The changes in the volcano interrupted the battle between the barbarians and cultivators. Although the cultivators suffered a disastrous defeat, most of them managed to preserve their lives.

Once the volcano calmed a bit, curiosity overcame fear and cultivators once again swarmed toward the crater.

"A fire crystal!" A cultivator swooped down on his flying sword and picked up a red crystal.

"T-that's… red iron!" Another cultivator picked up a glob of red metal and marveled. "Such a big piece too!"

The volcano regurgitated not just the lava, but other material from the bowels of the earth. Once people realized this, they ushered in a frenzy to grab hold of anything that looked valuable. Even the cultivators who left the scene before returned. Because of the lava, the barbarians' movements were even more restricted, giving them the confidence to escape.

"These bastards," Fu Shen grumbled under his breath. Everyone was taking delight in picking treasures, while he had lost his most important thing. It was like rubbing salt in the wound.

"Ahem!" A small cough sounded next to him.

Fu Shen turned and saw that Ya Huan and Hong Bai were looking at him somewhat awkwardly. Something told him, what would follow was going to be difficult.

"What is it, Brother Huan, Brother Bai?" Fu Shen's mood was bad and he had some misgivings, but he tried to be polite.

"Brother Shen," Ya Huan hesitated a bit. "About our remuneration…"

Fu Shen looked at the two and his face twitched. "Didn't we agree that I will give it to you once we return to the Central Continent?"

"The situation has changed," Ya Huan said. "It's better to settle things now." Besides him, Hong Bai also nodded, showing his approval.

"Brother Huan, Brother Bai," Fu Shen said. "Please don't make things difficult for me." The pain from the loss of the cauldron was still fresh. He didn't expect these two to clamor for payment right now.

"Brother Shen, the two of us made a lot of effort," Hong Bai said. "We almost lost our lives down there. It's only fair that you compensate us."

"B-but I lost my cauldron," Fu Shen said. "You guys didn't help."

"We did our part of the job," Ya Huan snorted. "It's not our fault that you failed to capture the spirit, Brother Shen."

"T-that's true… " Fu Shen groaned, having no way to refute.

"Brother Shen, we can ignore your future promises, but the remuneration must be paid in full," Ya Huan said.

"Brother Huan, Brother Bai… I don't have the things on me," Fu Shen said. "I can give it when we return."

Ya Huan and Hong Bai glanced at each other. One look, and they knew both of them were worried about the same thing. If Fu Shen became a turtle upon return, how were they going to collect the debt?

"Verbal promise is not enough," Ya Huan said. "We need you to sign an agreement."

Fu Shen's face turned ugly. Once word got out that a member of the prestigious Fu Family defaulted on payment, it wouldn't be good.

"How about we—"

Boom! The mountain groaned once again.

A golden glob of lava flew out from the crater. The glob of lava hung up high mid-air and didn't fall, attracting everyone's attention.

The lava began to drip off, revealing a metallic surface underneath. As more and more of the lava slid off, the shape of the treasure became apparent.

"Treasure!" There was a wave of excitement. Several cultivators rushed forward to grab the treasure.

Fu Shen, who was talking with Ya Huan and Hong Bai, was stunned. Once he saw the shape of the object, he knew. It was his cauldron which had just disappeared.

"My cauldron!" Fu Shen was stunned only for a moment, then he became flushed with excitement. Then he saw other cultivators extending their greedy hands towards it and burst into anger.

"Stop! Stop!" Fu Shen roared at the top of his lungs and dived into the crowd. "How dare you guys steal the cauldron of the Fu Family?"

The cultivators who were ready to fight for the cauldron, paused.

"Hmph! The cauldron came out of the volcano," one of the cultivators said. It was Xie Lin, one of the first few people who had expressed support to get rid of the barbarians.

"I-I accidentally dropped the cauldron into the crater while fighting the barbarians," Fu Shen said. He pointed at Ya Huan and Hong Bai and said, "These two can vouch."

"What Brother Shen said," Ya Huan and Hong Bai both nodded. The two were also very surprised to see the cauldron. They thought Fu Shen had failed, but apparently, he didn't. At this time, the two didn't dare to play any games and cooperated with Fu Shen's story.

