"I don't know what's going on with Mu Qing, but Feng Xin was looking for Jian Lan and the fetus spirit," Xie Lian whispered to Hua Cheng.
"They couldn't have…" Surely Feng Xin couldn't have stayed behind in the Heavenly Capital while the rest of them fled and been trapped in the alternating floods and infernos as they hurtled between Heaven and Earth?
Or worse, maybe both he and Mu Qing were in Jun Wu's clutches!
The state preceptor walked over. "Your Highness, there's no need to keep searching. He would have no reason to hide if he were in the area— there might be a lot of people around, but not many His Highness would care to pay attention to. Since he's not here, he could have only gone to one place, and it's somewhere he'd want you to follow him."
Xie Lian understood. "Mount Tonglu?"
The state preceptor nodded. "He probably activated the Teleportation Array. After the Heavenly Capital, that's the domain where he's most powerful."
"Huh? You're going to Mount Tonglu?" Shi Qingxuan exclaimed.
"That horrifying place?!"
"We've already been there once," Xie Lian said. "It's all right; it's not that scary. Maybe Feng Xin and Mu Qing are there too."
However, the state preceptor warned him, "Don't lower your guard;
you won't encounter the same things this time." After a pause, he said, "I think I'll accompany the two of you, and it'd be best if you could find a few dependable martial gods to help. No one who's injured—even if they offer their aid, they'll only drag you down."
That would be a real challenge. A "dependable martial god"? Perhaps there had once been some dependable martial gods around, but there weren't many left at this point. Some had fallen, some were burnt to a crisp, some were missing in action, some had a wailing child hugging their leg.
"There's no need to look for any helpers—they're all useless," Hua Cheng said. "Gege and I are enough."
"You definitely won't be enough," the state preceptor insisted.
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower, can you please not say 'They're all useless' in such a convincing tone?!" Pei Ming objected from afar.
Shi Qingxuan laughed heartily. "General Pei, what are you complaining about?! You're burnt to a crisp, and you didn't even cut down as many rats as Lord Rain Master!"
It had been a long time since he'd seen Pei Ming, but Shi Qingxuan still found pleasure in taunting him. Pei Ming had been stabbed where it hurt and couldn't do a thing about it, so he sank back into depression.
A voice suddenly rang out. "Wait, take me. I'll go."
The crowd parted to see who had spoken and were surprised to discover Mu Qing. It seemed he'd been standing at the very back of the massive group for a while.
Xie Lian took a breath of relief at the sight of him. "Mu Qing? When did you get here? Where were you earlier? I thought you'd gone missing too."
"I've been here the whole time," Mu Qing claimed.
Hua Cheng crossed his arms, giving him a side-eye. "Been here the whole time, but without saying a word or lending a hand, huh?"
"I told you—I've been here the whole time," Mu Qing replied tonelessly. "It's just that I didn't speak and none of you saw me. That's all."
However, there had been several occasions when they needed people and he couldn't be found; he never answered, even when called directly.
Everyone had naturally assumed that General Xuan Zhen had gone missing.
Xie Lian hoped that Feng Xin might still be in the crowd as well, but a search turned up nothing—he really wasn't here.
And so, he could only say, "All right. You're coming along to help?
That's great—finally someone useful."
Thus, Mu Qing walked over to join the group. When they saw that he was coming along, the state preceptor and Hua Cheng wore the same expressions for once. Both of them had disliked Mu Qing for ages—no need to reiterate Hua Cheng's reasons, but the state preceptor hadn't really wanted to take Mu Qing as a disciple from the start. Even in this dire situation, it was fairly clear that he'd rather not have any helpers at all than have one like Mu Qing.
Mu Qing couldn't be ignorant of their opinions, but when he approached, he still bowed to the state preceptor and quietly acknowledged him with, "Master."
The state preceptor simply nodded without a word. After all, it wasn't like Mu Qing had done anything heinous or criminal—and he had offered to help, so there was no reason to refuse his assistance.
Turning to Shi Qingxuan, the state preceptor said, "His Highness's divine statue will guard this place. It'll still be a few days before the vengeful spirits are completely purified. But you've got plenty of help here, so you'll need to take care of it yourselves."
Shi Qingxuan nodded. "Of course! But wait! Elder, I've asked you this so many times already—will you please answer me? Who are you?"
