Chapter 1054: Million-Mile Burial in the Divine Fire Prison

Three young disciples from the Golden Crow Sect cautiously walked over, standing side by side with their heads bowed, like three children who had committed a grave error and were waiting to be punished.

Seeing their demeanor, Huo Poyun shook his head and smiled. "Alright, alright, there's no need to be disheartened. Even I have conceded defeat to Brother Yun, so it's only natural for you to feel this way. Are you convinced now?"

"Absolutely convinced," the young man on the left nodded repeatedly.

"We apologize, Brother Yun. Not only were we overconfident, but we also... offended you," the young man on the right said, bowing deeply.

"Brother Yun, so you're actually this powerful... No wonder Senior Brother Poyun always speaks so highly of you. We weren't convinced before, but now... we were wrong." The young girl's face was filled with shame, but unlike the other two, she occasionally stole glances at Yun Che, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Yun Che had long known that profound energy cultivation could greatly influence a person's temperament. People from the Snow Song Realm, who cultivated powerful ice-element profound energy, tended to be aloof, even somewhat cold. The Flame God Realm, however, was the complete opposite. Because they cultivated extremely strong fire-element profound energy, their dispositions leaned towards being fiery and direct.

If they disagreed, they would challenge directly! Once convinced, they were completely and sincerely submissive, never holding grudges or acting stubborn.

"Hahahaha, don't worry about it. Consider it a way for us to get to know each other," Yun Che, always an unpretentious person, said. "By the way, I haven't asked for your names yet."

"Hello, Brother Yun. My name is Huo Liaoyuan," the young man on the right said.

"Hello, Brother Yun. My name is Huo Liaotian," the young man on the left said.

"Hello, Brother Yun. My name is Huo Liao... ack, I mean, Huo Wenrou," the young girl in the middle said.

Yun Che silently glanced at the young girl... *Which blind person said "the name matches the person"*!

Huo Poyun's gaze swept around. He asked, perplexed, "Brother Yun, why isn't Master here?"

"He just had an urgent matter, so he left in a hurry," Yun Che said after a moment of hesitation. "It seems the Fire Sect Master's son's condition has worsened."

"Ah!?" The three young disciples exclaimed in unison.

Huo Poyun also looked surprised, then sighed softly. "So that's how it is... Brother Yun, this place is barren, not a blade of grass grows, and there's nowhere much to go. I wonder... what are your plans?"

Yun Che's gaze turned south. "I heard that the Cinder God Burning Hell is only a hundred miles south from here. If it's convenient for you, Brother Poyun, would you be able to take me to see it? To be honest, I've longed to visit it ever since I first heard of it."

"This..." Huo Poyun looked troubled. "Normally, it wouldn't be a problem at all. But right now, with the Horned Dragon..."

Mid-sentence, he furrowed his brows and his tone shifted. "Never mind. Since it's Brother Yun's wish, what harm is there in going? Besides, the Horned Dragon won't be coming out anytime soon."

The two immediately soared into the air, flying south amidst the surging heat waves. Although they were still a hundred miles away, Yun Che's gaze swept over the scene, and the southern world was a fiery red, with flames filling the sky, like burning hellish lava.

"I heard that the Cinder God Burning Hell stretches for a million miles and has been burning since ancient times. It truly is an incredible divine miracle. No wonder it can give birth to terrifying creatures like the Ancient Horned Dragon," Yun Che sighed with admiration.

Huo Poyun said, "The Cinder God Burning Hell made our Flame God Realm what it is. If one day its fires were to extinguish, then our Flame God Realm would also cease to exist. Speaking of which, although I've known about the Ancient Horned Dragon in the Cinder God Burning Hell since I gained consciousness, I've never actually seen it. This time, finally seeing it with my own eyes will fulfill a long-held wish."

"I'm afraid after this, future disciples will never be able to see it with their own eyes again," Yun Che said with a smile.

"Hahahaha," Huo Poyun burst out laughing, then his expression quickly faded, and his eyes grew complex. "Master and the others are so eager to hunt the Ancient Horned Dragon this time, all for my sake. And if they succeed, it will greatly deplete their profound energy... even their lifespan. Alas, what have I, Huo Poyun, done to deserve this?"

Yun Che shook his head. "It is precisely because you possess such qualifications that the three Sect Masters are so eager and willing. They are not doing it solely for you, but also for the future of the Flame God Realm. Therefore, you needn't be overly apprehensive; instead, you should accept it openly and repay their kindness with all your might in the future."

Huo Poyun was silent for a brief moment, then his expression brightened considerably, and he smiled sincerely. "Brother Yun is right! I'll give it my all! In this Profound God Convention... I must break into the top one thousand and not let down Master and the two Sect Masters' high hopes."

Yun Che nodded, but his heart was filled with envy. "Alas, all I want is the qualification to enter the Profound God Convention. Forget about the top one thousand; even being the last in the entire Eastern Divine Region would be fine... Yet, it's harder than ascending to heaven."

Comparisons are truly infuriating.

"Although it has never succeeded before, it's clear that both my Master and your three Flame God Sect Masters are quite confident about this Horned Dragon hunt. It seems your Flame God Realm is about to produce a figure who will astonish the entire God Realm. Perhaps, after you emerge from the Eternal Heaven God Realm, the Flame God Realm will leap to become an Upper Star Realm because of you," Yun Che said sincerely.

"Good!" Huo Poyun nodded emphatically. "Even if it's just for your words, Brother Yun, I, Huo Poyun, will fight to the death to break into the top one thousand at the Profound God Convention!"

Their speed was incredibly fast. They drew closer and closer to the Ancient Cinder God Burning Hell. Although still tens of miles away, the vast, boundless sea of fire already filled their entire vision, seemingly having completely engulfed both the earth and the sky.

