The Mountains Collapse, the Formation Breaks; Flame Thunder Falls; Dry Toad's Grudge; the Underground Gate

"Who goes there?"

Flame Thunder Master's face flickered with alarm and doubt as he shouted.

Luo Chen paused, his gaze settling on the strangely shaped, sunken valley.

Sunken Sky Valley!

Wang Yuan was inside.

He smiled faintly. "Luo Chen of the Luo Tian Association greets you, fellow Daoist Flame Thunder Master!"

The Luo Tian Association?

Flame Thunder Master froze, then realized who he was.

Wang Yuan was the head of the Luo Tian Association's Skill Transmission Hall. Rumor had it he was close to its Chairman, Luo Chen—a dear friend who had stood by him since their humble beginnings.

"You've come for Wang Yuan?"

As Flame Thunder Master spoke, he drew a small hammer from his Storage Bag.

Luo Chen's gaze fell on the hammer.

"Exactly. Why not release the formation and let us shake hands and make peace?"

"You're the head of an association, yet you're this naive?" Flame Thunder Master sneered. "Don't you know Wang Yuan killed Dry Toad's son? Only one of them can live!"

Killed his son?

Luo Chen froze.

At that moment, threads of lightning and firelight erupted from the hammer in Flame Thunder Master's hand.

"I've long heard that the Luo Tian Association's Chairman is so skilled in fire spells that he's called the Fire Spirit Lord. Besides my mastery of lightning spells, I've also learned a thing or two about Fire Element spells. Care to trade pointers?"

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

Then he nodded.

"If you insist, I'll oblige!"

"As it happens, I also wanted to..."

He was only halfway through when Flame Thunder Master's mind jolted, and terror surged from the depths of his soul.

He watched Luo Chen slowly raise the sword in his hand high overhead.

The tremors that had shaken the earth earlier stopped with that movement.

Only