"Who is that?"
The crowd looked at the figure in the sky and trembled.
"Is that a Venerate?"
Jin Shi and Jin Gu squinted their eyes meaningfully, a faint smile on their lips.
They had bet correctly...
This Mr. Han was truly no ordinary person.
Han Feng stepped on the void, crossing dozens of kilometers in a single step, and quickly arrived above the crowd at the outer perimeter of the mountain range.
He glanced at the crowd, took out a token from his storage ring, and accurately tossed it in front of Jin Shi.
"Clan Leader Jin Shi, if you need to find me in the future, you can use this to contact me."
"Many thanks, Mr. Han!" Jin Shi cupped his hands in thanks.
"We will meet again."
Han Feng nodded, then dragged a tail of flame and disappeared into the clouds.
———
Heavenly North City. Han Feng traveled to this large city and decided to rest here for a while.
He remembered that the champion of the Black-Corner Region Alchemy Competition, Chen Xiaoyu, was the second young mistress of the Chen family, the overlord of Heavenly North City.
With her alchemy aptitude, she would probably enter the Pill Tower in the future. At that time, the status of the Chen family might become even more stable.
Finding an inn to stay at, Han Feng sorted out the abilities of his "Flame God Body."
First, his control over the three types of Heavenly Flames had greatly improved. He had further touched upon the source of the Heavenly Flames and discovered a deeper level of power.
The "Flame God's Descent" was a secret technique that used the power of Heavenly Flames to increase his cultivation.
The principle was somewhat similar to the "Sky Fire Three Profound Change" of the Burning Flame Valley, but the "Flame God's Descent" was not a crude imitation, but a manifestation of reaching the same goal through different paths in the study of flame power.
Compared to the "Sky Fire Three Profound Change," the "Flame God's Descent" was more flexible, more enduring, and more powerful.
The most important point was that the latter had no side effects.
Han Feng could use it however he wanted.
Second, the Flame God Body had the potential for infinite growth. Han Feng had a premonition that as long as he continued to absorb Heavenly Flames, the Flame God Body could continuously evolve.
The power of the great sea bestowed by the Sea Heart Flame.
The power of magma bestowed by the Green Lotus Core Flame.
The power of the mind bestowed by the Fallen Heart Flame.
These three powers were the most obvious and had already been transformed into Han Feng's instincts.
As for the others, such as the star power of the Seven-Star Body, the heaven and earth magnetic field power of the Innate Primordial Magnetism... these abilities from outside the Heavenly Flames had not changed much.
Han Feng guessed that his ability to condense the Flame God Body was inseparable from the Flame Mantra.
So, just like the Flame Mantra, Heavenly Flames were the key to the advancement of the Flame God Body.
With a thought, Han Feng took out the continent map.
In his previous life, while he was imprisoned by Hun Tiandi, he had met an alchemy grandmaster from the Nanli Continent. That person had in his possession the "Myriad Beast Spirit Flame," ranked twenty-second.
According to his description, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame was born in the Purple Shattered Ruins of the Nanli Continent. Back then, he had helped the Nanli Empress enter the Purple Shattered Ruins to pacify a evil beast disaster and had obtained it by chance.
Calculating the time, that brother of his should not have obtained it yet.
"The next target, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame."
Han Feng circled the location of the Nanli Empire on the map, deciding to go there to investigate later.
In the evening, Han Feng went downstairs to eat. He ordered a few small dishes and admired the view from the window.
On the first floor of the teahouse opposite, a table of guests was chatting loudly, their words involving the Southern Region... Spirit Mountain...
A memory in Han Feng's mind seemed to have been jogged. He raised his hand to call the waiter and tossed him a few gold coins.
"Is there any recent news about the Spirit Mountain in the Southern Region?"
"Yes, sir! The Spirit Mountain in the Southern Region! It's said that a Half-Saint's ruins has opened there. Many experts from our Northern Region have gone."
Han Feng nodded.
After his rebirth, due to some changes, Han Feng had completely lost his grasp on the details of the future and could only start from important time points.
The matter of the Spirit Mountain secret realm happened to be an important time point.
"I explored that Half-Saint's ruins in my previous life. It was very dangerous. One wouldn't even be qualified to go deep without being a Dou Venerate..."
Before reconstructing his physique, Han Feng had estimated his cultivation growth as conservatively as possible, so he originally had no intention of getting involved.
But now, his cultivation progress had far exceeded his original expectations. An ordinary Dou Venerate was no match for him. Coupled with his exploration experience from his previous life, he could completely avoid some of the dangerous places.
Han Feng thought of the spatial treasure inside the Half-Saint's ruins and secretly made a decision.
If he could get that treasure, he could save a lot of travel time, and it could also be used as a life-saving item in the future.
It was worth a trip.
The next day, Han Feng embarked on his journey.
The spatial wormhole in Heavenly North City only led to the Central Region. Han Feng had to go there first to take a spatial wormhole to the Southern Region.
During the journey, Han Feng cultivated peacefully, and his Dou Qi and soul power grew slowly.
