Chapter 538: Visiting the Fire God

“God has declared you to be our guest.”

The demon’s voice had softened, no longer resembling rolling thunder. Instead, it became deep and muffled, sounding rather simple and honest. Combined with his peculiar accent, there was a distinct flavor of the Western Regions in his speech.

With his appearance and demeanor, he now closely matched the descriptions of desert demons that Song You had heard in Shadu from Prefect Zhang and the local people of Shazhou. However, he no longer seemed fierce or hostile. Instead, as he spoke, he even bowed slightly, placing a hand over his chest in a respectful salute.

“We wish to invite you to the divine mountain as our guest.”

His tone was sincere, and his attitude reverent. It was a stark contrast from before. What was even more remarkable was how naturally this transformation had occurred, to the point where even Song You could not detect the slightest hint of awkwardness in his demeanor.

It was as if, in the demon’s mind, this was simply the way things should be.

If he was not one of those rare individuals who were masterfully adept at deception and political intrigue, then he was the other extreme—someone with a pure, simple heart, entirely free of guile.

This demon was clearly not the former.

As for his earlier aggression...

After a brief moment of thought, Song You more or less understood the reason behind it. Since he had come as a guest, there was no need to make things difficult for the demon. So he simply said, “I am honored by the Fire God’s invitation. Please, lead the way.”

Hearing this, the demon turned to glance at them—especially at the jujube-red horse behind Song You, as well as the giant bear lying a short distance away, scratching itself lazily, and the pack of demonic tigers and wolves sprawled across the ground.

Then, with a

whoosh

, his entire body dissolved into a heap of loose sand, leaving behind a small sand dune more than half a zhang tall and roughly a zhang in length.

From within the dune, a deep, muffled voice emerged, as if carried from a great distance. Coupled with his natural accent, his words were difficult to discern. “Please, esteemed guests... Step onto my back...”

Each syllable he spoke caused the sand on the dune’s surface to tremble slightly.

The calico cat, Lady Calico, was momentarily stunned at the sight.

Then she turned her head toward her Daoist priest.

She saw that the Daoist, leaning on his bamboo staff, had already stepped forward and was making his way onto the small sand dune.

“

Boom, boom, whoosh

...”

The giant bear, lying on the ground like a black mountain, had just twisted around, trying to scratch its face with its hind leg. But before it could reach, its massive body suddenly whooshed apart, dispersing into a thick black cloud.

At the same time, the nearby demonic tigers and wolves also exploded into plumes of dark smoke, all of which rushed toward the small flag floating beside the calico cat and vanished within it.

The black smoke truly resembled a thick cloud, blotting out the sky. Meanwhile, the small flag seemed like a dragon inhaling the mist, greedily drawing it in.

In the blink of an eye, the world was clear again.

“

Whoosh

...”

The flag then flew into the Daoist’s waist pouch of its own accord.

Only then did the calico cat retract its gaze. She quickly trotted forward, catching up to her Daoist priest and the horse, stepping onto the sand dune.

The dune was as soft and loose as any ordinary hill, but stepping on it gave her an unsettling feeling—like something was lurking beneath, stirring her instinctive curiosity to take a closer look.

“Esteemed guests, please forgive me,” a muffled voice emerged from beneath the dune, still thick with a Western accent. “This year, under the Zi[1] Earthly Branch[2], brought severe drought and killed many people. Outsiders have been slandering our god, claiming the calamity was his punishment. As a result, many mortals came here to curse our god. And many of those... those who can use spells... they also came, wanting to trespass into the Flame Mountain and disturb our god.”

The sand dune did not move hastily.

“Some, like men of valor, fought me upon arrival and were either driven away or slain. Others, however, deceived me with lies, tricking me into leaving my post. That made me so angry... It nearly drove me to madness...”

“I can’t hear you clearly,” the calico cat murmured softly, her voice polite and earnest.

“I see,” Song You nodded.

It was much as he had guessed, only with more details.

