After leaving the Sect Leader's cave dwelling, Zheng Fa followed behind the Ninth Elder, his heart full of doubts.
What puzzled him most was what priceless treasure lay atop the mountain.
From what the Ninth Elder and the Sect Leader had said, it seemed that once he entered the mountaintop, even if the Profound Mystery Sect could not withstand the Nine Mountains Sect in the future, he might still be able to save his own life.
Besides that, there was something else he did not understand:
Why was the Ninth Elder supporting him so strongly?
It was not that he was overly suspicious. It was simply that Li Hao and the Ninth Elder, his master, truly did not have a close relationship.
The Ninth Elder also did not seem to have much to say to him.
The two of them walked out from the Sect Leader's cave dwelling, encountering quite a few Profound Mystery Sect disciples along the way. Most had low cultivation; there were some at Foundation Establishment, but even more at the Qi Refinement Realm.
With nothing to do at the moment, Zheng Fa secretly observed these "fellow disciples."
Only then did he realize that the Profound Mystery Sect was not doing well—
There was an Earthfire Vein within Divine Fire Mountain's belly, and the temperature was scorching. The Profound Mystery Sect was now living as though perched atop a furnace.
Fortunately, cultivators' bodies far surpassed those of ordinary people. The Profound Mystery Sect's cultivation methods were inherently suited for artifact refinement, and they naturally possessed resistance to blazing heat, so there was no danger to their lives.
Yet from the clothing, expressions, and even gazes of the disciples Zheng Fa saw, he could faintly sense a stifling oppression.
Many disciples even wore dirty garments. Even the female