Chapter 1050: Million-Mile Burial God Fire Prison
Three young disciples of the Golden Crow Sect cautiously walked over, heads lowered, standing side by side like three small children who had committed a grave mistake and were waiting for punishment.
Seeing their appearance, Huo Poyun shook his head and laughed: "Alright, alright, there's no need for you to be discouraged. Even I willingly admit defeat to Brother Yun, so it's only natural for you to feel this way. Are you convinced now?"
"Convinced, convinced." The youth on the left nodded repeatedly.
"I'm sorry, Brother Yun. Not only were we overestimating ourselves, but we also... offended you." The youth on the right bowed his head deeply as well.
"Brother Yun, it turns out you're actually this amazing... No wonder even Senior Brother Poyun is full of praise for you. I wasn't convinced before, but now... it's our fault." The young girl's face was full of shame, but unlike the other two, she kept sneaking glances at Yun Che, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Yun Che had long known that profound arts greatly influence one's temperament. People of the Yin Xue Realm, due to cultivating extremely powerful ice profound arts, were mostly cold in nature, even somewhat indifferent. The Yan Shen Realm was the complete opposite. Because they cultivated extremely powerful fire profound arts, their temperaments leaned toward being fierce and straightforward.
If unconvinced, they fight! Once convinced, they were completely sincere, never hiding or being stubborn.
"Hahaha, don't worry about it. You could say we fought and became friends." Yun Che had never been one to put on airs: "By the way, I haven't asked for your names."
"Greetings, Brother Yun. I'm Huo Liaoyuan." The youth on the right spoke.
"Greetings, Brother Yun. I'm Huo Liaotian." The youth on the left spoke.
"Greetings, Brother Yun. I'm Huo Liao... ah, spit, I mean Huo Wenrou." The girl in the middle spoke.
"..." Yun Che silently glanced at the young girl... Whoever said "As the name, so the person" must have been blind!
Huo Poyun swept his gaze around and asked with confusion: "Brother Yun, why isn't Master here?"
"He had urgent matters and left in a hurry." Yun Che hesitated for a moment before saying: "It seems the condition of Sect Master Huo's son has worsened."
"Ah!?" The three young disciples exclaimed simultaneously.
Huo Poyun's face also showed surprise, then he sighed softly: "I see... Brother Yun, this place is barren and desolate, with nowhere to go. I wonder... what plans do you have, Brother Yun?"
Yun Che turned his gaze southward: "I heard that a mere hundred miles to the south lies the Burial God Fire Prison. If it's convenient for Brother Poyun, I wonder if you could take me to see the fire prison. Frankly speaking, I have yearned to see it ever since I first heard of the Burial God Fire Prison."
"This..." Huo Poyun's face showed difficulty: "Normally, there would be no problem at all. But right now, with the Qiu..."
He paused mid-sentence, furrowed his brow, and changed his tone: "Forget it. Since it's Brother Yun's wish, what harm is there in going? That Qiu Dragon won't be coming out for a while anyway."
The two immediately soared into the air and flew southward against the overwhelming heat waves. Although they were still a hundred miles away, Yun Che could see that the southern world was a sea of crimson red, flames filling the sky like a burning hell of lava.
"I've heard that the Burial God Fire Prison stretches for a million miles and has never been extinguished since ancient times. It's truly an incredible miracle! No wonder it could give birth to such a terrifying creature as the Ancient Qiu Dragon." Yun Che exclaimed in admiration.
Huo Poyun said: "The Burial God Fire Prison is what made our Yan Shen Realm what it is. If one day the fire of the Burial God Fire Prison were to be extinguished, then our Yan Shen Realm would cease to exist as well. Speaking of which, although I've known of the Ancient Qiu Dragon's name since I became conscious, I've never seen it before. Being able to see it with my own eyes this time should fulfill a long-cherished wish."
Yun Che smiled and said: "It seems that after this, the disciples of future generations will never be able to see it with their own eyes."
"Hahahaha." Huo Poyun laughed heartily, but his expression quickly faded, and his eyes became complex: "This time, Master and the others are so urgently trying to hunt the Ancient Qiu Dragon, all for my sake. And after they succeed, it will greatly deplete their profound power... and even their lifespans. Ah, what have I, Huo Poyun, done to deserve this?"
Yun Che shook his head: "It's precisely because you are worthy of it that the three sect masters are so eager and willing. They are not doing it just for you, but also for the future of the Yan Shen Realm. So, there's no need to be filled with fear and anxiety. Instead, you should accept it calmly and repay them with all your heart in the future."
Huo Poyun was silent for a moment, then suddenly became enlightened. He said sincerely with a smile: "Brother Yun is right! I will give my all. In this Profound God Convention, I will definitely break into the top thousand, and I will not let down the high hopes of Master and the two sect masters."
Yun Che nodded, but inwardly he was extremely envious... Ah, all I want is the qualification to enter the Profound God Convention. I don't care about being in the top thousand; even being dead last in the entire Eastern Divine Region is fine... but it's harder than ascending to heaven.
Comparing people only makes one angry.
"Although it has never succeeded before, I can tell that both my master and you three Flame God Sect masters are quite confident in this Qiu Dragon hunt. It seems that the Yan Shen Realm is about to produce a figure that will shake the entire God Realm. Perhaps after emerging from the Zhou Tian Divine Realm, the Yan Shen Realm will leap up to become an upper star realm because of you." Yun Che said sincerely.
"Good!" Huo Poyun nodded heavily: "Even if it's just for Brother Yun's words, I, Huo Poyun, will fight to the death to break into the top thousand in the Profound God Convention!"
