Unexpected Joy

As evening fell, the clouds in the sky turned a golden-red hue under the setting sun.

The golden fish that the Golden-Scaled Boat transformed into swam in the air, almost blending into the sky.

"Brother Zhou Hao."

Looking down through the clouds, Xia Jie said to Zhou Hao, who was sitting beside him, "This is the sea area ahead."

Zhou Hao got up and walked to the side of the ship.

At first glance, the sea here looks no different from the sea elsewhere.

Six months is enough time to erase all traces of the original Earth Fire eruption.

However, Zhou Hao's divine sense could cover Baili. Standing on the Golden-Scaled Boat and probing the seabed, he quickly discovered an area filled with dozens of magical energy fluctuations.

It was a series of dozens of layers of array formations that covered each other, not only concealing a sea mound on the seabed, but also hiding a flying magical artifact in the shape of a blue sailboat in front of a cave at the bottom of the sea mound.

"This is it." Zhou Hao nodded. "Shang Youde is quite cautious. He not only set up array restrictions, but also specially arranged for a Purple Mansion Cultivator to guard this place."

The Shang Clan's arrangement was extremely thorough. Even if a passing cultivator noticed something amiss and came to investigate, it would inevitably alert the Purple Mansion Cultivator within the array's restrictions.

Even if the Purple Mansion Cultivator is no match for the newcomer, as long as he sends a signal to his family, a large number of powerful individuals can immediately rush to the Twin Horse Island Shang Clan stronghold, which is only a thousand miles away.

However, this arrangement can at most deal with ordinary Myriad Phenomena True Person. It is useless against Primordial Spirit Daoist or monstrous talents like Zhou Hao who possess divine consciousness.

With a sweep of his divine sense, he not only completely broke through all the array formations and restrictions, but he could even see the hair on the body of the Purple Mansion Cultivator inside the flying boat magic treasure.

"Is the Earth Fire Vein beneath a Sea Hill?" Zhou Hao asked.

"Yes." Xia Jie nodded. "My grandfather said that about two thousand feet below the sea hill, there is an underground lava river, and that Earth Fire Vein is a tributary of that lava river."

"Two thousand zhang?"

With a thought, Zhou Hao's divine sense swept over the area.

Whether it's divine sense or divine awareness, if one's spiritual realm is insufficient, even if one is swept away, one will not be able to detect it.

The Shang Clan cultivator hidden below didn't even possess divine sense, let alone detect Zhou Hao's divine consciousness.

His divine sense continued to penetrate downwards along the passage inside the cave entrance at Haiqiu, and soon discovered the underground magma river that Xia Jie had mentioned.

"Let's go down."

The Golden-Scaled Boat quickly shrank to only three zhang in length, then swooped into the sea, like a real giant fish, wagging its head and tail as it reached the seabed.

"Escape."

Zhou Hao's Yuan force activated the earth-escape formation in the golden scale boat.

Instantly, two beams of golden light shot out from the two eyes of the golden fish, and the hard rock layer on the seabed immediately surged as if it had turned into water.

"This is quite similar to the innate supernatural power of the Earth Dragon back then," Zhou Hao thought to himself.

Wow~~~~

The golden scale boat rushed into the rippled underground rock formations. Under the action of its escape formation, the rocks in front of it turned into water waves. After it swam through, they were no different from before, which made Zhou Hao marvel.

A moment later, Zhou Hao and his group arrived directly at the location of the ' Earth Fire Vein ' from underground.

As for the array formations and restrictions set up by the Shang Clan above, and the hidden Purple Mansion Cultivator, they were naturally completely unaware.

Zhou Hao looked at the Earth Fire Vein that stretched for more than ten feet in front of him. Within the golden flames, there were faintly some bird-shaped spirits playing around.

"It really is the Flame Soul Earth Fire."

Although Zhou Hao had already deduced from Xia Jie's description of the characteristics of the Earth Fire Vein that it was the Flame Soul Earth Fire.

But after seeing it and confirming that it was indeed correct, a look of joy appeared on his face.

The entire underground cavern is extremely hot due to the presence of lava rivers and Earth Fire Vein.

This temperature was nothing to Zhou Hao, but it was rather uncomfortable for Xia Jie and Uncle Mo Er.

Especially those spirits in the Earth Fire Vein; if they were to touch them, they could refine the two Xiantian Lifeform alive.

"I will hide the Golden-Scaled Boat underground in a moment, and I will set up an array of restrictions outside. You must stay inside and not come out," Zhou Hao instructed.

"Okay, we absolutely won't come out," Xia Jie and Uncle Mo Er both said.

Xia Jie came along to guide Zhou Hao, Uncle Mo Er came along because he possessed the art of beast taming and could command sea monsters.

After Zhou Hao collects the Earth Fire, he will head to the Upper Sect. Xia Jie is not yet Purple Mansion Cultivator and cannot control flying magic weapons. At that time, Uncle Mo Er will use sea monsters to take Xia Jie back to Jade Dragon City.

