Flame—whether it still exists here, whether it will still produce pools of water, and so on. It’s all uncertain. Back then, our master just couldn’t find the right magical weapon or secret treasure to deal with it, and we also stumbled in by accident, with no preparations at all. If it’s truly as powerful as recorded in the classics, it’s beyond human power!”

“Oh, so senior brother is referring to my Jade Condensation? And you’re interested in its ability to confuse through the Mysterious Sounds of Heaven and Earth, as well as its ability to attack from a distance without contact, right?” As soon as Liu Xiangshi said this, Xue Feifei quickly responded.

“Hehe, Feifei is truly brilliant! She understood right away. That’s right—I’m counting on you to utilize the icy essence of Jade Condensation. You don’t even need to get close; just freeze it, and let me handle the rest! In fact, our master has also been searching for a way to counter this so-called Illusory Flame. According to the records, it should be a creature born from heaven and earth. Its name ‘Flame’ comes from the fact that its entire body is made up of the Three True Fires—illusory and ephemeral. No matter how high one’s cultivation level is, how can one fight against a ‘fire’? Moreover, this ‘fire’ relies on water to exist; the rocks of the entire mountain range are its foundation, and no real energy can affect it at all. If you use real energy to attack from afar, it only serves to nourish it, causing no harm at all! Hehe, so from what the books describe, this place really is its domain, and it rules here!” Liu Xiangshi finally revealed the danger involved.

“So, senior brother isn’t sure either? You just brought us here based on what’s written in the classics?” Chu Tianyu interjected, looking into the distance.

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiangshi forced a smile and said, “Although I’m not 100% sure, the chances are quite high. Hehe, we still have to take a small risk…”
“How confident are you exactly?” Yi Bi pressed relentlessly.
“Um… well… 51 percent, I guess…” Liu Xiangshi stammered.
“…” Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei were speechless.
“Hehe, actually, just with this 51 percent, we already have a strong advantage. Think about it—having this ‘one’ more than them means they have ‘two’ less than us. See? The difference is already twice as much. What do you think?” As Liu Xiangshi was speaking enthusiastically, he turned around only to find the two of them no longer by his side. Instead, they were holding hands and walking ahead, pointing here and there as if admiring the scenery, clearly unwilling to listen to more of his nonsense.
Liu Xiangshi shook his head helplessly and muttered to himself, “Sigh, today’s young people have no patience at all. What a world!”
He prepared to hurry after them, but saw that Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei had stopped, seemingly having discovered something, and were discussing it with downcast heads.
Liu Xiangshi quickly approached and saw Chu Tianyu looking serious, no longer in a joking mood. “Senior brother, come and take a look. Is this the trace of the Illusionary Flame you mentioned? But we can’t even see the edge of that pond you talked about here. Could it be that it’s already able to travel this far?”
He pointed to a long, half-circular, charred mark on the ground. The reason they could spot it was because this mark was many times darker than the surrounding grayish area, and the rock surface within it appeared scaly, looking like some kind of warning sign—extremely glaring!
Liu Xiangshi’s expression also turned grave as he crouched down carefully to examine it, occasionally touching its surface with his hand, while Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei watched his every move with concern.

After a long while, Liu Xiangshi slowly stood up. He brushed off the black debris and dust from his hands, then turned to look at Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei and said, “It seems this Illusion Flame not only still exists but has also grown even stronger. According to the records in the classics, it should have reached the stage where illusion transforms into reality and energy takes shape. At this stage, the Illusion Flame already possesses independent consciousness and can gradually break free from the constraints of the Mountain Eye to move in a larger area. Moreover, it has developed a strong territorial sense—this mark is clearly a warning line it set…”

“So, we’ve already stepped into its ‘territory’?” Chu Tianyu asked calmly.

“That’s right!”

“Then, senior brother, what should we do next? Any preparations needed? We’ll follow your lead!” Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Chu Tianyu stopped joking around and spoke seriously.

“Well, since we’re here, no matter how dangerous it is or how much we might gain, we’ll confront this Illusion Flame. But senior brother, please share your plan so we can prepare accordingly,” Xue Feifei added.

“Actually, there’s no specific plan. I came here after seeing you and Chu Tianyu working together to absorb lunar energy and understanding the power of Jade Condensation. So I decided on a whim to try my luck here. I never expected this thing to grow so rapidly over these decades! Maybe we should just give up this time!” Liu Xiangshi admitted with a wry smile.

“Senior brother, don’t talk about giving up yet. According to your original plan, how would you deal with that Illusion Flame?” Chu Tianyu asked directly without further ado.

“Well, my original plan was to set up an ambush near the pond. Once the Illusion Flame emerged from the water, Feifei would use the Cosmic Mysterious Sound to subdue it, preferably freezing its true flame. Then I would use the Silkworm Threads of Cold to trap it. Hehe, then it wouldn’t be able to escape anymore, and we could search for treasures at will! As for Tianyu’s supreme combat energy, it’s there as a precaution—because your combat energy is different from ordinary true energy; it’s pure energy of heaven and earth. Hehe, I think it ‘should’ be able to intimidate that Illusion Flame and create a powerful barrier in case of any accidents, ensuring our safety.” Liu Xiangshi revealed his entire plan.

