Earthfire had been quelled.
When Lin Yan and Li Zhu emerged from the final fissure leading underground, dragging their exhausted, scorched bodies behind them, they were first greeted by deathly silence, followed by cheers like crashing mountains and roaring seas.
Throughout Flame Feather Valley, every living being—whether bird or beast, whether transformed or not—stopped what they were doing. They looked up at the hundreds of recently extinguished fire pillars, now leaving behind only wisps of green smoke, then looked at the two figures returning from underground. For a moment, they scarcely dared believe it was real.
Not until Li Zhu raised her ash-covered yet radiant face and announced brightly, "Earthfire has been diverted. Flame Feather Valley has been saved!"
"Roar—!!!"
"Cry—!!!"
Thunderous cheers and cries erupted at once, making the silent volcanoes around them seem to tremble faintly. The Lava Goats pounded the ground with their heavy hooves, Crimson Flame Eagles circled and cried overhead, Flame Cranes elegantly spread their wings, and Fire Feather Sparrows chirped as they gathered into a joyous cloud of fire... Even the usually stern Yue Zhuo Clan warriors of Black Feather Fortress could not help raising their spears to the sky and letting out deep, excited roars.
The wild joy of surviving the disaster sent the entire valley into a frenzy.
Li Zhu pulled Lin Yan onto a higher Volcanic Rock platform. Countless gazes gathered below, filled with gratitude, admiration, and even something close to worship.
"Lin Yan! Lin Yan!"
No one knew who had shouted the name first, but before long, the cries joined together and echoed through the valley. That once-unfamiliar name, once even questioned, had now become a symbol of saving their homeland.
The Crimson Flame Eagle leader, a middle-aged man in red armor after Transformation, stepped forward first and solemnly bowed