As expected, the blast spewed out a lot of fire energy into the surrounding, and the temperatures began to rise unilaterally. The whole environment was going through a geological transformation. Long Tao did expect the effect to be drastic, but the speed qat which the changes were happening astonished him.
"You managed to bear the heat until now because of the artifact. It was absorbing most of the energy in your surroundings, making it impossible for it to act on its own and harm your body. If you were exposed directly to the heat. You would be charred to death by now."
"The result doesn't seem apparent as of now, but according to the hall master of pill hall, when you go on to control fire the next time, you would find it much easier. Your body is acquainted with the high temperatures already. There Is another ga8in during this training, but you need to discover it yourself."
"I hope your plan is executed properly. If caught red-handed while stealing the artifact, you are going to spend the rest of your lie on the run."
Long Tao began to draw out hand signs without anyone noticing. Another blast took place in the region where the group of black silhouettes was standing. The blast disrupted their flow of work. It was necessary to buy some time for the other two entities to reach here.
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"what was that blast?"
"It must be a trap set by the Jiao army to prevent anyone from unauthorized entry. It must have been triggered due to the energy blast. Stay alert. We are now going to enter the pit."
The black silhouettes began their descent into the pit. They were soon faced by the crystalized fire vein. The view in front of them made them spellbound.
"A fire energy vein, just like the records stated. Begin collecting the vein in the treasure provided. Half of you will be responsible for the collection, while the other half is going to guard the exit for us. We can't allow anyone else to take part in this. The sect leader stated that this mission has to succeed."
While the silhouettes were busy collecting, another group of three people arrived at the mouth of the pit. It was none other than the group from the pill hall.
The first elder instructed Lu Ming to stay put with the treasure he has given him. The temperature was too much for Lu Ming to bear.
"Let's enter. We can't let this opportunity go away. I am sure to reach my past peak cultivation level after consuming this resource."
He was just about to enter when Lu Ming signaled him to stop. He pointed at a direction and when the other saw did get a view, a massive beast was approaching this location. Even the first elder was surprised by the aura exerted by that bird.
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"A peak King level flying type beast. If it was attracted to this region, it must have a fire or earthen affinity."
"It must be an easy target for the master. How could a king level beast hold in front of a Qi emperor?"
"That is a general misconception between practitioners. When you reach the King level, you would find that there is virtually no quantitative change between king and emperor level practitioners."
"It is also the reason behind there being prodigies who can surpass limits and battle with Emperor level practitioners while still being at King level. I will clarify on this matter after you win the pill brew competition. It would be the optimum time for us to talk about your future path in cultivation."
"As of now, we will steer clear for the moment. The beast must have come here to take away the fir vein. Let the enemy clash between themselves. It would help me in confirming one of my suspicions."
Lu Ming followed his teacher to watch from a distance.
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The extraction process was underway. Treasures capable of holding the fire vein in was continuously absorbing more and more of the fire energy.
"Our efforts would be rewarded this time. We finally managed to find what the elders were looking for. Is everything alright on the outside?"
"Reporting to the leader, everything seems fine.". The words had just ended when a scream followed. It was none other than the guard stationed outside who gave out this shout. The atmosphere instantly turned silent after that. Even the practitioners of the group didn't dare to make a movement or sound.
A huge crack suddenly appeared on the roof of the pit, followed by its collapse. The collapse created a smokescreen rendering the area invisible for some time. A faint outline could be seen entering through the collapsed roof.
As the dust finally settled, the people got a clear view of what the outline actually was. The view instantly turned into the most intense horror they ever experienced in their life. The shadow was none other than the face of the beats. It was all it could manage to poke in the pit. Its crimson eyes with a lining of black glared at the group, sending a shiver down their spine.
Even the leader lost his composure instantly. How could this be? How can a beast of such strength interfere at the last moment? He wanted to move his body, but the atmosphere seemed to have rendered him motionless. All he could feel was losing the strength in his legs.
The beast finally opened its mouth, showing a huge set of glistening razor-sharp teeth. They gave a sinister feel in the bright red atmosphere of the pit. It opened its jaw and spewed fire directly art the group of people.
The whole group dispatched this time was filled with practitioners of the early king realm, with the highest cultivation being at the 3rd level of Qi king. None of them could bear the onslaught of the fire spewed by a beast who was absurdly near the Emperor boundary.
The group was instantly wiped out.
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Lu Ming was waiting for the first elder to take action. All he did was stood there with his eyes closed. "I shouldn't be this easy. Were they the only ones dispatched this time? How could such weaklings be delegated the work to collect the fire vein? They must have dispatched someone else to remain in the shadows.
Long Tao's prediction as that they must have estimated him to be the biggest threat and send a group that can easily overpower the forces in this region. But the words of the first elder made him re-think the whole scenario.
The resource was something that can be handled directly by those who are at least at the advanced level of Qi king. They can't even use the resource as its grade is of the emperor level. It means that these people must be possessing a treasure which is capable of collecting the resource. Veen then, the fact that emperor level practitioners would allow them to transport something so precious was a little unconventional.
The beast began to destroy the region around the mouth of the pit. Its body was too large to enter it and hence has to break the area around the mouth to enter it.
"We can't let the beast get to the pit. If it successfully gets its hand on the fire vein, he would be able to advance into the realm of Emperor. There would be no way to stop it by then."
"Have some patience while dealing with situations like these. Do you think we are the only emperor level party around here? Others must have been attracted to this region. They were hiding their presence in wait for the group earlier to get out with the collected resource. Since the group is dead now, they must be thinking about taking action."
"I can't see a single person except for us three."
The first elder looked at him and smiled.
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The beast finally managed to open up a pathway big enough for it to enter. Lu Ming was getting extremely restless. This was not part of the plan. How would he get more benefits if the beast manages to snatch it so easily?
He was about to insist once more when multiple lights lit the sky and attacked the beast. The beast was pushed back by the series of attacks. As it looked at the direction of the attack, three figures emerged from the location.
All three of them were dressed up in different attire. A meek-looking figure among the three came forward and greeted the other two.
"It seems that fellow Daoist were also bidding for time. But the situation seemed to have changed. This beast is the amount to enter the emperor realm. If not stopped, it would easily overpower us after a successful breakthrough."
"I wish to propose a coalition to defeat this beast fast and share the resources equally among us."
One of eth other two replied back. " I agree. We can't waste any more time. The energy would attract other cultivators and the competition would get even wilder. We need to snatch the vein before that happens."
The third person nodded his head and the newly formed party began to attack the beast.
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"are all three of them in the emperor realm master?"
"Yes, they are. Their power level seems to be in the same domain too."
"Wouldn't the beast be crushed by the onslaught of three emperors?"
"You underestimate the beast too much. All three of them are in the first stage of the emperor realm. The fight would be a close one."
