Luo Ren, of course, was unaware that the two hot-headed youths who constantly bothered him had been killed. At this moment, he continued to follow the Green Cat Mercenary Group cautiously deeper into the cave, or more accurately, followed the woman Hong Lien.
Watching her round, firm buttocks sway alluringly beneath her red skirt as she walked ahead, Luo Ren's hands itched. He wished he could just reach out and give them a resounding slap.
"Big Brother Little Nan, is Sister Hong Lien's butt very beautiful? Do you need me to help you pat it?"
A tender voice, tinged with mischief, startled Luo Ren.
"Tinh Nhi, what are you saying? I don't understand."
Luo Ren shamelessly feigned ignorance, secretly cursing his lack of willpower. It had been two months since he left Yan Ruoxue, and as a young man brimming with masculine vigor, it was difficult to resist the allure of a seductive woman like Hong Lien. He secretly took a deep breath to regain his composure.
Elder Cat pretended to turn his face away, feigning blindness and deafness, eyes unseeing, ears unheard, mind undisturbed.
Meanwhile, Hong Lien, walking ahead, remained unperturbed. Despite her cultivation, the conversation between the two naturally reached her ears. However, if one looked closely, they would notice the slight, triumphant curve of her fiery red lips.
"Ahem, Miss Hong Lien, why did you choose this cave entrance so hastily?" Realizing the slightly awkward atmosphere, Elder Cat cleared his throat, breaking the silence. Although he led the Green Cat Group, he always treated his members with full respect, never putting on airs.
"There are good things here," Hong Lien said casually, gracefully continuing deeper.
"Oh, it sounds like Sister Lien has been here before?" Luo Ren couldn't help but ask, his face still innocent and guileless.
"Hehe, a woman's intuition," Hong Lien replied alluringly, her body subtly trembling ahead.
Luo Ren almost choked on his saliva at her answer. He increasingly felt that this woman was interesting.
"I'm also a woman, so why don't I have intuition?" Tinh Nhi pouted her small lips and mumbled.
The group chatted as they walked, and soon, a closed bronze door appeared before them. They exchanged glances and nodded. Hong Lien reached out to open the door.
As the door cracked open, the air from within surged out, and the temperature rapidly increased.
It was hot. Excessively hot.
The group finally witnessed the scene inside, and all of them immediately took a deep breath.
Before them was a room filled with endless flames. Countless blazing fires seemed capable of devouring all things. However, by some miraculous means, the sea of fire only existed within the room, not spilling out of the bronze door by even an inch.
"This is another type of formation, called the 'Blazing Fire Formation.' This formation can isolate flames," Hong Lien explained.
Luo Ren was once again surprised by the extraordinary knowledge of the woman named Hong Lien before him.
"Given the situation with the isolating formation, yet the heat emanating from within is so terrifying, it's clear the flames inside are incredibly powerful," the group thought gravely about the crucial issue.
"Hehe, is this a woman's intuition, Sister Hong Lien?" Tinh Nhi cheekily stuck out her tongue and laughed. Despite teasing Hong Lien, she still maintained her adorable demeanor.
Bonk!
Hong Lien playfully tapped her on the head, shaking her head and laughing, "What do you know, little girl? This is just another test from the abode's owner."
"That's right. Since it's a test, there must be a way to solve it," Elder Cat also agreed.
"Kim Nhi, is there a way to pass this test?" Luo Ren secretly asked.
"Of course there is a way, and it's very simple. However, Young Master needs to rely on himself. I will not assist you."
Kim Nhi said with a hint of guilt. Her authority only extended to providing knowledge to Luo Ren. These kinds of tests required his own performance.
"No, you're right! I was wrong!" Luo Ren admitted his mistake. Kim Nhi's words were like a heavy blow, harshly awakening him. He had been overly reliant on her recently, which was not good for someone who aimed to become a Hegemon.
Regaining his composure, Luo Ren opened his White Moon Soul-Stealing Eye, meticulously observing the situation inside.
After a long time, he frowned tightly, because no matter how closely he observed, every nook and cranny inside the room was nothing but fire, and endless, surging flames showed no signs of stopping, with not even the smallest spot to set foot.
Elder Cat and the two women also pondered seriously. They didn't have as broad a vision as Luo Ren, but they still recognized that this was clearly a difficult situation.
"Perhaps we should stop here."
Elder Cat suddenly smiled. He was an easygoing person, able to pick up and let go. Realizing that he had no way to deal with the current situation, he decided to give up. After all, this time he not only completed the mission but also obtained a Mid-grade Yellow-grade martial skill, Spirit Fist, which was already quite good.
"Little Nan, even though you've hidden it, I can tell you're not simple. Elder Cat hopes you can overcome this test with them," he said to Luo Ren with a smile, patting Luo Ren's shoulder encouragingly.
"You two ladies are also of extraordinary background. I hope you will help me escort Little Nan out of the Forest of Trees. As for the Yellow-grade Spirit Fist martial skill, I imagine you might look down on it, so I won't be embarrassed to offer it, haha," Elder Cat smiled again, then turned to face the two women and instructed them.
"Yes, Elder Cat, travel safely."
Looking at the honest, goatee-bearded man, Luo Ren and the two women politely spoke, a hint of respect in their eyes. In terms of strength, Elder Cat might not compare to any of them in battle, but his character earned the deep respect of the three, treating him as an elder.
Especially Luo Ren, Elder Cat reminded him of his adoptive father in his previous life.
A promise given, a thousand times gold. Free and unconstrained.
Before leaving, Elder Cat didn't forget to instruct the two women to take Luo Ren out of the Forest of Trees. Clearly, in his eyes, a promise made was a promise kept. The two women could be considered temporary members of the Green Cat Mercenary Group, and assigning them to do his task didn't violate his principles.
Watching Elder Cat's figure gradually disappear, Hong Lien sighed: "He's just a rogue cultivator, yet he possesses such a valuable heart. Compared to many of those high and mighty individuals of prominent status, he's a hundred times better."
Luo Ren nodded in agreement. In a clan like the Luo Clan, people like Elder Cat hardly existed.
Trial of Courage
"Alright, you don't need to keep hiding. Only a fool would believe that a Qi Condensation cultivator could wander freely in the Forest of Trees like you do."
Hong Lien shot Luo Ren a sidelong glance, clearly implying that although she didn't know his exact strength, she could confirm he wasn't as weak as he appeared.
Tinh Nhi also turned her face to look at Luo Ren curiously, her eyes wide as if saying, you dare to fool this grandmother?
Clearly, besides the two hot-headed youths, she was also a fool who didn't realize he was hiding his strength.
Luo Ren chuckled, adjusting his aura to emanate at the Complete Foundation Establishment level. He had no intention of fully revealing his Core Formation equivalent strength. After all, he couldn't trust the two women 100% after such a brief acquaintance.
"Complete Foundation Establishment!" The two women were slightly startled. A youth who looked sixteen or seventeen years old possessing such cultivation—how could they not be surprised?
"Alright, I know you two are also hiding your strength, but right now, what we need to do is figure out how to pass this trial," Luo Ren said calmly.
The two women also regained their composure and continued to examine the fire chamber.
"Can we enter by protecting our bodies with spiritual energy?" Tinh Nhi spoke up, offering an idea.
"The sea of fire has a terrifying temperature. Our spiritual energy might not be able to protect us, and moreover, the inside is vast. Our spiritual energy would soon be depleted, and then we would surely die."
Hong Lien shook her head. She had long since thought of such a method. Even she, a primary Fire-attribute spiritual energy cultivator, dared not foolishly enter, because judging by the radiating heat, the fire inside was much stronger than hers.
Luo Ren, who had been silent, suddenly spoke seriously: "Can the two of you trust me?"
"You have a way?" The two women immediately turned to look at him.
"I can't be 100% sure, but since we've come all this way, I don't want to leave empty-handed."
Luo Ren said calmly. He valued making friends and agreed to share with the two of them. They hadn't known each other for long, so he naturally wouldn't be naive enough to believe they would trust him unconditionally.
"We can try once," the two women exchanged glances, speaking in unison.
However, a moment later, their expressions stiffened, their beautiful eyes wide, and their two alluring lips parted in astonishment, because Luo Ren had resolutely walked into the sea of fire by himself.
Very quickly, his figure was enveloped by the endless flames, and not a single sound remained.
The two women realized that Luo Ren had entered completely naturally, as if taking a stroll, without even using any power to protect his body.
Was he crazy?
Their four eyes met. Suddenly, the two women gritted their jade teeth, closed their eyes, and bravely leaped in.
The Skeletal Emperor
Inside the room, Luo Ren smiled triumphantly: "So that's it. It's indeed as I suspected, haha!"
When Luo Ren first observed the room for a long time, he had noticed something remarkable: the owner of this Immortal's Abode wanted to test those who entered. There was no reason for him to set up a sea of fire with no openings whatsoever; that would clearly be severing the path for others, not a test. Therefore, the highest possibility was that this sea of fire did not exist. Whether one had the courage to confirm this truth depended on them.
Two female figures also appeared beside him, their faces filled with admiration.
"It's all just an illusion array. This trial is meant to test courage and decisiveness," Hong Lien exclaimed admiringly.
Tinh Nhi also nodded in agreement. Even someone as innocent as her now realized that the endless sea of fire and the terrifying heat emanating from the doorway were entirely a profound illusion array designed to mislead others.
"You're truly courageous. Even if others could guess what you did, I fear they wouldn't have the courage to enter, not even bothering to use body-protecting spiritual energy," Hong Lien looked at Luo Ren with curious admiration.
"Aren't you two courageous yourselves? I'm crazy, but you dared to be crazy with me," Luo Ren smiled. After successfully entering, Kim Nhi had informed him that this room contained another type of formation. If one used body-protecting spiritual energy, it would trigger an explosion that would severely injure the entrant. Fortunately, Luo Ren and the two women were all brave enough not to use spiritual energy.
"Who exactly is the owner of this Immortal's Abode? The Demonic Will Pill and these formations are not simple. Could he be a pill and formation dual cultivator?" Tinh Nhi raised her question.
"Go ask him," Luo Ren said with a serious face, raising his arm and pointing in one direction.
The two women followed his gaze, and then both took a deep breath, their bosoms, one ample and one moderate, rapidly heaving.
In the center of the room, countless precious jade stones were inlaid to form a large circle. A majestic throne stood majestically in the center, like an emperor's dragon seat.
And upon the throne, an ancient, dignified skeleton sat. It wore a purple-gold crown on its head and imperial robes on its body. Even in death, its demeanor was no different from an emperor looking down upon all living beings.
What was remarkable was that its two arms rested on its thighs.
Its right hand wore a black ring with a skull motif and clutched a scepter planted on the ground, the tip of the scepter flickering with lightning energy, emitting crackling sounds.
Upon its left hand, a small, purple flame, shaped like a heart, danced and pulsed, hovering over its open palm.
Although no danger could be felt from the emanating flame…
But…
Luo Ren and the two women's eyes were all contracted, staring intently at the small, heart-shaped purple flame, their faces extremely solemn.
Because…
They witnessed the space around the small flame constantly twisting and trembling…
The terrifying heat caused even space to ripple…
At this moment, Kim Nhi's voice, tinged with excitement, also reached Luo Ren's ears:
"Abnormal Flame – Purple Heart Burning Void Flame!"