Chapter 49: The Yama Demon’s Coordinates

Situ Yan, alerted by the commotion, turned his gaze outwards, joining Yue Feng and the others.

On the bustling plaza, the patriarch of the Situ family, Situ Yan senior, stood at the very center. Representatives from various Holy Lands flanked him, yet it was Situ Yan senior who commanded all attention.

Despite the recent turmoil within the Situ family, the patriarch remained remarkably composed, presiding over the Myriad Flames Banquet with unwavering steadiness.

“Your father is an outstanding patriarch, and the Situ family truly deserves its four centuries of dominance over Fire Cauldron City.” Situ Yan watched his father silently as Yue Feng’s voice suddenly reached him. “Perhaps we needn’t worry so much for them. They have endured far more than we have. Let us simply focus on our own tasks.”

Situ Yan was suddenly reminded of his master’s words. Perhaps it wasn’t that he and his sect were indifferent, but rather that he hadn’t yet matured enough to truly assist them. Doing everything within his own power was, in itself, the greatest help he could offer.

Situ Yan chuckled. “You’re right, Brother Yue. Indeed, let’s attend to our own affairs.”

He cast a profound glance at his father before dismissing the matter from his mind. The upcoming grand competition was where he truly needed to exert his full effort.

Yue Feng, seeing Situ Yan’s focus fully restored, smiled and said,

“Ever since arriving in Fire Cauldron City, we have been recipients of Brother Situ’s generosity, which has left us feeling quite indebted. Is there anything we can do to assist you during this trial?”

Speaking with intelligent individuals was truly different. Seeing Yue Feng proactively offer his help, Situ Yan no longer stood on ceremony.

“There are some matters where I require your assistance, Brother Yue. Please take a look.”

With that, Situ Yan produced a yellowed map that appeared quite ancient, bearing the distinct mark of a flame.

“The coordinates of the Yama Demon!” Shi Yang exclaimed from within Yue Feng’s storage ring, his voice echoing through Yue Feng’s eyes.

“What is that, Master?” Yue Feng asked, communicating with Shi Yang through his divine sense.

“What is this?” Wang Yu asked Situ Yan.

Seeing Yue Feng lost in thought, she knew he was conversing with Shi Yang. To divert some of Situ Yan’s attention and allow Yue Feng to communicate more freely, Wang Yu took the initiative to speak.

Yue Feng shot Wang Yu a grateful glance, a feeling akin to ‘what more could a husband ask for with such a wife’ washing over him. He quickly pressed Shi Yang. “Who was this Yama Demon?”

Shi Yang looked at him strangely, then recalled,

“This Yama Demon was a figure in our era who had achieved unparalleled mastery over fire elemental energy. He was, without a doubt, a top-tier expert of his time, no weaker than the peak masters of the Holy Lands.”

Yue Feng asked with curiosity, “How did he compare to you and your old friend, Master?”

“Oh,” Shi Yang said indifferently, “We blasted him to bits.”

“???” Yue Feng was speechless. “Then, Master, your praise just now was…”

Shi Yang calmly replied, “I was just stating the facts. He truly was quite formidable.”

“????” Yue Feng didn’t know how to respond. The Yama Demon was strong, incredibly powerful, yet you ‘blasted him to bits.’ Why not just say you were even more powerful?

“Let’s talk about this map instead,” Yue Feng suggested, feeling it best to change the subject.

“This map,” Shi Yang explained, “should be the Yama Demon’s birthplace and also the location of his final demise.”

Yue Feng pondered, then asked, “So, this map was passed down by him?”

Shi Yang recalled,

“He created it. Outsiders knew of the Yama Demon’s extraordinary skill with fire elemental energy, but what they didn’t know was that he was a creature born from the Myriad Flames region itself.

That’s why his control over fire energy was so exceptional. However, this man had one flaw: he was terrible with directions.”

Yue Feng’s mouth twitched. “Such a formidable figure, and a terrible sense of direction?”

“Indeed,” Shi Yang said with a peculiar expression. “He was the type who’d get lost and couldn’t find his way home once he left for a long journey.”

Excellent. How relatable.

Yue Feng continued, “Then how did this figure die?”

“Oh, we cornered him at his doorstep and beat him to death,” Shi Yang chuckled. “That fellow coveted Zhao Ritian’s Heart Fire, intending to devour it to empower himself. Ultimately, we found his lair using that very map.”

“????” Yue Feng pressed on, “Then this map?”

Shi Yang replied nonchalantly,

“Oh, we just tossed it aside after we killed him. We had some urgent business at the time and didn’t bother to search his corpse, so he probably left behind quite a few good things.

But compared to your cultivation in the Myriad Flames region and the treasures left by the Haotian Daoist Venerable, they’d be nothing but a trifle. It’s up to you what you want to do with it.”

While Yue Feng and Shi Yang conversed, Situ Yan, having heard Wang Yu’s question, turned to her. Though they had met once before, he was still captivated by Wang Yu’s peerless beauty.

He quickly composed himself, however, and smiled.

“Miss, you might not know, but this is the coordinate map of a powerful figure from 500 years ago, the Yama Demon. However, he offended the renowned Shi Yang and Senior Zhao Ritian of that era and was ultimately slain in the Myriad Flames region.”

