Chapter 52: Luring the Enemy into the Trap!
Over on this side, Mo Ya's expression was ugly, having also gained nothing. All their efforts this time had once again become a bridal gift for Han Feng. He simply could not swallow this humiliation.
"Young Sect Master, the Yao brothers are still nowhere to be found." At this moment, a Dou Wang came to report, standing at attention, not daring to do anything that might provoke him.
"It seems they ran off during the chaotic battle just now. They were lucky this time." Qi Shan thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.
Waving his hand to dismiss the Dou Wang, who did not dare to move, Qi Shan looked at Mo Ya, whose expression was gloomy, and said, "Han Feng is already a Dou Zong. We cannot contend with him, Young Sect Master. There is no need to dwell on it."
"The priority now is to inform the Sect Master. From what this old man observed, that furnace contained only a child flame of the Fallen Heart Flame. Those three probably discovered the main body of the Fallen Heart Flame but lacked the ability to subdue it, so they only managed to obtain a child flame."
"Han Feng will surely be able to use that child flame to locate the main body of the Fallen Heart Flame. Judging by the power displayed by that child flame just now, its main body is no simple matter. Han Feng may not be able to subdue it. At that time..."
Qi Shan's words improved Mo Ya's expression considerably. He spoke hurriedly, "That is right. The Fallen Heart Flame is ranked only one place higher than the Sea Heart Flame. Han Feng may not be willing to take the risk of changing heavenly flames. This move of his will definitely backfire."
Having been enlightened by Qi Shan, Mo Ya calmed down considerably. He cupped his hands toward Qi Shan and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Qi. I will definitely convince my father to fully assist Elder Qi in subduing the Fallen Heart Flame."
Qi Shan smiled and nodded, his eyes filled with eager anticipation. As long as the heavenly flame had not been refined, he still had a chance. Han Feng could not possibly refine two heavenly flames, could he?
Maple City.
Inside a secret chamber, Han Feng opened the Flame Gathering Furnace with burning eyes. Looking at the small fire snake swimming inside, his gaze was filled with passion. This was the second heavenly flame he had been dreaming of.
"Hmm?" Soon, Han Feng frowned. Looking at the flame in the furnace, a look of understanding appeared in his eyes. "So that is how it is. It is just a separated child flame. No wonder its power is so weak."
At this moment, the doubts in Han Feng's heart were resolved. He had been wondering why the aura of this heavenly flame was so weak. Back then, surrounded by wolves and filled with the joy of finding a heavenly flame, he had not looked into it deeply.
Now, everything made sense. Otherwise, how could the Yao brothers, mere Dou Wangs, have the ability to capture the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame List?
Back when he had obtained the Sea Heart Flame, he had been stronger, yet he had still been burned half to death. In the end, if not for the Burning Art taking effect, he would have long since turned to ash.
Even now, whenever he recalled it, he still felt lingering fear. If not for the Burning Art, he would not want to experience the taste of a heavenly flame a second time.
Now, he had no way back.
He turned his gaze and stared intently at the small snake before him. The corners of his mouth curled into an expectant smile.
"Let me see just where you are hiding."
He swallowed it in one gulp. Protected by the Sea Heart Flame, and with this child flame having already expended much of its power, Han Feng easily refined it. He felt the abnormal movement coming from the Burning Art within his body.
His anticipation for the Fallen Heart Flame grew even more intense.
He carefully sensed. Suddenly, Han Feng's eyes snapped open. He looked brightly into the distance, where he felt a faint, ethereal call.
"To the east of the Black-Corner Region!"
"If I remember correctly, there used to be a group of volcanoes there. After the volcanoes went extinct, countless years of changes formed a dense forest."
"The Fallen Heart Flame must have absorbed too much energy when it took shape, causing the volcanoes to go extinct."
Thinking of this, Han Feng grew impatient. He almost could not contain the fire in his heart and wanted to go and investigate immediately.
But in the end, reason prevailed. He did not set out immediately. Too many eyes were watching Maple City right now. If he moved, it would be equivalent to telling the entire Black-Corner Region the location of the heavenly flame.
"Han Beng..."
To the east of the Black-Corner Region, within a lush, dense forest.
From time to time, magical beasts would soar into the sky, presenting a scene of pristine wilderness.
Just then, on a concealed tree branch, several figures stood quietly. Among them, a purple figure sat bored on a branch, swinging her long, fair legs.
