Chapter 75

"You should thank him. We two didn’t contribute at all, so we don’t dare to take credit." Chishu glanced at Yuan Ming and said to the red-haired young man.

"Thank you, Senior Brother. Today, I owe you a great deal; otherwise, I would have been in serious trouble." The red-haired young man hurriedly clasped his hands and thanked Yuan Ming.

"Senior Brother, you flatter me. I am Yuan Ming of the Fire Refining Hall, having just entered the Bi Luo Cave not long ago. These two are Mulí, a disciple of the Furnace Hall, and Chishu, a disciple of the Law Hall. May I ask for your name?" Yuan Ming did not explain further but introduced Mulí and the others before asking.

"I am Legong, a disciple of the Beast Taming Hall." The red-haired young man scratched his head and hurriedly introduced himself.

"Ah, Senior Brother Legong, I have seen this fire marten before. It is the beloved spirit beast of the Third Cave Master. Why did you bring it here?" Yuan Ming handed the fire marten over and asked.

Legong hurriedly reached out to take it, but as soon as the fire marten was in his hands, it suddenly struggled fiercely, screeching and scratching the young man’s hand viciously.

The fire marten’s claws were quite sharp, and several knife-like cuts immediately appeared on Legong’s hand, blood gushing out.

He cried out in pain, loosened his grip, and the fire marten fell.

Yuan Ming quickly reached out and caught the fire marten.

Strangely, as soon as the fire marten was in Yuan Ming’s hands, it became docile, not only ceasing to struggle and attack but even gently rubbing its head against his body.

Seeing this, Legong, Mulí, and Chishu all looked surprised.

"I didn’t expect that Junior Brother Yuan not only excels in artifact refining but is also proficient in beast taming!" Legong said.

"Yuan has just entered the sect and doesn’t know much about beast taming. I happened to meet the Third Cave Master in the Ten Thousand Mountains and stayed with her for a while, taking care of this fire marten. Perhaps it still remembers me." Yuan Ming explained, half-truthfully.

"Is that so?" Legong responded with a slight disappointment in his eyes.

Mulí and Chishu, upon hearing that Yuan Ming was acquainted with the Third Cave Master, exchanged glances, and their expressions toward Yuan Ming subtly changed.

Creak...

A sharp, piercing cry sounded, and the Golden-eyed Eagle flew over, with Lan Ke and Agula standing on its back, clearly having noticed the situation and rushed over.

"Legong, what are you doing here?" Lan Ke leaped off the eagle’s back and asked, looking at Legong, seemingly familiar with him.

Agula also leaped down, his chest noticeably larger, indicating he had made some significant gains in the short time.

"Senior Sister Lan Ke, it’s because of this fire marten." Legong nodded in greeting and said with a slight bitter smile.

"Could it be that you took on the task from the Third Cave Master?" Lan Ke looked at the fire marten in Yuan Ming’s hands and asked.

"Yes, I didn’t think it through. This task is much more difficult than I expected. If it weren’t for Junior Brother Yuan and the others’ help today, I might have failed. It seems my talent in beast taming is insufficient, so I’ll have to give up on this task." Legong sighed.

"What are you two talking about? Don’t just focus on yourselves; let us hear as well. Is Senior Brother Legong on a sect mission?" Mulí frowned and asked.

They were here to collect Fire Jade, and they didn’t want to be involved in other matters.

"Junior Brother Mulí, there’s no need to worry. The task I mentioned is not something else; it’s just taking care of this fire marten, issued by the Third Cave Master. It won’t affect our collection of Fire Jade." Lan Ke explained.

"Taking care of a fire marten? There’s such a task?" Yuan Ming looked surprised.

Just taking care of a spirit beast, and it requires a mission? If the fire marten is too mischievous, just lock it up.

"Junior Brother Yuan, you don’t understand beast taming. Raising a spirit beast isn’t just about feeding it well. You need to take care of its emotions and guide its temperament. This fire marten is still in its juvenile stage, very active and playful. Long-term confinement will affect its growth. The Third Cave Master is usually busy and doesn’t have the time, so she issued this task." Legong explained.

"I see, but I didn’t see this task in the Enforcement Hall?" Yuan Ming asked.

"The Enforcement Hall is crowded, and the Third Cave Master didn’t directly issue this task. She only informed the people of the Beast Taming Hall, so it’s not displayed on the mission stone." Legong said.

Yuan Ming nodded, about to say something, when the fire marten in his hands suddenly struggled and jumped out of his arms, landing on the ground.

Yuan Ming was startled and was about to reach out to grab it, but the fire marten didn’t run away. Instead, it bit into Yuan Ming’s clothes and pulled him toward a distant direction.

"Screech!" Lan Ke’s Golden-eyed Eagle also let out a sharp cry, looking fearfully at the volcanic peak.

Everyone present was taken aback.

At that moment, the ground beneath them suddenly shook violently, and even with their strength, they almost fell.

Before they could steady themselves, the ground shook again, and then a third time...

