C2522 Fire Melting Valley
C2522 Fire Melting Valley
Fang Xiang, having also noticed the barrier, turned to Zhu Yan and asked, "Can you get through the barrier without your clan's energy?"
Zhu Yan nodded, "Of course, but the barrier was set up by my clan. Without our bloodline to activate it, any intruder would be detected. If they don't go further, they'll be expelled by my clan. If they're here with bad intentions, the punishment depends on their actions."
Jiang Fann inquired, "Back in the day, when your clan wasn't here, was it like this?"
Zhu Yan replied, "Legend has it that this was once just a treasure ground, occupied by other forces. Our clan's ancestor was born into one of those forces, which eventually became the foundation of our clan. Over time, as our ancestor rose to power and other bloodlines faded, this place became entirely ours."
Fang Xiang said, "I've heard that your clan discovered a special kind of fire here. Many people outside are eager to find it. Is it true?"
Zhu Yan shook his head. "I don't know if it's true or not, but I haven't heard of any such fire existing here. If it did, I'd definitely try to get some for alchemy. Follow me; we haven't reached the real Fire Valley yet. I'll show you around. Our clan is famous for its beautiful women."
With that, Zhu Yan led the way, continuing forward.
As they walked, he said to Jiang Fann, "Brother, your fire skills are impressive. That powerful flame of yours is even stronger than the innate abilities of our clan. Why not consider marrying one of our women? You might have a child with extraordinary talent. If they inherit your fire abilities, our clan's status could rise even higher."
Jiang Fann shook his head decisively. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass. I have a lot to do and can't stay here long."
"That's a shame. I was planning to introduce you to the most beautiful woman in our valley."
As they chatted, Jiang Fann soon noticed the presence of some of Zhu Yan's clan members nearby. Their abilities varied, but they all emitted a unique fiery aura, clearly dispersed around the area for training.
As they stood there, a figure appeared, running toward them from a distance before leaping onto Zhu Yan and clinging to him. It was a tall woman with fiery red hair and a striking figure, bearing a resemblance to Zhu Yan.
"Big brother! You're finally back!"
This was Zhu Yan's sister, just as he'd described. The women in their family were indeed beautiful, and their natural charisma, likely due to their fiery spirit, gave them a bold and carefree nature.
Zhu Yan gently set her down, smiling warmly, clearly having a great relationship with his sister. "Don't be so wild. Can't you see I have guests?"
Fang Xiang, standing nearby, approached with a grin. "Hello, sister. I'm Fang Xiang, Zhu Yan's sworn brother..."
The girl extended her hand to Fang Xiang. "Nice to meet you."
Just as Fang Xiang was about to shake her hand, Zhu Yan swatted his hand away. "Fang Xiang, don't be so forward. My sister hasn't met many outsiders yet."
Fang Xiang quickly replied, "I'm not like that..."
Ignoring Fang Xiang, Zhu Yan introduced her to Jiang Fann, who nodded politely. "Jiang Fann," he said.
Zhu Ying nodded at Jiang Fann before turning to Zhu Yan. "Hey, you promised to bring me a gift this time. Did you get the Fire Spirit Beast I wanted?"
Zhu Yan looked a bit embarrassed. "I came back in a hurry and didn't have a chance to look for a spirit beast in the main city. Next time... I promise I'll catch one for you."
"Alright, I'll let it slide this time, but you better bring me one next time. Otherwise, I'll be bored out of my mind. The elder is waiting for you all and sent me to greet you. Let's head over to him first."
With that, the girl conjured a flame using her abilities. This flame wasn't hot; it was a special way to travel, allowing people to sit on it. Everyone took their places on the flame, and the girl channeled her spiritual strength. The unusual flame lifted into the air, heading toward the core area of the Fire Valley.
Jiang Fann observed the girl named Zhu Ying. She was about the same age as the others, much younger than Zhu Yan, yet her abilities were impressive. She had reached the peak of the Dao Understanding Stage and was showing signs of the Mortal Separating Stage. Among her peers, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest.
Fang Xiang communicated to Jiang Fann, "Zhu Ying is the most renowned of her generation in the Zhu family. I didn't expect her to be Zhu Yan's sister. She's never trained outside, yet her reputation precedes her because she reached the peak of the Dao Understanding Stage ten years ago!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fann was understandably surprised. "Ten years ago? How is that possible? How old was she back then? And with her talent, how could she not have broken through to the Mortal Separating Stage in all that time?"
