The sounds of slaughter in the Demon Gold Cave had grown hoarse.
The Black Stone Trapping Formation of the Black Armored Stone People was covered in spiderweb-like cracks. The outermost stone shields were gnawed into deep grooves by the fangs of Demonized Golden Metal Beasts. The pale golden blood of the stone people mixed with stone fragments fell on the charred rock ground, steaming into fine mist under the scorching heat of the magma.
The spiritual plant clansmen huddled inside the spiritual veins, protecting the Spiritual Plant Sacred Fire. Their emerald green vines had long been dyed gray-black by demon qi. Only three clansmen remained, all covered in wounds, yet they still shielded the sacred fire with their bodies. The spiritual plant essence at their fingertips flickered faintly like a dying candle flame.
Cang Lie leaned against a golden metal rock pillar, his consciousness teetering on the edge of darkness. The Nanming Golden Metal flame in his dantian had shrunk to the size of a soybean. Black demon qi surged around his origin like a tide, and every breath brought tearing pain.
The shadows of the beasts in his vision gradually blurred. Yet he still clung tightly to his golden metal long sword, the faint golden patterns on the blade reflecting his pale face—as if whispering his unwillingness. He hadn't protected the spiritual veins that Elder Qingmang had died for, hadn't waited for Ao Xuan and Yuan Hao's reinforcements, and hadn't seen the day when the Four Symbols would gather.
At that moment, the chaotic energy at the top of the Demon Gold Cave was suddenly split open by a streak of crimson celestial light!
Unlike the black-red feral light of demon cultivators, this radiance was intense yet warm, like the rising sun at dawn, instantly dispelling the sinister aura in the cave.
Countless palm-sized fire feathers fell from the celestial light, their tips glowing with crystal-clear Nanming Lihuo (Southern Underworld Departing Fire). Before touching the ground, they transformed into tiny sparks. Where the sparks landed on dense demon qi, the black demon qi melted away rapidly like snow under the sun with a hissing sound. Even the charred marks on the rock ground exuded faint vitality, and tiny green shoots sprouted from the cracks—this was an anomaly where innate fire spirit nourishes life. Only the true Vermilion Bird origin could make Nanming Lihuo possess both the dual powers of burning demons and protecting life.
"I am the innate fire spirit, Zhu Yan!"
A clear yet majestic female voice echoed through the cave. From the celestial light, a figure slowly descended.
She wore a crimson feathered robe embroidered with a phantom of a spreading Vermilion Bird. With each step she took, a small flame lotus platform appeared beneath her feet. When the lotus platform bloomed, a faint scent of parasol wood filled the air. Her jet-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends wrapped in wispy Nanming Lihuo—yet it wasn't scalding. Instead, it made the surrounding spiritual plant essence tremble slightly, as if finding a kindred source of life. Embedded between her brows was a crimson mark, within which a faint Vermilion Bird phantom hovered—a symbol of the Vermilion Bird origin. As the mark flickered, the innate fire-element spiritual energy in the cave automatically gathered toward her, even the scorching heat of the magma pool becoming gentle.
Zhu Yan's gaze swept across the battlefield. First, she landed on Elder Qingmang's body beside the Beast King's corpse, then turned to the dying Cang Lie, a flash of anger and regret in her eyes. Before she could step forward, three stray Demonized Golden Metal Beasts suddenly darted out from the rock crevices on the left—they were remnants of the previous Beast King's pack, wrapped in thicker black demon qi than their kin. Their fangs still hung with fragments of spiritual plant vines, clearly intending to launch a surprise attack on the Spiritual Plant Sacred Fire amid the chaos!
"How dare you, monsters!"
Zhu Yan snorted coldly, raising her left arm. As the hem of her crimson feathered robe fluttered, dozens of fire feathers shot out like spirit snakes. Unlike ordinary attacks, these fire feathers burst into blazing Nanming Lihuo as soon as they left her sleeve. The core of the flames at the tips glowed with dark blue—the supreme yang power capable of burning away chaotic demon qi.
As the fire feathers pierced the air, the black demon qi along their path vaporized instantly like ice meeting boiling oil, letting out a shrill crackling sound. The leading Demonized Golden Metal Beast had just raised its fangs when a fire feather accurately pierced its skull. The flames surged into its body, exploding with a roar inside—its colossal body convulsed violently, and black demon qi gushed out from its seven orifices. But as soon as it touched the air, it was burned into green smoke by the residual flames of the surrounding fire feathers. Even the demon patterns remaining in its bones were charred and peeled off, leaving only a scorching hot charred shell that crashed to the ground with a thud.
