Chapter 75

Under Xiao Wu's guidance, Hu Gao quickly arrived at a small valley. The valley was surrounded by many martial artists, who, although they had concealed their auras, could not hide from Xiao Wu's perception. Even Burst Essence Realm martial artists were exposed. There were hundreds of people in the valley, all of whom were at the late Condensed Shadow Realm.

Before entering the valley, Hu Gao decided to have Xiao Wu conceal his divine abilities and reveal his true cultivation level.

In such a crowded place, being too mysterious would only draw attention, while appearing weak would make him easy to overlook.

The temperature in this valley was much higher than the outside. Following the gazes of the crowd, Hu Gao discovered a large cluster of wind caves in front of them, from which fiery red energy would occasionally burst out.

Hu Gao's eyebrows raised. He was already quite familiar with this fire poison, but without purification, he could not control it. Once it got close, his body would be instantly destroyed.

The fire poison kept bursting out of the wind caves, and even if there were pauses, they would not last long—only one or two seconds, sometimes just a breath or a moment, before the fire poison appeared again.

Hu Gao squeezed his way in and found that black fire lotuses were growing at the entrance of the wind caves. He counted them, and there were as many as five.

A single black fire lotus was worth over 50,000 gold coins, comparable to a middle-grade Human Rank treasure. For independent cultivators without a powerful backing, this was a huge sum.

However, for those at the Seventh and Eighth Rank of the Condensed Shadow Realm, most of them were just there for the spectacle. Only those with powerful backers would attempt to get the black fire lotuses. After all, the Ninth Rank and peak Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artists on the scene had far superior combat power. Without support, even if they managed to get the black fire lotuses by chance, they might not have the right to use them.

"Little brother, are you here to watch the show too?"

Hu Gao stood at the back of the crowd, planning to observe the situation before deciding whether to act. An old man in his sixties with a pipe in his hand saw him and asked with a curious look. Hu Gao recognized this familiar face and was startled.

"Hey, we meet again. Your cultivation has improved quite a bit, little brother."

"Not as fast as you!" Hu Gao said irritably.

He was thinking about whether to challenge this old man now that his cultivation had improved, but he suddenly realized that the old man's aura had become that of a peak Ninth Rank!

Could this old man really be bluffing? Is the Red Tassel Fruit more valuable than the black fire lotus?

"Old Pipe, your cultivation has improved quite a bit too."

"Improved my ass. My strength has always been like this; you just misjudged it last time." The old man with the pipe had a look of "believe it or not."

Hu Gao was about to argue but suddenly remembered how the old man had easily blocked his full-strength attack last time. He must have been hiding his true strength. This old man might even be a Body Passage Realm martial artist, not just a Condensed Shadow Realm one.

Fine! I, Hu Gao, will endure this for now and settle the score next time!

"Hey, Old Pipe, the fire poison keeps bursting out of the wind caves. Can the black fire lotuses still be picked? Why are there so many people here?"

"People die for wealth, birds die for food. Although the fire poison is powerful, the black fire lotus is extremely beneficial to us Condensed Shadow Realm martial artists. If absorbed, it greatly enhances physical strength, making it more valuable than money."

The old man with the pipe took a puff of his pipe and said, "So far, over a dozen Seventh and Eighth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artists have tried, but only two have successfully picked the black fire lotuses. One of them was robbed and beaten half to death after getting the lotus. Tsk, poor kid."

"Truly pitiful. Those who lack the ability to join in are just asking for trouble. Their brains must be waterlogged." Hu Gao shook his head. "You, Old Pipe, are much calmer."

The black fire lotus is not very helpful to Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artists. They don't need to risk picking it; they can just wait for the rookies to try and then snatch it.

"Waterlogged brains? Hmm, that's a novel description..."

At this moment, someone nearby said, "Look, another person is trying."

Hu Gao looked ahead and saw a young man with a long sword walking to the front. He was a peak Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artist. If he managed to pick the black fire lotus, he would have the strength to protect it.

"Isn't that Yun Feng? Why is he trying to pick the black fire lotus?"

"The black fire lotus isn't very helpful to him, but he must be very confident in his Cloud Moving Sword Technique."