"We have been waiting for two days. Why has no one come yet?" Unable to bear the silence any longer, Zi Yan leaned against Jiang Yun's thigh, tilted her head back, and looked up at his chin as she asked.
"I told you that the Grand Elder and the others would be enough. You insisted on coming. Now you are suffering the consequences, are you not?"
Jiang Yun reached out and helped Zi Yan tidy a strand of hair by the corner of her mouth. He lowered his head and spoke in a doting tone.
"Hmph —, it is because Xiao Yun is too weak. Only a Dou Wang, yet you are bold enough to go after a Dou Zong. If I did not keep an eye on you, would not all my effort in training you up to a sixth-grade alchemist have been wasted?"
Although there was some complaint in Zi Yan's tone, Jiang Yun could hear the deep concern beneath it. His voice grew even softer as he spoke seriously.
"I will not. Before you have had your fill, I will not come to harm."
"Then it is a deal!" Hearing Jiang Yun's promise, Zi Yan immediately beamed with joy, smiling at him with carefree delight.
Just as the two were joking and playing around, the other figures nearby were filled with resentment.
These were Su Qian, along with Hu Qian, Wu Tianlang, Elder Qing, Elder Huo, and the others, all of whom had broken through to Dou Zong.
Whether it was because the quality of the Sect-Breaking Pills Jiang Yun had refined was very good, or because their accumulation had been sufficiently deep, not a single one of them had failed.
Watching Jiang Yun and Zi Yan acting as if no one else was around, the group felt a pang of jealousy in their hearts. Were you here to ambush the enemy or to have a date? And is it really appropriate to act so oblivious to everyone around you?
"Grand Elder, are you not going to do something? Zi Yan, she... she is still a child!" Elder Qing, who was particularly resentful, complained to Su Qian, who was standing nearby looking as if nothing was wrong.
"???" Su Qian looked at Elder Qing with a puzzled expression. He sighed, patted the other's shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Zi Yan is a magical beast. For all you know, she might be older than you. Besides, she is grown up. How can this old man interfere?"
"..."
"Let the young folks sort out their own affairs. We should not meddle." Hu Qian also chimed in. He was not like these old bachelors. He had a granddaughter. Having been through that stage himself, he knew how sweet it was.
At the same time, young men and women in that stage were also more irritable. If they did not want to suffer a combined beating from both of them, it was better to turn a blind eye.
"Is that what this old man meant? Is this not..."
"Someone is coming!"
Just as Elder Qing was about to speak again, Jiang Yun, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his head and looked toward the sky. A glint of light flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, everyone's expressions turned serious. Their eyes were sharp as they looked at the sky. They might fool around at ordinary times, but when it came to serious matters, the group was very reliable.
Swish —
A figure rapidly approached, accompanied by the sound of tearing wind. It quickly passed over their heads and headed toward a certain hill that it had sensed.
"It is Han Feng!" Watching the passing figure, Su Qian and the others said excitedly. Han Feng was their primary target. That it was going so smoothly was indeed somewhat unexpected to them.
By all logic, since he already possessed one heavenly flame, he should not be so eager to find a second one.
"The fish has entered the net. Now let us see just how many will come." Compared to the group's excitement, Jiang Yun, the one actually calling the shots, was quite calm.
The group nodded upon hearing this. Knowing the arrangements they had in place, none of them were worried. This time, even if a Nine-Star Dou Zong came, they would not be able to escape.
Over on that side, Han Feng had already landed somewhere, following his senses.
"It is here!" Han Feng looked at the ground beneath his feet with burning eyes. According to his senses, the target was here. Although it was well hidden, Han Feng's soul power still sensed that the soil below had been covered over at some later time.
The Yao brothers must have done this.
Thinking that the heavenly flame was right before him, he could no longer contain himself. He struck out with his palm.
The overwhelming Dou Qi blast directly blew away half of the hilltop. With a rumbling crash, countless rocks tumbled down. The enormous commotion made the entire mountain shake. The surrounding magical beasts fled into the distance, sensing that danger was about to occur here.
The hilltop was blown away, revealing a long, narrow tunnel that was dark with a reddish glow. The temperature of the surrounding air also began to rise.
Going down along the tunnel, one reached a scorching sea of magma. Hot, reddish-golden magma churned, occasionally bubbling. When Jiang Yun had originally found this place, he had suspected that this might have been formed by magma flowing out from the Ancient Emperor Mansion.
Perhaps the entire underground of the Black-Corner Region was a sea of magma.
