### Section 46: King’s Secret Stash, A New Underground World
The Fire Virtue Palace was actually hidden beneath Shu Family Island.
The master of this palace, Fire Virtue King, was a King level powerhouse from the first generation of ancient times. Compared to him, Sea Dragon King and Chu Bawang were merely descendants of descendants of descendants. He was an ancient legend from hundreds of thousands of years ago. The charisma of a King never faded, not even through the long river of history.
“Our Yan Family paid generations of hard work to find the Fire Virtue Palace. Now, we have finally arrived here,” the Yan Family Ancestor sighed in great emotion, standing before the massive gate. Their long-standing efforts had finally borne fruit.
The young master of the Yan Family’s eyes welled up, and muffled sobs could be heard from the surrounding crowd. Years of hard work, anticipation, and longing had finally led to this moment.
“We’ve come this far. How can a mere door stop the Yan Family’s progress?” the Yan Family Ancestor roared, summoning his Ash Horse and taking out his Heart Flame Brush. The two great Spirit Monsters unleashed a fierce attack.
Instantly, fire wheels spun, and flames surged.
Chu Yun trembled inwardly. It was not until a demonic creature reached the Spirit Monster stage that it truly entered the upper echelons. The powerful attacks from the Ash Horse and Heart Flame Brush made him feel uneasy.
*Boom!*
The massive gate was violently blasted open, revealing a staircase leading to a lower level.
“He did it! The Ancestor’s divine might is overwhelming!” the Yan Family elites cheered with great joy.
“You, you, you, go and scout the path,” the young master of the Yan Family commanded everyone.
A moment later, three people returned, confirming the passage was safe.
“You two stay here to guard this place,” the Yan Family Ancestor, being cautious, ordered two people to remain and guard their retreat route before they proceeded.
Step by step, they descended the staircase. Dust had accumulated so deeply on the stairs that stepping on it felt like walking in snow. Their boots sank deep into the soil, compacting the dirt with a creaking sound.
“This passage is so long…” After walking for about half an hour, they still hadn’t seen the end. Some people started to feel uneasy. The passage seemed to lead to the abyss, severely obstructing their vision. They could only see a few steps ahead of them on the stairs. This made them feel empty and uncomfortable.
“What are you afraid of?” the Yan Family Ancestor snorted. After a moment’s thought, he finally let the Ash Horse scout ahead.
“Where is this passage leading? I feel like we’ve already reached the seabed,” the young master of the Yan Family whispered after walking for a while longer, swallowing hard.
“I have a bad feeling about this. Could this be the legendary Endless Corridor?” someone exclaimed in shock, suddenly recalling something. The Endless Corridor was a legendary trap for Demon Soldiers. It would trap people within, no matter their speed or the time they spent, there would always be an unending path ahead, draining them to death.
The Yan Family Ancestor walked slower and slower, finally frowning and stopping. Although he was powerful, he knew that in a hidden secret realm, strength alone was not enough. Sharp insight, a quick mind, and complex strategies were equally important.
He hesitated, then turned and patted Chu Yun on the shoulder. “Kid, it’s time for you to shine. You’re quite good at divination, aren’t you? You even found the Star Sea Dragon Palace. Tell me, what’s going on here?”
Chu Yun sneered, “Why should I help you?”
“Hmph, you little brat, you’re asking for a beating! It’s an honor that I’m asking you a question. Don’t be ungrateful!” the young master of the Yan Family immediately shouted.
“You’re courting death.”
“Just because we haven’t killed you, you’ve become arrogant.”
“Ancestor, let me deal with this arrogant fool. Do you really think we can’t do anything to you just because we’re sparing your life?”
Everyone started clamoring, their pent-up fear finding an outlet in Chu Yun.
“I’m not afraid of death, so why would I be afraid of torture? Hmph, if you lack the ability and are greedy for life, why are you even searching for the Fire Virtue Palace?” Chu Yun was fearless. Despite being trapped, his gaze remained sharp as a blade, impossible to look at directly.
The Yan Family Ancestor’s brow furrowed even tighter. When he was hiding on the beach, he had overheard Chu Yun explaining things to Jin Bianhan and his deductions about the Scarlet Tiger. The Yan Family Ancestor was greatly shaken and immediately thought of using Chu Yun’s talent to help him obtain the treasures of the Fire Virtue Palace. He knew Chu Yun’s detailed background; the inheritance of the three generations of pavilion masters and the Star Sea Dragon Palace were all discovered by Chu Yun through his own intelligence and talent.
However, it seemed that forcing Chu Yun to work for him was not an option. He had to resort to gentler methods. The people of Shu Family Island were tough and never yielded to power.
“If you can resolve this current situation, I will remove the fire net around you and let you move freely,” the Yan Family Ancestor conceded unprecedentedly. The Fire Virtue Palace was too important to the Yan Family; he needed to succeed as soon as possible.
“Alright, but first, unbind me,” Chu Yun’s eyes darted around as he also took a step back and agreed. The fire net bound him like a zongzi. Any struggle would release a trace of heat, causing him immense pain. He could barely move, let alone escape. He knew the Yan Family Ancestor was far too powerful for him. Escaping would be extremely difficult. He intended to proceed cautiously, seizing this opportunity.
