Chapter 52

Although he was in a concealed state, Yun Che still did not dare to be careless, cautiously circling around towards the direction of the cave.

After walking a considerable right angle, Yun Che's feet stepped onto the crimson red earth. An intense heat immediately surged from under his feet, quickly spreading throughout his body, making him feel as if he were standing on flames.

This Flame Dragon had been here for at least a hundred years, and its fiery power had long turned this place into a world of fire elements. The position he was currently in was only about a kilometer away from where the Flame Dragon and the Fentian Sect had their fierce battle, which was already a very dangerous distance. The aftereffects of their battle could easily reach here.

Yun Che moved cautiously, but his speed did not decrease. Jiaoli had said that this Flame Dragon was clearly hiding its strength. If it suddenly unleashed its power and killed the five people from the Fentian Sect, he wouldn't just lose the opportunity to benefit from the chaos; he might even lose his life.

But the most comforting thing was that the Flame Dragon clearly did not want its habitat to be damaged. It not only deliberately kept its distance but also tried to avoid directing its attacks in this direction. After circling around to the north side of the cave, Yun Che's nerves were taut, and he rushed towards the cave entrance at the fastest speed. As he got closer to the cave, after several dozen breaths, he was only about ten zhang away, and the journey had been relatively smooth.

The goal was within reach, but at this moment, a large amount of flames suddenly fell from the sky, covering a few miles of the surrounding area. Although these flames were not large and not very aggressive, they were extremely dense. One of them directly landed on Yun Che.

Instantly, Yun Che's upper garment quickly caught fire. The effect of the Star Concealment Pill disappeared as soon as he was attacked. Fortunately, Yun Che reacted quickly, swiftly dodging behind a large rock to his left, extinguishing the flames on his clothes, and his brows furrowed deeply.

"Damn..."

The concealment effect of the Star Concealment Pill would disappear if he was attacked or touched by someone else. If he came out from behind the rock, whether he rushed towards the cave or retreated to his original position, he would be easily discovered. And if he stayed here, the Flame Dragon would also immediately find him when it returned after repelling the Fentian Sect people.

This was almost a death trap!

Boom!!

A fire dragon from the Flame Dragon suddenly descended from the sky, impacting the ground less than a hundred meters in front of Yun Che. A loud explosion followed, and the fire dragon burst, sending up a sky-high flame and a terrifying heat that almost melted the rocks.

At the moment the flames burst, Yun Che's eyes behind the large rock suddenly widened...

"Opportunity!!"

In the next instant, Yun Che shot out from behind the large rock like an arrow, unleashing all his mystic power and rushing towards the cave at the fastest speed he could achieve. The towering flames blocked the Flame Dragon and the Fentian Sect people's view of this direction, and the massive energy fluctuations were enough to completely suppress his weak mystic power. Moreover, they were in the midst of a fierce battle and dared not be distracted... So, Yun Che boldly released all his mystic power...

The distance of several dozen meters was undoubtedly a matter of life and death for Yun Che at this moment. He glanced at the gradually fading flames, gritted his teeth, and wished he could pour all his will into his legs. In the midst of the danger, time seemed to slow down, and the entrance to the cave slowly approached him. In the final stretch, he took a deep breath, pushed off the ground with his legs, and leaped into the cave...

Just as he flashed into the cave, the flames completely disappeared, and the scene of the Flame Dragon's fierce battle with the five Fentian Sect people became clear again.

Standing behind the scorching hot rock at the edge of the cave entrance, Yun Che panted heavily, drenched in sweat, his face flushed red, whether from the heat or excitement.

"Phew... Finally made it in." Yun Che patted his chest, still feeling the lingering fear. After calming down a bit, he slowed his pace and walked into the cave.

The Flame Dragon's body was massive, so the cave where it resided was also incredibly large. Yun Che raised his alertness and walked cautiously. The temperature here was much higher than outside. With each step, large droplets of sweat fell to the ground, instantly turning into white vapor with a slight hiss.

The depth of this cave was unknown. As Yun Che gradually went deeper, the light gradually dimmed. After walking a hundred steps, a red glow suddenly appeared ahead.

Yun Che paused, then quickened his pace. When he saw the source of the red glow, his eyes immediately lit up with a burning light.

"Fire Spirit Grass!!"

Mature Fire Spirit Grass was about seven inches tall, with shallow roots and usually nine leaves. It emitted a fiery glow in the dark and only grew in places with dense and pure fire elements, making it extremely rare. Additionally, Fire Spirit Grass grew very slowly, often taking over a decade to reach maturity, which made mature Fire Spirit Grass extremely valuable. Fire Spirit Grass could be refined into Fire Spirit Pills, which, when consumed, would grant the user a significant immunity to fire elements for a certain period and temporarily turn the mystic power in their mystic veins into fire attributes without any negative effects like burning oneself. For cultivators of fire-type mystic arts, its value was immeasurable.

