Chapter 269: If Only Shen Mo Were Here

The path leading to Furnace No. 5 was a mandatory route.

Here lay a desolate ruin.

Only crumbling walls and scattered debris remained, obscuring any trace of the grand structures that once stood.

Liu Ruyun was silently hiding within the ruins.

Beneath the ruins, two Flame Flood Dragons and a large flock of Fire Crows were concealed.

Her gaze rested on Furnace No. 5.

Three Flame Flood Dragons patrolled the area.

Liu Ruyun waited patiently.

Even though the scorching sands burned her skin, she did not utter a single complaint.

She was a servant raised by the State Governor’s residence.

For three generations, her family had loyally served the State Governor’s household.

When the Governor of Yu State instructed her to infiltrate the Jade Cauldron Sect, she abandoned everything without hesitation. Starting as an unknown rogue cultivator, she gradually earned the Jade Cauldron Sect’s recognition, ultimately joining its ranks.

Now, after nearly two centuries of deep cover, she was about to reap the rewards of her mission.

She had waited too long for this day.

As for the bonds she had formed in the Jade Cauldron Sect and her relationships with the elders, they were nothing more than a facade.

When the time came, she would discard them without hesitation.

“Shen Mo didn’t come, nor did He Tianchou or Ouyang Wei. It seems they’ve gone to Furnace No. 9.”

“What a pity. I had hoped to personally kill them.”

Liu Ruyun took out her transmission jade, and when she didn’t sense the familiar aura, she smiled faintly.

When they first entered the Fire Pill Palace, she had deliberately handed out this set of transmission jades to Shen Mo, Lü Dongxuan, and the others—not for communication or sharing intelligence.

These jades had been crafted with a unique mineral during their creation.

Whenever another jade came within a five-hundred-mile radius, her jade would heat up.

This feature allowed her to locate her targets and plan her next moves.

Liu Ruyun knew that Shen Mo was an extraordinary talent destined for greatness. He had to be eliminated as soon as possible, so she prepared accordingly.

At that moment, she felt a faint tremor in the ground.

“Looks like someone is coming.”

“I hope the feast I’ve prepared will be to their liking.”

With a faint smile, Liu Ruyun quietly left.

Five Flame Flood Dragons, each as powerful as a Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak stage.

Over a hundred Fire Crows, each with the combat strength of a peak Core Formation cultivator.

In swarms, they could peck a Nascent Soul cultivator to death within moments.

Such a grand “gift” was not something ordinary people could handle.

Moreover, she had cleverly orchestrated an ambush from both front and rear.

Before long, Yang Wenyuan led six elders to the site.

From a distance, they spotted the three Flame Flood Dragons patrolling beneath Furnace No. 5.

“Flame Flood Dragons! Liu Ruyun must be nearby—charge!”

Yang Wenyuan roared and took the lead.

The three Flame Flood Dragons also noticed them, and a fierce battle broke out instantly.

Although Yang Wenyuan’s side had the advantage in numbers, he was their main powerhouse—a Nascent Soul cultivator at the peak stage, proficient in poison techniques.

Quickly, they gained the upper hand against the three Flame Flood Dragons.

However, just as they thought victory was within reach,

a cacophony of cawing erupted behind them.

In the next moment,

three more Flame Flood Dragons and over a hundred Fire Crows surged out from the ruins, charging at them in a frenzy.

Yang Wenyuan and his companions paled.

“Run! Retreat now!” he bellowed.

In an instant, the fiery beasts overwhelmed them.

…

Amid the vast, endless red desert,

a lone figure in green walked steadily.

It was Shen Mo.

He had already left Furnace No. 13 and was heading toward a safe house.

A sachet hung at his waist,

containing a batch of Fire Beast Repellent he had just concocted.

He intended to test it on some “lucky” subjects.

“Hmm? Fire beasts are approaching. Excellent.”

With his keen perception, Shen Mo immediately sensed three Flame Tigers stealthily closing in on him.

The next moment, the three Flame Tigers suddenly leapt out, glaring at him menacingly.

Shen Mo smiled faintly and casually slapped the sachet at his waist.

With a surge of spiritual energy, the powder of the Fire Beast Repellent scattered into the air.

The Flame Tigers, which had been ready to pounce, instantly caught a whiff of the repellent. It was as if they had sensed the scent of a natural predator.

Their fierce demeanor vanished.

Their ears drooped, their eyelids fell, and they crouched low to the ground.

One of the smaller Flame Tigers even flipped onto its back, exposing its belly in a gesture of submission.

Shen Mo smiled slightly.

As expected.

Though the fire beasts had reproduced for generations, their instincts remained unchanged.

They could still be controlled by the Fire Beast Repellent.

This meant that dealing with Liu Ruyun’s army of fire beasts would no longer be an issue.

“Time to head back to the safe house.”

Shen Mo oriented himself and quickened his pace toward his destination.

…

At the center of the Fire Pill Palace.

A safe house stood tall.

Outside the safe house lay the mangled corpses of numerous fire beasts.

Among them were several cultivator corpses, their remains horribly mutilated and incomplete.

Farther out on the horizon, more fire beasts lurked, their eyes watchful and menacing.

Yet, they kept their distance, like soldiers awaiting orders.

At this moment, He Tianchou and Ouyang Wei were leading a small group through the field of beast carcasses, searching for the bodies of fallen cultivators.

Their expressions were utterly fatigued.

They had just finished an intense battle.

Relying on the protective formation of the safe house, they had barely managed to fend off an attack by thirty-two fire beasts, draining nearly all their spiritual energy in the process.

“Found one, here!”

“Here’s another!”

“And here!”

Their hoarse voices called out softly.

The three corpses were quickly dragged back into the safe house to prevent further desecration by the fire beasts.

Even in death, the thought of one’s body being devoured was unbearably tragic.

With a thud,

the group collapsed inside the safe house.

He Tianchou, Ouyang Wei, and the others slumped to the floor, utterly exhausted.

As Nascent Soul cultivators and elders of the Jade Cauldron Sect, they had never felt so drained.

In one day, the safe house had been attacked by fire beasts four times.

Just yesterday, there had only been a single attack.

No one could have imagined that in just one day, the number of fire beasts would multiply so drastically.

Worse still, they were running dangerously low on healing pills.

In the sweltering heat, injuries were worsening at an alarming rate.

Only those with fire-aligned constitutions were still in relatively good condition.

The rest of the cultivators were weak and dispirited, barely clinging to life.

Inside the safe house, a somber atmosphere hung over the elders.

Everyone sighed heavily.

Almost every person bore visible wounds.

Yang Wenyuan was still alive,

but half of his group had perished.

Even Ye Yan had returned to the safe house from outside.

Now, more than ever, manpower was needed, and old grudges had to be set aside for the time being.

Lü Dongxuan, uncharacteristically sober, furrowed his brows as he racked his brain for a way to deal with Liu Ruyun.

The entire safe house was eerily silent.

“If only Shen Mo were here,” Ouyang Wei sighed. “He’s powerful and smart; he’d surely come up with a solution.”

“Yes… I truly hope Elder Shen returns to the safe house soon,” He Tianchou murmured, lifting his bloodshot eyes and glancing toward the fiery landscape outside.

The sky remained a blazing red, and the sands glowed with heat.

Even staring at the scene for too long made one’s eyes ache.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel