Another Encounter

At some point, the fire spirit beasts had actually broken free from the constraints of the totem barriers and entered the lava river. For instance, at the volcanic crater, even though the circular restriction had been damaged, those totem barriers had remained intact. Yet now, they had shattered. What on earth had happened up above? Qin Sang was thoroughly shocked, but even more so, filled with worry. With so many fire spirit beasts emerging from who knew where, Qin Sang's retreat was completely cut off. He was not afraid of the firebirds, but he did not dare charge forward against the flame flying monkeys and humanoid ghosts. Moreover, the upheaval seemed to have originated from deep within the ancient immortal's abandoned abode, making it all the more imperative not to rush into danger. Perhaps leaving the volcanic crater earlier had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Qin Sang looked up at the circular restriction overhead. Its light fluctuated erratically, constantly battered by shockwaves and trembling alongside the earth and magma, yet it remained solid. There was no telling when it would finally break. Countless fire spirit beasts gave chase behind him. Like caged beasts finally set free, they cried and shrieked in loud jubilation, cavorting and dancing through the magma in what appeared to be a joyful scene. Yet Qin Sang knew full well that if they caught sight of him, their mood would turn entirely intolerant, baring their lethal intent! He could not afford to wait in place, driven forward by sheer necessity. The magma surged even faster. Though the fire spirit beasts appeared to be playing around, their speed was not slow at all. Even pushing himself to the limit, Qin Sang could only barely maintain a sliver of distance between them. Swallowing a bottle of Azure Spirit Pills, Qin Sang checked his inventory. He had an ample supply of spirit pills on hand, so he did not have to worry about spiritual power exhaustion in the short term. But where should he go? If he found no breaches in the circular restriction along the way, he would have no choice but to flee all the way until he exited the bounds of the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode—an outcome Qin Sang was unwilling to accept. Qin Sang pondered silently. Judging by the sheer scale of the tremors from behind, this upheaval was likely anything but simple. If the circular restriction had any weak points, there was a high probability that cracks—or even openings—would be shaken open. Perhaps he could escape through one. Yet the only weak point Qin Sang knew of was beneath the second trial. The trial space and the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode were very likely two separate spaces divided by restrictions. Qin Sang could not be certain whether the exact location of the trial space corresponded to the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode, but if it did, it should be somewhere near the stone stele. No matter what, he had to go check. Qin Sang quickly calculated his current position. From the moment he had entered the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode until now, he had carefully memorized every path he had traversed and every change in direction, sketching a simple mental map to cross-reference above and below. He was currently heading southeast, straying from the direction of the stone stele. Qin Sang quickly swept his eyes over the tributaries ahead, selected one, and darted inside. The lava river branched into countless intricate, crisscrossing tributaries. Qin Sang switched routes several times, finally realigning his heading and speeding directly toward the stone stele. Unexpectedly, as he fled, Qin Sang noticed fire spirit beasts prowling from other directions as well. This filled him with grave concern—his worst fear had come to pass. The cavern with the Red Gold Vine was not an isolated case; deep underground beneath the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode, there were many other similar places where fire spirit beasts were reared. The circular restrictions there had surely shattered, but Qin Sang did not dare approach, for these were not just firebirds alone—all three types of fire spirit beasts had gathered together. Forced to adjust his course, Qin Sang avoided the disaster of being intercepted, but the room he had to maneuver grew tighter and tighter, and the distance between him and the fire spirit beasts gradually closed. Spirit pills went into his stomach one after another. Qin Sang transformed into a beam of sword light, slicing through wave after wave of churning lava without daring to stop for an instant. The pills were converted into spiritual power only to be consumed immediately, struggling to keep pace with the ebony sword's expenditure, sending wrenching waves of pain through his sea of qi. 'If only the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman were usable.' Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating chuckle and continued to speed forward with his head down. Suddenly, a deafening roar of crashing waves resonated from ahead. Such a sound meant an expansive lava lake lay before him. No sooner had this thought crossed Qin Sang's mind than his field of view abruptly opened up, and he found himself entering the lava lake. This massive lake was the largest Qin Sang had seen since jumping into the magma, countless times larger than the one in the cavern. Numerous lava rivers emptied into it, its surface stretching boundlessly like a sea of magma. This was not necessarily a good thing. With nothing to obstruct the view in this open expanse, riding a sword out in the open made it exceptionally easy for the fire spirit beasts to spot him. Sure enough, not long after entering the lava lake, Qin Sang caught sight of fire spirit beasts lurking amid the surging waves near the distant shores. Just as Qin Sang drew close to the center of the lake, an ear-piercing rumble suddenly rang out. Alarmed, he turned his head and saw a dazzling streak of white escape light speeding out from one of the lava rivers. Right on its heels, hordes of enraged fire spirit beasts swarmed out from the river's mouth. Their numbers swelled incessantly as though endless, shrieking as they plunged into the lava lake and throwing the entire sea of magma into utter chaos in an instant. Seeing this, Qin Sang cursed vehemently in his heart. He had no time to ponder why someone else was here. Without hesitation, he poured everything into spurring the ebony sword to flee. Amid the frenzy, he stole a glance at the distant escape light, froze for a split second, and subconsciously slowed down. The white escape light moved with astonishing speed, outpacing even the berserk fire spirit beasts, and drew neck and neck with Qin Sang in short order. Only then did the person steering the escape light notice Qin Sang, who had been quietly fleeing for his life. "Huh?" A surprised exclamation came from the light, which paused slightly before dispersing, revealing an aged figure. It was none other than Yunyouzi, piloting his spirit bamboo flying boat! "Brother Qin?" The two exchanged glances, both thoroughly astonished. "Senior, how come you are here?" Qin Sang was the first to ask. When he saw the escape light earlier, he had sensed a familiar fluctuation very much like Yunyouzi's spirit bamboo flying boat—and only the spirit bamboo flying boat possessed such remarkable speed. Under these circumstances, having an ally increased his chances of survival, which was why Qin Sang had slowed down to wait. It really was Yunyouzi! "This old Daoist discovered a spirit herb underground. Just as I was attempting to harvest it, heaven and earth suddenly began to split apart, and the circular restriction shattered. I accidentally fell into a lava river, and before I could get away, these fire spirit beasts cornered me. I had no choice but to keep running forward..." Yunyouzi was midway through his explanation when a burst of screeches abruptly cut him off. The fire spirit beasts were already hot on their heels. Yunyouzi's expression changed slightly, and he urged, "Brother Qin, get on the bamboo boat quickly! Don't let these beasts surround us!" Qin Sang's eyes flickered. After a brief hesitation, he nodded, retracted his sword light, and leapt onto the spirit bamboo flying boat. "I never expected that both times I met Brother Qin, it would be under such circumstances," Yunyouzi sighed with emotion, a tinge of delight in his tone. "This old Daoist has run out of spirit pills and was on the verge of exhaustion. Meeting Brother Qin could not be better! If we take turns piloting the bamboo boat, we won't need to fear being caught by those beasts."