Blazing Fire Academy.
After obtaining his soul ring, Yang Fan once again arrived at the academy where he had lived for three years.
He was very grateful to Blazing Fire Academy!
Not only did it provide him with a continuous three-year cultivation environment, but thanks to Old Man Huo, it also allocated numerous cultivation resources to him.
That night... deep in the night when all was quiet.
However, inside the Blazing Fire Tower in the simulated environment at the back mountain, things were quite lively.
"These little bastards, what the hell did they do?"
Huo Bao looked at the Blazing Fire Stones that had been cracked and lost their original function.
He was extremely angry!
However, with his fiery temper, he couldn't go settle accounts with the students. He could only vent his emotions through such cursing.
Not just Huo Bao!
Even Old Man Huo, who was usually gentle, rarely showed a grave expression on his face at this moment.
Blazing Fire Stones were too important to the Huo family and to Blazing Fire Academy.
It was no exaggeration to say...
Blazing Fire Stones were the very foundation of the entire Huo family!
Old Man Huo took out a bucket of blood from his storage soul guide device and poured it over the stones. However, the cracked Blazing Fire Stones no longer emitted their original glow.
"I've already tried it... it's useless!"
"I really don't know how these little bastards managed to turn such hard Blazing Fire Stones into this state."
If it were just one stone, that would be one thing!
But at this moment, there were more than a dozen Blazing Fire Stones in the Blazing Fire Tower that had all developed cracks. This had completely affected the concentration of fire-attribute aura within the tower and its cultivation effects on soul masters.
"Perhaps their lifespan has come to an end."
"Temporarily close the Blazing Fire Tower!"
"Tomorrow, the three of us will go together."
Huo Bao and another elder looked at Old Man Huo, a trace of fear appearing in their eyes.
"But..."
"No buts!"
"I'm still the one in charge of this family."
"For the sake of the Huo family, we must go!"
Old Man Huo's unquestionable tone forced Huo Bao to nod in agreement.
...
At this moment...
Everything happening inside the Blazing Fire Tower had been completely taken in by Yang Fan, who was lurking in the shadows.
Three years of investigation had given him a certain understanding of the secrets of Blazing Fire Stones.
Blazing Fire Stones needed to drink blood!
When he first discovered this secret, he was quite shocked, and it also gave him a guess in his heart.
Bloodthirst, slaughter, violence, scorching heat...
The fusion of these elements all pointed to one place in his mind.
Slaughter City!
Only Slaughter City could satisfy all his speculations.
Were there really Blazing Fire Stones in Slaughter City?
He wanted to continue investigating, but the Huo family had sealed off the secrets of the Blazing Fire Tower so tightly that he couldn't find a single loophole.
After returning from the Great Star Dou Forest this time, he thought of using beast flames to burn these Blazing Fire Stones to see what they really were, and then this unpleasant incident occurred.
Yang Fan also felt guilty in his heart!
"Silly boy."
"Don't think about it so much."
"Listening to the conversation between those three just now, they must be planning to set out for the source of the Blazing Fire Stones tomorrow."
"We'll follow behind them tomorrow; perhaps we can still help them."
This was the only way Yao Lao could comfort Yang Fan now.
But one had to admit!
Although the outcome of burning with beast flames wasn't ideal, it had inadvertently given them progress, hadn't it?
If nothing unexpected happened, they would be able to follow Old Man Huo next and find the source of the Blazing Fire Stones.
...
As expected!
The next day, Yang Fan followed behind them all the way, tracking Old Man Huo and the others to an unnamed forest.
Passing through a messy thicket...
Old Man Huo stood before a vertical ninety-degree rock wall.
With his palm facing outward, he struck forcefully. The rock shattered with a crack, revealing a pitch-black cave entrance.
The entrance wasn't large and extended downward at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees.
After entering, Yang Fan discovered that the inside wasn't as narrow as it appeared from the outside. It even gave him a distinct sensation of scorching heat.
One must know... this was highly abnormal!
During the time Yang Fan lived in the spirit beast forest, he had stayed in quite a few caves.
Some were made by animals, some were naturally formed.
But regardless of the type of cave, the first feeling upon entering should be dampness and coldness.
However, it was precisely because of this abnormal phenomenon that Yang Fan became even more excited.
The cave was long and extended continuously downward.
Walking deeper and deeper...
Yang Fan clearly felt that the scorching aura was becoming denser, and the space inside the cave was growing larger.
Previously, it was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Now, the width of the cave was a full four to five meters, and the height had already exceeded ten meters.
