Chapter 50: Evil God's Seed Fire (II)

A lineup like this would cause a huge sensation anywhere in the Azure Cloud Empire. For it to appear in such a remote, insignificant place, it could only be described as utterly astonishing.

Yun Che looked up and immediately spotted five black dots flying towards them from the northern sky. Upon reaching the Sky Profound Realm, practitioners could traverse the void and fly through the air. There was no doubt that these five individuals were, just as Jasmine had stated, genuine super-experts of the Sky Profound Realm.

The five figures weren't flying particularly fast; it took quite a while after Yun Che first saw their distant forms for them to finally reach directly above him. Sensing someone looking up from below, two of them briefly cast their gaze downwards, glancing at Yun Che. However, it was just a fleeting look before they withdrew their attention, and the other three didn't even spare him a glance. A person only in the Elementary Profound Realm was simply not worth their direct gaze or concern.

Once they had flown far enough away, Yun Che pondered for a moment before making a swift decision. He quickly stored all the medicinal herbs he had collected over the past few days into the Sky Poison Pearl, changed his clothes, and then began running in the direction the five Sky Profound experts had departed.

"What are you doing?" Jasmine asked with a frown.

"I'm going to catch up to them, of course!" Yun Che replied swiftly, without breaking his stride.

"Are you seriously going to chase them down and ask them to take you on as a disciple?" Jasmine asked, her voice indifferent.

"How could I possibly do that! I already have my little Master Jasmine; how could anyone else possibly compare?" Yun Che smoothly flattered her, then chuckled, his eyes gleaming. "For Sky Profound Realm experts to appear in this remote place, the most probable reason is to hunt a specific profound beast—and it must be a high-level one. Otherwise, there would be absolutely no need for five Sky Profound experts to act together! High-level profound beasts are packed with treasures, and if they manage to kill one, it will undoubtedly be an enormous haul."

"How do you know they're not simply passing through?" Jasmine asked, casting him a sideways glance.

"It's simple: they're flying very slowly, slow enough for me to keep pace. Whether they're traveling or searching for treasure, they should be eager, so their speed shouldn't be this slow. The best explanation is that they're approaching a powerful profound beast and are already very close to their target. That's why they've slowed down, are proceeding cautiously, and are using this time to strategize."

"Even if that's the case, what can you do by following them? A profound beast that requires five Sky Profound Realm experts to deal with must be a high-level Sky Profound Beast. A battle of that caliber is beyond your involvement. Are you going there just to be cannon fodder?" Jasmine said with clear disdain.

"If my assumption is correct, and they eventually succeed, I can surely pick up some leftover benefits, right? For instance, they might take the profound core, eyes, and claws of the beast... but I refuse to believe they'll take absolutely everything, down to the very hide and flesh!" Yun Che said, baring his teeth.

"You pathetic scoundrel." Jasmine snorted dismissively, her tone full of contempt.

The five figures in the sky were slowing down progressively, indicating, just as Yun Che had predicted, that they were nearing their destination. Yun Che followed from a considerable distance, completely unconcerned about being discovered. Even if they noticed him, a fourth-level Elementary Profound Realm practitioner like himself wouldn't warrant their attention; they wouldn't even bother to acknowledge his presence.

An old warning sign appeared in front of Yun Che. The Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range was vast, and the deeper one ventured, the fiercer the profound beasts became. While the beasts in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range were not overwhelmingly powerful as a whole, they were still far beyond the capabilities of a profound practitioner at Yun Che's current level.

Not long after, another warning sign appeared ahead:

"High-level subordinate profound beasts lurk ahead; please leave immediately if you are below Nascent Profound Realm Level 5!"

Along his path, Yun Che encountered a total of five warning signs. The last one bore an inscription in blood-red characters:

"SCARLET DRAGON FORBIDDEN ZONE!"

These four words alone carried a chilling, oppressive weight.

Everyone living in Qinglin Town knew that the area ahead was absolutely forbidden, for no one who had ever ventured inside had returned alive.

At that moment, the five figures in the sky also came to a halt. From a significant distance, Yun Che faintly overheard their conversation.

"Is this the vicinity?"

"Indeed. That crimson area ahead should be the Flame Dragon's habitat."

"Are you certain you've thoroughly investigated the Flame Dragon's strength?"

"Yes, a Level 10 Sky Profound Beast! That should be accurate. With the Great Elder present, there's no reason we can't handle it!"

"If we can acquire its fire attribute profound core, it will surely enable the Young Master's Heaven Burning Art to achieve another breakthrough. If all goes well, we are confident we can surpass the Xiao Sect, and even the Frozen Cloud Asgard, in the next Azure Wind Ranking Battle!"

Heaven Burning Art?

These three words sent a jolt through Yun Che's entire body. Could these five individuals be from the Burning Heaven Clan, one of the four great sects of the Azure Wind Empire?

No wonder they could field such a formidable lineup; they were actually from one of the Four Great Sects! One of them was even a Great Elder, meaning that this group of five represented a core force, even within the Burning Heaven Clan itself!

