Chapter 987 It’s You Who Are Surrounded by Me (2)

Cen Kuan told everything he had heard truthfully, beyond that he really didn’t know.

He and his elder brother came not for the Holy Fire Hall, but aiming at the Fire Source Pearl and those newly born Innate Fires. In fact, martial artists like him and his brother with such intentions were not few.

Without reaching the Innate Fourth Realm, one wouldn’t stand a chance to meddle with the Holy Fire Hall. Those who manage to cultivate to the Innate Realm are not naive; they have self-awareness.

“Let’s go.”

Unable to glean more information from Cen Kuan, Lin Chen waved his hand. However, Cen Kuan hesitated and didn’t leave.

“What is it, you don’t want to leave?”

“Se… Senior, what about my elder brother?”

Cen Kuan hesitated because he thought of his elder brother still buried under the volcanic ash.

“Your elder brother abandoned you and fled, yet you still think of him?”

Lin Chen didn’t expect Cen Kuan would still be concerned about his selfish elder brother.

“I can understand my elder brother’s actions, Senior’s power is too terrifying. My elder brother thought it was some powerful Innate Fire. If he attempted to rescue me, we brothers might just perish here, and my elder brother has been benevolent to me…”

Cen Kuan’s voice grew ever softer; his words were merely self-deceit, yet one truth he didn’t deny—his elder brother indeed had been benevolent to him.

Without his elder brother, he would have died years ago.

Lin Chen looked deeply at Cen Kuan, said nothing more, and swiftly vanished from the spot.

Even without Cen Kuan, he didn’t intend to kill the man. He had no grievances with him, nor had the man offended him. Killing him merely for being present would label him a bloodthirsty person.

Seeing Lin Chen vanish, Cen Kuan breathed a sigh of relief, his back drenched in sweat.

Being an Innate Martial Artist, merely sensing the presence left him uncomfortable, making him unable to imagine the might of such a mysterious Senior.

Soon, Cen Kuan composed himself, gazing at the volcanic ash below with a complex expression, yet finally he moved towards it.

…

…

One day later.

The mountains shook, the ground cracked once more.

Lin Chen halted, his gaze fixed northward, where in the northern skies stood a magnificent red palace.

“Is this the Holy Fire Hall?”

Lin Chen’s eyes gleamed and without hesitation, he flashed northward.

…

At the northern end of the Holy Fire Realm’s plains, the palace towered atop a volcano.

At its base was a blazing Flame Mountain, the entire Holy Fire Hall enveloped by intensely fiery flames.

These flames were not ordinary; they flickered with dazzling, scorching brilliance, emanating extreme heat causing surrounding space to warp into wavelike patterns. The heat waves rolled, assaulting one’s senses, palpable even from afar.

However, upon closer inspection one would notice the flames of the Flame Mountain slowly weakening, akin to receding tides, each flicker lower than the last, its heat gradually diminishing.

On the plains, over a thousand martial artists gathered, constantly watching the Flame Mountain. They belonged to different sects and forces, their aura varied, forming small groups.

Everyone understood that the opening of the Holy Fire Hall was imminent, they only needed to wait patiently.

Lin Chen didn’t use his Divine Thought to scan the surroundings; unless he held overwhelming power, such an action would provoke all present martial artists.

A few breaths later, spotting an acquaintance, Lin Chen unhesitatingly headed over.

On the plains, martial artists consistently whizzed in, thus Lin Chen’s arrival didn’t draw much attention. Yet when he landed, it caused a stir among surrounding martial artists.

Though only three years have passed since the Martial Arts Mountain, Lin Chen once took first place early on at the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, albeit briefly. Nonetheless, it sparked quite a buzz within the Flame Dynasty.

It wasn’t solely Lin Chen’s tower achievement, but his cultivation speed as well.

Many have remembered his face.

“Brother Lin, are you here alone?”

Zeng Xi was elated upon seeing Lin Chen; he didn’t mind revealing Lin Chen’s identity, believing many on-site would recognize him too. As Lin Chen didn’t conceal his face, it indicated he was indifferent to being known.

“Yes.”

Lin Chen nodded. He briefly scanned the crowd but didn’t see any sect brothers of the Canglan Sect.

With the sect embroiled in war, brothers from the sect couldn’t come.

“Brother Lin, this is Brother Jiang, Jiang Chen of our sect.”

Zeng Xi introduced several men beside him, the first being Jiang Chen, the leader this time for the Thousand Mechanism Sect.

“Hello, Brother Jiang.”

Lin Chen looked at Jiang Chen, over two years since they last met, Jiang Chen had advanced from the Peak of Innate Third Realm to the Fourth Realm, his cultivation speed was indeed swift.

“I’ve long heard of Brother Lin’s name, today I finally meet in person.”

Jiang Chen regarded Lin Chen, his eyes held scrutiny; he realized he couldn’t gauge Lin Chen’s strength.

Either Lin Chen was stronger than him, or Lin Chen cultivated a Concealment Realm cultivation technique.

Even more perplexing for Jiang Chen was the familiarity his Divine Soul felt from Lin Chen, as though he had met him before. Yet in his memory, this was their first meeting, they absolutely hadn’t met prior.