The thought flashed instinctively across the minds of Nie Kong and the two with him.

Indeed, the pulse of the Dragon Heart grew fainter, and after only a few short seconds, it fell completely silent, no more flames erupting.

If there were no flames here, the flames outside must have vanished too. If that were the case, the passage formed by drawing on the Fire Spirit Power element within those flames would surely disappear as well!

Instantly, a profoundly ill omen surfaced in the hearts of Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling. Without a passage, how could they escape this deep pit?

Thump! The Dragon Heart suddenly dropped to the ground, as if a colossal mountain stone had fallen, causing the stone pillar to tremble violently. A moment later, a second tremor followed...

“Retreat!” Nie Kong’s heart lurched, and he roared the command out loud.

Almost as his voice rang out, Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling reacted simultaneously, rushing with Nie Kong toward the exit...

On the mountainside of the Flaming Mountain.

The disciples from the two sects, Lan Shang and Nie Fenghua, were sitting quietly on the ground, resting. They had already searched every accessible part of the Flaming Mountain. Staying here now was only to wait for Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling to descend from the summit after battling the spirit beast.

“Look! The fire above is gone!” Suddenly, a female disciple from the Ink Snow Sect shouted loudly.

Before her voice could even fade, everyone felt a sudden lightness in their bodies; the scorching oppressive aura that had weighed down from the mountaintop vanished instantly. Lan Shang and the others quickly looked up and indeed saw that the fiercely burning blaze on the summit was nowhere in sight, causing even the blood-red sky to dim considerably.

They exchanged disbelieving glances.

Ever since the "Netherflame Abyss Spring" was discovered, whenever it opened every fifty years, the fire atop the Flaming Mountain had never been extinguished. Yet unexpectedly, it was gone today! Could it be... related to the spirit beast that had entangled Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling for three full days?

Suddenly, a powerful urge welled up in Lan Shang and the others: to go up to the summit and see!

Now that even the nearly perpetual fire was gone, the pressure blocking their path no longer existed, and they should be able to reach the peak unimpeded.

“Boom!”

However, before they could act on the thought, the ground beneath them shook. This was immediately followed by a second tremor, then a third... The tremors of the Flaming Mountain grew fiercer with each instance, rumbling sounds constantly emerging from beneath the earth, as if the entire mountain range might collapse at any moment.

This sudden turn of events left them all astonished and uncertain. Liu Heming and Gu Ruofei looked towards Lan Shang, while the disciples of the Ink Snow Sect fixed their gazes on Nie Fenghua.

“Go!”

Nie Fenghua’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she ordered calmly. Hearing her decision, the Ink Snow Sect disciples were visibly relieved, their figures transforming into streaks of azure light as they sped down the mountain. Nie Fenghua glanced at the summit one last time, then her beautiful eyes turned to Lan Shang and the others: “Senior Brothers and Sisters, what are your intentions?”

“We... should leave this place too!” Lan Shang waved her hand dismissively.

“But, Junior Brother Nie Kong and the others are still up there!” Gu Ruofei sounded somewhat anxious. “Do you think we have time now to go up and check on them?” Lan Shang replied with a wry smile.

“…”

Everyone fell silent. The Flaming Mountain was shaking increasingly violently; they could barely remain steady on their feet. If they tried to ascend now to find out about Nie Kong and the others, and the mountain range collapsed, it was feared that all the Spirit Guard City disciples who entered the "Netherflame Abyss Spring" would perish here today.

The power of such a massive natural change was far beyond what a Spirit Transformation Master could withstand.

“If Junior Brother Nie Kong and the others sensed something was wrong, they would likely descend from another direction...” Lan Shang sighed and drifted downwards. Before long, Liu Heming and Jing Lan followed, and after they were all twenty or thirty meters away, Nie Fenghua and Gu Ruofei cast one last look at the peak before soaring down...

Inside the Stone Pillar Space.

Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling suddenly halted. The moment the soul of the "Netherflame Soul Heaven Dragon" vanished, the blocked exit had cleared. Yet, before they could rush two meters out, the blood-red stone wall that had dissolved reappeared.

What was most exasperating was that while the outer side of the stone wall featured a sword-shaped groove meant for a key, the inner side was smooth as jade. There wasn't even the slightest hairline crack; it formed an absolute seamless whole with the surrounding stone walls. This wall was at least ten meters thick; without the key, it was absolutely impossible to open.

“We’re trapped!”

Nie Kong’s gaze swept over Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling, and he let out a bitter laugh. At this moment, it felt as if the heavens and earth were tearing apart; in just this brief time, Nie Kong’s body had swayed violently five times. Once the shaking exceeded the stone pillar’s limit of endurance, this place would immediately collapse.

At that point, the three of them would undoubtedly die.

Though Nie Kong didn't state it explicitly, his meaning was crystal clear. Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling immediately grasped it. Both fell silent. For a moment, the only sound in this space was the booming echo rising from the ground, as if an aura of death had begun to spread.

