He Ping settled the red-haired young man in and only relaxed once he was certain his life was no longer in danger.
But his formerly hale and vigorous appearance had changed completely. His skin, dry as tree bark, hung in folds, and dejection permeated his entire being. The conviction he had always regarded as truth had been utterly destroyed.
He walked over to the statue representing the Oath of Embers' legacy, bowed respectfully before it, then took it down and sealed it inside a wooden box.
He had made his decision. He would never try again.
"Let the Oath of Embers vanish from history completely after my lineage ends. Perhaps trying to control Inferno was a fool's dream from the very beginning..."
He had finally understood. Their lineage had already paid far, far too much to prove to the world that inferno power could be controlled.
With a deep sigh, He Ping came to stand beside his disciple, A-Huan.
"Rest easy, A-Huan. You won't have to endure this pain anymore..."
As he murmured, he suddenly seemed to sense something and whipped his head to one side, as though he could see through the surrounding walls.
A flicker of black-red fire surfaced in his eyes and began dancing violently.
In his perception, an aura had appeared in the distance-scorching, berserk, destructive, yet deeply familiar.
Though that trace of aura was extremely faint, it could not escape his senses.
"An infernal aura! Why would an infernal aura appear here?! Have those people from Crimson Prison come?!"
Fire danced in He Ping's eyes, and his brows knitted tightly, but he soon shook his head slightly.
"No, this aura isn't all that powerful. It shouldn't be those lunatics. Who else could it be? Who else would dare come into contact with an infernal aura?!"