Ch. 1442 - Stone Flame City, Gathering Information

“Stone Flame City is close to the Departure Fire God Realm,” Huo Yunzi explained. “It serves as the barrier between the two vast regions. If the Water Beasts ever attack the Chaos Fire God Realm, Stone Flame City will be their first target.

“Blade Tyrant’s character might’ve been questionable, but his management skills were exceptional. Under his governance, Stone Flame City became heavily fortified, one of the Chaos Fire God Realm’s strongest defenses.”

Hearing this, Xu Zimo understood. Stone Flame City couldn’t remain without a lord, even for a single day. Taking charge of it was indeed a difficult assignment.

Unlike other cities, this one had to remain constantly vigilant against the threat of Water Beasts. If managed well, Huo Yunzi would merely follow in Blade Tyrant’s footsteps. But if anything went wrong, all responsibility would fall on him.

“Blade Tyrant died too suddenly,” Huo Yunzi said with a wry smile. “There wasn’t time to evaluate other candidates, so I was ordered to step in. Truthfully, I didn’t want this responsibility. I’ve been retired for years, but what can I do? Fire Ancestor trusts me too much. If anyone else were appointed, he’d probably worry himself sick.”

“Don’t worry,” Xu Zimo said lightly. “We’re only passing through Stone Flame City. We won’t cause any trouble. My goal is the Departure Fire God Realm.”

“As expected of the Chaos Fire God Realm’s number one young cultivator,” Huo Yunzi laughed. “While others avoid the Departure Fire God Realm, you choose to head straight for it. A pity your ambitions are so high, otherwise, you’d make the perfect city lord for Stone Flame City.”

Xu Zimo didn’t respond. Even if he wanted the position, Fire Ancestor would never hand Stone Flame City to him. The man’s guard against him ran deep.

The three of them stepped into the teleportation formation together. A powerful surge of spatial energy swallowed them whole, and in an instant, their figures disappeared.

After they left, in the main hall of the Chaos Fire God Realm, Fire Ancestor watched the fading image projected before him and finally exhaled in relief.

“At last, he’s gone.”

“You seem afraid of him,” said a bandaged man who appeared from the shadows.

“Not afraid,” Fire Ancestor replied, shaking his head. “But anything beyond my control, best kept at a distance. His world doesn’t belong to the Chaos Fire God Realm. Once he reaches the Ancestral Lands, he can cause whatever chaos he likes; it’ll no longer concern me.”

“And the Prince's Manor?” the bandaged man asked. “What will you do about them?”

“The Prince's Manor has already been destroyed. What else is there to deal with?” Fire Ancestor countered.

“The family’s gone, yes, but what about the children? They carry the bloodline. What do you plan to do with them?”

“That’s simple,” Fire Ancestor said calmly. “Send them to other cities. One thing’s for sure, they can’t stay within the Chaos Fire God Realm.”

“You’re truly ruthless,” the bandaged man said coldly.

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t still be the overlord of the Chaos Fire God Realm,” Fire Ancestor replied. “The strong grow stronger. I abandoned personal sentiment long ago. As long as it benefits the Chaos Fire God Realm, that’s all that matters.”

The bandaged man let out a few mocking laughs, then his figure also faded from sight.

After a long stretch of space-time travel, Xu Zimo and his companions finally saw light again.

A burst of flame flared before them, then dissipated into brightness as their feet found solid ground. They had arrived at the teleportation plaza within Stone Flame City.

The population here wasn’t large. Because of its location, many of the city’s residents had long since relocated elsewhere. When Xu Zimo looked around, the streets appeared almost deserted.

The wide avenues had only a few scattered pedestrians. Even street vendors were hard to find.

Still, Stone Flame City itself was vast and well-defended. The soldiers stationed there were tall and muscular, their cultivation levels high. Without sufficient strength, they couldn’t possibly suppress the threat of the Water Beasts or act as a shield for the Chaos Fire God Realm.

Huo Yunzi’s figure emerged shortly after.

He smiled and said, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to entertain you two. There’s a mountain of paperwork waiting for me here.”

“No worries, go handle your duties,” Xu Zimo smiled.

He had more pressing matters, he needed information about the Departure Fire God Realm.

Taking Shangguan Xian along, he began to wander through several streets of the city.

“This place feels so desolate,” Shangguan Xian remarked. “It’s like a city built in the middle of a desert.”

“Not far off,” Xu Zimo nodded. “I wonder what the Departure Fire God Realm looks like now. Could those Water Beasts really know how to run a city?”

As they chatted, they came across an inn.

It was the only one in Stone Flame City, they had walked the entire city before finding it.

When they entered, it was almost empty. There were no maids, just the innkeeper slumped over a table.

“Boss, you’ve got customers,” Xu Zimo called out.

The innkeeper quickly stood up, smiling warmly. “Rare guests indeed! Hardly anyone visits Stone Flame City these days. My inn hasn’t had proper business in ages.”

He rubbed his hands apologetically and added, “I’m afraid I can’t offer much on the menu, just whatever’s left in the kitchen.”

“No problem,” Xu Zimo said with a casual wave. “We’ll take whatever you got.”

He hadn’t come for the food anyway. What he wanted was information.

The innkeeper, delighted, hurried to the kitchen himself. Before long, he brought out a few steaming dishes and bowls of rice.

“Please, eat to your hearts’ content,” he said cheerfully. “As for the price, just pay whatever you think is fair.”

“Actually, I wanted to ask you about something,” Xu Zimo said with a polite smile.

“Go ahead,” the innkeeper replied, sitting down beside them. With no customers to serve, he was glad for some company.

“How far is it from here to the Departure Fire God Realm?” Xu Zimo asked.

“Not too far, not too close,” the innkeeper said. “If you head north and cross a mountain range, you’ll reach the Departure Fire border. But most of the Water Beasts are concentrated deep in the center of that region. The outskirts are quiet, and quite barren.”

Xu Zimo nodded thoughtfully. “Besides the Water Beasts, have you seen any other kinds of creatures?”

He was really asking about the blue beings.

The innkeeper shook his head. “Even though we’re close to the Departure Fire God Realm, the Water Beasts rarely attack Stone Flame City. I haven’t seen many of them myself.”

“Do you happen to have a map of the Departure Fire God Realm?” Xu Zimo asked next.

He’d never been there before. Wandering blindly would be reckless.

“Wait here,” the innkeeper said, getting up.

After rummaging around the inn for a while, he returned with a rolled-up map. Handing it to Xu Zimo, he said, “Before the Departure Fire God Realm fell, maps like this were common here in Stone Flame City. When the place was overrun, people realized how valuable they were, so plenty of copies were made. It’s not rare.”

Xu Zimo accepted the map, unrolled it briefly to take a look, then put it away.

He was ready to leave. Before departing, he left behind a very generous amount of spirit crystals for the innkeeper.

Though the man tried to refuse, Xu Zimo insisted. After all, he owed the man a favor for his help.

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