Wang Yu instinctively glanced at Yue Feng’s storage ring, then frowned. “Why are you telling me this? And why are you seeking our help?”

“Because I cannot claim it for myself alone,” Situ Yan stated directly.

“I cannot pass the trial by myself, and the Situ family cannot openly assist me now. I must find people to help me, and I believe my judgment of character is quite accurate. If the two of you can assist me, whether we succeed or fail, I, Yan, will offer a generous reward.”

“Where is that location?” Yue Feng, having finished his conversation with Shi Yang, squeezed Wang Yu’s delicate hand gratefully before taking over the conversation.

“I will arrange for us to be directly teleported to the eastern region of the Myriad Flames. Our cultivation realms are barely sufficient to reach it, but it’s best to avoid engaging with the elemental creatures there, and…”

Situ Yan hesitated. “At that time, we will also likely need to contend with human interference.”

“No problem,” Yue Feng smiled. “As long as we help you enter the Yama Demon’s burial ground, right?”

“Yes,” Situ Yan replied.

At this moment, Situ Yan senior’s opening speech outside was drawing to a close.

Situ Yan senior proclaimed loudly, “I declare the Myriad Flames Banquet officially open! The teleportation gates are now active!”

As his voice faded, massive teleportation channels erected around the plaza. These channels would transport cultivators to various safe regions within the Myriad Flames, where they would begin their trials.

Situ Yan stood up and said, “Let’s head to our designated teleportation channel.”

Yue Feng and Wang Yu nodded, rising to their feet. Even as they watched the cultivators surge into the channels, they remained unhurried. After all, as the young master of the Situ family, there was naturally a backdoor for them to use.

Suddenly, Wang Yu seemed to remember something and spoke to A-Bao, who was feigning unconsciousness beside them. “Alright, stop pretending. Grab Xiaoke, let’s go.”

Upon hearing this, A-Bao sprang to his feet. “Got it, Master!” He then picked up Xiaoke in his mouth and followed.

They walked down a long corridor, arriving before a teleportation gate. This gate was much smaller than the ones outside, only allowing one person to pass through at a time.

The attendant near the channel quickly handed each of them a small jade token.

Situ Yan explained, “These are teleportation jade tokens. If you encounter danger or wish to end the trial early, you can crush it directly. It will teleport us back to Fire Cauldron City. Moreover, it comes with its own barrier, which can filter out some of the harmful gases and partial high temperatures of the Myriad Flames region.”

After speaking, Situ Yan hung the token on himself and entered first. Yue Feng, Wang Yu, and A-Bao followed suit, donning their jade tokens before stepping inside.

What none of them noticed was the attendant’s strange gaze. After confirming that Yue Feng and the others had entered, he took out a communication jade slip. –Hello, hello, it’s done. I’ve confirmed their teleportation location. I’ll send it to you shortly.–

–Why didn’t you just kill him!– A furious voice roared from the other side. –You have the capability, don’t you!–

The attendant, with a look of disdain, held the jade slip away from his ear. He shrugged and said, –That wouldn’t be in line with my style.

For an assassin, killing isn’t the goal; killing with a purpose is. Though I’ve defected from the Demonic Cult, the Demon Venerable, that old man, has always been my idol.

I only joined the Ravenous Serpent because their capacity for causing trouble is immense, and I simply enjoy causing trouble, Second Young Master Situ.–

On the other end of the communication jade slip, Situ Yan’s face was contorted in a grimace. –Your Apostle Lord instructed you to fulfill my requests as much as possible, Thousand Faces.–

–You also know it’s ‘as much as possible,’ right?–

The enforcer, Thousand Faces, said.

–I’ve tried my best to accommodate you. Asking a top-tier assassin of the Heavenly Firmament Realm to kill a few brats in the Transcendence Realm? You might have no shame, but I do. If you’d asked me to assassinate someone in the Imperial Extreme Realm, something thrilling like that, I might not even charge you. This isn’t ‘as much as possible.’ Alright, that’s it. It’s not like you haven’t found other people. Hanging up, bye-bye.–

With that, Thousand Faces disregarded Situ Yan on the other side. After hanging up the jade slip, as if remembering something, he picked it up again and spoke into it. –Pillar Four Lord, I’ve handled a certain young master’s antics. Do you have any further instructions?–

–Thank you for your hard work, Thousand Faces.– An aged voice came from the jade slip. –I deeply apologize for making you deal with that unreasonable request. Proceed with the original plan; go with Shadow to the Situ family and retrieve the controller.–

–Got it!– Thousand Faces hung up the jade slip, whistling cheerfully. As he leisurely walked past a room, he opened it directly. Inside, a naked man was tied up, looking exactly like the person Thousand Faces was impersonating. He was the real attendant, struggling ceaselessly and emitting muffled sounds.

Thousand Faces smiled. “Be grateful that I, your humble servant, don’t particularly enjoy indiscriminate killing.”

As Thousand Faces stripped off his clothes, he continued, “I charge a hefty price for killing, you know. Your cheap life isn’t worth it. Just stay here obediently.”

Finished, Thousand Faces had completely transformed into another person and swaggered out.

Meanwhile, Situ Yan senior was discussing something with the leading elders of the various Holy Lands, his expression grave.