Witnessing this, the remaining two Demonized Beasts went mad, pouncing toward the spiritual plant clansmen. Black-red claw shadows condensed from the demon qi around them, attempting to tear through the final line of defense. A cold light flashed in Zhu Yan's eyes. She formed a seal with her right hand, and dense Nanming Lihuo surged from her palm, condensing into a ten-zhang-tall fire lotus in mid-air.
The moment the fire lotus bloomed, countless tiny fire threads shot out from its petals, entangling the limbs of the two beasts like a net from heaven and earth. Then, the fire lotus suddenly exploded, and the blazing flames formed a vortex, sucking in the beasts and the surrounding demon qi together. Inside the vortex, the black demon qi was continuously devoured by the flames, letting out a hissing sound of dissolution. Even the demon stains on the rocks were burned to ashes, revealing the pale golden golden metal rock layer beneath. When the flames dissipated, the two beasts had turned to ashes, leaving only a few unburned strands of fur smoking faintly.
The Black Armored Stone People and spiritual plant clansmen stared in dumbfounded awe. Xuan Jia, the leader of the stone people, instinctively tightened his grip on his stone axe. The flames that burned the demons were too fierce—even the residual demon qi in the air was completely incinerated. He could even see the demon patterns on his stone armor peeling off slowly under the fire's warmth, revealing the pure black stone luster beneath.
A spiritual plant clansman stretched out his hand tremblingly, touching a wisp of residual warmth from a floating fire feather. The vines that had been dyed black by demon qi instantly regained their emerald green color, and even the spiritual plant essence at his wound became active again.
After doing this, Zhu Yan quickly walked over to Cang Lie. She condensed a wisp of pure Nanming Lihuo at her fingertip, gently tapping it between his brows. As soon as the flame entered Cang Lie's body, it pounced toward the black demon qi like a hunter finding its prey.
The originally violent demon qi retreated steadily as if encountering its nemesis. The Nanming Golden Metal flame in his dantian, as if receiving support, suddenly flared half an inch. The faint golden light wrapped around Cang Lie's origin again, forcing the demon qi out of his body bit by bit. As soon as the expelled demon qi touched the fire's warmth on Cang Lie's body surface, it turned into wispy black smoke, automatically burned away by the Nanming Lihuo around Zhu Yan.
Cang Lie let out a muffled groan, his consciousness gradually clearing. He looked at Zhu Yan in front of him, feeling the familiar aura of the innate fire spirit—unlike Yuan Feng's Nirvana Fire, this flame was purer and gentler, yet carried the resolve to burn all evil. It was exactly the Southern Spirit Vermilion Bird that he and Ao Xuan had been searching for!
He spoke hoarsely, his voice trembling with exhaustion: "You are... the Vermilion Bird?"
"I am Zhu Yan, the innate Vermilion Bird."
Zhu Yan nodded, her gaze falling on the Spiritual Plant Sacred Fire beside the spiritual veins, a hint of respect in her eyes.
She knelt down, covering Elder Qingmang's body with a thin layer of flames. The flames did not burn the body; instead, they wrapped around it like warm jade, isolating it from the surrounding demon qi and magma heat.
"I have slept in the Volcano of Immortality in the Southern Region for three thousand years. A few days ago, I sensed fluctuations from the Western Wasteland's golden metal spiritual veins—there was both the aura of the White Tiger's Nanming Golden Metal and the sinister aura of demon flames, and I faintly detected resonance between the Azure Dragon and White Tiger origins, so I followed the trail. I never expected... to witness such a tragic scene. This spiritual plant fellow sacrificed her life to protect the spiritual veins—her integrity is worthy of my respect."
Seeing the crisis resolved, the Black Armored Stone People and spiritual plant clansmen knelt down one after another. Xuan Jia's voice was choked with relief at surviving the disaster: "Thank you for saving us, Lord Vermilion Bird! If not for your arrival, we would have perished here today! The flames that burned the demons just now could even incinerate the demon qi in the bones—your divine power is unparalleled!"
Zhu Yan raised her hand, signaling everyone to stand up. With a wave of her crimson feathered robe, a wisp of Nanming Lihuo fell on the spiritual veins. As the flames spread along the veins, the black demon patterns melted rapidly like snow under the scorching sun. Even the Demon Seeds lurking deep within the spiritual veins let out faint popping sounds as they were burned. She flicked her fingers again, and several fire feathers landed on the rock ground contaminated by demon qi. Where the fire feathers burned, the charred rocks gradually faded from gray-black, revealing the pale golden golden metal rock layer beneath. Even a few spiritual herbs withered by demon qi sprouted tender green shoots under the nourishment of the residual fire warmth.