At the same. time, inside the spatial wormhole, the void energy was extremely abundant. Han Feng took the opportunity to familiarize himself with spatial power and regained his old feeling.
Although it was far from comparable to a Dou Saint, the spatial power of an ordinary Dou Venerate was already less profound than what Han Feng possessed at this moment.
Eight or nine days later, the space boat flew out of a city in the Southern Region. Han Feng directly put away the boat, identified the direction, and headed for Spirit Mountain.
Rushing all the way, he had finally not missed it completely.
Although the experts who had come earlier had broken open the secret realm four or five days ago, it was not so easy to obtain the treasures inside Spirit Mountain.
At this time, people were still entering the secret realm one after another, but some people from the major factions had already occupied the entrance and begun to charge a toll.
Han Feng was draped in a black robe, his large hood concealing his appearance. Just as someone was about to step forward and block him, the aura of a Dou Ancestor spread from Han Feng's body.
"A Dou Ancestor expert!"
The disciples of the major factions did not dare to block him any longer. Although a Dou Ancestor was not rare in the Central Plains, it was not someone they, as disciples, could offend.
Han Feng flew straight into the secret realm. A magical force suddenly sealed the area around his body.
A no-fly zone.
A domain set up by a Half-Saint expert. Han Feng could not yet defy it.
Anyone who entered this place had to follow it.
The memory of the Spirit Mountain secret realm was a bit distant. Han Feng paused for a few seconds at a fork in the mountain road, then walked in one direction.
Besides the spatial treasure he wanted, there were many rare medicinal ingredients in Spirit Mountain, which also attracted Han Feng.
This secret realm had been hidden for so many years. The rich energy of heaven and earth had nurtured an unknown number of rare treasures.
Even though people had already explored it for four or five days, there were still many good things hidden in the dense mountain forest.
"Roar!"
A mountain-guarding magical beast pounced at Han Feng. Without even looking, Han Feng sent it flying unconscious with a single slap.
"Extreme Spirit Flower, Heavenly Star Fruit. This should be the place."
Han Feng scanned the area, collected the two herbs, and strolled forward.
He remembered that there was a mechanism in this place. When opened, it would activate a formation. If one passed through it successfully, one would obtain a spirit key, which could be used to exchange for treasures in the treasure hall on the mountain top.
Just as Han Feng was searching carefully, a considerable commotion suddenly erupted not far away.
Han Feng stopped and suddenly turned his head.
"Found it."
He ignored the Dou Qi fluctuations in the distance, came to a corner of the jungle, and slammed his palm down.
Boom!
An even greater commotion erupted from under Han Feng's feet, instantly attracting the people who were fighting on the other side.
"Something good!"
Mu Qingluan and Feng Qing'er looked at each other, then both snorted lightly, exchanged a palm strike, and retreated.
Swish! Swish!
Two black shadows suddenly shot out from behind, standing behind the two young women respectively. They were the elders of the Falling Star Pavilion and the Wind Lightning Pavilion, acting as Dao protectors to ensure the safety of the two women.
At this moment, the two elders looked at the commotion erupting in the forest, their eyes slightly wary.
"Young Mistress, it's dangerous over there. It's better not to go rashly."
Mu Qingluan had originally planned to retreat, but seeing Feng Qing'er's fearless appearance, her competitive spirit was also aroused.
"Elder Lin, let's just go and take a look."
"Alright, Young Mistress."
The two groups approached the dense forest together, watching from afar. They saw a black-robed person in an open space not far away, fighting with several puppets.
"Those are... Dou Venerate level puppets!"
Elder Lin was instantly on alert and directly protected Mu Qingluan in front of him. On the other side, the elder from the Wind Lightning Pavilion did the same.
They couldn't imagine why three Dou Venerate level puppets would appear in the outer perimeter of this Spirit Mountain, and why they were besieging one person.
If they hadn't come closer to watch, they probably would have been deceived by the formation and overlooked the battle of a Dou Venerate expert.
"Dou Venerate?"
Mu Qingluan's eyes widened. Those three golden lumps before her were actually Dou Venerate level experts!
"Young Mistress, we must retreat quickly."
"Yes."
Mu Qingluan also knew that this was not the time to be greedy.
If they were killed by the other party while watching a battle between Dou Venerate experts, there would be no one to reason with.
However, just as they were preparing to retreat, the formation not far away suddenly broke.
Han Feng's finger pierced through the cores of the three Dou Venerate puppets. His soul power, like a tsunami, gushed out, firmly suppressing the puppets.
In an instant, the situation was settled. Han Feng took out the cores of the three puppets and pieced them together into a spirit key.
The puppets, having lost their cores, collapsed in various postures as if they had lost their support.
Han Feng didn't know much about the art of puppetry and didn't know how to repair them for a moment, but three Dou Venerate level puppets were clearly of great value. Han Feng put them all into his storage ring.
Then, he turned his gaze to the four people who had been watching earlier.
Under the pressure of Han Feng's soul power, the two strongest Dou Ancestors among the four did not dare to move a muscle. The two Dou King girls' bodies were trembling. Especially that Feng Qing'er; she had completely lost her previous fearless look.
