Chapter 52

Dugu Qingli started running, which was much faster than the bumpy, chaotic ride from before. Before Lu Xingzhou could even gather his thoughts, they were already out of the door.

Shen Tang stood in a corner of the cave core with her hands behind her back, examining a shelf carved into the wall. It wasn't anything special, just a few jade slips.

"This wall was also sealed before. While I was kite-fighting him, he happened to blast the outer wall skin off with a punch, revealing this shelf." Seeing the two come out, Shen Tang curled her lips and said with a straight face: "These jade slips must be the cultivation techniques and various arts of the original owner of this place, and there might even be alchemy notes and prescriptions. Xingzhou currently lacks a legacy; regardless of whether these are suitable, you can study them first."

I’m out there fighting for my life, still thinking about cultivation techniques for you, while you two are inside playing stacking games...

Lu Xingzhou also felt a bit afraid to face Shen Tang now, so he coughed dryly and casually took the jade slips: "I’ll take them back to study slowly... um... there shouldn't be anything else here."

Shen Tang nodded: "Yes, before you two came out, I checked around again. This doesn't look like a lair; it’s just a temporary cave dwelling, at most a villa. There wouldn't be much here to begin with."

This sister was now adding thorns to every sentence. Dugu Qingli was expressionless: "Magic treasures and talismans would have been used up during the battle between the original owner and this corpse puppet; there wouldn't be any left. If you are worried about remnants, we can come back after we rest. Everyone is in poor condition right now, and it would be hard to handle if we encountered any changes."

Lu Xingzhou fled this strange whirlpool as if escaping for his life: "Let’s go, let’s go find Anuo. She’s been outside alone for a long time; I don't know if she’s been wandering around blindly."

Anuo hadn't been wandering blindly. From the moment the wretched couple went in, she had been running in circles outside, trying to find the reason why there were no flowers or plants here.

The place was huge, and Anuo had been running for a long, long time without sensing anything, but in her heart, she was becoming more and more certain of her suspicion: there was definitely a ghost here.

She finally returned to the place where the dragon and tiger met and sat cross-legged, rubbing her round chin and staring at the pit in the center, deep in thought.

There was no sensation anywhere; if there was something, it probably had to be here.

Master determined that this must be where the original alchemy furnace was, and Anuo also felt that must be correct. But Master hadn't dug deep down; could there be something underneath?

Actually, Anuo could roughly guess that this was a place for alchemy. If there was something below, it would be earth fire, which was very normal. Master probably didn't dig deeper because of this judgment. If they dug down, earth fire should come gushing up.

Anuo was very afraid of fire.

It wasn't just that she lacked fire affinity; she was afraid of fire. Even Dugu Qingli could see that her wood affinity was rich, and of course, people with rich wood affinity were very afraid of fire.

At least at her current level of cultivation, she could overcome her fear of ordinary fire, and she could roast sweet potatoes and borrow earth fire to help Master refine pills, but deep down, she still didn't want to touch fire.

Anuo wouldn't be a burden. It’s just earth fire, what’s the big deal!

Anuo sniffed, fished a pile of talismans out of her pocket, and plastered herself with them.

They were all Fire-Avoidance Talismans.

Then she took a deep breath and slammed her small fist into the bottom of the pit.

Earth and stone flew, and the earth fire that had been buried by time erupted with a roar, instantly covering Anuo in soot.

There are several ways earth fire forms. The first is a common volcano; that kind of fire is mortal fire and very unstable, and no one would use a volcano to refine pills. The second is fire brought by special earth veins; the fire is stable and usually carries some unique attributes. Many alchemists specifically look for such places when choosing a cave dwelling. The disadvantage is that this kind of fire has a relatively low temperature; if it were truly high-temperature, no one could live there.

Then there is the kind created by special heavenly treasures, and the benefits of that are numerous.

Danxia Mountain has earth vein fire, and this place is essentially connected to the bottom of Danxia Mountain, so theoretically, it is also earth vein fire. But Anuo felt that shouldn't be the case. Ordinary earth vein fire would at most affect the types of plants that grow, not lead to a place where not a blade of grass grows, just like the warmth of Danxia Mountain is especially suitable for planting medicinal herbs.

Even if it were earth vein fire, it was very likely that something else had been added to it, and it should be this addition that caused this place to be barren.

Anuo gritted her teeth and jumped directly into the earth fire.

The Fire-Avoidance Talismans on her body were already starting to curl at the edges, and the scorching high temperature made it impossible for Anuo to open her eyes.

But Anuo felt happy in her heart; her judgment was correct, there was a space below!

"Step..." Her small feet touched something, and her shoes instantly turned to ash.

Anuo urgently spun in mid-air and landed on the ground below.

The so-called ground was mostly black, hard rock, with a small amount of magma-like fluid interspersed between the rocks. Anuo had to condense her qi to protect the soles of her feet, otherwise, she would be scorched just by stepping on this ground. And the entire environment was fire; Anuo was standing right in the middle of the flames.

She wasn't in the mood to pay attention to anything else, staring blankly at a crystal floating in the flames.

She had never seen it before, yet four words inexplicably floated in her heart: Essence of Flame Fire.

Then an unspeakable fear welled up in her heart, and vaguely, it seemed as if she saw some devilish face appearing on the crystal, and her entire body’s flesh and bones began to feel phantom pain.

