Chapter 879: You Should Be a Decent Person!

The next moment, with a flash of cold blade light, Shuimo broke through the giant palm and burst out. The scorching energy was resisted by the power of the Talent Tree, but the immense striking force ruptured the skin between his thumb and forefinger, causing blood to flow freely, and even a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth. Inside his chest and abdomen, his qi and blood churned erratically.

Ying Wuji, who was right behind him, also grunted, his face pale. He was secretly horrified, realizing that if Shuimo hadn't been in front to block the force of that palm, he would have surely been killed.

Passing this last barrier, the two rushed into the stone staircase tunnel they had come from, one after the other. Once inside, the pressure greatly diminished, as they no longer had to worry about being surrounded from all directions. However, many Fire Spirits had already entered this tunnel and were climbing upwards. Sensing Shuimo and Ying Wuji's presence, they naturally tried their best to intercept and hinder them. With his long blade in hand, Shuimo's blade light flickered, and he moved without pause. Along the way, Fire Spirits continuously fell. Any stragglers who managed to slip through were also dealt with by Ying Wuji, who was following behind him.

"Roar!" A thunderous roar suddenly erupted from behind them, filled with endless rage and malevolence. The sheer power of the roar alone caused Shuimo and Ying Wuji's minds to shake, making their bodies unsteady. At the same time, a stinging sensation emanated from their minds.

"Divine Sea Realm!" Ying Wuji exclaimed, his face drained of color. His perception wasn't as keen as Shuimo's, and the previous scene had been too chaotic, so he hadn't noticed much. He had no idea that the Fire Spirits they had encountered earlier weren't all of them; even more powerful Fire Spirits were sealed within, on the verge of breaking free. Only now did he belatedly realize this. The pain in his mind was undoubtedly due to an impact on his soul, and anyone capable of such power with just a roar must surely be in the Divine Sea Realm. And accompanying that furious roar, an immense power surged from behind them.

In the midst of their rush, Ying Wuji turned his head and immediately saw a horrifying sight. Behind them, magma churned, carrying a powerful impact, and a wave of energy rapidly swept towards them. Within the surging magma, numerous Fire Spirits floated erratically.

"Lu... Brother Niu, run!" Ying Wuji shouted urgently. If he were truly engulfed by this massive surge of magma, he didn't know if Shuimo would die, but he certainly would. Although he had recognized Shuimo's identity, he dared not call him by his true name, fearing Shuimo might suddenly turn back and slash him. He repeatedly admonished himself in his mind: this person is Niu Meng, this person is not Lu Yiye!

Although Shuimo, who was ahead, didn't look back, he knew a great danger was approaching from behind. He immediately accelerated, carving a bloody path through the interception of many Fire Spirits. After sprinting for a long time, a light suddenly appeared from above—it was the entrance to the stone platform they had been on earlier.

The next moment, Shuimo's figure darted out, with Ying Wuji following awkwardly behind. The two turned their heads to look around, only to see numerous Fire Spirits already present inside the volcano crater, clearly all having escaped from below. The few people Ying Wuji had left behind were gone, their fate unknown.

Without any delay, they soared upwards, exiting the volcano crater. When they looked back, an unforgettable scene unfolded before their eyes. Magma erupted, forming a towering column, heat waves swept through, and space itself twisted. The earth trembled, and the crater walls began to crack. From the erupting magma, figures of Fire Spirits surged forth, all roaring to the sky, seemingly venting their resentment from being sealed for so many years. Their cries of sorrow and roars of rage were enough to change the very color of the sky and earth.

Having seen the light of day once more, the many Fire Spirits vented their fury, then suddenly turned their heads, gazing at Shuimo and Ying Wuji with fiery eyes. Although ages had passed, they clearly remembered that it was humans who had used means to seal them. Such deep-seated hatred naturally meant... an unending feud! Ying Wuji's scalp tingled, and he quickly flew towards the direction of Lone Mountain Pass.

When he was attacked in the underground lava cave earlier, he had already sent a distress signal to the pass. He presumed that reinforcements from the pass should be arriving by now. But at that time, he had no idea how severe the situation was. Now that circumstances had changed, the reinforcements from the pass might not be enough. To resist this catastrophe, they would need the full strength of Lone Mountain Pass. This was not merely a crisis but a calamity; if not handled properly, the entire Lone Mountain Pass could fall into great peril.

Just as these thoughts raced through his mind, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure beside him out of the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw Shuimo, wearing his mask, flying alongside him.

"You..." Ying Wuji was utterly bewildered. It was only natural for him, a Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivator, to flee towards Lone Mountain Pass when in danger. But what was a Vast Sky Alliance member doing joining in? Was he truly not afraid of death? However, he quickly understood Shuimo's intention. If Shuimo fled towards Azure Flame Pass, he would only bring the crisis there as well. These Fire Spirits, whose roars were filled with malevolence, were not like the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge cultivators, who were deterred by the legendary woman's prestige and dared not act rashly. If the Fire Spirits were truly led to Azure Flame Pass, even if that woman alone was incredibly powerful, she might not be able to handle such a crisis. If the defenses were breached, the higher-ups of the Bing Province Guard would certainly demand accountability. So, no matter what, Shuimo could not flee towards Azure Flame Pass. Since he couldn't flee to Azure Flame Pass, Lone Mountain Pass was the only option.