Fang Xiang replied, "My information is accurate, and I'm curious about the reason too. Based on our analysis, she was born with an exceptionally high potential. Rumor has it that her bloodline underwent a second awakening, causing as much of a stir as her ancestor did back in the day. Yet, after ten years, she's still at the Dao Understanding Stage."
Jiang Fann asked, "Why doesn't she go out and gain experience? I think her mindset might be affecting her. Being stuck at a bottleneck could greatly impact her future breakthroughs."
Fang Xiang shook his head, "I don't know either. This is my first time seeing her, and she truly is as stunning as the rumors say..."
Zhu Yan, noticing their conversation, chimed in, "What are you guys talking about? My sister isn't an outsider."
"Nothing much, just chatting..."
As they spoke, the flames carried them over a valley filled with plants, all with fiery red leaves, creating a unique sight. The spiritual strength here was even more intense than before, suggesting this was the legendary Fire Valley. Occasionally, they could see members of the Zhu family on the ground, some training around the valley while others cultivated a special type of vegetation.
As Zhu Yan had mentioned, the women in the Zhu family were all exceptionally beautiful and tall, making a striking impression. When the siblings returned with outsiders, they quickly drew a lot of attention.
Soon, some family members gathered around, and Jiang Fann extended his spiritual sense to feel the newcomers' presence. He noticed that most of these practitioners were not very advanced in their cultivation, yet they were all very warm towards Zhu Yan. Just as Zhu Yan had said, his status in the valley was quite high.
The family members observed Jiang Fann and his companion without any hostility. Fang Xiang even took out some trinkets to give to the two children. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the family, Zhu Yan led Jiang Fann and his companion forward to meet the clan leader.
At that moment, several figures rose into the air from the valley, looking their way. These individuals varied in age, but their cultivation levels were much higher than those of the previous practitioners. The strongest among them scanned the area with his spiritual sense, exerting considerable pressure on Jiang Fann. Jiang Fann could tell that this person had at least reached the Reincarnation Stage.
Despite being far away, this person was clearly surprised as he looked at Jiang Fann. Most of the others were at the Mortal Separating Stage, with many at its peak, and they all focused their attention on Jiang Fann. Jiang Fann wasn't surprised and understood why they reacted this way.
When Zhu Yan first met him, he sensed the fire spiritual strength within Jiang Fann. These Zhu family practitioners had a keen sense for fire spiritual strength, possibly even sharper than Zhu Yan's. They were astonished because Jiang Fann possessed an extraordinary amount of unique flames.
Zhu Yan reminded Jiang Fann, "They mean no harm. They're just curious about the flame within you, like I am."
The most advanced practitioner flew over, wanting to feel Jiang Fann's aura up close. But as he approached, Zhu Yan intercepted him directly.
"Hey! This is the guest of the elder. Don't be disrespectful."
The man, much older than Zhu Yan, ignored him entirely, his attention fully captivated by Jiang Fann, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
Zhu Yan gave Jiang Fann a tug, not bothering to argue further with the practitioner. "Don't mind him."
As Zhu Yan tried to lead Jiang Fann away, the practitioner reached out to grab Jiang Fann's arm, spiritual energy emanating from his palm, clearly intending to test him.
At that moment, Zhu Ying's slender hand caught the practitioner's arm. "Uncle, the elder is waiting to see them."
With that, she signaled Zhu Yan with a glance to take Jiang Fann and the others away. Distracted by Zhu Ying, the practitioner hesitated, and before he could speak, Zhu Yan had already led the group away.
Jiang Fann was surprised by the girl's quick reaction. Even without activating his Divine Eye, his vision was sharp, yet all he saw was a flash of red light as she intercepted the practitioner.
The girl is definitely more than she appears to be. Meanwhile, the members of the Zhu family, who completely ignored Zhu Yan, were noticeably more polite to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Yan, worried that his third uncle might offend Jiang Fann, said, "My third uncle is a martial arts fanatic, so please don't mind him. The aura you have is incredibly attractive to our family."
Jiang Fann replied with a smile, "Zhu Ying didn't react that way when she saw me."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan was momentarily taken aback and chose not to say much about Zhu Ying. The two of them knew he was being intentionally vague, so they didn't press further and continued to follow him.
In the center of the valley, there was a passage leading underground. It didn't seem to be man-made and was intensely hot, to the point that even Fang Xiang found it hard to bear. Jiang Fann used his spiritual strength to shield Fang Xiang, making it more bearable for him.