18: Never been touched? That won't do.

Seeing Mu Wuchen say that, Nalan Yuruo quickly explained.

"He and I only have an engagement set by our elders; we've barely met a few times. After his talent was lost, our engagement was dissolved. He hasn't even touched my hand."

Nalan Yuruo spoke somewhat cautiously.

She was originally a proud person; otherwise, she wouldn't have dissolved her engagement with Xiao Feng and come to Tianxuan Sect alone, enduring immense family pressure, just because Xiao Feng became a good-for-nothing.

But in front of Mu Wuchen, she could never be proud.

Mu Wuchen's personality was domineering and he was a man of his word. Furthermore, his actions were completely different from most other sect disciples; he was vindictive. If you dared to defy his decisions, no matter who you were, he wouldn't tolerate it and would act immediately.

Mu Wuchen sat atop the Golden Winged Roc, smiling as he looked at Nalan Yuruo.

"Haven't even touched your hand?"

Hearing Mu Wuchen's question, Nalan Yuruo paused, then subconsciously nodded.

"That won't do."

Saying that, Mu Wuchen pointed to his thigh and spoke indifferently:

"Sit here."

...

Three days passed, and a crimson color appeared within the white snow, stained red by human blood.

During these three days, the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire emerged, and treasure seekers arrived one after another.

These people fought fiercely to seize the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire, engaging in dozens of battles, large and small, resulting in over a hundred deaths.

During this period, despite the obstruction of the Great Zhou army, many experts still managed to sneak in, but most of them were merely cannon fodder.

At the core of the icy landscape, more than a dozen figures surrounded a cluster of Qing-white flames emitting a chilling aura.

Among these figures, apart from Xiao Feng, the weakest had Linghai Realm cultivation, and several of them were clearly at the Profound Infant Realm!

Everyone was in a sorry state; besides a few Profound Infants who were still in good condition, most of the Linghai Realm cultivators were injured, and there were dozens of frozen corpses on the ground.

After the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire appeared, those who came here formed a temporary alliance to collectively weaken the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire's power. Even so, they still suffered heavy losses, with many dying.

Now, joy appeared in the eyes of the few people present, because the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire's power seemed to be nearing exhaustion!

Just then, a Linghai Fifth Stage cultivator closest to the flames suddenly leaped up and reached for the Heavenly Cold Nether Flame. Joy appeared in his eyes, and he kept shouting.

"Hahahahaha, this Heaven and Earth Divine Fire is mine!"

However, just as he was about to approach the flames, dancing with excitement, a figure suddenly appeared behind him. A large hand directly pierced through his chest, crushing his heart.

The Linghai Realm cultivator's eyes widened, dying with regret.

The one who killed him was the White-haired Old Man Nalan Yuruo had seen earlier.

The White-haired Old Man's gaze was calm as he slowly pulled out his bloody hand, casually tossing the corpse aside as if it were trash.

He showed no ripple of emotion whatsoever for having killed a teammate he had just fought alongside.

"Mere ants, worthy of possessing the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire?" the White-haired Old Man snorted lightly.

Seeing the White-haired Old Man act this way, the remaining dozen or so people's gazes became wary.

They all kept some distance from each other, fearing they would meet the same fate as the person who had just died.

They had all come for the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire. Now that the divine fire's power was mostly depleted, they were no longer allies but enemies, capable of backstabbing each other at any moment.

The White-haired Old Man ignored the others, turning his head to the Red Flame middle-aged man opposite him, and slowly spoke.

"Red Flame, the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire has been mostly depleted. You and I are the strongest here. How about we team up to eliminate the others, and then we can contend for it ourselves?"

Hearing this, everyone present became extremely wary, cursing the old geezer's shamelessness in their hearts.

The Red Flame middle-aged man named Red Flame, however, showed a mocking expression, and the crimson flames around him flared brightly.

"Old White-hair, I'm Profound Infant Fifth Stage, and you're Profound Infant Seventh Stage. If everyone else dies, I'm afraid I won't survive either. I think it would be better if we all teamed up to eliminate you, the biggest threat, first."

After hearing the Red Flame man's words, everyone nodded in agreement, unconsciously moving closer to the Red Flame man's side. Among them were even two Profound Infant First Stage cultivators.

Compared to the old man, this Red Flame middle-aged man seemed to have no prior instances of backstabbing teammates, and his strength also seemed weaker for the time being. If he truly turned hostile, he would be easier to deal with.

Seeing everyone's reaction, the White-haired Old Man attacked decisively, and the others all joined forces to attack.

However, having learned from the previous lesson, the remaining people all seemed to have ulterior motives. No one was willing to directly withstand the White-haired Old Man's attacks; they all timidly hid behind, wanting to preserve their strength.

And Xiao Feng was hiding among the crowd, slacking off. Because his cultivation was low, no one paid him any mind, only assuming he was lucky and excellent at escaping.

Just then, an old crone at Profound Infant First Stage suddenly burst forth with speed. Everyone initially thought she was going to deal with the White-haired Old Man, but she directly teleported past the White-haired Old Man and grabbed straight for the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire!

Everyone's hearts jumped in surprise.

Oh no, there's a traitor!

With the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire in hand, the old crone began to cackle strangely.

She wasn't some Linghai Realm nobody like the one just now!

"Hahahahaha, didn't expect this, did you? This Heaven and Earth Divine Fire is mine, old woman's!"

However, just as her hand grasped the Qing-white flames, the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire, which had been weak, suddenly flared with brilliant light. Qing-white and crimson colors intertwined, at times as cold as ten thousand feet of ice, and at times as hot as a purgatory!

The flames instantly engulfed the old crone. Shock appeared in her eyes, and her Profound Infant aura erupted as she desperately resisted. But in just a few breaths, her gaze turned from shock to terror, followed by frantic, piercing screams.

Under everyone's gaze, the old crone, who had just been full of vigor and imposing aura, was directly burned to ashes by the dual assault of ice and fire.

Except for the White-haired Old Man and Xiao Feng, everyone else swallowed hard, their faces filled with shock, especially the other Profound Infant First Stage cultivator.

He was of similar strength to the old crone. If the old crone had been burned to nothing, didn't that mean even if he miraculously obtained this Heaven and Earth Divine Fire, he could only look at it but not use it?

His eyes flickered, and then he seemed to make some kind of decision.

"Everyone, this fire is not something this old man can touch. This old man will no longer participate in the 爭奪."

With that, he flung his hand and left. He was here to seize treasure, not to die.

Seeing the Profound Infant Realm expert leave, most of the remaining few Linghai Realm cultivators also turned and departed. They were not fools.

In an instant, only seven or eight people remained: two Profound Infants, several Linghai cultivators, and a Transformation Void Realm Xiao Feng...