The state preceptor didn't answer.
The expedition group followed Hua Cheng to the front of a nearby mansion. Tossing a die into the air with practiced ease, he reached out to open the door—but unexpectedly, his color changed slightly when he glanced down at the results.
Xie Lian was sharp and caught it. "What is it, San Lang? Is the Teleportation Array not activating?"
Hua Cheng snapped out of it and smiled. "No. It's just… It's rare that I roll like this."
He opened his palm to show Xie Lian, who pressed close to look. He was also shocked at the sight.
A lonesome die sat upon his pale white palm, and it showed a lonesome dot.
There were always six bright red dots whenever Hua Cheng rolled— ones were truly very rare. Xie Lian's heart trembled.
"What does this mean…? Is it a mistake?"
"Based on past experiences, it probably means there's something extremely dangerous waiting for me ahead," Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian's heart lurched a little bit, and he couldn't find the words to reply.
Behind them, the state preceptor sighed. "How many times have I told you young people that gambling is bad and that you should quit? Look at him, Your Highness. Look at the rotten habit he's picked up!"
It was a bad omen, but Hua Cheng still looked unperturbed; he tucked the dice away, smiling. "It doesn't actually matter what I roll—it's just for my own reference. I'm the only one who gets to decide whether it's dangerous or not." Then he opened the door. "Let's go, gege."
He turned and was just about to cross the threshold when Xie Lian reached out automatically and pulled him back, almost blurting, "Don't go!"
But Xie Lian knew that was impossible to ask of him.
In the end, he only said softly, "Let's go. But don't leave my side. If anything happens, I will protect you."
Hua Cheng was stunned by this. It was a good moment before the corners of his lips curled, and he broke into a wide smile. "All right. Gege, remember to protect me."
"…" Mu Qing watched from the side, his expression unreadable—it was one of either horror or disgust. However, the moment Hua Cheng opened the door, a wave of scorching heat lunged at him, extinguishing any further strange faces.
The volcano had erupted not long ago, and the flying debris and ash choking the skies hadn't yet dispersed. The forests that had once been here were now ablaze, and the fires devoured every living thing—Mount Tonglu's former appearance was replaced by this hellish inferno, painted entirely in red.
The moment Xie Lian and company emerged from a rocky cave on a hill, they were almost suffocated by the ash in the air.
"Is he really here?"
"Likely nearer to the Kiln," Mu Qing said.
"The volcano erupted; there's probably nowhere near the Kiln he could stay."
However, the state preceptor said, "I know where he is—if it hasn't been destroyed, that is. Just follow me and you'll see when we get there."
The group made their way down the tall hill, and Hua Cheng walked in front of Xie Lian the entire time. Where rubble and tall weeds made steps difficult, he'd go forward first to flatten the path before turning around to reach for Xie Lian and help him down. Otherwise, Xie Lian probably would've descended much faster—by slipping at the highest point of the hill and rolling all the way to the bottom.
While Xie Lian didn't slip, they were surprised when someone else did instead—Mu Qing was bringing up the rear and lost his footing, his balance swaying. Xie Lian was closest and caught him with a quick hand.
"Watch out!"
Mu Qing jolted slightly before seeming to return to his senses. "I know."
Mu Qing was behaving quite oddly, but Xie Lian let go. Turning his head, he suddenly remembered something and quickly jogged to Hua Cheng's side to whisper a question.
"By the way, San Lang—when Feng Xin and Mu Qing were fighting on the snowy mountain top, what did you hear them say? Why did you get so angry?"
Hua Cheng's face turned slightly cold at the question, but he concealed his expression a moment later. "Oh, that. They were just talking without thinking and said some disrespectful things about gege. That's all."
"Huh?" Xie Lian asked. "Like what?"
"Gege doesn't need to know," Hua Cheng said. "It'll dirty your ears.
Come, we're down."
The four of them had descended the tall hill, and, after walking for a bit, their path forward was blocked by a river. But this river didn't flow with clear water; it flowed with bubbling crimson-red sludge—molten lava!
At this burning temperature, a normal person wouldn't even need to fall in; they'd die from proximity to the radiating heat. Fortunately, none of them were mortals, so they could endure this bone-melting land.
