Three days later, the group of three arrived at Fierce Fire City.
Before they even reached the city walls, Yang Kai could feel a wave of scorching heat washing over him. Even the ground beneath his feet seemed to burn, and the horses walking upon it were drenched in sweat from head to tail.
This intense heat felt surprisingly pleasant to Yang Kai, lifting his spirits considerably.
The unique environment of Fierce Fire City had attracted large numbers of warriors who practiced fire-type cultivation techniques and martial arts, and they had settled here in droves. No one knew exactly why Fierce Fire City possessed such anomalous conditions, but those who cultivated fire-type arts could clearly feel that their cultivation speed here was far faster than anywhere else.
It was as if the very air contained fire-type spiritual energy several grades denser than what could be found elsewhere.
Some rumored that beneath Fierce Fire City, vast rivers of molten lava churned underground, creating this peculiar landscape spanning a hundred li. But rumors were just rumors, and no one had ever been able to prove it.
Once Yang Kai arrived, he extended his Divine Sense to probe the area, and he could indeed detect the energy of fierce flames surging beneath the earth.
His original intention had been to escort Yun Xuan and Ruan Xinyu safely to Fierce Fire City and then depart. After all, the Pride Alliance had a branch here — once they reached the city, they would effectively be back under the Alliance's protection.
But both women insisted that he stay and rest for a few days before continuing on his way.
Yang Kai considered it for a moment and agreed. His own injuries still needed time to heal.
Upon entering Fierce Fire City and announcing their identities, the city lord, Ji Yan, hurried out to greet them personally.
Ji Yan possessed cultivation at the first level of the Transcendent Realm, putting him in the same tier as Sun Ying. Because he practiced a fire-type cultivation technique and wielded considerable strength, he had been appointed as a city lord to garrison Fierce Fire City.
He was no small asset to the Pride Alliance.
Ji Yan was a broad, brawny man — perhaps a consequence of practicing fire-type cultivation — with exposed skin that carried a dark reddish hue. He looked rough and hearty, and he personally escorted Yun Xuan into the city lord's manor, instructing servants to attend to her needs.
After learning of what had happened to the three Pride Alliance squads on their mission, Ji Yan was thoroughly shocked. He pressed for details.
Ruan Xinyu and Yun Xuan seemed to have reached an understanding between them — they did not reveal Yang Kai's involvement, claiming instead that a passing expert had intervened and slain the Enchantress, saving their lives.
This explanation satisfied Yang Kai, and he shot the two women a grateful glance.
He had actually been worried that Yun Xuan or Ruan Xinyu might tell the truth. If that happened, setting aside whether Ji Yan would even believe it, Yang Kai himself would never be able to leave the Pride Alliance.
Fortunately, neither Yun Xuan nor Ruan Xinyu had any intention of betraying him.
Their account was plausible enough, and Ji Yan inquired at length about the appearance of the supposed expert. Yun Xuan had already prepared a story and described the fictitious figure in careful detail. Ji Yan sighed with admiration, declaring that this unknown benefactor would be listed as a friend of the Pride Alliance, and if they ever crossed paths, the Alliance would surely repay the kindness.
"I need to report this to the main alliance as quickly as possible," Ji Yan said. "Miss Yun, you've been through a terrible ordeal. Please rest in Fierce Fire City for a while. Once you've recovered, I will personally escort you back to the main alliance." With that reminder, he hurried off.
Nearly twenty Shenyou Realm experts and one Transcendent Realm cultivator from the Pride Alliance had perished — this was a matter of enormous gravity, and he naturally had to report it without delay.
"Are you satisfied now?" Ruan Xinyu huffed, regarding Yang Kai with some discomfort.
"Satisfied," Yang Kai said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I'll leave once my injuries have healed."
"The farther the better." Ruan Xinyu had thoroughly had enough of Yang Kai.
Yun Xuan shook her head helplessly and lay there in silence.
Offering his apologies, Yang Kai retired to his own room. He sat cross-legged, circulating his energy to heal his injuries while simultaneously examining the gains he had obtained from the Enchantress.
The Enchantress's Divine Sense energy had contained a form of Divine Sense poison, but this toxin had already been purified by Yang Kai's Divine Sense fire and the golden light of his Golden Benevolent Eye. What remained was pure, refined energy along with the Enchantress's insights into intent and comprehension.
Absorbing these insights and experiences, Yang Kai gained a clearer understanding of the changes occurring within his own Divine Sense.
Only now did he realize that Divine Sense was not without elemental attributes.
Once a warrior cultivated to the Shenyou Realm, they would open up a Sea of Consciousness within their mind and condense their Divine Sense. For most people, their Divine Sense was roughly the same — a chaotic, unattributed form. But certain individuals, through various fortuitous encounters and unique circumstances, were able to undergo a transformation of their Divine Sense.
Yang Kai himself, for example, had absorbed the energy of the true spirit within the jade, which had turned his Divine Sense into something as searing as flame.
Others might find their Divine Sense as cold as glacial ice, as swift as lightning, or as fierce as a howling gale.
Different types of Divine Sense served different purposes, and these mutated forms possessed destructive and offensive power several grades beyond what ordinary warriors' Divine Sense could achieve.
Yang Kai even wondered whether his Divine Sense fire might yield remarkable results if used in alchemy.
He had gleaned considerable insight from the Alchemy True Scripture — the experiences and wisdom of many great alchemists — but none of those alchemists had possessed Divine Sense fire, so there was no precedent for him to reference.
Yet he had a faint intuition that using Divine Sense fire for alchemy might prove more effective and more convenient than using True Yuan.
The thought lingered for a moment before Yang Kai set it aside. After all, he had only just begun his journey in alchemy and still had much to learn.
It would be more realistic to revisit such ideas once he had achieved some level of proficiency in the craft.