"Lies!" Xie Lin snorted. "You three disappeared when we attacked the barbarians. We have yet to settle that account, but you already want to reap the benefits? Do you treat everyone as fools?"

When Xie Lin said this, there was a huge uproar. Ya Huan, Hong Bai, and Fu Shen's absences didn't go completely unnoticed as planned. Once Xie Lin reminded them, everyone recalled the scene and immediately noticed the discrepancies. They looked at the trio with hatred and murder in their eyes.

Ya Huan and Hong Bai receded under the collective oppression and looked at Fu Shen helplessly.

"The cauldron belongs to my Fu Family!" Fu Shen roared. He took out the Fu Family's insignia and flashed it. "I can swear."

Fu Shen's declaration was met with stunning silence. For a while, the only sound that came out of people's throats was the audible gulps.

"Since Brother Shen is willing to swear on his family's honor, we will believe it once," Xie Lin sighed. Nobody dared to make such oaths lightly. Once found out by elders, the lowest penalty was exile.

One by one, those who had surrounded the cauldron, retreated. However, they were reluctant and didn't go too far.

Fu Shen approached the floating cauldron. He was calm on the surface, but brimming with excitement within. He succeeded, the cauldron was complete with an item spirit. All that was left was to complete the ceremony and make the cauldron recognize him as its master. The two would then be inseparable.

As Fu Shen approached the cauldron, the cauldron spun in the air and floated towards him. Fu Shen became elated and reached out with his hand to grab it. The cauldron had recognized him and came to him of its own accord—or so he thought.

Bang!

The cauldron accelerated and hit Fu Shen hard on his chest. Fu Shen screamed in pain and spurted blood. The cauldron sent him flying off his sword and he tumbled down the slope of the mountain and disappeared.

The cauldron didn't stop. Under the shocked gazes of its audience, it turned into a golden meteor and zoomed past them.

"Damn! We were tricked!" Everyone came to their senses and looked at Ya Huan and Hong Bai in anger.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"W-we…" The two wanted to explain but didn't know where to start.

"That Fu Shen even dared to swear on his family's honor for this cauldron―it must be priceless!" Once they recovered from their shock, the cultivators analyzed the situation and concluded.

"That cauldron is mine!" a cultivator shouted and flew after the cauldron.

"No, it's mine!" another shouted and chased after the cauldron.

"We will settle our debts later," Xie Lin didn't forget to warn Ya Huan and Hong Bai before he left.

In just a few breaths, all the cultivators hounded after the cauldron leaving behind Ya Huan and Hong Bai.

"Brother Huan, should we chase?" Hong Bai saw the cauldron disappear across the horizon.

Ya Huan shook his head. "Let's find Fu Shen first."

The two of them searched for Fu Shen and found him sprawled under a bush. How he survived was anyone's guess, but his situation wasn't the best. He was bruised all over and he stared at the sky with dead eyes.

"Brother Shen, you are alive," Ya Huan said. "We have been searching for you."

"Worried that I will die before settling my debt?" Fu Shen saw Ya Huan and Hong Bai but didn't even move. More than the pain in his body, he was deeply hurt by the betrayal of his cauldron.

"How can you say that, Brother Shen?" Hong Bai said, shocked. "We are just worried about you."

"Hmph!" Fu Shen snorted. He didn't believe a word of what Ya Huan and Hong Bai said.

The two of them helped Fu Shen get up. Although Fu Shen was annoyed at the two, he didn't reject their help. He took a few healing pills, and after a short break, most of his wounds healed and he could move again.

"Brother Fu Shen, what's your plan now? The cauldron is no longer under your control?" Ya Huan said. "Everyone thinks you lied. They are chasing after your cauldron."

"I was too excited and forgot to use the mantra―there won't be any mistake next time," Fu Shen said. "But those bastards dare to steal my cauldron―I must teach them a lesson!" He glared at Ya Huan and Hong Bai. "You guys will help, right?"

"Of course, Brother Shen," Ya Huan said. "We are happy to help. There had been some misunderstanding before, I hope Brother Shen will not take it to heart." He nudged Hong Bai, who also nodded.

"As long as you help me, everything can be written off," Fu Shen patted his chest with his hand, but it made him cough and he had to pause for a moment. "Well then… I still need to heal from the injury. I will go find a place to rest. Contact me once you have tracked the cauldron."

