Xiao Yifei kept his head down all the way, ignoring the murmurs of the contestants by the roadside. Without a doubt, it was another ploy by the Xiao Family to shatter the hard-won prestige that Xiao Yifei had established among the contestants, replacing it with their hatred and jealousy.

Only the contestants who experienced last night's events and a few discerning eyes could see that it was nothing more than a tactic of the Xiao Family. Their initial reason for participating in the competition was merely to hone themselves, having never even considered the Xiao Family's Holy Beast; some things, even if given freely, you might not be able to hold onto firmly.

Xiao Zhentian sat in the conference room, in high spirits. Since the beginning of the tournament, the three thorns in his side could finally be removed. Without their obstruction, the casualties of this 'Martial Artist Conference' would be uncountable, and after eliminating them, the Xiao Family would be unrivaled among the Seven Ancient Clans.

And Xiao Zhentian's sons looked as if success had lifted all their spirits, yet only Xiao Jukun seemed a bit gloomy.

"Sigh, such a decent opponent. I was hoping to have a match with him, but since he chose to venture into that Holy Mountain, I guess there won't be a chance now."

"Elder Brother, why be so unhappy? This finals, it's probably between you and Li Huoke once again. Although you narrowly won last time, this coming confrontation will indeed be exhilarating, so why persist over just Xiao Yifei."

"That's right, besides, I think this Xiao Yifei kid doesn't have much skill." Xiao Lingwu blinked her eyes as she said this.

However, Xiao Zhentian paid no heed to his siblings' chatter, keeping his head down in deep thought.

"Alright, hurry back to cultivate. When the finals arrive, wipe out this group of riffraff in one stroke."

Upon hearing Xiao Zhentian's command, Xiao Jukun led his siblings out of the conference room. After they left, Xiao Zhentian asked the Great Elder beside him, "How's the negotiation with Poison Manor coming along?"

"They expressed willingness to help us eliminate the remaining two; however, in return, they want the Fire Seed of our Molten Poison Fire." The Great Elder nodded slightly, informing Xiao Zhentian.

"Hmph, overestimating themselves—those several girls dare to negotiate terms with our Xiao Family. They must be tired of living. You pretend to agree with them for now, and deal with them when they're of no further use."

The elder nodded and withdrew.

Finally, under the guidance of the Xiao Family servants, Xiao Yifei walked out of the rest area, while Zhang Po and Chang Wei could only watch his silhouette recede, sighing. After all, this was his own decision; now all they could do was stay put and pray that Xiao Yifei could come out unscathed from the Holy Mountain.

The volcanic region where the Xiao Family resided was vast. What Xiao Yifei saw when registering was just the tip of the iceberg. Along the way, following the Xiao Family's servants, he saw many wondrous sights he had never seen before—erupting volcanoes, pitch-black volcanic rocks, and oddly shaped mountain bodies formed by centuries of erosion.

However, the scene before him failed to capture Xiao Yifei's interest at that moment. Now, he could only conserve his strength as much as possible on the road to handle the danger awaiting him at the Holy Mountain.

He also slightly sensed the strength of the two servants beside him; they were merely cultivators at the Qi Refining Middle Stage. Xiao Yifei could easily deal with them, but he quickly dismissed the thought. After all, Zhang Po and Chang Wei were still in the hands of the Xiao Family. If he dealt with them and ran, the fate of Zhang Po and Chang Wei would be obvious.

Besides, the territory of the Xiao Family spans hundreds of miles, and he couldn't escape so easily. Xiao Yifei knew his strength was insufficient to handle the pursuers with Golden Elixir Stage strength that the Xiao Family would send.

It seemed that this Sunburn Sacred Mountain had to be confronted, no matter what. Xiao Yifei clenched his fists, continuing to silently gather strength.

The Xiao Family servants showed no fear of Xiao Yifei. In their view, Xiao Yifei was already a dead man walking. There was no need to entangle with such a person—they just wanted to quickly take him to that place which made even them shiver.

Watching the two silent servants, Xiao Yifei seemed to remember something and asked, "Hey, what on earth is this damn Holy Mountain?"

Xiao Yifei deliberately added "damn" in front of the Holy Mountain to provoke the two Xiao Family servants, hoping they would reveal some information.

However, the two servants weren't affected at all. One coldly snorted, "Damn? You'll soon find out who's really damn. No more nonsense. We're too busy to entertain you."

"Hey? Isn't this attitude a bit much? You know, it was your Clan Leader himself who invited me. I was thinking of helping your Xiao Family research some secrets at the Holy Mountain."

The leading servant laughed coldly, thinking, "Facing death yet still so kind; truly foolish to the utmost." Then he ignored Xiao Yifei, who also ceased the unproductive prodding, seeing no information could be extracted.

Thus, the three of them walked silently towards the depths of the volcano cluster. Everywhere Xiao Yifei looked, jagged black volcanic rocks were in sight. He didn't sense any signs of life, and the temperature here was dreadfully high; the moisture in the air had already evaporated. In a few hours, Xiao Yifei's body began to feel dry and parched. Yet, in contrast, the two Xiao Family servants seemed to relish this climate, their expressions full of ease and contentment.

"Hey, this is a bit much. Can't you provide me with some protective measures? At this rate, I'll die of dehydration. How about we stop so I can apply a face mask and rehydrate?" Xiao Yifei had been using the Qi within his body to quench his thirst. With his high recovery power, this level of exhaustion meant nothing to him. However, he purposely put on a frail facade in front of the two servants.

"Face mask? What's that?" One smaller, younger servant seemed intrigued upon hearing this unfamiliar term.

Xiao Yifei was speechless. It seemed being weak in front of these two was unlikely to be effective. After all, to a true strong person, no matter how much you disguise it, others wouldn't sense the weakness you portray.

"Uh, it's something you stick on the face, filled with essence liquid, to replenish the skin's moisture, making it elastic and keeping it youthful." Xiao Yifei, like a salesperson, began to explain the benefits of his product to the pair.

"Isn't that the same effect as the Fire Membrane we have?" The leading servant also became interested, surprised that Xiao Yifei knew about something only available to the Xiao Family.

"Fire Membrane?" Xiao Yifei was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he understood. Apparently, their ability to walk effortlessly in such conditions, unaffected by the heat, wasn't due to their level of cultivation. It was likely the result of the Fire Membrane. He needed to find a way to acquire one. Even hundreds of miles away, the environment was already so dry and hot. One could only imagine the terrifying heat inside the Holy Mountain.

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