Seeing that Chen Lan was willing to spend five million Spirit Stones to purchase a map, everyone else was astounded by his wealth and generosity.

Where did this rich kid come from, to so casually spend five million Spirit Stones on a map? Isn't he like the foolish son of a landlord's family?

Chen Lan ignored the stares of others and took out a brocade bag, tossing it to the fat man: "Inside are five million Spirit Stones, you can check it yourself."

This brocade bag was casually made by him as a space brocade bag, just enough to hold five million Spirit Stones.

Receiving the brocade bag, the fat man used his Divine Sense to verify it, and after confirming it was correct, he immediately beamed with joy: "Alright then, esteemed customer, here is your map."

The fat man promptly handed over a map and continued: "You are my first customer today, so I'll give you this Jade Token. If you ever need my help, you can destroy the Jade Token with your Spiritual Power, and I'll assist you once."

Hearing this, Chen Lan was slightly taken aback. He examined the fat man from head to toe, and realizing he couldn't discern the man's cultivation level, he accepted the Jade Token with some skepticism: "Alright, thank you."

The fat man watched him with a smile. Feeling a bit bewildered, Chen Lan picked up the map to examine it and found that it was incredibly detailed. Every place was marked out clearly, including the presence of Demon Beasts and Guardians, making it seem as if he had a God's view.

This map was worth it!

As he looked up to ask the man how he managed to make the map so detailed, he was suddenly stunned—the fat man had disappeared!

But the others around were still there, only the fat man was missing.

"Hey buddy, let me have a look at the map?" Just then, a man approached and spoke.

"Get lost." Chen Lan spoke coldly. He didn't buy it himself and still wanted to look at his map, daydreaming.

The man, who faced the cold shoulder, was slightly annoyed, but considering the fact that Chen Lan could produce so many Spirit Stones, he must be someone of extraordinary status, and he left with his tail between his legs.

Chen Lan did not dwell too much on the fat man's disappearance. Holding the map, he expanded his Divine Sense and soon figured out where he was, then flew towards the location of the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire, which was closest to him.

After Chen Lan left, the fat man appeared on a mountain peak and watched Chen Lan fly away with a slight smile.

"I didn't expect that someone would infiltrate Blue Star so quickly, and his karmic line is so strange, connecting many worlds: Blue Star, Desolate Celestial Realm, Ancient Wilderness Demon Realm, and other worlds. Never seen a person like this, bearing so many karmic lines and still alive."

Upon finishing speaking, the fat man's figure slowly transformed into a tall and slender man, looking quite handsome, with a temperament utterly different from before, exuding an ethereal, mysterious aura.

"Entangled in countless karma, sacrificing oneself to finally achieve the Dao, the prophecy came true."

...

Not paying much attention to the fat man's matters, Chen Lan soon arrived at a strange place according to the map.

Surrounding him was desolation, pitch black; his Divine Sense scanned, finding no signs of any living creature or plant.

Chen Lan landed on the ground, hearing a crisp crunching sound as he stepped down. He bent down, picked up the blackened objects from the ground, and rubbed them a few times, discovering they were all ashes!

He raised his head in surprise, gazing at the boundless black ashes, deeply shocked. He had just scanned with his Divine Sense—this black area spanned at least tens of millions of kilometers, entirely composed of ashes!

Could it be that this place had once suffered a great fire, burning everything to ashes?

[Boy, stepping into the Ashen Zone, you should not leave then!]

At that moment, an eerie and terrifying voice sounded, causing Chen Lan to shiver, and suddenly he heard a noise from the ground. He immediately flew upwards.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In an instant, as Chen Lan soared into the sky, hundreds of black long hands shot up from the ground—human hands, but completely black, skeletal and extremely frightening.

Chen Lan's eyes narrowed. What were these ghostly things, and where was the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire?

According to the map, there should be no mistake unless the map was fake.

While engrossed in thought, those eerie ghostly hands lengthened and flew up like vines towards him.

Seeing this, Chen Lan immediately retreated, and those ghostly hands seemed to have a homing ability, relentlessly pursuing him.

He took out the Immortal Suppression Tower, deactivated its shield, and spoke coldly: "What are these ghostly things?"

The avatar inside, seeing the outside clearly, immediately understood upon seeing the ghostly hands.

"You've reached the Ashen Zone?"

"These are the Scorching Ghostly Hands created by the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire. Be careful, if you get entangled, you'll endure soul-incinerating pain, extreme agony that even a Great Emperor might find difficult to control the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire."

"I understand. How do I deal with these ghostly hands?" Chen Lan asked.

"They fear ice and water."

Upon hearing this, Chen Lan immediately understood, stopping mid-air and gathering Ice Dao Power, swinging his hand downward while speaking coldly: "Frost descends!"

In an instant, the sky changed, dark clouds gathered, and countless hailstones cascaded from the sky, gradually transforming into Ice Blades in mid-air, unleashing a Sword Rain.

Shush! Shush! Shush! The numerous Sword Rains fell straight down, piercing through the ghostly hands, and any that touched the ghostly hands instantly vaporized, but simultaneously, the ghostly hands halted their attack.

Aaaaagh!!!

Suddenly, a terrifying ghost-like wailing erupted at the scene, echoing far and wide, disturbing Chen Lan's mind. He quickly covered his ears to prevent soul injuries.

The ghostly wails seemed to vibrate his soul—it was incredibly eerie. Was it the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire causing it?

After about five minutes, Chen Lan lifted the ear blockade, and finding the wailing ceased, resumed his exploration.

This place was utterly strange, aside from those ghostly hands, there were no signs of other life forms, and no visible entrance, so where could the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire be hidden?

"The Ashen Zone, the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire is beneath, but there's an extremely potent Array here; it's impossible to forcibly penetrate it. You need to find the entrance and pass the trial to enter," the avatar in the Immortal Suppression Tower spoke.

Hearing this, Chen Lan understood. He opened his Celestial Eye to locate the entrance, and after scanning for about five minutes, his eyes lit up, and he smiled. He had found the entrance, but his smile froze in the next second, for he saw a familiar figure—a familiar demon, to be precise.

The Golden-winged Peng happened to be at the entrance; it placed its hand on a statue's Ghost Fire at the entrance and instantly vanished.

Was it also here for the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire?

Then he couldn't afford to waste more time.

In an instant, Chen Lan disappeared and reappeared at the entrance.

Looking at the statue before him, Chen Lan was slightly stunned. It was a statue of a human figure he couldn't clearly discern, holding a strange Ghost Fire in its right hand, flickering in the wind.

Following the Golden-winged Peng's actions, he placed his hand on the Ghost Fire but immediately recoiled it, as it was scalding hot.

He looked at his right hand in surprise, finding no burn marks, although he distinctly felt the searing pain earlier, yet there were no burn scars now.

Could this be the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire?

The Spiritual Fire capable of incinerating souls?

But it seemed too conspicuous to be true.

[For you to traverse the Ashen Zone and arrive here, it proves you possess some capabilities, but to acquire the Nine Netherworld Spirit Fire requires more. Please drop a drop of Essence Blood into the Netherworld Fire; it will naturally guide you to the subsequent trial]

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