Zhou Hao first maneuvered the Golden-Scaled Boat underground, and then took out a set of array flags from his storage magic treasure and arranged them around the Flame Soul Earth Fire Vein.

This is a set of human-grade array flag magic treasures that he obtained from Zhu Da's storage magic treasure.

By placing the array flags in specific locations, the area covered by the array can be completely concealed, and from the outside, it will appear completely normal.

Only after entering the formation and becoming trapped in its maze will one realize that there is a formation here.

"That way, even if that Purple Mansion Cultivator comes to investigate, as long as he doesn't get close, he won't be able to find me."

After setting up the formation, Zhou Hao sat down cross-legged right next to the Flame Soul Earth Fire Vein.

After a brief adjustment of his breathing, he opened his mouth, and a wisp of Flame Soul Earth Fire, enveloped by Origin Power, was directly absorbed into his body.

Normally, Earth Fire and cold evil are two natural forces with completely opposite attributes. Apart from a few special physiques, only a powerful cultivator like Zhou Hao, who has cultivated the Chiming Nine Heavens Map and is a master of God-Devil Body Refining, can absorb and cultivate Earth Fire and cold evil at the same time.

Even for a powerful God-Devil Body Refining who has mastered the Chiming Nine Heavens Map and refined their body like a god, if they have already planted the Frost Fiend within their body, they must be extra careful when absorbing Earth Fire, and it will take them even longer.

Zhou Hao, however, was different.

When the Loose Immortal Hongchen created the secret technique <Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light>, he improved the method of collecting evil energy, making it faster than ordinary cultivation methods.

Furthermore, since Zhou Hao absorbed the energy according to the principle of mutual restraint among the five elements, the water element cold energy within his body was restraining the Earth Fire, so there was no need to worry about the Earth Fire absorbed into his Purple Mansion Origin Sea causing a backlash.

Therefore, Zhou Hao absorbed the Earth Fire at an extremely fast speed, almost taking a deep breath every few breaths.

The Earth Fire Vein shrank visibly as he absorbed countless bird-shaped fire sprites into his body.

... within the Purple Mansion Origin Sea.

Five crystalline islets, arranged according to the five elements, float on the ocean of Origin Power.

Wisps of Flame Soul Earth Fire, under Zhou Hao's divine sense control, flew towards the small island located to the south.

The once colorless, crystal-clear islet, resembling a transparent crystal, gradually revealed a fiery red color after the Flame Soul Earth Fire penetrated it.

Small, bird-shaped fire sprites danced across the island, but looked fearfully to the north before retreating back into the depths of the island.

Over the past six months, Zhou Hao has absorbed Ten Thousand Year Cold Ice, and the cold energy within his body has been nurtured to the upper third grade.

The Cold Fiend Vein within the black island in the northern waters has already manifested as a gigantic black divine tortoise.

At this moment, it was staring menacingly at the Earth Fire spirits on the southern fire island.

"Suck."

Strands of Earth Fire continuously poured into Zhou Hao's mouth. The Earth Fire, which was originally more than ten feet long, was now less than ten feet long, clearly much smaller.

"That should be about right." Based on his experience from the first time he harvested the Cold Fiend Seed, Zhou Hao felt that he had absorbed enough Earth Fire.

On that small island in the ocean of Origin Power in the Purple Mansion, countless small bird-like Earth Fire spirits were vaguely forming the approximate shape of a giant divine bird.

Just as Zhou Hao was about to stop absorbing the Earth Fire and condense the Earth Fire that had entered his Purple Mansion Origin Sea into a seed, he was surprised to find that he couldn't stop.

Even without the support of Origin Power, the little bird spirits in the Earth Fire Vein flapped their wings and burrowed into his body.

Moreover, as the amount of Earth Fire actively entering his body increased, the speed also increased.

"What's going on?" Zhou Hao was dumbfounded.

Neither the Great Five Elements Extinction Divine Light nor the various baleful characteristics that the Ou Huang told him about would mention such a situation.

It was as if the Flame Soul Earth Fire had recognized Zhou Hao's body as its nest, and all the little bird spirits couldn't wait to return to their nest.

This situation is undoubtedly extremely dangerous.

Because the Earth Fire Vein within his Purple Mansion Origin Sea were not yet fully formed, the more Zhou Hao absorbed, the more dangerous it became.

It will only be safe once the Earth Fire is successfully planted.

But he dared not act rashly.

At this moment, the Earth Fire within the Purple Mansion Origin Sea is like a bomb; if it is recklessly disturbed and explodes, the entire Purple Mansion will be damaged.

If it's serious, you might as well give up on practicing Qi cultivation altogether.

Zhou Hao's divine sense enveloped the Purple Mansion space, and he saw that above the small island in the southern fire position, the giant divine bird formed by countless Flame Soul Earth Fire was becoming more and more real, and even provocatively let out a cry towards the cold evil divine tortoise in the northern water position.

"Could it be because the Flame Soul Earth Fire's spirituality is too strong?" Zhou Hao wondered to himself.

