The bald old man was stunned speechless. 

  “Ji Hong!” Gu Shiyou smiled and said, “It only took a lie from my Martial Granduncle for you to reveal that the vines were woven by your men! Mmm ……Seems like the only people who know the location of the Black Fire Spirit Fruit is just your Gui Yuan Sect and our Qing Hu Island! That makes matters easier. Your Gui Yuan Sect had best not compete with us. We from Qing Hu Island will definitely give you our thanks at a later time.” 

  Ji Hong’s face sunk. “Young Master, I don’t like the sound of your words! Does our Gui Yuan Sect look like we are short on money?” 

  The bald old man bellowed with a cold look on his face, “Ji Hong, let me tell you this right now: don’t try to be smug when we are still giving you face! I, Du Jiu, am making things clear here. Both the Black Fire Spirit Fruit and the Black Fire Spirit Root will belong to our Qing Hu Island. Your Gui Yuan Sect can stop dreaming of getting even a single piece! If you continue to cling to your fantasies ……” 

  The triangular eyes of the bald old man gleamed coldly as he pulled two short blades from his waist with a “clank” sound. 

  “Ji Hong, a word of advice: you’d better turn back.” The bald old man held a short blade in each of his hands. ……

  Ji Hong’s face paled, while Teng Qingshan and Guan Lu exchanged a glance. 

  “ ‘Blade of Life and Death’ Du Jiu! Ranked seventeenth on the 《Earth Ranking》, master of the sovereign of Qing Hu Island!” Teng Qingshan was well aware of the other party’s identity. In terms of abilities, Teng Qingshan did not care for this Blade Life and Death ‘Du Jiu’. Ranked in the top twenty, Teng Qingshan could definitely kill him with a thrust of his Reincarnation Spear. 

  It was just that …… 

  The other party was the master of the sovereign of the Qing Hu Island! The current head of the Qing Hu Island was an innate master, a formidable character who dominated Yangzhou. 

  Who would dare to kill his master? 

  “Old Du Jiu!” Ji Hong was enraged. 

  “Ji Hong, I’m giving you a way out to respect the relationship we formed back when we were youths long ago. Don’t think that I wouldn’t dare to do anything against you! That ‘Teng Qingshan’ should be the strongest amongst the three of you. Hmph, to be able to kill Meng Tian, his martial prowess isn’t half bad. However, it would be a far cry to compare him to me!” The bald old man said coldly. “I’m going to count to three. If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” 

  Blade of Life and Death Du Jiu was definitely an unreasonable and cold character. 

  Across the world, who wasn’t aware of this? 

  “Lord Commander.” Teng Qingshan and Guan Lu both looked towards Ji Hong. 

  Ji Hong clenched his teeth. 

  Teng Qingshan was feeling anxious. “If this Ji Hong really gives the Black Fire Spirit Fruit to the other party, it would be hard to snatch the Black Fire Spirit Root! I have confidence that I can kill Du Jiu, but ……Ji Hong is unaware that I am this strong!” Indeed, Ji Hong was not sure of Teng Qingshan’s actual abilities. 

  “One!” Du Jiu shouted coldly. 

  Looking at the current situation, Ji Hong was forced to clench his teeth as he shouted, “Let’s go!” 

  “Go?” Teng Qingshan was anxious. 

  “Ji Hong, Commander Ji! I give my thanks to your Gui Yuan Sect, but ……I do not wish to hear people spread the location of the Black Fire Spirit Fruit when we emerge. If the information is leaked, I would only suspect you three.” Gu Shiyou spoke out. “That would certainly spoil our relationship.” 

  Ji Hong did have the notion of leaking the information after they left. 

  Anyway, the other party would not be able have a handle against them. 

  But after Gu Shiyou said this, Ji Hong turned his head sharply and stared at Gu Shiyou, Du Jiu, and the other nameless man from Qing Hu Island. “Old Du Jiu ……One cannot be excessive! You may be fierce today, but …… Hmph, if you have the gall to be so overboard, you will suffer from retribution!” 

  “Retribution?” Du Jiu’s pair of triangular eyes scanned Teng Qingshan and company viciously. “From the three of you?” 

  “Martial Granduncle!” Guan Lu lowered her voice. 

  “Lord Commander!” Teng Qingshan also shouted impatiently with an anxious look on his face. He was only a young man at the age of seventeen, the age when one was prone to become angered. Even the calmest youngster would not be able to contain his anger at that point. 

  Teng Qingshan didn’t want to turn away just like that. He was bent on getting the Black Fire Spirit Root, “It would be best to act now. If Ji Hong is not agreeable, I will have to act in the dark to get the Black Fire Spirit Root.” 

  Ji Hong’s face turned sullen, “Qingshan, Guan Lu, let’s go!” 

  Teng Qingshan and Guan Lu could only bear with it as they followed behind Ji Hong. ……

  Gu Shiyou and company laughed, and Wu Dai, who was standing beside them, accompanied the group of three. 

  “Senior Du is really good. To think that the people from the Gui Yuan Sect left just like that.” Wu Dai flattered. 

  A hint of arrogance showed on the bald old man’s face. 

  Ever since his disciple had reached the innate state and eventually became the head of Qing Hu Island, his own status had also heightened. Furthermore, since he was also an expert listed on the 《Earth Ranking》, his status in Qing Hu Island was very high. Who would dare to offend someone who was used to being bossy and domineering? 

  “Haha, Great Master, the Black Fire Spirit Fruit is right in front of us!” A slight laughter came from a distance away. 

  The three men from Qing Hu Island were all stunned. 

  They turned to look in the other direction. The lava lake flowed in both directions. Teng Qingshan and company had entered from the lava river on the left to get to the lava lake. This time around, however, the voices came from the right side. 

  “Someone else is coming this way?” The bald old man was stunned. 

  “Wu Dai.” Gu Shiyou looked at Wu Dai. 

  “I, I don’t know.” Wu Dai shook his head repeatedly. This was the first time that he had entered underground. How would he know what was on the other end? 

  The bald old man lowered his voice. “Let’s ignore the other matters and head over first.” 

  At that moment, the three men from Qing Hu Island quietly made their way to the right side. The path was obviously wider than in the left side. Because the paths were too wide, although the tunnels were folded upon themselves, they could already see the other party from a distance of tens of Zhang. 

  Both parties were only about a distance of fifty Zhang away from each other! 

  “They’re from Qing Hu Island! Run!” One of the men from the other group yelled out, and immediately, everyone from the group ran for their lives without hesitation! 

  “Kill them!!!” The bald old man shouted out and dashed over. Gu Shiyou and his Martial Uncle also headed over quickly. The other party escaped at mediocre speed, while the men from Qing Hu Island were all warriors in the Postliminary Realm and could catch up in very little time. ……

  Ji Hong, Teng Qingshan, and Guan Lu all felt infuriated as they travelled on the path, heading back to their camp, when they heard two shouts. 

  “They are from Qing Hu Island!” 

  “Kill them!” 

  Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lu exchanged glances! 

  “There is another group of people.” Guan Lu said in a daze. 

  “Let’s go back!” Ji Hong said in a low voice. The three of them turned and headed quickly in the direction of the men from Qing Hu Island. 

  They moved at rapid speed. 

  “There’s fighting ahead of us!” Although the tunnels were convoluted, Teng Qingshan could hear the sounds of fighting from not too far away. In terms of speed, the three from the Gui Yuan Sect were not that much slower than the three men from Qing Hu Island, but as the three from Qing Hu Island fought with the other party, their speed obviously slowed down. Very soon—— 

  Teng Qingshan and company could see clearly the scene of the fighting from a distance. 

  “Great Master, quickly escape!” One of the strong men shouted loudly. Even after receiving a cut, he grabbed on tightly to the leg of the Martial Uncle. 

  “Hu!” 

  With a single step, this Martial Uncle coldly smashed the strong man’s skull, which steadily oozed out a mixture of red and white fluid . That Martial Uncle then continued the chase while killing at great speed. 