It was as if she had once been dismembered and crushed by this devil, then rolled into a ball and made into a bun.

More chaotic memories flashed through her mind, not forming a plot.

Anuo retreated in fear, and her other shoe stepped into the magma, sizzling into ash.

As if waking from a dream, Anuo suddenly let out an angry shout and viciously slammed her fist into the crystal.

The crystal swayed slightly, and dark demonic energy seeped out from it, rushing directly into Anuo’s spirit platform through her fist.

A devil’s low laughter drifted faintly: "Unexpectedly, one day, there would be something delicious delivered to my door..."

This wasn't the protection of the original owner’s will imprint in the spirit water crystal, but the birth of a true demon within this treasure... Because it had been in the prison of flames for a long time and was located in a treasure like the Essence of Flame Fire, the destructive intent of the gathered flames had gradually condensed into a bit of spirituality. This was the most typical birth of a Flame Demon.

I’m afraid the original owner didn't expect a Flame Demon to be born when they placed this object here... It was the birth of the Flame Demon that caused the surrounding area to be barren.

However, it currently appeared that this Flame Demon was still a newborn, not even having condensed a body of flame, and was relatively weak.

Anuo was wrapped in flames, her spirit platform flickering, and she suddenly asked: "Have you seen me before?"

The Flame Demon was stunned: "I have never seen other living beings..."

"I don't know why, but I always feel like I’ve seen you before. Could it be in a dream?" Anuo scratched her head in confusion: "Whatever, anyway, a demon like you is just a little kid."

Flame Demon: "..."

As if you aren't a little kid yourself.

The next moment, the Flame Demon let out a scream as the demonic energy recoiled. Anuo slammed her fist heavily onto the Essence of Flame Fire, revealing her neat white teeth: "My Master plays with soul banners; to prevent me from being accidentally invaded, he specifically had Sister Yu place a god-ghost restriction on me. And you dare to drill in!"

The Essence of Flame Fire was pinned to the ground, beaten with a left fist and a right fist. The demonic shadow was trapped inside and roared: "Little brat, you are courting death!"

"Boom!" The flames from all sides gathered. Anuo, who was already being scorched in the fire, began to be unable to hold on. The Fire-Avoidance Talismans on her body burned out one by one, and the tips of her hair began to singe.

Anuo grabbed the Essence of Flame Fire and sprang out of the cave like a bolt of lightning. The flames below followed like a shadow, chasing her like a living fire dragon.

Anuo fished a... pancake out of her ring.

The big pancake shook and became larger than a manhole cover, slamming onto the cave entrance with a "clang," fitting perfectly.

Anuo had magic treasures too! Both offensive and defensive, she just didn't like using them when there were outsiders around.

What kind of kid would take out a manhole cover and smash someone’s head to pieces... Anuo still cared about her image.

The Essence of Flame Fire struggled to break free from Anuo’s grasp. Anuo almost couldn't hold on, so she used both hands to press it to the ground, almost covering it with her whole body.

The Flame Demon roared: "Are you crazy! What good does it do you to hold me down like this! The Fire-Avoidance Talismans on you are gone! Now that you are pressing on me, you are putting yourself in the fire to be burned!"

Flames erupted from the crystal, surrounding Anuo’s small body.

Anuo gritted her teeth: "I just need to control you until Master and the others come out... I don't know if this crystal is useful for Master’s leg, but I think it should be... I have to let Master see it..."

"Just to let someone see something that might not be useful!" The Flame Demon was so angry it went berserk: "You are clearly especially afraid of fire, are you not afraid of death!"

Anuo’s expression twitched from the burning, but she couldn't hide her smile: "But Master is Anuo’s life..."

The Flame Demon felt it couldn't communicate with humans and frantically wanted to escape. But this damn kid’s strength was inexplicably great, like the strength of a dragon and tiger, holding it firmly there.

The dragon and tiger bones on the left and right stood like mountains, as if guarding her.

Anuo was also a bit delirious from the burning, vaguely remembering the first few days she had memories.

An infant in a mountain pass, so cold, so hungry, and so afraid.

She could faintly hear the sound of wild beasts howling, not knowing when they would come to eat her.

She wanted to escape, but had no strength at all, unable to move a muscle...

She didn't know how long had passed, suns rising and moons setting. Just when she felt she was about to starve to death, her head was bumped by someone, so painful.

Was she about to be eaten? Anuo cried loudly.

But it was a dying child who rolled to her side, weakly stroking her face: "How... how could there be a little sticky rice ball here... so cute..."

"I don't know why, but I have a little strength again... I seem to be able to save myself... but I can't watch her be left here..." The child gritted his teeth, tied the infant to his back, and dragging his broken leg, used his knees and hands to climb up Danxia Mountain, bit by bit.

On the mountain road, it was all blood he had left behind.

Then the scene changed to that day, when her handsome Master, with sword-like brows and star-like eyes, stuffed an elixir into her mouth without a word: "Medicine to heal legs is everywhere, but there is only one Anuo!"

Footsteps and the sound of wheels suddenly came to her ears, and the voice from her memory rang out anxiously: "Anuo! Why are you covered in fire?"

Anuo looked up at that familiar face, revealing neat white teeth on her soot-covered face: "Master, there is a Flame Demon here, help me beat it up."