Qin Ruqing and the others didn’t wait for the snowstorm to stop. With Qin Ruqing’s flames around, the icy weather posed no threat to them.

So, Tang Zifeng brought out his flying boat, which had wings like a small bird.

After Qin Ruqing and the others boarded, the golden lotus floated above their heads, creating a golden transparent smoky warmth shield, and they set off.

Tang Zifeng rejected Qin Ruqing’s request to let her pilot the boat and silently glanced at the golden lotus above and the snow and ice outside, asking Qin Ruqing, “Will having this flame constantly active outside excessively deplete your spiritual power? If so, wouldn’t it be better to use a spiritual energy shield for protection?”

Qin Ruqing waved her hand, “Don’t worry, this thing doesn’t consume much at all… I mean spiritual power. It can burn on its own. Even if there’s no energy left later on, I just need to draw a bit of my own spiritual power, and it can last for a long time.”

After all, it merged with her innate flame talent, possessing the characteristic of being self-sustaining due to her Dao Physique.

Tang Zifeng pondered for a moment and said, “Your innate flame talent is probably no less powerful than any heavenly fire.”

Hearing Tang Zifeng mention heavenly fires, Qin Ruqing became excited and leaned closer to him, “My dear Elder Tang, do you know what heavenly fire has a texture like smoke, is golden in color, and can scorch the soul?”

Tang Zifeng felt a sensation at the back of his neck, his back straightened involuntarily, and he calmly replied, “Your flame has those characteristics. It’s like smoke and is golden in color.”

“Yes, brother,” Qirong interjected, “Didn’t you say earlier that this flame is the innate flame of your Dao Physique?”

Qin Ruqing reclined lazily, “Yes, because my Cloud Smoke Golden Lotus Fire is the result of the fusion between that kind of heavenly fire I mentioned earlier and my own innate flame.”

Lu Wei was also puzzled, “Can flames really merge like that?”

Qin Ruqing shook her head, “I’m not entirely sure. I feel like my understanding of the Dao Physique is still too limited. My intuition tells me that this flame’s ability to merge must be related to my innate flame.”

It was definitely because of the Dao body, not the previous heavenly fire.

Heavenly fire itself was the most top-tier flame in the world, with its own intelligence and pride.

How could it allow another flame of similar level to merge with it?

The boat fell silent for a while because none of them could answer this question.

They were still relatively weak.

Despite growing up, the farthest they had ventured was mostly within the Southern Domain, which was the weakest in overall strength among the four domains.

Looking across the entire Southern Domain, there were probably only a few people who could explain what was happening with Qin Ruqing.

After a while, Qirong asked a question he had been wanting to ask for a long time, “Sister, how powerful are you now?”

“How powerful?” Qin Ruqing extended her slender, fair hand, suspended in the air in front of her, clenching and then opening it again, “Approximately, I can handle anything below the Foundation Establishment stage.”

However, she chuckled, “But to avoid embarrassment, I have to add a caveat. This is just an estimate, and I don’t know for sure how it will hold up in actual combat.”

But Qin Ruqing was never one to boast.

She always spoke very cautiously, refraining from saying anything she wasn’t sure about or doing anything she wasn’t confident in.

When she said something like this, it was basically true.

“Below the Foundation Establishment stage,” that meant she could

At all stages, whether mid or late, they could now confront it head-on.

This was truly stunning, even beyond their imagination.

It was like suddenly seeing the towering mountains clearly before them.

After a moment of silence, Qirong clenched his fist and said, “Sister, I will search this hidden realm for more treasures of heaven and earth, and then intensify my body forging. The Yang Family’s body forging secrets you gave me last time have inspired me anew.”

Qin Ruqing replied, “It’s about time. Your devouring physique isn’t much weaker than my Dao Physique. If you’ve only reached the seventh level of Qi cultivation by now, you must not have found the right cultivation method. Perhaps your constitution is also in an evolutionary stage like my Dao Physique?”

Lu Wei added softly, “Once I adjust my state, I’ll start absorbing the heart of the earth fire. With powerful flames, both my alchemy and swordsmanship will improve significantly.”