The two moved extremely fast, getting closer and closer to the Ancient Burial God Fire Prison. Although they were still dozens of miles away, the vast, boundless sea of fire filled their entire field of vision, as if it had completely engulfed the earth and the heavens.
"Speaking of which... does that Ancient Qiu Dragon never leave the Burial God Fire Prison?" Yun Che thought of something and suddenly asked. The Ancient Qiu Dragon was so powerful that even the combined forces of the three Flame God Sect masters were no match for it. But they never seemed to worry about the Ancient Qiu Dragon wreaking havoc on the Yan Shen Realm.
"Indeed." Huo Poyun nodded: "According to Master, the Ancient Qiu Dragon is most likely born from the flame vein power at the bottom of the Burial God Fire Prison. The Burial God Fire Prison is the source of its power. Therefore, its power and aura are connected to the Burial God Fire Prison. Once it leaves the Burial God Fire Prison for too long, its power and life force will rapidly drain away, like a fish out of water."
"Hence, there has never been a record of the Ancient Qiu Dragon leaving the Burial God Fire Prison. Otherwise, the Yan Shen Realm would have long been plagued by disasters."
"I see." Yun Che understood, then asked: "Since its aura is also connected to the Burial God Fire Prison, does that mean if it doesn't actively emerge, it's impossible to detect its location?"
"Of course." Huo Poyun nodded again: "When it sinks into the Burial God Fire Prison, its aura merges with the entire fire prison. Even your master should not be able to detect its location. Only during the once-in-a-thousand-year scale-shedding period must it emerge from the Burial God Fire Prison. That is the sole moment in a millennium when its position can be found."
"No wonder."
Rumbling——
The sound of the churning sea of fire came from afar. The scorching air currents hitting them suddenly became several times more violent. Looking into the distance, the surging flames shot into the sky like hundreds of volcanoes erupting simultaneously. And this was just an ordinary wave of flame from the Burial God Fire Prison.
Just then, the aura ahead suddenly stagnated. A fiery red figure appeared before them as if teleporting. An invisible wave of force forcibly halted Yun Che and Huo Poyun.
The person who appeared before them was an awe-inspiring old man with a low and solemn expression. At the sight of Huo Poyun, he was slightly surprised, and his face instantly softened: "Poyun, what are you doing here? And who is this person?"
"Elder Wantu." Huo Poyun was not at all surprised by the old man's appearance. He quickly bowed and said: "This is Yun Che, a personal disciple of the Yin Xue Realm King. He has just arrived in the Yan Shen Realm, so I am taking him for a look near the fire prison."
"Oh? He is..." The old man's gaze towards Yun Che instantly changed. After a brief hesitation, he said in a deep voice: "Very well. However, the Ancient Qiu Dragon could appear at any moment. If it comes near here, it will be extremely dangerous. You may only go as far as the edge of the fire prison. Under no circumstances should you enter deeply."
"Rest assured, Elder Wantu. Brother Yun and I will only take a look near the edge and then return immediately. We will not enter the fire prison area." Huo Poyun promised.
The elder slowly nodded: "That's best." Then he added: "You must be extremely careful."
The old man gave Yun Che another deep look before leaving.
"He is the Grand Elder of the Vermilion Bird Sect, named Yan Wantu." Huo Poyun introduced.
"Grand Elder?" Yun Che showed surprise.
"Every time we hunt and slay the dragon, the strongest members of the various sects come here. When they are engaged in a fierce battle with the Ancient Qiu Dragon, they defend here to prevent the aftershocks of the battle from injuring us younger disciples." Huo Poyun explained: "Not only the Vermilion Bird Sect, but most of the top thirty elders of our three major sects are here."
Yun Che's brows moved slightly. He suddenly asked doubtfully: "When the Ancient Qiu Dragon is in the fire prison, its aura cannot be tracked, so naturally it's impossible to know in advance where it will appear. The Burial God Fire Prison stretches for a million miles, and the positions vary greatly. Yet you all are firmly stationed here, as if you've calculated that it will appear nearby."
"Of course," Huo Poyun laughed: "Because every time the Ancient Qiu Dragon appears during its once-in-a-thousand-year scale-shedding period, it is near the northern shore. Moreover, it is extremely close to the northern shore, often only a few thousand miles away. The closest recorded was just three thousand miles, and the farthest never exceeded ten thousand miles. There has never been an exception."
"Apparently, its nest is located near the northern shore. So, waiting in this position is definitely correct."
"Oh, I see." Yun Che understood again, but soon another doubt arose in his mind... A few thousand miles from the shore, no matter how strong one's eyesight, it would be impossible to see. Yet Huo Poyun said earlier that he could finally see the legendary Ancient Qiu Dragon with his own eyes this time. How was that possible?
The hundred-mile distance was quickly crossed, and the two finally arrived at the edge of the Burial God Fire Prison.
Before them, there was no longer a scorched earth. Only an endless, shocking crimson red was rolling, like a boiling sea of blood.
And it had been boiling for at least a million years.
The sky had long been scorched to the same blood-red color. At a glance, one could not find the boundary between the fire prison and the sky. It seemed as if the boundless sky had been completely engulfed by this terrifying fire prison.
The air here was so scorching that even Dao Profound practitioners could hardly bear it. A piece of fine steel, even without touching the sea of flames, would be easily melted by the air here alone.
Within the churning sea of fire, countless fire spirits flew about.
The Huan Yao Realm had the three-thousand-mile Death Sea, the most terrifying and extreme place in the entire realm. Even successive Demon Emperors dared not approach it.
But compared to this million-mile Burial God Fire Prison, the Death Sea was as weak as a stream before the ocean, completely incomparable in terms of scale, momentum, and aura.
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Important keywords for this chapter: [Sneaking in won't reveal your presence], [Nest]