...
About two hours later...
Old Man Huo and the three people ahead stopped by a pool of water.
No!
That wasn't a pool of water!
To be precise, it should be thick magma. The scorching aura in the cave came from this magma. Moreover, within this magma, one could sense a heavy, nauseating smell of blood.
A rare grave expression appeared on Old Man Huo's face.
The Huo family's ancestor had discovered this cave two hundred years ago and found Blazing Fire Stones suitable for fire-attribute soul masters to cultivate within it.
From that time on, Blazing Fire Stones became the foundation of the Huo family and made Blazing Fire Academy, founded by the Huo family, famous throughout the Douluo Continent.
But!
Although the Huo family ancestor passed down the secret of the Blazing Fire Stones from generation to generation, he repeatedly warned them not to set foot in this cave.
This was because the price the Huo family ancestor paid after obtaining the Blazing Fire Stones was his own two arms.
Old Man Huo's violation of his ancestor's warning was out of necessity!
Because Blazing Fire Stones were too important to the Huo family!
Once they lost the auxiliary cultivation of Blazing Fire Stones, the future of the Huo family and Blazing Fire Academy could both be affected.
According to the secrets passed down and the map drawn by the Huo family ancestor, the Blazing Fire Stones were beneath this boiling magma.
Old Man Huo had just taken a step forward when Huo Bao blocked him.
"Grandfather, I'll go!"
The fact that the Huo family ancestor had brought the Blazing Fire Stones back to the family at the cost of both arms already indicated the danger below.
"Stinky brat."
"It's not your turn to call the shots here yet."
After all, Old Man Huo was a Level 84 Soul Douluo.
If he went down, he might still have a chance to return unscathed. But Huo Bao, as a Soul Saint, might never return.
"You are now the patriarch of the Huo family. The future of the Huo family is now in your hands."
Old Man Huo had rarely been forceful in his life, but at this moment, he adopted an attitude that Huo Bao could not refuse.
He had already thought it through before coming!
He would be responsible for going down to find the Blazing Fire Stones!
If he couldn't return unscathed, then Huo Bao would take these stones back to the family, allowing the Blazing Fire Stones to assist the Huo family for another hundred years.
Old Man Huo took out a snow-white medicinal pill.
He chuckled!
This pill was refined by Yang Fan.
Back then, Yang Fan insisted on giving him a pill, and he chose what he thought was the most useless ice-attribute pill as a keepsake.
He never expected...
This pill, which he thought was the most useless to him, would actually come in handy.
Little Fan!
I hope your pill can allow this old man to return safely.
Old Man Huo looked at the pill in his palm and smiled again. Bathed in that smile, he slowly swallowed the pill.
"This old man isn't stupid."
Yao Lao's voice rose in Yang Fan's mind.
If this old man had just steeled his heart and jumped down, even if he could come back, he probably wouldn't be in good shape.
But after taking that Ice Snow Pill, it would be completely different...
Yang Fan thought so too!
And the moment he saw Old Man Huo swallow the Ice Snow Pill, a wave of emotion surged in his heart.
After all, that was a Tier 5 pill!
Moreover, that Ice Snow Pill was the testament to him becoming a Tier 5 alchemist.
At that time...
He had just successfully refined a Tier 5 pill and, on a whim, decided to give Old Man Huo a pill.
Who knew this old man wouldn't be polite and actually accept!
Although he had felt a pang of heartache at the time, seeing Old Man Huo consume the Tier 5 pill now made him feel quite relieved.
...
As expected!
In less than half an hour, Old Man Huo had already climbed out of the magma.
"Grandfather, are you alright?"
Old Man Huo smiled!
He smiled very heartily!
"Let's go back!"
At this moment.
His heart was extremely elated.
Not only because he had obtained the Blazing Fire Stones he wanted from below the magma, but also because he was excited about the Ice Snow Pill Yang Fan had given him.
He truly hadn't deceived me!
He had always firmly believed in the conviction that "alchemy can change soul masters."
On this day, he finally experienced the power of medicinal pills.
Old Man Huo left the cave in high spirits, while Yang Fan silently emerged from the shadows on the other side of the cave.
"Master, let's go down!"
At this moment...
A pill identical to the one Old Man Huo had just taken appeared in Yang Fan's palm.
Ice Snow Pill!
Yao Lao had said: You can never have too many medicinal pills, because you never know when they might come in handy.
Just like now!
With Old Man Huo, the swift scout, exploring the path ahead, Yang Fan had nothing to worry about at this point.
