While the barbarians and cultivators fought against each other, Ya Huan, Hong Bai, and Fu Shen sneaked into the pool of lava. Currently, they were heading deeper into the depths of the mountain.

"Brother Huan, are you sure this thing will hold on?" Hong Bai asked as he nervously poked the thin transparent bubble isolating the three from the lava. "How about you add another? You know, just in case?"

"Do you think my family uses the words 'Golden Crow' for show?" Ya Huan snorted, obviously displeased.

"Brother Bai, you have so little faith in Brother Huan's skills," Fu Shen chuckled. He looked at the bubble surrounding them and sighed. Although the bubble looked fragile as if it might implode at any moment, it held away the heat and the lava with ease.

"Ahem!" Hong Bai looked awkward. "I didn't mean it like that."

"You don't have to worry on my side," Ya Huan said. "Just make sure to find the spirit as soon as possible. Although we managed to trick those idiots, if we don't return soon, they might start to suspect."

"Don't worry," Hong Bai snorted, "I will get started." He closed his eyes and made a few hand seals. A couple of minutes later, he opened his eyes and pointed in a certain direction. "There."

"Brother Huan, let's go!" Fu Shen said.

"On it," Ya Huan said and controlled the bubble to dive into that direction. "Brother Shen, I hope this works, otherwise we will be making a fool of ourselves."

"Brother Huan, I am confident," Fu Shen said.

"And the things promised?" Ya Huan asked, tentatively.

Hong Bai also perked his ears. The only reason the two of them were willing to help was that the two didn't have the confidence to capture the spirit, and Fu Shen promised them a lot of benefits.

"The three of us are in the same boat—how dare I neglect it?" Fu Shen said. "Once we return to the Central Continent, I will have them delivered. And I also owe you two a favor."

Ya Huan and Hong Bai were satisfied on hearing Fu Shen's words. The favor of an alchemy genius would be worth more in the future, enough to change their future.

The three moved deeper into the mountain through the lava vein. Occasionally, Hong Bai would stop to confirm the direction. Eventually, the three of them came to a large magma chamber.

"Stop," Hong Bai said. "The spirit should be nearby."

Ya Huan stopped the bubble. He and Fu Shen looked around. This magma chamber looked the same as any other and neither of them could tell the difference. If they had to find it themselves, they would have already lost their sense of direction. After all, the lava was not just fire element, but also earth. Navigating through the lava required an understanding of both elements. Only someone like Hong Bai could navigate through it with such ease.

"As expected, it was a smart choice to bring Brother Bai along," Fu Shen said.

"Brother Shen, I have helped you find the place," Hong Bai said. "The rest is up to you."

Ya Huan and Hong Bai looked at Fu Shen with interest. They were eager to see what method Fu Shen was going to use.

"Hehe," Fu Shen smiled and took out a small gold cauldron with three legs. Dozens of densely packed runes and inscriptions were engraved on it. "Grandpa has engraved a spirit sealing formation on the cauldron. As long as the spirit is nearby, it can't escape its fate."

Ya Huan and Hong Bai gasped. The grandpa in Fu Shen's words was none other than Grandmaster Fu. Grandmaster Fu was not just an expert in alchemy, but also formations. A formation engraved by him—it would be nothing less than extraordinary.

"No wonder Brother Shen is so confident," Ya Huan and Hong Bai sighed. The two of them watched by side as Fu Shen set out to work.

Fu Shen raised the cauldron and poured his spiritual qi into it. One after another, the runes lit up, and the light spread through the entire cauldron. The cauldron jumped out of Fu Shen's hand and began to float in front of the three.

Fu Shen performed a few hand seals.

The cauldron trembled and began to spin. The lid popped open and a strange kind of suction was triggered. It made the hair on the neck stand up as if their soul was about to get sucked.

"It's working." Fu Shen could barely contain his excitement. Once the fire spirit was sealed inside the cauldron, it would be refined as its item spirit. With the help of the item spirit, his alchemy would progress by leaps and bounds. Even his grandpa spent decades to find a suitable spirit for his furnace, but he was able to find one in a matter of months. How could he not be stoked?

The three of them watched the spinning cauldron.

A minute passed, two minutes passed…

Ten minutes later, the cauldron dimmed. It stopped spinning and fell on the floor with a thud.

Fu Shen picked up the cauldron, puzzled.

"Did it succeed?" Ya Huan asked, beads of sweat dropped off his brow. He had been supporting the golden protective barrier for a while now, and the consumption was big.

"I-I will try again," Fu Shen said and poured his spiritual qi into the cauldron once more.

Under the three's watchful eyes, the cauldron rose and performed its little play. After a few minutes when it showed signs of becoming lustreless again, Fu Shen became anxious. He stepped forward and continued to pour his spiritual qi into the cauldron.

"It will work," Fu Shen muttered. "It has to work! This spirit sealing formation was personally engraved by Grandpa, how can it not work?"

Fu Shen roared and poured all his spiritual qi into the cauldron. The cauldron shone brighter than ever and began to spin faster than a top.

Fu Shen and the other two felt the terrifying suction from the cauldron and their hearts couldn't help but tremble. They were surrounded by the lava, yet they felt a chill from the depths of their souls.

