Maiden Galaxy

Past the dense black sandstorm, a green oasis appeared several dozen li outside the desert. It was verdant and lush, the mist pervasive. In the middle of the dry desert, it was like a glass of refreshing spring water.

The Siming Oasis!

Chen Mo endured the pain and yanked out the arrowhead. Fortunately, the wound was not considered very deep. Then, he looked at Milu. Milu had been cut twice by the enemy, but luckily, they were only flesh wounds, not serious at all.

The Inner Star Fields truly were fraught with danger around every corner. He had not been here for long but already encountered a Star General more formidable than Huan Wen. He was unsure as to how the innocuous Milu had provoked their ire.

After some simple first aid, Chen Mo operated his chariot to fly towards the oasis.

The oasis much more expansive than he had imagined. There was a lake, a valley, and a forest. The multicolored lights of cultivators reaching the Siming Oasis mostly flew towards the lake in the center. That was Siming Lake, the largest body of water in the Furious Flame Desert, and it contained the Nine Turns Fate Water. The goal of a small group of people was the valley that was several li away from Siming Lake.

The valley's greatest depth was several hundred meters, and inside the pitch-black abyss, one could occasionally glimpse flickering blue lights. Legend said that the Water-type Three Great Spirit Fire, the Siming Nine Serenities Flame, was here.

After entering the oasis, a percolating mist sublimated into all of his cells. Having stayed in the Furious Flame Desert for so long, the first taste of mist after so long was simply touching.

Aboard the Nebula Flying Chariot, Chen Mo saw that a majority of cultivators were already scrambling over each other to be first to Siming Lake. He was unable to spot the figures of the people who ambushed them in the sandstorm.

The background of those two was unclear, but what was obvious was that they had come to kill Milu. One of them was even a Star General. Her power was greater than Huan Wen's, and she was an extremely great threat. "Milu, did you fight Star Generals in the desert before?" Chen Mo cautiously asked.

Milu shook her head.

"Really?" Chen Mo was unsure if Milu was too muddleheaded and forgot or if she actually did not remember.

Chen Mo thought it was best to forge a Flying Sword first, then worry later.

He guided the Nebula Flying Chariot towards the valley in the oasis and was very quickly above it. The gorge was long and winding, with a river running through it. The river led directly back to Siming Lake above, split by a waterfall that also partitioned upstream and downstream into two contrasting worlds.

The river was a dark blue, twinkling with blue lights. The stream in the valley appeared to be a clear azure, that nothing more beautiful could be imagined, but the truth was that there were no fishes able to live in the Siming Oasis' clearly different environment. The Siming Nine Serenities Flame was rumored to have condensed in the oasis after several thousand years of exposure to leyline flames in the desert, developing after undergoing the Furious Flame Desert's strange weather. It burned like an underwater volcano, causing the temperature of the river in the valley to fluctuate between freezing and boiling. There was practically no life capable of living in it for too long.

The stillness of the clear blue river was like the Yellow Springs.

The serene blue lights were also like the deceased souls and will-o'-the-wisps.

This was the reason the Siming Nine Serenities Flame received its name.

Even if a cultivator wanted to condense the Siming Nine Serenities Flame, they could not linger underwater for too long. Otherwise, the Siming Nine Serenities Flame would encroach into their bones, and they would fall ill for the rest of their lives.

Chen Mo entered the valley and stopped above the river. He scanned with the Deva Eyes, noticing several abnormal glinting spots on the riverbed.

Those places should be locations where the Siming Nine Serenities Flame's power was the most vigorous.

"Milu, go hide somewhere for now. I'm going to refine the Black Turtle Seven Mansion Stones and will regroup with you later." Chen Mo ordered Milu, untying the snake sinew rope. He was not at ease yet. He moved His Divine Intent, releasing four Northern Mansions Soldiers for protection, "If there is any danger, just run. Do you understand? Forget about me!" Chen Mo sternly said.

Milu blinked.

Finally, Chen Mo leapt into the river.

Milu stood on the flying chariot. Her hand grabbed the snake sinew rope and lowered her head to watch the figure in the water. Her gaze was blank, her thoughts unclear.

