Chapter 638

Chapter 638: Sword Strike Against the Fire Spirit

“Treasure comes at a price.” Ye Yun’s gaze sharpened as he focused on a Fire Spirit besieged by four or five people.

White light flashed. Using spatial laws, Ye Yun teleported beside the woman named Wan Xue. With a single swing of his Purple Shadow Divine Sword, he split the Fire Spirit—capable of annihilating the entire team—into two halves.

A wisp of light drifted down, caught in Ye Yun’s palm.

He examined the Fire Crystal, surprised by its potent allure. Noticing Wan Xue’s mix of reverence and resentment, he tossed the crystal to the ground. “Who will guide me to a place teeming with Fire Spirits? In return, I’ll grant five Fire Crystals and ensure their safety.”

The group seethed. Though barely holding on, they’d planned to wear down the Fire Spirit gradually. Ye Yun’s abrupt interference robbed them of their chance.

Their fury turned to shock upon sensing his cultivation level—merely the seventh-level Golden Core stage. They watched him warily.

Wan Xue hesitated, then whispered, “I… I’ll do it.”

“Then it’s settled.” Ye Yun’s tone remained indifferent.

“Aren’t you curious why I’d join you?” Wan Xue’s cheeks flushed as she bit her lip.

“Your reasons don’t matter. Just lead the way.” Ye Yun glanced at her fine teal sword and ornate robes before addressing the scarred man. “Hold this Fire Crystal. Return her unharmed in three hours once our task is done.”

“Senior, perhaps I should accompany you instead?” Another woman stepped forward, her voice honeyed. Unlike Wan Xue, this one—Huo Mei—exuded practiced charm, crimson hair cascading over her shoulders. Her lips curved invitingly.

But Ye Yun’s icy stare made her retreat. Smirking, she said, “Wan Xue’s just entered the Nascent Soul stage. Let me assist you, Senior.”

“N-no need!” Wan Xue shrank behind Ye Yun, avoiding Huo Mei’s gaze.

“Ensure this fool doesn’t die in the Extreme Southern Fire Domain,” Huo Mei sneered, but Ye Yun cut her off.

“Keep the crystal. Wan Xue, we leave now.”

Huo Mei’s smile stiffened. She shot a venomous look at the scarred man, who stayed silent. “May Senior return victorious,” she forced out.

White light enveloped Ye Yun and Wan Xue as they vanished.

“Pick up the crystal!” Huo Mei snapped once they’d gone. “Five Fire Crystals for nothing… How fortunate.” She seethed, recalling her own struggles in the Xumi Treasure’s fiery depths. Her fingers tightened around her whip. “A seventh-level Golden Core brat can’t protect those crystals for long.”

Scorching winds replaced cool breezes. Sweat drenched Wan Xue’s robes. Ye Yun handed her a silver crescent token and armor. “Use these to ward off fire poison.”

“The Moon Order and Silver Moon Armor?” Wan Xue’s eyes widened. Though her sect was small, she knew this low-quality Immortal artifact rivaled higher-grade treasures in defense.

She pricked her finger, letting blood fall on the token. Moonlight shimmered, the armor dissolving into silvery threads that wrapped around her. Delight lit her face.

Ye Yun noted her joy but said nothing. The loaned items might be reclaimed if she perished later.

“Have large Fire Spirit uprisings occurred here?” he asked.

“None. Only clusters near the dormant volcano,” Wan Xue answered, tearing her gaze from the armor.

“And Fire Spirit Kings?”

“Many times. Medicine King Valley’s inner disciples hunted them over a dozen times but failed.”

“Failed?”

“Fire Spirit Kings rule this domain. Each claims territory within these volcanoes—including the area we’re in now.”

Ye Yun looked up at the sky, accepting seventy percent of Wan Xue’s words but keeping thirty percent doubt. This wasn’t distrust toward the girl, but rather his cautious nature – such wariness often led to complications.