Clang! The greatsword struck the ground heavily, instantly stabilizing Bai Yuqing’s shaking figure. Four simple words slipped from her lips: “If we die, so be it!”

Nie Kong was somewhat surprised that the young Bai Yuqing was so nonchalant when facing death, yet he also felt it was perfectly reasonable. This little girl, Bai Yuqing, had likely faced the threat of death countless times. Considering her trials in the "Life and Death Illusionary Realm," wasn't every day spent there leaving her covered in wounds and bloodstains? Given her experience, maintaining such equanimity toward life and death was normal.

Whoosh.

Just then, Mu Hongling shot towards the center of the space.

Nie Kong instinctively called out, “What are you doing?”

“Even if we die, your Master must first take a look at that Dragon Heart!” Mu Hongling’s crisp voice drifted over. Nie Kong felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; he hadn't expected her to still care about the "Netherflame Soul Heaven Dragon’s" heart at such a moment. However, judging by her actions, she clearly wasn't taking death too seriously either. Not long after, Mu Hongling floated back toward them, clutching the heart like a crimson cloud.

“I wasn’t wrong after all, this is truly a fine item. If I could cultivate with it, the effect would be far better than on the Flaming Mountain! Furthermore, the Flaming Mountain cannot be taken away, but this Dragon Heart can be carried out!” Mu Hongling chuckled, sitting down beside Bai Yuqing, unwilling to part with the Dragon Heart.

“You two are quite carefree…” Nie Kong couldn't help but smile, shifted his legs, and also settled into a cross-legged position on the ground.

Since these two young women feared no death, Nie Kong, who had already experienced death once and was accustomed to the ebb and flow of life and demise, was naturally fearless. However, at this moment, an indescribable sense of melancholy filled his heart. Images of Hua Mei, Mu Xueyi, Long Rong, Long Ci... flashed before his eyes. Unknowingly, there were too many people in this world he couldn't let go of, especially since he still hadn't confirmed whether Hua Mei was alive! Involuntarily, Nie Kong let out a soft sigh.

“Are you afraid of death?” Bai Yuqing suddenly spoke, and Mu Hongling’s two gazes shifted towards him as well.

“Do I look like someone afraid of death?” Nie Kong laughed.

“No!” Bai Yuqing shook her head.

“Indeed. It’s just that I still have some things I can’t let go of,” Nie Kong chuckled lightly. “You two show absolutely no fear of death, which makes me truly admire you.”

“Actually, Master is very afraid of dying.”

Mu Hongling snorted twice, wrinkling her nose. “But if my apprentice isn’t afraid, I, as the Master, cannot let you know, no matter how scared I am! Otherwise, how can I possibly be your Master! Haven’t you seen my hands shaking?” Saying this, Mu Hongling’s two fair, tender hands trembled in a spastic manner. However, her acting skills were clearly lacking; anyone could tell it was intentional with one glance.

“…”

Seeing this, Nie Kong could only give a wry smile.

“Rumble! Rumble…”

As they spoke, it seemed as if countless massive stones, carrying immense force, were successively smashing onto the top of the stone pillar. Deafening impact sounds rose and fell one after another, causing the stone pillar space to vibrate even more intensely. The three of them understood clearly: the giant pit outside was beginning to collapse...

…

It is difficult ascending the mountain, but easy descending!

In no time, the dozen or so disciples from Spirit Guard City and Ink Snow Sect reached the base of the mountain and continued traveling forward for several thousand meters before stopping to look back. Even far from the Flaming Mountain, the ground tremors remained powerful, with continuous rumbling sounds lingering in the air.

Boom! Following a deafening roar, the pupils of everyone present dilated sharply. In the distance, the summit of the Flaming Mountain was visibly sinking downwards at a rate observable by the naked eye, while the surrounding mountainsides were perpetually bulging upwards.

Suddenly, an astonishing spectacle unfolded before their eyes: countless gigantic rocks shot into the sky like sharp arrows, then plummeted down like shooting stars, densely packed and dazzling to behold. Sizzling whistles tore through the void, echoing back and forth between heaven and earth.

In an instant, the Flaming Mountain seemed to transform into a colossal blood-red fountain.

Yet, in the eyes of the onlookers, this spectacle was not beautiful; instead, it sent a jolt of alarm through their hearts. If they had descended even slightly later, they would likely have been pulverized into blood mist by those shooting stones. Under such immense elemental might, even Void Spirit Masters might not be able to secure their own safety.

At this moment, although no one mentioned Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling, they all knew very well in their hearts that the three of them would likely not escape this catastrophe…

“Huh? Why hasn’t this stone pillar collapsed yet?”

Inside the Stone Pillar Space, Mu Hongling’s pretty face was full of astonishment.

About fifteen minutes had passed since the sinkhole outside collapsed, but no matter how violently this space shook, the surrounding stone walls showed no cracks, not even a single grain of dust had fallen. This made the three of them feel utterly unbelievable.

Nie Kong’s brow twitched, and he probed with surprise. After a moment, his brow suddenly relaxed, and he smiled: “Perhaps, we can temporarily stop being afraid of death!”