Chapter 537: Flame Mountain of the Western Regions

In other seasons, Xifeng Pass was bustling with merchants and caravans, but today, it seemed somewhat deserted. Only a single Daoist stood beneath the city gate, accompanied by a horse and a cat.

The Daoist presented his travel documents, expressed his gratitude to the guards, and led his horse through the pass.

The jingling of the horse bells echoed, carried away by the wind.

The Daoist couldn't help but turn back for another look.

The city walls, built of rammed earth, were as firm as solid stone. Atop the walls stood a grand and ornate city tower, with red pillars, blue-glazed tiles, and intricately carved railings and beams. This was the first grand sight of the Great Yan dynasty for travelers arriving from the Western Regions.

Upon seeing these towering fortifications and the elegant architecture above, visitors would immediately grasp the strength and refined aesthetics of the Great Yan.

Conversely, for those departing eastward, this was their final glimpse of the grand structures of their homeland—a last farewell to the symbols of Great Yan’s civilization and the beauty of its architecture, embodying the livelihood of its people—so that they would never forget their motherland.

Countless scholars had bid farewell here, lingering at this very spot. Moved by emotion, many had composed poems that would be remembered for generations.

And today, he too had stepped beyond Xifeng Pass.

Unfortunately, he did not have the literary talent to compose a fitting verse.

“...”

Song You shook his head with a smile and continued walking.

The snow from the other day had reached this region as well.

Thanks to that snowfall, the journey was much less arid. Some of the desert lakes, which had previously dried up, were now replenished with water.

Song You had the rare opportunity to witness a pink lake deep in the desert. Its shallow edges were a soft pink, while the deeper parts took on a richer hue, resembling freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. The wind stirred up gentle waves, sending white frothy foam rolling onto the shore.

There were also natural salt lakes, where intersecting water channels divided the lake into many small sections, each shimmering in a different shade. Some were jade-green, others a deep sky-blue, and some had a yellowish-green hue like young grass.

Salt crystals had formed on the water’s surface, resembling countless shattered pieces of jade scattered across the ground—a spectacle only found in this extraordinary land.

As he passed by these natural wonders, Song You couldn't help but feel amazed.

Undoubtedly, this was a rare and breathtaking beauty. There was no need for deep contemplation; simply walking past was enough to make one unconsciously fall into its charm, to sigh in admiration and whisper, “How beautiful.”

Beyond its beauty, there was also an element of wonder.

The most marvelous part was that had Song You not summoned the snowfall earlier, the melted snow would not have replenished the desert lakes. If that had not happened, even if he had traveled through this place, he would have seen nothing but dry, cracked basins marked with water stains. Thinking of it this way, it almost felt like the heavens had gifted him this spectacle in return.

As he continued forward, the color of the soil gradually changed. It became redder, as though it had been scorched by fire.

Even the mountains along the path turned crimson.

Beyond the area touched by Song You’s snowfall, the land became dry once more—perhaps even drier than before. The ground was covered in withered grass, so parched it seemed as if it had been roasted or fried; it crumbled into dust with the slightest touch.

The vast desert stretched endlessly in all directions. Even the wild donkeys and camels were nowhere to be seen. Across the boundless Gobi Desert, there was only a lone Daoist, a jujube-red horse, and a calico cat. Overhead, a swallow flitted through the sky.

As they ventured farther west, despite it being only early spring—when Shazhou was still cool both day and night—the heat here grew more and more unbearable. It became so stifling that they could only travel during the cooler hours, resting at midday when the heat was too intense. Mornings and evenings were their only windows to press forward.

On the flat, endless expanse of the Gobi, their shadows stretched long and thin beneath the low sun.

Amid the whistling desert winds, the only sounds that remained were the Daoist's and the cat’s voices.

“Why is this place called the Gobi?”

“I don't know either.”

“Oh! There's something you don't know?”

“There are many things I don’t know.” The Daoist turned his head to look at her. “Even the things I do know are only because I had the advantage of age, so I happened to learn them before you did, Lady Calico.”

The calico cat also turned her head to look at the Daoist. “Then in the future, will I know more than you?”

“Of course.”

“Really?”

“Really.” The Daoist walked forward with the support of his staff, nodding as he spoke. Because he was conserving his energy, his voice was very soft. “First, you are smarter than I am. Second, when you were young, I already told you everything I knew. So when you grow older and learn new things, it’s only natural that you’ll know more than I do.”

“Hmm...”

The cat pondered for a moment. That reasoning seemed sound.

She withdrew her gaze and continued walking.

Some parts of the Gobi were hard, while others were soft. The hard areas were covered in sharp gravel that hurt her paws, making her rather frustrated. The soft areas, on the other hand, were filled with fine sand, which had been baked scorching hot by the sun. When she stepped down, her entire paw would sink into the sand—it was both burning hot and unstable, making her walk in a wobbly, awkward manner.

