He Extended his QI to sense his environment as he plummeted down and within a few moments, he was below the cliff.
Thud!
Dust rose around him as a deep grove had formed underneath him with his foot steeps on it. His vision steadied, his gaze darted around in search trace of any fighting or Qi fluctuations.
Flutter, Flutter, Flutter
From the south he saw a school of birdlike magic beast fleeing in panic flapping their wings frantically as they were moving towards the northern regions.
"Damn it the heat is rising again, that must be where the fire essence is.
He rushed towards the south without wasting breath now and then first-tier spirit beasts burst past him running away, even third-tier tiger monkeys flung past him without even dashing a look his way.
'Strange… All of them are fleeing, are they afraid that they will get burnt?!'
The further he went, the hotter it became. Heat waves pulsed through the forest, making his skin sting even son of the nearby three were ablaze though thy didn't fall down.He had to stop occasionally to circulate his Qi.
"Tch even if I get to where the fire essence is there is no way for me to get it, its just too hot, maybe should turn back."
Just then, the mark on his hand flared and began absorbing all the heat near him, the scorching heat was slowly dying down and soon enough it became bearable, his breathing steadied, and the pain faded.
"This mark is ever so mysterious it's in my body, but I don't even know what it is, when I tried inspecting it with my Qi before it absorbed everything, when I get back, I have to try sneak in the book pavilion maybe I will find some useful information on it."
He took a short break to gather his breathing but that too was cut short a massive ball of flame tore through the air toward him like a meteor, roaring as it descended straight at his face.
"What the hell."
He quickly shifted aside, using the Astral dash.
The flaming blast brushed past him by a hair's breadth he felt the heat on his face as the thing exploded behind him.
When his gaze drifted upwards from where the attack had calmed from and what he saw made him freeze.
Up in the sky, two fifth-tier foundation equivalent beasts were locked in a furious battle.
"Whoa… that's the Firebird fighting against a Huǒshé… I thought they were supposed to be deeper in the forest what t—"
Before his thoughts could organize themselves, he noticed it. Just below the battlefield, a radiant fire-red flower that was about to bloom.
"That must be it the ten-thousand-year fire essence flower," Tianyu steadied himself ideas running rampant.
"They're distracted… Maybe I can sneak in and take it." Tianyu climbed up onto a tall tree to get a clearer view.
Just then, he saw her again, Huǒ Yànhuā. She was barely standing, her clothes torn and blood staining her arm.
"What she is still alive ha, but where is the other guy?" Tianyu scanned, and there he saw it a pile of ash it was what remained of Lu Yan charcoal bone.
"They must have been attack by the beasts this is great for me then makes getting the fire essence easier." Just then a sudden idea struck him.
"She must be from a wealthy family right the way he was talking about those two men… if I help her, I might be rewarded," a large grin stretched through his mug and idea to cox her began to flow.
Almost as if by fate a crimson fox spirit beast lunged toward her at full speed.
Tianyu dropped down from the tree like lightning. His blade pierced directly through the beast's skull.
"Mmm how could such a lowly beast try to attack a lady have you no shame,' he took out the blade from the beast blood splattering off his sword and he sheathed it again.
Yànhuā sho him a sharp eye filled with suspicion.
" You… you are that boy from before who said was a passerby? What are you doing here again?" she asked coldly.
"How could I leave a girl in danger?" Tianyu replied, stepping closer. "It's my duty as a man to protect the weak, I'll guard you until you recover. Then we go for Fire Essence together. Half each. Fair?"
Yànhuā narrowed her eyes. "So, you came for the essence as well all that noble talk is all game, I see." She scoffed.
"I can leave you hear to die you know," Lain voiced dropped it was cold and low different from how he introduced himself.
"Tch if he leaves, I will be in trouble for real I have no choice but to trust he," he eyes driftted towards Tianyu's face.
"He is handsome though so he must be a good person."
She sighed softly. "Fine. But I get two-thirds."
"Okay I'm leaving…" Tianyu began to turn.
"No wait, wait fifty, fifty then." She called out, and Tianyu stooped.
"Tch, people from Murim are really greedy ha."
After Tianyu stopped she sat down and uncorked a small jade bottle of pills. Even without eating them, Tianyu could feel the rich medicinal Qi radiating from each one.
"Take them," she said, tossing the whole bottle his way. "You have injuries too."
"Are you sure?" Tianyu asked, catching it.
"Take them. I don't need all of them."
Tianyu swallowed one pill and instantly felt his Qi surging through his meridians with terrifying purity. His wounds began stitching back together on their own. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
"These are… incredible," he muttered. "I've never had pills this potent."
He glanced at her,
'Rich families really are something else…' he thought. 'Just this bottle alone must be worth fifty essence stones… and she hands t over like its nothing.'
After a few moments, Yànhuā stood up, most of her injuries already healed. She walked toward Tianyu, her steps steady once more.
"I am Yànhuā. Yànhuā Huǒ," she said calmly.
Tianyu cleared his throat. "I'm Tianyu Xing."
"Good. Now that we know each other, let's go claim the Fire Essence."
Without wasting another breath, she leapt forward, heading straight toward the battlefield where the beasts still roared in the distance. Tianyu followed right behind her, both of them soaring through the trees with swift movement techniques.