Chapter 277: 神 Fire Domain Past

An Wuzhi and Chu Jingting landed in front of him one after another. They were all delighted to see the faint silver-blue flame Shi Chun held in his hand, especially An Wuzhi, whose fiery gaze was indescribable.

Chu Jingting scanned the vast emptiness around them and remarked with great emotion, "We ran so far, and finally caught it! This place is countless times larger than the Iron Forest and the Magma Land, and it's still boundless ahead of us."

He reached out and caught a snowflake, watching it melt into a droplet in his palm. Suddenly, a chunk of accumulated snow fell, hitting his hand. He looked up and saw it had fallen from the ice pillar in front of him.

He walked closer, reached out, and brushed away a layer of snow from the surface, revealing ice that looked like white jade. He asked curiously, "How did this ice freeze into such a tall pillar on a flat plain? It shouldn't be natural, right?"

As he spoke, he looked back and saw Shi Chun, who was staring up at the pillar, slowly backing away, moving further and further, as if to get a clearer and complete view of the ice pillar.

An Wuzhi, who had been focused on the divine fire in Shi Chun's hand, also sensed something unusual about Shi Chun. He couldn't help but turn his head to look, but he didn't see anything remarkable.

Shi Chun hadn't noticed anything unusual at first either; the reason he wanted to examine it closely was because of the divine fire he had just captured.

This silver-blue divine fire had previously been fleeing, refusing to change its course despite any threats or attacks, always heading in this direction. It found this abrupt ice pillar on the ice plain, then leaped out from under the snow and danced in front of the pillar, as if its entire journey was to reach this ice pillar.

Clearly, there was likely something special about this ice pillar.

Before, he had been intently focused on the escaping divine fire, eager to catch it, and hadn't taken the time to examine things closely. Now that the divine fire was in his hands, it was only natural to inspect everything thoroughly.

He then saw fluctuating spectral images, and there was more than one.

Inside the ice pillar, as viewed through his right eye's special ability, there were five spectral images, just like the divine fire spectral image he controlled. They varied in size, with the smallest one even tinier than the one he had just captured.

What struck him as strange was that those five spectral images also seemed to be struggling desperately, just like the one in his hand.

Could they also be divine fires?

Could the legend be mistaken? Wasn't it said that there was only one divine fire per region?

He admitted that this area was indeed vast, and it was possible for two divine fires to appear, but five divine fires couldn't possibly be clustered together.

Thinking about the state of the divine fire in his hand earlier, Shi Chun muttered to himself, "Could I have found the Ice Flame's lair? Was the divine fire in my hand terrified and trying to hide back home?"

Thinking about it, this was indeed a strong possibility.

Five, plus the one in his hand—he had suddenly found six divine fires. Was this good fortune too sudden?

So, the smoke rising from the incense stick in his hand, unnoticed by the two people beside him who were also observing the ice pillar, began to solidify and take shape again. It not only pointed to the ice pillar but also shamelessly divided into six branches, like six fingers: five pointing to the ice pillar and one pointing to the divine fire in his hand.

He let out a surprised "Eh?" as he stared at the incense stick in his hand, drawing the attention of the two people beside him. In the dim light, seeing him staring at the incense, they instinctively looked as well, only to see that the smoke from the "Fire God Incense," subtly fluctuating with magical power, had indeed split into six branches.

Regarding the magical fluctuations from the incense, the two didn't think much of it, assuming it was simply a method of casting and controlling.

What attracted them more was that the smoke had split into six branches: one pointing to the divine fire in front of them, and the other five pointing to the ice pillar. Could it be...?

Chu Jingting asked, "Leader, what does this 'Fire God Incense' mean?"

Shi Chun clicked his tongue and said, "That's not right. According to the incense's indication, there should be six divine fires. Isn't there only one divine fire in one place? How could six be together?"

"Six?" An Wuzhi exclaimed, despite having harbored the same suspicion moments ago.

Chu Jingting looked at the ice pillar. "Stop guessing. Let's blast the ice pillar open and see." He pulled up his sleeves, preparing to act.

Shi Chun quickly stopped him. "Hey, don't be reckless! If there really are five more hidden inside and they escape, how many can the three of us catch?"

Remembering what happened in the Iron Forest, Chu Jingting was still shaken and quickly waved his hand. "Don't look at me; I can't catch a single one. I can't even get close to these things. Leader, are you sure you haven't cultivated fire-attribute techniques?" He pointed at the Ice Flame controlled by Shi Chun.

Shi Chun, however, handed the Ice Flame to An Wuzhi. An Wuzhi quickly performed his techniques to control the Ice Flame, his heart pounding, nervous, and his hands trembling.

Shi Chun then reached into his sleeve, pulled out a Wind Scale, and threw it directly to Chu Jingting. "If we're going to try, we need to be fully prepared. If there really are five more, it would be a shame if they escaped. Go to the exit and see if Wu Jinliang and the others have freed themselves. If they have, bring Tong Mingshan with them.

"If they haven't freed themselves, ignore them for now. Instead, bring the two disciples from the Four Cauldron Sect who are with Lao Changtai; they have cultivated fire-attribute techniques, which will make it easier to assist in the operation."

Chu Jingting said, "Wouldn't it be better to get Xu Anchang and the others who have cultivated fire-attribute techniques?" Unexpectedly, Shi Chun added, "And tell Lao Changtai that no matter who asks where those two Four Cauldron Sect disciples went later, tell them they went to the Iron Forest."

