The Vermillion Bird Pagoda is located on a cliff, overlooking a deep abyss thousands of feet high. Looking down from a great height, one can see a deep pool covering hundreds of hectares, nearly black in color, and as quiet and secluded as black jade.

The Vermilion Bird was born facing south and carrying fire. It is bright and fierce, and is the king of all birds.

It sounds like this place should be a glorious and majestic pagoda, but when you get closer you realize that it is just a gray little building. Because the south is hot and humid all year round, the outer wall is covered with a circle of mottled moss. There is a bit of cinnabar scattered on the top of the tower, like a handful of dull ash after all the glitz has faded, floating in the wilderness, standing out from the crowd.

Outside the Vermillion Bird Tower was a half-collapsed courtyard wall, with red mud and green bricks scattered everywhere. Wild grass had grown as tall as a house and no one cared about it. Sometimes the grass would rustle in the wind without any wind.

There is no human habitation within a radius of two or three miles from here.

Yan Zhengming and his team received the news a little late. At this time, there were still three days before August 15th. They wanted to avoid the crowds, but when they arrived, they saw that the area around the Suzaku Tower was already crowded with people.

However, no one in this large group of monks could get close to the tower, because the tower was surrounded by a circle of violent aura like raging fire, as if it was suppressing an invisible ferocious beast, which was constantly spraying invisible tongues of fire that were rolling around. Anyone who dared to step in would be licked in the face by sparks.

The monks gathered three miles outside the Suzaku Tower and surrounded the place tightly.

Everyone is looking forward to finding some rare treasure inside. If they are lucky enough to go in for a visit, they might be able to soar to the sky.

Some wealthy people brought magical weapons and rested among them. The poor spread out their tents under the sky and on the ground. For a moment, it was as lively as a folk market. Some clever locals brought some farm food to sell to those monks who had not yet mastered the fasting - but the people here are simple and honest, and the common people are generally not as hardworking as those near the East China Sea, so the vendors have not formed a large scale.

Li Yun looked around and suggested, "Big Brother, since so many people have come here, I think it's useless for us to worry. Let's take a rest for a night. You just passed the Outward Stage and need to consolidate. I also want to study how to make Little Junior Sister return to normal. She is much more attractive as a bird than as a human."

Yan Zhengming responded, rummaged around in his pocket, and pulled out a pigeon egg-sized stone. At first glance, it looked like a large ring face inlaid on a ring, but inside it was a lifelike courtyard.

The small stone in his hand grew bigger and bigger, and became more and more transparent. Finally, it formed a living courtyard, which contained several people and separated them from the surrounding area. There was actually a small world in the small stone.

The yard is fully equipped with rockery and bonsai, and several small houses are surrounded in a circle with a charming and unique little swing in the middle.

When people are in it, they suddenly feel that the heat around them is cleared away, and they feel refreshed. As soon as this magic weapon is used, it immediately attracts astonished looks from those around.

"Shijiezi," Li Yun paced a few steps, reached out and touched the exquisite swing frame, shook his head and sighed, "Mr. Money-making, you have been selling illicit goods openly over the years, but you have secretly hidden a lot of good things."

Yan Zhengming said, "Do we expect you to support the family? If we don't practice fasting, we will starve to death."

Then, he glanced outside the stone mustard seed. Perhaps the sword intent of "outward" was still lingering on his body. Yan Zhengming's glance was as sharp as a knife, and immediately swept away all the prying eyes around him.

Back then on Qinglong Island in the East China Sea, he was ignorant and loved to enjoy himself. He went against his master and insisted on riding on a big ship, which made everyone look at him sideways. However, he was still very proud of himself, thinking that he was showing off well. He did not know how much jealousy he aroused and how much humiliation he suffered.

If it were the case now, even if he was on a golden or silver ship, who would dare to say anything to him in person?

However, Yan Zhengming did not feel proud, but just felt a little sad.

People have always been vicious and it is a crime to possess a treasure - with his current ability, he is probably only worthy of being blatantly extravagant among this group of people for once, but not enough to openly open up the mountain closure order.

