Chapter 8: The Netherfire Secret Realm (Part 2)

The group continued flying without encountering any formidable mutated rune beasts. Even in secret realms, such beasts were rare and required luck to come across. For those stronger, it was good luck; for those weaker, it was utter misfortune.
The forest began to thin out, and the temperature rose further. Thanks to their high-speed flight, they could cover large areas quickly, allowing Guo Shier to clearly sense the changes in temperature. There were also more and more wild beasts and animals below.
Zhu Juan said, “Look ahead—that should be our destination!”
On the horizon, a thick strip of bright red formed a line across a range of mountains, looking extremely eerie.
Guo Shier wondered, “Is that the Netherfire?”
Kumu said, “It should be below. That red above… no!”
Zhu Juan said excitedly, “Let’s go! Hehe, I’m really looking forward to it! Who would have thought there’d be such an amazing secret realm on a low-level continent?”
Kumu also sighed in admiration, “This continent is truly a treasure trove. We’ve already discovered two highly valuable secret realms.” He used a purple chain to tie Guo Shier together and said, “Fatty, take Xiao Ying with you!”
The five of them flew swiftly forward.
Guo Shier noticed that the trees were gradually disappearing, replaced by overgrown grass. After flying a bit further, large areas of exposed rock appeared, followed by a rocky terrain similar to a Gobi desert. Even further ahead was barren black land, with heat currents rising from the ground, forcing them to fly higher without realizing it.
Kumu suddenly said, “Slow down!” He released the purple chain holding Guo Shier.
The group was stunned by the sight before them.
Countless flames burst forth from the ground, forming streams of fire that rose straight upward, unbroken, like a forest of stones—but this was a forest of fire. The flames were about five to six meters tall, some as thick as buckets, others as thick as an adult’s arm, burning in a very peculiar manner.
It was the first time Guo Shier had seen such strange flames. They resembled the fire streams from flamethrowers in his past life, but these flames could keep shooting upward continuously without spreading at all. He wondered, “Are there really such strange flames?”

The colors of the flames varied as well—light blue, orange-red, purple, and golden yellow. At first glance, it was a dazzling array of colors, with orange-red flames being the most common. These flames weren’t found everywhere; they clustered in small areas, growing in groups like weeds in the wilderness.

Kumu showed signs of excitement and said, “This is the first time I’ve seen such a large area of natural talismanic flames.”

Zhu Juan said, “Yeah, there are talismanic flames of various qualities. Hehe, I wonder how many more there are?”

Kumu replied, “No matter how many there are, we’ve reaped a great harvest this time!”

Monier smiled and said to Guo Shier, “Your master is going crazy!”

Kumu said, “Let’s go inside and take a look. The talismanic flames on the periphery already have such high quality. I wonder what the ones inside are like—I guess they won’t be any worse!”

Everyone carefully avoided the directly shooting flames and slowly flew inward.

The flames on the ground gradually thinned, revealing large areas of barren land. The ground had completely turned into glass-like material, looking extremely beautiful as it reflected the sunlight, emitting colorful glows. There were also numerous deep holes scattered across the surface.

In the distance, another area of flames appeared. Most of the flames in this area were light blue. Beyond that area was a golden-yellow flame zone. The temperature kept rising, forcing Guo Shier to activate his golden armor amulet to withstand the intense heat.

Guo Shier threw a piece of fresh meat, which turned to ashes the moment it touched the flames. Trembling with fear, he said, “Oh my god, the temperature… Anyone who comes into contact with it will die! It’s terrifying. If you can’t fly, you can’t get in at all!”

Zhu Juan laughed and said, “It seems no one has entered this flame zone.”

Kumu said, “Someone has entered and collected the talismanic flames, but that must have been a long time ago. Look at that land—the holes left behind are proof of it.”

Zhu Juan thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “Indeed, someone has collected them.”

Guo Shier asked, “Master, why are the colors of these talismanic flames different?”

Kumu replied, “Different qualities result in different flame colors. These talismanic flames are different from those produced by firewood; they are of much higher quality. They can be collected.”

Guo Shier asked, “Which type of flame has the best quality?”

