Chapter 563

Holy Fire Hall.

Capture the Primordial Fire and sell it for a high price.

……

The conversation above made Lin Chen frown—he could be certain: these two were not disciples of Wan Huozong.

Wan Huozong disciples would never speak of capturing Primordial Fire to sell for profit.

Could it be that non-Wan Huozong disciples had also entered the Holy Fire Realm? But how could Wan Huozong permit that?

Lin Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly as two figures descended from above the volcanic mouth.

“Search carefully—don’t let the Primordial Fire escape.”

“B…Brother, I can’t move.”

At the volcanic mouth, the young man’s face was filled with terror—he realized he was immobilized by a terrifying force, utterly unable to stir.

The man he called “brother” froze for a moment, then made a shocking decision: he shot straight upward, abandoning his brother without a second thought.

But before the man could escape the volcanic mouth, a streak of light struck from behind—he grunted, plummeted downward, and crashed heavily into the volcanic ash below, completely buried beneath it.

The immobilized Cen Kuan watched this and his body turned icy—not just from being trapped, but from the coldness in his heart at seeing his own brother abandon him at the critical moment.

“Who are you?”

Lin Chen appeared from below, gazing at Cen Kuan: “Why are you here in the Holy Fire Realm?”

Seeing Lin Chen emerge from below, Cen Kuan actually exhaled in relief—his first thought upon being immobilized had been that a terrifying Primordial Fire lurked beneath, and given its nature, he had no chance of survival.

But once he recognized Lin Chen as a cultivator, a sliver of hope stirred in his chest.

“P…Preceptor, we entered through Wan Huozong’s Holy Fire Realm entrance.”

“You’re asking for death.”

Coldness flashed in Lin Chen’s eyes; a terrifying pressure descended. Cen Kuan trembled and hurriedly said: “Preceptor, I swear I’m not lying—I truly entered through Wan Huozong’s Holy Fire Realm entrance!”

“The Holy Fire Realm is Wan Huozong’s secret realm—outsiders are forbidden entry. It seems you have no intention of telling the truth.”

“Preceptor, every word I speak is true. Because the Holy Fire Hall has appeared, Wan Huozong has opened the Holy Fire Realm to outsiders, permitting cultivators from other sects to enter.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen narrowed his eyes: “What is the Holy Fire Hall?”

“I… I don’t fully understand it myself—I’ve only heard others say the Holy Fire Hall was founded by Wan Huozong’s ancestral master, and that when the Holy Fire Hall manifests, the Holy Fire Realm opens to outsiders—that was the ancestral master’s decree.”

“Can any Primordial cultivator enter?”

“N…No, one must possess a certain flame-manipulation talent. My brother and I both have some talent in flame manipulation—that’s why we could enter.”

Flame-manipulation talent did not mean having already assimilated Primordial Fire—those who could assimilate Primordial Fire already possessed exceptional talent. Cen Kuan and his brother had never assimilated Primordial Fire, but they had cultivated spiritual techniques to control fire with their spiritual sense.

As long as one mastered a technique allowing spiritual control of fire, they were deemed to possess flame-manipulation talent.

Lin Chen hadn’t expected such a change to occur in the Holy Fire Realm in just a few days.

“How did outsiders discover the Holy Fire Hall?”

“Wan Huozong announced it publicly themselves—it seems Wan Huozong has a way to detect when the Holy Fire Hall appears.”

“How many have entered in total?”

“I… I’m not certain, but there should be several thousand.”

Several thousand?

Lin Chen frowned—this was no small number. These weren’t just several thousand cultivators—they were several thousand Primordial cultivators.

“Besides the flame-manipulation talent requirement, are there any other restrictions for entry?”

Hearing Lin Chen’s question, Cen Kuan frowned in confusion—why didn’t this preceptor know these things? Was he not someone who entered after the Holy Fire Hall opened, but someone who had entered before it opened?

So… was this preceptor from Wan Huozong?

But that didn’t make sense—if he were from Wan Huozong, how could he not know about the Holy Fire Hall?

Though puzzled, Cen Kuan didn’t hesitate to answer—he knew exactly what the preceptor was probing for, and replied honestly: “Any Primordial cultivator under fifty with flame-manipulation talent may enter. Before I came, I heard over a dozen Primordial Fourth-Stage experts had already entered. As for stronger ones… I simply don’t know.”

Primordial cultivators under fifty with flame-manipulation talent…

Lin Chen pondered—he was no longer a novice ignorant of the Yan Imperial Court. The Yan Court had twenty-four sects, ancient clans, and even mysterious families. There were surely many Primordial Fourth-Stage cultivators under fifty—possibly even some who had reached Primordial Fifth Stage.

“What’s inside the Holy Fire Hall?”

So many Primordial Fourth-Stage experts had entered—surely not just for Primordial Fire or Fire Source Pearls. Something within the Holy Fire Hall must be drawing them.