Qirong and Lu Wei had shared their plans, but Tang Zifeng, steering the flying boat ahead, remained silent.

Qin Ruqing looked at his figure, as motionless as a pine board, and couldn’t help asking, “Hey, Tang Zifeng, what are your thoughts?”

The ears ahead seemed to twitch, then came the response, “I am naturally refining artifacts.”

Qin Ruqing chuckled, “Isn’t that the same as saying nothing? What level of spiritual artifact, ideally one that serves our goals?”

There was silence from the front for a while. Qirong interjected, “Sister, Brother Tang is very modest and shy. It’s not easy for him to answer like this.”

Just as Qirong finished speaking, Tang Zifeng said, “Naturally, it’s a spiritual artifact capable of bursting through Nascent Realm.”

At least capable of bursting through someone at the level of the Fifth Lingyu.

Qirong: “…Speechless!”

Qin Ruqing laughed, “Hahaha, Qirong, this is your Brother Tang’s modesty!”

Snow fell quietly, wrapping the world in a mantle of silver, as a silent flying boat carried laughter and joy forward.

Near a small floating canyon waterfall, a group had gathered.

Leading them was a striking woman in red, the Fairy Yijun from the Lin family.

They had been gathered here for some time now, engaging in normal cultivation and short-distance treasure hunting.

But lately, they had grown restless.

“Fairy Yijun, do you have a plan to deal with the Purple Thunder Beast? It’s not fair to keep us here without allowing us to take action. Don’t you think we deserve an explanation?”

They had come here upon hearing about the Mysterious Heart Liquid.

Although guarded by a Golden Core stage Purple Thunder Beast, with so many of them, there had to be a way.

Even if they couldn’t overpower it, they could surely outsmart it.

Yet Lin Yijun insisted on keeping them restrained, forbidding any rash moves until a well-planned strategy was in place.

The Purple Thunder Beast was a formidable beast at the Golden Core stage, and they only had one chance to strike.

If they alerted it prematurely and it became more cautious, any subsequent attempts would be much harder.

It made sense, but as days passed without any clear next steps, frustrations grew among the group.

They had been told to plan meticulously, but where was the plan?

Facing their questioning looks, Lin Yijun raised a hand in a calming gesture. “Please, everyone, remain patient.”

The people continued to murmur until a whip cracked through the air, silencing them instantly.

Qin Ruqing and the others, who had recently arrived and were hiding behind a nearby tree, witnessed the scene.

Qirong puzzled, “Why do these people listen to Lin Yijun? Aren’t they all from prominent families? Even if there are differences in strength and status, they don’t have to obey her completely, right?”

Qin Ruqing, perched on the thinnest branch above, stifled a laugh and replied, “Isn’t it possible that those people aren’t fools either? Facing a Golden Core stage demonic beast, it’s not as simple as just rushing in. Despite their complaints, if they were really asked to act, they might hesitate immediately. Right now, they’re probably waiting for someone else to take the lead.”

“Look at how boldly Lin Yijun acts. Clearly, she intends to take the lead. They’re probably happy to let her go first and test the waters, especially since Lin Yijun is at the ninth level of Qi cultivation and wields a nine-section whip, which is comparable to Foundation Establishment stage combat power. It’s a good chance to gauge the situation.”

From the left, Lu Wei remarked, “However, Lin Yijun is probably not naive.”

“Naive or not, who knows? These people all have their own motives, using each other is quite likely.”

While they conversed, Tang Zifeng listened silently.

He didn’t join them on the tree; Tang preferred to keep a low profile.

He squatted on one knee on a branch, like a ninja assassin, in a rather cool and aloof posture.

Tang Zifeng didn’t care about Lin Yijun at all.

Instead, he noticed Qin Ruqing perched precariously at the tip of the tree’s topmost branch.

Seeing her swaying, he couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you afraid of being spotted like this?”

Qin Ruqing glanced at him through the gap in the branches and casually replied, “Even if they spot you, they won’t spot me.” She swayed a bit more, almost as if to prove her point.

Sure enough, none of the people ahead turned their heads toward them.