Fu Shen took out a flying sword, jumped on it, and glided away.

Ya Huan and Hong Bai watched Fu Shen leave. After Fu Shen had completely disappeared from their sight, the smiles on their faces vanished.

"Brother Huan, do we have to work as a coolie for him?" Hong Bai said. When he left, Fu Shen didn't even talk about their compensation but instead gave them instructions as if they were his attendants.

"Don't help," Ya Huan snorted. "Not only we must not help him, but we also have to make sure he can't get the cauldron."

"What?" Hong Bai was stunned.

"That cauldron has gained sentience. Once Fu Shen returns with it, his status will skyrocket. In the future, do you think he will let us off?"

Hong Bai's face turned ugly. Just a while ago, the two of them had tried to coerce Fu Shen into fulfilling the debt. Even if they helped Fu Shen now, he might not return the favor. Instead, it was likely he would take revenge.

Hong Bai took a deep breath. "So what's the plan? We can't keep the cauldron and it's useless if any of these idiots grab it. With the Fu Family's influence, the cauldron will still fall into Fu Shen's hand once we leave."

"Did you forget someone?" Ya Huan chuckled.

The two of them jumped on their flying swords and headed back to the crater…

With the cultivators chasing after the cauldron, the mountaintop had become empty. The barbarians saw this and the pressure on them relaxed. There were still cultivators scavenging for treasures, but they were few and not a threat to them. In absence of cultivators, they firmly occupied the crater.

The barbarians spread around, trying to find traces of the old fire-cave and An Zhi. Unfortunately, the eruption had been so strong it destroyed everything. Despite the barbarians' thorough search, they didn't find anything.

As one after another barbarian returned empty-handed, Wu Tan and others' faces sank.

"This is bad," Wu Tan groaned. "If we can't find the scroll, everything will be for naught."

Sun Wen, Gu Zhu, and Xiao Ge's expressions weren't any better. Especially Xiao Ge, the losses of the Xiao Tribe were heaviest, yet there was nothing to show for it.

"What about the holy spirit?" Xiao Ge asked. If they could at least get the fire spirit, it wouldn't be a complete loss.

"There's no sign of the holy spirit," one of the barbarians replied.

"The holy spirit never leaves the mountain—it must be there, keep looking," Xiao Ge roared, unwilling to give up, and began to drive his barbarian fellows into action.

"If you are searching for the fire spirit, it's already too late," a voice said.

"Who?" Xiao Ge and others were shocked by the unfamiliar voice. They raised their weapons and looked in the direction of the voice.

The speaker was none other than Ya Huan. At some point, Ya Huan and Hong Bai had sneaked close to the barbarian leaders without them noticing.

"You have some nerve to come here," Wu Tan looked at Ya Huan and Hong Bai and sneered.

"If we want to escape, none of you can stop us," Ya Huan snorted. The two of them were surrounded by the barbarians but didn't have the slightest fear. "But we didn't come here to fight."

"What are you here for?" Wu Tan said.

"We want to cooperate," Ya Huan said.

"What?" Wu Tan, Gu Zhu, Xiao Ge, and Sun Wen's expressions turned to disbelief.

"If we cooperate, all of us can get what we want," Ya Huan said. "Don't you guys want the fire spirit? We can help you with that."

"The fire spirit is in the mountain," Wu Tan said. "Sooner or later, we can get it. We don't need your help."

"If things hadn't changed, it would have indeed been like what you said," Ya Huan said.

"What do you mean?" Wu Tan and others were confused.

"Did you not see the cultivators chasing after the treasure? What do you think the treasure was?" Ya Huan said.

"The fire spirit? Impossible!" Wu Tan and others were shocked. After the volcano erupted for the second time and interrupted the battle, Wu Tan and the barbarians had to retreat and they didn't see the situation clearly.

"You are lying," Xiao Ge said. "If it was the holy spirit, it would've hidden deeper into the volcano and not flown up in the air."

"The holy spirit is no longer just a spirit," Ya Huan said. "It has already been refined as an item spirit of a treasure. Now that it has a body, it can no longer be as free as it used to be."