  “Third Brother!” That Great Master had run a distance of tens of Zhang. With tears streaming out of his eyes, he turned his head to have a look at his recently-killed brother. 

  “Great Master, hurry up and run away.” The other men were also risking their lives to intercept the Martial Uncle. That Great Master evidently had a proficient mastery over Qing Gong as he immediately dashed off at great speed. 

  Gu Shiyou anxiously wanted to give chase, but the Great Master’s men tried to intercept him at all cost, unafraid of death. These mounted bandits were also men who risked their lives, each of them with vicious methods. Some of them used powdered limestone or threw concealed weapons, or even held onto the men from Qing Hu Island, disregarding their own lives. Even for an expert on the 《Earth Ranking》, facing the interception of these elite mounted bandits, who disregarded their own lives, would affect their speed significantly 

  “Pu!” 

  “Pu!” 

  Blood splashed all over, and the three men from Qing Hu Island finally broke through the ten men’s interception. That Great Master had already escaped from their sight, so they could only chase blindly after him. 

  “Three-way fork!” The three men from Qing Hu Island stood in the middle of a three-way fork, with two paths forward and one path back. Looking at the two paths ahead of them, they had no idea which way to go. 

  “Haha, Old Du Jiu, the mounted bandits’ leader possesses a Qing Gong comparable to your own. With the help of his men, who intercepted you and disregarded their own lives, he has long since escaped.” By then, Ji Hong and the company had also arrived. Feeling carefree, Ji Hong said, “Things are always so unpredictable! Your Qing Hu Island is fated to find no joy in life!” 

  Looking at the three from the Gui Yuan Sect, the three men from Qing Hu Island only turned around to leave with a “Hmph’”. 

  “To think that there was another path!” Teng Qingshan exclaimed. 

  Guan Lu said coldly, “Of course there would be another path! The cave that we came from had only a height of slightly over one Zhang. That Red Scaled Beast should be two Zhang tall by now. When it was younger, it could enter from the route we came in from, but now that it has grown bigger, it can no longer enter from there. Therefore, there must be another, wider path!” 

  Teng Qingshan also woke up. 

  Of course! 

  The Red Scaled Beast would definitely come here to eat the Black Fire Spirit Fruit. Therefore, there must be a path from which it could enter. 

  “To think that I did not notice this earlier!” Teng Qingshan thought to himself. 

  “But this is also good.” Teng Qingshan felt happy deep down. “It will be easier for me to act within the mess then. With my methods, there should be no problems to get the Black Fire Spirit Root in the midst of chaos.” ……

  A strong man with three small braids popped his head from the surface of the deep lake. His eyes were blood red, “Third Brother, Ah Hu ……You guys, ahh!” His blood brothers had lost their lives because of a big brother like him. The strong man’s eyes were blood red as he spoke with a hateful voice as he clenched his teeth, “Qing Hu Island! I will not die in peace until I have my revenge! Mmm ……Black Fire Spirit Fruit, don’t even think of monopolizing the Black Fire Spirit Fruit!” ……

  That evening, Teng Qingshan and company were having dinner at the foot of the mountain. 

  At that moment, a voice was heard——“Did you hear? Someone found an underwater path in the deep lake on the west side of the Blazing Mountain below the peaks near Flying Monkey Rock. After dashing through the underground tunnel, there is a wide underground passageway. You will come across flowing lava after walking for a distance of two to three Li. After you continue to walk for another two Li, you will find the Black Fire Spirit Fruit.” 

  “Flying Monkey Rock? We passed by there the other time during our search. I even went into that deep lake to take a bath. Are you sure it’s that particular deep lake? There is an underwater tunnel at the bottom of the lake? 

  “The news is spreading in such realistic detail. Many people have already started to check if it is true or not.” 

  “Let’s also head over there immediately to see for ourselves.” ……

  Teng Qingshan, Ji Hong, and Guan Lu exchanged a glance. 

  “To think that the entrance to the other pathway is at the bottom of a lake.” Ji Hong lamented. 