Yang Fan swallowed the pill and then leaped into the boiling magma.
Compared to Old Man Huo, his strength might still have a certain gap. But when it came to spiritual power and physical strength.
Then Yang Fan could only smile and say sorry!
Deeper into the magma...
That feeling of having his eyes covered by a scorching aura beneath the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well appeared once again.
However, there was none of the violence from below the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well here, and he was no longer the naive youth from three years ago.
Looking from above, this appeared to be a pool of magma. However, after diving down, it was indeed a different world.
About five minutes later, Yang Fan saw the legendary Blazing Fire Stones.
These Blazing Fire Stones were all embedded in the magma-filled rock walls.
There were even fresh marks left by Old Man Huo on the rock walls!
Different from the Blazing Fire Stones in the Blazing Fire Tower!
The fire aura here was too violent—so violent that even Yang Fan felt his mentality being affected.
One must know...
The fire-attribute aura within the Blazing Fire Tower couldn't affect his emotions at all.
Yang Fan looked at the Blazing Fire Stones on the rock walls...
At this moment!
He finally understood how Blazing Fire Stones were formed.
It was precisely this fire-attribute-rich magma that, after years, even hundreds or tens of thousands of years of precipitation, finally formed these incomparably hard stones.
"Master, have you noticed anything?"
Yang Fan's spiritual power was now strong enough to communicate mentally with Yao Lao.
However...
Even this spiritual power he was proud of could only allow him to discover the Blazing Fire Stones below.
"Move forward!"
Although Yao Lao couldn't clearly explain the situation below at the moment, this place couldn't be like the Blazing Fire Tower, right?
Following Yao Lao's guidance, Yang Fan moved forward.
However, just then...
A powerful scorching vortex swept through from the surroundings.
The energy generated by the massive vortex was terrifying—so terrifying that Yang Fan couldn't even stabilize his body within this suddenly appearing vortex.
After who knew how long, Yang Fan felt himself being instantly flung dozens of meters away by a powerful force.
He was stunned!
Not only was his head dizzy, but after standing up, he actually discovered that he had arrived in an unfamiliar environment.
Although the fire-attribute aura here had weakened considerably, the slaughter and bloodiness surrounding him on all sides was something he had never encountered before.
The aura filled with hostility made his brows furrow tightly, and his stomach churned.
Yang Fan believed he had already tempered a will of steel in the Douluo Arena, but he had still overestimated himself.
"Slaughter City?"
Yang Fan attempted to release his soul skills.
He failed!
He was now very certain that he had arrived in Slaughter City, and had even arrived inside Slaughter City in a muddled manner.
Just as he had speculated before, Blazing Fire Stones indeed had a close relationship with Slaughter City.
"Master."
"Is there anything we need here?"
After waiting a moment, Yang Fan finally received Yao Lao's response.
"Not simple!"
"I never expected that beneath the Douluo Continent, there would actually be such a bizarre place."
Slaughter, darkness, bloodiness!
This world they had suddenly intruded upon was like hell itself.
"Master."
"Is there really anything we want here?"
Yang Fan asked again.
"Hard to say!"
"This place is too bizarre. My spiritual power seems to be severely suppressed here."
Yang Fan noticed this afterward as well.
He thought this might be caused by the Asura Godhood's influence over the entire Slaughter City.
"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it!"
"How would we know if there's anything we want if we don't look for it?"
Yang Fan had exactly this intention!
Six years of experience had taught him one truth: good things are often buried deep underground.
After all, this was Slaughter City!
It was where the Asura Godhood existed, and where the Killing God Domain was obtained.
Taking a step back...
He had already arrived in Slaughter City in a muddled manner. Even if he wanted to leave, it wouldn't be that easy, right?
The original work mentioned...
To walk out of Slaughter City, one must obtain the title of Slaughter God. And to obtain the title of Slaughter God, one must win a hundred consecutive matches within Slaughter City.
At this moment!
A cold killing intent suddenly struck from behind him on the side.
Yang Fan instantly turned around, and the flames rising from his palm instantly turned the ambusher into ashes.
Indeed, soul skills couldn't be used within Slaughter City. However, this place had no suppression on Dou Qi, Dou Techniques, or the Beast Flames.
For Yang Fan, who primarily cultivated Dou Qi, this couldn't be considered a weakening—it was instead a form of disguised strengthening.
He picked up the number plate from the ambusher he had just killed. The number 2233 was clearly written on it.
Yang Fan knew...
Next, he would have to adopt a new identity within Slaughter City.
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