Following Du Xuan's gaze, a figure of the diner in the corner of the lobby also turned to look at Du Xuan. His eyes were facing each other, and nodded with smiles.
Then, Du Xuan stood up and walked towards the man.
"Young Master Wu Shang." Du Xuan bowed slightly and smiled.
Wu Shang chuckled, looked at Du Xuan, and asked, "Why are Brother Zhuang alone?"
Last time he met Wu Shang and others in the Kongtong Mountains, Du Xuan called himself Zhuang Zexuan, just like Huju Mountain.
Before Du Xuan could answer, Wu Shang said again: "The last time I saw Brother Zhuang was in the Kongtong Mountains, but today I was in the Jiusi City. Could it be that Brother Zhuang also wanted to join in the fun at Fire Lake?"
After hearing the last sentence, Du Xuan was overjoyed and then sighed with a mournful voice: "Hey! I'm separated from my companions. I heard that the Fire Lake is lively. I thought I had nothing to do recently, so I came to take a look and just wander around. After staying in the mountains for a long time, I should come out to have some breath."
"Is Mr. Wu coming here for the map?" Du Xuan lowered his voice and asked.
Wu Shang did not hesitate to Du Xuan, the demon cultivator, nodded and said, "Just join in the fun."
"It's just right, I wonder if I can go with you?" Du Xuan asked immediately.
Looking at Wu Shang's puzzled and hesitant face, Du Xuan said again: "If you can walk with Mr. Wu, it will be much safer and less trouble. Of course, if you need it, I can also provide some elixirs or heal you."
Wu Shang thought for a while, then looked at the other six people, then turned to look at Du Xuan and smiled, "Brother Zhuang is also a friend of Miss Yuchi. Since that's the case, let's go together. However, if there is any accident in the Fire Lake, we dare not guarantee..."
"Don't worry, if there is any situation, you don't need to be distracted to protect me." Du Xuan said immediately.
Then, Du Xuan said, "Then I'll ask the waiter to bring the wine and food, even if I'll invite this meal."
"Okay, Brother Zhuang, are you polite." Wu Shang nodded, not polite.
After successfully joining a team of fellow travelers, Du Xuan only had to wait for Wu Shang and the other seven people to set off for the Flame Lake. Through conversation, Du Xuan learned that Wu Shang and the others had arrived in Jiusi City the evening before yesterday.
Today, there are many martial arts practitioners gathered in Jiusi City, and the business of restaurants and inns in the city is surprisingly popular. Du Xuan learned the news late, so it was too late to come to Jiusi City. This restaurant is of high quality and has no spare rooms. Fortunately, he met Wu Shang and the others, so he squeezed into a room with two of them.
Today is the tenth day of the lunar month, and there are still five days left before the fifteenth day. From Jiusicheng to Fire Lake, it is only 300 miles away, and you can arrive in one day riding horses. Therefore, Wu Shang and his party stayed in Jiusicheng for another day before urging their horses to set off towards Fire Lake. Naturally, Du Xuan would not buy a horse, but walked with the wild Ruyi Shuttle.
Everyone set out at Chen hour in the morning, and it was not dark in the afternoon. After passing through a short section of the desert, they arrived at the Lake of Fire.
At this time, the Fire Lake was like a small lake under the Liangji Mountain of the Sun Yan clan, with tents of all kinds of colors. However, the people stationed were camping on the hills northwest of the Fire Lake, and no one was stationed on the other three sides.
In the southeast of the Lake of Flame, there is endless yellow sand. Crossing this desert is within the territory of the Yan clan. In the distance of this desert, a volcano with rolling ash smoke can be vaguely seen.
The line at the top of the hill has been occupied by the Wumen and various major families. Du Xuan and the others have to set up camp at a little below the hill, just like other rangers or small sects.
The news that Yuchi Lanhua learned was not detailed. When everyone settled down on the hill, Du Xuan wandered around and asked for information from others. In fact, there was no need to deliberately inquire. The hundreds of people on this hill were mostly about rumors about the martial arts of the Fire Lake.
According to rumors, around the fifteenth hour of this month, the magma flowing out of the volcano erupts will arrive at the Flame Lake, gradually filling the Flame Lake and evaporating the lake water. After the lake water is all evaporated, the boiling magma fills the entire lake, and the hidden map will appear and be born. As for how to appear and be born, it is unknown.
Therefore, everyone is stationed on the hills northwest of the Lake of Flame.
Du Xuan also understood from this that there were many dangers in fighting for the map here. Not to mention so many martial arts masters, the rolling magma alone made people have to be wary of it. Du Xuan soon discovered that there were dozens of demon cultivators with the cultivation of demon masters here. The demon cultivators came here because they could fly in the air.
In addition, on the night of the Fire Lake, Du Xuan and the others received invitations from various major families one after another. This invitation was actually a lot of money to induce and threat.
If they get the map, they can get a reward of up to 100 taels of gold. If they know who gets the map, they will get at least 100 taels of gold as long as they tell any of them. However, if they try to take it for themselves, they may be desperate to walk out of the Fire Lake.