"Not there yet?" As Ye Yun descended the volcano’s peak, the Ancestor of the Sword Path materialized his spirit form and peered downward. The base swirled with stone debris and choking black mist, making him sigh: "Reminds me of when I sought enlightenment on an erupting volcano. Dangerous times."

The Ancestor saw his younger self in Ye Yun, though the boy’s indifference to beautiful women contrasted sharply with his own past. Memories of lovely ladies flooded his mind.

"Fire Spirit Qi thickens here." Feeling the energy stir inside him, Ye Yun scanned the volcanic landscape below. The black mist seemed to watch him with unseen eyes.

"Senior, at this pace we’ll reach the Extreme Southern Fire Domain’s first layer in half an hour." Wan Xue tapped her Silver Moon Armor-clad foot on volcanic rock. "Fire Spirits there outnumber and overpower surface ones tenfold." The armor from Ye Yun boosted her Fire Spirit Qi to rival ordinary second-level Nascent Soul cultivators. With moonlight-enhanced power, she might challenge peak second-level opponents.

"Hold your breath!" The Ancestor warned as they approached swirling black particles. "Wrap Fire Spirit Qi around your face. This isn’t ordinary mist – it’s swarming insects made to look like fog."

"Those staring eyes were bugs?" Ye Yun’s flames danced around him like fireflies. As they entered the mist, burning crackles filled the air. The dark swarm recoiled, forming a charred path.

Wan Xue’s tension melted into awe watching flames burst from Ye Yun. "I thought this was volcanic smog. No wonder Medicine King Valley avoids it." Though she’d heard tales, witnessing the peril firsthand stunned her.

Ye Yun stood motionless, hands clasped behind his back. Suddenly he turned, catching Wan Xue’s flushed face watching him.

"We… should be careful with your low-quality Immortal artifact," she stammered, looking away. "I just happened to glance where you were looking!"

"Half an hour left. Consider this a stroll." Ye Yun found her lack of caution amusing. Nascent Soul experts were usually shrewd – her naivety seemed almost charming.

"Senior swordsman, why choose Extreme Southern Fire Domain over Extreme East Thunder Realm?" Wan Xue eyed the emerald sheath at his waist.

"Why should swordsmen prefer thunder realms?"

"I sense violent thunder energy in you." Her cheeks pinked. "You cultivate both true qi and spiritual power. That sword strike earlier… it was magnificent."

"Sharp eyes," the Ancestor mused. His centuries-honed perception recognized genuine insight beyond her cultivation level. The secret lay in her peculiar eyes – purple orbs flickering with faint teal.

"Innate spiritual body. Dual purple and teal pupils." The Ancestor barely hid his shock.

Ye Yun repeated flatly: "What’s this innate spiritual body and eye thing?"

As Wan Xue looked elsewhere, the Ancestor breathed deeply. "Fool! Can’t you see her potential? If I walked this earth again, I’d train her myself!"

"Keep talking, old ghost. You’ll stay spectral for ages."

"Those eyes foresee futures and read energy flows – perfect for controlling opponents. Their owner could become history’s greatest illusionist!"

"Illusions? What about me?" Ye Yun smirked. "Maybe I’ve got special eyes too?"

"You’ve grown delusional lately," the Ancestor snorted. "But enough – the Fire Spirits await."

Space rippled as Ye Yun teleported ahead. Black earth spread before him, four towering Fire Spirits roaring challenges. Nearby, a lone weed grew stubbornly near licking flames.

Ye Yun studied the defiant plant before facing the elemental beings. Their fiery essence prickled his skin. Thunder answered fire.

"Thundercloud Lightning Sword, Third Level – Divine Thunder Annihilation!"

Crackling like living stormcloud, Ye Yun’s body erupted blue lightning. Energy coalesced into a thunderbolt arrow nocked on reality’s bowstring.

"Screech!"

One Fire Spirit staggered with a smoldering gash. The others shrieked, intelligence warring with instinct. Before they could react, Ye Yun’s lightning speared through them, leaving near-fatal wounds.

However, in an instant, crimson flames intertwined as the wounds piercing the Fire Spirit’s body healed completely within moments.

