Chapter 1643: Flowing Fire Illusion Pool

The avatar noticed that the scale of this palace was comparable to the main ice palace, indicating it was at least a relatively important place within the Fire Aspect Hall.

The Fire Rhino Island's formation was unique, dividing the floating island into nine sections. Each fire dragon corresponded to a spiritual formation hub, suggesting that the layout of the Fire Aspect Hall likely mirrored this formation.

Aside from the undeniably central main hall, the outer halls each served their own purpose.

The avatar scanned the area but found no plaques or steles. The place was too dilapidated to determine its original function.

Looking further ahead, after a slight hesitation, the fiery jade centipede had already sped far away.

The avatar quickly flashed to catch up with the fiery jade centipede, not lingering here.

If that treasure was on Fire Rhino Island, it was highly probable that, like the ice disk, it was placed in the central hall of the Fire Aspect Hall, at the core of the spiritual formation, where a special array would replenish its energy.

The treasure attracting the fiery jade centipede was also in the central hall.

First, he would go to the central hall, then consider searching other areas.

After passing through these palace ruins, the area ahead again became a vast jungle, not only with fire-pupa trees but also various spirit plants with similar properties, including rare and precious spiritual flowers and fire trees.

The fiery jade centipede meandered but consistently headed towards the central hall.

They moved through the forest.

A river of lava blocked their path.

The avatar estimated the distance. Crossing the lava river should bring them into the Fire Aspect Hall's central area. Sure enough, on the opposite bank, shadows of palace buildings began to appear, though they were very scattered.

Upon reaching the opposite bank and proceeding for a while, the avatar realized that the buildings weren't scattered; rather, they had been reduced to ruins by a major battle, with less than one in ten central hall structures remaining.

It was clear that the enemy's main force had likely attacked the island from the south, which is why the southern part of Fire Rhino Island was shattered. The Boundless Immortal Sect retreated repeatedly, and the decisive battle took place in the central hall.

"Rumble..."

Deafening roars emanated from ahead.

The sound originated from a lava waterfall, right within the central hall area!

The avatar gazed intently, seeing vast swathes of crimson flames swirling ahead of the ruins, filled with extremely violent power.

This power would attack all intruders indiscriminately. While its strength might not be enough to kill him, going against the flow of the lava waterfall would undoubtedly cause a massive disturbance, impossible to conceal. Thus, the avatar chose not to take this shortcut.

All that met his eyes were ruins.

The avatar's expression grew increasingly solemn.

The fiery jade centipede, however, grew more and more excited, wagging its head and tail, its speed increasing by a third. It transformed into a golden streak, instantly passing through large areas of broken walls and dilapidated structures.

As expected, the central hall was the core of the Fire Aspect Hall. Its original building density was no less than that of the Ice Ceremony Palace.

He moved swiftly through the ruins.

The avatar looked left and right, searching for remnants of the Fire Aspect Hall's grand formation. Deducing the location of the formation's core from these traces was undoubtedly the most straightforward method.

Unfortunately, the area was too dilapidated. After observing for a long time, the avatar couldn't discern any patterns.

The sound of the lava waterfall grew louder.

The avatar even saw crimson fiery molten rock splashing in the air.

Just then, the fiery jade centipede, which had been flying continuously, finally paused.

The avatar's heart stirred. He flashed to the fiery jade centipede's side and found a fiery jade dragon sculpture ahead. Its posture was majestic, soaring with fire, its scales shimmering with crimson flames, adding to its imposing aura.

Sadly, the dragon sculpture's head and tail were shattered, leaving only a scarred section of its body.

Behind the sculpture lay nine tiers of jade steps. On the steps, a dilapidated palace still stood. The ancient hall was drafty, its roof had holes, and its interior was entirely visible, vaguely revealing beautiful carvings on its walls.

Judging by the layout here, the fiery dragon sculpture seemed more like a guardian spirit beast at the entrance.

However, the fiery jade centipede fixated on the fire dragon.

More precisely, it was staring at one of the dragon's claws. The fiery dragon sculpture had only two claws left: one suspended in the air, the other stepping on a carved flame pedestal. The fiery jade centipede was looking at the second one.

While the avatar was still examining the palace behind the sculpture, the fiery jade centipede, without showing any attacking posture, suddenly charged straight into the dragon's claw.

An unexpected scene unfolded.

The moment the fiery jade centipede collided, the dragon's claw suddenly became transparent, and a cavity appeared on the flame pedestal, emitting a burst of red light, like the entrance to a lava well.

Seeing the fiery jade centipede's reckless behavior, the avatar had silently formed a hand seal, preparing for any sudden situation. Witnessing this, he couldn't help but be stunned, "Is this... does the Fire Aspect Hall also have a hidden chamber?"

As his thoughts flickered, the fiery jade centipede vanished inside.

The avatar chose to follow.

The ancient well was very deep.

The deeper they went, the brighter the light became.

The avatar discovered that the walls of the ancient well were covered with strange runes, clearly a place riddled with restrictions, yet they did not attack him or the fiery jade centipede.

