Following Master Tianjizi's vague map and the faint guidance of the "Flame Sparrow Feather," Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister Liu Yun traveled through the treacherous Southern Frontier jungle for another dozen-odd days. Along the way, they avoided several marshes brimming with lethal toxic miasmas, repelled waves of beasts made unusually ferocious by slight demonic energy corruption, and detoured far around some bizarre areas with ominous auras, suspected lairs of powerful entities.
One day, after climbing over an exceptionally dense, nearly impassable mountain ridge, the view suddenly opened up.
It was a valley surrounded by mountains, the terrain relatively flat. A clear stream wound through it. Along both banks stood dozens of distinctive stilted bamboo houses. The houses used thick bamboo for pillars, raised several feet above ground to avoid moisture and insects, with roofs covered in thick thatch or some broad-leafed plants. Beneath some eaves and railings hung dried beast bones, colorful feathers, and peculiar ornaments bound from unknown medicinal herbs.
More eye-catching was a circular plaza in the village's center, paved with stone blocks. At its center stood a stone totem several zhang high. The totem's style was ancient and abstract—neither quite bird nor flame, its lines bold and rough, carrying an archaic and mysterious aura. Weathered and mottled by countless storms, it nonetheless exuded a sense of weight and solemnity.
It was dusk. Wisps of cooking smoke rose in the village. Some villagers wearing predominantly blue and black clothing embroidered with complex patterns drew water from the stream or worked before their homes. Regardless of gender, most had dark skin, wiry builds, and sharp eyes, carrying a wildness and wariness honed by long coexistence with mountain beasts.
"This should be the 'Fire Crow Village,'" Third Senior Sister Liu Yun murmured, gaze sweeping across the central totem. "Looking at that totem, it seems related to fire and flying birds, matching what Master Tianjizi mentioned."
The two suppressed their auras and walked slowly toward the village. However, the moment they approached the village's edge, they were discovered.
"Woo-woo-woo—"
A low, mournful horn call suddenly sounded from a watchtower on the village's edge, shattering the valley's tranquility. Then, almost instantly, several dozen villagers bearing spears, bows, and curved blades, their bodies painted with simple war paint patterns, rushed out from their bamboo houses or nearby woods. They formed an orderly but hostile defensive line before the village gate.
Their weapons were no common iron. Spear tips glimmered with azure or dark green light, clearly poisoned. Arrowheads had strange shapes with barbs. Every eye was filled with vigilance, scrutiny, and undisguisedrejection and hostility, firmly locked onto the two "uninvited guests."
A particularly tall middle-aged man stepped forward, his face painted with red flame patterns, wearing a necklace of beast fangs around his neck. He wielded afierce bone spear, its tip seemingly ground from a powerful beast's fang, radiatingferocious energy. His hawk-like gaze swept over the pair. In heavily accented standard speech, he bellowed: "Outsiders! This is Fire Crow Village territory! We don't welcome strangers! Leave immediately!"
His voice was thunderous, brooking no argument. The surrounding villagers likewise raised their weapons, uttering low battle cries. The atmosphere instantly became tense as a drawn blade.
Xiao Qi could sense these villagers individually might not be top-tier—most ranged between Qi Refining to early Foundation Establishment—but their auras were intimately connected to this land, carrying a bold, bloodthirsty spirit. Numerically superior, skilled in cooperation and terrain advantage, once conflict began, they would be no easy opponents.
He stepped forward, not releasing spiritual pressure to avoid provoking greater hostility, and merely clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "We mean no harm. Guided by a senior, we've come specifically to find an elder named 'Wumeng' in your village. We have important matters to discuss."
With that, he produced the "Flame Sparrow Feather" gifted by Master Tianjizi.
In the sunset's afterglow, the crimson feather's golden edges seemed to come alive, slightly flowing with a pure, gentle fire-essence energy. It faintly resonated with the totem in the village center.
The leading middle-aged man's eyes flickered with surprise and uncertainty upon seeing the Flame Sparrow Feather. He studied the feather carefully, then looked at Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister again. Hostility diminished slightly, but wariness remained. He turned and exchanged rapid words in the local dialect with several elders behind him who appeared to be village headmen.
Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister didn't understand their language, but could sense the other party's attitude seemed to have loosened somewhat.
After a moment, the warrior turned back. His tone remained rough, but he no longer directly drove them away. "Elder Wumeng is currently conducting purification rites before the sacrifice ceremony. He cannot receive visitors now. You... follow me, wait outside the village. Remember—don't wander freely, don't touch anything in the village, especially those herbs and bug jars!"
He emphasized the last part especially, eyes filled with warning.
Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister exchanged a glance. Nodded. Being given a chance to enter was already initial success.
Under the watchful gazes of dozens still filled with scrutiny, the two followed the warrior along the stream to a relatively open area at the village's edge. Here stood several crude thatched shelters, seemingly used for storing firewood or temporary rest.
"Wait here," the warrior pointed at the shelters, leaving four young villagers with weapons to guard nearby. Then he turned and strode quickly toward the stone plaza at the village center.
Seizing the waiting time, Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister carefully observed this isolated witch village.
They saw small, strange dolls woven from mud or grass hanging beneath some windows and eaves,inserting tiny bone needles; saw some women pounding vividly colored medicinal herbs in stone mortars, the air thick with complex herbal smells; also saw some half-grown children learning from an elder in the village square to identify various bizarre insects and plants—some of those insects even radiated faint spiritual power fluctuations.