“Should?” Chu Tianyu raised his eyebrows and repeated the question skeptically. He was truly impressed by his senior brother—even at such a critical moment, he still used speculative language.

Even senior Liu Xiangshi felt that this move was a bit reckless, somewhat presumptuous. He scratched his head awkwardly and after struggling to speak, he said, “Um, hehe, as I just said, sometimes one has to take a little risk. But I think we have perfect timing, location, and teamwork…”
“Stop, stop right now! Senior, what timing and location? Didn’t you just say that the entire area here belongs to that Illusion Flame? It’s their territory—they decide what happens there! Where do you get timing and location from? As for teamwork? Feifei and I were clearly tricked into this by you. Not to mention our resentment, where does teamwork come from?”
Faced with Chu Tianyu’s sharp words, Liu Xiangshi showed no awareness at all and said, “Hehe, I meant the two of you being ‘together’ is enough. Just think about the terrifying strength you two have together—against anyone, I’d bet on you winning! Hehe, besides, it’s just a little Illusion Flame. It’s nothing to worry about for you two…”
Before Liu Xiangshi could finish saying “nothing to worry about,” a wave of heat hit them, accompanied by a distant sound of something cutting through the air.
Everyone was shocked. The mountain top, which had previously been at a normal temperature, was now enveloped in flames, as if the heat was emanating from within their bodies, making them feel extremely uncomfortable, almost suffocating!
Xue Feifei quickly took out her Jade Condenser, ready to blow into it, but Liu Xiangshi stopped her and signaled everyone to retreat first.
Thanks to the Jade Condenser in Xue Feifei’s hands, everyone finally felt a slight coolness and quickly stepped back. Once they left that arc-shaped black mark, it was like being in two different worlds—one of ice and fire. The temperature dropped significantly. Although there was still some heat, it was within a tolerable range for humans.
“Senior, it seems that Illusion Flame has appeared. Has it sensed us entering its territory?” Chu Tianyu asked warily, staring into the distance.
“Yes, senior. Why is the temperature rising so fast? It’s strange too. With such an Illusion Flame here, the temperature should be very high, but we didn’t feel anything special just now,” Xue Feifei asked in confusion.

“It must be the Illusory Flame coming to the surface, and the abnormal temperature exactly reaches the threshold it sets. It seems to have detected our intrusion; this is probably a warning to us. As for Feifei’s question, I forgot to explain it to you just now. In fact, all the heat here comes from the Illusory Flame itself. But if it’s hidden within a spring, none of its heat will escape. As I said earlier, it’s born from the mountains—more precisely, it’s refined from the geothermal energy in the mountains. So under normal circumstances, its heat doesn’t leak out…”

“Oh, I see. So what should we do now?” Xue Feifei asked.

Before Liu Xiangshi could answer, Chu Tianyu stared straight ahead, his muscles tensing as a yellow glow instantly surrounded him. He looked like a warrior ready to fight at any moment, full of potential for an explosive attack.

At that moment, Chu Tianyu spoke in an unusually calm voice, “I’ll go ahead and try first. For some reason, I feel an intense burning sensation in my energy, and the Ink Dragon pattern on my chest seems to be stirring as well. It feels like it’s reacting to this Illusory Flame!”

Without waiting for a reply, he took a big step forward. Liu Xiangshi and Xue Feifei felt an invisible ripple in the air as Chu Tianyu crossed that boundary, as if the entire space was distorting.

The moment Chu Tianyu entered, a “zzz~” sound of burning arose. However, it wasn’t Chu Tianyu himself, who was bathed in the yellow light, experiencing any discomfort. The sound came from the surface of the yellow light, generated by the collision and resistance against the high temperature of the Illusory Flame. As Chu Tianyu stepped forward, the outer edge of the yellow light seemed to burn completely, with pale blue, almost illusory flames emerging all over his body.

At that instant, a melodious flute sound rang out. Centered on Xue Feifei, sound waves spread outward, then suddenly slowed down, forming a layer of white mist in front of her. A chill spread through the air, even Liu Xiangshi’s immunity to extreme temperatures couldn’t prevent him from shivering several times. He thought to himself, “This is bad!” Sure enough, before he could stop her, Xue Feifei had already floated over and stood beside Chu Tianyu in an instant.

Liu Xiangshi stepped forward a few times, but was quickly forced back by the intense heat. He could only watch their backs, opening his mouth to shout, but fearing it might disturb them and distract them. For Liu Xiangshi had already realized in horror that a red-and-blue, brocade-like phantom had appeared before them. An exclamation of shock immediately escaped his lips: “Illusory Flame!!!”