“Scalding Valley?” Zu An asked, stunned. That name sounded a bit familiar.

Grandgale explained, “In the East Sea, there’s a Scalding Valley. In it grows a giant Fusang Tree. The ten Golden Crow brothers perch on that very Fusang Tree. They take turns coming out, passing over Mount Qua, the Ever Spring, the Mulberry Field, Yuzhong, Mount Kunwu, Mount Niaoci, the Valley of Sorrow, Nuji, Yuanyu, Mount Lianshi, the Spring of Grief, and then finally arriving at the Yu Abyss, which is where the sun sets.”

“Wait, the Golden Crows are still coming out one after another right now?” Zu An asked in surprise.

“Of course. If they didn’t come out in order, wouldn’t the world burn down to nothing?” Grandgale replied, seemingly unable to understand why he would ask such an obvious question.

Zu An exchanged a look with the others. Their mission was to repeat Yi’s heroic path, and Yi’s most famous feat was shooting down nine of the ten suns. It was clear that after clearing all of the other trials, the nine suns were the last thing they had to take down.

However, if the Golden Crows were still coming out one by one as they were supposed to, didn’t that mean they weren’t breaking the rules? How was Zu An’s group supposed to complete their mission then?

They finally recalled that even though they had already spent some time in the Unknown Region, they had never seen ten suns come out at the same time. They hadn’t thought much of it before, but they finally realized that was the strangest part.

Grandgale didn’t notice the shock they felt. It continued, “The Scalding Valley is within the vast East Sea. There are countless terrifying monsters and demons in the East Sea. I fear that with your current strength, you won’t be able to reach that place safely.”

“Then what should we do?” the group asked, not doubting its words.

Even though Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue had recovered most of their strength, they knew that if they ran into the octopus from before again, their chances of victory wouldn’t be high. The East Sea was its home, after all. On top of that, it wasn’t the only monster there. Who knew how many terrifying creatures like that there were?

Zu An looked at Grandgale and said, “I must ask distinguished sir to show us the right path.” His words seemed to carry some implied meaning.

Sure enough, Grandgale stuck out its chest. There was a proud look on its face, as if it were waiting for them to beg it.

Yu Yanluo was good at reading intentions, and quickly helped Zu An to ask it gently for help.

Even though Yun Jianyue was normally fiery-tempered, the Devil Sect prioritized practicality. She knew that if they couldn't complete the heroic path, they could die here. As such, she also played along and offered flattery. Even so, she was used to being in a high position, so her words were stiff. Her flattery was far from sounding as smooth and pleasant as Yu Yanluo’s.

As for Yan Xuehen, with her nature, she really couldn't bring herself to do such things. She opened her mouth, but she still didn’t say anything in the end.

Grandgale nodded toward Yu Yanluo in satisfaction. Then, pulling Zu An to one side with a wing, it said, “Kid, it’s that Snake race woman who really knows how to speak. That long-haired human woman says one thing but means something different, so I feel embarrassed for her. Also, that woman in the white clothes and red waistband is a bit too cold, almost as if she’s looking down on me.”

Zu An said awkwardly, “You’ve misunderstood. That’s not what she means at all.”

Grandgale said, “Since you have the ancestor’s inheritance, we’re of a kind, so I’ll share some personal advice. You can make that Snake race woman your primary wife, the long-haired woman a concubine, and that white-clothed woman a servant at best to cut down her arrogance.”

Zu An was sweating buckets. If you knew about my other sweethearts, how would you rank them then? He hadn’t expected this guy to be so gossipy. He could only draw the conversation back to the main point, asking, “Senior, do you have a way of getting to the Scalding Valley?”

“If it were anyone else asking me, I wouldn’t even pay them any attention. But since you’re one of us, then…” Grandgale fell silent for a moment, then removed a feather. “Bring this feather with you. This is how to use it… It should be able to help you cross the sea and arrive at the Scalding Valley.”

Zu An was overjoyed. When he received the feather, he immediately felt the aura of the wind around it, as well as an unparalleled sense of profundity. He replied, “Thank you, senior!”

“Forget it, don’t call me senior. You have the ancestor’s inheritance, so your position might even be a bit higher than mine. Just call me Little… Ahem.” Grandgale had almost asked him to call it Littlegale, but that felt as if it would be undervaluing itself too much. It could only change the topic, saying, “Right. By the way, I still have to warn you that in the end, it’s fine to look around the Scalding Valley to experience the world, but you absolutely can’t provoke the ten Golden Crows. Otherwise, there won’t even be ashes left of you.”

“Thank you for the reminder,” Zu An said, showing him an awkward smile. If Grandgale knew he was going to kill the Golden Crows, what would its reaction be?

He was going to ask it about the Golden Crows, but that would make his intentions too obvious. If they ended up being related to Grandgale, it could decide to take back the feather. Meanwhile, the Fiend Emperor was a Golden Crow, so they were probably related to him. Because of his misgivings, Zu An eventually decided not to say anything.

The three women were curious, asking him what he had talked to Grandgale about. Zu An took out the feather, causing smiles to spread across the women’s faces.

However, Yan Xuehen quickly realized that something was off. She said, “It seemed to be saying something about me. The way it looked at me seemed to carry… disdain?”

Yun Jianyue also frowned slightly, saying, “You’re right. It seemed to be looking at me with pity.”

“Uh… You guys are mistaken,” Zu An said, at a loss for how to explain himself. Suddenly, though, he voiced his surprise. “Huh? Do you guys feel as if it’s suddenly become hot?”

“You are right. It has become hotter,” Yan Xuehen said. She was fair-skinned and naturally preferred the cold. She was the most sensitive to heat and subconsciously raised her head. She was stunned by what she saw.

The others also raised their heads. They saw that there seemed to be more than a single sun in the air. There were two, three… In the end, all ten appeared in the sky. The temperature of the surface immediately shot up. The trees, flowers, and grass quickly withered, and the river water started to evaporate. Wildfires began burning everywhere.

There were ten suns in the sky!

“Have those Golden Crows gone mad?!” Grandgale exclaimed, watching all the events unfold in a stupor. It had just said that the ten Golden Crows properly took turns, and yet those words had come back to bite it so quickly. It said, “Oh my gosh, no way, I can’t stay out here. My feathers are about to start burning! I have to go into hiding. Kid, I’m heading out first.”

It disappeared into the distance as soon as it spoke. Smoke visibly poured from its entire body. If it had left a bit slower, its feathers could even catch fire.

Zu An and the others were sweating like crazy. Zu An even decided to just take off his top, wondering, “Why was it still fine earlier, but now, all ten suns have suddenly appeared in the sky?”

“Something special must have happened,” Yan Xuehen replied.

Other than Yan Xuehen, whose ice element skills left her a bit better off, Yu Yanluo and Yun Jianyue were sweating so much that they undid their collars and continued to fan themselves with their hands. Their exposed skin immediately made Zu An feel even hotter.

…

Meanwhile, in a distant valley, the Fiend Emperor’s expression was ashen. If Zu An saw his current appearance, he would probably jump in fright.

The usually dignified Fiend Emperor had never been in such a difficult situation. Furthermore, his left arm was actually missing! Golden blood continuously dripped onto the ground.