  “This news news must have been leaked by that ‘Great Master’. To think that so many people would know about it in such a short span of four to six hours. The news has spread so fast.” Teng Qingshan sorrowfully added. Guan Lu also nodded as she said, “Seems like ……It will be hard for one person to monopolize the Black Fire Spirit Fruit and the Black Fire Spirit Root.” 

  With the news spread all over, one thing was for sure. 

  The battle for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit would be a messy one! 

  Many experts, whether hidden or well known, would all wait for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit to mature before taking action!

  Book 3 Chapter 65 Maturation of the Spirit Fruit, A State of Panic! 

  “Commander, I think we should set off immediately! Bring our men to the lava lake.” Teng Qingshan lowered his voice, “There are already quite a number of people who are rushing over to the bottom of the lake. If we don’t set off soon ……By tomorrow, the entire area around the lava lake will probably be occupied by them.” 

  Ji Hong was stunned. 

  Indeed, they had to take up spots before it’s too late!! 

  The lava lake was only a curved channel, hundreds of Zhang long. Only one side of the lava river flow had a wide passageway. In addition, it was unbearably hot near the lava lake. A First Rate Warrior would need remain at least two to three Zhang away from the lava lake. If they got too close, just resisting the heat alone would sap a large portion of their internal strength. As a result——there could only be around two to three hundred people in the empty space surrounding the lava lake. 

  The rest of the people could only stay in the passageways or further away from the lava lake and lava stream. 

  In summary, the later one arrived, the harder it would be to secure a good spot. 

  “If we are pushed out to a distance of hundreds of Zhang from the center at the very start, we won’t have any chance to get the Black Fire Spirit Fruit.” Ji Hong stood up. “Qingshan, Guan Lu, mobilize your men. We will head underground immediately! Claim a good spot in the front. Right ……Make sure to bring extra food and water!” 

  Aware of the situation underground, within one hour, Teng Qingshan and company spent a considerable sum of money to purchase a large amount of food such as buns and cakes. At the same time, they also lugged big water cartons. When the food and water were all prepared, Teng Qingshan and the company immediately headed for the valley. 

  When Teng Qingshan and the company arrived. 

  “Haha, Ji Hong, your men came pretty fast.” Du Jiu was standing in the valley. The experts from Qing Hu Island under him were all carrying food or water cartons as they climbed into the cave. 

  “Not as fast as you guys.” Ji Hong instructed, “Qingshan, lead the way. You’re up first.” 

  “Yes!” 

  Teng Qingshan was carrying a metal water carton by himself. The one he was carrying was the heaviest, weighing a thousand Jin. With this weight, it would be tough for an ordinary expert to carry it while climbing into the cave. 

  “Why are you guys in such a hurry?” The Qing Hu Island’s Young Master ‘Gu Shiyou’, who was standing below, waved the spear in his hands and attempted to block Teng Qingshan. 

  In Gu Shiyou’s eyes, as Teng Qingshan was carrying a water carton, his flexibility would be restricted. 

  Contrary to his opinion, Teng Qingshan pushed Gu Shiyou aside with his Reincarnation Spear and stepped onto the shoulders of one of Qing Hu Island’s experts, propelling himself upward. He clutched the rocks for a brief moment before entering the cave. 

  “Good Qing Gong!” Gu Shiyou praised. 

  “Quickly ascend.” Under Ji Hong’s commands, the other experts climbed upwards in an orderly fashion. Carrying a weight of hundreds of Jins, the soldiers were forced to climb since it was too tough to fly up. 

  Qing Hu Island eventually managed to have all their men enter first, while Gui Yuan Sect was a tad slower. ……

  Hot! It was scathingly hot! 

  Regardless if it were the experts from Qing Hu Island or from Gui Yuan Sect, all of them were carrying a weight equivalent to hundreds of Jin as they walked in an environment with a temperature of over sixty degrees. Besides them, there was the steady flow of scorching lava and the occasional steaming heat. Even when they kept their distance, the steam that blew in their direction was still difficult to bear. 

  Their sweat kept flowing! 

