An Wuzhi and Chu Jingtang also landed in front of him, and seeing the pale silver-blue flames that Shi Chun had caught in his hands, both were very pleased, especially An Wuzhi, whose fiery gaze was indescribable.

Chu Jingtang glanced around the vast emptiness, feeling immensely emotional, "We've come so far and finally caught it. This place is many times larger than the Iron Forest and the Lava Land, and still, it stretches endlessly ahead."

He caught a snowflake in his hand, watched as it turned into a droplet in his palm, then suddenly a clump of snow fell right onto his hand from the ice pillar in front of him.

He stepped closer, brushed away the surface snow, and saw the ice block that resembled white jade, curious, "How could this ice form such a tall pillar on the plain? It shouldn't be natural, should it?"

While speaking, he turned to look back, only to see Shi Chun, who had been staring at the pillar, slowly stepping back, moving farther and farther away, seemingly wanting to get a good, clear view of the ice pillar.

An Wuzhi, who had been focusing on the Divine Fire in his hand, also sensed something odd about Shi Chun and turned to look, but couldn't see anything peculiar.

Initially, Shi Chun hadn't noticed anything unusual either; his intent gaze was due to the Divine Fire he had just gripped.

Previously, the silver-blue Divine Fire had fled all the way here, unchanged in its course, no matter how it was threatened or attacked, heading straight for this abruptly formed ice pillar on the Ice Field, and even popped out from beneath the ice, dancing in front of the pillar, seemingly aimed right at it.

Clearly, there might be something significant about this ice pillar.

Previously too focused on the fleeing Divine Fire, anxious to seize it, he hadn't paid close attention. Now with the Divine Fire in hand, it was naturally time for a thorough examination.

Shadows, inconsistent, flickering shadows appeared again, more than one cluster.

In the ice pillar, seen through his supernatural right eye, there were actually five clusters of shadows, similar to the Divine Fire shadow he controlled in his hand, only varying in size, with the smallest cluster even smaller than what he had captured.

What puzzled him was that these five clusters were also struggling desperately, just like the one in his hand.

Could there also be Divine Fire?

Could the legend be wrong? Isn't there supposed to be only one Divine Fire per region?

He acknowledged the area was indeed vast and having two Divine Fires might be possible, but five clustered together seemed too much.

Thinking of what had just occurred with the Divine Fire in his hand, Shi Chun muttered under his breath, wondering if he had stumbled upon the lair of the Ice Flames? Had the Divine Fire in his hand panicked, trying to hide back home?

Thinking about it, it seemed highly likely.

Five clusters, plus the one in his hand – had he just found six Divine Fires all at once? Was this happiness arriving too suddenly?

In the meantime, the incense in his hand, releasing smoke, resolidified into shape unnoticed by the two beside him, also staring at the ice pillar – not only did it point towards the ice pillar, but shamelessly split into six streams; five aimed at the ice pillar itself, and one pointed towards the Divine Fire in his hand.

He stared at the incense and exclaimed "Huh," causing the two beside him to turn back and look. Under the dim light, they saw him staring at the incense as they too subconsciously checked, only to see the subtly mana-fluctuating smoke of the "Fire God Incense" had split into six streams.

For the fluctuating mana on the incense, they thought little more of it, assuming it to be merely a method of spell manipulation.

What drew their attention more was the smoke splitting into six streams, one pointing at the Divine Fire in front of them and five at the ice pillar. Could it be?

Chu Jingtang asked, "Master, what does this 'Fire God Incense' mean?"

Shi Chun chewed on his thoughts, "That's not right. According to the direction of the incense, there should be six Divine Fires. Isn't there supposed to be only one Divine Fire per location? How could there possibly be six together?"

"Six?" An Wuzhi, though he had had the same suspicion, was startled by the realization.

Chu Jingtang looked toward the ice pillar, "Stop guessing, let's just blast the ice pillar open and see."

As he rolled up his sleeves to take action, Shi Chun hurriedly cried out, "Hey, don't rush it! If there really are five inside and they escape, how many can the three of us capture?"

Remembering the incident in Iron Forest, Chu Jingtang shuddered and waved his hands, "Don't look at me, I can't catch a single one; I can't handle this thing. Hey, Master, are you sure you haven't practiced any Fire Attribute Skill?" he pointed out, referring to the Ice Flames in the other's hand.

Shi Chun passed the Ice Flames to An Wuzhi, who quickly stabilized them using his cultivation technique, his heart racing, tense, hands trembling.

Shi Chun reached into his sleeve and pulled out a Wind Scale, chucking it directly at Chu Jingtang, "If we're to test this, make sure everything is ready in advance. If there really are five more, wouldn't it be a pity if they escaped? Run over to the exit and see if Wu Jinliang and the others have escaped their predicament. If they have, bring Tong Mingshan over with you.

If they haven't escaped, ignore them for now; just bring the two from Four Cauldron Sect who are by Lao Changtai's side. Both have cultivated Fire Attribute Skills, which should be helpful."

Chu Jingtang said, "Wouldn't it be better to find Xu Anzhang and his group since they've cultivated Fire Attribute Skills?"