But... you're from the Vast Sky Alliance!

Ying Wuji's mind was in turmoil. Although he didn't know how Shuimo had managed to show him a Ten Thousand Demon Ridge battle imprint earlier, he had a feeling Shuimo couldn't do it a second time. Therefore, once they reached Lone Mountain Pass, Shuimo's identity was very likely to be exposed. With his reputation as Lu Yiye of the Jade Blood Sect, once his identity was exposed, he wouldn't see tomorrow's sun, let alone tonight's moon. Moreover... there was him, an insider. As a cultivator from the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, how could he keep silent? Although he had been pondering the relationship between the two factions recently, he hadn't reached a definitive conclusion. As a Bing Province Guard member aligned with the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, Ying Wuji naturally wouldn't make choices detrimental to his side.

This guy wouldn't... A strong warning sign suddenly arose in his heart, and Ying Wuji panicked. The feeling that this person wanted to kill him was more intense than ever before. He turned his head, meeting Shuimo's eyes directly. Ying Wuji gasped, "This guy... he probably wants to silence me!" He was the only one who knew Shuimo's identity and secret. If Shuimo killed him, then no one would know, right? Having just escaped one den of wolves only to enter a tiger's maw, Ying Wuji lamented his bitter fate. In this life-or-death crisis, a thought suddenly flashed in his mind. He quickly declared, "Heavenly Secrets bear witness! Everything I've seen about your secrets, I, Ying Wuji, vow never to reveal a single word to anyone in any form in this life. Should I violate this, I shall die on the spot!"

Beneath the mask, Shuimo's sharp gaze softened. He had been about to ask Ying Wuji to take the Heavenly Secrets oath, but unexpectedly, the other party did it himself. "Sensible!" Shuimo loosened his grip on the Panshan Blade. Ying Wuji was almost on the verge of collapse.

"Give me the stuff!" Shuimo spoke again.

"What stuff?" Ying Wuji's emotions fluctuated wildly, completely lost as to what Shuimo was talking about.

"The things you extracted from the underground lava cave earlier."

"..." Ying Wuji finally understood why Shuimo had earlier told him to collect all the excavated Fire Spirit Stones in one place. At the time, Shuimo said it was for easy accounting and distribution later. Now he realized... it was for Shuimo to rob him. So, Shuimo had already planned this back then.

"Be a decent person!" Ying Wuji was infuriated. Shuimo stared at him intently. Although he and Yiyi had gained a huge harvest in the underground lava cave, Fire Spirit Stones were something he could never have enough of. Ying Wuji and his group's harvest should have been considerable.

"Take it, it's all yours!" Ying Wuji angrily threw over a storage bag containing the Fire Spirit Stones they had painstakingly collected, seething, "May you choke on it!" But then he thought, it was fortunate he had collected all the Fire Spirit Stones. The several Cloud River Realm cultivators who had followed him into the cave had all died in the previous chaos, and their storage bags couldn't be recovered. If he hadn't collected the Fire Spirit Stones, all their previous efforts would have been wasted.

Still curious, he asked, "That battle imprint of yours..."

Shuimo said indifferently, "Do you know how to live longer?"

Ying Wuji immediately shut up. Turning back, his expression changed. Behind them, dense streams of light converged into a fiery torrent, originating from the volcano crater, connecting heaven and earth, a majestic and powerful sight. The number of Fire Spirits was even greater than he had previously imagined, and what they saw now was only those who had surged from underground; there should be many more, still hidden deep below. Fortunately, both he and Shuimo had already advanced to the True Lake Realm, and their flight speed was significantly faster than when they were in the Cloud River Realm. Otherwise, they might not have escaped the pursuit of the Fire Spirits. As they flew forward, the pursuers behind them clung on like maggots to a bone, refusing to let go.

"Inform your Lone Mountain Pass to prepare for a major battle!" Shuimo said.

"Already informed!" He hardly needed Shuimo to remind him of such a thing; he had already sent a message to the pass during their escape. He only hoped that the Divine Sea Realm cultivators there would truly take it seriously, otherwise, Lone Mountain Pass would surely face a great calamity this time!

Originally, a team had already set out from Lone Mountain Pass to support them, but by now they had returned, as such a small reinforcement force would be of no help in the current situation. A full two hours later, a majestic pass suddenly appeared in their sight.

Lone Mountain Pass, they had arrived! The city wasn't very large, much smaller than the Fire Spirits' city in the underground lava cave. It wasn't that the Ten Thousand Demon Ridge was petty, but rather that this size was perfectly suited for defense. This was consistent across all passes; only by concentrating effective forces as much as possible could their defenses become impenetrable. Though the city wasn't large, its walls soared a hundred zhang high. At this very moment, on those city walls, numerous figures stood, looking out into the distance in their direction. Upon seeing the fiery torrent behind Shuimo and Ying Wuji, their expressions all changed.