“I… I don’t know. Had Wan Huozong not publicly announced it, I wouldn’t have even known about the Holy Fire Hall.”

Cen Kuan looked troubled—he was only a Primordial Second-Stage cultivator from a secondary sect, not a top-tier one. He’d never heard of the Holy Fire Hall before.

“I heard… the Holy Fire Hall supposedly holds the ancestral master’s legacy left behind by Wan Huozong. But that’s just rumor—I’m not sure if it’s true.”

Cen Kuan recounted everything he’d heard—beyond that, he truly knew nothing.

He and his brother had entered not for the Holy Fire Hall, but for Fire Source Pearls and newborn Primordial Fires—in fact, many cultivators shared their goal.

The Holy Fire Hall was inaccessible to anyone without Primordial Fourth-Stage power. Those who reached Primordial Stage weren’t fools—they all knew their limits.

“Go.”

Having gleaned no further information from Cen Kuan, Lin Chen waved his hand—but Cen Kuan hesitated, not leaving.

“What? Don’t want to go?”

“P…Preceptor, what about my brother?”

Cen Kuan hesitated because he remembered his brother was still buried beneath the volcanic ash.

“Your brother abandoned you to flee—yet you still care for him?”

Lin Chen hadn’t expected Cen Kuan to still care for his selfish brother.

“I understand my brother’s actions. Your power is terrifying—he thought a powerful Primordial Fire was here. If he’d tried to save me, we’d both have died. Besides… he saved my life.”

Cen Kuan’s voice grew quieter—his words were self-deception, but one thing he didn’t lie about: his brother truly had saved him.

Without his brother, he would have died years ago.

Lin Chen studied Cen Kuan deeply, then said nothing—his form vanished in a flash.

Even without Cen Kuan, he had no intention of killing the man—he bore no grudge, had been neither provoked nor threatened. To kill someone merely for being present would make him a murderer.

Seeing Lin Chen vanish, Cen Kuan exhaled deeply—his entire back was soaked in sweat.

As a Primordial cultivator, merely the preceptor’s aura had left him this shaken—he dared not imagine the man’s true power.

Soon, Cen Kuan stilled his thoughts, gazing down at the volcanic ash. His expression grew complex, but finally he descended.

……

……

One day later.

Mountains trembled; the earth cracked again.

Lin Chen halted, his gaze fixed northward—there, in the northern sky, a crimson palace stood firm.

“Is this the Holy Fire Hall?”

Light gleamed in Lin Chen’s eyes; without hesitation, he shot toward the north.

……

At the northern plain’s edge of the Holy Fire Realm, a palace stood atop a volcanic peak.

Beneath it burned a roaring flame mountain; the entire Holy Fire Hall was wrapped in thick, blazing fire.

This fire was no ordinary flame—it flickered with dazzling, searing light, radiating extreme heat that warped the surrounding space into rippling distortions. Rolling waves of heat struck the face—even from afar, the skin burned with pain.

But upon closer inspection, the flames of the mountain were slowly weakening, like receding tides—each flicker grew slightly lower than the last, and the heat it emitted diminished a fraction more.

On the plain, over a thousand cultivators gathered, their eyes fixed on the flame mountain. They came from different sects and factions, their energies varying in strength, grouped into small clusters.

All knew: the Holy Fire Hall was about to open. All they needed to do was wait patiently.

Lin Chen did not sweep his spiritual sense across the crowd—unless he possessed overwhelming power to crush them all, such a sweep would be an outright provocation.

Moments later, spotting a familiar face, Lin Chen moved without hesitation toward him.

Cultivators continued to arrive across the plain, so Lin Chen’s appearance drew no attention—until he landed, then a ripple of disturbance spread through nearby cultivators.

Though only three years had passed since the Wudao Mountain incident, Lin Chen had once seized first place in the Tongtian Tower’s early trials. Though brief, his feat had stirred major commotion across the Yan Imperial Court.

Not just because of his tower-climbing achievement, but because of his cultivation speed.

Many remembered his face.

“Lin Brother, did you come alone?”

Zeng Xi was thrilled to see Lin Chen. As for revealing Lin Chen’s identity—he didn’t care. There were surely many here who recognized him. Since Lin Chen hadn’t concealed his face, he clearly didn’t mind being known.

“Mm.”

Lin Chen nodded. He’d briefly scanned the crowd and hadn’t spotted any of Canglan Sect’s companions.

With the sect war underway, his own sect’s brothers were too occupied to come.

“Lin Brother, this is Jiang Chen, my sect’s senior.”

Zeng Xi introduced the men beside him—the first was Jiang Chen, the leader of this Qianji Sect delegation.

“Greetings, Senior Jiang.”

Lin Chen looked at Jiang Chen. Two years had passed since they last met—Jiang Chen had advanced from Primordial Third-Stage peak to Fourth Stage. His cultivation speed was impressive.