The state preceptor kept wiping at the sweat on his face. "It should be right across here. There used to be a moat, but we won't be able to cross now that it's like this."
"We'll probably need something to help us across the river," Xie Lian said.
If the giant divine statue were here, they could've crossed swiftly in a few huge steps, but it had been left behind at the royal capital to stand guard and suppress the vicious spirits. And the three mountain spirits had already transformed into a sword, so it was best that they didn't come.
"San Lang, can the silver butterflies bring us across?" Xie Lian asked.
"They might melt halfway across, thanks to the steam," Hua Cheng replied.
It wouldn't be great to fall halfway through crossing and plunge headfirst into the heart of the lava stream.
"But there's a ready-made path," Hua Cheng added.
The group turned to see what he meant, and a moment later, Xie Lian exclaimed, "Why are there people in the lava?"
It was the absolute truth—Xie Lian wasn't hallucinating. In that instant, he saw a ghastly pale hand poke out of the lava and reach toward the sky.
"It's true!" Mu Qing cried, looking closer. "And there's not just one…?"
There were hundreds upon thousands of them. Bodies and heads floated on the surface of the river, some rolling and turning with the current of the lava stream, some pushing against it. All the bodies were peculiarly white, and their faces were indistinct. They were not living humans.
Xie Lian figured it out. "They're the empty-shelled people from the royal capital of Wuyong… They've been flushed out here by the lava."
Considering their martial skills, it wouldn't be too difficult to leap across using the empty-shelled people as stepping stones. These deceased spirits were already struggling in torment in the burning stream, so it was rather tragic that they would be stepped on as well. But they didn't have time to worry about that now.
Mu Qing went first. Choosing his path, he crossed the moat in a few quick bounds. He stood on the other shore, looking back their way.
Xie Lian turned to the state preceptor. "Let me take you across next."
The state preceptor nodded and moved toward him—he wasn't a martial god and didn't practice martial arts, after all, so he needed someone to help him.
However, Hua Cheng spoke up. "Gege, let me."
Xie Lian went along with his request. "All right."
Thus, Hua Cheng stepped forward and took the state preceptor's arm like he was assisting an elderly man. "Lord State Preceptor, sir, please watch your step."
The state preceptor turned his head and knitted his brows when he saw that Xie Lian wasn't the one taking him. "Huh? Why is it you?"
Xie Lian couldn't help but puff a laugh, hiding it with a light cough.
"San Lang very sincerely told me that he wanted to assist you, so I'll let him do it on my behalf."
"Why so attentive out of the blue?" the state preceptor demanded.
"Does it matter if it's me or gege?" Hua Cheng said with a wide smile.
"Besides, sir, I respect you very much, so of course I don't mind helping.
This is nothing."
The state preceptor was speechless for a moment, then said, "If you really respect me, wipe that fake smile off your face. That fake attitude is too much."
Hua Cheng immediately wiped said smile away. "Oh."
Without another word, he lifted the state preceptor, and they were on the other shore in a flash. He was staggeringly fast, and before the state preceptor could react, he was already standing by Mu Qing's side, completely stunned. As for the empty-shelled people Hua Cheng had stepped on, they hadn't even noticed. They simply rubbed their heads, puzzled to see nothing when they looked up, and continued to swim in the lava stream.
Sense finally returned to the state preceptor, and he glanced at Hua Cheng to give his judgment. "Not bad, I suppose."
That's way too strict. How could skill like that only be "not bad"? Xie Lian thought, shaking his head.
"I'm coming over now too!" he called.
Hua Cheng turned around. "Gege, stay there! I'll come get you!"
But Xie Lian had already acted before he heard Hua Cheng's words.
He leapt and landed on tiptoe upon the stomach of an empty-shelled person floating faceup. He felt the solid body beneath his feet dip, but he had already leapt again, landing on the head of another empty-shelled person further on.
In this manner, he used five or six of them to reach the center of the lava stream. Just as Xie Lian was about to make another leap, however, he sank down abruptly and almost lost his balance. After using his incomparably fast reflexes to steady himself, he looked down—only to see that the shell beneath his feet had reached out and caught his boot!
Oh no, not again! Xie Lian groaned to himself. His terribly bad luck had struck once more. The people before him had crossed the river just fine, but he just had to land on a monster that decided to be difficult—it kept his right ankle in its grip and refused to let him jump!