Zzzzz!

The cauldron buzzed and jerked, then dimmed and slowed down. The feeling of their soul being sucked vanished.

Fu Shen, however, became excited. "Brother Bai, the spirit sealing formation has locked onto the spirit. Please help me with spiritual qi."

Hong Bai nodded and began to pour his spiritual qi into the cauldron. With both Hong Bai and Fu Shen pouring their spiritual qi into the cauldron, the cauldron brightened once more and began to spin faster.

Flickering tiny red spots began to gather at the center of the cauldron.

Fu Shen became ecstatic. "It's about to succeed!"

But the next moment, the cauldron lurched and became sluggish as if it had met some strong resistance. The red spots disappeared without a trace. However, it wasn't the end, as the cauldron was pulled by an invisible force into the lava.

"No!" Fu Shen screamed and desperately poured his spiritual qi into the cauldron, but it only stopped for a second.

The cauldron broke free of Fu Shen's control and disappeared.

"Come back! Come back" Fu Shen roared and recited the mantra his grandpa gave him, but no amount of recitation could summon back the cauldron.

"M-my cauldron." Fu Shen fell on his knees and stared in the direction the cauldron disappeared as if it was his soul that had escaped.

To gather materials for this treasure cauldron, his grandpa spent an unbelievable amount of resources and money. To craft this cauldron, his grandpa toiled for days and nights…

And for him, this cauldron was not just a treasure. It was his road to the future.

Fu Shen didn't have much talent in alchemy. Compared with top talents in the sect, he was at best mediocre. Luckily, he was grandpa's favorite, which was why his grandpa spent so much effort on the cauldron. Once the cauldron was completed, as a treasure with a spirit, it could share its comprehension with the owner, making up for his lack of talent. Now, not only did he fail to cultivate an item spirit, he even lost the cauldron.

Once his grandpa knew he lost the cauldron, what would happen? Just imagining the disappointment on grandpa's face made Fu Shen shudder.

"Huh? Not good!" Ya Huan cried out. "We have to get out."

When the cauldron left, it tore a hole into the protective bubble. Although the bubble repaired itself, it still left a flaw. Under the pressure of the molten lava, the flaw expanded and lava was pouring into the bubble.

Ya Huan made a few hand seals and the bubble began to move.

"No! My cauldron! I must get it back." Fu Shen jumped to his feet and launched himself into the lava.

Bang!

A shimmering halo appeared on Fu Shen's body and he was thrown back and landed on his ass. Fu Shen was stunned and then came back to his senses. He looked at the pouring lava and his expression turned to horror. "Quick! Quick! Cast another bubble."

Ya Huan's face twitched and he looked at Fu Shen as if he was looking at an idiot. "I'm already exhausted as it is, and you want me to cast another? We need to get out of here, right now!"

"B-but, my cauldron." Fu Shen was reluctant to go back.

"Forget the cauldron," Ya Huan said. "It's important to save our lives first."

"Brother Shen, Brother Huan is right." Hong Bai also saw that the situation was not right and tried to persuade Fu Shen. "We must leave, it's dangerous to stay here."

The two of them were trying to persuade Fu Shen when the lava surrounding them became turbulent. Waves of lava hit the golden bubble and it began to rock inside the chamber like a tiny boat caught in a storm. The shocks became so intense that Ya Haun and Hong Bai couldn't even stand still and they could only crawl on their fours.

"Oh no! It's going to explode!" Hong Bai roared. As someone who practiced both the earth and fire elements, he was particularly sensitive to the change inside the volcano.

Ya Huan, Fu Shen, and Hong Bai looked at each other, their faces pale with horror. At this time, the lava pouring inside the bubble seemed insignificant. The three of them quickly took out several talismans and protective treasures and activated them.

Boom!

Ya Huan, Hong Bai, and Fu Shen only saw stars in front of them and were hit with a force that made their bones rattle. The golden bubble lasted only a moment before it burst. The three of them couldn't even resist as the magma rushed in and carried them along. If not for the protection provided by the various treasures, they would have been burnt to death.

It took the three of them half an hour to reach the magma chamber, but the volcano hurled them out in just a breath. The three could only gasp in shock and hurried to take out their flying sword to avoid falling. Once they regained their balance, they looked around.

The situation outside wasn't any better.

The battle between the barbarians and the cultivators was already in chaos. When the mountain shook, the barbarians were the first to realize and stopped their assault, allowing the cultivators a brief respite. The cultivators immediately used it as an opportunity to flee away and the fight temporarily stopped.

Although the eruption was much less powerful than the first, the barbarians and cultivation were directly under it. The hot lava rained down the sky and everyone underneath scattered like ants.

A while later, the lava rain stopped. Everyone looked at the mouth of the crater with trepidation.

Boom!

At this time, the whole mountain shook once again. Deep and wide cracks began to spread from the crater toward the bottom of the mountain.

The entire mountain split open.

Everyone was shocked and looked at the crater. The barbarians on the ground couldn't see into the crater. But the cultivator flying on their swords had a clear line of sight. Especially Ya Huan, Hong Bai, and Fu Shen, who were directly above the crater and closest.

In the depths of the mountain, something was brewing.