…

Once Chen Mo entered the river, he immediately felt the alternation of the water temperature from hot to cold, which drilled into his bones.

The cold was able to flay skin, the heat was able to melt bone.

"What a formidable flame." Chen Mo took a deep breath, exercising the Star Manual Of Masters Gan And Shi. All of his magic energy was converted to Star Energy to protect his meridians and skin, finally stopping the encroaching cold and heat but barely.

Everything was plainly visible underwater in the stream. As far as the eye could see, there were underwater peaks and some hardy aquatic grasses. He was practically unable to see a single fish swimming about. Underwater, the blue light was glaring, appearing abnormally bright as a result of the Nine Serenities Flame. This appeared to simply be like a world of blue crystal, breathtakingly beautiful.

Chen Mo had no time to waste appreciating this scenery. The longer he stayed underwater, the more Star Energy he would consume and the less likely he would succeed.

Chen Mo searched underwater for the flame most optimal to forge a Flying Sword. He swam past an underwater mountain range, and the terrain suddenly dropped steeply down. When he spotted the basin, he was taken aback by the scene he saw.

There was an enormous hole in the middle of the basin. An ice-blue fire frothed, fluttering endlessly like a fierce batch of aquatic grass. An extremely hot temperature immediately stuck into his bones.

This place was where the Nine Serenities Flame was a hundred times more ferocious. It appeared to be the centermost point in the oasis' leyline.

Using such a powerful flame to melt the Black Turtle Seven Mansion Stones should not take too long, but to stay so close to Siming Nine Serenities Flame was nevertheless an extreme trial for a cultivator.

Just from several li away, Chen Mo was able to sense the power of the Siming Nine Serenities Flame. With it so close at hand, perhaps even a Human Immortal would be burnt to ashes by the residual heat.

The oasis would not exist for long. By the time the next black sandstorm manifested, the oasis would be concealed once again, and Chen Mo did not have more time to refine the Black Turtle Seven Mansion Stones. "This is it." Chen Mo suppressed the excitement and chills in his heart. He took a deep breath and dove towards the basin.

Ray after ray of light streaked through the deathly still lake water as he instantly drew near the depression.

This is bad.

His entire body surprisingly stiffened slightly when it suffered the high temperatures of the Siming Nine Serenities Flame. Chen Mo promptly circulated his Star Energy to the maximum. Fortunately, he had the Black Turtle's body. If it was any other cultivator, they would have been in danger.

His arms and legs were finally able to move. Although he was underwater, Chen Mo still was able to clearly feel cold sweat pouring like rain from all over his body. Each bead of sweat carried a portion of his body's power. This Nine Serenities Flame is indeed worthy of being called one of the Three Great Water-type Spirit Fires. Just approaching it was enough to make all of a Thunder Tribulation cultivator's magic energy drain away. If the flame was refined into an ability, then it could easily kill a Human Immortal.

A fleeting idea flashed through Chen Mo's mind. Pity that right now, he did not have too much time to refine it. The most pressing matter was still to forge a Flying Sword.

Chen Mo's Divine Intent moved. The seven Black Turtle Mansion Stones flew out from his Astral Bag.

The Seven Mansion Stones hovered above Chen Mo, becoming seven stars. When these stones appeared, a galaxy seemed to appear below the blue river. The seven Star Stones then arranged themselves to form the shape of the Black Turtle.

Chen Mo manipulated the seven Star Mansion Stones to fly into the Siming Nine Serenities Flame.

The Black Turtle Seven Star Stones' spirit-light glowed brightly. Each stone's starlight brilliantly resisted the burning of the Siming Nine Serenities Flame. However, as time passed, the Black Turtle Seven Star Stones finally began to slowly melt. Chen Mo was slightly relieved at last.

So long as he could melt the Black Turtle Seven Star Stones, then his Flying Swords would be half complete. Next would be to complete forging his first Flying Sword according to the casting process described in the Book Of Casting.

The corner of Chen Mo's lips curled, and his blood boiled.

…

Before the black sandstorm disappeared, the a massive procession of more than a thousand people appeared from the last throes of the sandstorm. A dense mass like a black cloud combined with the black sandstorm, and a baleful aura flooded the heavens.

