"You are among the Heavenly Flames, yet you are so weak. This indicates you suffered a severe injury, causing your power to be greatly diminished, trapping you here unable to leave. You have been hiding in the deepest part of the cold pool to heal, haven't you? But how many years would it take to recover to your peak by healing like this?"
"In another ten thousand years, I will be able to return to my full strength."
"Ten thousand years. Can you guarantee that you won't be annihilated and devoured by a stronger being during these ten thousand years? You must be a remnant of the war between gods and demons ten thousand years ago, aren't you?" Xiao Man asked softly. The Demon King was still suppressed in the Land of No Return; could this Nine Nether Flame be related to the Demon King?
"Of course. In this world, there are only three Heavenly Flames, and I am one of them. I can help you, but I will not be your slave."
"Agreed," Xiao Man said with a smile. "You help me drive away the people outside, and I'll help you get out. It's a fair deal."
"It's a deal." The Nine Nether Flame was ultimately too naive. It was so weak now that it couldn't even deal with Xiao Man, who was in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment. Once it left here, it would surely be devoured by others. However, it had only just developed sentience and had no idea of the dangers of the outside world.
Feng Mo Ran had been observing Xiao Man's condition. Suddenly, the blue flame on Xiao Man's body vanished. Feng Mo Ran frowned slightly. Had she succeeded? Although the Nine Nether Flame was extremely weak, it was still a Heavenly Flame. It shouldn't have been so easy to subdue. Even if Xiao Man wanted to subdue the Nine Nether Flame, she would have to pay a considerable price. Yet, Xiao Man didn't seem heavily injured, not even a single burn mark on her body.
Suddenly, a flame shot directly towards Feng Mo Ran. If Feng Mo Ran hadn't been prepared, he would have been struck. However, this attack was just an appetizer. Countless flames attacked from all directions, forcing Feng Mo Ran to retreat.
"I didn't expect you to subdue the Nine Nether Flame so quickly. You've surprised me." Feng Mo Ran appeared calm and composed, handling the Nine Nether Flame's attacks with ease.
Xiao Man opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of cold air. The icy chill of the Nine Nether Flame had almost frozen her to death. Fortunately, the Nine Nether Flame's sentience was not fully developed; it was still like a child, easier to deceive. If the Nine Nether Flame grew for a while longer, it would be much harder for her to fool it.
Feng Mo Ran was forced to retreat continuously by the Nine Nether Flame. In the water, he was not its match. The Nine Nether Flame had resided in the depths of this cold pool for years. The pool water contained its heat, and the water itself could become a weapon for the Nine Nether Flame's attacks. Feng Mo Ran decided to retreat first.
As Feng Mo Ran rapidly retreated, countless sharp ice arrows pursued him. The moment Feng Mo Ran emerged from the cold pool, the pool had already frozen over.
Lu Qing watched this scene with great surprise but suppressed his unease. Xiao Man had not yet surfaced, yet the cold pool had frozen. He didn't know whether Feng Mo Ran or Xiao Man had caused this. He could only remain still, waiting for news from Xiao Man.
Feng Mo Ran stood on the frozen surface of the cold pool, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I originally thought it would take a lot of time to find you. Truly, the very thing I was searching for everywhere was right here, without even looking."
"Fellow Daoist, you've been watching for a long time. Have you seen enough?" Feng Mo Ran turned around, looking towards Lu Qing's hiding place.
Lu Qing emerged from his hiding spot. "Who are you?"
"That is a question I should be asking you. Who are you, and why are you here?"
Lu Qing's expression was calm. "I am from the Seven Sects. It is the Seven Sects' hunting day, and we have come to the Eastern Mountain Forest to hunt Hundred Corpses. May I ask where you come from, Fellow Daoist?"
"From a place you cannot afford to offend," Feng Mo Ran replied, his tone firm and cold. "Leave quickly, and don't linger here."
"Fellow Daoist, I heard that this cold pool was once the lair of a flood dragon. I came to see if I could find anything useful from its lair. But how did this cold pool become like this?"
"There is nothing left inside. You won't find anything by staying here. I advise you to leave quickly. If you delay, I might change my mind, and you might not be able to leave then."
Lu Qing remained silent for a moment, then turned and walked away. Feng Mo Ran let out a breath of relief. He was sensible enough. He didn't want to waste energy on someone irrelevant. He needed to conserve his strength to ask Xiao Man for the location of the Tongtian Tower!
Lu Qing did not truly leave, but merely moved away from Feng Mo Ran's range of perception.
Xiao Man was at the bottom of the cold pool. After this person went down, abnormalities occurred, indicating that this person intended to harm Xiao Man. Even though this person had profound cultivation, Lu Qing would not fear him.
Feng Mo Ran sat cross-legged by the cold pool, waiting for Xiao Man to surface. There was only this one exit. Xiao Man's absorption of the Nine Nether Flame must have been painful, and she would need time to recover. Once she regained her strength, she would come up.
Feng Mo Ran's guess was correct. Xiao Man was indeed recovering her strength. Subduing the Nine Nether Flame had taken a lot of effort. Even though the Nine Nether Flame was now bound to her by a contract, and through the contract, it transmitted energy to her, she still needed time to digest it.
The Nine Nether Flame transformed into a white flame belt buckle, as if it were merely a belt buckle and not the Nine Nether Flame, known as a Heavenly Flame.
Xiao Man finished digesting the energy within her body and opened her eyes. Her eyes were as brilliant as obsidian, glowing with radiance. If Feng Mo Ran had seen this, he would surely be surprised that Xiao Man had absorbed the energy transferred to her by the Nine Nether Flame in such a short time.
"Nine Nether, are there any other exits?" Xiao Man inquired. Feng Mo Ran had been driven away and would not leave easily. He was surely waiting outside like a hunter. If she left the way she came, facing Feng Mo Ran, she would be no match for him.
Furthermore, she could not return to the Hundred Medicines Hall. If she returned, she would bring disaster to the Hundred Medicines Hall and easily expose her secret plans.
"Yes, but it's not an easy path," Nine Nether replied. "Because I cannot go too far from the cold pool, I don't know where this path leads. However, there should be an exit."
"Lead the way." Although Xiao Man wished she could tear Feng Mo Ran to shreds, she understood even better that she was not Feng Mo Ran's match right now. She didn't know what fortuitous encounter Feng Mo Ran had experienced, but his cultivation was close to Nascent Soul. Moreover, Feng Mo Ran possessed rich combat experience and was adept at scheming. Confronting him now would be extremely unwise.
Nine Nether led Xiao Man through an underground waterway. This deep pool was not stagnant water but flowing water. However, Nine Nether did not know where the end of the flowing water led.
Initially, the path was very narrow. Even though Xiao Man was slender, she could barely pass through. After walking for an unknown period, the passage began to widen, and a light emanated from ahead. A voice sounded in Xiao Man's mind. Xiao Man's heart trembled, and she involuntarily quickened her pace.