Shi Chun added, "Also tell Lao Changtai that no matter who asks about those two from the Four Cauldron Sect, just say they went to the Iron Forest."

Chu Jingtang was stunned for a moment but quickly understood. Even if they summoned Xu Anzhang and his group and there were six Divine Fires, it was likely that An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin wouldn't get a share. The Master clearly intended to look after his own people first. As for the two disciples from the Four Cauldron Sect, they were merely being used and would probably disappear after their usefulness ended.

Seeing Chu zoning out, An Wuzhi grew anxious, "Brother Chu, stop dawdling and help us run a quick errand."

He was in full support of Shi Chun's plan, not wanting to lose the opportunity to absorb this Divine Fire, which he had already nearly secured.

Acknowledging his longing for the Divine Fire, Chu Jingtang nodded and then rode the Wind Scale back the way he had come, following the traces left on the ground.

Shi Chun and An Wuzhi stayed behind temporarily, frequently examining the ice pillar. Without enough manpower, they dared not make any rash moves.

"If there really are five, how could five come together like this? Wasn't it said that there's only one per region? You've studied Fire Attribute Skills; do you know the reason?"

Since they were idling around, Shi Chun asked.

Holding on to the Ice Flames, An Wuzhi grimaced, "I've studied Fire Attribute Skills, sure, but I really don't know much about the Divine Fire Domain. The Artifact Refining Sects are typically tight-lipped about such information. However, this Divine Fire Domain is vast, and the situations we hear about may not always be accurate. Anything could happen."

Shi Chun nodded slightly, "That's also true. If those Artifact Refining Sects really knew much about the Divine Fire Domain, the number of people who find Divine Fire each generation wouldn't be so few.

What puzzles me is, since it requires those who have absorbed Divine Fire to open the Divine Fire Spirit Gate and enter the Divine Fire Domain, there must initially have been people who entered the Divine Fire Domain without having absorbed Divine Fire, right? Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?"

An Wuzhi explained, "People who have absorbed Divine Fire can open the Divine Fire Domain using the Divine Fire Spirit Gate, but that came later.

In ancient times, a person known as the 'Fire God' was the first to sense the Divine Fire Domain and also the first to open it. He didn't need any Divine Fire Spirit Gate; he tore open a void passage with his high cultivation and entered directly. I heard that later on, he even brought a group of experts for a great battle."

Shi Chun was taken aback, "A great battle?"

An Wuzhi nodded, "Yes, a great battle. In those days, the Divine Fire Domain was home to many fire spirit monsters that had existed for who knows how many years, like the fire crocodiles we saw, which could transform and must have lived for at least a thousand years.

When the Divine Fire Domain was first opened, those ancient monsters lurking there hadn't been cleared out; they were far more terrifying than the fire crocodiles and had lived through countless epochs.

Having suffered losses alone, the Fire God went out to recruit reinforcements, luring a bunch of people into the domain..."

Shi Chun added, "Lured in?"

An Wuzhi continued, "Without some appeal, why would so many people willingly come to take risks? It's not exactly deception, as he did tell the truth. He said absorbing Divine Fire could help those below the Human Immortal Realm rapidly improve their cultivation. Which master doesn't have a few disciples or followers?

In the end, a large group of experts entered, and not just those from Artifact Refining. People cultivating all kinds of Fire Attribute Skills as well as other experts looking to broaden their horizons entered. These were all ancient, god-like figures.

Even with these individuals, many fell within the Divine Fire Domain, including the Fire God himself, making it evident how terrifying those ancient monsters were at the time.

According to those who came out, the Fire God desperately opened the passage with his last strength and sent them back. Among these people were many who had absorbed Divine Fire. Through this event, the Cultivation World managed to preserve a link with the Divine Fire Domain, also seen as the legacy the Fire God left behind.

Subsequently, generations after generations who cultivated Fire Attribute Skills continuously attacked the Divine Fire Domain, driven by their desire for Divine Fire, to rapidly raise the cultivation of their descendants. It was due to the sacrifices of these ancestors that the terrifying ancient monsters within the Divine Fire Domain were cleared out, many of whom perished there.

While the Divine Fire Domain has indeed produced many powerful beings, it has also buried many. Whether it was a gain or a loss, who can say?

As to why later it became a place only Artifact Refiners could enter is simple, the key to entering was in the hands of Artifact Refiners, the kind no one can steal. Without the Fire God, magical treasures were needed to enter, and only Artifact Refiners could manufacture the necessary Divine Fire Spirit Gates."

Shi Chun asked, "Why aren't there any more experts entering now?"

An Wuzhi explained, "Firstly, there were a few accidents; for some reason, the passage between the two realms couldn't be opened. Ice sheep don't last long, and even bringing more people in, the preservation period is limited. Speculation has it that after the Divine Fire Domain moved away from the Cultivation World, the environment became extremely harsh, killing several groups in the process. The intense competition among experts entering led to severe harm to those Artifact Refining Sects, with many great sects declining as a result. That's why the current rules were established."

Just as the conversation ended, both turned simultaneously to look towards the path they came from, only to see a Wind Scale descending and a panicked Chu Jingtang rushing back.

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