The woman’s name was He Fei, and she was the daughter of the late He clan leader.
The He clan members were indeed descendants of He Yun.
When the Thousand Flame Valley was destroyed due to the Crimson Karmic Lotus Flame, the youngest son of the He clan happened to be traveling abroad at that time. Hence, he was fortunate to survive that catastrophe.
Soon after, that youngest son re-established the He clan, which eventually grew and prosper. With that, they became a decent immortal orthodoxy.
Unexpectedly, the Lin clan recently found the ruins of the Thousand Flame Valley and excavated the site, obtaining many treasures buried within.
However, the innermost core area of the Thousand Flame Valley was still enveloped by the Crimson Karmic Lotus Flame. Even an Immortal would find it hard to get near to it. That was when they set their sights on the He clan’s Immortal Weapon… the Fire Dragon Cloak!
The Fire Dragon Cloak was an Earthen Immortal Weapon. Logically speaking, as an ancient immortal orthodoxy, the Lin clan possessed many Earthen Immortal Weapons.
Since the Fire Dragon Cloak was quite a unique Immortal Weapon as it could shield its user from the fire, the item was greatly significant for the Lin clan to continue their excavation efforts. That was the reason the He clan suffered the fate of being wiped out.
“D*mn those Lin clan b*st*rds!”
“When Lin Yan sought refuge at the Lin clan back then, I could already tell that there was something bad about them. However, I can’t believe that they wiped out most of my descendants and even my orthodoxy! D*mn it. D*mn those imb*ciles!” He Yun was furious.
He Fei was also extremely sad about that.
Then, she knelt on the ground. “I beg of you, Grand Forefather. You’re the only one the He clan can rely on right now. I hope you can return and restore the He clan to its full glory!”
He Yun took a deep breath and sighed bitterly before he uttered helplessly, “As you can see, I’m only a fragmented Immortal soul. I can’t even defeat Immortals, let alone rebuild the He clan.”
“But…”
Disappointed, He Fei said, “I see. I apologize for what I said earlier.”
Meanwhile, He Yun seemed to have thought of something. He looked at Chu Kuangren determinedly and said, “Master, I’m willing to pledge my allegiance to you. I won’t expect you to rebuild my He clan, but I wish that you can provide some shelter and protection for He Fei so that she wouldn’t be hunted by those Lin clan b*st*rds anymore.”
He Fei’s expression changed upon hearing that. “No, Grand Forefather. You must not do this.”
She had been listening to tales and stories about He Yun since she was a little girl and knew how powerful he was in Planquilon Immortal World during his prime.
However, seeing that the reputable person whom she had always respected was pledging his allegiance just to protect her, she felt extremely guilty.
“He Fei, I’ve made my choice,” He Yun said.
The idea had been on his mind for a long time. The reason he would support Lin Yan back then was because of his identity as a Fated One. He hoped that Lin Yan would achieve great things in the future, which might include reconstructing a body for him.
However, Lin Yan was dead now.
In Lin Yan’s place was Chu Kuangren, an even more impressive cultivator than him.
No. He was confident that Lin Yan was no match for Chu Kuangren. Even if there were ten Lin Yan’s, they would all lose to Chu Kuangren.
Perhaps by pledging allegiance to someone like Chu Kuangren, He Yun felt that his future would be even brighter.
“I see what you’re doing there.” Chu Kuangren shot a glance at He Yun and could immediately figure out his intentions.
However, he did not mind. “A Great Alchemist Immortal like you does hold some value, I suppose. I shall accept your offer then.”
After all, Firmament Star would require many talented people to expand its influence, and He Yun seemed to be quite suitable for that.
“Many thanks, Master!” He Yun was delighted.
Meanwhile, He Fei looked at Chu Kuangren and sighed. ‘Is this Chu Kuangren? Someone strong enough to make my Forefather pledge allegiance to him?’
“Many thanks, Master.” She bowed with a fist salute.
“Let’s go and find somewhere to rest for a while.”
“Please wait a minute. I still need to settle something.”
He Fei went back to the fallen warship to retrieve some items and then bury all of the He clan disciples whom the Lin clan had killed.
“I’ll definitely make the Lin clan pay for this!” He Fei said with a look of vengeance on her face.
However, she knew that she was still very weak right now. The most important thing for her to do now was to survive. When she became strong enough in the future, she could then take her revenge on them!
Chu Kuangren’s party soon arrived at a nearby city, where they rested.