  “To keep staying in such a hot place? Heavens!” 

  “It’s too hot! I’ve never stayed in such a hot place in my entire life.” 

  Those experts all felt that the next few days were going to be arduous. 

  Very soon, the men from Gui Yuan Sect and Qing Hu Island rushed to the side of the lava lake. 

  At that moment, there were only the two groups at the banks of the lava lake. The rest of the groups had yet to arrive. 

  “The cave that we entered from is near the foot of the mountain. That passageway within the deep lake is at the far west of the Blazing Mountain. We came quickly.” Ji Hong smiled. “Alright, we will just occupy a space four Zhang wide. The rest will sit towards the back. If there isn’t enough space, then rest in the passageways.” 

  Although there was a space of hundreds of Zhang next to the lava lake…… 

  Everyone was aware that there were over ten thousand warriors and many experts. If the Gui Yuan Sect were to take up half the space, the other experts would probably tear them apart! 

  “Qingshan, it’s so hot here. Are we going to have to eat and sleep here?” Teng Qinghu appeared glum. 

  “There’s no other option even if it’s hot. Just bear with it.” Teng Qingshan smiled. “Once the Black Fire Spirit Fruit matures, it will be the end of our suffering.” 

  In the four Zhang wide space, they formed rows of ten people. There was a distance of six to seven Cun between each row so that they could lie down and rest. 

  Once the first three rows were formed, the rest of the people were ordered to enter the tunnels. ……

  As time passed, more and more warriors arrived. 

  “Damn it, it’s too hot!” Many warriors had started to complain after their first entrance. 

  “It’s so hot and dry! Looks like we’ll need to bring along large quantities of water. If not, one wouldn’t be able to tolerate the heat after a single night.” Many experienced warriors quickly headed back to get water after they came across the lake and surveyed the situation. ……

  “So many people! Where’s the Black Fire Spirit Fruit? I don’t see it.” Some warriors came late and were stunned to see the many warriors who were seated or lying down near the edge of the lake. 

  Many warriors were surging to this underground location. 

  Just those who were in the path besides the lava lake were already stretched out two to three hundred Zhang away from the center of the lake. This was why most of the warriors were staying in the tunnels. 

  “Qingshan, you were thorough in your consideration.” Teng Qinghu looked at the far distance, towards the crowd. “With so many people, we wouldn’t have been able to come in if we arrived late!” 

  “It’s easy to leave, but hard to enter!’” Teng Qingshan couldn’t help but heave a sigh. 

  If the people inside wished to exit, those warriors outside would be happy to cooperate. 

  But if the people outside wanted to squeeze their way through! 

  The people inside would work together! Or even draw their blades! 

  “The people from Xiao Yan Palace are so tragic.” Teng Qinghu looked towards a group of men over ten Zhang away from them. “They must have lost at least lost forty to fifty of their men.” 

  “Mmm.” Teng Qingshan looked towards the distance, gazing at the group of men in white robes. 

  Those men were experts from Xiao Yan Palace, one of the eight major sects in the Nine Prefectures. This time around, the men from Xiao Yan Palace arrived slightly later, when warriors had already lined up the close to a hundred Zhang in front of them. If they were a hundred Zhang away, how could they get a hold of the Black Fire Spirit Fruit? 

  Therefore, they tried to push their way through! 

  There were many warriors in front as well, but they were not willing to give up their spot. With this conflict and with the massive number of warriors in front, who would be afraid? 

  Warriors were all brutal. Once they started to fight, they would be very vicious! 

  Fresh blood splattered. Thankfully, because of the fanatical carnage led by the ‘Black and White’ Elders from Xiao Yan Palace, a large number of crazy warriors were kept under control. Eventually, the people from Xiao Yan Palace managed to squeeze to a position ten Zhang away from the lava lake. No one would give in to them, even if they wished to proceed further. Almost everyone at the front were experts! 

  Should Xiao Yan Palace still wish to be demanding and force their way forward, most of their men would likely perish. ……

  “One gets thirsty here too easily at the rate that we’re sweating.” The warriors often drank water to replenish themselves. In this underground area, they didn’t need much food, but they needed large amounts of water! The water they brought was being consumed at a very fast pace. 

