Chapter 2553: Ten Days Soaring in the Sky

A group of people had already filed out. Suddenly, the seventy-two peaks of Shouyang Mountain all lit up, and unseen waves spread in every direction, as if everything had come alive.

On the high platform in the center, columns carved with totems also lit up, seemingly forming a special array.

"Don't worry, this isn't an offensive array," Wu Hui reassured his subordinates.

Zu An nodded inwardly, thinking that as the Fire Officer of the Heavenly Court, Wu Hui's discernment was indeed extraordinary.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred: two beams of light shot from the eyes of the statues at the highest points of the seventy-two peaks, all converging into the central volcano.

A rumbling sound echoed, and the ground shook for a hundred miles around, as if the volcano were about to erupt.

Wu Hui frowned slightly as he looked at the volcano. "The fire element has indeed been activated, but it's not wild enough to erupt. Even if it did, it wouldn't be an issue."

There was a hint of arrogance in his tone, and the other golden-armored warriors visibly relaxed.

Right, he was the esteemed God of Fire; even if the volcano erupted, wouldn't the flames still be under his control?

At that moment, a stream of lava suddenly surged from the volcano. Everyone instinctively recoiled, but instead of spewing everywhere, the lava gradually formed a human figure.

"Shouyang Witch Clan Chief!" the Wushan Goddess exclaimed softly. Although the lava figure was still somewhat indistinct, its outline was enough to roughly identify who it was.

"He's not dead?" Yun Yuqing asked, puzzled.

"He's already dead. This is merely an imprint left by the flames; there's no life essence," Wu Hui said, his gaze fixed on the lava figure, still wary. He couldn't understand the Shouyang Witch Clan Chief's intentions.

At this point, the lava figure spoke: "If you are seeing me now, I presume I am already dead."

Upon hearing his words, everyone present was astonished, except for Zu An, who wore an expression of 'I knew it.'

"I am the chief of the Shouyang Witch Clan. Not long ago, a distinguished guest visited and asked us to forge something for him," the lava figure recounted, as if recalling memories. "We naturally felt incredibly honored to craft a weapon for such a prominent figure; everyone in the Shouyang Witch Clan felt proud."

"However, that honor soon faded, as we discovered he wanted to forge a Soul Annihilation Cauldron, designed to collect the souls and spirits of countless living beings."

"I couldn't understand why such a noble figure, constantly radiating light, would create something so evil."

"I voiced my concerns, and the distinguished one explained that it was intended to deal with wicked individuals across the world, serving as a warning to all."

"The explanation seemed plausible, and I believed it. After all, given his status, why would he lie about something like this?"

"But as the Soul Annihilation Cauldron neared completion, I gradually realized the problem: its capacity was simply too vast. If it were truly only for dealing with evil-doers, would it need to be so immense? Its enormous size was enough to hold all the living souls in the world..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed. What did it mean to be able to contain the souls of all living beings?

What was that mysterious person planning to do?

"Every time I considered the possibilities, I felt as if I would be consumed by a profound dread. Yet, given that person's identity, I couldn't comprehend why they would do such a thing. Was I overthinking it?"

"For days, I'd been using tortoise shells for divination, but as time passed, the omens grew increasingly ominous."

"If my suspicions were true, that individual would absolutely not permit this matter to be exposed, and we would likely be silenced. Therefore, I deliberately left this recording. I would regularly deactivate the mechanism each day to prevent it from being triggered."

"However, if I failed to deactivate it for more than a day, this recording would be revealed. It seems I have indeed been silenced."

Although it was just a lava figure, its tone was remarkably sorrowful, evoking a sense of grief in everyone present.

"Since that entity resorted to silencing me, they would certainly worry about what I might have left behind and would likely destroy any potential clues. My room must be in disarray now, I presume."

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Zu An's face. The chief was surprisingly broad-minded, even making such a joke in his dying message.

"But destroying those things would be useless, because I've left clues throughout Shouyang Mountain itself. Even he couldn't simply destroy the entire Shouyang Mountain range; that would draw the attention of everyone in the Heavenly Court and the Witch Clan, which is certainly not what he desires."

Yun Yuqing grew anxious. "This person said so much, but still hasn't revealed the culprit's identity. It's so frustrating!"

Zu An gently patted her shoulder. "He must have his reasons for doing this."

Sure enough, the ethereal figure took a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision: "I don't know who will see this recording in the future, or if they will have the power to confront him. Therefore, I cannot directly name that person, or it would immediately draw his attention, and then all would be lost."

"However, if you're astute enough, you should have already deduced his identity, shouldn't you?"

The lava figure playfully winked, then completely dissipated.

Yun Yuqing couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. "What was that? He talked for ages but didn't actually reveal anything."

"No, he already did," Zu An, Wu Hui, and the Wushan Goddess said in unison, their expressions grave.

Wu Hui and the Wushan Goddess instinctively looked at Zu An. Given their unique statuses, it was no surprise that they could guess, but they wondered why he could as well.

Zu An's gaze rested on the dissipated lava apparition. The figure had mentioned that the person was exceptionally noble and constantly radiated sacred light, clearly a major figure in the Heavenly Court. The chief's entire message was filled with trepidation, as if he feared misunderstanding the individual, only leaving this contingency plan after being confronted with undeniable facts.

Someone capable of instilling such fear in the chief would likely be one of only a handful of individuals in the entire Heavenly Court.

Furthermore, why did the chief specifically leave this recording inside the volcano? Because, both when the apparition first formed and when it eventually dissipated, the lava and flames vaguely took the shape of a large bird with spread wings. When viewed from above, with the glowing red volcano, it resembled a divine bird within a crimson sun.

Considering all these factors, who else could it be but Di Jun?

Not only did the Shouyang Witch Clan Chief fail to comprehend it, but even Zu An himself found it difficult to understand. Di Jun was already set to be the next Heavenly Emperor, so what was the purpose of all his actions?

When Hou Yi was killed, the vitrified ground and the lingering violent fire elements had already led Zu An to suspect Di Jun as the perpetrator. However, he hadn't dared to be certain until now. At last, he had confirmation that Di Jun had been orchestrating everything all along.

Wu Hui's expression was solemn. "This matter is extremely serious. I must immediately contact the various Heavenly Gods."

Since he couldn't return to the Heavenly Court for now, he could only first contact some important Heavenly Gods who resided on earth.

Zu An was contemplating how to rescue Xiao Xi and the others when, suddenly, a thought struck him. Everyone involuntarily looked up at the sky.

At that moment, the entire sky suddenly brightened by an unimaginable degree, and the surrounding air grew hot, for ten suns had appeared simultaneously in the sky!