Chapter 1621: Chapter 1617: The Real Reason

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Luo and his companion successfully crossed the Lava River, and the four Sword Spirits also stopped devouring the Jin Yan.

Although only a short moment had passed, the Pure Yang Power within the four Flying Swords had increased significantly.

The Vermilion Bird Sword Spirit’s flying sword had achieved Perfection in its prohibition, merely increasing some power in the Sword body, while within the three Golden Crow Sword Spirits’ Pure Yang Swords, a Pure Yang Prohibition had astonishingly condensed, equating to several years of his normal strenuous refining.

Shen Luo’s Mana was fully restored, and after looking back at the Lava River, he continued to move forward.

The Sea of Flames on the other side of the Lava River was almost indistinguishable from the previous ones and naturally could not stop Shen Luo. The two quickly traversed it, and a red-brown sand sea appeared in front of them, strikingly different from the previous yellow desert.

“Cousin, it looks like your guess was correct; this Sea of Flames and the Lava River are indeed one of the trials of the Third Layer,” Nie Caizhu said while standing on top of a rather tall sand dune, her eyes shining with Golden Light as she peered into the distance with delight.

“Oh, how do you know?” Shen Luo also looked in that direction but saw nothing, asking with a raised eyebrow.

“A black mountain stands tens of miles ahead from here, and at the peak of the mountain, there is a white Light Door, which seems to be the same as the transfer light doors on the previous two layers,” Nie Caizhu said.

“You saw the transfer Light Door? That’s great, we…” Shen Luo began to speak joyfully but suddenly stopped mid-sentence, turning to look behind him, falling silent.

“Cousin, what’s wrong?” Nie Caizhu saw that Shen Luo had abruptly halted his speech and asked curiously.

“The Golden Flames within that Lava River are quite rare; it would be difficult to encounter them again once we leave this place. I want to stay a bit longer to absorb the Golden Flames and enhance the power of the Pure Yang Swords,” Shen Luo said after a moment of silence.

“Judging from the earlier situation, we seem to be ahead of Che Qingtian and the others. It’s hard to come by such a lead, and it would seem like a pity to stop now,” Nie Caizhu said in surprise.

“Even if we can make it to the end and obtain the inheritance of Tianyan Immortal Venerable, it’s nothing more than icing on the cake–a mere addition to our profound Skills. We already have many Skills at our disposal, and one more won’t make much difference. In contrast, this set of Pure Yang Swords is my Life-bound Magical Treasure, which is of utmost importance. The opportunity is rare, and I don’t want to miss it,” Shen Luo said calmly.

“Cousin is right. I was blinded by greed, unwittingly wanting to pursue, which is indeed improper,” Nie Caizhu shivered and said humbly with her head lowered.

“With the inheritance of a Heavenly Venerate so close at hand, few can remain steady-hearted. I’m slightly more composed only because it involves my Life-bound Magical Treasure. Cai Zhu, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself,” Shen Luo said as he took Nie Caizhu’s hand.

A sensation of width and heaviness emanated from Shen Luo’s palm, bringing a sense of peace to Nie Caizhu’s heart.

“However, this place is close to the Third Layer’s exit. If Che Qingtian and his group also cross the Sea of Flames, they will reach here too, making it easy for them to discover us. It’s better to Refine the Sword a bit further away,” Nie Caizhu pondered and then suggested.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Shen Luo nodded, and he walked with Nie Caizhu for another twenty or thirty miles before stopping.

“Let’s do it here,” said Shen Luo, looking around, and then spoke.

“Alright, then Cousin, you go ahead, I will wait for you here,” Nie Caizhu said.

“No, you come with me. I have figured out the details of this Sea of Flames; there’s not much threat to me anymore. The situation here is peculiar, and there might be other dangers. It is safer for us to move together,” Shen Luo said.

“Okay!” Nie Caizhu did not wish to part from Shen Luo and readily agreed.

The two re-entered the Sea of Flames and soon arrived at the riverbank.

