Ten years later, aside from the Beech Tree Elder, no one knows where they currently are, including Hou Niao.
During these ten years, he has never taken flight once, and it is this attitude that the Beech Tree Elder appreciates the most; he can guess that the main reason the grand tree carries them is to prevent him from knowing the exact location of the Wood Spirit Orb.
It’s sowhat like ’no three hundred taels of silver buried here’, but he understands the beech tree’s sentint, as the Wood Spirit Orb is the ultimate treasure of Beimu Forest and must not be lost.
"Elder, where is the fire?" Little Mushroom and Little Tail exclaid in surprise. Though still far away, as wood spirits, they are very sensitive to the Fire Elent, which is the most against wood among the Five Elents.
Of course, the Beech Tree Elder and Hou Niao were long aware; the direction they are heading toward is precisely the direction of the mountain fire.
The Beech Tree Elder’s deep voice said, "The biggest problem for Beimu Forest is the mountain fire. Every year there are fires, sotis spreading boundlessly. The place I’m taking you to is the center ravaged by the mountain fire..."
Hou Niao’s mind was stirred, "Thank you, Elder, for this opportunity."
His purpose for coming had already been told to the Beech Tree Elder. This old tree, after ten years of contact, had probably acknowledged him to so extent, thus choosing this place for the final test, which was actually a hint in disguise.
The Wood Spirit Orb is right below the fire field!
The mysteries of the Five Elents are often unbelievably mysterious. The place where the fire rages is precisely where the Wood Spirit Orb remains. If not for the Beech Tree Elder, Hou Niao would never have figured it out.
He would only search in places abundant with wood spirits. This is almost every cultivator’s intuition, but the truth is that the Wood Spirit Orb possesses wisdom beyond human imagination.
Is it to suppress the mountain fire? Or for the rebirth of life after the fire? Only by going in person will he know.
After crossing several mountains, black mist and thick smoke can already be vaguely seen ahead, and a strong, choking scent rushes toward them, including the scent of animals being roasted.
"Mountain fire is the greatest enemy of Beimu Forest. Whenever thunder strikes the sky, I can’t help but worry about which fallen leaves might catch fire, causing irreparable damage."
"We’ve lived here for thousands upon thousands of years, never has there been a period like now with such frequent mountain fires, intensifying more and more, even with the Wood Elent Pearl present, it can’t change a thing."
In the Beech Tree Elder’s ramblings, they drew closer and closer to the fire field, stopping several miles away, unable to proceed further. Going forward any more, Hou Niao would be in for so cooked mushroom treats.
Hou Niao took a few steps forward, turned back, "Elder, actually, I can’t really solve anything here..."
The Beech Tree Elder’s bark wrinkled, "I’m not asking you to solve anything, but rely to fulfill my promise. No one should or can control nature."
Watching Hou Niao disappear into the dense trees ahead, the Beech Tree Elder turned and walked back. Little Mushroom wanted to jump down, but it seed stuck as if glued, unable to leave the beech tree’s trunk.
"Elder, you..."
The Beech Tree Elder walked firmly, educating the two young ones along the way, "On the way back, I will have a good talk with you about fleeting encounters and the art of tasting lightly... That human isn’t ordinary; it’s not that there’s anything wrong with him, but his future is dood to be treacherous. To walk beside him, you not only need strength but also great fortune.
Consider this a fleeting encounter in your life. Once it’s gone, let it go. Don’t hold on, or you risk no longer being wood spirits, ultimately becoming wooden carvings."
... Hou Niao rushed forward, having stayed on the beech tree for ten years, made his brain sowhat dull.
He still hasn’t yet felt the Wood Elent Pearl’s power here, but the beech tree wouldn’t waste ten years just to trick him into traveling.
Having just walked a few miles, the searing heat waves et him head-on, and various small animals scamper out in a panic. At this point, ordinary humans cannot withstand the scorching heat, but to a cultivator, such mundane fire holds no significance.
As he continued inward, he stepped into the fire field; the dense smoke and scorching gales made this place a dead zone.
This is a vastly expanded mountain fire which has been burning for several months. The only way to extinguish it now is a heavy rain, a thorough downpour.
He never intended to stop this mountain fire, nor did the Beech Tree Elder. They both know this is part of the Heavenly Dao’s cycle, part of reincarnation.
Death and birth, for plants, it’s the sa.
He searched within the fire field, following his instinct; positioning himself at several mountain tops made finding the approximate location of the Wood Spirit Orb not as difficult.
He sat cross-legged amidst ashes at the center, quietly sensing the faint Wood Elent presence, even amidst the blazing field, it remains resilient, waiting for rebirth.
He too awaited the opportunity, the opportunity for the interplay of the Five Elents.
Gradually integrating his perception into the soil layer and the root systems of those plants, part of them, buried underfoot, still holds weak vitality, enduring as they head toward death.
At this point, it was no longer just a simple matter of the Wood Elent solving the problem, but several more critical aspects, such as Water, Earth...
This nature is composed of the Five Elents. When they complete a cycle, often, the entire Five Elents Yin Yang is at play, not just a single elent.
Plants rely only on the Wood Elent, which is one-sided; they depend equally heavily on water and earth, dread the Gold Fire, relying on each other and constraining each other in one structure.
The mountain fire’s devastation was nearing its end. A series of small rains over a month stopped it from spreading. A month later, dense clouds gathered, brewing a storm.
Hou Niao extended his perception as far as it could reach, needing to judge the wave directions of the other Four Elents when the Wood Elent power turns defensive to offensive.
This was originally an impossible task, as the Five Elents are everywhere; he could do it because he has already mastered the Four Elents, situated at the Wood Elent core, sensing the roles the other Four Elents play in the cycle of life and death in Beimu Forest...
A muffled thunder sounded, a torrential rain poured down, and the mountain fire could no longer rage under the heavy rain. As the rainwater soaked into the soil, nourishing those drought-stricken roots, life showed its resilience in this mont.
Hou Niao could clearly feel the power of Earth and Water Elents transmitting over; he was very familiar with them, like old friends reunited,
and then, the Gold Elent joined in, still sowhat unfamiliar, but not alienated.
Sothing was changing underground in Beimu Forest, the Wood Elent began to take the initiative, with the help of the other three elents, driving the raging Fire Elent away.
With several rounds of tussle and pull, ultimately, the Fire Elent retreated from influencing Beimu Forest; in the battle of the Five Elents, advances and retreats are also normal.
Hou Niao raised his head, gazing south, precisely the direction from which the Fire Elent retreated.
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