Although they were deep in the Western Regions, this land was still under the control of Great Yan. The empire had established administrative offices here, and the four garrisons of Anxi remained an unrivaled force in the region. As a result, the influence of Great Yan’s culture was strong—so much so that many locals, aside from their appearance, were nearly indistinguishable from the people of Great Yan in language, customs, and daily life.

And in Great Yan, human dignity had always been paramount. If a deity caused trouble, there had always been bold and righteous individuals willing to confront them, questioning the divine as mere mortals.

“Even so,” Song You continued, “it would still be best for you to confirm the facts before acting. Otherwise, you may end up harming the innocent.”

“...”

The sand beneath them fell silent. It neither spoke nor moved.

It was eerily similar to a child being chastised by a teacher or elder—too stubborn to refute, yet too prideful to admit fault. So instead, it simply lowered its head and remained quiet, pretending not to have heard anything.

The silence stretched for a long moment.

Then, at last, the voice spoke again, “Esteemed guests, please stand firm.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the sand beneath their feet trembled. Whether from the reverberation of the voice or the force of its breath, even small pebbles bounced up and down.

The calico cat found herself unable to resist. She instinctively stretched out a paw to swipe at the jumping stones.

At that moment, a low rumble of thunder resonated from beneath their feet.

“

Rumble, rumble, rumble

...”

The sand dune beneath their feet suddenly moved, transforming into a rolling swell on the barren wasteland, carrying sand and stones as it surged forward.

For a moment, the vast Gobi Desert seemed to ripple like an ocean, waves of sand rolling ahead. The Daoist stood firmly at the crest of the wave, leaning on his bamboo staff. The jujube-red horse instinctively bent its legs slightly for stability, while the calico cat immediately crouched low, lowering her center of gravity to ensure she wouldn’t be thrown off.

The moving dune picked up speed, and soon, the wind howled fiercely in their ears. Any stray sand or pebbles flung away by the motion were instantly hurled far behind them. If a gust of wind stirred up dust in their path, the shifting dune swept it away, leaving behind nearly straight, thin trails of airborne sand.

A swallow flapped its wings furiously, keeping pace with the sand dune. It even lowered its altitude to fly at the same height as the group.

The calico cat turned her head and stared at it intently.

No one knew how long they had been traveling or how far they had gone when, at last, a strange yet majestic mountain appeared on the distant horizon.

The mountain was an almost perfect cone, its towering slopes adorned with countless vertical ridges. So immense was its height that white clouds wrapped around its midsection, making it look like an ancient divine peak from the primordial era.

Upon closer inspection, wisps of smoke continuously rose from its slopes, curling into the mist that wreathed the mountain’s waist. The heat emanating from it was palpable, and from this distance, it was difficult to tell whether the peak itself was burning or if the sheer temperature of the land caused the air to shimmer.

The surrounding temperature soared dramatically. Despite their rapid movement, the wind rushing past them became scalding—hotter than steam from boiling water.

As they neared the Flame Mountain, more details emerged, revealing the landscape in greater clarity.

Indeed, flames burned across the mountain’s surface.

From its crater, fire erupted skyward.

“

Boom

...”

Even the barren ground beside them ignited, despite being nothing but empty sand.

At last, they arrived at the foot of the divine mountain.

The sand dune came to a halt.

“Esteemed guests, please disembark.”

Upon hearing this, the group stepped off the dune.

The sand immediately surged upward, cascading down its sides as the demon’s true form emerged from beneath. He looked at them and said, “Welcome to the divine mountain. Our god is waiting for you at the summit.”

The travelers instinctively lifted their heads.

Before them stood an enormous mountain, wreathed in flame. From a distance, they had been able to see its mist-covered peak, but now, standing at its base and looking upward, all they could see was a vast expanse of blinding white.

“Please, go ahead!”

The demon gestured for them to proceed.

His numerous lower limbs moved in unison, steadily carrying his upper body as he began ascending the mountain.

Song You glanced back briefly before quickly following.