Chu Jingting was momentarily stunned, then immediately understood. If Xu Anchang and the others were brought here, even with six divine fires, An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin might not get a share. The leader clearly intended to prioritize his own people, and as for those two Four Cauldron Sect disciples, they were merely being used and would likely disappear once their utility was exhausted.

Seeing Chu frozen, An Wuzhi grew a little anxious. "Brother Chu, don't dawdle! Hurry up and help us out."

He was the most supportive of Shi Chun's approach. He didn't want to lose the qualification to absorb this divine fire. Now that it was in their hands, how could they possibly give it up?

Knowing his desire for the divine fire, Chu Jingting nodded, then rode the Wind Scale and departed, returning along the tracks left on the ground.

Shi Chun and An Wuzhi waited there for the time being, occasionally glancing at the ice pillar. They dared not act rashly until their full team arrived.

"If there really are five, how could five gather in one place? Wasn't it said there's only one per region? You've cultivated fire-attribute techniques; do you know why?"

Since they were idle anyway, Shi Chun asked.

An Wuzhi, holding the Ice Flame, smiled wryly. "It's true I cultivate fire-attribute techniques, but I don't really know much about the situation in this Divine Fire Domain. Those artifact-forging sects who know are generally unwilling to reveal it. However, this Divine Fire Domain is vast, and what we've heard might not be absolute. Any special situation could occur."

Shi Chun nodded slightly. "That's true. If those artifact-forging sects truly knew so much about the Divine Fire Domain, then the number of people who find divine fires each time wouldn't be so small.

"What I find strange is, since only those who have absorbed divine fire can activate the Divine Fire Spirit Gate and enter the Divine Fire Domain, then there must have been people who entered the Divine Fire Domain without having absorbed divine fire first, right? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

An Wuzhi said, "Only people who have absorbed divine fire can use the Divine Fire Spirit Gate to open the Divine Fire Domain—that's a later development.

"In ancient times, there was a person named 'Fire God.' He was the first to sense the Divine Fire Domain and the first to open it. He didn't need any Divine Fire Spirit Gate for assistance; with his powerful cultivation, he directly tore open a void passage and entered. I heard he later brought a group of experts inside for a great battle."

Shi Chun was surprised. "A great battle?"

An Wuzhi nodded. "Yes, a great battle. At that time, the Divine Fire Domain was infested with many fire spirit monsters that had existed for unknown ages. For instance, the Fire Alligators we saw—they must have lived for at least a millennium to be able to shapeshift.

"When the Divine Fire Domain first opened, the old monsters residing there had never been purged. They were infinitely more terrifying than Fire Alligators, ancient horrors that had existed for endless ages.

"The Fire God suffered a setback alone, so he came out to get reinforcements, tricking a bunch of people into going in..."

Shi Chun asked, "He tricked them in?"

An Wuzhi said, "Without some attraction, why would so many people easily venture in? It wasn't exactly a trick; he spoke the truth, saying that absorbing divine fire could help people below the Immortal Realm quickly improve their cultivation. Which powerful figure doesn't have disciples and grand-disciples?

"In the end, he brought in a large group of experts. At that time, it wasn't just artifact forgers who entered; there were also people cultivating various fire-attribute techniques, and other experts who went to broaden their horizons. These were all ancient, god-level figures.

"Even these individuals still suffered heavy losses in the Divine Fire Domain. Even the Fire God himself eventually met his end there. From this, you can imagine how terrifying those old monsters in the Divine Fire Domain were back then.

"According to those who came out, before his demise, the Fire God desperately opened a passage and sent them out. Among them were many who had absorbed divine fire. It was then that the cultivation world managed to preserve the connection with the Divine Fire Domain—it could be considered the spark personally preserved by the Fire God.

"Later, generations of people cultivating fire-attribute techniques continuously campaigned against the Divine Fire Domain, for no other reason than their craving for divine fire, which could rapidly elevate the cultivation of their descendants. It was also due to the sacrifices of those ancestors that the terrifying old monsters within the Divine Fire Domain were cleared out, and many powerful ancestors perished inside as a result.

"Although the Divine Fire Domain created many powerful figures, it also truly buried many of them. Whether it was a gain or a loss, who can say?

"As for why it later became exclusive to artifact forgers, the reason is simple: the key to entering is in the hands of artifact forgers, the kind that cannot be stolen. With the Fire God gone, one needs the assistance of magical artifacts to enter, and the Divine Fire Spirit Gate can only be forged by artifact forgers."

Shi Chun asked, "Why are there no high-level experts coming in now?"

An Wuzhi said, "Firstly, there were several accidents, and for unknown reasons, the passage between the two realms couldn't be opened. The Ice Yang doesn't last long, so even if more people were brought in, their remaining time would be limited. Rumors speculate that after the Divine Fire Domain moved away from the cultivation world, its environment became exceptionally extreme, trapping and killing several groups. Also, experts who came in were too ruthless in their plundering, severely damaging the artifact-forging sects, and even causing the decline of many major sects. That's why the current rules were established."

No sooner had he finished speaking than both of them turned their heads in unison to look back along the path. They saw a Wind Scale descending, revealing Chu Jingting running back, his face filled with panic.