However, even having come this far, he already felt exhausted, perhaps it was because he was just not capable enough.

In this world, the most hurtful thing is just the four words "powerless". Yan Zhengming feels that he has been bearing these four words for so many years that they have almost become a crown on his head. Fortunately, he is naturally more open-minded than others, otherwise he would have been crushed.

Could it be that the master gave him the seal of the head sect because he saw this good point in him?

Thinking of this, Yan Zhengming began to laugh at himself.

"Let's rest here first," Yan Zhengming said, turning his head to glance at Cheng Qian, "It's much cooler here, right?"

Cheng Qian was stunned and speechless for a moment. His body was forged in an icy pond, so of course he was afraid of heat, but due to his special physique, he did not sweat. He did not say anything and thought that others could not notice. He did not expect that his senior brother was still thinking about him.

Seeing his dazed look, Yan Zhengming couldn't help but sigh secretly, raised his hand and pressed Cheng Qian's neck, saying, "Come and protect me. I need to consolidate my realm."

For a sword cultivator, "coming out of the front" is not only a promotion to a higher realm, it is more like opening up a new world. Yan Zhengming carefully comprehended it and woke up from his meditation after a long time. When he opened his eyes, he saw Cheng Qian standing by his side, faithfully performing his duties.

Even Li Yun and Shuikeng were there—but they were almost asleep.

Yan Zhengming coughed lightly and said, "Why are you all crowding here with me?"

Li Yun was awakened by his shout. Before the sleepiness on his face had even left him, he blurted out, "Big Brother, what does it feel like to enter the state of 'Out of the Front'?"

Not only him, but all of them were actually very curious - if one was not a serious sword cultivator, no matter how powerful one was, one would not be able to enter the realm of "coming out of the front". Among all the people in the Fuyao sect, including Han Yuan, there was only the head brother who entered the Dao through sword.

Even Cheng Qian sat up straighter.

Yan Zhengming hesitated for a while before answering carefully: "The sky is big and the earth is big."

These words were very general and it was almost the same as if they had not been said. Only Cheng Qian, who had practiced the Sea Tide Sword, understood a little bit of them and seemed to have realized something.

Yan Zhengming caught a glimpse of his thoughtful look from the corner of his eye, and smiled bitterly, swallowing back his next words - imprisoned.

There is a vast world out there, but I am alone in prison.

This is the feeling that the state of "coming out of the front" gives him.

The next level of "coming out" is "sheathing".

Sword cultivation is different from other cultivation methods. It is very rare for sudden enlightenment to occur. The more you suppress it, the more it will rebound. Yan Zhengming was suppressed by the ancient true dragon soul at the time, and was also stimulated by Cheng Qian's unintentional words. The two sides forced him to force out this sharp sword energy.

Sword cultivators roam the nine provinces, but few can reach the top, because this path is really difficult to walk.

At this moment, Cheng Qian suddenly felt something. He stood up abruptly and reached the door in a flash. He opened the door and saw an old man with a hunchback standing at the door of Shijiezi. He held a lantern swaying in the wind in his hand. He did not say a word, but just waited there silently.

This old man doesn't look like a monk. When monks are about to blow out the lamps and put out the candles, they also show the five signs of decay, but they rarely age so realistically. However, this man's demeanor is definitely not like that of an ordinary person.

The old man's height was just up to Cheng Qian's chest. When he saw the door open, he slowly raised his head towards Cheng Qian. The old man's eyes were as cloudy as a blind man's, and his gaze was like two rusty awls.

He looked Cheng Qian up and down, and whispered, "Young man, these are only seven thunder tribulations. The three disasters and nine tribulations are not over yet."

There was complete silence all around, and no one talked about the old immortal who had come to someone's door to pay his respects - because he had walked out of the Suzaku Tower step by step in full view of everyone.

Cheng Qian's pupils shrank slightly: "Old man, you..."

The old man stopped looking at him and walked past him, his steps dragging as if something was wrong. He walked in front of Yan Zhengming and said in a deep voice, "Master, please follow me. My master has something left behind."

