Reciprocity, Talismans Bestowed
"Holy crap, there's not a single sun here, how come it's so hot?"
Within the vast and pitch-black underground rune array space, Seagull wiped the sweat from his face and couldn't help but speak.
After everyone had settled down, they set off in the direction of the Willow Town. Xuan Yunzi naturally removed the green protective bell shield.
The instant the protective gear was removed, the intense heat, even hotter than the ground, caused everyone to feel a strong sense of discomfort.
If the scorching sunlight above was like roasting meat in an oven, then this underground space was like a steamer.
Hearing the Seagull's words, Lin Yu calmly explained, "Because there are magma veins underground, and the spider's talisman array definitely contains them. I don't know if Xuan Yunzi's new talisman array space has all been filled in... but the two spaces are connected anyway."
Xuan Yunzi nodded and explained, following Lin Yu's words. "That's right, this array does contain quite a few magma Earth Vein... Rather, you gentlemen from beyond the realm may not know, but the extreme heat of this Fire Hell is definitely not caused by just Three Days in the Sky."
"The structure of the Two Mountains and Six Hells is very simple -- the Six Hells are located in different locations of two colossal mountains that reach the heavens, and are separated from each other by the two mountains."
"And these two mountains, and many people in the Prison Mountain Realm, are unaware of their wondrous properties; even their names differ."
"But in the records of our Four Great Daoist Sects, these two mountains have names bestowed by the God's Gift —one is called Nine Cold Mountain, and the other is called True Yang Mountain!"
"Nine Cold Mountain are extremely yin and cold, while True Yang Mountain Ultimate Yang and hot."
"Most of this fiery hell is located on the sunny side of Zhengyang Mountain, which is also the area where the earth's veins converge and their activity is most frequent."
"The area around Double Saw Mountain and Willow Town is relatively inactive," Xuan Yunzi stroked his beard and said, "But deep underground, there are still too many sedimentary volcanoes."
After Xuan Yunzi explained, Li Nian suddenly understood.
"No wonder, there's a strong smell of Sulfur in the air..."
"We've talked so much, Master, can we open that cover?" Seagull, who had been walking in the sweltering heat, was drenched in sweat, looking like a dog just pulled from the water. "No matter what's causing the high temperature here, I'm afraid I'll faint before we reach our destination."
Xuan Yunzi smiled wryly, "Hero, it would be nice if I could use it whenever I wanted, but maintaining the 'Golden Protective Bell' consumes a lot of energy. The Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord will be difficult to deal with later, so I need to save some strength and mana to deal with the Yaomo."
Li Nian pouted, "Sigh, then we won't open it—I have Talismans that can dispel heat and ward off the summer heat, you can take them."
"However... this isn't free, you know."
Li Nian took out several Talisman Paper from her bosom and handed them to Seagull.
Seagull took the Talisman Paper. Snowy Owl frowned slightly, but feeling the stuffy, sticky sensation on her skin, and especially the throbbing pain in her still-bleeding wounds caused by the sweat, she could only nod.
"Master Thief, I owe you a favor."
Gao Shan also said in a low voice, "You really surprised me, 'Master Thief'... I, Gao Shan, owe you a favor."
"What's with all this talk of owing favors? This [Instance] is already so difficult; we're all in the same boat."
Li Nian said with a grin.
"Aren't we in the same boat?"
The Seagull couldn't help but Righteous Path.
"It's all the same. If the boat capsizes, does a grasshopper still know how to swim?" Li Nian pouted. "If you keep arguing, give me back the Talismans."
Then, she divided the Talismans into three more and gave them to Lin Yu, Fei Dao, and Xuan Yunzi.
"Employer, Sister Yao, you two get a share too."
"And you, old Daoist."
As for Li Nian herself, she didn't keep any, since she was still wearing clothes that could regulate temperature. Although the high temperature on the ground exceeded that on the ground, it was still within the range that the clothes could regulate.
From the darkness came the sound of Talisman being torn apart, followed by a gentle, cool breeze.
Xuan Yunzi exclaimed in surprise, "Eh?"
"This... this Talismans is actually the 'Whirlwind Body Talisman' of my Taiqing Sect... Does the layman perhaps have some past connection with my Taiqing Sect?"
"No, I took it from the box under the statue in your Daoist temple. I saw the Daoist temple was about to collapse, so I took it out to avoid waste. You're welcome, old Daoist."
Li Nian said with a grin.
Xuan Yunzi was stunned for a moment, then said, "You... how did you do that?"
These words dispelled all of Lin Yu's doubts.
No wonder Li Nian was so generous this time, especially with consumable Talismans...
So she just touched it too.
"Senior, this guy is nicknamed 'Master Thief' among us Outworlder. Even if you put it in a box, or even keep it close to your body, it's not necessarily safe in front of her."
As Lin Yu spoke, Xuan Yunzi nodded slowly.
"I see... This 'Master Thief' truly has impressive skills and methods."
Meanwhile, the Snowy Owl and the Gao Shan, who were enjoying the coolness brought by the Talismans, suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
The two men were somewhat conflicted, realizing that they had been criticizing the "Master Thief" the whole way, yet now they were enjoying the convenience brought by the stolen goods.
I didn't want to use it, but I already promised to do you a favor... I can't just take it back now, can I?
If they were to actually do such a thing, they would be nothing but a bunch of fickle, heartless scoundrels.
However, although the two were upright, they were not rigid or inflexible, and they quickly came to terms with it.
Just like Li Nian said, the current [Instance] is very difficult. Now we have to face the "Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord", that spider Yaomo bigger than a mountain. Maintaining our condition is more important.
Not to mention...
Although Li Nian did "steal" it, the act of stealing was still considered legitimate—after all, as Li Nian said, the Daoist temple had just collapsed, and it would have been a waste if she hadn't taken the Talismans.
As the holder of this Talismans, the old Daoist Xuan Yunzi seemed to have no objection to this action.
Therefore, the Snowy Owl and the Gao Shan stopped fighting amongst themselves and continued their journey without hesitation.
With the blessing of the Talismans and the guidance of the knowledgeable Daoist priest Xuan Yunzi, they soon...
They arrived at the boundary of this rune array space—although the old and new rune array spaces were connected, there was still a layer of rock wall separating them at the boundary.
The Earth Vein activity triggered by Xuan Yunzi's Hundred Tribulations Forbidden Art had created several gaps and openings in the rock wall. Although they were not large, they were large enough to accommodate several people walking side by side.
"Let's go. Once we go in, we'll arrive at 'Old Willow Town' and the location of the 'Thousand-Eyed Thousand-Silk Demon Lord'!"
As Xuan Yunzi spoke, the old Daoist priest, acting as the guide, was the first to take the lead and crawl into the passage in the rock wall.