The dark red magma silently churned, emitting intense heat that spread wide and far. On the small strip of land that bordered the magma crater, a dense crowd of about twenty or thirty had gathered. They stood in two opposing groups, standing face-to-face.
Following the arrival of the Wentian Sect, two more groups of cultivators had arrived, and as luck would have it, both groups were composed of members from cultivation clans that had formed an alliance with the Wentian Sect, so they naturally sided with them. Fortunately, the Tianyan Sect noticed the arrival of the uninvited guests, and an elder, along with some elite disciples, quickly arrived, preventing their side from being outnumbered.
With more people present, tensions quickly arose. The Wentian Sect, feeling confident, outwardly polite but implicitly threatening, suggested that Yan Zihui’s group should wisely leave. It was clear that they intended to monopolize the yet-to-be-seen spiritual treasure.
Of course, Yan Zihui’s group had no intention of leaving. Not only was Lu Yaoyao still down below, but even if she weren’t, they wouldn’t back down. If they had arrived later, it might have been different, but given that they were the first on the scene and their overall strength wasn’t much weaker, leaving now would be an act of cowardice, not courtesy. And Guiyuan disciples knew no cowardice!
“Martial Nephew Yan, Wentian Sect does not wish to clash with Guiyuan Sect. Swords have no eyes; it would be wise to recognize the situation.” Hall Master Cao said with a smile.
“Hall Master Cao, you must be joking. Everything should be done in order of arrival. We’ve been here guarding this place for days, and asking us to leave now is unreasonable,” Yan Zihui replied calmly. “Besides, the rule is that those with the ability to take the prize.”
On the opposing side, there was one cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage, two in the late Golden Core stage, one in the mid-Golden Core stage, and several in the Foundation Establishment stage.
On their side, the Tianyan Sect had three Golden Core stage elders, but they were only in the early Golden Core stage and couldn’t compare in strength. Sect Leader Bu was only in the early Nascent Soul, and among the Guiyuan group, only Yan Zihui was particularly strong in combat; the others could barely defend themselves.
However, even if their overall strength was weaker, they weren’t without the means to fight back.
Wen Zixing, standing behind Yan Zihui, spoke bluntly, “We don’t even know if there’s really a treasure here, and even if there is, that thing must be deep within that magma. Can you retrieve it? Surely you don’t intend to stop others just because you can’t get it yourself?”
Wen Zixing wasn’t speaking without reason. Who was it who had jumped into the magma not long ago, only to emerge in a sorry state? This magma pool was impassable for anyone, even the oh-so-mighty Weapon Hall Master of Wenyuan Sect. The only exception was Yaoyao—this opportunity was meant for her.
Wen Zixing just wanted these people to leave quickly. If Yaoyao appeared now and they misunderstood that she had obtained the treasure, it could lead to trouble. There were always those who would stop at nothing for a chance at fortune.
However, it was clear that there wasn’t anyone on their side who could definitively intimidate the opposition into leaving.”
Hall Master Cao, who had initially been polite, revealed his true colors once he felt his side had the upper hand. Hearing Wen Zixing’s words, he gave a mocking smile, “No need for you to worry about that, Martial Nephew.”
Yan Zihui’s expression turned cold. “Is this how Wentian Sect conducts itself? Perhaps I should have my grandfather discuss this with Sect Leader Li.”
Hall Master Cao waved his sleeve dismissively, “Feel free.” He was only after the treasure here. If he succeeded in taking it from the Guiyuan Sect, his Sect Leader would definitely praise him. As for Guiyuan Sect, as long as he didn’t kill these disciples, they wouldn’t have the justification to retaliate—it wasn’t his fault they lacked the skills.
If he could, he would prefer to eliminate all these troublesome brats, but with so many witnesses, there was a risk of his actions being exposed. He wasn’t entirely confident in handling it without consequences, so he would bide his time, looking for an opportunity to catch one of them alone…
Yan Zihui subtly tightened his grip on his sword hilt; it seemed that a fight was inevitable.
Tensions were about to erupt when suddenly, the calm, churning magma began to bubble and froth.
In the next moment, a small figure shot out like a cannonball—
“Senior Brother, Xingxing, Qianshan, Muxue! Yaoyao’s back!”
The cheerful voice echoed throughout the cavern, and dozens of pairs of eyes simultaneously turned in its direction.
“Huh?” Lu Yaoyao barely steadied herself after landing when she looked up and saw a crowd of strangers staring at her in stunned silence, as if they hadn’t yet processed what was happening.
Glancing around, she finally noticed the two distinct groups of people, along with the clear tension in the air. Sensing something was off, she immediately turned and ran towards Yan Zihui’s side without hesitation.
“Yaoyao! You’re finally back! You must have had a tough time fighting that monster! It’s all our fault—we couldn’t go down to help you. Look at how pale you are; you must have suffered serious internal injuries!” Wen Zixing cried out as soon as Lu Yaoyao reached them, squatting down and hugging her while pretending to wail. He also gave her a sly wink before continuing, “Don’t try to comfort us by saying you’re not hurt—we won’t believe you!”
Lu Yaoyao immediately played along, collapsing weakly into Wen Zixing’s arms with a fragile but determined expression. “I’m just a little injured, don’t worry. I’ll be fine after some rest…”
Chao Muxue quickly caught on, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s all over now. No matter how fierce the monster was, you defeated the forces of evil, Yaoyao. You’re the best!”
Du Qianshan chimed in with concern, “Yaoyao, you should have lured the monster out so we could fight it together. How could we let you face it alone?”
Yan Zihui, maintaining a serious expression, didn’t say much. He simply handed Lu Yaoyao a candy…no, a pill, and said sternly, “Next time, don’t be so reckless. If something happens to you, how could I ever face His Venerable, the Sect Leader, or Martial Uncle Mo?”
“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time,” Lu Yaoyao obediently acknowledged her mistake.
Bu Yang, overhearing this, expressed his deep gratitude. As for how Lu Yaoyao had looked so healthy and lively when she first emerged from the magma—he chalked that up to a mistake caused by the firelight. Seeing that her complexion improved after taking the pill, Bu Yang cautiously asked about the ‘monster’ she faced: “So it turns out that the cause of all this disturbance was a dangerous creature, not a spiritual treasure?”
Lu Yaoyao nodded, “I couldn’t quite identify what it was, but it could transform into a fire dragon. Just one of its eyes was as big as I am! Fortunately, I had the artifacts and magic weapons and talismans from my father, master, martial uncle, and senior brothers! After a long battle, I managed to wear it down and defeat it.”
Lu Yaoyao gave a brief and dramatic account of the fight, filled with twists and turns that left her listeners gasping in amazement. The conversation also caught the attention of the opposing cultivators, who were left in shock.
The thing below the magma… it was a monster, not a spiritual treasure?!
Hall Master Cao’s face turned pale as he listened to the not-so-subtle threat in their seemingly casual conversation: Dao Venerable Hengwu, Sect Leader Lu, Hall Master Mo of the South Fifth Peak… the identity of this little girl was clear for all.
Although Hall Master Cao didn’t believe a word she said, he couldn’t act recklessly due to Lu Yaoyao’s identity.
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It looks like Chapter 193 part 3 might be missing. In part 2 Hall Master Cao jumped into the lave and we ended with Yao Yao finishing her looting run. We’re starting here with Hall Master Cao back with the members of his sect
Ah, no. Chapter 193 only has two parts. We are not shown when Cao jumped in, only told that he was almost badly burnt.