The weak rangers and small sects did not have the ability to resist the big family. Therefore, Wu Shang almost nodded and agreed without hesitation.
In the following days, more and more people gathered on the hills. This time, the rumors came out earlier and spread farther, so naturally more people knew about them.
Du Xuan has always been confused about how these rumors spread. However, no one knows. Moreover, in the face of the temptation of the Great Compassion Dharma, not many people can still be distracted to think about this issue.
As the fifteenth approaches, the smoke from the crater in the clouds becomes denser and darker. Occasionally, a tremor will come from far away and near.
October fifteenth, midnight.
Six or seven hundred people had gathered by the Fire Lake. The hundreds of people were chatting without saying a word. They all stared at the rolling magma that was red in the distance half of the sky. The magma was approaching quickly, and everyone could even feel the hotter and hotter heat. The Fire Lake quickly changed from cool autumn to "slow heat".
At midnight, the magma finally arrived at the Flame Lake. Although it was rumored that the Flame Lake was filled with magma at midnight, but it was actually a little over, it didn't matter. As long as the magma filled the Flame Lake tonight, the rumors would be very true.
Moreover, Liangji Mountain of the Yan clan had already proved the authenticity of the rumors.
The magma in the sky illuminated the sky, and everyone's face was red. Who would have thought that in two or three years, this magma would become a desert, and the magma that filled the lake of flames would soon sink and fill it with clear water again.
The fiery red magma slowly poured into the Flame Lake. The lake surface was steaming and evaporated quickly. From time to time, the fish in the lake were churning and struggling, and the hot heat waves slapped on everyone's faces. At this moment, the Flame Lake was like an open big steamer, full of dangers.
Gradually, the bottom of the lake gradually turned red, and the red color became brighter and clearer. The magma by the lake had already spread below the hills, and many people on the top of the hill felt palpitations.
Finally, the water of the entire Flame Lake was almost evaporated, and the boiling fiery red magma was rising rapidly from the bottom of the lake, becoming a veritable "flame" lake.
Everyone held their breath, held the weapons in their hands tightly, stared at this small magma lake, and prepared to take action to grab the map that might appear at any time.
Du Xuan stood in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, his glowing eyes were like the hot magma, and the flames of white tigers stood on the ground, waiting for the battle.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a huge ball of deep red rose from the bottom of the lake. The ball was about half a meter in diameter. It flew more than twenty feet high with a rolling fireworks and hovered in the air.
Whoosh swish swish swish!
More than a dozen people suddenly soared into the sky and met the fireball. However, these people quickly retreated quickly. Because the fireball suddenly rotated at high speed and shot countless small fireballs into all directions.
Bang bang bang bang!
The dozen people reacted very quickly, and while retreating quickly, they quickly threw out dozens of bright light screen barriers, intending to resist these fireballs.
Du Xuan looked at these demon cultivators, and under the urging of Wu Shang and others next to him, he continuously used the ice jade shield of the cold jade to resist the flying fireball.
The number of demon cultivators is limited, and they are almost all disciples of various major families. Therefore, they cannot protect and will not protect other people on the hill. Helplessly, these scattered warriors had to wield their weapons to resist while waving their weapons hard, and retreating quickly and avoiding to the other side of the hill.
However, there were a large number of fireballs, and these magic barriers were quickly shattered. Many people were hit by fireballs and instantly became firemen. Suddenly, there were continuous wailings on the entire hill, and many firemen rolled down from the hill and were swallowed by the magma below the hill.
Swish!
Many martial artists with higher cultivation level rose into the air and drew sword shadows in this fiery red night sky, shattering fireballs in pieces.
Speaking of Du Xuan, Wu Shang and others, they quickly retreated while fighting hard. Fortunately, they were lucky enough to meet Du Xuan, and no one was injured just now. At this time, Wu Shang and others suddenly felt that it was such a lucky thing to meet Du Xuan.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, two more fireballs flew up from the bottom of the lake. Everyone felt a little cold when they saw this scene. Soon, all three huge fireballs were spinning at high speed, and countless small fireballs poured out toward all sides in a more dense and surging state.
Swish!
A sword light headed straight for one of the huge balls.
Bang!
Another sword light quickly approached, stopped the sword light, and at the same time used the more powerful sword light, shouted: "Don't move that fireball! The map may be inside!"
The huge fireball could not be hurt, but everyone could not stop the small fireballs in the sky. More people could not dodge, were hit by the fireballs, or were knocked down by other people on fire, rolled down the hills, and sank into the magma.
What was even more critical was that some small fireballs that avoided the resistance of martial artists and demon practitioners passed through the hills and landed on the other side of the hills, ignited a raging fire.
Whoosh swish swish swish!
All the demon cultivators had already soared into the air, each holding at least two martial artists and retreating at high speed. Du Xuan, who was fighting and retreating, grabbed Wu Shang and another companion, stepped on the wild Ruyi Shuttle and retreated more than ten feet, and fled outside the range of the fireball attack.