The fourth priest was risking his life to tail Shu Han.
The sudden appearance of these two nearly gave him a heart attack.
After the failed extermination of the Forest Clan, he distinctly felt that despite his genuine pledge of allegiance to the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect, his status was steadily diminishing.
This was not in line with his prior expectations. But he had already betrayed his tribe and there was no turning back now.
All he could do now was to earnestly accomplish the tasks assigned to him by Song Jinglun, especially the secret construction of the grand formation – a core secret. There could be absolutely no mistakes if he hoped to gradually rise in status within the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect.
But under his tight security, how could two strangers suddenly appear in the formation that hadn't even been completed yet? Who were they? What were their intentions?
The fourth priest didn't pause to think. All he could consider was the dire consequence if Song Jinglun found out about this breach. He might even be fed to the earth dragon flames!
"Damn it! I don't care where you two came from, but you must die within this formation today! If word gets out, Song Jinglun will have my head!"
But once these two entered a section of the formation unfamiliar to him, they began to slip away like slippery eels.
At times they would escape together, at other times they'd split paths in intersecting tunnels. They seemed exceedingly familiar with the patterns of the formation, leaving the fourth priest utterly confounded.
All he could do was watch as they disappeared into the distance.
"Two Foundation Establishment cultivators being this elusive!"
Grinding his teeth in anger, he realized that this method wasn't going to work. Resolutely, he took out a crimson token and slapped it onto the canopy of the divine tree above.
A red glow spread at an alarming pace across the canopy. Watching the dispersing red light, the fourth priest immediately abandoned the pursuit, frantically dashing towards the central cavern.
"If I can't catch up to you, then let the earth dragon flames fill every passage and burn every suspicious spot to ashes. This way, Song Jinglun won't find a trace!"
"But activating the formation in such a hurry means that some of our tribe members won't make it back to the caverns in time to take shelter. Ah well, if they die, they die. After all, according to Song Jinglun's plans, these people might not have survived after the formation was completed anyway!"
The crimson light swiftly spread through the interwoven passages.
The members of the Forest Clan who were laying out the divine tree, upon seeing this, were scared out of their wits. They hurriedly dropped everything they were holding and rushed toward the caverns in fear.
Those who were nearby barely made it, while those who were farther away or unfamiliar with the paths simply had no chance. They darted around hopelessly in the tunnels illuminated by the flickering red light.
Meanwhile, Shu Han, carrying Gu Panchun, had just returned to the Heavenly Fire Protective Formation when he noticed the surrounding glazed walls and the canopy of the divine tree shimmering in red.
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The frequency of the red flickering became increasingly rapid, and an ominous premonition rose within Shu Han's heart.
Gu Panchun turned pale and, without uttering a word, pressed her forehead against Shu Han's. A surge of consciousness directly flowed into Shu Han's mind.
Instantly, he became completely aware of the entire Heavenly Fire Protective Formation and immediately located the exit.
Without asking questions and realizing that Gu Panchun had shared vital information without hesitation, he knew there was no time to waste.
Channeling all his magic power and physical strength, he sprinted through the glazed tunnels of the formation, heading towards the exit at the other end.
Soon, a scorching sensation from behind reached him. Glancing back, he saw an overwhelming wave of earth dragon flames roaring towards him, even more terrifying than the flames that fueled the Fiery Cloud Onsen.
"Damn! Is this the 'small amount' of earth dragon flame you mentioned?"
Breathing heavily, Gu Panchun replied, "Someone must've fully activated the Heavenly Fire Protective Formation! Hurry to the exit. I can't withstand this intensity of earth dragon flames for long!"
"I'm aware!"
Shu Han was already moving at his maximum speed, yet the earth dragon flames were about to overtake him.
If they caught up, everything would be over!
While he calculated the best route, he sensed that he was still some distance from the exit, but the flames were already searing his back.
"Damn it! Let's go all out! Control it!"
Shrinking Earth into Inches!
Gu Panchun, nestled in Shu Han's arms, suddenly felt a strange phenomenon surrounding Shu Han. Looking back, though Shu Han's speed hadn't increased, the menacing earth dragon flames were oddly retreating, while the front of the glazed tunnel seemed to be compressing towards them.
"What's happening?"
Whoosh!
Shu Han, clutching her, dashed forward at an alarming speed.
Due to the winding paths of the formation, she could feel Shu Han exerting every ounce of his strength, seemingly trying to correct his direction. Barely maneuvering through a tight curve, they immediately crashed into the next large bend. The intense pressure nearly merged her into Shu Han's body, causing excruciating pain throughout her being.
The two were pressed together, bouncing back and forth like a rubber ball within the solid tunnel. Miraculously, their zigzagging progression was still faster than the spread of the earth dragon flames.
In just two breaths, Shu Han and Gu Panchun ricocheted dozens of times within the tunnel, finally reaching the exit of the Heavenly Fire Protective Formation ahead of the earth dragon flames.
Looking down, Shu Han saw blood smeared all over him, and Gu Panchun was on the brink of death.
The speed from Shrinking Earth into Inches was terrifying. Although Shu Han had tried his best to shield Gu Panchun, the immense force had battered her terribly.
"You can't die on me!"
Shu Han forcibly poured the elixir made from the Heavenly Creation Fluid and top-grade healing medicine into Gu Panchun, then immediately channeled his spiritual power to activate her battered body. Under the influence of Shu Han's potent Qi and the miraculous effects of the medicine, Gu Panchun swiftly regained consciousness.
"Miss Gu! We've made it! How do we open this exit?"
Seeing the red glow starting to light up from both ends of the tunnel, Gu Panchun summoned her strength and said, "Young Master, I can't move right now. The exit won't open by itself; it can only be activated when the earth dragon flames rush through. We have to withstand the flames for a moment."
"What?!"
Shu Han looked at the severely injured Gu Panchun, wondering how she could possibly endure in such a state.
Suddenly, the earth dragon flames erupted from both sides of the tunnel.
Biting her lip, Gu Panchun forcibly lifted her broken arm, revealing blue formation patterns that spread outwards. An immense cold mist enveloped both of them.
Shu Han was astonished by the formation patterns emanating from Gu Panchun. To his surprise, it was a complete Heavenly Fire Conversion Formation.
Sure enough, the drifting mist around Gu Panchun gradually transformed into complete formation patterns. The earth dragon flames from both sides came roaring, instantly dissipating the surrounding moisture and cold. Despite trembling all over, Gu Panchun managed to momentarily block the main surge of the earth dragon flames with sheer determination!
The complete Heavenly Fire Conversion Formation was incredibly mystical, leaving Shu Han in awe.
If he had faced this situation, his rudimentary Heavenly Fire Conversion Formation would've been obliterated by the formidable main vein of the earth dragon flames.
No wonder Gu Panchun was previously so confident about withstanding a small amount of the earth dragon flame's main vein.