“Hm.”
Ling Yan continued, his tone filled with boundless longing for the glory of the past.
“Eldest senior brother Li Jin was born rebellious, his nature both righteous and wicked. He acted solely according to his heart, unbound by etiquette or laws.”
“He gained profound insight into the demonic and domineering aspect of flame that incinerates all things, destroys everything, and then gives birth to new opportunities. He believed the origin of fire lay in the cycle of destruction and rebirth.”
“His cultivation was almost maniacal. He often tested himself with fire, wandering on the edge of life and death, tempering a world-shaking Li Fire Demonic Art. Later, under the name Li Fire Demon Lord, he overawed the heavens, making myriad demons bow their heads and immortals and gods wary.”
“Second senior brother Huo Ling had a mild and upright nature, with a broad mind and compassion for the world. He comprehended the divine and benevolent aspect of flame containing light, warmth, purification, and the nurturing of life. He believed fire was the beginning of civilisation, the light of hope.”
“His cultivated Fire Spirit Immortal Art was upright and grand, capable of purifying evil and nourishing all things. Later he achieved the honoured position of Fire Spirit Star Lord, ruling a stellar domain, receiving incense offerings from countless beings, hailed as the source of stellar fire and the incarnation of light.”
At this point, the bitterness on Ling Yan’s face grew deeper.
“And I… Ling Yan, with dull aptitude and average comprehension. Though fortunate to worship a famous master and stand alongside two peerless geniuses as fellow disciples, I never truly grasped the true essence of flame.”
“I lacked eldest senior brother’s demonic insight to break and then stand, domineering over the world, and also lacked second senior brother’s upright peace and divine compassion that benefited all life.”
“I could only grope bitterly for my own path of sword fire under the dazzling light of my two senior brothers, progressing slowly.”
He sighed, his tone carrying deep regret and helplessness.
“Even more regrettable, shortly after Master imparted basic dao arts to us and laid our foundations, he spoke of gaining an insight and needing to venture beyond the universal barrier to pursue the ultimate dao. From then on, he departed gracefully, with no further news.”
“My two senior brothers, with their heaven-defying talents, even without Master’s subsequent guidance, relied on their own comprehension and opportunities to advance triumphantly, travelling through various worlds.”
Ling Yan turned to look at Chen Ping, his eyes holding frankness and a trace of barely noticeable loneliness.
“And I guarded this Li Fire Secret Realm that Master discovered early on and eldest senior brother Li Jin later transformed.”
“This place was originally a strange space formed from a fragment of primordial chaotic source fire that fell when the universe first opened, containing the most primitive fire laws.”
“Before leaving this realm, eldest senior brother entrusted it to my care. One reason was out of fellow disciple affection, granting me a treasured ground for settling and comprehending fire dao.”
“The other was hoping I would guard this place, preventing its origin from being tainted by improper people and causing great calamity.”
“In this secret realm, relying on some cultivation insights left by eldest senior brother, occasional fragmentary guidance from second senior brother, and the endless fire spiritual qi of the realm itself,”
“I spent thousands of years barely fusing sword dao with fire dao, creating the Incinerating Heaven Sword Art, thus gaining my current minor reputation as Heavenly Fire Sword Venerable.”
“But compared to my two senior brothers who long ago roamed the heavens and worlds, wielding laws… heh, a firefly beside the bright moon, dust beside a mountain. Truly insignificant, shameful to mention.”
Chen Ping listened quietly to Ling Yan’s account, gaining clarity in his heart.
Such complex origins.
A mysterious and powerful master, two senior brothers who took utterly opposite paths yet both reached the pinnacle, and a junior brother with limited talent yet steadfast in duty, striving to catch up.
This Li Fire Secret Realm was both a treasure and, in a way, a complex place in Ling Yan’s heart interwoven with glory and regret.
“Since this Li Fire Secret Realm was entrusted to you by Li Fire Demon Lord for protection, why set such strict rules, forbidding any outsider from entering?”
“Even when we came seeking refuge from calamity, it nearly led to armed conflict?” Chen Ping voiced another doubt in his mind.
Ling Yan’s expression turned serious, restraining his earlier sentiments and becoming solemn.
He pointed towards the deepest part of the secret realm, the area where flame colours were most chaotic, seemingly capable of swallowing and distorting even light, and said gravely.
“There are two reasons. First, this place was solemnly entrusted by eldest senior brother Li Jin. Having accepted the trust, I, Ling Yan, must be faithful to it. I absolutely cannot allow outsiders to casually defile or disrupt the purity and integrity of this place, nor permit reckless exploitation of its resources. This is my promise to senior brother and the location of my dao heart.”
He paused, his tone becoming even heavier, carrying a trace of apprehension.
“Second, and most crucial, the core of the secret realm is not an ordinary blessed cultivation ground or treasure vault, but the true dwelling place of that primordial chaotic source fire fragment, and the location where eldest senior brother left part of his true inheritance and restrictions!”
Ling Yan’s gaze locked tightly on that chaotic region, his voice lowering.
“Before departing, eldest senior brother strictly warned me: this chaotic source fire is origin fire existing before heaven and earth opened, before hongmeng was divided. It is the ancestor of myriad fires, the root of destruction and creation.”
“It is violent and unpredictable, containing law fragments far exceeding the limits this realm can bear.”
“Only one possessing the purest supreme fire origin, with a will firm as chaotic divine iron, and gaining its recognition, may approach the core forbidden area!”
“Otherwise, even at my peak, entering would surely provoke backlash from the source fire. At best, one’s dao foundation destroyed, reduced to a cripple; at worst, body and spirit extinguished, never to transcend in eternity!”
He withdrew his gaze, looking at Chen Ping with unprecedented gravity and warning in his eyes.
“Fellow daoist Chen, I do not know your exact origins or what reliance you have.”
“You can disperse the peripheral fire spirits, perhaps possessing a strange treasure or special constitution. But this chaotic source fire is no trivial matter. It cannot be resisted by brute force or ordinary treasures.”
“Having guarded here for a millennium, I feel every day the terrifying pressure from the core that makes the divine soul tremble.”
“Even I only dare absorb the mild fire spirits scattered at the periphery, filtered layer by layer through the secret realm, never daring to overstep the bounds!”
“Though your methods are profound, you must never rashly approach that core forbidden area out of curiosity. That is absolutely not a domain touchable by Human Immortal realm, nor even ordinary Heavenly Immortal realm!”
