Divine Transcendence

Chapter 65: To cross the threshold

Watching Yuan Ming being taken away by the three sect masters, Kun Tu didn’t dare to move, his face turned extremely pale.

"Kun Tu, today we failed to completely eradicate the grass, this enmity will be settled. In the future, either you die or he perishes." Elder Hu Huo’s gaze was deep as he spoke.

"You don’t need to say that." Kun Tu narrowed his eyes and said coldly.

...

Riding a spiritual beast for the first time and flying in the sky, Yuan Ming couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

But after a short adjustment, he calmed down and felt the whistling wind beside him, leaning sideways to look down.

At this moment, hundreds of feet above the ground, the dense forest below became dark and indistinct in the night, leaving only a vague silhouette of undulating mountains, giving him a sense of insignificance like a tiny ant on a dangerous tower.

Yuan Ming retracted his gaze and looked up at the sky. The clouds in the sky were ethereal, the moon and stars were sparse, and they didn’t appear closer to him just because he was flying higher.

At this moment, Yuan Ming felt someone’s gaze on him. Looking over, he found that the half-furry head of the fire ferret on the shoulder of the three sect masters was sticking out, and its round eyes were staring at him.

The Fire Feather Falcon spread its wings and soared, and not long after descending into the darkness below, bright lights appeared in sight, illuminating a large area. Yuan Ming looked and saw a large number of illuminated buildings.

The Bi Luo Cave Sect was backed by the Ten Thousand Mountains and was also built in the dense forest, but the vegetation in the main area of the sect was not as dense as the Ten Thousand Mountains.

As they got closer, Yuan Ming suddenly noticed a faint layer of mist shrouding the area where the sect buildings were concentrated, making it unclear.

Only when he concentrated his spiritual power around his eyes did he finally confirm the existence of the mist.

Moreover, the mist seemed like an overturned pot, the closer to the bottom of the pot, the thicker it became, and conversely, the closer to the edge of the pot, the thinner it became.

Yuan Ming wanted to ask, but seeing the cold figure of the three sect masters, he ultimately didn’t speak.

At this moment, the Fire Feather Falcon flew to the outside of the mist but suddenly stopped.

A red waist badge suddenly appeared around the waist of the three sect masters, emitting a faint glow that enveloped both of them and the two beasts.

Then, under the glow, they easily passed through the light curtain and entered it.

Inside the barrier of mist, the Fire Feather Falcon began to descend, and the scenery below became clearer.

At a glance, Yuan Ming saw the gorge and the bronze giant gate that he and the group of savages were captured into when they first entered the Bi Luo Cave Sect, located in the northeast direction of the sect.

The terrain of the entire Bi Luo Cave was high in the west and low in the east, distributed in three tiers.

The easternmost part was a spacious blue stone square, with several slightly elevated martial arts platforms on both sides of the square. In the central area, there were seven or eight round buildings with exotic styles.

This was basically the same as the scene Yuan Ming saw when he first entered the Bi Luo Cave.

In the highest part of the west, there were three slightly raised peaks, with the southwest peak being the shortest, equivalent to a raised hilly area, where one could see divided fields.

The mountain in the middle of the west had a slightly higher terrain, and the mountain closest to the north and the Ten Thousand Mountains was the tallest and the largest in area.

Although it was already night, the entire sect was still brightly lit, and there were faint sounds of various beast roars.

The Fire Feather Falcon flapped its wings and flew towards the middle peak of the three peaks.

As they got closer, Yuan Ming gradually saw several courtyards scattered on the mountaintop, varying in size and style, different from the round buildings in front, more similar to the Central Plains architecture in Yuan Ming’s memory.

Finally, the Fire Feather Falcon landed with them on a white stone square with a radius of a hundred feet in front of the mountain.

After landing, Yuan Ming looked around and saw a green stone stele standing on the edge of the square not far away, with a column of characters in the southern region: "Fire Refining Hall."

The three sect masters immediately asked Yuan Ming to follow them, and the two of them walked through the square and came to a courtyard.

At this moment, a woman wearing a fiery red dress and a prominent green waist badge suddenly ran over from a distance, stopped in front of them, and bowed to the three sect masters.

"Greetings, Master."

As soon as the woman spoke, Yuan Ming felt that her voice was somewhat familiar. He frowned and looked closely, and indeed, she was someone he knew.

"Chen Wan, you came just in time. This is the newly registered disciple, called... Yuan Ming. Take him to the separate residence for registered disciples and arrange a place for him." The three sect masters looked at the woman and said.

As soon as Chen Wan heard this name, she immediately raised her head and met Yuan Ming’s gaze, but she was momentarily stunned.

After coming back to her senses, Chen Wan quickly responded, "Disciple obeys."

The three sect masters nodded and were about to leave when they suddenly remembered something. They looked at Yuan Ming and saw that his injuries had already scabbed over, which surprised them.

