Chapter 195: Illusory Heart Flame

Gong Tianshou was indeed skilled at calming people. With his silver tongue, he quickly settled the panicked outer disciples.

“Senior Brother Chen, I’ve found out—there’s another group just three kilometers away in a mountain hollow. Gathering them would make us even stronger!” Gong Tianshou quickly walked up to Chen Fei and reported.

At this point, Chen Fei no longer had the luxury of focusing on the Illusory Heart Flame.

“Let’s go check it out first!” Chen Fei nodded. Indeed, gathering more people would improve their situation.

The group soon set off toward the hollow.

But halfway there, the entire volcanic valley began to shake.

“What’s going on?”

“An earthquake?!”

Everyone looked around in panic as rocks began to tumble from the mountaintops.

Chen Fei’s expression also changed drastically. If this kept up, the entire valley might collapse.

Just then, bright flashes of light appeared ahead.

Clearly, those were cultivators’ protective auras!

“It’s Senior Brother Liu and the others!”

“There are so many of them! Looks like we’re saved!”

However, Gong Tianshou turned back toward Chen Fei with a worried expression.

Chen Fei narrowed his eyes.

So many people running in panic—clearly, they had provoked something they shouldn’t have.

Sure enough, the moment those protective shields spotted them, they charged over without hesitation. And behind them came a sudden, deafening roar.

Liu Yue’s expression was grim, though his heart was filled with excitement.

Just earlier, in a nearby hollow, he had stumbled upon the Illusory Heart Flame! But no sooner had he retrieved it than he was targeted by a powerful beast!

Now that the protective barrier of the Xianle Mystic Realm had disappeared, everyone knew danger was everywhere. Faced with this massive beast, Liu Yue could only flee. As for the outer disciples behind him—who cared?

If they got eaten, it just meant they weren’t strong enough.

“The Illusory Heart Flame! With it and the treasure my brother gave me, I can break through to the Origin Realm and become a full disciple!” The more Liu Yue thought about it, the more excited he became. As for those behind him—well, after becoming a true disciple, he could always burn some paper money to honor them.

Hearing the screams behind, Liu Yue was initially nervous. But seeing another large group ahead, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and he rushed straight over.

“Brothers, there’s a powerful beast behind me! Run!” Liu Yue shouted as he fled.

But if he hadn’t flown toward Chen Fei’s group, the beast wouldn’t have noticed them at all!

“It’s him!” Gong Tianshou was surprised.

“Who?” Chen Fei asked, his eyes flashing coldly as he looked at Liu Yue speeding over. This guy was clearly leading trouble their way. Judging by his urgency, he must have gotten something valuable.

Gong Tianshou spoke seriously, “Liu Yue. A direct descendant of the Liu royal family of the Cyclone Dynasty. His brother is a full disciple of the Sacred Sky Sect. If not for his current realm holding him back, he’d already be a true disciple himself. He’s also one of the top contenders in this Xianle Mystic Realm expedition.”

Chen Fei nodded. Having someone like Gong Tianshou around, who seemed to know everything, would definitely be useful for navigating the Sacred Sky Sect.

Another scream echoed in the distance, and Chen Fei stopped hesitating. He leapt forward and charged ahead.

What met his eyes was a towering ape engulfed in dark red flames.

“Another Origin Realm beast!” Chen Fei’s pupils contracted. Though he had previously killed a giant python, this ape was on a different level—it had completely broken free from its seal!

But perhaps because of that freedom, it had also lost its mind.

The ape was currently holding a struggling outer disciple, lifting him toward its mouth.

Chen Fei let out a cold snort and burst forward at full speed.

Just as the disciple flailed helplessly, falling toward the ape’s maw, Chen Fei shot in from the side, grabbed him, and twisted midair to snatch him away from the beast’s jaws.

“Bastard!” The ape’s food had been stolen at the last moment. Rage flashed in its eyes as it swung a massive palm at Chen Fei.

Chen Fei gave the rescued disciple a strong shove, sending him flying toward Gong Tianshou’s group, while he himself twisted agilely, dodging the strike.

Taking advantage of the opening, Chen Fei didn’t hesitate to summon his trump card—the Void Heaven Cauldron.

With his current strength, using the Yin-Yang Five Element Seal would release a force comparable to the Origin Realm, but the energy cost was too great. Given the instability of the Xianle Realm, Chen Fei didn’t want to exhaust himself too early in case another crisis arose.

With the Void Heaven Cauldron, he could slowly wear down the ape using augmented attacks from the Thousand Illusion Slash. This allowed him to grind down the beast with minimal cost.

The ape didn’t seem to care about the cauldron, letting it slam into its arm.

“Damn human!” the ape roared. Dark red flames flared around it and exploded outward in a ring of fire.

“This… this is an Origin Realm beast! How is one here?!”

“Weren’t there supposed to be no high-level beasts in the Xianle Mystic Realm?”

“Was that Senior Brother Chen who just saved me? No! He’s in danger!”

Gong Tianshou’s expression also turned grim. This was an Origin Realm beast, after all. Fortunately, Chen Fei didn’t seem as overwhelmed as expected.

Meanwhile, Liu Yue, who had been fleeing moments ago, suddenly stopped, his eyes shifting.

“Chen Fei? That useless ‘personal disciple’? A nobody who came out of nowhere and made it this far—damn it!” Liu Yue glared at Chen Fei, his heart filled with jealousy.

He had been born with a silver spoon—royalty of the Cyclone Dynasty, brother to a full disciple of the Sacred Sky Sect. He should’ve been above it all.

Yet here he was, struggling in the same mystic realm as nobodies, vying for resources. It was unfair!

Chen Fei, on the other hand, had become a personal disciple of an elder for no apparent reason—just a mere Foundation Realm cultivator! How could Liu Yue possibly accept that?

“Better he dies here. Maybe I can even take his place!” Liu Yue sneered at Chen Fei, then pulled out the Illusory Heart Flame from his robe, eyes gleaming with greed.

The flame was contained in a specially made transparent box. Each flicker released a dense spiritual energy.

“The Illusory Heart Flame! Clearly, I, Liu Yue, am the one favored by fate!” Seeing that the situation seemed stable, he could no longer restrain himself and began cultivating with the flame.

But doing so immediately drew the ape’s attention.

The beast, sensing the Illusory Heart Flame’s aura, turned its gaze toward Liu Yue’s direction!