The advantages of the Flame Soul Earth Fire that were previously praised now seem to have become the source of trouble.

"Whoosh~~~~"

The Flame Soul Earth Fire outside were nearly boiling, and the original ten-odd feet long Earth Fire veins were now less than five feet long.

The Earth Fire, enough for a normal cultivator to harvest seeds three times, all entered Zhou Hao, making the giant divine bird within his Purple Mansion space even more lifelike.

If it weren't for his divine sense suppressing it, it seems that the divine bird would have wanted to fly away from the island and go to fight the Frost Demon Tortoise.

Soon, several dozen breaths passed, and the Flame Soul Earth Fire Vein outside was now only about ten feet long, on the verge of being completely exhausted.

Meanwhile, within Zhou Hao's Purple Mansion space, a divine tortoise and a divine sparrow were locked in a standoff.

"Let's give it our all!"

Zhou Hao gritted his teeth and concentrated all his divine sense in the Purple Mansion space, stirring up the endless seawater in the Origin Power Ocean to form a giant palm. The Frost Demon Divine Turtle in the northern water position also leaped up and gathered in the Origin Power palm, together suppressing the Earth Fire Island in the southern fire position.

At the same time, Zhou Hao's divine sense was also circulating the runes that condensed the fire seed.

Runes appeared in the palm of the giant hand formed from Origin Power and Cold Fiend, sweeping over the enormous divine bird formed from the Flame Soul Earth Fire.

Bang!

The Divine Sparrow was blasted into the Fire Island by Zhou Hao's combined Origin Power and the Frost Fiery Divine Turtle, which had reached the upper third rank.

The runes on the palm of Origin Power's hand also seeped into the Divine Sparrow Earth Fire, and then, like countless roots of a tree, they emerged from the Earth Fire and stretched into every inch of space on the Fire Island.

A moment later.

Sizzle~ Sizzle~~ Sizzle~~~~

Streaks of Flame Soul Earth Fire emerged from the island's surface, once again forming a crimson divine bird.

This time, however, the divine sparrow no longer provoked the Frost Demon Tortoise, and Zhou Hao's divine sense could easily detect that he could control the Flame Soul Earth Fire to leave the Purple Mansion space at any time.

"It's done!"

Zhou Hao suddenly opened his eyes.

From his palm emerged an extremely tiny divine bird of Earth Fire, which swirled continuously in the underground cave.

"Haha, not only did I successfully plant the Earth Fire, but I also directly absorbed the entire Earth Fire Vein, bringing the Earth Fire in my Purple Mansion space to the middle fourth grade." Zhou Hao was overjoyed.

Not only does this save him countless hours of hard work, but more importantly, since the Earth Fire and Frost Fiend are of similar grade, the Divine Light Needle formed when using the secret technique will be even more powerful.

This is absolutely a pleasant surprise!

Suddenly, a voice rang out inside the cave.

"Young master, this is the Earth Fire Vein I discovered."

Zhou Hao's expression changed.

He had used all his divine sense to cultivate the Earth Fire, and hadn't even noticed when someone came close by.

"Luckily, we set up an array." Zhou Hao felt a wave of lingering fear.

If it weren't for the formation I had set up beforehand, I probably wouldn't even know how I died, given my focus.

At this moment, Zhou Hao heard a deep voice say, "Clan Chief Shang, now that the young master has arrived, please remove the formation that is enveloping the Earth Fire Vein."

The voice that had spoken earlier also exclaimed in surprise, "An array? I didn't set up an array to cover the Earth Fire Vein..."

"Oh no, someone's there!"

Thanks to Laotie 'Yixi Qingfeng' for the reward of 200 points.

Thank you to my friend 'Rain Moon' for the 100-point reward.

Thank you to my friend with the last four digits '3979' for the 200 points donation.

Thank you to my friend 'Double Fried Salted Fish' for the 5000 points reward.

Thank you so much to my friend ' I Am Just A Cat ' for the 10,000 points!

To add to that, he was the one who suggested the name "Ou Huang Cat" and also came up with it. He even changed his nickname in the group to "Ou Huang Cat," which makes me want to pet him all the time.

Then, thank you to my friend 'Death and Life' for the 20,000 points donation.

Let me add a bit more about this guy. He's been providing me with a lot of ideas since the last book and has helped me fill in many gaps in my knowledge. Thank you so much!

This book isn't doing very well right now; it's still struggling to maintain perfect attendance.

The number of favorites hasn't even reached 10,000, and the first chapter has just surpassed 1,000 subscriptions...

Yes, it fell.

However, Suifeng doesn't know how to cut books, so even if his grades aren't good, he can just write faster.

Be foolish if you want; money is important, but a promise is more important.

Even if I fail, I'll still finish writing a complete story, even if I'm lying down.

I won't say more now; I'll share my thoughts with you guys at the end of the month when I'm summarizing.

The main problem is that as I write this, and then look at the increase in the number of favorites and subscriptions... I feel really frustrated.

Whatever. Time for bed.