584: Lu Xueqi (61)

"Regardless of whether it is or not, this counts as a clue." Su Han said, "We can go to Black Stone Mountain to investigate, and it just so happens that we can also test the effectiveness of this 'sinan astrolabe'."

Lu Xueqi nodded: "Very well."

The three decided not to delay any longer, returned the books to their places, bade farewell to Elder Qingxu, and left Shanhai Courtyard.

Shortly after they left, Elder Qingxu slowly opened his half-closed eyes, looked in the direction they had departed, and muttered to himself: "sinan astrolabe. reincarnation mirror. These few little dolls are entangled in quite a bit of Karma. It is a troubled time; I only hope they do not stir up too great a storm."

He shook his head and closed his eyes again, as if everything had nothing to do with him.

Su Han and the other two purchased some necessary supplies in the city, then left the city and headed towards Black Stone Mountain.

Black Stone Mountain is located about thirty miles northwest of Heyang City. It gets its name because the rocks are jet-black. The vegetation is sparse, and the terrain is treacherous.

Along the way, Su Han would occasionally take out the "sinan astrolabe" and the reincarnation mirror fragment to sense for reactions.

At first, the compass had no reaction, but as they gradually approached Black Stone Mountain, when Su Han brought the fragment close to the indentation on the back of the compass again, the needle on the compass seemed to tremble ever so slightly, pointing towards the deepest part of Black Stone Mountain!

"There is a reaction!" Su Han's spirits lifted.

Bi Yao also became excited: "It seems that the strange tales novel wasn't entirely nonsense!"

Lu Xueqi, however, vigilantly observed the surroundings: "Be careful. If there is truly a rare treasure, there might also be Yao Beasts or other Cultivators lurking about."

The three heightened their vigilance, utilized their movement techniques, and ventured deeper into Black Stone Mountain in the direction the needle pointed.

The mountain terrain became increasingly rugged, and the air began to fill with a faint heat and the scent of sulfur.

"This place is a bit like a volcano." Bi Yao wrinkled her nose.

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting and the roar of a Yao Beast came from ahead!

The three exchanged glances, concealed their presence, and quietly approached.

Hiding behind a massive black rock, they saw the scene ahead clearly.

On a relatively flat clearing, four or five Cultivators dressed in uniform attire were engaged in a fierce battle surrounding a massive Yao Beast.

The Yao Beast resembled a lion, was entirely crimson, had a single horn on its head, and was surrounded by faint flames. It constantly spat fireballs from its mouth, which possessed considerable power.

"It is a Fire-Maned Lion, a Level 5 Yao Beast!" Lu Xueqi whispered, recognizing the origin of the Yao Beast.

As for those Cultivators, judging by their attire, they seemed to be Disciples of a small School nearby called the "Crimson Flame School".

The cultivation of these Crimson Flame School Disciples was at most the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment. Dealing with this Fire-Maned Lion, which was equivalent to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, was quite arduous. One person had already been injured and fallen to the ground, and the remaining few were also in precarious situations.

"Senior Brother! What should we do? This beast is too powerful!" a young Disciple shouted in panic.

The leading man brandished a flame blade, struggling to block a pounce from the Fire-Maned Lion, and roared: "Form the formation! Use the Crimson Flame Chain Formation!"

Several Disciples managed to change their formation, attempting to use several chains burning with flames to trap the Fire-Maned Lion.

But the Fire-Maned Lion possessed immense strength; with a violent struggle, the chains shattered into pieces, and several Disciples vomited blood and were sent flying backward.

The Fire-Maned Lion's scarlet eyes locked onto the injured Disciple who had fallen to the ground, and with a roar, it pounced!

That Disciple's face showed despair.

Just at this moment, a cold Sword Qi, like the Nine Heavens Milky Way pouring down, struck precisely at the Fire-Maned Lion's neck!

Puchi! Blood sprayed out!