He imprinted the restrictions in his mind, studied them, and gradually understood.

These restrictions had no offensive capabilities.

Considering the fiery dragon sculpture outside, the avatar judged that they were used to draw in abundant fiery vein power from outside, channeling it to the bottom of the ancient well.

There were definitely more than just one of these fiery dragon sculptures. The point where their energies converged must be a very important place.

Upon this discovery, the avatar was secretly pleased.

Gathering fiery energy, wasn't that very similar to the ice platform in the Ice Ceremony Palace?

After descending an unknown depth, they finally reached the bottom, but it wasn't the end of the ancient well. Another path appeared, leading forward. After proceeding for a while, they reached the end, where a stone door blocked the way.

The door was ajar.

Even through the stone door, the avatar could feel the exceptionally rich fiery energy inside, and the fiery jade centipede became even more lively and excited.

The avatar extended his hand and pointed.

The fiery jade centipede, being restrained, was greatly annoyed.

The avatar ignored its protests, mentally activated the Snow-Treading Divine Blade, and used the precious blade to push open the stone door.

"Creak!"

The door opened.

A scorching heat wave surged out.

The avatar squinted his eyes, discovering that behind the door was a vast underground palace. Inside, crimson light was dazzling, and there were rows of fiery jade railings.

Notably, the ground was a mess, littered with corpses.

"In a place like this... how could corpses be preserved until now?"

The avatar wondered. Upon closer inspection, he realized they weren't cultivators' corpses but remnants of puppets made from a unique type of jade.

Entering the underground palace, the avatar immediately heard the sound of jade scraping and colliding.

The avatar's gaze narrowed slightly. Following the sound, he saw a puppet not far away stand up, its two fire-date-like eyes staring intently at him.

"Swish!"

A blast of hot wind swept over him.

The puppet vanished from its spot, leaving trails of afterimages in the void, its speed astonishing.

The avatar, without panic, swung his blade and slashed.

In an instant, several cold lights crisscrossed in the void, exuding an icy chill.

The puppet seemed to voluntarily collide with the blade light, shattering into pieces and falling to the ground.

Unexpectedly, before the avatar could retract his blade, a crimson shadow flew from the center of the underground palace, landed on the ground, and the fragments instantly reassembled. The puppet restored itself in a flash and continued its assault.

The avatar's gaze darkened, his eyes suddenly turned stark white. He raised his hand, unleashing a surge of bone-chilling Ice Soul Divine Light, freezing the puppet into an ice block.

Approaching the ice block and examining it, the avatar remarked, "So that's how it is."

This type of puppet was actually a 'talisman puppet,' but different from those in the Upper Purity Tranquility Palace. These talisman puppets contained a core talisman seal. As long as the seal remained intact, the puppet could be reborn, which was quite ingenious.

The energy that revived the puppet was that crimson shadow.

The avatar took a step forward, approached the railing, and surveyed the entire underground palace.

The underground palace had eight stone doors on its four sides, which matched the avatar's earlier conjecture that they corresponded to eight sculptures outside. However, several of the stone doors were broken, and their restrictions severely damaged.

Around them were concentric corridors, extending downwards to a square spiritual pool at the very bottom.

The spiritual pool was less than half the size of the underground palace. All the crimson fiery energy channeled into the palace gathered in this pool, making it extremely dense. The avatar had to infuse his true essence into his eyes to penetrate the substantial firelight and see the true scene within the spiritual pool.

The crimson fiery energy condensed into a pool of flowing fire. Over tens of thousands of years, it had undergone an unknown transformation, becoming exceptionally pure, and the flowing fire had turned golden.

Next to the spiritual pool stood a low stele, inscribed with five large characters: 'Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool.'

"Flowing Fire Illusory True..."

The avatar murmured, shifting his gaze upwards. He saw illusory figures within the golden firelight.

These illusory figures were bound by invisible restrictions, compressed together in this area, confined to the region corresponding to the Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool.

The illusory figures closest to the Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool were all golden in color, gradually changing to crimson as they ascended, their aura weakening progressively, forming clear distinct layers.

Corresponding to these were the concentric corridors around the periphery.

Each level of the corridor had an extended platform. Although there were no meditation cushions, it was evident they were prepared for cultivators to meditate and capture the illusory figures within.

The higher one's cultivation, the deeper their position.

"It's like a place for artificially nurturing spirit sprites..."

The avatar observed the illusory figures, realizing they resembled fire spirits.

However, they differed from naturally occurring fire spirits. Their eyes were hollow, allowing the restrictions to bind them above the Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool. They behaved stiffly, lacking even the desire to break free from their confinement or yearn for freedom, almost like inanimate objects.

Even the golden illusory figures closest to the Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool were like this.

Thinking of the talisman puppet's performance just now, it was only when the crimson shadow merged with the talisman puppet that it was endowed with the will to fight.

This was highly abnormal, a deliberate result created by the builder of the spiritual pool.

Of course, fire spirits weren't only useful for merging with talisman puppets; they had many other marvelous uses.