"Although the demon qi in your body has been suppressed, it has already invaded your origin. Only the Azure Dragon's Pangu Merit Golden Light can completely eradicate it." Zhu Yan looked at Cang Lie, her brows furrowed slightly. "Where are Fellow Daoist Ao Xuan and that white ape fellow? I sense their auras approaching rapidly—they are less than a hundred li away. When I burned the demon qi along the way just now, I saw them clearing the demonized beasts outside. They should arrive in a moment."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Hao's hearty shout suddenly came from outside the Demon Gold Cave, mixed with the "bang bang" sound of his stone staff hitting the rocks: "Cang Lie! Ao Xuan and I are back! Hold on! Huh? Why is it so warm in this cave? And so many fire feathers... Who is this fellow in red? Just now outside, I saw the demon qi smoking as it was burned—I thought some powerful expert had arrived!"
Zhu Yan looked up at the cave entrance, the Vermilion Bird mark between her brows glowing brighter, a faint smile curving her lips. She could clearly sense two familiar origin auras converging here—one was the gentle water fortune and Merit Golden Light, and the other was the lively earth and wood-element spiritual energy. They were none other than the Azure Dragon Ao Xuan and the white ape Yuan Hao!
Leaning against the rock pillar, Cang Lie watched the two figures gradually becoming clear at the cave entrance, then turned to Zhu Yan beside him, a faint smile finally appearing in his eyes. Although Elder Qingmang's sacrifice was painful, it had brought the Vermilion Bird to light. Although the crisis in the Demon Gold Cave was dangerous, it had brought the hope of the Four Symbols gathering within reach.
He tightened his grip on his golden metal long sword. The Nanming Golden Metal flame in his dantian resonated faintly with Zhu Yan's Nanming Lihuo—as if responding to the upcoming Four Symbols alliance. And the blazing flames that Zhu Yan had used to burn the demon qi just now made him even more certain that with such supreme yang power to assist them, they would surely have a better chance of resisting Luo Hu's demon flames in the future.
Outside the cave, Ao Xuan and Yuan Hao's figures finally appeared. The moment Ao Xuan saw Zhu Yan, surprise flashed in his dragon pupils—that pure aura of the innate fire spirit was exactly the Vermilion Bird origin he had been searching for. Moreover, along the way, he had seen that the demon qi had been completely burned away—clearly Zhu Yan's doing. Yuan Hao slung his stone staff over his shoulder, leaning over to stare at Zhu Yan with his monkey eyes darting about: "Are you the Vermilion Bird? I've heard a lot about you, old Yuan! Didn't expect you to be so powerful—you cleaned up all these beasts as soon as you arrived, and even burned the demon qi to nothing!"
Zhu Yan nodded slightly at Ao Xuan, her eyes showing approval—the innate Azure Dragon in front of her not only bore Pangu's merit but also had a pure and vast water fortune origin, truly worthy of being the leader of the Four Symbols. She said softly: "Fellow Daoist Ao Xuan, Fellow Daoist Cang Lie needs your help to purify the demon qi in his body. Once it's done, I have something to discuss—Luo Hu's demon flames have spread across the Primordial World. It's impossible to resist them with the power of a single clan. The Four Symbols must form an alliance to jointly protect Primordial life. My Nanming Lihuo can burn demons and protect spirits; your Merit Golden Light can purify origins. Coupled with the White Tiger's golden metal killing power and the Black Tortoise's black water suppression, the combined strength of the Four Symbols can block the demon flames outside the Primordial World."
Ao Xuan walked over to Cang Lie, condensing cyan-gold Merit Golden Light in his palm and gently pressing it against Cang Lie's dantian. The golden light intertwined with Zhu Yan's Nanming Lihuo, flowing into Cang Lie's body like two warm currents. Under the dual purification, the black demon qi dissipated rapidly, and even the demon marks deep in his origin were completely burned away.
He looked up at Zhu Yan, his eyes full of solemnity: "Fellow Daoist Zhu Yan, you are absolutely right. The time has come for the Four Symbols to gather! I have witnessed the divine power of your demon-burning flames just now. With such supreme yang power to assist us, why should we fear Luo Hu's demon flames!"
Inside the Demon Gold Cave, the Azure Dragon's water fortune, the White Tiger's golden metal, and the Vermilion Bird's fire spirit intertwined into three-colored spiritual light, hovering above the golden metal spiritual veins. In the distant Primordial heaven and earth, there seemed to be a faint traction from a pale blue black water aura—but that aura was growing farther and farther away...