Chapter 258: The Stone Hall

Di Que was convinced that his demise was certain. Given his nature, he would hardly make the effort to stir up rumors about Qin Sang on Shaohua Mountain.

As long as he could leave the ancient estate, Qin Sang was confident he could flee elsewhere before Di Que realized his escape.

Moreover, he could spread the word that Di Que had ambushed Daoist Master Xuanyu, planting a trap to keep Di Que preoccupied, giving Qin Sang a chance to elude him further.

However, breaking free from Di Que’s control only provided temporary safety. The pressing issue now was figuring out how to leave the ancient cultivator’s estate.

He had meticulously memorized the methods to break the barriers along the mountain paths.

But having the knowledge wasn’t enough—his strength fell short. Without sufficient power, attempting to dismantle the barriers might end in failure, leaving him trapped and doomed on the mountain.

Do I have to stay here to cultivate?

Qin Sang moved cautiously toward the mountainside, his hand brushing the scalding rock wall. The spiritual power within the volcano was incredibly abundant. Creating a cave dwelling here wasn’t out of the question. Having comprehended the second killing symbol, all he needed to reach the middle stage of Foundation Building was secluded, intensive cultivation.

In twenty years or so, he could surely find an opportunity to escape.

After some contemplation, Qin Sang glanced upward. Di Que excelled at the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound, so the Firebirds wouldn’t pose much trouble for him. Qin Sang decided he needed to find a place to hide.

Fortunately, hiding amidst the Firebirds had its advantages. Di Que wouldn’t be able to unleash his spiritual power or spiritual consciousness to conduct a large-scale search, reducing the risk of being discovered.

With that thought, Qin Sang bent slightly, peering into the distance. His vision was limited, but he realized that the volcano’s entire interior was teeming with Firebirds—far more numerous than the Fire Monkeys by the lava lake. It was an enormous Firebird nesting ground.

Whatever treasure these Firebirds guarded had to be far more precious than the Scarlet Gold Vine.

After a brief hesitation, curiosity got the better of him. Qin Sang began descending slowly.

The volcano was seemingly bottomless.

As he ventured downward, Qin Sang encountered no barriers.

He had no idea how far he had gone, but the fire-elemental energy grew more intense as he descended. The searing heat was unbearable. He donned a robe woven from the feathers of the Ice Bird, which emanated a chill that shielded him from the flames. Even so, the garment's feathers were beginning to curl from the heat.

I must be nearing the lava.

Qin Sang thought as he observed the increasing density of Firebirds around him.

The air was an unbroken expanse of red, with Firebirds everywhere. Qin Sang moved carefully, blending into the flock, avoiding contact to ensure his presence remained undetected.

Although Qin Sang could conceal himself at any moment, deceiving the Firebirds and retreating from combat, he knew that Daoist Master Xuanyu was likely below. Even if Xuanyu couldn’t extend his spiritual consciousness to detect him, any disturbance among the Firebirds would undoubtedly arouse suspicion.

Suddenly, Qin Sang froze.

He had nearly pressed himself against the mountainside when a wave of lava splashed against the rock beneath him, then flowed downward. The rock wall, tempered over millennia, remained unscathed.

Amid the constant chirping of Firebirds, Qin Sang faintly heard the bubbling sounds of lava.

Finally, he had reached the bottom. But instead of the ancient immortal’s cave dwelling he had imagined, he found something else entirely.

With a perplexed expression, Qin Sang stared downward as another wave of lava surged upward.

There were no barriers sealing off the lava river here?

Qin Sang was astonished. From the moment he entered the ancient immortal’s estate, whether in the trial grounds or the cavern, the lava had always been securely sealed by circular barriers.

Even the strongest waves of lava couldn’t shake those barriers in the slightest.

Qin Sang suspected that these barriers were likely part of the grand array safeguarding the ancient estate, isolating them from the outside world. The lava below didn’t belong to the estate.

Is it simply that no barriers exist here? Or is the barrier unique, hidden beneath the surface?

A thought crossed Qin Sang’s mind—

if I jump into the lava river, can I leave directly?

That was, if he could find an exit before his spiritual power ran dry and the lava consumed him.

He refrained from acting rashly, instead blending into the Firebird flock. Moving cautiously along the edges of the mountainside, he carefully observed his surroundings.

Before long, Qin Sang made a discovery. Not far away, he came across remnants of the familiar circular barrier—fragments scattered across the area.

These barrier fragments lay in broken patches, with numerous cracks of varying sizes. In some areas, large sections were completely missing, leaving gaps where surging lava waves could easily flow through.

This place didn’t lack a barrier; rather, the barrier had been damaged!

Qin Sang advanced carefully, circling the expansive mountain interior with patience. It was far larger than the underground chamber. He took quite some time to complete a full loop around what appeared to be a massive lava lake.

Whether due to the passage of time eroding the barrier’s power or some other cause, the entire barrier within the mountainside was in shambles.

Beyond this, he found nothing else. The rock walls were seamless, with no caves or hidden chambers in sight.

Where is the ancient cultivator’s cave dwelling?

Qin Sang frowned, his doubts growing. His gaze shifted toward the volcano’s center. After a moment of thought, he quietly moved in that direction.

Meanwhile, at the mountain's summit.

Ren Hong stared at Di Que’s aged face with intense hatred, his throat producing only guttural, hoarse sounds as he uttered his final, venomous curses.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

It was a futile and powerless effort.

Until the light faded from his eyes, Ren Hong died with his grievances unresolved.

Unfazed, Di Que calmly shook the Heavenly Sound Conch in his hand. A pulse of divine sound emanated from it, reducing Ren Hong’s corpse to dust as easily as one might crush an ant. He spared it no further attention and shifted his gaze toward the Firebird flock.

Stowing the Heavenly Sound Conch within himself, Di Que’s body began to emit waves of divine sound.

First, fiery feathers began to manifest around him. Then, his body started to transform. Finally, he fully morphed into a Firebird. Spreading his wings lightly, he soared into the volcano’s mouth.

As the cacophony of bird calls surged around him, the "Firebird" stiffened momentarily. His feathers rippled as if unsettled but quickly returned to normal. Mingling seamlessly with the real Firebirds, he played along for a while before a glimmer of intelligence flickered in his eyes. Without hesitation, he swiftly flew toward the volcano’s depths.

...

A massive stone platform floated at the center of the volcanic interior.

The circular barrier below the platform was even more damaged—almost entirely destroyed. Lava lay fully exposed, its surging waves relentlessly crashing against the stone platform.

Atop this circular platform stood an ancient stone hall.

The hall was astonishingly crude, appearing to be little more than a structure of several dozen long stone slabs haphazardly stacked together. Its suspected entrance was blocked by a large, square slab of bluestone.

Moreover, the stone slabs were extraordinarily rough, riddled with visible cracks.

The entire hall seemed precariously unstable, as though a mere touch might cause it to collapse.

Even mortals wouldn’t reside in such a place!

However, the upper layers of the stone hall shimmered with faint, bluish light from overlapping barriers. This glow stood in stark contrast to the churning red magma below, lending the hall an air of mystery and uniqueness in this fiery domain.

Surrounding the stone hall, a hemispherical space was completely empty. Firebirds could only circle outside, unable to breach the invisible boundary into this isolated area.