The Fire-Maned Lion let out a painful wail as its massive body was sent rolling by the immense power contained within the sword light. A wound deep enough to see bone was left on its neck; had it not been thick-skinned and fleshy, this sword strike would have nearly decapitated it!

It was Lu Xueqi who had struck!

Her form was as graceful as a startled swan as she landed in the clearing. The tianya divine sword pointed obliquely at the ground, with blue light flowing across the blade, emitting a biting chill.

Su Han and Bi Yao also appeared immediately after.

Bi Yao curled her lips: "Senior Sister Lu really has a chivalrous heart."

Su Han, meanwhile, scanned the entire area, vigilant for other potential dangers.

The group of Crimson Flame School Disciples, having escaped death, looked at the suddenly appearing Lu Xueqi and her two companions. Especially upon sensing Lu Xueqi's unfathomable cultivation and seeing the divine sword in her hand, which obviously was no ordinary item, they were both shocked and overjoyed.

"Th-thank you, Fairy, for saving our lives!" the leading man hurriedly stepped forward to thank her.

Lu Xueqi nodded indifferently: "It was a mere trifle."

The Fire-Maned Lion, having suffered such a heavy blow, became extremely ferocious. Ignoring its injuries, it roared and charged again, but its primary target had now become the person who had injured it, Lu Xueqi.

Lu Xueqi's expression did not change; the tianya divine sword hummed softly, and a more condensed blue Sword Gang whistled out.

At the same time, Su Han also moved.

He did not draw his sword, but simply joined his fingers like a sword and pointed into the air.

An invisible Sword Qi launched later but arrived first, precisely piercing into the weak spot beneath the single horn on the Fire-Maned Lion's forehead!

Pu! The Fire-Maned Lion's charging form suddenly stiffened, it let out a cry of unwillingness, crashed to the ground, and its aura rapidly dissipated.

With this one finger, Su Han had directly destroyed its Yao core.

The Crimson Flame School Disciples watched in stunned silence.

That powerful Yao Beast, which had put them in such precarious danger, was actually so vulnerable before these two men and one woman who had suddenly appeared?

The cold as ice White-Clothed Woman had superb swordsmanship, while this seemingly ordinary youth in green robes appeared to have strength that was even more unfathomable!

Only the green-clad young girl had not yet made a move, but she was surely no ordinary person either.

"I am Zhang Lie of the Crimson Flame School. Thank you three for your righteous assistance!" The leading man bowed again, his attitude even more respectful. "May I ask the names of you three benefactors?"

"Qingyun Sect, Lu Xueqi." Lu Xueqi stated her name.

Su Han and Bi Yao did not speak.

"So it is a Fairy from the Qingyun Sect! My apologies for not recognizing you!" Zhang Lie and the others were filled with respect. The Qingyun Sect was the leader of the Righteous Path in the world; no wonder they possessed such strength.

"Why did you provoke this Fire-Maned Lion?" Su Han asked. He noticed that the fire-attribute Spiritual Qi in this area seemed unusually active.

Zhang Lie did not dare to hide anything and hurriedly said: "Reporting to you, benefactors, my fellow Disciples and I accepted a Sect mission to come here and collect an Ore called 'Flame Crystal'. We did not expect to discover this Fire-Maned Lion deep in this valley. It seemed to be guarding something, and we accidentally got too close, so it attacked us."

Guarding something?

Su Han's heart stirred, and he took out the sinan astrolabe again.

This time, without needing the reincarnation mirror fragment to be close, the needle in the center of the compass began to tremble slightly, pointing towards a direction deeper in the valley, where there was vaguely an entrance to a mountain cave.

Su Han and Lu Xueqi exchanged glances, both seeing the meaning in each other's eyes.

It seemed that whatever this Fire-Maned Lion was guarding was very likely related to the reincarnation mirror fragment, or at the very least, something that had triggered the sinan astrolabe's reaction.

"It might be dangerous there; you should leave as soon as possible." Su Han said to Zhang Lie and the others.