  Three whole days! 

  To be staying in the tunnels for three days under a temperature of sixty degrees, even powerful warriors were feeling faint from the heat. Quite a number of warriors, who were weak, had already left the place to go to the surface. To them, they had only gone underground to watch a good show. 

  To go through such torment for a show was not worth the torment. 

  In three days, more than half of the warriors had already left the area. 

  But the warriors who were closest to the lava lake all persisted. 

  “The warriors who left trained their physiques poorly!” Teng Qingshan shook his head silently. Those warriors all had strong internal strength, but when exposed to high temperatures, their bodies weren’t able to withstand it. “When they come across trouble, they can only wait for death to arrive after they’ve exhausted all their internal strength.” The only drinks Teng Qingshan took were the occasional sips of water. 

  Frankly, Teng Qingshan wouldn’t care even if he didn’t have even a single drop to drink. 

  He just didn’t want to appear strange in front of others. 

  This temperature had no impact on Teng Qingshan, whose physique was outstanding. 

  “Hu~~~” 

  Suddenly, a gust of steam surged from the lava lake. 

  “So hot!” Many warriors, who were seated close to the center, all quickly shrunk back when they came into contact with the steam. 

  “The gust of steam was at least a hundred degrees hot. What happened?” Teng Qingshan was also astonished as he quickly looked in the direction of the lava lake. In the center of the lake, that ‘Black Fire Spirit Fruit’, that was growing on top of that gigantic black rock, was emitting red light as it consecutively shifted colors between red and black. Each time the color changed, a gust of steam would surge out. 

  “Hu!” 

  “Hu!” 

  No matter how hot the surging steam was, the warriors did not falter. 

  “The Black Fire Spirit Fruit has matured!” Someone suddenly shouted out. 

  An uproar broke out in the initially silent underground, and even the warriors behind them started to push forward. 

  “Hu hu~~~” 

  In an instant, the entire Black Fire Spirit Fruit turned a crimson red! Even its surface was covered by a burning flame! 

  “It has matured!” 

  All the warriors close by stood up, and in an instant, a number of figures flew towards the black boulder in the middle of the lava lake. 

  “Grab the Spirit Fruit!” 

  “Kill them!” 

  A riot broke out! 

  The warriors in the back also did not falter. Each of them were trying to think of ways to dash to the front. Those who were not able to push forth would shout out ‘Kill them’ or ‘Grab it’, to incite more chaos. The whole situation turned fanatic all of a sudden. The numerous figures who had flown towards the black boulder even brought the atmosphere to its peak! 

  “Kill them!” 

  “Swish!” “Boom!” “Pu!” …… 

  In the blink of an eye, a large number of concealed weapons, such as flying daggers and lancets, flew towards the first batch of men who had dashed for the black boulder. Even experts without concealed weapons started to pick up stones from the ground and fiercely threw them in their direction. The stones thrown by First Rated Warriors carried a force to be reckoned with. 

  “Seven people!” Teng Qingshan stayed in his spot calmly. 

  “Bang!” “Bang!” “Pu!” 

  Amidst the noise and the cries, six out of the seven men suffered from serious injuries and fell into the lava lake. The seventh person only managed to hang on for a second before a piece of stone smashed his neck, and took the plunge shortly after. 

  Seven people fell into the lava! 

  The lava in the middle of the lake had a golden color. Upon falling into the lake, flames started appearing on their whole body as the warriors were engulfed by flames! At the same time, they cried out in a piercing voice! 

  “Ahhh!!!” 

  The piercing screams sounded like the wailings of ghosts. 

  “Chi chi~~~” In almost an instant, the flesh of the seven people turned into ash, leaving only a pile of white bones floating in the lake, but very soon, the bones had also dissolved. 

  Not a trace of them were left! 

  Upon seeing this, the fanatical warriors, who were tempted to make their move, gasped, causing the atmosphere to freeze in less than second.