Yuan Ming’s face turned pale, and he grabbed a large rock nearby to stabilize himself.

At that moment, a rumbling sound came from underground, like countless rolling thunder, causing the ground to tremble violently, as if a powerful force had suddenly erupted.

In the face of this force, the few people present were like saplings in a storm, unable to resist and were thrown into the air.

Then, a loud "Boom" echoed from a distance!

Yuan Ming barely lifted his head, and his expression changed drastically.

He saw the volcano’s crater shaking violently, and a massive pillar of lava erupted, with countless red-hot lava flows cascading down the mountain.

The lava was also sweeping toward where they were.

Yuan Ming immediately activated the Fur Transformation Technique, transforming into a white ape form.

The white ape, with its greater strength and weight, was much more stable than in human form, and it stumbled and ran down the mountain.

Lan Ke and the others also quickly used their abilities to flee in the distance.

At this moment, everyone could only take care of themselves and couldn’t help others.

Yuan Ming tumbled and crawled, falling countless times, but finally reached the foot of the mountain.

If not for the thick skin of the white ape form, he would have been battered and bruised.

Even with the protection of the ape skin, he was still bruised and bleeding from his nose and mouth, his head ringing.

But now was not the time to rest. The surging lava was already not far behind, melting and engulfing everything in its path.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." The fire marten’s cries came from ahead, dashing nimbly to the right toward a small hill, unaffected by the shaking ground.

Yuan Ming’s eyes lit up, and he immediately followed, quickly reaching the base of the hill.

He activated the Fur Transformation Technique, and his fingers grew into sharp ape claws, easily piercing the rock and climbing up the hill quickly.

The surging lava flowed for several miles before finally stopping, engulfing everything in its path.

The earthquake caused by the volcanic eruption gradually subsided, and the ground slowly returned to calm.

Yuan Ming had already climbed to the top of the hill, deactivated the Fur Transformation Technique, and lay down, breathing heavily with lingering fear.

The fire marten lay quietly by his side.

"Firecracker, thank you this time." Yuan Ming gently stroked the fire marten’s head.

If not for the fire marten’s warning and leading him to this small hill, he would have been engulfed by the lava, leaving no trace.

He rested for a moment, then stood up and looked around, searching for the others.

Lan Ke, Mulí, and the others all had flying spirit beasts. As long as they could summon them in time and fly into the air, they should have escaped.

Legong, however, seemed to have no flying spirit beast. It was unknown if he had escaped.

The surroundings were covered in red-hot lava, with no sign of people or even birds.

Yuan Ming shook his head and checked the area around the hill.

Three sides of the hill were already covered in lava, but fortunately, there was still a clear path at the back.

Yuan Ming paused for a moment, picked up the fire marten, and walked toward the path.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..." As they passed a certain spot, the fire marten suddenly screeched excitedly, its eyes fixed on a patch of lava nearby, filled with longing.

Yuan Ming stopped and looked in the direction of the fire marten’s gaze.

"Hmm!" He raised an eyebrow and made a gesture.

The ground in the lava area rumbled, and a thick, charred wooden spike emerged.

The inside of the wooden spike emitted a stubborn green light, resisting the lava’s heat, and suddenly bent outward, like a hand splashing water.

With a "splash," a patch of lava was flung out, landing not far from Yuan Ming.

A long, red object rolled out of the lava, a foot long and curved, resembling a horn of some strange beast.

The horn glowed red, as if flames were burning on it.

Yuan Ming’s eyes lit up. Although this red horn didn’t emit much spiritual energy, its appearance was extraordinary, far surpassing Fire Jade, and it was likely a high-grade spirit material.

Was the fire marten’s frenzied rush toward the lava because of this?

The fire marten let out a joyful cry, darting forward and biting the red horn, seemingly trying to swallow it.

"Stop, no, don’t!" Yuan Ming rushed over and grabbed the other end of the red horn.

This was not a low-grade spirit material like Fire Jade. Any high-grade spirit material was extremely valuable, and letting the fire marten eat it would be a huge loss.

The fire marten bit the red horn with incredible strength, and despite using most of his strength, Yuan Ming couldn’t pry it away.

He was anxious and was about to use other means to take the horn when he suddenly realized the fire marten’s teeth couldn’t even leave a mark on it.

Yuan Ming relaxed and stopped trying to take it, smiling at the fire marten.

The fire marten bit and gnawed at the horn, its teeth aching, but it couldn’t make a dent. It finally gave up, looking disappointed.

Yuan Ming then took the red horn, examining it closely.

The horn was warm to the touch but not scorching, and it felt comfortable in his hand. The patterns on the horn seemed to be natural, with some strange flame designs.

"What kind of beast’s horn is this? It can remain intact in lava?" Yuan Ming wondered, his eyebrows suddenly raising.

Standing near the lava, the surrounding heat was intense, and he had been using his full strength to resist it. But after holding the red horn, the heat suddenly diminished, as if the horn was insulating the heat.