"This should be the place." Hua Litong said, gazing at the statue of the Blazing Sun Monarch in the center of the hallway.
"The trail ended here. Where did that person go?" Yang Mengli looked at the ground but didn't find any trace.
Earlier, they arrived at the intersection area and found traces of a fireplace. They had followed the trail of footprints and arrived here afterwards.
"There should be some clues around here. Let's search for it." Hua Litong suggested walking to the statue and carefully examining it.
Meanwhile, Yang Mengli looked around the wall and occasionally poked at it, attempting to locate a concealed mechanism.
"Isn't that Young Miss Hua Litong? Hm? Young Miss Yang Mengli is also here?" All of a sudden, a male voice sounded from the entrance of the hallway, causing Hua Litong and Yang Mengli to quickly turn around.
"So it's Young Master Ji." Hua Litong calmed herself down after recognizing the newcomer's identity. He was none other than Ji Cheng, the Young Master of the Sword Profound Sect.
On Ji Cheng's side, Qi Tian'er stood gracefully, appearing unconcerned as she caught sight of Hua Litong and Yang Mengli.
Ji Cheng replied with an elegant smile, "Have you two just arrived here?"
Hua Litong and Yang Mengli replied with a slight nod. Yang Mengli turned to Qi Tian'er and said, "Greetings, Second Princess."
Qi Tian'er only gave a slight hum in response, showing little interest. Her eyes were glued to the statue in the center of the hallway.
Just as Ji Cheng was about to say something. He frowned slightly as he looked back and saw a female figure slowly appear in his sight. He greeted, "I didn't expect to meet Young Miss Hua Litong and Young Miss Hua Wanru at the same time. It seems that my luck is quite good."
The female figure was Hua Wanru, who had been wandering around this maze for several days before she found her way to this place. When she saw Ji Cheng, her expression changed slightly. "It's Young Master Ji... What did you just say? Did you meet my sister?"
"Wanru?" Hua Litong was surprised when she heard her younger sister's voice and quickly ran out of the hallway.
"Big sister!" Hua Wanru became excited as she quickly approached Hua Litong and gently took hold of her hands with a sweet smile.
"It's good that you are fine." A heavy stone was lifted from Hua Litong's heart when she saw that her younger sister was safe and sound.
"Have you encountered our sisters?" Hua Litong asked.
Hua Wanru shook her head. "I haven't met anyone since I arrived at this place."
Hua Litong thought for a moment and was about to tell Hua Wanru something, but was interrupted by Ji Cheng. "Two misses, why don't we go inside and talk there. I have a set of tables here."
Hua Litong glanced at Ji Cheng and nodded.
"Please." Ji Cheng made an inviting gesture, leading the two of them to the hallway before taking a table and chairs out of his interspatial ring. As a young master of the Sword Profound Sect, he naturally possessed an interspatial ring.
Everyone sat around the table, and Ji Cheng showed his gentlemanly side by pouring tea for them. However, Hua Litong, Hua Wanru, and Yang Mengli didn't touch it.
Ji Cheng's expression remained unchanged; he still wore a faint smile on his lips as he inquired, "May I ask how everyone arrived at this location?"
Hua Litong thought there was nothing to hide this information. "I encountered the Golden Earthworm and was teleported here by the sand wave."
Ji Cheng nodded thoughtfully. He then turned to Yang Mengli. "How about you, Young Miss Yang?"
"I fell into quicksand and found myself here afterwards." Replied Yang Mengli.
"It seems that everyone has different experiences. I and Tian'er encountered nothing, but we appeared here directly after stepping into the desert plain." Ji Cheng said, pondering on this matter. He continued, "There must be something going on here. I have never seen any records related to this place before."
"Earlier, I checked this statue, but I found nothing unusual." Qi Tian'er added.
Everyone turned to look at the statue and became lost in their own thoughts.
***
At this moment in the world of consciousness, Yun Lintian's body trembled nonstop as he gritted his teeth, fighting against the intense pain. His skin had become completely red, and the fresh droplet of sweat instantly evaporated upon exiting his pores.
His teeth were clenched tightly together, producing occasional cracking sounds. His forehead was covered in prominent blue veins, and his eyes had turned bloodshot, giving him a very frightening appearance. The pain reminded him that he wasn't dead, and he speculated that the burning heat might be connected to The Sun, considering the changes he felt within his Profound Vein.
Yun Lintian's Profound Vein was originally a variant type, consisting of three elements — Wood, Fire, and Water. The Wood and Water were compatible with each other, but the addition of the Fire element caused his Profound Vein to become chaotic and unbalanced. This was also the reason why Yun Lintian's talent was so low. Furthermore, the Misty Cloud Sect didn't have any profound art that was suitable for him. Even if he tried to practice the Misty Cloud Profound Art, he would never reach a high level.
