"Third Brother, how did you know?" Mu Qingyun asked.
"The presence of someone." Long Chen said.
Long Chen's Nine-Star Overlord Body Technique was extremely sensitive to aura. Although it was greatly restricted after entering the Immortal Realm, he could still sense it.
Could it be that someone is also coming after the Seed of Heavenly Fire? Long Chen felt a bit uneasy; he had found this piece of news in a history book.
That history book hadn't been read for hundreds of years, so logically, no one should know about it.
"Everyone, follow me, be careful, and try not to make any noise."
Long Chen reminded everyone.
Everyone slowly entered the cave. As soon as they entered, they felt uncomfortable, as a thick aura of flames enveloped them. The fire dragon pattern on Long Chen's arm slowly lit up, and he began to grow excited.
Soon, an open area appeared ahead, with dozens of passages within it, looking like an underground ant nest.
Long Chen closed his eyes, sensed something, and led everyone to the right. Long Chen headed toward the area where the flames were strongest.
"Third Master, I feel like I can't take it anymore. My head is splitting, like it's on fire." A disciple was sweating profusely, his face full of pain as he spoke.
"Endure it. This is the burning of the will of the Heavenly Fire. It won't cause any real harm to your bodies. It's a tempering of willpower. The longer you persist, the more you will gain.
When you can't take it anymore, your body activates self-protection, and you will lose consciousness.
But let me tell you, if you lose consciousness, you will never gain any benefit again; you only get one chance.
The next time you enter here, you won't have this kind of effect. So, if you want to become strong, you have to grit your teeth and persevere. Long Chen said.
"Third Master, I understand." The disciple gritted his teeth, enduring the intense soul pain and continued to follow.
At first, the underground cave was pitch black, but after a while, the rock walls on the cave began to emit a dark red sheen, as if glowing red, yet the touch was icy cold, extremely eerie.
As they advanced, the will of the Heavenly Fire grew stronger and stronger, even Zhong Ling, Zhong Xiu, Li Cai, and the others began to feel somewhat exhausted.
Meanwhile, the ordinary disciples held their heads and gritted their teeth; some even gritted their teeth until they bled, yet they still persisted.
Suddenly, Long Chen stopped, drew his long sword, and struck the wall with one strike.
"Sss!"
The rock wall was sliced open with a single sword. The wall was extremely thin, only palm-thick. The wall was split open, revealing a space several hundred zhang in diameter.
Within this space, there were more than a dozen lamp-like luminous entities embedded in the surrounding rock walls.
"Heavenly Fire Glaze!"
Mu Qingyun exclaimed. Heavenly Fire Glaze is the companion ore of the Seed of Heavenly Fire, possessing powerful flame power. Even in the Immortal Realm, it is a valuable item, extremely rare.
"Whoosh!"
Before Long Chen could observe closely, the fire dragon had already flown out, pulling out the Heavenly Fire Glaze from the rock wall and swallowing it whole.
Mu Qingyun and the others were startled. When the fire dragon returned to Long Chen's arm, they realized it was actually Long Chen's.
Heavenly Fire Glaze was a great tonic for the fire dragon, which comforted Long Chen. These dozen or so Heavenly Fire Glazes could greatly enhance the dragon's power. Even without the Heavenly Fire Seed, the trip was worthwhile.
Back then, the fire dragon struggled to refine a single Heavenly Fire Glaze, but now, it absorbed it almost instantly, causing the fire dragon's power to surge dramatically.
In the center of the field, a stalactite hung down. Long Chen walked beneath it and saw a fist-sized spirit crystal.
"This is ... Oh my god... The source of heavenly fire. Mu Qingyun saw the spirit crystal stone and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
The source of heavenly fire is the very source of heavenly fire's birth, almost a legendary existence, yet unexpectedly, it was discovered by them.
"It's useless. The source of the Heavenly Fire has only just formed recently and hasn't yet gained the recognition of heaven and earth. If we take it now, this spiritual artifact born over billions of years will be completely destroyed." Long Chen shook his head and sighed.
"Even so, if you take it outside, its value is astonishing. Even if you bring it back to the academy, you could exchange it for countless resources." Mu Qingyun said.
"Doing this would be a waste of rare treasures. Legend has it that these spiritual beings of heaven and earth each have their own destiny. If it hasn't matured, it means the outside world is not its master.
If I forcibly take it, it will bring misfortune. Although I am already plagued by bad luck and don't care about adding a bit more misfortune, destroying a naturally nurtured spiritual artifact like this is truly heartbreaking and unbearable.
Let's go. In tens of thousands of years, it should be ready to be harvested, so it's better to leave it to those destined to be found. Long Chen collected the Heavenly Fire Glaze and was already quite content. He reached out to touch the source of the Heavenly Fire, sighed, and led everyone out.
Long Chen sealed the entrance and concealed all traces before leading the group away. Although some disciples were tempted by the source of the heavenly fire, since Long Chen was fearless and had given up, they no longer dared to set their sights on it.
As he walked forward, he didn't know how many turns he had. The road ended ahead, and Long Chen found another open area, harvesting several Heavenly Fire Glazes. So far, he had collected more than fifty Heavenly Fire Glazes, and the Fire Dragon had grown even stronger.
"Let's stay here. If we go any further, the will of the Seed of Heavenly Fire will grow stronger and stronger. I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it.
You meditate and regulate your breath here. Just make sure you don't faint. If someone faints, use an ice needle to prick their Renzhong acupoint to wake them up. Don't miss this opportunity for rapid improvement.
You're in the beginner's benefit period; if you miss it, you'll never get another opportunity. Long Chen looked at everyone and said seriously.
"Yes."
Everyone hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground, struggling to keep their minds clear, enduring the pain of soul burning.
Long Chen looked at Mu Qingyun and reminded him, "You're different from others. The Heavenly Fire will now can't pose much of a threat to you. You need to actively absorb the power of Heavenly Fire and burn your soul."
Then pass your pain and helplessness to the sword in your hand, carefully sensing its emotional changes, and trying to connect with it on a soul. "
Third Brother, are you leaving?" Mu Qingyun exclaimed in surprise.
"Hmm, someone has come in here, which means my suspicion is very likely correct. The new seed of Heavenly Fire has probably been born.
I'm going to fight for the Seed of Heavenly Fire, which is crucial for me. I'll leave this to you for now." Long Chen said.
Originally, Mu Qingyun wanted to say he would go with Long Chen, but thinking about how he would only be holding Long Chen back, it was better to stay here.
"Boom!"
Long Chen fought with both arms, lifting a rock several zhang high, blocking the space around him. From the outside, it looked like a dead end, with no idea there was a group of people behind the rock. There appeared to be no flaws on the outside.
After finishing these tasks, Long Chen returned the same way and sped off along another route.
Long Chen ran wildly all the way but suddenly stopped. The fire dragon transmitted a message to Long Chen, sensing a powerful flame force.
Long Chen sped along another passage, and suddenly a blaze appeared at the end of the passage, the flame power growing even denser.
"Clang"
Suddenly, a series of metallic clashes rang out, accompanied by the angry shout of a powerful figure. Long Chen quickly lightened his steps and approached the cave entrance, sneaking a peek inside, only to be stunned.
"Luo Bing, this time let's see how you sisters die." A voice that was both arrogant and familiar reached Long Chen's ears.