Unlike the sandy terrain below, the mountain was composed of solid rock, making the ascent much easier.

The group climbed slowly but steadily.

As they walked, Song You turned his head to observe the surrounding flames, the increasingly vast expanse of the Gobi Desert stretching behind them, and the spiritual resonance of the land itself.

The spiritual resonance of this place was ancient and enigmatic—scorching, volatile. It was the very essence that gave birth to the mountain's flames.

For an ordinary mortal, reaching this place would be impossible. They wouldn’t even make it to the foot of the mountain before being incinerated by the flames in the distance. At most, they could approach the outer altar of the fire land.

Even those with cultivated Daoist abilities or fire-warding techniques—whether demon, spirit, or human cultivator—could not recklessly touch or absorb the spiritual resonance of this land. To do so would be to invite disaster, leading to their soul and meridians being consumed by fire.

However, this spiritual resonance did not seem to originate from the fire-element earth. Rather, it felt as though it came from a person.

Or perhaps... a deity.

At the same time, the other three elemental forces remained dormant.

It was as if they were silently confirming Song You's suspicions.

By the time they had climbed halfway up the mountain, the peak above was already shrouded in dense mist—the same ring of white clouds they had seen circling the mountain from afar.

Just ahead, a large stone doorway emerged from the mountainside.

Towering figures clad in ancient armor stood at the entrance, serving as sentinels. Each of them was two to three zhang tall, as imposing as divine guardian statues.

The sand demon said as he continued forward, “Esteemed guests, please enter.”

Song You cast a brief glance at the guardian demons, slightly inclined his head, and then stepped through the stone gate.

The entrance itself was enormous, stretching several zhang in height and width. Even with a full group, including the jujube-red horse, they all seemed small in comparison.

Inside, waves of fire surged all around them. The heat was overwhelming, as if it would consume everything in its path. However, the spiritual light surrounding the group protected them, allowing them to pass through the flames unscathed.

Once they emerged on the other side, their surroundings suddenly became clear.

The fire was gone. The suffocating heat had vanished.

Before them lay an enormous tunnel, winding and twisting.

At times, the passage intentionally curved sharply, and numerous branching paths split off to the sides. Within those corridors, various demons and spirits hurried along with their heads bowed, reminding Song You of the corridors of a royal palace, bustling with guards and attendants.

They walked for a long time before finally arriving at a grand hall within the cave.

There, an ancient deity in a red robe awaited him.

The cave hall was nearly empty, save for a few stone slabs that served as beds or resting places. There were no fruits, snacks, tea, or food—nor even tables or chairs. It was clear that the being residing here had no need for such things.

Yet, upon seeing Song You, the deity couldn’t help but scrutinize him for a few moments before speaking.

“You are the tenth heir of Hidden Dragon Temple to come here.”

His accent was peculiar—not like the sand demon’s, which carried the influence of the Western Regions. Instead, it held an ancient quality, similar to the speech of the Mountain God of Pingzhou, Divine Lord Yuewang, and other deities of old.

Song You stopped in his tracks and asked, “The tenth?”

“Perhaps,” the deity replied. “I have lived too long to keep count.”

“I am Song You, disciple of Daoist Duoxing,” Song You introduced himself.

“I was once called Flaming Sun True Lord,” the deity said. “Later, I came here and was worshiped as the Fire God. Call me however you please.”

“Flaming Sun True Lord...” Song You repeated the name.

Yet in his mind, he thought of another figure—the one in the Heavenly Palace who ruled over the Fire Division, a deity highly revered even among mortals: Fiery Sun True Lord.

“We are brothers.”

The Fire God spoke, answering Song You’s unspoken question.

1. Zi (子) refers to the Earthly Branch in the Chinese sexagenary cycle. ☜

2. Raw here writes 天干 which means Heavenly Stems. The Heavenly Stems, which pair with the Earthly Branches to form the 60-year cycle in traditional Chinese chronology However, since Zi is under the Earthly Branch, I suspect that this is a typo on the author’s end. ☜