Gathering at the Fire Pavilion

The two had just stepped out of the stone doors of the cave dwelling and had yet to make out the situation outside when a glaring crimson shadow shrieked and lunged fiercely at Zi Yan from the side!

"Watch out!"

Qin Han reacted with lightning speed. He stepped half a pace sideways with his left foot, the muscles in his right arm bulging as it became wrapped in a layer of azure flames, then swung it horizontally!

Bang!

With a dull thud, the crimson shadow was struck solidly and slammed into a charred stone pillar behind it, letting out a harsh, grating screech.

Only then did Zi Yan turn her head, a trace of belated anger rising on her little face.

The two focused their eyes on the thing, and their hearts both skipped a beat.

That thing... barely resembled a human, but it was definitely not human!

Its entire body seemed to be... a warped amalgamation of semi-solidified magma and dark crimson light.

Its surface continuously flowed and wriggled.

Most horrifying of all, the vague face seemed to faintly reveal the outlines of facial features. Amid its twisted agony was a frenzied savagery.

It seemed to be an insubstantial soul body!

"What the hell is that?!"

Zi Yan's hairs stood on end.

Having taken a hit, the crimson spirit body seemed enraged. Roaring, its body suddenly stretched out, turning into a streak of red light as it pounced again, even faster than before.

"You dare come again!"

Prepared this time, Zi Yan's little face filled with fury. A faint purple glow surfaced over her clenched little fist as she threw a fierce punch at the incoming red light!

Bang—Hiss!

The instant her fist made contact with the red light, a strange explosive sound rang out.

The crimson spirit body was like a popped bubble. With a soft puff, it dispersed into fragments of red light that swiftly vanished into the air, leaving behind not even a trace of ash.

Qin Han and Zi Yan both froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance.

"That's it?"

Qin Han frowned deeply and wiped the ground where the spirit body had vanished with his finger. Not a single trace remained.

"It wasn't physical, nor was it purely an energy body. Could it have been a Remnant Soul?"

"There really is something wrong with this Fallen Fire Sect."

The two raised their guard and continued deeper into the ruins.

The farther in they went, the more horrifying the sights became.

Among the broken walls and rubble, those twisted crimson spirit bodies could now be seen everywhere.

Some drifted around aimlessly, while most frantically attacked the Treasure Hunters who entered the ruins.

Along this short stretch alone, they casually dealt with another four or five of them.

These spirit bodies had simple methods of attack, basically just pouncing and clawing. They might cause a bit of trouble for a Dou Ling, but before Qin Han's Heavenly Flames and Zi Yan's monstrous strength, they went down in one hit each.

"Why does it feel like these things can never be killed?"

Zi Yan muttered as she punched apart another spirit body that sprang out from a corner.

At last, they crossed a plaza covered in signs of battle and spotted a familiar figure before a relatively intact grand hall.

Wu Tianlang stood with his arms folded beside a broken stone pillar, his hard gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

"Old man!"

Qin Han hurried over with Zi Yan.

"Find anything?"

"Hehe! We struck it rich, we struck it rich!" Zi Yan answered first, patting her little Storage Ring.

Qin Han nodded. "We found some things. Old man, what exactly are these red ghost things? Why does the Fallen Fire Sect have so many of them?"

Wu Tianlang shook his head, the scar on his face twisting with the motion. "No idea. We ran into them the moment we came in. You can't kill them all, and they're damned annoying.

Be careful. If they pounce on you, your dou qi will become unstable, and your mind will suffer burning pain as well."

"Where are the Vice Dean and the others?"

Qin Han swept his gaze around and found that Wu Tianlang was the only one here.

"They already headed for the core area of the ruins. If the Fallen Fire Sect truly left behind some extraordinary inheritance or treasure, it's most likely near the Myriad Fire Furnace."

"The Myriad Fire Furnace?"

"Hm."

"The Myriad Fire Furnace is considered the Fallen Fire Sect's Supreme Treasure. Legend has it that the Myriad Stars Flame was refined there."