Before Yan Zhengming could answer, the old man turned around and walked out, as if he was sure that he would follow.

Yan Zhengming hastily gestured to Li Yun and chased after him. Shuikeng had learned the lesson of "attracting bees and butterflies" before, and hesitated between Cheng Qian and Li Yun, and made a decisive choice - he crawled into Cheng Qian's sleeve, leaving Li Yun alone to pick up the stone mustard seeds behind him like an old nanny.

A few people followed the old man who came out of the Vermillion Bird Tower under the gazes of the crowd, either envy, resentment, or confusion. No one dared to say a word. The Vermillion Bird Tower was open every year and had been open for a hundred years. If there were any good things, they would have been taken away by people. The powerful people valued their reputation and would not come to pick up other people's leftovers. Most of the people who came here to try their luck were not very good and no one dared to mess with them.

The rolling heat waves around the Vermillion Bird Tower were like splitting the sea, and as the old man walked, a gap was created for people to pass through. Ice and fire counteracted each other, and the frost blades buzzed. Although Cheng Qian could bear it, he was very uncomfortable after all. At this moment, an extremely vicious gaze pierced behind him. Cheng Qian suddenly turned his head and glanced at the crowd in the distance. Finally, he saw the carriage of the playboy they had taught a lesson before.

“He’s just a nobody who hasn’t yet focused.” Cheng Qian thought so and retracted his gaze.

But maybe it was because it was too hot around the Suzaku Tower, he always seemed a little upset, as if something was about to happen.

After a long while, they followed the old man who was walking slowly to the foot of the Suzaku Tower. There were a few rusty bells hanging on the dilapidated door. They seemed to know someone was coming and swayed slightly, making a dull sound. The old man stretched out his hand and pushed the door open with some difficulty, and whispered, "Come in."

Yan Zhengming said: "Senior, we are not here for the Vermillion Bird Tower. It's just that my master left a lock when he closed the mountain. There is a secret message in it that Senior Xu has kept. We are here to get it back..."

The old man seemed not to have heard him and interrupted him, saying, "Come in."

The Suzaku Tower was pitch black. Yan Zhengming frowned and walked in first, lifting his clothes. The heat was raging outside, but it was cold and damp inside. The contrast between the two was obvious. He felt hot and cold all the time, and his hair stood on end.

The old man turned on the lights in the tower one by one, breathlessly. The ground smelled of dirt, and there were no windows around. It was dark and a bit depressing.

Cheng Qian's body was shaped by spiritual objects. He might not have heard of some natural treasures, but he was very sensitive to the spiritual and evil spirits contained in them. However, he glanced around and found that this place was not like what outsiders had said, with no rare treasures everywhere. Instead, the family was completely bare.

The old man led them through the narrow stairs and walked to the top of the tower, where they saw a stone statue of a man. It was finely carved and lifelike. It was a thin man with distinct eyebrows and eyes, about the width of a finger in between. His eyebrows were thin and slightly raised, and he seemed to have some feminine features.

The old man bowed respectfully to the stone statue and said, "Master, the guests have arrived."

It turns out that the stone statue is the owner of this place, Xu Yingzhi.

Yan Zhengming quickly realized that he was asking for help, and quickly showed his most humble and polite side, pretending to be serious. He stood not far behind the old man and said with the courtesy of a junior, "Excuse me for disturbing you, senior."

The old man glanced at him. Although he didn't show anything, he was probably satisfied. He fumbled around and lit incense for the stone statue, then took out an ancient wooden box from behind the incense table, held it in front of Yan Zhengming, and said, "I am the pagoda spirit of this Vermillion Bird Pagoda. I am alive only because of my master's true essence. My master has passed away for many years, and the fate of the Vermillion Bird Pagoda is almost gone. I have been worried that I could not return this thing to your sect. Now I can finally rest assured."

Yan Zhengming opened the wooden box and found three old copper coins inside.

He was slightly stunned and looked up at the tower spirit with some confusion.