"Rumor has it he has already perfected the Cloud Moving Sword Technique and is trying to refine it further. It's unknown if he can resist the fire poison and successfully pick the black fire lotus."

Seeing this young man, many people started discussing.

Hu Gao couldn't help but look sideways. He didn't expect this young man to be so famous, with so many people recognizing him. He must not be an ordinary peak Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artist. From what the crowd said, he seemed to have perfected a powerful Essence Technique and was even trying to refine it further.

As for why Yun Feng was picking the black fire lotus, Hu Gao didn't think too much about it. It didn't concern him.

Yun Feng walked forward and drew his long sword. A sharp aura immediately radiated from him, like a sword, like the wind.

"If I were to fight him, I might..."

Hu Gao's eyes narrowed slightly. Although they were far apart, he still felt a gap in strength and cultivation. If they really fought, he might not be his match.

If it were an ordinary peak Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artist, Hu Gao could still contend with him, but this powerful fighter was a different story.

No wonder everyone knew him so well. A peak Ninth Rank Condensed Shadow Realm martial artist with such combat power would be a major competitor for the black fire lotus in the Flame Valley. He needed to keep an eye on him.

"Sword Technique..."

Hu Gao muttered softly. He was gradually becoming familiar with controlling his internal power and believed he could try creating an Essence Technique in a few days.

Based on his understanding of Essence Techniques, creating one of his own wasn't too difficult.

"I wonder if he can get the black fire lotus..."

"Whoosh!"

Yun Feng drew his sword and, without waiting long, leaped up like an arrow, covering fifty meters in an instant and reaching the bottom of the wind cave, clinging to the mountain wall.

The wind cave had hundreds of openings, densely packed, each spewing fire poison. Fortunately, there were footholds beside each opening, or it would have been impossible to cross.

Due to the special structure of the wind cave and the terrifying fire poison, martial artists could only slowly climb and cross each opening, not fly directly to the wind cave, as they would likely be consumed by the fire poison.

At this moment, everyone held their breath, waiting for Yun Feng's next move. Above his head, fire poison kept bursting out, and he would have to cross these openings. One misstep, and he would die without a trace...

Yun Feng looked up, his gaze calm, showing no fear or hesitation. In a moment, he leaped out again, heading straight for the fire poison.

At the same time, he thrust his sword, releasing a fierce sword aura that formed a storm, slicing through the air. The fire poison, like a cloud blown by a strong wind, dispersed immediately.

"Success! Yun Feng actually dispersed the fire poison. It looks like he has a hundred percent chance of picking the black fire lotus."

"No wonder he was so confident. The fire poison is easy to control, but few people can wield their Essence Techniques and power as skillfully as he does."

"I wonder if he will pick all five black fire lotuses. If he does, some people might not agree."

The people standing next to Hu Gao were amazed. Yun Feng was indeed talented, but it was unknown if he would keep all five black fire lotuses for himself, which could anger other experts.

"Don't underestimate Yun Feng. He's not an independent cultivator. He has a Sword Academy behind him, with many Body Passage Realm experts. Even if no Body Passage Realm experts came with him this time, there are still some powerful Condensed Shadow Realm martial artists accompanying him."

The old man with the pipe smiled calmly, watching Yun Feng's performance.

Hu Gao carefully observed Yun Feng and the surrounding fire poison, shaking his head slightly. While others thought he could easily disperse the fire poison and pick the black fire lotus, Hu Gao, who had dealt with fire poison before, knew it wasn't that simple.

Even a tiny bit of fire poison touching him would disrupt his rhythm and could even be fatal.

"Old Pipe, I think it won't be easy for him to get the black fire lotus, regardless of his backing," Hu Gao said with a smile.

"Little brother, are you joking? Didn't you see Yun Feng disperse the fire poison? Other martial artists can only avoid it through perception or agility, still risking danger, but he directly dispersed it, making it completely safe. Do you really think he can't pick the black fire lotus?"

Someone nearby sneered, thinking Hu Gao was talking nonsense.

Hu Gao didn't respond. He didn't want to argue with them, as it would be a waste of time and wouldn't benefit him.

"Kid, are you so sure?" the old man with the pipe asked with a smile.

Hu Gao chuckled, "Of course not. Maybe he's having a lucky day, and the fire poison will avoid him. Who knows?"

---

End of the page.