Chapter 729: Making a Move

At this moment, the surging black flames had already spread to the edge of Mo Guang's feet.

Mo Guang leisurely bent down, raised a finger, and lightly pulled at the black karmic fire. The patch of black flame seemed to become sticky and was gathered into his hand in one motion.

He toyed with it casually for a moment, then flicked his hand and tossed it back into the huge furnace.

Seeing this, the Nether Slave was momentarily stunned, then bowed to Mo Guang in apology. Following that, he flicked his whip, which coiled around the neck of the offending Wo Jing tribesman.

The Wo Jing tribesman, already ashen-faced, immediately showed a pained expression at the strangulation and struggled violently.

The Wo Jing tribesman who had led Han Li and the others in earlier, though his eyes were full of reluctance, stood with his hands hanging down, a look of sorrow on his face, not daring to plead for mercy.

"Enough, why not bring the finished product over?" Bai Liyan said, waving his hand casually.

Upon hearing this, the Nether Slave's expression remained unchanged, but he withdrew the whip that had been strangling the Wo Jing tribesman.

The Wo Jing tribesman, as if granted a pardon, quickly knelt and kowtowed, thanking him profusely.

The Wo Jing tribesman who had been guiding them hurriedly brought over the dozen or so successfully refined Karmic Fire Thunderbolts.

Bai Liyan picked one up and examined it briefly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He transmitted to Han Li, saying:

"There seems to be some fire-attribute law power within this thunderbolt."

"It might be related to the two immortals they mentioned earlier. Perhaps the reason this thunderbolt is so powerful is because it fuses two opposing and extreme flame forces. You should put these away first," Han Li replied.

"Should we go see the two prisoners?" Bai Liyan transmitted again.

"Better to go to the Karmic Fire Pit first and see if we can reach the Soul-Washing Zone. Let's not create unnecessary trouble," Han Li replied after a moment's deliberation.

"Since we're here, we should also inspect the Karmic Fire Pit, right?" Bai Liyan then turned his hand to put away all the dozen or so Karmic Fire Thunderbolts, pretending to speak to Mo Guang.

"Indeed, since we've come, we might as well go there," Mo Guang nodded.

"Sir, this way, please," the Nether Slave said, immediately floating over.

With that, he led Mo Guang and the others out of the hall and continued along the passage ahead.

As they were about to leave the hall, Han Li glanced back at the Wo Jing tribesmen still laboring hard. He saw a flash of resentment in the eyes of the guide, but when the guide saw Han Li looking at him, he became terrified.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he turned and left.

The Wo Jing tribesman let out a long breath of relief, then stood there stunned, a look of confusion in his eyes.

The passage extended forward, and after about ten miles, they finally arrived at a huge underground dome.

Han Li and the others looked out and saw a massive black fire pool ahead, as large as an ordinary lake. Within it, black flames roiled and baleful qi steamed, making breathing feel somewhat difficult.

The passage beneath their feet gradually narrowed as it entered the fire pool, turning into a broken bridge several zhang wide that extended to the center of the pool.

On the opposite shore of the fire pool was a pitch-black rock wall, on which could be seen a huge cave dozens of zhang high. The raging karmic fire flowed out from within the cave and poured into the black fire pool below.

"Fellow Daoist Li, as you guessed, the karmic fire in the Luo Sheng Zone is drawn from the Soul-Washing Zone," Shi Chuankong transmitted upon seeing this.

"Don't celebrate too early. We need to hurry. The more concentrated the baleful qi, the faster the spiritual energy in the Jade Fox Tail is consumed. Soon it will reveal its true form," Hu San suddenly transmitted as well.

Han Li was about to speak when his gaze suddenly jumped.

On the broken bridge ahead stood a dozen or so armored Nether Slaves, all gripping their weapons tightly, their expressions indifferent, standing opposite each other, paying no attention to this side, as if they hadn't seen them.

Beneath the end of the broken bridge hung a square black iron cage, swaying above the karmic fire, constantly licked by flames and eroded by baleful qi.

Inside the iron cage were two figures, each leaning against a corner of the cage, disheveled and listless.

Han Li looked closely and saw that the figure on the left side of the cage was quite large, with a head of fiery red hair scattered across his face, revealing only a nose that was black and thick, like a rhinoceros horn protruding outward.

The figure leaning against the opposite corner had snow-white hair, and his face was covered with wounds and bloodstains, making it hard to see clearly. But Han Li recognized him at once—it was none other than the Rehua Immortal Venerable!

His heart stirred, but he made no unnecessary movements.

"Those two... are they Chi Rong and Fellow Daoist Rehua?" At this moment, Hu San apparently recognized them as well and couldn't help transmitting.

"It's them. It seems their luck is worse than ours; they've fallen into the hands of the Netherworld Tribe," Shi Chuankong replied in surprise.

