Chapter 7: The Forest of Spirit Flames, Encounter with a Mysterious Girl

The sky began to brighten at the crack of dawn, though the city remained steeped in slumber. The morning light spilled across the horizon, dispelling the cool, liquid moonlight of the night.

Spirit Flame Forest.

Bang!

Amidst a forest of fiery, metallic trees, a figure surged forward. With a single punch imbued with terrifying force, he shattered the skull of a wolf-like spirit beast. Huo Qing extracted the beast core and released a burst of sword energy to dissipate the lingering malice.

Hum!

A surge of spiritual energy rushed out from the core, filling his energy reservoir.

"I've been killing spirit beasts all night and have absorbed quite a few cores, yet I still don't feel any sign of a breakthrough..." Huo Qing frowned slightly. Could it be because of his mysterious energy reservoir? What slightly cheered him, however, was that while he hadn't broken through, his spiritual energy continued to swell unabated. In terms of sheer spiritual foundation, he was now in no way inferior to an average practitioner at the middle stage of the Earth Spirit Realm.

Rumble!

As Huo Qing pondered, a violent tremor suddenly spread through the ground.

Not far to his left, a pack of lizards covered in crimson scales came charging and roaring, their momentum so fierce that the fallen leaves in their path spontaneously ignited and scattered into ash.

Huo Qing shifted his gaze to find a slender figure dodging the pack's attacks in a desperate, disheveled state.

The figure was a petite woman in a green dress. She had a fair, beautiful face, and her chest heaved with exertion. Her smooth, rounded legs were exposed to the air, a sight that could easily stir the imagination.

Upon spotting Huo Qing, a flicker of surprise crossed her sparkling eyes. She hurriedly called out, "Friend, please help me out of this predicament! I will surely reward you afterwards!"

Huo Qing cast a cold glance at her and, ignoring her plea entirely, turned to leave. He was intent on reaching the Black Devil Abyss as quickly as possible and had no interest in such matters.

Seeing him turn away, the girl’s expression darkened. She cried out urgently, "Friend, I know the location of a ruin left behind by a powerful expert of the Sword Sect!"

Bang—Crack!

Behind her, a fierce Fire-Scaled Lizard mid-charge suddenly stalled, then went flying backward, its crimson blood spraying as it smashed through three large trees.

Huo Qing flashed into view, blocking the path before the girl. He spoke with righteous indignation, "With me here, no one shall harm you."

Having said this, he charged straight forward, his fists wrapped in spiritual energy as he unleashed a ferocious assault.

The girl’s pretty face changed slightly as she urged, "Don't confront them head-on! Just take me and retreat!" She stomped her foot in frustration, annoyed by Huo Qing's impulsiveness. Each of those Fire-Scaled Lizards possessed the strength of an early-stage Earth Spirit Realm beast; collectively, they were enough to tear an early-stage Earth Spirit practitioner to shreds.

This fellow was only at the early stage himself—where did he get the nerve to charge in?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than her alarm turned into utter astonishment.

Huo Qing was swinging his fists, his immense spiritual energy driving a brutal force that smashed the Fire-Scaled Lizards into pulp one by one. Simultaneously, his sword light danced, spreading a startling chill; any lizard that came into contact with it was shredded into bloody mist.

In just over a dozen breaths, the entire pack of Fire-Scaled Lizards had been wiped out.

"You..." The girl stared at Huo Qing, dumbfounded and disbelieving.

To possess the strength of an early-stage Earth Spirit practitioner yet slaughter a pack of Fire-Scaled Lizards—a group that even middle-stage Earth Spirit practitioners would avoid—was unheard of. She had never heard of anyone like this in the Tian Shu Prefecture.

Huo Qing smiled faintly, brushed some non-existent dust off his arm, and looked at the girl, saying calmly, "Who are you, and why are you here alone?"

The Spirit Flame Forest was filled with danger at every step. Aside from himself, who would wander here alone, especially a seemingly fragile girl like the one before him?

The girl thanked him first, gesturing toward him before replying, "My name is Ye Hongling. I am here to participate in the examination for the Cang Lan Sword Sect. And you?"

Huo Qing was surprised and nodded slightly. "Huo Qing. The same as you."

Hearing this, Ye Hongling's beautiful eyes brightened. She smiled, "In that case, we share the same goal. Why don't we travel together?"

"Let's explore the sword ruin you mentioned first." Huo Qing sat cross-legged on the ground, his palm creating a suction force that decomposed all the Fire-Scaled Lizard cores, sending wisps of spiritual energy flowing into his reservoir.

Ye Hongling nodded. "The Sword Sect ruin is in the eastern part of the Spirit Flame Forest. If we head there now, it will only take us two hours."

Huo Qing stared at Ye Hongling, his brow twitching. "Why can I not discern your cultivation level?"

This girl had given him a rather mysterious feeling from the start, which was part of the reason he had turned back to help her.

Ye Hongling spread her hands helplessly. "Due to certain reasons, my power is sealed. Currently, I can only match an early-stage Earth Spirit practitioner."

Huo Qing looked at her deeply, then asked no further questions. "In that case, let us head to the ruins as quickly as possible."

"Alright." Ye Hongling nodded, manifesting a spiritual treasure that bore her forward as she dashed ahead.

Huo Qing manifested sword light beneath his feet, his speed surging as he quickly drew level with her.

...

Two hours later.

Ye Hongling stopped at the entrance of a cave, and Huo Qing dissipated the sword light beneath his feet behind her.

Gazing at the massive opening, a sense of anticipation rose in Huo Qing's heart. A Sword Sect inheritance—that was equivalent to the legacy of an expert at the Rong Yi Realm. He hoped it would not disappoint him.

"Let's go." Ye Hongling felt the strange tremors coming from the seal within her body. She gritted her teeth and muttered resentfully, "You've tortured me for so long; soon, I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

As the two entered the cave, the view suddenly opened up. In the darkness, immense sword energy seemed to permeate the air, closing in upon them.

Having had his body tempered by the Ancestral Sword, Huo Qing was highly resistant to such attacks. With a gentle shake, he shattered the encroaching energy.

However, Ye Hongling did not find it so easy. After walking for half an hour, a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and her face turned pale.

"You go on ahead. If you find anything good, just share a little with me."

Huo Qing glanced at her, then scooped her up into his arms. Feeling the softness of her chest against him, his expression shifted subtly. He released his spiritual energy to envelop her slender frame.

"The path ahead is uncertain; I still need you to guide me."

Breathing in the masculine scent wafting toward her, Ye Hongling’s face flushed with a rosy hue. She hesitated, "Very well. If you feel I am a burden, just put me down."

Huo Qing increased his speed, swiftly traversing the corridor and entering what appeared to be a stone palace.

"Chi-chi-chi..."

Just then, a piercing screech echoed through the hall. Huo Qing turned his head to see dense swarms of black bats hanging from the ceiling. They dove down excitedly, mouths agape to reveal blood-red, razor-sharp fangs.

"It's the Black Blood Bats!" Ye Hongling turned pale; in her current state, she would likely be gnawed to the bone.

"With me here, no one shall harm you!" Huo Qing let out a cold snort, casting out countless rays of sword light. Any bat that came within a yard of them was instantly reduced to a heap of bloody foam.

Within moments, the palace fell silent, a foul-smelling river of blood flowing across the floor.