"Gu sorcery..." Third Senior Sister Liu Yun transmitted via sound projection, tone grave. "It seems Fire Crow Village truly inherits ancient witchery. Those grass figures, bug jars—they're certainly extraordinary. No wonder they're so wary of outsiders touching things."
Xiao Qi also felt secretly alarmed. With his exceptional divine sense and the Purification Source's keen perception, he could faintly detect that beneath this village lay many weak but chilling, toxic-aura "living things"—those must be the "Gu" they cultivated. The entire village, seemingly peaceful, actually concealed dangers, like a domain filled with invisible traps.
The sun gradually sank behind the mountains. Night fell. Bonfires ignited in the village, flames dancing, reflecting on those primitive bamboo houses and mysterious totems, adding even more primitive, savage atmosphere.
After waiting roughly the length of an incense stick, as Xiao Qi contemplated whether to inquire again, the flame-patterned warrior finally returned. With him came an elder.
This elder was hunchbacked, wearing a black hemp robe so faded it was nearly white. He leaned on a crooked wooden staff topped with a clouded yellow crystal. His face was covered in deep wrinkles like cracked bark. Yet his eyes weren't murky from age—they remained exceptionally bright, sharp and penetrating as if they could see through hearts. Unlike other villagers who wore many ornaments, he only had several rings of some black vine woven around his wrists.
"Elder Wumeng," the leading warrior addressed the elder with great respect.
Elder Wumeng gave a slight nod. His gaze,like something substantial, swept over Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister, finally landing on the Flame Sparrow Feather in Xiao Qi's hand. He extended hiswithered like chicken claws'shand, gesturing for Xiao Qi to hand over the feather.
Xiao Qi complied.
Elder Wumeng accepted the feather but didn't examine it closely. He merely gently stroked the feather's base with his fingers, closed his eyes,seemingly sensing something. After a moment, he opened his eyes, returning the feather to Xiao Qi. His voice was hoarse like wind rustling through fallen leaves:
"This feather's aura... is from that wandering cultivator... so many years have passed..." He seemed lost in memory, eyes flickering with a trace of nostalgia, but quicklyreturning to an unruffled state. "What did he send you to do?"
His standard speech was far more fluent than the warrior's, though still carrying a unique cadence.
Xiao Qi drew a deep breath, knowing the crucial moment had arrived. He couldn't directly reveal the matter of the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal—it would be too world-shaking. He weighed his words carefully. "Elder Wumeng, the junior and senior sister came to the Southern Frontier to find something related to 'fire,' an ancient object concerning peace in this region. That senior said perhaps you could point us in the right direction, or tell us about the 'Molten Fire Heart' in the Southern Frontier's depths."
He mentioned neither the Shadow Snake Pavilion nor the demonic entity, merely vaguely directing his purpose toward fire-related ancient objects concerning regional peace.
Elder Wumeng's turbid yet sharp eyes fixed on Xiao Qi. A long moment passed without speech. An invisible pressure filled the air. The bonfire crackled and popped; distant, unidentifiable night owl cries echoed.
Finally, he spoke slowly, voice low: "The Molten Fire Heart... that is the Southern Frontier's forbidden zone, the resting place of flames and ancestral spirits. Outsiders, that is not a place you should go. The dangers there far exceed your imagination. Not merely beasts and toxic miasmas... but also... curses and guardians from ancient times."
He paused, gaze sweeping across the artifacts at Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister's waists. "Looking at your auras, you're not evil people. I must also give some face to that wandering cultivator. But Fire Crow Village's rules cannot be broken. To receive guidance, you may. But you must prove you possess the qualification to enter the forbidden zone, and... that you pose no threat to Fire Crow Village."
"How do we prove it?" Third Senior Sister Liu Yun asked.
Elder Wumeng raised his skinny finger, pointing toward thecontinuous mountains shrouded in twilight and firelight. "Three days from now is our Fire Crow Village's important day of sacrificing to the Fire Spirit Ancestral Bird. But before the sacrifice, we need a sacrifice item—the heart of the 'Three-Headed Fire Salamander' living in the Western Mountain's Poison Dragon Pool. Village warriors have attempted multiple times without success, instead suffering casualties."
He looked at Xiao Qi and the others, eyes profound. "If you can bring back the 'Three-Headed Fire Salamander's' heart, you'll prove your strength and sincerity. Then, I will not only tell you what I know of the Molten Fire Heart, perhaps... I can also give you some assistance needed to enter the forbidden zone."
"Of course," he added, tone flat yet brooking no argument, "you may also choose to refuse. Leave Fire Crow Village now. That is your only choice."
Obtain the Three-Headed Fire Salamander's heart? Sounded like no easy feat. This was likely not merely a test of strength, but probably also concealed intentions—perhaps using their strength, or at least a way to make them reconsider and leave.
Xiao Qi and Third Senior Sister exchanged a glance. Both understood this was currently the only way to break the impasse. The Southern Frontier's depths were fraught with dangers; without guidance from locals familiar with the area, blindly searching for that "Molten Fire Heart" would be like finding a needle in an ocean, with death lurking at every step.
"Agreed!" Xiao Qi met Elder Wumeng's gaze, speaking decisively. "We accept this sacrifice!"