"Is everyone here?" Qi Xi sat atop a lizard and solemnly asked.

The other three chiefs arrived in succession.

At this time, all of the Furious Flame Desert's Four Great Bandit Camps were completely united.

"This time, we must put everything on the line." The red-faced old crone held a crimson snakehead staff and grinned sinisterly.

"The Star General we are assassinating is merely Concentrated Fiend peak, and the man with her is only Human Immortal Nine Turns, but that Pang Xuan person studied under the ‘Yi' and has exceptional archery. Still, he poses no threat to us." Daoist Dried Bone stroked his chin that was as shriveled as firewood.

"If she is Concentrated Fiend peak, then that means that Sir Lost Marquis is also below this Realm?" Qi Xi was taken aback, a bit surprised.

The crone cruelly laughed: "I never expected that our great and formidable bandit groups, that several thousand people, would surprisingly be scared shitless by a Concentrated Fiend Realm Sir Lost Marquis. This really is too embarrassing."

"Even so, a Star General has too many variables. We cannot be careless." The middle-aged man calmly said.

Qi Xi agreed: "Right now, we make the two Star Generals attack each other, then we can have a better time cleaning up the mess."

"And should the Hunting Heavenly Pavilion realize that we set them up?" Daoist Dried Bone was a bit worried.

The three other bandit chiefs sneered, watching the other excited cultivators in the distant oasis.

"Nobody but us should even think of leaving this black sandstorm alive."

Daoist Dried Bone smiled: "Then This Old Man can rest easy. My ‘Dried Bone Chant' just so happens to need a few corpses to refine. En, disciples from the Ten Great Families are not bad."

"Good, order them to hide for now. Don't let anyone find them."

"As you command."

"And dispatch people to monitor Siming Lake and…Hm, where is Sir Lost Marquis now?" Qi Xi asked.

"Seems she's gone to Siming Valley."

"Siming Valley? What's she doing there? Isn't the only thing in Siming Valley the Nine Serenities Flame?" The old crone asked. "Don't tell me that Sir Lost Marquis wants to eat these Spirit Fires?"

Star Generals had a Five Elements constitution. Legend said that some Star Generals were capable of consuming the Five Elements, however, if this was the case, that would be very dangerous.

"Relax, that Sir Lost Marquis doesn't have such formidable capabilities. I've already spied on her for a long time. She should be an average Star General. She probably went there together with that man." Qi Xi smiled.

"That Thunder Tribulation cultivator wants to refine the Nine Serenities Flame. This truly is suicide. Every year, there are some cultivators who overestimated themselves thinking they were capable of harnessing the Siming Nine Serenities Flame's might." Daoist Dred Bone's expression was sinister. Everyone present had suffered the Nine Serenities Flame's pain. In truth, only Qi Xi was capable of refining it, but only half at that.

"Where are the Hunting Heaven Pavilion's people?"

"On their way to the valley right now. They should be able to encounter that Sir Lost Marquis."

"Very good. We'll monitor the situation for now."

The four of them waited quietly on the hill for awhile. All of a sudden, there were cries of joy at the Siming Oasis' lake. They heard countless cultivators shriek with excited voices, as if they had discovered hidden treasure.

"What's going on over there?" Qi Xi wrinkled his brow. He did not want any variable appearing in the plan.

"Maybe the Greensacle Dragontooth Eel appeared?" The gazes of the three other chiefs contracted, and they showed greedy expressions. All of the bandits had drank the Nine Turns Fate Water, but they had never eaten a Greenscale Dragontooth Eel.

The Greenscale Dragontooth Eel appeared and disappeared randomly in the oasis. Extremely few people were able to seize one.

Qi Xi very quickly discovered things were not good at all.

Ray after ray of escape light flew away from the Siming Lake. Their goal was in the direction of the valley.

"This is bad, boss. Some people figured out Sir Lost Marquis' Star General identity. These cultivators had the impulse to kill a Star General." A subordinate hastily stepped forward and reported.

"What!!"

The four of them grit their teeth, their expressions changing.

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