“Deep purple fire! Then there’s golden fire, followed by light blue fire, and the worst is orange-red flames… Other colored flames are just variations with no special use; the purer the color of the flame, the better!”
Guo Shieru observed carefully and found that although there were many flames, few had pure colors. He asked, “How can we collect these flames?”
Monier said, “Baby, you can’t collect them.”
Zhu Juan rubbed his hands excitedly and said, “Let’s start collecting! Hehe, such great talisman flames mustn’t be wasted.”
Kumu first focused on a golden flame and said, “Shieru, this flame is excellent. Look closely—it has no impurities at all, pure golden yellow.”
Guo Shieru examined it closely. The flame was only as thick as an adult’s arm, rising about two meters above the ground, with the same thickness from top to bottom, like a golden glass pillar, solid and free of any impurities. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “What a beautiful flame! It’s stunning!”
Monier said, “This flame is definitely top-tier. Baby, look at that purple flame next to it—it has some black streaks mixed in. Once it reaches a height of one meter, it starts to spread out… Such a flame falls short of top-tier quality, but it’s still quite good.”
Kumu wore a serious expression. Instead of acting hastily, he circled above the flame back and forth, seemingly deep in thought.
Zhu Juan had already run to another flame area. He didn’t want to be with Kumu, lest they both pick the same flame, which would be troublesome. Fortunately, there were at least dozens of flame areas on this land, so he could just choose any one.
Slowly, Kumu stopped beside the golden flame and solemnly cast a translucent virtual talisman. Guo Shieru, with his sharp eyes, recognized the runes on the talisman—it meant “condense.” As the talisman drifted downward, it reached the base of the golden flame. Kumu pointed at it, and the talisman magically merged into the flame.
Kumu cast over two hundred such talismans in one go, each gradually merging into the flame.
The golden flame gradually changed, shrinking bit by bit. After a moment, it turned into a flame pillar as thick as a duck egg, looking exceptionally beautiful.

Withered Wood seemed satisfied. He rubbed his hands and conjured another virtual talisman. This time, Guo Shier didn’t understand at all. The virtual talisman sank straight down from the top of the flame, all the way to its base, and even into the hole from which the flame emerged. Then, Withered Wood conjured hundreds of virtual talismans in succession, which fluttered around the golden flame.

Guo Shier had no idea what his master was doing and could only observe the changes in the flame. As the flame gradually contracted, after about three minutes, it was compressed into a golden fireball the size of a fist. The entire golden fireball was covered with intricate runes and hovered in the air, spinning rapidly. The hole from which the flame had emerged was now flame-free, leaving only a small hole of unknown depth.

A few more virtual talismans were conjured, and the golden fireball shrank to the size of an egg, emitting intense golden light. Withered Wood finally sighed in relief and said, “It’s done!” Then he opened his mouth and sucked in the beautiful golden fireball. He smacked his lips contentedly and said, “What a wonderful thing!”

Guo Shier was stunned. He pulled Monier aside and said, “Master’s wife… Master’s wife… Master ate the fireball!”

Monier smiled and said, “It’s okay. The talisman fire has been absorbed into his soul. It’s a valuable thing that can combine with the soul to form one’s own soul fire… extremely beneficial!”

Guo Shier was confused. Could that really work?

Monier said, “Baby, I’m going to collect talisman fire too. Will you follow your master or me?”

Guo Shier replied, “I’ll follow my master and watch.”

Monier nodded and said, “Good. Be careful with the talisman fire—don’t touch it… You can’t yet withstand its burning heat.” She flew to another flame area and began collecting talisman fire as well.

Eagle Demon said, “I can’t stay in the air for long. I’ll go wait outside.”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “Be vigilant. If you see anything, shout loudly…”

Eagle Demon agreed and flew away.

Withered Wood said, “Find a flame by yourself. You should be able to tell which flames are good and which aren’t, right?”

Guo Shier nodded and said, “I understand.”

Withered Wood said, “Choose a flame you like, and I’ll help you condense it into a ball so you can experience it too.”

Guo Shier was overjoyed and said, “I can use it too?”

Withered Wood replied, “Of course. It’s very useful. You can’t appreciate it now, but once you reach the level of Saint Master, you’ll understand its value. This is a rare opportunity.”

Guo Shier excitedly agreed and said, “Master, I’ll go to the nearby flame area to look!”
Withered Wood nodded and said, “Call me when you find one.”

Guo Shier was determined to find a purple flame. According to his master, purple was the finest kind of talismanic flame. He searched carefully and meticulously, but he soon realized how rare a pure flame was. Almost all flames contained impurities. Guo Shier couldn’t help but admire his master for being able to spot a pure golden flame at a glance. Calming himself down, he continued his search slowly. No one had ever collected the flames in this area before, so he was convinced he would find a flame that satisfied him. Before long, Guo Shier made a discovery, though he wasn’t sure whether it was a good or bad flame. After observing it for a long time, he couldn’t hold back any longer and shouted, “Master, come and see!”