When the barbarians heard Ya Huan's words, they could hardly believe their ears.

"Not just that, your holy spirit now has a body of a pill cauldron. The cauldron was inscribed by the top alchemy grandmaster in our world. Do you know what that means?" Ya Huan smirked.

Wu Tan, Gu Zhu, Xiao Ge, and Sun Wen's shocked expressions disappeared and instead became incredulous.

"You mean…" Even Wu Tan lost his voice.

"The cauldron can refine pills on its own," Ya Huan said.

Wu Tan and others felt their heads spin with excitement. What did the barbarians lack the most? It was the ability to refine pills. They had access to a multitude of precious herbs and alchemy materials, but they couldn't even concoct the most basic pills. If they could refine the herbs into pills, their strength would skyrocket…

Wu Tan was the first to recover. "Is what you said true?"

"We wish to sincerely cooperate. Naturally, what we said is true," Ya Huan said.

Wu Tan snorted. He didn't believe these cultivators would be so selfless. "What do you want?"

Ya Huan and Hong Bai looked at each other and sighed in relief. Everything was for this moment.

"We want you to…"

A while later, Ya Huan and Hong Bai left.

"Can these outsiders be trusted?" Gu Zhu looked in the direction of Ya Huan and Hong Bai left and said. "First that outsider tempted us with a cultivation technique, and now this."

"Hmph! No matter what, we must get our hands on that cauldron," Wu Tan sneered.

"Indeed." Gu Zhu and Sun Wen nodded, their eyes filled with desire.

Xiao Ge saw everyone's expression and felt uncomfortable. "Once we get the cauldron, who will it belong to?"

"Of course, it will belong to all of us," Wu Tan said. "What do you guys say?"

"I have no objections," Gu Zhu said.

"Me too," Sun Wen also nodded.

Xiao Ge's expression turned ugly. "We had agreed the holy spirit would stay with the Xiao Tribe."

"Hmph! If it was just the holy spirit, the Xiao Tribe could keep it," Wu Tan snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xiao Ge said in an uproar.

"It's exactly what you heard." Gu Zhu and Su Wen stood next to Wu Tan. "If the Xiao Tribe doesn't agree, you can leave."

Xiao Ge's face contorted in anger. Only now did he realize that Wu Tan and others had used him. They promised him the holy spirit simply because nobody had effective means to control it and could only use the fire cave where the holy spirit resided to temper their bodies. But now that the holy spirit had the body of a pill cauldron, it was usable—everyone wanted a share.

"The Xiao Tribe agrees," Xiao Ge suppressed his anger and resentment, and said.

Wu Tan, Gu Zhu, and Sun Wen didn't care about Xiao Ge's choice. Even if the Xiao Tribe left at this time, it would hardly make any difference.

"Since it's decided, there will be no further discussion on this matter," Wu Tan said. "Let's talk about countermeasures against those outsiders—"

At this time a monster eagle swooped down on Xiao Ge's shoulder carrying a roll of leather.

Xiao Ge removed the roll, and read its contents. "Our reinforcements have arrived," he said.

"That's good," Wu Tan said. "Ours should be arriving soon as well. Now we can spare the manpower to look for the scroll. Even if we have to dig through the entire mountain, we must find it."

Gu Zhu and Sun Wen's expressions became grim. Even Xiao Ge temporarily forgot his previous resentment. The scroll was still their biggest priority, but they hadn't found a clue to it.

"Xiao Tribe will stay behind to look for the scroll," Xiao Ge said. "We are the closest, so it's convenient for us."

Wu Tan, Gu Zhu, and Sun Wen sneered upon hearing Xiao Ge's words. They knew Xiao Ge was just trying to protect Xiao Tribe's remaining forces. After all, it was more dangerous to chase after the cauldron. But the three of them didn't oppose it. The Xiao Tribe had indeed suffered heavy losses—even they felt a little bad to squeeze them so much.

The barbarians let the Xiao Tribe stay behind to look for the scroll, while the others met with their reinforcements and went to chase after the cauldron.

Little did they know, the scroll they so desperately sought was already in the hands of an outsider.

Mu Chen didn't know the appearance of a spirit cauldron had set off a wave of restlessness throughout the realm. Nor would he care, for he was facing a crisis.