The old tower spirit didn't explain much, just waved his hand and said: "It's yours."

Then he turned around and turned into a wisp of green smoke, disappearing into the green lamp above the stone statue.

Yan Zhengming had no idea what secrets were hidden in these three ancient coins, so he didn't dare to touch them rashly. He was just about to turn back and consult Li Yun, who was known to know everything, when suddenly, the bells hanging in the Suzaku Tower rang loudly, a green lamp above a stone statue's head flickered, countless undulating black shadows rustled up from all directions, and a pale hand suddenly broke through the protective formation on the Suzaku Tower and grabbed towards Yan Zhengming.

Yan Zhengming thought, "Are you looking for death?"

The hand had not yet reached his eyes as it had been cut off by the sword energy emanating from his body and flew out from the wrist, but no blood was spilled. Only a ball of black gas emerged and scattered everywhere into countless pitch-black snakes, staring at the people in the middle with a fierce look.

The man with the broken hand walked out from the darkness step by step. It was the dandy man he met before. There was a strange black aura around him and a stiff and strange smile on his face. But when he spoke, he didn't speak human words, but a "hissing" sound.

The green lamp on the stone statue flickered and went out. The tower spirit that had just hidden inside actually became a coward.

Cheng Qian asked in a low voice: "What is this?"

Li Yun shook his head solemnly. Demons can indeed possess people, but this dude doesn't look like he's possessed... It's as if he was a demon cultivator in the first place.

But they had just fought during the day, so that was impossible.

Cheng Qian looked around and found that there were more and more small black snakes, but they did not come close to other people. It seemed that they were just staring at Yan Zhengming.

He suddenly drew out the Frost Blade Sword, and the Frost Spirit rushed straight towards the dude. At this moment, a hand suddenly twisted his shoulder from behind. Yan Zhengming pulled him aside, and said in a voice suppressed in his throat: "Get out of the way——"

Cheng Qian caught a glimpse of the trace of the inner demon between his eyebrows and was suddenly startled: "Wait, Master..."

Yan Zhengming's entire body had turned into a gust of sword wind, and the dandy was carried away by the sword wind. The smile on his face became more and more weird, and his pure black eyes almost turned into a pair of abysses. He seemed to be effortless, tapping lightly around the Vermillion Bird Tower with his toes, and opening his arms, as if he wanted to embrace the sharp and unparalleled sword energy. Then, he was chopped from head to toe by Yan Zhengming's sword, and the whole person was split into two with a "puff". The two halves of the body went their separate ways. One half fell to the side in a bloody mess, twitched, and was dead, while the other half dissipated into thick black mist. Instead of dodging, it rushed straight towards Yan Zhengming.

The three copper coins in Yan Zhengming's hand clattered loudly, and the black fog paused slightly. At this moment, Cheng Qian's sword had arrived, and the thick white frost instantly formed an ice wall, isolating the black fog outside.

Three copper coins suddenly flew out of the wooden box and sank directly into the sect master's seal on Yan Zhengming's neck. Yan Zhengming's head made a buzzing sound, and in an instant he felt that his soul was pulled out of his body by some irresistible force and sank directly into the sect master's seal.

All the complicated scenes flashed by, and with a "click", the Vermillion Bird grid in the ground lock opened wide. Yan Zhengming's eyes went dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. The stone statue came to life, holding three copper coins, and sat silently behind a stone table with its head lowered.

Yan Zhengming was horrified and glanced at the reflection of a bowl of tea on the table, and found that he seemed to have possessed the body of his master Bei Mingjun again.

He felt like crying but had no tears, not knowing what the fate was between him and this rebellious master.

The atmosphere at both ends of the stone table was stagnant. A wooden sign was placed face down on the wooden table. Xu Yingzhi, the owner of the Suzaku Tower, turned it over and saw the three words "Han Muchun" on it.

Yan Zhengming felt a shock in his heart. On the one hand, it was his own surprise to see his master's name here, and on the other hand, it seemed to come from Bei Mingjun's heart.

Then Xu Yingzhi said, "Died young."