Behind the Flame Village, there stood a great mountain. Birds sang among fragrant blossoms, green grass blanketed the slopes — not particularly beautiful, but wonderfully natural.
At first glance, Chu Feng noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Yet his instincts told him this mountain was far from simple, so he activated his Heavenly Eye.
Under the Heavenly Eye's power, the mountain revealed its true form. It wasn't a mountain at all — it was a guardian formation array, possessing not only impressive defensive capabilities but also a powerful concealment effect.
As the Heavenly Eye's might deepened, Chu Feng's vision grew ever clearer. The mountain gradually faded away, and what appeared before his eyes was a city.
This city was rather unique. Its bricks were yellow, but etched upon them were red totems resembling flames. The entire city looked as though it had been forged from blazing fire, yet it wasn't glaring — quite the opposite. The color combinations were perfectly balanced, making it surprisingly pleasant to behold.
The city was enormous, but few people walked its streets. Many places were guarded, and the sentries at the city gate were particularly powerful.
This kind of security arrangement didn't resemble the dwelling of common folk at all. It looked far more like the stronghold of a transcendent power. Clearly, this was where the Flame Clan truly resided.
Dugu Xingfeng walked toward the main gate and produced a passkey, directly opening the barrier's door. Once the gate swung open, Chu Feng and the others stepped into the Flame Clan's city.
Inside, Chu Feng could get a clearer look at the Flame Clan members. They looked no different from ordinary people — all of them were normal humans.
The guards, upon seeing Chu Feng and his companions, showed no particular surprise. They even nodded respectfully in greeting, their attitudes remarkably cordial.
Chu Feng could tell that their friendliness was mostly because of Dugu Xingfeng. If Dugu Xingfeng hadn't been present and the four of them had intruded on their own, things likely wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
After all, the king-tier weapons sheathed at those guards' waists were clearly no mere ornaments. They were real sentinels, protectors of this place.
Moreover, they weren't young men. Every single one was a centuries-old veteran whose cultivation was far from weak. Each guard was at the Half Emperor level.
This spoke volumes about Flame Village's defensive capabilities.
At the very least, stationing such powerful beings as gatekeepers was something even great powers like the Nine Powers couldn't manage.
"Patriarch Dugu, you've arrived." Suddenly, a figure who appeared to be the head guard walked over without excessive ceremony, as though greeting an old friend.
"Is Clan Leader Yan Guo in residence?" Dugu Xingfeng asked.
"The Clan Leader is here. Does Patriarch Dugu have business with our Clan Leader?" the head guard inquired.
"I do have matters to discuss with him," Dugu Xingfeng replied.
"Please follow me, Patriarch Dugu." The head guard then led the way.
They didn't fly or use any martial techniques. Instead, they walked step by step, steady and unhurried. The pace was slow, but it allowed them to take in the city's streets more carefully.
The deeper they went, the more astonished Chu Feng became. Groups of children played along the roadside, and occasionally he spotted young people around his own age.
Whether they were children or young adults, every one of them surpassed ordinary people in cultivation, and their aptitudes were all top-tier.
But what was even more notable was the older generation of powerhouses. The weakest among them were at the Martial King realm, and most were Half Emperors.
This level of strength was truly formidable — stronger even than Green Wood Mountain. A starved camel was still bigger than a horse. Though the Flame Clan was nothing compared to its former glory, it still possessed formidable power.
Of course, if comparing fairly, they were still weaker than the Nine Powers. After all, the Nine Powers' true fighting strength lay in their Saint Council — those fellows in the Saint Council were the truly terrifying ones.
But the Flame Clan was different. Their elder powerhouses hadn't gone into seclusion. Instead, they lived in the same city as the younger generation, which was why the overall combat strength here appeared so impressive at a glance.
Under the guard's lead, Chu Feng and the others finally arrived at a grand, imposing hall. No one was inside at the moment, so they waited there first.
Before long, however, a tall, powerfully built man dressed in blazing red robes emerged, with the head guard following close behind.
This man's cultivation was nothing to scoff at — he was at the peak of the Half Emperor realm. Even his bearing was comparable to that of Dugu Xingfeng and the others. This was almost certainly the Flame Clan's Clan Leader.
"Brother Dugu, it's been a while. I trust you've been well."
"I didn't expect that this time, you'd bring along the Alliance of Spirit World Masters' Patriarch and Sitting Elder Brother Miao as well. What a pleasant surprise."