Chapter 561: Advancement of Primordial Fire

The gorge trembled, and the entire earth cracked open at that moment, with waves of fire qi rising continuously from the fissures.

In just those dozen breaths, the surrounding temperature rose several degrees.

Lin Chen frowned and landed directly at the gorge.

“All fellow disciples of Wan Huozong, I am Lin Chen of Canglan Sect. I have come at the request of your Elder Zhuang to investigate what has occurred in the Sacred Fire Realm. Before arriving, I met your disciple Zhang Qing and learned of the changes within the Sacred Fire Realm.”

Lin Chen directly explained why he had appeared in the Sacred Fire Realm—he had no intention of wasting time.

“The Sacred Fire Realm has undergone unknown changes; you should all leave immediately.”

At the gorge, Wan Huozong disciples exchanged glances, their eyes finally settling on the young man in yellow at the front.

Brother Wang was the strongest among those who entered this time; they had endured this long under his leadership.

“Thank you, Brother Lin.”

Wang Chen bowed in salute. Though Lin Chen had devoured the four primordial fires, the crisis was not over—everyone had felt the ground-shaking tremors just now.

“Everyone, head for the exit immediately. Do not linger in the Sacred Fire Realm.”

Wang Chen looked at his fellow disciples. A hundred had entered; over thirty had already perished. If these disciples also died, Wan Huozong’s entire generation would be wiped out.

After sending his disciples away, Wang Chen did not leave himself—he walked toward Lin Chen and bowed again. “Thank you, Brother Lin, for your aid. Without you, Wan Huozong would have suffered devastating losses.”

Though Lin Chen was several years younger, in martial cultivation, seniority comes first—Wang Chen spoke “Brother Lin” with ease.

“Brother Wang, you’re too kind. I merely acted on Elder Zhuang’s request.”

Lin Chen smiled and waved his hand. Saving the disciples of the Sacred Fire Realm was no effort for him.

“Brother Lin, you’re not planning to leave yet, are you?”

Wang Chen looked at Lin Chen, judging from Lin Chen’s perspective.

The Sacred Fire Realm permitted only disciples of this sect to enter. Lin Chen was allowed in only because the elders outside feared for their trapped disciples.

For Lin Chen, this was his only chance to enter the Sacred Fire Realm.

For Wan Huozong disciples, the changes here meant every extra moment increased the risk of death—but Lin Chen likely did not see it that way.

The four primordial fires that could not be resisted by them had fallen to Lin Chen in less than three breaths. Such upheavals meant nothing to him. If he were Lin Chen, he would never leave so easily.

Wang Chen knew Lin Chen had already assimilated primordial fire, and the flame Lin Chen had just flicked out was primordial fire—he could not identify its type, but suspected it was a fusion of several primordial fires.

To enhance the power of his primordial fire, Lin Chen needed Fire Source Pearls—and the Sacred Fire Realm was the best place to find them.

The chaos of primordial fire was a disaster for him and the other disciples, but for Lin Chen, it was an opportunity. The fire spirits, fearing being consumed by other primordial fires, had emerged from underground or rock dens, greatly increasing the chance of capturing fire dragons and obtaining Fire Source Pearls.

“I will remain in the Sacred Fire Realm for a while longer.”

In response to Wang Chen’s question, Lin Chen did not hide his intent—he had come this far; why leave now?

The four primordial fires just now were no stronger than Primordial Fire Realm Stage One—they meant nothing to him.

To Wan Huozong disciples, they were deadly threats; to him, merely minor inconveniences.

After devouring them, he could clearly feel his own primordial fire growing stronger. The more primordial fire he absorbed, the better—he wouldn’t need to hunt for Fire Source Pearls.

“Brother Lin, if you stay here, be careful. That roar just now shook the earth—it likely means a supreme primordial fire has awakened.”

Wang Chen had asked whether Lin Chen would stay precisely to deliver this warning.

“The four primordial fires you destroyed were unusual—they were not truly autonomous, but controlled by a higher-level primordial fire. Otherwise, they would have consumed each other.”

During the months he was trapped, Wang Chen had pondered this and concluded that a stronger primordial fire lay behind those four.

But he had not told the other disciples—he feared it would crush their will to survive. Without even that last spark of hope, they could not have endured this long.

“I had only suspected before, but after you destroyed those four fires, the roar came—proving my theory correct.”

Wang Chen fixed his gaze on Lin Chen and laid out his analysis in full. What Lin Chen chose to do was his own decision.

“Thank you, Brother Wang, for telling me this.”

Lin Chen thanked Wang Chen. When the roar had sounded, he too had suspected as much—but he had not been certain. Wang Chen had been trapped here for months; he possessed more information and made a more accurate judgment.

Even so, he had no intention of leaving so easily.

“Brother Lin, take care!”

Seeing Lin Chen offer only a simple thanks, Wang Chen knew he intended to stay.

Wang Chen left—but before departing, he gave Lin Chen a jade slip. Lin Chen poured his spiritual sense into it, and after a long while, a gleam lit his eyes.

The jade slip was a map of the Sacred Fire Realm, marked with red lines and yellow lines.

The yellow zones were areas explored by past disciples who entered the Sacred Fire Realm; the red zones were those explored by Wang Chen’s group.

The two zones overlapped in places and diverged in others. Lin Chen, based on his own path, marked his position on the map and compared it—he found most terrain matched the markings, with only minor variations.

If the map only showed terrain, it would be of little use. What delighted Lin Chen was that it also marked the locations of primordial fires.

These were all discovered by past Wan Huozong disciples. These primordial fires were too powerful for them to assimilate, so they marked them to warn later entrants to avoid those areas.

The Sacred Fire Realm opens once every thirty years—a long time for cultivators, but short for primordial fires. Many sleep for several thirty-year cycles before awakening, so even with changes, the shifts would not be drastic.