"What, acquaintances? Should we rescue them?" Bai Liyan, who didn't know them, asked in confusion.

Han Li frowned, his gaze lingering on the Rehua Immortal Venerable for a moment before replying: "They have restrictions placed on them; it won't be easy to free them in a short time. Let's first find the Soul-Cleansing Pool and deal with the rescue when we return."

"Now?" Móguāng asked.

"Now," Hán Lì transmitted via voice.

At this command, Móguāng, standing at the forefront, grinned and raised his hand to grab. Rolling black mist surged from his robes like five ferocious black dragons, twisting around the guide spirit slave in a strangling motion.

"Master, how can you..." Before the latter could finish, the dense baleful aura swallowed him whole.

At the same time, vast billowing black mist rolled out, flooding the entire broken bridge. The dozen or so spirit slaves on the bridge had no time to react before being engulfed by the sudden baleful aura.

Bǎilǐ Yán's figure had already vanished in a flash, disappearing into the baleful aura. Only muffled thuds echoed from the chaos.

Móguāng raised his large hand, grabbing the guide spirit slave's body and hoisting it into the air.

After just a few breaths, the rolling baleful aura surged back, returning to Móguāng's body. The spirit slave, as if drained of blood, fell like a bag of bones.

The karmic fire below churned violently, instantly swallowing the spirit slave's corpse.

On the broken bridge, Bǎilǐ Yán was also kicking the bodies of the dozen or so spirit slaves, one by one, into the karmic fire pit.

After cleaning up, the group no longer hovered in the air. Once on solid ground, they removed the Jade Cloud Fox Tails from their bodies and handed them back to Hú Sān.

"Let's go," Hán Lì said after a glance.

The group glanced back at the passageway, then quickly stepped onto the broken bridge and headed toward the bridgehead.

Passing by the place where the square iron cage hung, Hán Lì hesitated briefly, glanced down, and then hurried on.

Within the iron cage, the Revered Fire Immortal seemed completely unaware of the events above, showing no reaction. His eyes beneath the disheveled hair had grown quite dim, devoid of their former luster.

"Aren't you all on the same side as my senior brother? Why not save him?" Chī Róng suddenly looked up and cackled.

Hú Sān frowned at this, his pace slowing.

"Time is tight. We'll talk when we get back," Shí Chuānkōng said softly as he passed by.

Hú Sān heard this and quickly caught up.

At the end of the broken bridge, the heat of the karmic fire grew more intense, and the rolling baleful aura surged violently. Even Hán Lì found it hard to endure, while Shí Chuānkōng and Hú Sān felt their minds growing drowsy, with bursts of ferocity churning in their hearts.

Hán Lì's eyes focused. He silently activated his Soul Refining Art and pointed at his brow, where a white light lit up.

The words "Peak-Suppressing Soul Talisman" emerged, and a powerful divine sense radiated outward.

"Quick! Merge your divine sense into the talisman to protect your bodies. We're setting off now," Hán Lì said.

Hearing this, everyone deployed their own methods to protect themselves.

Bǎilǐ Yán waved his hand, and a black armor resembling dragon scales appeared on him, covered with red scale patterns. Runes glowed on the chest and back, clearly a rare immortal artifact of quality.

Hú Sān opened his mouth and spat out a dark green pearl, which he embedded into his crown.

Both items were treasures. When combined, they burst into brilliant green light, enveloping his entire body, even turning his skin emerald.

On the other side, Shí Chuānkōng summoned his silver pipa and pressed his fingers lightly on the strings. Invisible ripples surged forth, forming a spatial barrier around him.

Móguāng glanced at the karmic fire ahead, curled his lips, and did nothing.

With a thought from Hán Lì, golden scales rose all over his body, and a dark green Xuanwu tortoise armor emerged.

The others, tense, began releasing their divine sense into the Peak-Suppressing Soul Talisman.

As layers of divine sense merged, the rune mark on Hán Lì's brow grew clearer. A snow peak phantom over ten zhang tall appeared, enveloping them all.

Hú Sān and Shí Chuānkōng relaxed their brows; the earlier discomfort melted away like ice and snow.

"Don't let your guard down even slightly. Karmic fire burning the body is worse than baleful aura invasion. Once the mind falters, trouble ensues," Hán Lì warned.

The two nodded quickly, not daring to be distracted.

"Go."

At Hán Lì's command, they leaped together off the broken bridge, heading straight for the karmic fire passage.

But as soon as they flew off the bridge, the karmic fire ahead trembled violently, emitting rumbling sounds.

"Damn, there's a restriction beneath the fire pool," Hán Lì exclaimed.

As his voice fell, the karmic fire below seemed to boil. Millstone-sized black fireballs shot upward, hurtling toward Hán Lì and the others. The air filled with miasma, making breathing difficult.