In the meantime, at a volcanic mountainous terrain inside the Lin clan, the Lin clan Immortal who was hunting He Fei returned quickly and reported everything about his encounter with Chu Kuangren.
“Chu Kuangren? Why is it Chu Kuangren again?!”
The Lin clan’s current leader, Lin Zhaotian, looked extremely displeased. After all, during the battle at the Ancient Immortal Ruins, many Lin clan cultivators died because of Chu Kuangren.
The mention of that name immediately gave him a headache.
“Why is that guy suddenly here? And why is he interfering with the Thousand Flame Valley’s matter? Could he be interested in the Thousand Flame Valley?”
“Impossible. The Thousand Flame Valley’s ruins are located in a very secluded and hidden place. We’re the only ones who have managed to find it after so many years. I’m sure he doesn’t know about this.”
A few of the Lin clan elders were engaged in a discussion.
“Let’s figure out how to obtain the Crimson Karmic Lotus Flame for now. Without that Fire Dragon Cloak, it’ll be extremely hard to retrieve,” said one of the elders.
“Hear me out. Why don’t we send some of our men to negotiate with Chu Kuangren? We’ll prepare a few treasures and items in exchange for him to hand over that He clan woman.”
“Let’s try it then.”
Soon after, a group of men departed from the Lin clan and arrived at the city where Chu Kuangren was at. They offered a pile of Immortal Crystals in exchange for He Fei.
“No thanks. I do not lack Immortal Crystals.” Chu Kuangren refused.
“What if we toss in two Immortal Weapons? How about that?” The Lin clan Immortal gritted his teeth and said.
“I do not lack Immortal Weapons either.”
“We, the Lin clan, specialize in alchemy and are most well-known for our Three-Cycle Essence Pill. It can allow any Immortal to break through one to two grades. We’re willing to offer three of these pills on top of the other items we offered just now. What do you think?”
Chu Kuangren smiled. “If this garbage is the best the Lin clan can offer, I suggest you pack your bags and leave. There’s no point wasting your time and effort here.”
Then, he took out a spiritual fruit and fed it to Lil Fox beside him.
That spiritual fruit was gleaming with Immortal Sparks, and Daoist patterns were swirling around it. A strong and fragrant fruity scent lingered in the air. At that sight, the Lin clan disciples went red with rage.
‘What a waste!’
‘He’s feeding such a priceless spiritual fruit to the fox?!’
They finally understood how wealthy and resource-rich Chu Kuangren truly was. There was nothing that he lacked, so nothing ordinary would gain his interest.
“I heard that the Lin clan has a collection of various divine fires. If you can bring me around eight to ten of them, maybe I’ll agree,” Chu Kuangren said.
The Lin clan Immortal’s face turned ashen. “Those divine fires are the foundation of my Lin clan. There’s no way we would give them to you.”
“In that case, forget it.”
After a failed negotiation, the Lin clan cultivators left.
The moment Lin Zhaotian heard of that, he was so pissed off that he immediately flipped a table on the spot.
“So this guy is after my Lin clan’s divine fires, huh? Around eight to ten of them as well. F*ck this. He should go kill himself instead!” Lin Zhaotian was fuming with rage.
The divine flame tinders were the most powerful and precious items that formed the foundation of the Lin clan’s strength. They only had a few of them in their possession, yet Chu Kuangren dared to demand eight to ten of them.
How could Lin Zhaotian possibly stomach that?!
“Whatever. Chu Kuangren is too strong. Unless we send out a Heavenly Immortal, we won’t stand a chance against him. However, that woman, He Fei, is only a Half-Immortal. I refuse to believe that they both can stay together forever.”
“Send some men to keep an eye on those two. The moment they separate, order them to capture He Fei immediately and bring me the Fire Dragon Cloak on her,” Lin Zhaotian ordered coldly.
…
Meanwhile, Chu Kuangren was still with He Fei. He formed a sword hand sign and channeled a large amount of sword intent at his fingertips before injecting all of them into He Fei’s body.
He Fei felt as if her body was going to be ripped apart.
She gritted her teeth and endured it.
After a while, He Fei slumped into the ground, drenched in sweat.
Chu Kuangren said, “The Lin clan might make a move on you while I’m not paying attention. That’s why I’ve left a strand of sword qi inside you. It’ll activate whenever you’re in danger.”
“Thank you very much, Master.”
