Chapter 5871

“It seems the Evil Path Hall’s influence in the Eleventh Heaven is indeed formidable.”

Crimson Cloud Demon Lord frowned as he flipped through the secret manual. “This manual alone records five strongholds near the Flame Domain, the largest being in Crimson Flame City, reportedly overseen by an elder of the Eighth Rank Celestial Immortal Realm.”

Kai nodded. “Crimson Flame City is the largest city in the Flame Domain, and the Earth Fire Pavilion is also there. The Evil Path Hall has considerable power there; we must be even more cautious once we arrive.”

“There are still over two months until the Earth Fire Trial, enough time,”

Crimson Cloud Demon Lord calculated. “While clearing out strongholds along the way has delayed us somewhat, it has weakened the Evil Path Hall’s power, making it difficult for them to organize an effective encirclement in the short term.”

“Indeed.”

A cold glint flashed in Kai’s eyes. “Moreover, I suspect the Evil Path Hall’s higher-ups already know about the failure of Black Wind Valley. They are likely to lay a trap for us in Crimson Flame City. The commotion we’ve caused along the way might disrupt their plans.”

The two continued south, clearing out two smaller Evil Path Hall strongholds along the way.

As they drew closer to the Fiery Domain, the environment underwent significant changes.

The temperature gradually rose, and the fire-attribute spiritual energy in the air became increasingly concentrated.

The landscape below transformed from a barren Gobi desert into crimson hills and canyons, with occasional steaming hot springs and sporadic volcanic eruptions.

The vegetation also became sparse, consisting mostly of peculiar drought- and heat-resistant plants.

“We’re almost at the Fiery Domain,”

Kai said, sensing the scorching heat in the air. “The environment here is favorable for fire-type cultivators, but oppressive for others. The Evil Path Hall mainly cultivates sinister techniques, so their strength will likely be affected here.”

“It’s not all good for us either,”

the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord frowned. “I’m a demonic cultivator, and the fire spiritual energy here is too intense; staying here for a long time will make me uncomfortable. Your Chaotic Immortal Power is highly inclusive, so it shouldn’t be a big problem. The Little Fire Qilin, on the other hand, is thriving.”

Indeed, since entering the edge of the Fiery Domain, the Little Fire Qilin had been unusually excited, frequently emerging from its storage ring to greedily absorb the fire spiritual energy in the air, its golden flames growing even brighter.

After flying for several more days, a magnificent crimson city appeared on the horizon ahead.

The city walls, hundreds of feet high, were entirely constructed of crimson flame stone, reflecting a scorching luster under the sunlight.

Above the walls, a faint red light shield enveloped the city—its protective array.

The city’s buildings stood in dense rows, the tallest pavilions reaching hundreds of feet high, piercing the clouds.

From afar, one could sense countless powerful auras emanating from the city, some of which were subtle and profound, clearly belonging to True Immortal Realm experts.

Crimson Flame City, the number one city in the Flame Domain, had arrived.

Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord landed several miles outside the city, concealing their auras, and followed the flow of people towards the city gate.

Crimson Flame City was more than a hundred times larger than Sandstone City. The city gate was teeming with people, and those entering and leaving were generally of higher cultivation levels. Sixth and seventh-grade Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivators were commonplace, and occasionally, even ninth-grade Heavenly Immortal Realm experts could be seen flying directly into the city—clearly, Crimson Flame City’s no-fly zone was ineffective against ninth-grade Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivators.

The entrance fee to the city is also astonishingly high: 10,000 high-grade spirit stones per person.
Kai paid 20,000 spirit stones and entered the massive city of the Flame Domain with the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord.

The city streets were wide, paved with polished crimson stone slabs, and lined with shops.

Most of the shops sold fire-elemental materials, pills, and magical artifacts. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and magma, and the temperature was several degrees higher than outside the city. Even ordinary True Immortal cultivators would likely need to circulate their immortal power to withstand the intense heat.

“Let’s find a place to stay first, then head to the Earth Fire Pavilion,” Kai said.

The two found a medium-sized inn in the city to stay at.

The inn was called Flame Heart Residence. Its location wasn’t central, but the environment was acceptable. Most importantly, the owner seemed honest and upright, unlike someone from the Evil Path Hall.

After settling in, Kai asked the innkeeper for directions to the Earth Fire Pavilion.

“The Earthfire Pavilion?”

The shopkeeper, a clever young man, was only at the fifth rank of the Celestial Immortal Realm, but he was very familiar with Crimson Flame City. “You two seniors are here to participate in the Earthfire Trial, right? The Earthfire Pavilion is in the city center; it’s the largest crimson tower. However, not just anyone can enter the Earthfire Pavilion. You either need an introducer or be an invited participant.”

“An introducer?”

Kai frowned. “We’ve come from afar and don’t have an introducer. How can we obtain the qualification to participate in the trial?”

“This…”

The shopkeeper scratched his head. “The qualification selection for the Earthfire Trial ended three months ago. If you want to participate now, you either need special permission from an elder within the Earthfire Pavilion, or… before the trial begins, complete certain special tasks issued by the Earthfire Pavilion to obtain contribution points to exchange for qualification.”

Special tasks?

Kai’s heart skipped a beat: “Where does the Earthfire Pavilion post missions?”

“In the Mission Hall in the south of the city. All the major forces post missions there, and the Earthfire Pavilion is no exception. However…”

the shopkeeper lowered his voice, “The missions posted by the Earthfire Pavilion are usually very dangerous. They’re either about collecting rare materials in the treacherous depths of the Flame Domain, or hunting powerful fire-type beasts. Many cultivators who want to take shortcuts have accepted these missions, but none of them have returned.”

“Understood, thank you.” Kai handed the shopkeeper a few spirit stones as a reward.

The shopkeeper happily accepted them and added, “If you two seniors wish to go to the Mission Hall, I can lead the way.”

“Also, a word of caution: Crimson Flame City is currently in turmoil. I heard that a cultivator named Kai has offended the Evil Path Hall, and they are currently searching the entire city for him, offering a bounty of a million high-grade spirit stones.”

“If you two seniors encounter anyone suspicious, it’s best to stay far away.”

Kai and Crimson Cloud Demon Lord exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other’s eyes.

The Evil Path Hall was indeed swift; the bounty had already reached Crimson Flame City.

Moreover, judging from the waiter’s tone, the bounty had caused quite a stir in the city, and many people were probably already secretly searching for Kai’s whereabouts.