The empty-shelled people only floated on the lava stream because they were hollow, so they couldn't support much weight. Xie Lian was sweating profusely from the boiling steam, and a corner of his sleeve caught on fire. If he remained where he was, then he and the stepping stone alike were going to sink into the lava, and his whole body would catch ablaze!
Forced to think on his feet amidst imminent peril, an idea came to Xie Lian at the last second. Ruoye flew out and caught another empty-shelled person about three feet ahead, then dragged it over. Xie Lian put his left foot on that shell's back. The two empty shells together could support his weight, increasing his buoyancy so he wouldn't sink. With the crisis averted, Xie Lian unsheathed Fangxin and slashed away the arm that had seized him.
Just as he was about to leap again, a red figure flashed to his side.
"San Lang? I'm okay; you didn't need to come over," Xie Lian said.
Hua Cheng palm-blasted the troublesome empty-shelled person into pieces. "Let's talk after we're ashore."
Once they both reached solid ground, Xie Lian said, "Sorry I made you worry."
"It's my fault," Hua Cheng said. "I should've told you to wait for me before I crossed…should've said I'd come back for you."
"All right, all right," the state preceptor chided. "Break it up. His Highness isn't that weak; he can handle himself fine without your help. Why did you insist on going to get him? Come! This way."
Once the group climbed ashore, they kept walking for a while.
Eventually, they reached the Palace of Wuyong.
Half of the palace was buried underground. When the group entered, they found that the path slanted downward, leading them straight into the deep recesses of the earth. The scorching air gradually cooled as they left the surface.
The underground palace was completely empty—even the smallest movement echoed and reverberated.
Each member of the group ignited a palm torch to illuminate their surroundings. Although the palace had been sealed for a long time, it was still quite majestic and sumptuous—the firelight reflected upon shimmering golden patterns, sculpted beams, and painted walls. However, the lack of any living souls made the atmosphere feel dead, like a massive mausoleum.
"This is where His Highness grew up," the state preceptor explained.
"Is he really here?" Mu Qing asked.
"What do you think?" the state preceptor replied. "This is where his powers are the strongest, so watch yourselves."
Just then, Xie Lian noticed something.
On Hua Cheng's waist, the silver eyeball on Eming's hilt was spinning rapidly with unusual agitation. However, Hua Cheng's expression was still cool and focused, as if he was ignoring it completely. Xie Lian couldn't help but reach out to pet it, and only then did Eming calm somewhat. When Hua Cheng glanced down and saw Xie Lian's hand still resting on the hilt, he smiled. But just as he was about to make a comment, cackling laughter echoed from the corners of the great hall.
It was the laugh of a middle-aged man, sly and cunning like it had just come up with a scheme. It made the hairs on Xie Lian's neck stand on end— and reminded him that he'd heard that voice before.
It was the voice of the fetus spirit!
"Over there!" Mu Qing shouted, then tossed a ball of flame to brighten the space above them.
A white lump was pressed into one high corner of the palace ceiling like a gecko—it was the fetus spirit! Its long, bright red tongue was licking its own back like it was scratching an itch. When it saw the flames come flying nearby, it snickered and hurled something that resembled vomit at Mu Qing.
Mu Qing dodged the attack, his expression full of contempt.
The state preceptor looked at the sticky mess on the ground, then looked at the fetus spirit above. "Is that really the child of that brat Feng Xin?" he said in disgust.
"Wait! Cuocuo! You're named Cuocuo, right?" Xie Lian quickly called out.
When the fetus spirit heard its name, it paused for a moment and turned to look at him.
"Cuocuo, we've come to find…to find…to find your dad," Xie Lian said. "Do you know where he is?"
When the fetus spirit heard "your dad," it snorted. It scuttled away on all four limbs and disappeared.
"Cuocuo? Quick, find it!" Xie Lian called out.
The group burned their palm torches brighter and searched.
Suddenly, Mu Qing exclaimed, "That way?"
"Which way?" Xie Lian responded.
"I saw it go down there just now," Mu Qing said.
He was pointing at a hallway coming off one wall—it was a long, narrow corridor, thick with a haunting, gloomy air. Even if they didn't know where it led, it obviously wouldn't be anywhere good.