The calico cat stretched her neck and took a look around. No matter which direction she looked, there were no obstructions in sight. She could see all the way to the horizon, where the sky met the earth in a misty haze. Due to the sunlight, the sky at the horizon showed a gentle gradient, shifting from blue to yellow, then fading into gray.

The vast land beneath them felt like an endless, boundless circle.

“This place is so big. When will we be able to walk out of it?” The calico cat couldn’t help but ask.

“As long as we keep walking, we’ll get out.”

“We’re almost out of water.”

“We’re also almost there.”

Song You could already sense it. The temperature was gradually rising. It seemed ordinary, yet beneath the surface, there was an unusual spiritual resonance.

Someone powerful was ahead.

A true and formidable existence.

“There’s nothing here, not even a four-legged lizard to catch.” Lady Calico turned her head left and right, grumbling. Cats were naturally good at keeping themselves entertained, and she was no exception. If she could find something to play with—and maybe even a snack—this journey would be much more interesting.

But just as she finished speaking, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Her gaze snapped toward a seemingly ordinary undulation in the Gobi ahead, her expression slightly puzzled.

The Gobi Desert appeared flat at first glance, but in reality, it was filled with undulating ridges, like rippling waves, each nearly as tall as a person. When traveling through the Gobi, they always chose the flattest paths.

If none were available, they tried to follow the natural ridges; otherwise, they would constantly be climbing up and down. Worse still, these ridges were soft. Stepping on them would cause the sand to sink and shift, making walking incredibly difficult.

The rise and fall of the terrain before them seemed ordinary enough.

“

Ding ding

...”

The crisp sound of horse bells echoed as they swayed.

At that moment, the usually silent Gobi suddenly came alive with movement.

“

Boom

!”

A sudden explosion erupted.

In the distance, a mound of sand burst apart, sending a thick cloud of coarse sand flying into the air. From the chaos emerged a massive creature over a zhang tall.

Its lower half resembled a multi-legged sandworm, while its upper body was humanoid—but with four muscular arms. Its skin was a dusty yellow, thick and fleshy, giving it an imposing, burly appearance. Its head was round and bald, save for patches of fiery red hair sprouting from the sides, along with a matching red beard covering its lower face.

The towering figure over a zhang tall exuded an undeniable sense of pressure. Fortunately, without sharp claws or fangs, it appeared much less menacing.

“

Mou... do nan?

”

The creature bellowed in an unknown tongue, its voice like rolling thunder.

Though it seemed to be asking a question, it wasted no time in attacking. One of its four massive arms swung forward, stirring the earth and sending a towering column of sand—laced with dried grass roots—hurtling toward them like a writhing dragon.

“

Meeoooww

!”

Lady Calico reacted in an instant, slashing her claws through the air.

From the saddlebag on the horse’s back, a small flag shot out.

“

Boom

...”

As the flag unfurled in midair, it released a thick cloud of black smoke. The moment the smoke touched the ground, it materialized into a towering bear demon.

The bear demon was just as broad-shouldered and muscular as the monster before them. Standing on two legs, it was over a man’s height. Without hesitation, it stepped forward and used its massive body to block the incoming sand column.

The attack came fast and struck with tremendous force. Sand and debris exploded outward as it slammed into the bear demon's fur, its momentum spreading along the demon’s body like a crashing wave. The sheer impact forced the bear demon to take a step back, but only one step. It remained unscathed.

Meanwhile, Lady Calico darted forward.

She sprinted toward the bear demon and swiftly climbed up its massive form. Agile as ever, she reached its shoulder within seconds. However, she didn’t launch an immediate counterattack.

Instead, she turned her head toward the Daoist, then back to the monster before them, her expression filled with uncertainty.

“Who are you?” The monster finally switched to a different language—though its accent was odd and heavy.

Seeing the massive bear demon before him—nearly his equal in height and even more robust—the monster hesitated for a brief moment. However, he did not appear fearful.

Even as he continued his questioning, he swung his hands once more.

This time, all four arms moved at once.

“

Boom

!”

Once again, the earth roared as sand surged into towering columns, twisting like dragons and serpents. Two of them, charged with even greater force than before, shot directly at the bear demon. The other two arced through the air, bypassing the bear demon, and hurtled toward the Daoist standing behind.

This time, Lady Calico had had enough.

“

Meow

!”

“

Roar

!”

A sharp feline cry and a deep bear’s roar sounded in unison.

With a powerful swipe, the bear demon’s massive paws crushed one of the sand dragons. Then, lowering its head and charging forward, it rammed another with its shoulder, shattering it completely. Without pausing, the bear demon let out a furious roar and charged straight at the monster, moving so fast that the calico cat had to lower herself and grip tightly onto its fur to avoid being thrown off.

“

Whoosh

...”

In an instant, the Gobi was filled with a violent sandstorm.

Part of it was from the shattered sand dragons, part was stirred up by the bear demon's thundering footsteps, but most of it was intentionally raised by the monster himself.

The swirling storm of dust and sand obscured everything.

