Chapter 1033: Fire Source City

This search for the ancient relic is not a solitary endeavor; it is a monumental undertaking, potentially affecting the entire human race. Because of its significance, the Master Teacher Pavilion of Qingyuan paid great attention. They not only dispatched Master Wu but also a peak seven-star master array interpreter to help everyone break the seal and find the correct path.

Although his junior uncle was young, he was reckless and dared to do anything. It was better to give him a heads-up in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble later.

"Don't worry!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Seeing his confident expression, Master Mu didn't know how to respond. He looked at Luo Ruoxi, who was not far away, and saw her smile slightly, seemingly also skeptical of Zhang Xuan's assurance.

No wonder.

When he was taken to the Conferring Sage Platform, he was asked to show more respect. Yet, he still caused the entire rock wall to collapse. If it hadn't been for Master Kong's intervention, he might have been beaten to death.

This fellow, sometimes incredibly talented and brilliant, could also appear adorably foolish at other times.

The three chatted casually. Zhang Xuan asked a few more questions about the relic and became excited upon learning it might be connected to Master Kong. He had personally asked Master Kong at the Conferring Sage Platform previously and learned that Master Kong also possessed the Innate Fetal Toxin. Since it was related to him, they might find some clues.

The journey passed without a word. The sacred flying beast was extremely fast, and five days later, Fiery City appeared before them.

"Fiery City is inherently hot, and now it's summer. Non-cultivators would likely find it unbearable..." Master Mu said, looking at the city, glowing faintly red under the sun.

"It certainly is hot enough!" Zhang Xuan nodded, sensing the surrounding temperature. Just a few days ago, he had been in Jingyuan City, where snow fell all day and it was cold as ice. Here, however, it felt like a furnace. If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he would have doubted how two places with such extreme temperature differences could belong to the same empire.

"Although this place isn't far from the Conferring Sage Platform, there's a significant temperature difference!" When he and Luo Ruoxi visited the Conferring Sage Platform last time, it wasn't too far from here, only a few hundred kilometers. Yet, at such a close distance, the climate there was normal, without the scorching heat found here. "The Conferring Sage Platform, where heaven and earth bestow sainthood, is protected by a saint, so the weather is naturally favorable. But here, there are several massive active volcanoes, making the intense heat unavoidable!" Master Mu explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded. He had a map of Hongyuan Empire in his mind and was aware of the conditions here. Fiery City, known as "Fire Source," the origin of fire... It was obvious without thinking that the temperature would be unbearable.

"Since it's so hot here, why build a city, and why do so many people stay here?" Luo Ruoxi couldn't help but ask. With so many active volcanoes that could erupt at any time, and the unbearable heat, why would anyone remain?

"Haha!" Master Mu hadn't answered yet when Zhang Xuan chuckled. "Although it's hot here," Zhang Xuan explained, "it's very suitable for growing certain drought-loving medicinal herbs, like Withered Leaf Grass! This plant can grow without water, and its leaves always appear withered, hence its name. One stalk of Withered Leaf Grass can sell for the price of a high-grade spirit stone."

"That expensive?" Luo Ruoxi was startled. For an ordinary person, a single high-grade spirit stone was enough to cover food and drink for a lifetime. With such a price for a single medicinal herb, it was no wonder countless people flocked here, willing to endure this place.

"Not only that," Zhang Xuan continued, "this place also has some special sacred beasts and spirit beasts, each one extremely rare and valuable if sold... Furthermore, it's a treasure trove for mineral deposits!" Having read all the books in the Master Teacher Academy, he knew more about the Hongyuan Empire than many native master teachers.

"I see..." Luo Ruoxi understood. There must be a reason why people would stay here, even building such a massive city.

"Haha, Junior Uncle is indeed knowledgeable!" Master Mu said, praising him. Although his junior uncle could be somewhat unreliable in his actions, the sheer volume of knowledge in his mind was undeniable. He could effortlessly talk about anything from humanities and geography to specialized professions, making it impossible not to be impressed. It was precisely for this reason that Hongyuan Academy, a massive gathering place for master teachers with a ten-thousand-year legacy, chose him to lead.

"Just casual talk, it's nothing!" Zhang Xuan chuckled.

"There's still some time before the seal opens," Master Mu suggested. "How about we head to the Master Teacher Pavilion and gather with everyone first?"

As the three spoke, the sacred beast arrived over the city and slowly descended. Soon, they were before a towering and majestic hall: the Master Teacher Pavilion!

This city was much larger than Jingyuan City, with a denser population and its own branch of the Master Teacher Pavilion. However, its strongest pavilion master was only at the mid-stage of the Saint realm, far inferior to those in Hongyuan City.

"Greetings, Master Mu!" As soon as they entered, a middle-aged man came to greet them.

"Hmm, where are Master Array Interpreter Han Xu and Master Wu? Take us to them!" Master Mu asked with a smile.

"Master Wu and the others went to Yanlin Mountain two days ago..." the middle-aged man quickly replied.