However, at present, Yun Lintian could feel that his control over the Fire element had undergone a profound transformation. The chaos within his Profound Vein slowly disappeared, bit by bit. He no longer felt any conflict between the elements of Wood, Water, and Fire.
I have to endure it! This is definitely my first plot armor!... Thinking about it, Yun Lintian became ecstatic as he started to envision a beautiful life after acquiring this cheat ability. This change had brought him hope and gave birth to a determined ambition. With the ability to fully control the element of fire, becoming a Fire Emperor will no longer be a dream.
Hour after hour, Yun Lintian had already lost track of time. The intense pain had gradually decreased as time went by, and his body had now perfectly adapted to it. A moment later, the burning sensation within his body had completely disappeared. His eyes snapped open and he found himself standing naked on the ground, with Yan Qi and Little Flame looking at him with a strange expression on their faces.
"Not bad. You've fully taken over The Sun." Yan Qi broke the silence and nodded approvingly. With this, his thousands of years of duty had finally come to an end.
"Did I jump to the eighth level?" Yun Lintian clenched his fists, attempting to gauge his newfound strength. He discovered that his profound strength had jumped from the fifth level to the eighth level of the Essence Profound Realm. Moreover, his Profound Vein had turned crimson-red in color, which was certainly indicative of his ability to control the Fire element.
"I know you're excited right now, but can you put your clothes on first?" Yan Qi felt uncomfortable seeing a naked man.
Although he was old, that didn't mean he could ignore it. What was more, this boy's private part was unusually large, not at all the size of a typical sixteen-year-old boy. This made him flustered when he thought of himself during his youth... If I had this size back then, I wouldn't have been scolded by that beautiful courtesan. Alas, what a shame. Yan Qi lamented in his heart.
Yun Lintian glanced down at his body and was taken aback for a second before he swiftly put on the clothes.
"How long have I been here?" Yun Lintian asked.
"Ten days." Yan Qi answered.
"Ten days?… Oh no, senior sisters." Yun Lintian suddenly thought of his senior sisters and became worried.
Yan Qi smiled. "Relax. Since you've already obtained The Sun, this mythical realm naturally belongs to you. However, it is contingent upon the condition that you are here. After you leave, this mythical realm will cease to exist."
"Really? Quickly, tell me how to control it. I want to know the whereabouts of my senior sisters." Yun Lintian completely ignored the latter part and asked Yan Qi directly.
Yan Qi was speechless. He said, "Where has your manners gone? Don't call me "enior anymore? Did you hear that? This mythical realm will vanish forever if you leave. No sentiment at all?"
Yun Lintian snorted, "Heh, I've already lost all respect for you since the moment you threw me to The Sun. Don't think that I don't know you're actually not confident about whether I am the right person."
Yan Qi was shocked. "H... How did you know?"
Yun Lintian rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap! Don't pretend in front of me. Now, tell me, how can I locate the position of my senior sisters?"
Yan Qi laughed slightly without any shame. "Hehe, young man, calm down first. Have you ever heard this sentence, haste make waste?" Seeing that Yun Lintian was about to curse him, Yan Qi hurriedly added, "You can go to my Blazing Sun Throne and inject a trace of fire element profound energy into it."
Yun Lintian ignored Yan Qi and went straight to the crimson throne. He did as Yan Qi said, and suddenly the throne lit up. A moment later, several translucent projections appeared out of thin air before the throne, projecting every single person who currently resided within the mythical realm.
"CCTV?" Yun Lintian was surprised. This was the first time he encountered this kind of technology in the Azure World.
His eyes scanned through the projections one by one until he paused at a group of six women and one man. When he saw the miserable appearances of Yun Chan and Yun Ting, his complexion instantly turned cold.
"Who did it?" Yun Lintian spoke coldly in a low voice. A fierce aura of killing intent emanated from his body, leaving Yan Qi and Little Flame astonished as they exchanged glances. They never expected that a sixteen-year-old boy could emit such a murderous aura, which made them wonder how many people he had killed.
Yun Lintian continued scanning through the projections. On one projection, there was a fierce battle between Hua's sisters, Yang Mengli, three of his senior sisters, and several individuals from the Sword Profound Sect as well as the Sacred Flame Sect. Hua Litong's group was currently overwhelmed by their opponents, and they probably could not hold on much longer.
"Is it above this place?" Yun Lintian said to himself. He turned to Yan Qi and asked, "Are there any traps around here? I know you definitely have one, right?"
Yan Qi smiled mysteriously. "Of course, I have."