Chapter 446 - 452: A New Use for the Immortal Furnace

Song Wanning was desperately trying to get closer to the Demon God Tomb when she suddenly sensed a powerful force behind her. Then she saw Baili Shang fleeing rapidly on a flying carpet, and an idea flashed through her mind.

A blade of light descended, carrying a destructive force. If it landed on her, she would be crippled, if not killed.

But just as the blade of light was about to strike, a Pill Furnace materialized out of thin air, flipped over, and completely covered Song Wanning.

Song Wanning had never thought of using the Immortal Furnace as a defensive Magical Treasure before, but Baili Shang’s actions had given her the idea, forcing her to give it a try.

The result was unexpectedly good. When the blade of light struck the Immortal Furnace, it didn’t leave so much as a scratch and was even sent flying back.

Meanwhile, Song Wanning, inside the Immortal Furnace, felt no vibrations at all and continued steadily on her way.

Her Divine Sense probed outside through the Immortal Furnace, and she saw the Huo Clan Leader’s almost-contorted face.

"What the hell are these things?!!!"

The Huo Clan Leader’s expression darkened. He never imagined these two would have so many treasures. This Pill Furnace, in particular, was the absolute cream of the crop.

After all, any item capable of withstanding an attack from an Integration Stage Cultivator was bound to be extraordinary.

Even the Huo Family couldn’t produce more than a few such items.

The Huo Clan Leader’s eyes narrowed, and thoughts of taking it for himself quickly surfaced.

But the thought lasted only an instant before he attacked the pair again.

On his flying carpet, Baili Shang managed to deflect most of the attack’s power time and again, but he was still seriously injured, using the momentum to push himself closer to the Demon God Tomb.

He had been enduring it, but after seeing Song Wanning, he grew a little agitated.

No matter what attack the Huo Clan Leader launched, the Immortal Furnace remained completely stable. It could even reflect the attacks, nearly injuring the Clan Leader himself a few times.

This prevented the Huo Clan Leader from ever getting ahead of them to cut them off.

Meanwhile, they were getting closer and closer to the Demon God Tomb.

"PFFT—"

Baili Shang spat out another mouthful of blood, his glance toward Song Wanning filled with envy.

The Huo Clan Leader was also seething with anger.

He shut his eyes, telling himself over and over to remain calm.

But for some reason, every time he saw Song Wanning, he would burn with rage, completely unable to find his composure.

But when he saw the restrictive barrier that had suddenly appeared ahead, he laughed.

"Stop running! That’s the forbidden ground of the Central Domain up ahead. You can’t get in!"

"You might as well give up and surrender obediently."

The Huo Clan Leader stopped, a cruel smile playing on his lips as he closed in on the pair.

’Still trying to escape?’

’Now let’s see how they run.’

’The heavens are truly on my side!’

The Huo Clan Leader was brimming with confidence, but he had no idea that this place was their intended destination all along.

The smile he had just raised instantly froze on his face. Right before his eyes, Song Wanning and Baili Shang charged directly into the restrictive barrier and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The Huo Clan Leader was stunned for a moment, then horrified. With a SWOOSH, he rushed forward, refusing to believe it, and tried to charge into the barrier himself.

But no matter how he tried, the barrier held firm, blocking his path.

"What’s going on?"

"Why could they enter the forbidden ground? Why?!!!"

The Huo Clan Leader’s face was a mask of disbelief. He felt as though everything he had known for years had been completely shattered.

The forbidden ground had existed for hundreds of thousands of years, but no one had ever been able to enter it. Over time, it simply became known as the forbidden ground of the Central Domain.

And now, two people from the Outer Realm had entered it without any obstruction?

’Does the forbidden ground only bar cultivators from the Central Domain?’

’That’s impossible!’

People from the Outer Realm had tried before and failed to enter, so it had to be a matter of who they were.

The Huo Clan Leader’s expression darkened.

’So their target was the forbidden ground all along!!’

When he thought back to what he had just said, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

"Damn it!!"

...

The pursuit from behind suddenly vanished. The moment Song Wanning entered the barrier, her Divine Sense was sealed off.

She felt as if she had passed through a thin layer of clouds, followed by a peculiar, soft sensation under her feet.

Song Wanning cautiously retrieved the Immortal Furnace, preparing for any unexpected situations. She tightly gripped the jade hairpin in her hand.

’This gift from Senior Feng Jiuxiao helped me pass through the barrier’s restrictions time and again. I’ll have to thank him properly when I see him next.’

With the Immortal Furnace put away, Song Wanning surveyed her surroundings. There was nothing but endless white mist in all directions.

’Is this the Demon God Tomb?’

She carefully put the Immortal Furnace away. ’This furnace is my best defensive treasure now. After all, it is an Immortal Artifact.’

’Senior Daoqing probably never imagined his Immortal Furnace would be used like this.’

Song Wanning pressed her lips into a small smile and began to carefully explore the area. Her Divine Sense was blocked here, so she couldn’t tell if Baili Shang was nearby.

For now, all she could do was explore the Demon God Tomb slowly, hoping to find the Demon God’s remnant soul again.

...

The Huo Clan Leader stood guard outside the forbidden ground for three whole days, but he never saw a trace of Song Wanning or Baili Shang.

With the Yun Family pressing him urgently, he had no choice but to return first.

Therefore, he had to summon the family’s Great Elder—another master at the Body Integration Realm—to take his place and stand guard.

"If they come out, it’s best not to act rashly. Send word to me first."

"You can’t judge these two by their Cultivation. Their methods are incredibly treacherous."

The Huo Clan Leader was still uneasy, so he repeatedly warned the Great Elder not to attack them recklessly.

The Huo Family had already lost a Divine Separation Stage elder because of these two; they couldn’t afford to lose another.

"Don’t worry, I know what to do."

The Great Elder was dismissive, though he agreed readily enough.

’One is at the Void Refining Stage, the other at the Divine Separation Stage. Just because they could kill Huo Yuan, who was at the Divine Separation Stage, doesn’t mean they can kill me, an Integration Stage master.’

"Good. I’ll head back first, then. If you see them, remember to notify me immediately!"

The Huo Clan Leader loathed the pair to his very core. Since becoming the Huo Family Patriarch, when had he ever been toyed with like this?

It was an utter humiliation!

After giving his instructions, he left. The Great Elder remained alone outside the forbidden ground, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

’Hmph. You dare kill someone from my Huo Family? Then prepare to die.’

’I refuse to believe you can hide in there for a lifetime!’

With that, he found a hidden spot and concealed himself, keeping a constant watch on any movement from the forbidden ground.

Meanwhile, after returning to the Huo Family estate, the Huo Clan Leader immediately began negotiations with the Yun Family regarding compensation.

The Yun Family had always been on bad terms with the Huo Family. The two clans were major competitors, and they had even established a rule forbidding intermarriage, which showed just how tense their relationship was.

This time, the Yun Family had the moral high ground. The Huo Clan Leader didn’t want to offer too much compensation, but he was mocked to his face by the Yun Family Patriarch.

"Surely the great Huo Clan Leader can afford it, can’t he? I heard that the Pill Master you recruited from the Four Domains killed one of your Huo Family elders. It seems you were truly desperate to have to search for a Pill Master in the outer regions."

"And you... if you were truly in trouble, you could have come to us, the Yun Family. After all, we’ve been such good friends for so many years. Surely that relationship is worth more than some outsider, isn’t it?"