"Damn it, we were tricked!"
Huo Lie and the eagle were furious, but upon recalling the aura they had felt, they remained silent.
Jin Yun just smiled. "Don't try to fool me, you bunch of idiots!"
He cursed internally, still annoyed by what had happened earlier. It really bothered him.
Now that he had vented, he was in a good mood.
"This won't end like this—" Huo Lie murmured, biting his fingernail.
But he cut himself off upon seeing those crimson eyes staring at him. They were terrifying.
"Keep going, Felix. We need to get there quickly." He ordered the eagle to speed up.
Obeying, Felix increased his speed to the maximum.
Lightning crackled from his feathers as he shot through the sky like a yellow streak, heading west.
...
Fallen Star Forest Border
After two days of traveling at the eagle's incredible speed, the two arrived in the west. Before them lay a massive crater.
It was gigantic!
Jin Yun estimated it to be over a hundred kilometers long.
An astronomical number.
"Did a meteor really crash here? Or was this caused by a powerful cultivator?"
He pondered, feeling uncertain. He had no idea what the truth was.
The most widely accepted version was the first one. But after many years of exploration, what had they found?
Nothing!
"The second hypothesis might be more accurate, but it's still strange..."
Jin Yun was suspicious because if this had been a massive destruction caused by a cultivator, the place would probably be desolate, without any signs of life.
However, mysteriously, at the bottom of that abyss, there was a lush, green landscape full of natural resources bathed in the energy of heaven and earth.
"Damn it!"
After thinking so much, he was even more confused, unable to reach any conclusion.
"If I don't die, I need to explore this entire place one day!"
He silently set this goal in his heart.
The eagle, flying over the area, descended toward the bottom of the crater.
"Jin Yun, where are we going?"
"Go twenty kilometers ahead, turn right, travel another ten kilometers, then turn left. There's a valley in that area."
"..."
Huo Lie remained silent, thinking Jin Yun was making things up.
Even so, he gave the command to Felix, who shot forward in the indicated direction.
...
Upon arrival, Huo Lie was surprised. Before him stretched a land built entirely of flames. The valley was scorching.
'What a perfect place to train! I need to take this for myself! With this territory, I can catch up to that bastard and stop fearing him.'
"Give up on that idea, this place already has an owner, you know?" Jin Yun easily saw through Huo Lie's thoughts and poured cold water on him.
"Who?"
"Sun Lingxin," Jin Yun replied with a smile.
"We're brothers, right? Why not buy it for me? I can pay good money."
"Tempting, but even if I wanted to help, it's impossible. She and I don't have that kind of relationship."
Huo Lie rolled his eyes. "Isn't she your sycophant?"
"Who said that nonsense?" Jin Yun shot a cold glare. "She's not that kind of person. Even if she's a bit weird and a little—"
"Let's go, don't get curious about other people's lives." He cut off the conversation and jumped off the eagle, landing on the ground.
"..." Huo Lie wanted to protest. Jin Yun was the one who started the topic!
'What else was she…' Despite denying it, he was curious to know the rest of the gossip.
On the ground, Jin Yun felt his feet burning. The heat was intense.
Wrapping himself in spiritual energy, he began to walk.
The place looked like a volcano—full of lava, the sky dyed orange, losing its blue hue.
Vegetation was practically nonexistent, leaving only massive rocks and magma.
Walking cautiously alongside Huo Lie, he stopped upon spotting a lava pool.
He hid behind a huge rock nearly three meters tall.
"Huo Lie, do you see that lake? That's where the Fire Dragon is, and what we want is at the bottom of it."
'Time to let this guy be the bait.'
"Attract the Fire Dragon and run as fast as you can."
"I object!" Huo Lie refused immediately.
"Then we came all this way for nothing!" Jin Yun snapped, frustrated. "Do you really want our efforts to go to waste? I can't be the bait, my spiritual root isn't of the fire type."
"But you…" He changed his expression to that of a scholar.
"You have fire affinity, and you're the perfect appetizer for the dragon. Don't be scared, it's not a real dragon, at most a lizard with one percent of a dragon's bloodline."
"Son of a bitch! From the start, you planned to use me as bait! I knew I shouldn't trust you!" Huo Lie clenched his fists.
"If the plan works, besides getting the Crimson Sunflower, I can help you take control of this place. Your cultivation will increase drastically."
Jin Yun offered an irresistible benefit. He knew that no one in their right mind would accept being bait… unless the reward was tempting enough.
Huo Lie was no exception. His face went through several expressions until he finally gave in.
"You better keep this stupid promise!"
Deep down, he accepted because he trusted his collection of talismans and protective artifacts.
"Hehehe!" Jin Yun covered his mouth and let out a sinister laugh.
He had no intention of breaking his promise—he wasn't that kind of person.
But what made him curious was: how long could Huo Lie run from the Fire Dragon?
"I'll start."
Jin Yun told Huo Lie to step back.
And drew his spiritual soul.
Spinning the eight cyclones in his body, he extracted fifty percent of his spiritual energy.
"Solar Strike."
Above his sword, the red threads on his blade began to form a miniature sun, exuding a scorching aura.
And a bloodthirsty one.
Forming this with his Spiritual Energy, he hurled it toward the pool.
The moment the mini sun touched the lava, it exploded.
KABOOOOM!
The sound of the explosion echoed through the area.
Along with it, lava was sent flying due to the impact.
From within the pool, an ancient roar soon followed.
"SSSHRAAAKH!"
It was agonizing. And at the same time, furious.
It didn't take a second for a massive five-meter lizard to emerge at the surface.
Its scales were orange, and its two amber eyes gleamed. Its open mouth revealed countless sharp teeth.
"Run now!" Jin Yun, behind the rock, shoved Huo Lie.
Falling into the dragon's sight, Huo Lie heard a deafening roar echo in his ears, almost bursting them.
It made him tremble and curse Jin Yun.
Without wasting time, he ran for his life.
Behind him, the lizard chased fiercely.
Jin Yun, who had circled around the rock, remained outside the dragon's reach.
His aura and breathing were contained to the maximum, not making a sound.
A minute later, he stepped out and rushed toward the pool.
Time is short.