"Went to Yanlin Mountain?" Master Mu was surprised. "Isn't the seal still a few days away from opening? Why did they go so early?"

"I don't know, sir. I was just told to stay here and receive other master teachers who arrive, instructing them to go there as quickly as possible!" the middle-aged man replied hurriedly.

"Understood!" Master Mu nodded, asking no further questions. He looked at Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxi: "Since Master Wu and Master Array Interpreter Han Xu have already gone, it seems the changes with the seal are more severe than I previously knew. Let's go and take a look as well!"

"Okay!" Zhang Xuan and Luo Ruoxi nodded and once again mounted the back of the sacred flying beast.

"The location of the seal is not within the city," Master Mu explained in detail from the room on the beast's back. "It's deep within the Yanlin Mountain Range, over three hundred kilometers from here. There's a massive, extremely hot active volcano there, which is typically deserted..." The seal was located on an active volcano, similar to the island where the Poison Hall was situated. The massive formation was maintained by the power released from the volcano. If one didn't understand formations and tried to force their way in, they wouldn't just fail to enter; they would also trigger a collapse of the mountain range, destroying the ancient relic. Therefore, before the seal opened, even with countless master teacher experts, they dared not force their way in and could only wait there.

A distance of three hundred kilometers was not too far. In less than ten minutes, a tall peak appeared before them, thousands of meters high and majestically imposing. However, it was barren, devoid of any vegetation, almost entirely covered in fiery red rocks. Even before they arrived, it gave a sensation of burning skin.

"These are Fire-Cleansing Pills!" Master Mu said, his wrist turning as he produced two pills and handed them over. "Take them, and they'll counteract the effects of fire poison, preventing injury!" Although their cultivation meant this level of heat was nothing, prolonged exposure could still lead to fire poison invading their bodies and causing ailments. To prevent this, half a month ago, Dean Zhou, the newly appointed head of the Alchemist Academy, had many students refine enough Fire-Cleansing Pills. These pills could be refined by four-star alchemists and were not complex, made by condensing heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs, having good effects on eliminating fire poison.

"Thank you!" For Zhang Xuan, with the Heaven's Path zhenqi in his body, he feared even potent poisons, so naturally, he wasn't afraid of this fire poison. However, unwilling to decline the kind gesture, he casually took the pill and swallowed it. As the pill went down, he immediately felt a refreshing coolness spread throughout his body, and the heat he had felt earlier seemed to vanish.

"This isn't... an ordinary Fire-Cleansing Pill?" His eyes lit up. Although it looked no different on the outside, the pill's properties were clearly much stronger than ordinary ones.

"I collected various medicinal herbs and refined it myself..." Master Mu smiled.

"No wonder!" Zhang Xuan nodded. He was a seven-star master teacher, with alchemy as a supplementary profession. Naturally, the efficacy of a fourth-grade pill refined by him would be extraordinary.

The sacred beast flew for not long before they reached the summit of Yanlin Mountain. Looking down, they saw a massive circular pit. Countless students sat cross-legged around it, continuously channeling zhenqi towards a specific spot, sweat pouring down their foreheads.

"They're stabilizing the seal..." Master Mu's expression turned grim. It appeared the seal was indeed more dangerous than they had imagined; otherwise, so many people wouldn't be working together like this.

"Those should be the ten thousand students brought by the Dean of the Formation Academy..." Zhang Xuan nodded after a glance. These were all students from the Master Teacher Academy, recognizable at a glance by their special uniforms.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Just as he thought the students might be struggling to hold on, another group of students arrived. Their hands moved swiftly, placing newly refined formation flags in fixed positions. Although these positions couldn't alter the seal's structure, they could make it more stable. These were the many students from the Artifact Forger Academy. The students from the two academies cooperated seamlessly, their movements fast and fluid, indicating they had done this frequently in recent days.

Seeing so many students working hard to stabilize the seal, while the circular pit below still felt like it could erupt at any moment, Zhang Xuan frowned. The patterns in his eyes flickered as he gazed straight down.

"What a complex formation..." His eyebrows twitched after a single glance. His understanding of formations was no weaker than that of a seven-star master array interpreter, yet looking at the restrictions below, he still felt a bit dizzy and found it difficult to comprehend.

"Yet, it also seems... somewhat different." The more he looked, the more puzzled he became. It looked like a formation, but at the same time, it didn't quite seem like one. Although the seal was somewhat unstable, it hadn't been activated. Therefore, it couldn't be judged. Relying solely on his Eye of Insight, and given his current knowledge, it would take several months to fully understand it. If it truly was a formation, it would undoubtedly be above seventh-level! A great formation exceeding the seventh level... No wonder so many master teachers from the Qingyuan Empire's Master Teacher Pavilion dared not act rashly. It had already surpassed the scope of what they could handle.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

As he observed, Master Mu on the side controlled the sacred beast, slowly flying downwards. Landing on the ground, before they even reached the circular pit, Master Wu came forward to greet them: "Master Zhang, Master Luo, Master Mu, you've arrived!"