When the gaze under the black robe saw Mu Qingluan, Han Feng's movements clearly paused for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.
He withdrew his soul pressure and silently looked at his little junior sister.
"This... Senior, please forgive us for our previous impoliteness. The Falling Star Pavilion is willing to make any compensation!"
"I, I, the Wind Lightning Pavilion too."
Although Han Feng's gaze was not directed at the two from the Wind Lightning Pavilion, they did not dare to flee on their own, afraid of accidentally angering the black-robed man.
Faced with the two elders' fearful pleas, Han Feng was silent for a moment, then said to no one in particular, "Be careful. It's dangerous in the mountains."
As soon as his voice fell, the black-robed man disappeared from the open space.
The four of them immediately breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had just survived a disaster.
Only Mu Qingluan, while catching her breath, blinked her eyes. Was that person talking to her just now?
———
Encountering Mu Qingluan by chance, Han Feng felt a little melancholic. In his previous life, he had personally accompanied Mu Qingluan into the Spirit Mountain. That elder from the Falling Star Pavilion only had a five-star Dou Ancestor cultivation. Could he protect Qingluan?
However, he had just secretly planted an imprint on Mu Qingluan using his Heaven Origin Finger. If there was danger, he would be the first to resolve it.
Having obtained the spirit key, Han Feng went straight up the mountain. The path he chose was very clear, and he soon caught up with the first group of people.
On the last stretch of the road to the mountaintop, Han Feng remembered that there was a five-star Dou Venerate level magical beast guarding it, which had blocked many people.
In the end, it was only after all the experts had agreed to cooperate that they managed to defeat the magical beast.
Han Feng concealed his aura, his black robe hidden in the darkness, silently watching the great battle ahead.
Among them was a figure, his uncle-master, Venerate Feng.
Besides Venerate Feng, Venerate Lei of the Wind Lightning Pavilion and Venerate Bing of the Ice River Valley were also present.
Han Feng knew all these people.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, this five-star Dou Venerate level magical beast fell with hatred under the siege of the crowd.
Then, the scene fell silent for a short time. Everyone looked at each other, and the cooperative relationship instantly broke down.
In order to fight for the magical beast's body, several Dou Venerates started fighting. However, a portion of them was far-sighted and did not get entangled over the magical beast, continuing to rush towards the mountaintop.
Just as the remaining Dou Venerates were deciding the winner, Han Feng's figure quietly appeared. His powerful soul power condensed into a "Chaotic Soul Needle" and stabbed into that Dou Venerate.
With a thump, the Dou Venerate expert fainted and fell to the ground.
A powerful soul skill was impossible to defend against. If Han Feng's soul was still at the Mortal Realm, this Dou Venerate might have been able to defend against it. But now that Han Feng had broken through to the Spirit Realm, it was more difficult for an initial-stage Dou Venerate to block it.
Han Feng put away the body of the eighth-tier magical beast, glanced at the mountaintop, and turned to run down another path.
At this moment, in front of the main hall on the mountaintop, a group of experts had gathered.
They looked at the seal around the main hall and went forward to try one by one, but they all returned without success.
"Venerate Bing, you are a formation grandmaster. Tell us how to solve it, and we will all cooperate with you!"
Venerate Bing's expression was calm. He stepped forward to check the sealing formation and fell into thought.
"It can be solved, but when the time comes, I must have priority in choosing the items inside."
"Deal!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Then, Venerate Bing began to deploy personnel, instructing them on how to break the formation.
Just as the group on the other side was working together, Han Feng climbed up from the cliff behind the main hall.
Because it was protected by the sealing formation, there was no foothold on the back of the main hall. Under the no-fly zone, it was extremely dangerous.
But who could blame Han Feng for having a spirit key?
He took out the spirit key and pressed it against the sealing formation. Soon, a small passage appeared in the formation, and Han Feng immediately jumped in.
"Phew!"
He was finally in.
Han Feng looked at the layout of the hall and carefully came to the treasure display area.
This Half-Saint expert was a weapon refining grandmaster and also cultivated formations. The puppets from before were probably made by this Half-Saint expert when he was alive.
The spirit key in Han Feng's hand could only be exchanged for one treasure. If he wanted to exchange for more, he would have to participate in the subsequent spirit key competition.
There were a large number of puppets hidden in the main hall. As long as the seal in front of the hall was broken, all the puppets in the hall would be activated. By then, people would naturally discover the secret of the spirit key.
Han Feng had no intention of taking all the treasures for himself. The strength of those veteran Dou Venerates was not so easy to deal with.
He had to get that spatial treasure first.
Han Feng walked to the center and looked up at the stone stele with void patterns carved on it.
The Void God Stele, a spatial treasure, could quickly anchor the space between two locations, allowing one to travel between them in just a few seconds.
Most importantly, it had the ability to ignore spatial blockades.
Han Feng had already sensed the benefits of this from Zi Yan, but the effect of the Void God Stele was probably even more magical.