"You were born as a beast slave, and the poison of the Rotting Heart Pill on your body is probably still unresolved. Take these Clear Heart Pills. Although they are not specifically for detoxifying the Rotting Heart Pill, after taking them for three days, they can also remove the remaining poison from your body." The three sect masters said.

"Thank you, three sect masters." Yuan Ming immediately thanked them with clasped fists.

After leaving a small white jade bottle, the three sect masters left with the fire ferret in their arms.

The "Fire Greedy" poked its head out of her arms again and looked at Yuan Ming.

After it went far away, Chen Wan put away her respectful attitude and looked at Yuan Ming with a hint of confusion.

"Master has a calm personality and has never taken the initiative to bring back registered disciples. Why did she..." Chen Wan frowned and looked at Yuan Ming, unable to figure it out.

"Why would she bring back a beast slave?" Yuan Ming added.

Chen Wan didn’t avoid the topic and nodded calmly."It’s a blessing in disguise, I suppose. I should thank Kun Tu for that..." Yuan Ming chuckled lightly and began to speak.

Upon hearing the name "Kun Tu", Chen Wan’s heart skipped a beat. She had already realized what had happened, but as Yuan Ming recounted the events, her face grew increasingly pale.

"I can’t believe he was so malicious, conspiring to harm you."

"Murder to silence, only the dead can keep secrets. There’s nothing surprising about that..." Yuan Ming’s words trailed off as he turned to look at Chen Wan.

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What I’m curious about is, why didn’t you report this to the sect, Chen Sister? Why didn’t you expose their plot to humiliate you?"

Chen Wan hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "There was no substantial evidence for what happened that day, just hearsay. Our words wouldn’t have been believed."

Hearing her say "our words" instead of "your one-sided words", Yuan Ming’s expression softened slightly.

"Besides, Kun Tu has already entered the inner gate. His master, Elder Meng Shan, is the second in command of the Beast Control Hall. His status is different from other elders, I..."

"I understand." Yuan Ming nodded.

He was not a stubborn person, and he understood that people sometimes had no choice.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t know this would almost cost you your life... But you did turn misfortune into fortune. I hope we can put this matter to rest and not mention it again in the future. My master prefers to stay out of worldly affairs, and I don’t want to cause her trouble just after joining her." Chen Wan suddenly changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming was about to respond when a long cat’s meow sounded.

"Meow..."

The drawn-out tone seemed to express dissatisfaction.

Yuan Ming looked around in surprise, but saw no sign of a cat.

Chen Wan was also puzzled, "Strange, when did wild cats start appearing on the mountain?"

"Sister Chen, can you show me to my quarters?" Yuan Ming quickly changed the subject.

Chen Wan nodded and led him past a nearby courtyard, explaining as they walked, "This is where the servants of the Refining Fire Hall live, responsible for the disciples’ daily needs. The courtyard where you named disciples live is further back. There are currently 138 named disciples, each with their own private room."

As she introduced the place, they arrived at a large complex of buildings. The houses were close together, only a few yards apart, without separate courtyards, making the area seem quite compact.

"Sister Chen, is there a quieter place?" Yuan Ming asked.

Chen Wan thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, after the last trial, eight disciples of the Refining Fire Hall died. Five of them were close and lived nearby, but none of them made it back. The area where they lived is now vacant, and no one will choose to live there for a while."

"Good, take me there." Yuan Ming immediately said.

"You... alright." Chen Wan hesitated for a moment, but agreed.

They walked along the path between the houses towards the back of the courtyard. The houses in front were all dark, clearly uninhabited.

Yuan Ming didn’t mind at all and chose a house under an old pine tree in the corner as his residence.

"The bedding inside has been changed. Tomorrow I will notify the servant in charge, and they will arrange for someone to clean for you daily. As for the curriculum of the Refining Fire Hall, Second Brother Fang Ge is in charge. You will know when you go to the Fire Workshop tomorrow." Chen Wan reminded.

"Thank you." Yuan Ming noted everything down.

"You should rest early." Chen Wan said, then turned and left.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to enter the house, he heard Chen Wan’s voice from behind, "By the way, I hope you won’t reveal to others that you know me."

Hearing this, Yuan Ming paused.

Then, he pushed open the door with a creak and walked in.

Yuan Ming lit the oil lamp on the table, and the room was illuminated by a dim yellow light, revealing the simple and elegant furnishings.

The room wasn’t very large. To the left of the window was a desk and a chair, with a brush, ink, and inkstone on the desk, but no paper or books.

In the middle of the room was a round table with four stools, and a tea cup on the table.

On the right side of the room, a bed was placed behind a carved wooden screen, with bedding neatly folded on top.

Yuan Ming sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the soft touch beneath him, and was silent for a moment.

He had been calm up until now, but his head was still a bit dizzy.

"Am I officially a member of the Bi Luo Cave sect now?"