The gaunt man's face drastically changed upon seeing their attire: "It's someone from the Guiyuan Sect!" The retinues from the major sects gathered at the foot of Flame Mountain all wore identical uniforms, making them easy to identify. Ordinary martial artists would usually choose to steer clear of such powerful groups.

"If I go down now, I'll certainly be captured. With my current strength, I won't escape the Guiyuan Sect's clutches!

There's no other way!" The gaunt man tilted his head back, grit his teeth, and rapidly began climbing upwards using the vine. He was, after all, a martial artist, and his climbing speed was quite swift.

If he jumped down, he would be caught for sure. Escape into the cave beneath the vines?

If the others entered the cave, they would quickly catch up. Climbing up—if he could move fast enough to reach the top of this low cliff first, there might still be hope.

... Teng Qingshan stood at the base of the mountain, gazing up at the figure scrambling up the cliff face.

"Commander, aren't we going to pursue?" Du Hong asked, a hint of anxiety in his voice. Teng Qingshan, however, simply smiled faintly, picked up two small pebbles from the ground, and watched the gaunt man struggle as he reached a steeper section where the vines offered no purchase.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent one pebble flying. It shot across the sky like a meteor and struck the gaunt man precisely on his right arm.

"Ah!" The gaunt man’s right hand, gripping the rock, involuntarily loosened, and a cry of pain escaped him. Losing his balance, he began to fall backward.

This cliff was over ten zhang high. If he had simply jumped down, he might have at worst broken a leg.

But this was a loss of balance. Falling backward from such a height—even a first-rate martial artist would be smashed to death.

Whoosh! Teng Qingshan moved like a gust of wind.

Facing the body plummeting like a cannonball from the high altitude, he reached out one hand— Ten zhang was roughly forty meters, equivalent to a dozen stories in Teng Qingshan’s previous world. The sheer impact of falling that distance!

Even a first-rate martial artist catching someone like this would likely have their arms shattered. Teng Qingshan placed his right hand against the falling man's body.

With a gentle push, he deflected nine-tenths of the impact force, then swiftly withdrew his hand, allowing the gaunt man to drop the remaining distance. Peng!

Having had most of the kinetic energy neutralized, the gaunt man landed, feeling only a sharp constriction in his chest, not seriously injured. In reality, Teng Qingshan could have taken the entire impact single-handedly.

But if he had done so, while he himself would have been fine, the gaunt man would likely have been shaken to death. He could only employ such a gentle technique.

"I know the secret of the Black Fire Spirit Fruit. He is saving me now because he likely doesn't know the situation inside the cave and wants me to lead the way.

Once they find the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, they will definitely kill me to silence me. They absolutely won't let me leave freely; they want exclusive rights to the fruit!" The gaunt man was no fool; he was an experienced veteran of the martial world.

He understood that anyone discovering the Black Fire Spirit Fruit would react with the desire for sole possession! Lying on the ground, he suddenly swung his hand, sending a flash of cold light stabbing toward Teng Qingshan’s chest at close range.

Immediately, he braced himself with both hands and shot forward, intending to sprint away into the distance. Clang!

Teng Qingshan flicked his finger, sending the dagger flying. Watching the gaunt man flee, Teng Qingshan threw the other pebble he held.

"Ah!" The gaunt man’s right leg involuntarily buckled, and he collapsed onto his backside. "If you run again, I will kill you!" a cold voice echoed in his ear.

The gaunt man, who had been desperate to escape, felt a wave of despair wash over him. He understood that if he couldn't escape a surprise attack at such close range, there was even less hope now.

He was not someone who sought death unnecessarily. Rubbing the back of his right knee, the gaunt man slowly stood up, turned back toward Teng Qingshan, and forced a strained smile: "Esteemed sirs of the Guiyuan Sect, you..." "Inside that cave, is there a Black Fire Spirit Fruit?" Teng Qingshan asked directly.

The gaunt man paused. The other party had guessed with startling accuracy.

"Yes!" the gaunt man nodded. At that moment, Du Hong, Teng Qinghu, and the rest of the group rushed over.

Hearing the confirmation, they were overjoyed. "Qingshan, your guess was spot on.

The Black Fire Spirit Fruit is actually in this canyon; we've been running around aimlessly!" Teng Qinghu exclaimed. Teng Qingshan let a faint smile touch his lips; he had only guessed based on the escape route of that Scarlet Scaled Young Beast.

Teng Qingshan immediately gave orders: "Qinghu, Old Du, you two come into the cave with me. Everyone else remain around here, pretend to search for the Black Fire Spirit Fruit location.

Wait for us to emerge." "Yes, Commander," the group whispered, lowering their voices. The gaunt man looked at Teng Qingshan with terror: "Yes, this man is Commander Teng Qingshan of the Guiyuan Sect, the one who dueled Sima Feng that day.

No wonder he could catch me so easily after I fell over sixteen or seventeen zhang. And he blocked my sneak attack at such close range with such ease." Knowing the other party's identity, the gaunt man dared not resist any longer.

Teng Qingshan scanned their surroundings. There were no other people in the vicinity of the canyon.

The canyon itself was rather secluded, and even if someone searched, it would usually be only a few people. If those searchers found nothing, they typically wouldn't search again.

"Let's enter the cave," Teng Qingshan stated. Then, Teng Qingshan grabbed the gaunt man's clothing with his left hand and leaped upward, easily clearing seven or eight zhang.