Within the fiery-red magma world, undercurrents surged. Occasionally, an extremely fierce magma current would surge out from some unknown place.
And in the center of this magma sea, a small snake quietly circled. If one observed carefully, one would notice that the small snake emitted a faint red glow, resonating with the surrounding magma sea.
Clearly, this place had also been tampered with by Jiang Yun.
Feeling the attraction coming from below, Han Feng could no longer hold back. His figure moved, and he plunged straight down toward the cave entrance.
"He has gone in." Watching Han Feng enter, Hu Qian's eyes gleamed as he spoke excitedly.
"More people are coming. Quite a few, too." Just then, Jiang Yun turned his gaze toward the distance. Several black dots were rapidly approaching from afar.
"It seems Han Feng's actions did not escape their notice." Su Qian looked at the newcomers with some seriousness. Although the number of people coming was small, not a single one of them was easy to deal with.
They were Mo Tianxing, the Gold and Silver Elders, Fang Yan, and the others.
"The heavenly flame is over there!" The group arrived in the sky above the forest and immediately spotted the cave entrance radiating intense energy.
"Let us go." Several figures followed one after another, heading into the tunnel.
"They have all gone in. Let us make our move." Seeing everyone enter, even someone as calm as Wu Tianlang grew excited.
"Wait. There is still a big one out there." Holding back Wu Tianlang, who was about to make a move, Jiang Yun looked gravely at an inconspicuous spot in space.
The space there was slightly distorted. Inside stood an old, withered figure radiating a fierce aura. His sunken eyes, which gleamed with a faint, ghostly light, stared unblinkingly at the cave entrance.
Beside him, the space occasionally emitted a faint fluctuation, all of which indicated his profound cultivation.
"What a formidable old thing." Following Jiang Yun's gaze, the group saw nothing. But Zi Yan seemed to see something. Her expression was more serious than ever before. Her fist, hidden in her sleeve and containing immense power, suddenly clenched tightly.
"The Earth Demon Old Ghost." Under Su Qian and the others' questioning gazes, Jiang Yun slowly uttered the old man's name, making the hair on Su Qian and the others' bodies stand on end.
"It is him!"
Su Qian and the others frowned. They had heard of this strong expert from the same era as the Jia Nan Academy's dean. Back then, he had already been a Dou Zong. After so many years, he had reached at least five or six stars. He was truly a formidable enemy.
"Jiang Yun, are you sure that thing can deal with him? He is at least a Five-Star Dou Zong, a strong expert." Su Qian's heart was pounding. He could not help but ask Jiang Yun.
Although Jiang Yun had said that following his arrangements, they could deal with everyone, this was still the Earth Demon Old Ghost. Su Qian was now somewhat worried.
"Seven-Star Dou Zong."
"What?"
"The Earth Demon Old Ghost is a Seven-Star Dou Zong."
"Hiss —"
Hearing Jiang Yun's answer, the group gasped. The strongest among them was Su Qian, a Three-Star Dou Zong. There was a full four-star gap between them and a Seven-Star Dou Zong. Would they not be beaten to death by him?
"Grand Elder, do not worry. If we follow the plan, even a Nine-Star Dou Zong would be helpless."
Seeing the group frightened, Jiang Yun chuckled lightly and spoke with full confidence.
"I hope so."
Just as the group were conspiring in the shadows, the Earth Demon Old Ghost in the distance frowned as he looked at the cave entrance. His brow was tightly furrowed. Suddenly, as if seeing something, he muttered.
"Not good!"
Before his voice had even faded, his entire figure had already transformed into a blur, rushing toward the cave entrance. In the blink of an eye, he arrived above the hole.
At the same time.
Han Feng had just set foot next to the Fallen Heart Flame when he suddenly discovered that it was now abruptly bursting with brilliant white light. Countless patterns suddenly appeared in the world, responding to it.
Even though he could not understand what these patterns represented, an extreme sense of danger washed over him. Han Feng knew — he had been tricked.
"Damn it —"
With an angry roar, in an instant, the Fallen Heart Flame suddenly exploded. The patterns, as if losing their support, began to collapse one by one. The entire world of flames surged with extremely terrifying fluctuations.
Rumble —
An earth-shattering explosion echoed throughout the eastern part of the Black-Corner Region. A pillar of fire soaring into the sky dyed the entire sky red. Smoke and dust billowed. Magma rampaged. The forest that had formed over countless years was most likely destroyed.