And their purpose for coming was indeed for a powerful profound beast! Could the "Flame Dragon," a Level 10 Sky Profound Beast they spoke of, be the very "Crimson Dragon" that had long been rumored to reside in the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range?

"It seems someone has been following us."

"Heh, it's just a brat in the Elementary Profound Realm. He probably saw us traversing the void for the first time and ignorantly tagged along. Hmph, if he's so keen on dying, he needn't wait for the Flame Dragon; I can send him to his demise right now."

"Tsk, why bother with an Elementary Profound Realm brat? Aren't you afraid of lowering your status?"

Yun Che's heart instantly tensed. Although he had followed with extreme caution the entire way, he had clearly still been discovered. After all, his opponents were terrifying Sky Profound Realm practitioners.

Taking a deep breath, Yun Che took a step back, the thought of retreating forming in his mind. After all, his current strength was too weak; he didn't even have the right to take such a risk. The slightest misstep could cost him his life.

He took a few steps back, preparing to temporarily leave, when his heart suddenly gave a wild thump. He even faintly heard a distinct "thump-thump" sound echoing from within his chest.

"This is..."

"Thump-thump"... "Thump-thump"...

His heart pounded wildly once more. An inexplicable sensation suddenly arose within him, growing steadily more intense.

This sensation was...

Yun Che placed a hand on his chest, his face etched with profound surprise. Something... was calling to him?

Yun Che turned, looking southward. This peculiar sensation was clearly emanating from that direction. It was a subtle feeling, ethereal and inexpressible, yet it left him with no room for doubt or resistance.

"What's wrong?" Jasmine asked from within the Sky Poison Pearl, noticing his unusual behavior.

"Something over there seems to be calling to me," Yun Che said calmly, gazing southward.

"Calling?" Jasmine's voice was tinged with surprise.

"There's no mistake; it's definitely from that direction." Yun Che's brows furrowed slightly. "What could it possibly be? Could it be some kind of special technique... No! It's not just my consciousness reacting, but also my profound veins! I have to go there and see!"

The five figures above had already continued their advance. If Yun Che kept going in that direction, he would undoubtedly die if he encountered even a single profound beast. Moreover, if the Burning Heaven Clan members discovered he was still following, they might consider him a nuisance and attack him.

After a moment of hesitation, Yun Che gritted his teeth, took out his last Star Concealing Grass, and held it in his left hand. As he released it, the herb transformed into a crystal-clear Star Concealing Pill.

Swallowing the Star Concealing Pill, Yun Che's body instantly vanished as if it had dissolved into mist. Imperceptible and unseen, Yun Che quickened his pace, surging forward.

The moment he stepped into the "Scarlet Dragon Forbidden Zone," a wave of intense heat immediately washed over him, causing Yun Che's breath to catch in his throat. Ahead lay a relatively small mountain. He quickly ascended it, stopping at the summit, where he frowned as he gazed forward.

In his line of sight, a vast crimson area stretched out. At its center was a colossal cave, nearly a hundred meters tall. No vegetation grew around it, and wisps of scorching white steam and flames occasionally erupted from the ground and fissures in the cave walls, as if the area had just been scorched by divine fire.

The five members of the Burning Heaven Clan had also arrived directly above the cave. Yun Che's vantage point finally allowed him to clearly discern their appearances. Four of them appeared to be around fifty years old, with a cluster of scarlet flame symbols embroidered on their robes. The figure in the center had a grey beard and a serene expression, emanating a terrifying aura that made Yun Che feel as though he couldn't breathe.

Five Sky Profound Realm practitioners... the one in the middle was the super-expert Jasmine had described, already half a step into the Sovereign Profound Realm!

The Burning Heaven Clan had deployed such an astonishing lineup, which suggested that the Flame Dragon's profound core they sought was indeed of paramount importance to them.

"It seems the intelligence was indeed correct! A massive fire-attribute profound beast is residing within!" the middle-aged man on the far right stated with a grave expression.

"Don't act rashly. There might be unforeseen profound secrets within this cave. It's better to lure the Flame Dragon out."

"Then I'll handle it!"

The middle-aged man on the far left stepped forward. With a flick of his right hand, a three-foot-long, dark golden longblade materialized in his grasp. The Burning Heaven Clan primarily used blades, and one of their main profound techniques was the "Burning Heaven Blade." When the Heaven Burning Art was activated, the blade would ignite with scorching flames that moved with its strikes, unleashing astonishing power.

"Haa!!"

The middle-aged man raised his longblade, and scorching flames instantly erupted along its length. With a loud roar, he violently cleaved downwards.

Boom...

A thick, fiery dragon surged forth from the blade, hurtling towards the immense cave entrance, carrying searing heatwaves and whistling winds. With a thunderous explosion, the fire dragon detonated upon impact, instantly blasting a large crater, over ten meters deep, into the formerly flat ground. Acrid, scorched fumes billowed outwards.

Even the entire colossal cave subtly trembled from the impact.