"Brother Long Chen, go left ahead. It says on the right is the lair of the Seventh Heaven Realm King-level Heavenly Fire Spirit."
"Brother Long Chen, wait a moment. There's a flaming underground river ahead. Once you step on, you'll be swept away. Only when it calms down can you cross..."
The little fox chirped all the way, and Huo Ling'er helped it translate. Clearly, this little fox already knew the way home—where there was danger, where the terrifying Fire Spirit was.
And as they walked, it told Huo Ling'er about all the terrain around them, so they basically had a map.
The little fox had been here for countless years and knew the situation inside out. This surprised and delighted Long Chen. With this map, he immediately discovered many treasure spots here. However, for now, he had to send the little fox back first.
With the little fox's guidance, Long Chen kept avoiding some terrifying presences, and whenever he encountered weaker Heavenly Fire Spirits, he always took them out directly.
The little fox told Long Chen that it wasn't afraid of those terrifying beings, because those frightening creatures simply ignored it.
Only Heavenly Fire Spirits below the Third Heaven Realm King would kill it. Every time, it was driven to escape by these creatures, missing the chance and watching the entrance disappear in vain.
The rules of the Heavenly Fire World seemed different from what Long Chen had imagined. Here, terrifying beings could coexist with weak Heavenly Fire Spirits, and the weak Heavenly Fire Spirits were not afraid of those powerful ones.
Because the spirit of Heavenly Fire is not strong enough to be devoured, there is no contradiction between extremely strong and extremely weak.
Because of this, weak Heavenly Fire spirits were everywhere here, and these weak Heavenly Fire spirits became the little fox's nightmare, blocking its way home.
But Long Chen had to be extremely cautious. Those terrifying beings could tolerate weak Heavenly Fire Spirits, but they couldn't tolerate a human like him. If discovered, it would be troublesome.
The deeper he got into the vortex, the more terrifying the flame power became. Sometimes, even without the little fox's reminder, Long Chen could sense an aura that made his scalp tingle.
The deeper he went, the more terrifying the Spirit of Heavenly Fire became. Just moments ago, Long Chen had seen a Spirit of Heavenly Fire covered in nine runes, sleeping soundly atop a high mountain.
That was equivalent to a Realm King of the Nine Heavens—just a breath could scatter Long Chen's soul. As he ventured deeper, he discovered more and more Nine Heavens Realm King-level Heavenly Fire Spirits, and the little fox told him that the entrance was just behind them.
Long Chen immediately regretted it. This was practically risking his life—how could he agree to it? But since he had already agreed, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go ahead.
Fortunately, these Nine Heavens Realm King-level Heavenly Fire Spirits were basically asleep. As long as they didn't make any noise, they wouldn't be disturbed.
Long Chen roughly counted. There were about several hundred of these Heavenly Fire Spirits. He proceeded cautiously along the way, slaying dozens of Heavenly Fire Spirits blocking his way, without alerting those terrifying beings.
Finally, a day later, Long Chen saw a spatial gate ahead. Inside that gate, golden flames were spewing out. Then he saw a giant dragon stretching tens of thousands of miles, lying there, letting the golden flames strike its body, seemingly enjoying its bath.
"Oh no, the little fox said this Fire Spirit King has awakened, and it can't go back." Huo Ling'er said.
"Didn't it say that the powerful Spirit of Heavenly Fire wouldn't trouble it?" Long Chen couldn't help but ask.
"The little fox said this is a terrifying Fire Spirit King. According to human realm divisions, it should be a Divine Venerable-level existence."
It wouldn't attack the little fox, but the pressure it contained could crush it. He happened to be at the entrance and exit, so the little fox couldn't go back. Huo Ling'er said.
Long Chen looked at the little fox. Sure enough, the little fox was full of despair, lying on Long Chen's shoulder, clutching his eyes with its little paws as if wiping away tears. Just as success was about to happen, he suddenly fell into despair—a feeling no one could bear.
"Little fox, don't cry. There are always more solutions than difficulties. I'll find a way to get you there." Long Chen said.
The little fox shook its head and continued crying. Huo Ling'er said, "It said there's nothing we can do."
This Fire Spirit King was drawn to the golden flames, desperately absorbing and improving itself, and it would not leave.
If we force our way in, all three of us will die. It doesn't want to drag us down and says it gives up. Seeing
the little fox crying so sadly, Long Chen felt uneasy too. Looking at the dragon's figure, he was trying to figure out a solution.
This giant dragon was a two-winged evil dragon, extremely fierce.
Because it was not a living being of flesh and blood, the dragon might on Long Chen had no effect on it.
It was blocking the massive portal, its mouth wide open, fully absorbing the golden flames. To enter the portal, one had to walk right through it.
"Let's give it a try!"
Long Chen thought for a long time but couldn't come up with any solution, so he simply stopped thinking and decided to take it one step at a time.
"The little fox said it's too dangerous, don't try it." Huo Ling'er said.
Long Chen looked at the little fox, and sure enough, the little fox was looking at him with teary eyes, seemingly unwilling to watch him die.
Long Chen smiled faintly, gently patted the little fox's head, and comforted it. No matter what, he had to try; otherwise, backing down like this was not his character.
As he spoke, Long Chen quietly approached the twin-winged evil dragon. As he approached, all the hair on his body stood on end. The dragon's power was terrifying—it was as if he were walking on a volcano. Any slight spill of volcanic power could shatter him to pieces.
Fortunately, the two-winged evil dragon was focused on absorbing the golden flame power and ignored them. Long Chen told Huo Ling'er to absorb the golden flames as well, concealing their aura, so it wouldn't attract the dragon's attention.
Soon, Long Chen stepped onto the tail of the twin-winged evil dragon, a long tail stretching tens of thousands of li, nearly half the length of the dragon's entire body.
No one knew what species this evil dragon was. Without its long tail, it would look like a bat, and at the tip of that long tail grew a huge bone spike, resembling a spear that gleamed coldly, sending chills down one's spine.
Fortunately, in front of this evil dragon, Long Chen and the others were even more insignificant than ants, cautious all the way and didn't attract its attention.
However, once he reached its back, Long Chen felt immense pressure. The pressure from the twin-winged evil dragon began to intensify, and the torrent of golden flames ahead increased his pressure, forcing him to use the power of the stars to protect himself.
As Long Chen walked forward along the dragon's back, just as he was about to approach the gate, the eyes of the twin-winged dragon suddenly opened.
"Damn it,"
Long Chen made a snap decision, instantly throwing out a large net in his hand that enveloped the twin-winged dragon. At the same time, he transformed into a meteor and rushed toward the portal.