"Then aren't we going over?" Qin Han asked.

"The Vice Dean has a communication jade slip. If anything happens over there or they need support, he'll notify us."

Wu Tianlang jerked his chin toward the front. "This is where our job is."

Qin Han looked in the direction he indicated.

Before them stood a massive hall that had been relatively well preserved. Though its walls bore damage and scorch marks, its overall structure remained intact.

Above the hall's entrance hung a slanted plaque with golden characters on a black background. Two ancient characters were written upon it in vigorous strokes—Fire Pavilion.

"The Fallen Fire Sect's treasure repository, equivalent to our academy's Library Pavilion."

"Dou Techniques, Cultivation Methods, pills and pill formulas, weapons and armor, rare treasures and materials... Back then, more than half of the Fallen Fire Sect's good stuff was kept inside.

"That was assuming... this place hadn't been destroyed.

"Eight out of ten people outside came for this place."

Qin Han swept his gaze around the Fire Pavilion, his heart tightening slightly.

Over a hundred people had already gathered in this relatively open stretch of ruins!

They were clearly divided into small groups.

It was hardly surprising. Jia Nan Academy, the Black Emperor Sect, Maple City, the Gold and Silver Elders—every major force had mobilized for this expedition. The Fallen Fire Sect's true treasures were never going to fall into the hands of these mid-tier factions.

A common man was innocent, but possessing a treasure invited disaster.

Even if they really seized something valuable, who knew whether it would turn out to be a blessing or a curse.

Rather than that, they might as well grab some Cultivation Methods, Dou Techniques, pills, and the like.

"The Vice Dean and the others are watching the Myriad Fire Furnace. Our assignment is this Fire Pavilion." Wu Tianlang patted Qin Han on the shoulder.

"When the doors open, things will definitely get chaotic. Stay close to me. If there's a chance, go in and grab something. The academy won't lose out, and neither should you."

Qin Han licked his slightly dry lips. His gaze swept over the faces of the various factions eyeing one another like tigers, then returned to the Fire Pavilion's entrance as he slowly nodded.

"Understood!"

The opportunities and treasures that elders like Wu Tianlang obtained would most likely have to be handed over to the academy upon their return. But Qin Han and Zi Yan were merely students, so the academy could not make them surrender their gains as well.

This was also an unwritten rule of Jia Nan Academy: anything students obtained while carrying out missions assigned by the academy belonged to them.

More and more people gathered in the open ground before the Fire Pavilion.

"Why isn't it opening yet? We've already waited more than half an hour!"

"What's the rush? Good things aren't that easy to get. If the Fire Pavilion's seal could be broken so casually, would it still be our turn?"

Qin Han stood beside Wu Tianlang, staring at the utterly motionless doors as his brow furrowed as well.

The Fire Pavilion seemed... far too quiet.

"Old man, isn't this Fire Pavilion's seal a little too strong? The Fallen Fire Sect has been wiped out for so many years. Even the Sect Protecting Formation has been eroded open in one place, yet the Treasure Pavilion's doors are still this sturdy?"

"It's a place where treasures are stored. A stronger seal is only natural. Maybe they used some special sealing method, or... perhaps this place was reinforced further when the incident happened back then?"

"Reinforced further?"

Qin Han's heart stirred.

He said no more. Lowering his eyes unobtrusively, he calmed his mind and carefully drew out a tiny thread of invisible flame. It slid along the ground without a sound, making its way toward the gap beneath the Fire Pavilion's doors.

When the Heart Flame touched the bottom of the stone doors, Qin Han could sense a dense energy barrier.

The seal truly was powerful.

Qin Han patiently controlled the Heart Flame, burning away the remnants of the sealing energy bit by bit.

The process was slow, and Qin Han was extremely careful.

Pop!

After roughly ten breaths, a cracking sound that only Qin Han himself could hear rang out.

The instant a hole appeared in the seal, Qin Han's Soul Power suddenly forced its way inside.

Then his heart sank.

There were clearly over a dozen figures inside the Fire Pavilion!