"Speaking of which... does that Ancient Horned Dragon never leave the Cinder God Burning Hell?" Yun Che suddenly asked, as if something had occurred to him. The Ancient Horned Dragon was so powerful that even the three Flame God Sect Masters combined couldn't defeat it, yet they never seemed to worry about it causing havoc in the Flame God Realm.

"Indeed," Huo Poyun nodded. "According to Master, the Ancient Horned Dragon was most likely born from the power of the flame veins at the bottom of the Cinder God Burning Hell. The Cinder God Burning Hell is its source of power, and consequently, its power and aura are connected to it. If it leaves the Cinder God Burning Hell for too long, its power and life force will rapidly deplete, just like a fish out of water."

"Therefore, there are no records of the Ancient Horned Dragon ever leaving the Cinder God Burning Hell. Otherwise, the Flame God Realm would likely have been plagued by disasters long ago."

"I see," Yun Che understood. He then continued, "If its aura is also connected to the Cinder God Burning Hell, does that mean if it doesn't actively appear, its location cannot be detected at all?"

"Of course," Huo Poyun nodded again. "When it sinks into the Cinder God Burning Hell, its aura merges with the entire Burning Hell. Even your Master wouldn't be able to detect its location. Only during its millennium-long molting period, when it must surface from the Cinder God Burning Hell, is the only time in a thousand years when its position can be discovered."

"No wonder."

RUMBLE—

The sound of the tumultuous sea of fire echoed from afar. The scorching airflow assaulting them immediately intensified severalfold. From a distance, the surging flames shot skyward, as if thousands of volcanoes were erupting simultaneously. Yet, this was merely the Cinder God Burning Hell's most ordinary fiery surge.

Just then, an aura suddenly halted ahead. A fiery red figure appeared before them as if by instant transmission. An invisible wave of energy forcibly stopped Yun Che and Huo Poyun.

The person who appeared was an old man with an air of authority, even without anger. His face was grave and solemn. Upon seeing Huo Poyun, he showed slight surprise, and his expression immediately softened. "Poyun, what are you doing here? And who is this person?"

"Elder Wantu," Huo Poyun said, bowing quickly, showing no surprise at the elder's appearance. "This is Yun Che, the personal disciple of the Snow Song Realm King. He's new to the Flame God Realm, so I brought him to take a look at the vicinity of the Burning Hell."

"Oh? He's..." The elder's gaze towards Yun Che instantly changed. After a brief hesitation, he said in a deep voice, "Alright. However, the Ancient Horned Dragon could appear at any moment, and if it happens to come close to this area, it will be extremely dangerous. You may only approach the edge of the Burning Hell; under no circumstances should you venture deeper."

"Please rest assured, Elder Wantu. Brother Yun and I are only taking a quick look from nearby and will then return. We will absolutely not enter the Burning Hell area," Huo Poyun assured him.

The elder nodded slowly. "That would be for the best." He then added, "You must be extremely careful."

The elder took another deep look at Yun Che before leaving.

"He is the Grand Elder of the Vermilion Bird Sect, Yan Wantu," Huo Poyun introduced.

"Grand Elder?" Yun Che looked surprised.

"Whenever they hunt the dragon, the strongest experts from each sect come here," Huo Poyun explained. "During the fierce battles with the Ancient Horned Dragon, they defend this area to prevent us younger disciples from being harmed by the aftermath of the combat. Not only from the Vermilion Bird Sect, but most of the top thirty elders from our three major sects are also here."

Yun Che's brow twitched, and he suddenly asked, "When the Ancient Horned Dragon is within the Burning Hell, its aura cannot be traced, so it's naturally impossible to know its exact appearance location in advance. And the Cinder God Burning Hell stretches for a million miles, with vast differences in its areas. Yet, you are all very confidently guarding this spot, as if you've accurately predicted it will appear nearby."

"That's natural," Huo Poyun chuckled. "Because every time the Ancient Horned Dragon appears during its millennium-long molting period, it's always near the northern shore. And its distance from the northern shore is extremely close, usually only a few thousand miles. The closest recorded instance was just three thousand miles, and the furthest never exceeded ten thousand miles. There's never been an exception."

"Clearly, its lair is located near the northern shore. Therefore, waiting at this location ensures we won't be mistaken."

"Oh, I see," Yun Che understood again. But another question quickly arose in his mind: If it's thousands of miles from the shore, even the strongest eyesight wouldn't be able to see it, yet Huo Poyun previously said that this time he would finally be able to personally see the legendary Ancient Horned Dragon. How was that possible?

The hundred-mile distance was quickly covered, and the two finally arrived at the edge of the Cinder God Burning Hell.

Before them, there was no longer any scorched earth. Only a boundless, startling crimson expanse roiled, like a boiling purgatory of blood.

And it had been boiling for at least a million years.

The sky too had long been seared into the same blood-red hue. At a glance, there was no discernible boundary between the Burning Hell and the sky, as if the boundless firmament had been entirely consumed by this terrifying inferno.

The air here was so scorching that even a Divine Path profound practitioner would find it unbearable. It was feared that a piece of refined steel, brought here, would melt effortlessly just from the air itself, without even touching the raging flames of the sea of fire.

Within the tumultuous sea of fire, numerous fire spirits danced.

The Illusory Demon Realm had the three-thousand-mile Sea of Death, the most terrifying and extreme place in the entire realm. Even past Demon Emperors dared not approach it.

But compared to this million-mile Cinder God Burning Hell before them, the Sea of Death, in terms of scale, imposing aura, and sheer energy, was as feeble as a stream before a vast ocean. It was utterly incomparable.