Shen Luo transferred some of his mana to Nie Caizhu, and then as before, he spurred the eleven Pure Yang Swords to protect the two of them. Four Sword Spirits shot out, landing in the Lava River and rapidly devouring the Jin Yan within.

The spiritual power within the four flying swords surged rapidly, and the Pure Yang Prohibition within the three Golden Crow flying swords began to slowly condense once again.

Nie Caizhu’s mana had already recovered by a good amount, but she did not idle either, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, protecting Shen Luo.

“Young Master Shen, what are you up to? Why have you suddenly stopped? Don’t try to fool me with the excuses you use to deceive young girls; I don’t believe you don’t covet the inheritance of the Tianyan Immortal Venerable,” said Fire Spirit Child, who had been sitting with closed eyes inside the Free and Easy Mirror, suddenly opening his eyes and chuckling.

The Free and Easy Mirror was confined by the prohibition of this place, but Divine Sense was still able to pass through freely.

“Fire Daoist friend, don’t talk nonsense; I have not deceived Cai Zhu. Indeed, the Jin Yan of this place is rare, and I wanted to enhance the power of the Pure Yang Swords. It’s good that you’re awake, Fire Daoist friend, as I just happen to have a matter that requires your help,” replied Shen Luo.

“What is it? It can’t be that you want to also refine the Golden Crow Souls inside the three golden arrows into Sword Spirits, right?” Fire Spirit Child took out the three golden arrows.

“You really can’t be fooled by anything, Fire Daoist friend. Just as well, my Five-Flame Seven-Birds Fan is also within the Free and Easy Mirror, so let’s seal the three Golden Crow Souls inside the flying swords of the fan.” Red light flickered within the Free and Easy Mirror, and the Five-Flame Seven-Birds Fan flew out from deeper within, with its five Pure Yang Swords detaching and landing in front of Fire Spirit Child.

“To perform the Transference of Soul and Awakening Spirit secret technique requires you, the owner of the flying swords, to be present. Now that you’re outside the Free and Easy Mirror, you can only remotely control the flying swords, which increases the likelihood of failure compared to earlier,” Fire Spirit Child said after a moment of silence.

“I am aware of that. However, the current situation in Tianyan Palace is obscure and unclear. I must enhance my strength as soon as possible, and with you here, Fire Daoist friend, I believe it will definitely succeed,” Shen Luo transmitted his thoughts.

“Even with me present, success is not certain,” chuckled Fire Spirit Child.

“If Fire Daoist friend has any conditions for offering help, just say it directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush,” Shen Luo said with an easygoing smile.

“Talking with a smart person really does save effort. It’s very simple: tell me the real reason you suddenly stopped,” Fire Spirit Child said with a laugh.

“That’s it? This matter has nothing to do with you, Fire Daoist friend,” Shen Luo was startled, then spoke indifferently.

“Of course, I know that. There’s not much in the Three Realms that concerns me anymore. I’m just very curious,” Fire Spirit Child said.

Shen Luo’s eyes revealed a look of surprise. In his memory, this was the first time Fire Spirit Child had proposed a deal, and it was merely to satisfy his curiosity.

“Telling you is no big deal. The reason I suddenly stopped is because I discovered someone was following behind Cai Zhu and myself. It’s not quite right to say behind; it could also be ahead of us. In any case, someone has their eyes on us,” said Shen Luo.

“Is that so? How did you discover this? Divine Sense can’t probe far here, and I remember that your Ghost Eye of the Netherworld is not adept at long-ranging observation,” Fire Spirit Child exclaimed curiously.

“If we’re talking about visual acuity in this place, I’m far inferior to Cai Zhu. The discovery of those people was purely by chance,” Shen Luo responded casually.

“Oh, how did you discover them?” Fire Spirit Child asked curiously.

“Earlier, Cai Zhu mentioned she sensed witchcraft fluctuations in the sand sea. Did you hear about that, Fire Daoist friend?” Shen Luo asked instead of answering.

“I heard about it. Is there something wrong with that?” Fire Spirit Child nodded.