None of them understood what he was doing. Chu Jingtang asked, "Chief, what's this?"
Shi Chun said, "An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin, stay beside me. Everyone else, spread out around us and keep watch as we move. If anyone approaches, call out a warning."
At first, none of them knew what he was doing. But when they saw him follow the direction the smoke pointed, they suddenly caught on to something and exchanged looks.
An Wuzhi's and Zhu Xiangxin's hearts were pounding wildly. They hurried to follow behind Shi Chun, one on either side. When Shi Chun stopped, they stopped. When he walked, they walked. Even when he shifted half a step, they dared not get ahead of him. They had never been so obedient in their lives.
Chu Jingtang and the others exchanged another glance, all inwardly marveling. Good heavens. The Chief really had come prepared-that was why he dared enter.
Now they finally understood why the Chief had found the divine fire Scarlet Flame in the land of magma earlier.
They needed no one to tell them that this secret art was of tremendous importance. They could not let anyone see it.
Quickly, each chose a direction and moved into position, neither too close nor too far away, keeping watch around Shi Chun as he proceeded at an unhurried pace.
The sand and soil on the ground were quite thick in most places. Beneath the bizarre metal branches lay disks of iron like pools of dripped wax. Some were exposed on the sand, while others were buried deep beneath it. They could tell these had melted off the branches.
They also looked like tears shed by the iron trees.
The trunks bore many mottled traces of metal that had solidified as it flowed.
To outsiders like them, this