With his right hand, he casually grasped a protruding rock for leverage, sprung higher, and then pushed off with his foot once more, launching himself directly to the cave entrance. He pushed aside the vines and entered.

Teng Qinghu and Du Hong used both hands and feet, climbing with equal speed. Both were first-rate martial artists, and it took them only a few breaths to reach the cave entrance.

... Teng Qingshan carefully replaced the vines, obscuring the cave mouth.

The tunnel inside was relatively dim, but its height was over a zhang, meaning they did not need to stoop. "You lead the way," Teng Qingshan commanded flatly.

Beside him, Du Hong snarled at the gaunt man, "Boy, try any tricks, and even if the Commander doesn't act, I'll run you through with my spear!" By this time, Du Hong and the others had drawn their long spears from their backs, and Teng Qingshan retrieved the spear he carried on his back. Everything inside the cave was unknown; caution was paramount.

"My lords, please rest assured. In the presence of Commander Teng, even if this humble one had ten times the courage, I would not dare flee again," the gaunt man replied subserviently.

"Commander Teng, esteemed sirs, I shall lead the way." With that, the gaunt man began moving deeper into the cave. Although he spoke respectfully, the gaunt man’s heart raced with anxiety: None of these major sects are merciful.

For now, I am useful, but once they see the Black Fire Spirit Fruit, they will surely kill me to keep silent. I must find a good opportunity.

Although he feared Teng Qingshan, he feared being silenced even more. His mind raced, searching for an escape route, but his mouth remained cheerful: "Commander Teng, this passage isn't very long.

The Great Fissure is just ahead!" "Fissure?" Teng Qingshan felt they had walked about a hundred meters when he saw a massive, yawning crack, about a zhang wide. The fissure was pitch black within, seemingly bottomless.

A faint, scorching heat emanated from it, washing over them. Du Hong shouted, "Boy, how did you get down here?" The gaunt man quickly explained, "My lords, this fissure is a hundred zhang deep; anyone falling in would certainly die.

This humble one spent half the night traveling to the opposite cliff face to gather sturdy vines and create a very long rope. It's right over there!" He pointed to a spot not far to the side, where a thick vine was indeed secured.

"I will descend first," Teng Qingshan said, then looked at the gaunt man. "You are second.

Qinghu and Old Du, follow behind." Teng Qingshan was wary of the gaunt man playing any tricks. "Go!" Teng Qingshan slung his Reincarnation Spear back onto his shoulder, then leaped down, using the cliff face for a brief push-off.

Grasping the vine, he descended rapidly. "Hurry up!" Du Hong urged the gaunt man.

The gaunt man quickly followed him down. During the descent, Teng Qingshan noticed that the depths of the fissure grew increasingly dark: "Even with my eyesight, I can barely see five or six meters ahead!

For an ordinary first-rate martial artist, they probably couldn't see their own hands." Teng Qingshan also felt an intense, sulfurous heat blast toward him. It grew steadily more potent!

As they slid down, the temperature kept rising, and the sulfurous heat became more concentrated. Puff!

Teng Qingshan finally reached the bottom. "Indeed, about a hundred zhang deep!

Calculating based on the height of the cliff cave, the place I'm standing now should be eighty or ninety zhang deeper than the canyon floor!" A moment later, the gaunt man, Du Hong, and Teng Qinghu all arrived at the bottom. "Lead the way," Teng Qingshan commanded.

The gaunt man walked ahead with familiarity, saying, "Commander Teng, this is the deep underground; it's especially hot." Ahead, a faint red light began to appear. Even this dim illumination allowed Teng Qingshan to see tens of meters ahead clearly.

He saw indistinct, shallow red mist ahead. "Red?" Du Hong looked surprised.

"Commander Teng, that is actually water vapor!" the gaunt man said. "Water vapor should be white mist; who are you trying to fool?

Are you trying some trick?" Teng Qinghu snapped. The gaunt man immediately looked frightened.

"Esteemed sirs, I wouldn't dare lie to you; it really is white mist! It only appears as water vapor because it is so hot here." Teng Qingshan also noted that the temperature was growing even more intense.

While the canyon was hot, it wasn't excessive; this was becoming exaggerated. Following the gaunt man, Teng Qingshan and the other two stepped into the 'red mist.' As soon as Teng Qingshan approached, he confirmed that this was indeed ordinary water vapor.

Gradually, Teng Qingshan heard a 'gurgling' sound, like water boiling. Teng Qingshan rested his right hand on the gaunt man's shoulder, following him closely.

"This Teng Qingshan is truly cautious," the gaunt man remarked, feeling the hand resting on his shoulder. This place would be the best spot to escape, but...

His original plan was indeed to escape here. But he had no choice.

They continued walking! After advancing several dozen zhang, the mist thinned, and the 'gurgling' sound grew clearer.

Finally, Teng Qingshan's group emerged from the misty area. "What is this—" Teng Qinghu and Du Hong stared dumbfounded.

The gaunt man quickly said, "This must be the underground lava recorded in books!" Teng Qingshan looked at the searing, reddish-hot magma flowing ahead. The lava was moving slowly, occasionally sputtering bubbles.

The terrifying heat forced Du Hong and the others to circulate their internal energy. "Magma!" Teng Qingshan knew exactly what it was.

"The magma layer should be extremely deep underground. I didn't expect to find a lava flow only two or three hundred meters down.

It seems... this place really did experience a volcanic eruption in the past."