“Hmph,” the Yan Family Ancestor snorted, waving his Heart Flame Brush. The fire net around Chu Yun immediately dissolved into nothingness. Of course, the fire circle binding his Immortal Pouch would not disappear. It remained tightly sowed around the mouth of the pouch.
“Speak,” the Yan Family Ancestor said coldly, looking at Chu Yun. Without his cultivation beasts, a Monster Tamer was not a threat. Even though he had given Chu Yun freedom of movement, with his two powerful Spirit Monsters, he had no reason to worry.
“Just keep walking,” Chu Yun said casually, stretching his limbs and loosening his muscles.
“You!”
“Brat, dare to trick us!”
“Ancestor, let me deal with this little punk. I’ll make sure he suffers a fate worse than death!”
Everyone was furious, feeling they had been toyed with, especially by a prisoner. They clenched their fists and glared at Chu Yun with animosity.
“A bunch of idiots,” Chu Yun glanced at them dismissively and sneered. “The Endless Corridor is a later creation. In Fire Virtue King’s era, where was the Endless Corridor? The Endless Corridor involves space. It’s clean and neat, so where did all this dust come from? Haven’t you noticed the temperature of the air is getting higher and higher? It’s obvious we’re nearing the end of the passage.”
“Is that really true?”
“You’re not trying to trick us into a trap and get us all killed, are you?” Many people sneered, looking at Chu Yun with disbelief. The young master of the Yan Family also felt uncertain. Based on his understanding of Chu Yun and his personality, there was a possibility he would do such a thing.
The Yan Family Ancestor’s expression changed slightly. After a moment of sensing, he knew Chu Yun was telling the truth. The air temperature had indeed been quietly rising. After pondering for a moment, he assigned two people to scout ahead.
“Ancestor, I see the end.”
“Down below looks like an underground world.”
“There are seven Earth Altars.”
Soon, the two scouts returned, shouting excitedly. Those who had mocked and doubted Chu Yun stiffened.
“Hmph, so you’re being sensible then.”
“Cooperate with us obediently, and you’ll suffer less.”
“Hurry up!” Someone shoved Chu Yun hard from behind, urging him forward.
In a short while, they finally reached the end of the staircase and arrived at a cave entrance.
“This is a spiral staircase. It’s cleverly designed. In the dark, it creates a psychological illusion, making people think they are walking in a straight line. I see now…” The Yan Family Ancestor looked back, finally realizing the mystery. “This kid must have known this all along.” He glanced at Chu Yun again and snorted. Just now, they had scared themselves and stalled, while Chu Yun had done nothing but regain his freedom of movement.
However, his attention was immediately captivated by the scene before him.
“This is practically a new world!” the young master of the Yan Family exclaimed, gazing forward, dumbfounded. This underground world was vibrant with life. The reddish-brown soil radiated heat. Extremely dry rocks emitted a thin layer of oil. Giant mushrooms, as tall as trees, formed dense patches. Flocks of fire crows flew among the mushrooms, and on the ground, they occasionally saw iron-eating ants as large as human feet searching for and transporting food. Besides these, there were also volcanic turtles and spiral blind snakes, all of which were fire-attribute, earth-attribute, or dual-attribute demonic beasts.
“Look above!” someone pointed to the ceiling and cried out in alarm.
Chu Yun looked up and his whole body trembled. The ceiling was a mass of red, as if something was flowing within, emitting an indistinct light.
“I get it! Above us is the lava from the volcano!” the young master of the Yan Family exclaimed, his mouth agape. The volcanic lava flowed continuously. Even through the thick rock layers, it transmitted immense heat and light into this underground world. It was precisely due to its contribution that this peculiar ecosystem was created.
“This is the power of nature!” Chu Yun sighed with emotion.
“Ancestor, this is the Earth Altar we saw,” the scouts who had gone ahead stepped forward, guiding the Yan Family Ancestor towards an Earth Altar.
“This is no ordinary Earth Altar, this is an ancient Earth Altar!” the Yan Family Ancestor said, his voice trembling as he looked at the altar. “Modern Earth Altars have lost much of their true inheritance and can only accommodate Great Demons. With this ancient Earth Altar, we can analyze its structure and build even more powerful ancient Earth Altars!”
Meanwhile, Chu Yun’s eyes darted around, surveying the surroundings, looking for the best escape route. Now that everyone was captivated by the ancient Earth Altar, he had a glimmer of hope for escape. “The terrain here is complex, and the mushroom forest is dimly lit, making it suitable for concealing my tracks. However, all this depends on the Yan Family Ancestor not making a move.” Chu Yun’s thoughts raced, and he sighed faintly, “If only a Spirit Monster would appear and hold the Yan Family Ancestor back…”
*Boom!*
Just as Chu Yun let out a sigh, a brilliant light erupted from the ancient Earth Altar. A Spirit Monster-level aura, like an invisible wave of energy, surged out from the center of the altar with a *whoosh*, sweeping over everyone’s hearts.
“After hundreds of thousands of years, this ancient Earth Altar can still operate?” the Yan Family elites retreated rapidly, completely shocked.
As the light dispersed, a hunched old man with a tortoise shell on his back, breathing fire, walked step by step from the center of the altar. “Did you disturb my slumber? Unforgivable!”
