At this moment, he let out a shout and threw out more than a dozen giant logs in one breath. Then he soared into the air, and every time he ascended a certain distance, he would activate his mana to drive each giant log into the cave wall.

After the Qingming Wood absorbed the fire’s energy, it ignited with a bright flame. This smoke would rise upwards, and after about a year, it would also ignite the wooden stakes above. Rising in such a step-by-step manner, in as little as a few decades, or as long as a century, it could draw the earth fire upwards. By then, not only would the fire’s poison have dissipated, but its intensity would be much more potent than before, making it safe for use.

However, arranging this wood also has its complications. The underground cave is filled with numerous empty cavities and densely packed tunnels, many of which are winding and twisting rather than straight or vertical. This means he needs to forcefully create a path using his mana.

Fortunately, he possesses the Five Elements Escape Technique, which makes moving soil and stones a trivial task. Whenever a blockage appears above, he sends an Earth True Light to move it elsewhere.

Years ago, when the ancestor of the Yin Family excavated the earth furnace, he invited several fellow cultivators to help him. It took half a year to complete the task, much less easily than he did today.

However, once this furnace was refined, the benefits were considerable. Not only could it forge sea boats and cloud cars, but it could also create floating sky peaks. If someone skilled in the art had ample treasure materials, they could even fashion mystical artifacts with it.

After obtaining the Earth Fire Sky Furnace, the Yin Family thrived and has not declined to this day.

Knowing all the benefits it held, Zhang Yan expended significant heart power to establish one for the Han Yuan Sect. With the number of Qingming Wood planted here, three or four centuries would be no problem, even if he left this place; by then, the next Sect Leader would take over, ensuring its maintenance and preventing abandonment.

Shortly after Zhang Yan descended, two streaks of tunneling light unexpectedly appeared on the surface. They were deathly pale, looking quite eerie. When they passed before the earth cave, they were slightly hindered by the forbidden array. Then, one after another, they landed on the mountain peak.

The leader was a thin elder, with a sinister expression, sunken cheeks, clad in a black robe, and a live snake coiled around his waist, flicking its tongue.

The other was about seventeen or eighteen, dressed as a scholar, with a pale complexion, scarlet eyes, short legs and long feet, a bloated figure, and his clothes were hung with large and small copper coins, threaded with gold, exuding an aura of malevolence.

The elder glanced at the earth cave below a few times, squinted his eyes, and said, "Strange, Divine House Mountain has always been deserted. I did not expect someone to set up a prohibition here."

The scholar also glanced a few times and said, "Whatever he’s doing, it doesn’t concern us. We should just bypass it."

The elder smiled coldly and said, "How could it be that easy? Blocking the path of fellow brothers, should it be just let go? Let’s first see who it is, and if they’re easy to handle, capture them and refine them into a protective Xuan corpse."

The scholar disagreed, frowned, and said, "This prohibition is not simple. It should be set by a master. Looking at that Dharma Power Spirit Mechanism, it seems their Daoist cultivation is not inferior to ours and likely difficult to deal with."

The elder rolled up his sleeves with a snort and said, "The higher the Daoist cultivation, the better. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be interested."

The scholar advised, "Brother, we are heading to retrieve the inheritance book left by our master. There’s no need to complicate matters and make enemies out of thin air."

The elder glared at him and said angrily, "I still need one more for my corpse formation. Originally, you said that the cheap inhabitants of this car reside here, but after searching for more than ten days, there was no one to be seen. Now that we see someone, you’re stopping me? Unless you’re giving yourself instead? That too would be fine, give me the Lifeless Treasure Coffin your master left you, and I’ll let it go."

Upon hearing this, the scholar was momentarily speechless, knowing he couldn’t persuade him, and said helplessly, "We don’t know how many days this prohibition has stood. If this person doesn’t show up, will Brother wait here indefinitely?"

The elder sneered and said, "East Divine House is a remote and barren place, but someone has come here. If you tell me there’s nothing of interest in that earth cave below, I won’t believe it. Waiting isn’t an issue. Could he possibly stay inside for a year or half a year? Rest assured, if it turns out to be a large group, I’ll turn away. But if it’s just one or two people, heh heh."

The scholar said, "Then I’ll follow Brother’s suggestion. I’ll accompany you."

Only then was the elder satisfied and said, "Junior Brother, there are still sixteen years until the Dragon Pillar Meeting. After we retrieve the inheritance book, we’ll have enough time to cultivate. Don’t be anxious. We’ve waited all these years, why fear waiting a moment longer?"

The scholar nods in agreement, saying, "This year, with Zhongtai Sect opening its mountain gate, it’s a great opportunity for our sect. As long as the Mystical Skill is refined, and we retrieve the Heavenly Corpse Order Seal our master left at the old mountain gate, we can summon our scattered sect members across the Nine Provinces. Re-establishing the sect is not an unattainable hope."

After Zhang Yan entered the earth cave, on the eighth day, he had almost completely stabilized the Heavenly Furnace setup. After another check to confirm everything was correct, he calculated the days and flew up into the sky, starting his escape skill towards the surface.

The elder and the scholar, waiting in secrecy for several days, had yet to see any movement below and couldn’t help but feel restless. Suddenly, they saw a startling rainbow light fly out from the earth cave, and they could not help but feel excited, but upon closer inspection, their expressions changed.

The elder lowered his voice and said, "Junior Brother, did you see that?"

The scholar swallowed and said, "That seemed like the Sword Escape Technique. Could it be a disciple of the Fengxiang Sword Sect?"

The elder, seeing his fear, was displeased and said, "What are you afraid of? Haven’t we met people from the Fengxiang Sword Sect before? Their disciples are only fast in escape skills. As for other capabilities, they are ordinary. Besides, it’s just one person. Unless we encounter one of the Five Mystic Swords from that sect, there’s no cause for concern. Pay attention; if that person dismantles the prohibition, I’ll step forward and feign a greeting while you take action, triggering the corpse formation, and make sure to trap them."

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to qidian.com to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)