"Did you really see it go there?" Hua Cheng suddenly said.
"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Mu Qing replied with irritation, probably feeling that he was being targeted.
"Ha." Hua Cheng gave a brusque laugh that contained no emotion and didn't sound friendly.
"What are you two fighting about at a time like this?" the state preceptor chided. "Let's go check it out—and don't overlook anything suspicious."
The long corridor was very narrow—it must've been much wider at some point, but it had been crushed since then, and now only one person could pass at a time. Perhaps Mu Qing still felt indignant about the doubt in Hua Cheng's voice earlier, as he took the lead. Naturally, Hua Cheng walked in front of Xie Lian to open the path for him, but Xie Lian noticed that Eming's eye was spinning wildly again at Hua Cheng's waist. Something clicked in his mind, and he quickly pulled Hua Cheng behind him.
"What is it?" Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian cleared his throat. "…Didn't I say that I'd protect you? Stay behind me."
Hua Cheng laughed softly.
And so the four of them entered the corridor. Xie Lian felt increasingly uncomfortable as they moved forward—his instincts were extremely acute when it came to danger, and whatever had set them off was right ahead of them.
"Master, do you remember where this path leads?" Xie Lian asked.
"Why is it that the more we walk, the more I sense a very heavy…" Murderous aura.
And it wasn't a hot fury but a very cold, frozen one. The deeper they went, the tenser Xie Lian became.
The state preceptor did not answer him. Xie Lian's heart stopped for a moment, and he raised his voice to ask again.
"Master?"
Still no answer. Xie Lian whipped his head around only to discover that there was not a soul behind him! When did that happen?!
He hadn't noticed sooner because both palm torches that Hua Cheng and the state preceptor had released were still floating in the air, shuffling along with him and lighting the way for masters who had now vanished.
Mu Qing turned back to look as well and asked in shock, "Where's Crimson Rain Sought Flower?"
Without another word, Xie Lian headed back the way they came.
However, Mu Qing caught him.
"What are you doing? We're almost there! Besides, do you really think Crimson Rain Sought Flower would go back?"
"No…" Xie Lian replied.
It was scary precisely because Hua Cheng would never go back on his own without telling him!
Xie Lian suddenly remembered something he'd been given by Hua Cheng, and he quickly raised his hand to look. The red string on his third finger was still bright and vivid—a clear indicator that Hua Cheng was okay.
Xie Lian sighed in relief, but when he remembered the one Hua Cheng had rolled before they came, his eyebrow twitched.
"I doubt you'll find anything even if you go back," Mu Qing said. "So why not continue forward and see what's here? Wouldn't you be wasting time if you went back, found nothing, and had to come here again?"
Xie Lian was just about to reply, but then he held his breath. "Shh… Listen. What's that sound?"
Mu Qing listened intently.
They could hear a man breathing deeply and quietly…and it was coming from ahead!
On high alert, they gripped their weapons tightly as they walked. They finally emerged from the long corridor and found themselves in a chamber.
Mu Qing carefully felt around, and Xie Lian sent out a small flame with the flick of a finger. It moved forward to illuminate a figure sprawled on the ground.
Xie Lian recognized the man the moment he saw his back. He rushed over. "Feng Xin?!"
He flipped Feng Xin to confirm. The man was covered in burns and gashes, but his life wasn't in danger. Xie Lian patted him carefully for a little while before he slowly came to. As soon as he woke, he started cursing, but he stopped the moment he realized that Xie Lian was before him.
"Your Highness? Why are you here?"
Xie Lian huffed. "Why don't you tell me where we are?"
Feng Xin sat up and looked around. "…Where are we?"
As expected, Feng Xin didn't know either, so Xie Lian asked no more questions. Shaking his head, he reached out.
"Get up first. Now that we've found you, we've got to look for San Lang too."
"Are you talking about Crimson Rain Sought Flower?" Feng Xin asked. "What happened to him? He's not with you?"
"It's like this," Xie Lian started. "We were together—" Before he finished, Feng Xin raised a hand. "Wait! Who's that behind you?!"
Xie Lian looked back but only saw an unmoving figure in the shadows.
"That's Mu Qing. What's wrong?"
Feng Xin's pupils suddenly shrank. "Seize him, quickly!"