And here, there were over two to three hundred mature Fire Spirit Grass plants, with nearly a quarter of them in the mature stage. Behind them, there was a large area with only the roots left, clearly indicating that these Fire Spirit Grass plants were the Flame Dragon's food.

The preciousness of Fire Spirit Grass also stemmed from the difficulty in harvesting and storing it. A slight mistake could cause all the fire spirit to dissipate. However, this was no problem for Yun Che. He extended his left hand and wildly grabbed the mature Fire Spirit Grass, easily storing them all in the Heavenly Poison Pearl.

A single Fire Spirit Grass could fetch a high price outside, and now Yun Che was harvesting them like cabbages.

Soon, over fifty mature Fire Spirit Grass plants were all stored in the Heavenly Poison Pearl, and Yun Che did not touch any of the immature ones. He rubbed his hands together, feeling a surge of excitement: He had struck it rich!

If he sold these through intermediaries to the Fentian Sect, it would be a huge income!

Then he wouldn't have to worry about running out of money!

Yun Che took out a harvested Fire Spirit Grass and quickly refined it with the Heavenly Poison Pearl. The Fire Spirit Grass rapidly withered in the refining light of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, eventually turning into a small, ruby-like object. Without hesitation, Yun Che swallowed it.

A burning sensation slid down his throat and into his body, then quickly spread throughout his body, and soon the burning sensation slowly disappeared... Even the surrounding space suddenly felt less scorching, and the sweat on Yun Che's body stopped, and the suffocating and hot feeling vanished completely.

Yun Che's body felt much lighter. The cave had not yet reached its end, so he quickened his pace and walked further in. Soon, a huge rocky nest appeared before his eyes. From its size and shape, it was clearly the Flame Dragon's resting place.

But to Yun Che's disappointment, the Flame Dragon's nest was quite clean, with nothing but the scorching hot rocks that formed the nest.

Rumble...

A loud rumbling suddenly came from outside. Standing at the deepest part of the cave, Yun Che could faintly feel a scorching heat wave rushing towards him. The Flame Dragon's heavy voice came from outside:

"Ignorant and greedy humans, prepare to receive your just punishment!"

Then came the panicked voices of the Fentian Sect people:

"Ah!! What's happening! How did its power suddenly..."

"This... This Flame Dragon is not a Heavenly Mystic Beast! It's clearly a Royal Mystic Beast! It has been hiding its strength all along to lure us here!"

"Damn! The information was wrong, retreat! Retreat quickly!!"

Jiaoli's words were completely verified. The Flame Dragon had indeed been hiding its strength, and now it was finally unleashing its true power. With the Fentian Sect people's panicked shouts, the ground began to tremble... even the entire Red Dragon Mountain Range was subtly shaking. Yun Che's heart suddenly tightened. The Flame Dragon starting to use its true power meant that the battle might end soon, and if he didn't leave, he might not have the chance to!

Fifty mature Fire Spirit Grass plants were already a significant harvest. Yun Che no longer hesitated and quickly rushed out. But just as he took three steps, his heart suddenly skipped a beat... and his steps came to an abrupt stop.

"What are you stopping for? If you don't leave now, are you waiting for the Flame Dragon to burn you to ashes!" Jiaoli shouted coldly.

Yun Che did not react to Jiaoli's words. He turned around, his hand on his chest, staring blankly at the empty stone nest... It was the same feeling as before, but this time it was very close...

What is calling me...

Yun Che did not leave at full speed but instead took a step back towards the stone nest, walking all the way into it. His heart rate suddenly increased.

Yun Che focused his gaze on the surroundings, and finally, his eyes fixed on the corner on the far right of the nest. The rocks here were thousands of years old, hard and old, but one of the stones was spotless, as if it was frequently moved. Yun Che quickly walked over, placed his hand on the stone, and pushed it with force.

The stone fell with a thud, and a deep red glow immediately appeared in Yun Che's line of sight.

It was a small, round bead, about the size of a regular glass ball, as clear and transparent as a ruby, but the light it emitted was much deeper and richer than a ruby. Looking at this red bead, Yun Che felt an intense desire well up in his heart. Driven by this desire, he quickly extended his hand and grabbed it.

"Don't touch it! There's a Flame Dragon's fire mark on it!!"

Jiaoli's warning was slightly late. Just as she shouted, Yun Che's hand had already grabbed the bead.

Instantly, the bead seemed to awaken, suddenly emitting an incredibly intense red light, so strong that it enveloped Yun Che's entire body.

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