Seeing their companion injured, the two remaining Fire Spirits roared at Ye Yun but refrained from attacking, almost pleading for him to depart peacefully.

Ye Yun coldly swept his gaze over them. The Purple Shadow Divine Sword gleamed in his hand as three magnificent sword arcs erupted with peerless momentum, striking toward the three Fire Spirits like autumn wind scattering fallen leaves.

"Pfft!"

Wan Xue peeked out cautiously, anxiety tightening her chest. Though Ye Yun had appeared invincible when slaying a Fire Spirit with one strike earlier, her sharp intuition told her his true cultivation might indeed be merely the seventh-level Golden Core stage as it outwardly seemed.

That previous Fire Spirit had already been severely wounded after a prolonged siege. Combined with Ye Yun’s sudden teleportation-assisted ambush, the success of that surprise attack made sense. Now, however…

Fear gripped Wan Xue’s heart – what if Ye Yun couldn’t withstand the Fire Spirits’ combined assault? If he died here, she’d undoubtedly face invasive searches upon returning.

"With Huo Mei’s temperament, she’d never believe claims of ‘seniors perishing to Fire Spirits’. She’d humiliate me further… and in the Xumi Treasure’s depths, she might even kill me for profit. My only play is this card in hand." Wan Xue’s nails dug into her palms as she strategized.

This conclusion had crystallized during their journey. If Ye Yun truly possessed strength beyond his apparent realm – enough to crush these Fire Spirits – she must cling to him desperately, even sacrificing her maidenhood if required.

Heat flushed Wan Xue’s cheeks, surprising herself with such thoughts.

Foxes borrow tigers’ authority. Why shouldn’t she attach herself to Ye Yun? Achieve what she’d only fantasized before?

Yet in the next breath, astonishment and delight surged through her. Ye Yun’s sword energy repelled all three Fire Spirits without yielding an inch.

Seeing his spiritual power remain largely undepleted, Wan Xue’s heart leapt. "Incredible! With such prowess at seventh-level Golden Core, even peak Nascent Soul experts might fail to kill him. With his aid, what could Huo Mei possibly do?"

As Wan Xue schemed, the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s spirit perception lingered on her. The ancient being sighed inwardly – this girl’s fragility was mere facade. Previously distracted by her dual purple and teal pupils, he’d overlooked her cunning. Close observation was now imperative.

Sword energy crisscrossed the battlefield. Ye Yun allocated one-third of his true qi to resist the Extreme Southern Fire Domain’s toxic miasma below, using the remainder to harry the Fire Spirits while seeking fatal openings.

Wan Xue’s suspicions held truth – that earlier one-strike kill hadn’t relied on raw power. Through the Cleansing Immortal Heart Technique, Ye Yun had fused exotic spiritual energy into his true qi, creating that terrifying display to shock the Nascent Soul team into retreat.

"Born as a Sword!"

Phantom-like footsteps carried Ye Yun through torrents of fire. Ice Spirit Qi circulated within him, chilling the blazing environment to weaken his foes.

The Purple Shadow Divine Sword flashed. A hundred sword shadows materialized as overwhelming Sword Might erupted. The scorched earth fractured under the pressure, a violet sword arc piercing through the Fire Spirit confronting him.

One sword, severed souls!

Though anticipating this outcome, Wan Xue trembled uncontrollably when witnessing Ye Yun’s swordplay. The profound Sword Path comprehension radiating from that strike surpassed all imagination. How could she possibly secure such a prodigy’s favor?

Ye Yun stood motionless, reeling from recoiling forces. Even wounded, Fire Spirits offered fierce resistance.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself before reaching Nascent Soul." The Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice held reproach as Ye Yun studied the pristine Blade Body. "Channeling full power through Purple Shadow Divine Sword for Born as a Sword still exceeds your current physique."

The ancestor sighed internally. Why did Elder Seven teach this reckless technique? "Whoever created this ‘Born as a Sword’ was clearly deranged. Whether it’s fortune or calamity for this boy remains unclear…"