These fire spirits were easier for disciples to subdue and then cultivate their sentience using secret techniques, greatly reducing the possibility of betrayal. Moreover, the spiritual pool's restrictions were extremely profound; their potential was likely no less than naturally occurring fire spirits, and they could even be cultivated in bulk, allowing each person to have one.

Any random spot revealed the astounding foundation of the Boundless Immortal Sect.

While the avatar clicked his tongue in admiration, he also felt quite disappointed. This place was far from what he had expected. What attracted the fiery jade centipede was not a treasure but fire spirits.

Fire spirits were born from the purest crimson fiery energy. Most valuable was that their consciousness had not yet awakened, allowing them to be directly consumed without fear of backlash, undoubtedly a great tonic. No wonder the fiery jade centipede was so eager.

The avatar released the restriction.

The fiery jade centipede had long been impatient. It was not afraid of the impact of the crimson fiery energy in the spiritual pool. It plunged directly into the group of fire spirits, starting from the uppermost layer, and burrowed into a crimson fire spirit.

That fire spirit quickly withered and disappeared.

The fiery jade centipede reappeared, its aura indeed improved, and it unhesitatingly pounced on another one.

The group of fire spirits stirred. They lacked intelligence and wouldn't attack en masse; only the one being attacked would instinctively retaliate.

However, the fiery jade centipede was already a four-transformation spirit insect; this level of counterattack could not harm it.

The avatar watched the fiery jade centipede hunt voraciously, then shifted his gaze to the Flowing Fire Illusory True Pool. "What a pity. The crimson fiery energy here has accumulated for tens of thousands of years, far surpassing what it once was. If my true self were to come and collect it, I could gain considerable benefits. When my true self returns from Emperor's Grant Mountain, I wonder if it will still be here..."

He hadn't forgotten the mission of this journey.

But he tried several times; the fiery jade centipede was only focused on devouring its fill and wouldn't stop until it was completely sated. It showed no interest in other treasures and had no intention of continuing to search for them.

The avatar sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "Does this mean that the supreme fire treasure isn't here? Otherwise, the fiery jade centipede wouldn't be acting this way."

Allowing it to eat its fill, the avatar began to busy himself.

Although he hadn't found the supreme treasure, the underground palace's restrictions were relatively complete. The avatar noticed that some restrictions didn't belong to the underground palace itself and, as expected, should be part of the Fire Aspect Hall's grand formation. He planned to deduce the location of the formation's core from these remnants.

Even though Qin San's proficiency in this field was not weak, it still took immense effort for him to gradually gain some insight, moving along with the formation's flow.

While the avatar was busy.

An unknown valley.

The mountain wind blew, and light and shadow swayed, suddenly revealing three figures: none other than the Poison King and his two companions.

"This should be the final place of engagement..."

The Poison King surveyed his surroundings, his gaze settling on the valley, his tone resolute.

They had been drawn by the anomaly at the Ice Ceremony Palace and rushed there non-stop, but halfway they discovered traces of a battle and followed them to the valley. Crucial information had been deliberately erased, but from the traces, it could be inferred that both sides in the conflict were powerful.

In fact, there were no weaklings left within the ancient remains.

"Three people! One side had assistance, while the other fought alone. The outcome doesn't seem good!" Elder Fan concluded.

But Grandmaster Huaiyin held a different opinion. He had kept his eyes tightly shut, his aura calm, as if in meditation. Suddenly, his nostrils flared, and he broke his trance, saying, "Something's odd. Both sides might have been the same person. Those two energy signatures are distinct, yet they seem connected."

Grandmaster Huaiyin's spiritual perception was exceptionally keen, allowing him to distinguish subtle differences and get closer to the truth.

This place was precisely the battlefield of Su Zinan and Elder Yanshan.

After Su Zinan succeeded, although he tried to cover his tracks, he was preoccupied with the immortal palace's opportunities and drawn by the Ice Ceremony Palace's anomaly, leaving some incomplete aspects.

He overlooked some subtle clues, which Grandmaster Huaiyin detected.

The Poison King trusted Grandmaster Huaiyin's divine ability. "Master means, a spirit slave, a puppet, or a clone?"

Elder Fan's eye twitched. He sneered, "Old monk, look clearly! That person's opponent wasn't weak. If he truly was one person, relying solely on his own power, then his strength... Hmph hmph..."

They couldn't reach a conclusion.

The Poison King shifted his gaze, seeing the sky to the northeast glowing crimson, with the faint silhouette of the floating island visible. He said softly, "Did they have old grudges, or were they contending for something?"

"The victor has been decided; any treasures won't be yours!" Elder Fan snorted coldly, pointing towards Emperor's Grant Mountain, impatiently saying, "Several lights are flickering in the mountain; clearly, people are ascending it. The pillar of light anomaly also erupted near this mountain. If we delay any longer, there'll only be scraps left!"

The Poison King also saw the anomaly on Emperor's Grant Mountain. He hesitated, saying, "The floating island is shrouded in fiery flames, accumulating for tens of thousands of years. There should be a knot of fire poison, which would be of great use to me. You two might as well go ahead first. Once I've collected the fire poison, I'll meet you on the mountain."