Hiding in the lava pool, Xiang Shaoyun waited until everything was completely silent outside the pool. Then he waited some more before silently peeking out of the pool. The sight of him turning this lava pool into his personal swimming pool would drive anyone crazy.
Was that a human or was that a monster? After taking a quick glimpse, Xiang Shaoyun activated his Nether Soul Domain and extended his senses upward. The range he could sense with his Nether Soul Domain had expanded greatly, and he was also able to sense his surroundings in much clearer detail now.
The reason for that was that as his cultivation level grew, his soul power also grew. Thus, the Nether Soul Domain also benefited in his growth of strength. He could sense that there were a lot of flame beasts outside the crater. Every now and then, there would be humans rushing to the crater.
They were not what he was looking for. He only wanted to locate the King Realm expert who had attacked the lava pool. After focusing on sensing his surroundings for a bit, he finally discovered two people in a concealed corner near the crater.
The two were able to completely ignore the concentrated power of flame in the air and were able to stay completely undetected by the flame beasts. It was apparent how strong they were.
It's them! They are indeed still around! Xiang Shaoyun thought to himself.
After discovering the two, he withdrew his senses and sank back into the lava pool and started thinking of a countermeasure to deal with the situation. He could not leave immediately, but he had to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, it was only a matter of time before someone found him.
He came to the decision after noticing the events outside the crater. The fire was extinguishing, and the power of flame was receding. It was too obvious that something had happened to the millennium earthcore fire. Just the receding power of flame alone was enough reason for the Cloud Margin Pavilion to keep sending over experts.
Yun Flame is on me, so it is no longer possible for it to release a large amount of flame power to ignite the mountain again. How should I get the two away from here then? Xiang Shaoyun sank into deep thought.
After spending two hours thinking about it, he finally thought of a solution. His solution was to allow the millennium earthcore fire to show itself and attract everyone's attention. He could then take the chance to flee. As for how to make a millennium earthcore fire appear, he would need to have a nice chat with Yun Flame about it.
Xiang Shaoyun was well aware that Yun Flame had full control over the flame in the area. If he could create a false appearance somewhere, he would have the opportunity to slip away. Since he had already fused with Yun Flame, the moment he came up with the idea, Yun Flame reacted and transmitted a response to him.
"Master, you can allow me to release a strand of my power. That strand can directly go through the wall here to the outside world. That will be enough" was Yun Flame's reply.
Yun Flame wasn't exactly talking to his mind or anything. Those words were only a vague thought conveyed directly to Xiang Shaoyun's mind that only he could understand anyway. There were two reasons why he could now understand Yun Flame. First, they were now essentially the same entity. Secondly, he was able to maintain a certain connection with Yun Flame relying on the flame taming technique.
That was what was great about the ancient flame taming technique. The technique also contained details about how a flame could develop a full consciousness after reaching a high enough level and becoming a sacred flame or even a divine flame. At that time, a flame would be able to start speaking human tongue.
When Xiang Shaoyun first learned about it, he lamented that everything was indeed possible in this big world. He did as told and sent a strand of Yun Flame's power out of his body. The strand of power moved along with Yun Flame's will and directly phased through the wall into the world outside.
Please work, Xiang Shaoyun prayed inwardly.
He then sank back into the pool, waiting for the perfect opportunity to escape. The strand of power arrived at a certain mountain ridge before it suddenly surged in power. Instantly, that area was put on fire once again. The people near the ridge noticed the sudden change of the flame power in the air and were endlessly excited at the realization.
"The millennium earthcore fire has shown itself! It's here! There's no mistaking it! Just feel the intense power of flame in the air!"
"Yes, it's really the millennium earthcore fire! I must obtain it!"
"Why is it here? Has it developed a full consciousness and can now move around as it wished?"
"I don't care if it's really the earthcore fire, but my priority is to first get it in my hands."
...
The people in the area quickly charged toward the ridge. However, some of them were immediately set alight by the intense flame power before they could even get near. Then again, the intensity of the burning was obviously much weaker than the real power of the millennium earthcore fire, even if not many of them actually realized it. All of them were still under the impression that a real millennium earthcore fire had appeared. Otherwise, how would an entire mountain ridge suddenly burn?
Soon, people from farther away also noticed what was happening, and the number of people heading over to the ridge grew. As for Long Hui and Xiao Wenbo hiding near the crater, they were among the first to sense the change. However, they did not rush over immediately.
"The ridge over there is suddenly burning. Should we go check it out?" Xiao Wenbo asked.
Long Hui frowned and said, "True, the flame there is different from ordinary flames. Has the millennium earthcore fire really moved over there?"
"It is possible," Xiao Wenbo replied. He pointed below them and said, "So are we going to stop waiting here?"
"You go. I'll stay and observe for a bit longer," Long Hui said after a slight hesitation.
Xiao Wenbo agreed and directly flew toward the burning mountain ridge. As for Long Hui, he once again flew to the crater and looked down at the lava pool. Just earlier, Xiang Shaoyun still had his head stretched out of the pool. When he sensed Long Hui coming, he quickly sank back into the pool. He was nearly discovered.
"Phew, that was dangerous. Why is this old man still not leaving?" Xiang Shaoyun grumbled.
Long Hui stopped midair for a bit before he once again reached out toward the lava. Two fiery dragon claws nearly turned the entire lava pool over. He created such a mess that a large amount of lava splashed out, forcing himself to quickly retreat.
"Nothing at all. This is not possible." Long Hui was unwilling to let it go.
He was sure that there must be something odd within the pool. That was why he created a mess of the pool, hoping he could provoke whatever was down there to show itself. Unfortunately, he had failed.
A crimson armor suddenly appeared on him, protecting his entire body. At the same time, a kingly presence roiled out of him and formed protection around him. He then slowly dove down toward the lava pool.
When Xiang Shaoyun noticed, he quickly hid at the bottom of the pool. This old man is not thinking of coming in here too, right? What the hell should I do about him?
If this fellow really entered the lava pool with his king-grade armor and kingly presence, Xiang Shaoyun would have no way to hide himself. He did not remain panicked for long. He was of the opinion that even if the King did come into the lava pool, the thick lava would still block the King's visibility. He only needed to be on full alert to avoid being discovered.
Long Hui finally revealed his ambition as he sank into the pool: "The rule laid down by those old men in the pavilion that only those at the Transformation Realm and below can fight for the earthcore fire is simply bullshit. How can anyone in the Transformation Realm harvest a high-level flame like this? It would be much better to let me have it."