The Elder with the surname Jiang appeared beside Ergouzi with a flash, warily scrutinizing the black flames in the midst of the battlefield.
âXiaojing, Lord Ergouzi has determined that thereâs definitely something unusual about this place, these black flames are absolutely a treasure. If they could be used by Lord Ergouzi, any sort of demon or evil spirit would have to submit!â
Ergouzi, with his two beady eyes, snooped around stealthily, and immediately spotted the Dry Flame Saint Child hiding behind a large rock in the distance.
âWoof, Dry Flame, why are you here?â
âJust out enjoying the moonlight,â said the Dry Flame Saint Child. âDonât you think the moon is especially round tonight?â
Dry Flame spoke indifferently.
âWoof, Donât try to deceive your master Ergouzi. Youâre definitely here for the treasures!â
Ergouzi always felt there was something off. It wasnât strange for Dry Flame to come looking for treasures, but why hide so far away? It seemed like he was fearing something.
Could it be that within this battlefield, there was some terrifying entity that it had yet to discover?
âWho comes looking for treasures if theyâre a serious person, hm? Do you?â
âLord Ergouzi doesnât, but do you?â
âWho would come here to look for treasures when they could just take the treasures from Fire Qilin Cave?â
âCan the treasures here even compare to the resources of Fire Qilin Cave?â
âDespicable!â
The two Qilin Divine Beasts stood their ground, conversing without moving a muscle; Ergouzi felt increasingly puzzledâthere were definitely skeletons in Dry Flameâs closet.
The elder surname Jiang, squinting at the person and beast behind the rocky boulder, leaned in and whispered in Ergouziâs ear:
âSaint Heir, the spiritual power inside Elder Ji is somewhat chaotic and has not yet fully settled down. The aura of the Dry Flame Saint Child is also much weaker than when he arrived. They must have encountered something in the fourth battlefield.â
âBe careful, Saint Heir. Donât let these two cunning bastards trick you.â
Upon hearing this, Ergouziâs eyes brightened. Indeed, this meant Dry Flame must have fought with some entity just now and realized he couldnât win, so he waited for another Qilin Divine Beast to appear and fight the entity to a standstill. Afterwards, he would come to reap the benefits.
âWoof, Dry Flame, why are you hiding so far away? Come over and walk side by side with your master Ergouzi!â
Ergouzi yelled toward the rock.
âHehe, with your excellent talents, Fire Qilin, how could I possibly walk side by side with you? Iâll let you have the treasures found in these flames!â
The Dry Flame Saint Child said with a chuckle.
Yet, Ergouzi and the elder surnamed Jiang scampered over, squeezing together with Dry Flame behind the large rock.
âHehe, Dry Flame, youâre really not so honest, trying to deceive your master Ergouzi. Tell me, whatâs really inside these flames?â
âAh, actually, thereâs nothing. Iâm just genuinely a bit scared of fire, so I didnât dare to get any closer,â said the Dry Flame Saint Child, blatantly lying.
âWoof, you brazen liar! Qilin Divine Beasts are ancestors of playing with fire. How could you be afraid of flames? Youâre spewing nonsense, you must be hiding a big secret. Did you get your hands on a treasure?â
Ergouzi scoffed. Youâre a Qilin Divine Beast, an ancestor of fire play. Youâre afraid of fire? Who are you trying to fool? Obviously, thereâs something fishy with these flames.
âIâ¦â
âI just fear fire, believe it or not!â
The Dry Flame Saint Child, somewhat at a loss for words, started to act shamelessly. The two of them stayed behind the rock, quietly waiting for the next Qilin Divine Beast to arrive.
Ergouzi also didnât say anything more, the flame obviously had issues, and nobody wanted to casually venture into it, all preferring that other Saint Heirs take the lead in exploring.
The fourth battlefield once again became quiet.
Within the flames, Li Xiaobai was very satisfied with the performance of the Qilin Divine Beast. This was exactly right. Once the four Qilins were all gathered, he would harvest them in one fell swoop, leaving Ergouzi behind and slaughtering the other three, instantly bringing a perfect end to the battle for dominance of the Fire Qilin Cave.
After another period of silence, two white figures flashed out from outside the battlefield.
Seeming to have received a scare, the two Qilins immediately activated their Cultivation Techniques to create distance upon landing, watching each other warily.
âSaint Child Huo Yun, itâs a small world. I didnât expect to encounter you here.â
âSaint Child Huo Yuan, youâre quite prompt too, being able to arrive at the same time as me. What brings you here?â
âTo admire the moon. How about you, Saint Child Huo Yun?â
âIâm here to count the stars. Donât you think this sky is beautiful?â
Huo Yun and Huo Yuan chatted merrily for a few sentences, then began to survey the black flames permeating the battlefield.
The pitch-black flames, like ink, were something they had never seen before. Just from its appearance, they could tell that the power of these flames was extraordinary. Today, they had truly come to the right place.
âSaint Heirs, the Fire Qilin Saint Child and Dry Flame Saint Child are hiding behind that boulder. I sense the presence of Elder Ji and Jiang Yi!â
âElder Ji seems to have fought with some entity just now. The Spiritual Power within him is in disarray, and his aura is inconsistent and unstable. It looks like he has suffered no small injury.â
Wang Ba spoke with narrowed eyes; he had sensed the presence of the other party as soon as he set foot in this land.
It had to be said, this method of hiding was extremely poor.
âFire Qilin, Dry Flame, come out and letâs chat. Hiding isnât the style of the Fire Qilin Cave!â said Saint Child Huo Yun with a smile.
Saint Child Huo Yuan next to him also looked at the boulder with interest, thinking he had acted swiftly enough, but to his surprise, the two others had arrived even faster; he had underestimated them indeed.
âWoof, Huo Yun, thereâs no need to call upon your Lord Ergouzi. Lord Ergouzi just came to play and knows nothing about any treasure!â Ergouzi jumped out and started ranting.
Dry Flameâs forehead was full of black lines. Wasnât this a clear case of âthere is no silver hereâ? Before anyone asked anything, he had just blurted everything out.
âLetâs not beat around the bush. Since weâre all here, letâs enter the flames together to search. No one should be sly.â
Saint Child Huo Yuan spoke coldly, proposing they either all go in or none at all. The idea that anyone would expect him to take the lead and scout was laughable.
âWell, you guys go ahead. I give up. As for the treasure, I wonât compete with you.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
A hint of fear flashed through Dry Flame Saint Childâs eyes, and he fled swiftly with Elder Ji, leaving behind the somewhat astonished onlookers.
But it was at this moment that Dry Flame Saint Child, in the void, suddenly felt the Cultivation Technique within him halt, his body uncontrollably twisting to rush back. This feeling was too familiar; it was mischief wrought by those pitch-black flames just now!
Elder Ji was in the same situation, and not just them, but the Saint Heirs below and a number of Protectors in the Mahayana Realm also had no control over their bodies as they rushed towards the flames, kneeling with their hands held high, as if in deep worship.
âWhatâs happening; I canât control my body!â
âWhy would I kneel? What on earth is this flame?â
âIn my life, Iâve never knelt before. Just what is this power that dares make this Saint Heir kneel!â
âDamn it, how can we still be controlled from this far away? These flames are too sinister!â
âDry Flame, what do you actually know? Stop hiding and reveal it all at once!â