“

Boom

!”

The bear demon burst through the sandstorm, lunging forward. But as it landed, the monster was already gone.

All that remained was a large pile of yellow sand on the ground, roughly the same volume as the monster’s body.

At that very moment, the bear demon reacted instinctively, whirling around.

Behind them, the Gobi sands began to churn and surge upward as if guided by an unseen force. The sand rapidly accumulated, forming the shape of a towering figure over a zhang tall. As the outer layer of sand slid away, the monster’s body was revealed within.

This time, the monster did not attack immediately.

Instead, he carefully examined the bear demon standing before him, then turned his gaze toward the calico cat on its shoulder. After that, his eyes shifted to the Daoist and the jujube-red horse standing quietly at the side.

His expression showed clear confusion. He had seen the bear demon withstand his attack and understood that it was not weak. But what puzzled him was the other two sand dragons that had been sent toward the Daoist and the horse.

He had not seen how they were blocked.

No sound, no visible counterattack, no feedback—almost as if they had simply vanished into thin air.

But Lady Calico was in no mood to let him contemplate further.

Her face turned serious as she opened her mouth and inhaled deeply.

Sensing her intent, the bear demon immediately stood up, providing her with enough elevation so that she could unleash True Fire.

“

Whoosh

...”

A massive surge of True Fire burst forth, roaring like a dragon.

The monster furrowed his brow slightly and raised his hand once more.

“

Whoosh

!”

The sand on the ground abruptly flew upward, forming a wall two chi thick.

Though Lady Calico’s True Fire burned with extreme heat and carried a dominant spiritual energy, its impact force was not particularly strong. The flames spread across the sand wall, scorching its surface but failing to penetrate through to the monster behind it.

The cat called out in a soft but clear voice, “Mountain God, appear!”

At that moment, the scattered stones across the Gobi rumbled and began rolling toward a single point, rapidly stacking upon one another.

In the blink of an eye, they had assembled into a towering stone giant, nearly a zhang tall.

This was Lady Calico’s growth and a result of her diligent cultivation.

However, the bear demon reacted even faster. It was as if he had grown even sharper than before.

Just as the Mountain God finished forming, and as Lady Calico prepared to charge forward to shatter the sand wall, the bear demon had already picked up the largest rock he could find—one roughly the size of a washbasin—and hurled it with all his might at the wall.

“

Bang

!”

The sand wall instantly cracked open, creating a large breach.

Lady Calico wasted no time. She opened her mouth and unleashed another torrent of True Fire.

“

Whoosh

!”

The fire surged forward once again.

But just before it could engulf the monster, his massive body suddenly dissolved, breaking apart into a cascade of yellow sand that fell to the ground.

Once again, all that remained was another mound of sand on the Gobi.

“

Whoosh

...”

The flames struck the sand pile, rapidly changing its color as it scorched the surface.

Yet, the monster himself was nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm?” The calico cat turned its head once more, searching for the demon’s figure. At the same time, it frowned, feeling that the demon was not only impolite but also extremely troublesome. It was much harder to deal with than catching mice.

“

Whoosh

...”

In the distance, the sand surged and gathered again, forming the demon’s body.

This time, it was much farther away than before.

“You lot are quite formidable!”

The demon stood atop a mound of sand, its lower body sprawled out while numerous limbs occasionally twitched restlessly. Its upper body, however, remained upright as it looked at them. “What business do you have in our Flame Mountain?”

“

Rumble

...”

The stone giant swung its arms and charged toward the demon with large strides, leaving deep footprints in the soft sand.

The calico cat also leaped down from the giant bear's back and dashed forward, summoning a pack of tigers and wolves as it ran toward the demon.

It planned to use its agility and numerical advantage to divide itself, the newly tamed bear demon, and the pack of tigers and wolves across the vast wasteland, ensuring that they each occupied a section of the terrain. This way, they could carefully observe where the demon disappeared and from where it reappeared.

However, at that moment, the nearby Daoist waved his hand.

“...!?” The cat immediately skidded to a halt.

The stone giant also slowed its pace and stopped.

“I am Song You, a native of Yizhou in the Great Yan dynasty. I have descended from the mountain to travel the world,” the Daoist said with a cupped-fist salute. “I have long heard of the great Flame Mountain and that ancient deities reside here. Thus, I came to witness it for myself.”

He then glanced at the demon. “From your questioning, you seem to be the guardian of the Flame Mountain. But why is it that the moment we meet, you attack us without hesitation before we even have a chance to answer?”

“Hmph!”

The demon showed no fear and replied in a deep voice, “This sacred mountain is a forbidden land. How can it allow those with ulterior motives to trespass? And do you truly believe our god is someone you can meet just because you wish to?”

But just as it finished speaking, the demon suddenly froze.

The next moment, it ignored Song You completely, lowering its head and tilting its ear as if listening to an inaudible voice. A look of reverence appeared on its face.

When it straightened up again, its demeanor had changed.