Ye Tiancheng felt increasingly uneasy. Although the fatty was now a cultivator, albeit just starting, with the enhancement of the shovel, he was definitely different from ordinary cultivators.
He was an adult with full agency and did not need Ye Tiancheng to worry so much. Even as his brother, he didn't need to think ahead about everything. Ye Tiancheng wasn't the fatty's nanny, yet Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but worry.
"Xue'er, I need to go and see. You keep an eye out for me. If anything happens, we'll discuss it later. I need to go and watch that fatty."
"It's alright, Master. Don't be so nervous. Fatty has always had extraordinary stamina, and now with that spiritual body helping him, ordinary monsters cannot harm him."
"Alright, I'll feel relieved after just one look."
Ye Tiancheng didn't listen to Lin Xue and went to check on the fatty. He found the fatty using the shovel to fight monsters. When Ye Tiancheng arrived, the fatty was gritting his teeth and had severed a snake in half.
The snake was cut right in the middle, and both parts of its body were still moving. This was no ordinary snake. After being constantly affected by the pressure in Black Wind Mountain, it had undergone terrifying mutations. For example, this snake had two heads, and its venom was much more potent than that of ordinary venomous snakes.
"Brother Ye, it's great that you're here. It's time for you to see my heroic demeanor, to see how I've beaten these two snakes black and blue. This shovel is getting better and better to use."
The fatty was clearly still reveling in the joy of slaughter. Such acts of killing were not inherently good, but once one became immersed in them, it was difficult to control one's pace, and there was a subtle sense of addiction.
"Be careful. Just kill a little. You must control yourself. If you kill too much, you might attract the larger monsters."
"It's fine, Brother Ye. I'll keep it under control. It's just the beginning, and I can vanquish demons. I'm a little excited. I'll stop after these two."
He said that, but when it came to action, he couldn't stop. It felt as if he had gained control of the entire situation, as if he ruled the world, and he was incredibly happy.
Ye Tiancheng had a bad feeling. "No one can compare to you."
Ye Tiancheng even helped the fatty. The fatty quickly killed over a dozen snakes. Just as he was about to turn and leave with Ye Tiancheng, he saw a giant snake. The giant snake was entirely red, as if radiating flames from its body, giving the impression that this was no ordinary snake.
"Brother Ye, since we've already started, shouldn't we deal with this one too?"
"No rush. It's not time for this one yet. We need to take it slow. I'm worried that if we touch it, we'll stir up a nest of snakes."
Although the snake did not exude much demonic energy, Ye Tiancheng had a bad feeling. Sometimes, men also have a sixth sense, an inexplicable feeling that made Ye Tiancheng a little hesitant. Otherwise, he could have just unleashed a burst of true qi and killed the large snake directly.
"Brother Ye, fighting this big snake must be exhilarating. Are you really just going to let it go?"
If it were the usual fatty, he would have turned and run long ago. Today, the fatty was exceptionally spirited, even ready to charge to the front at any moment. Now, holding the shovel, he was no longer the same fatty; he had become much fiercer.
"No, we can't act rashly. Look at that big snake, its whole body is red. Even though I don't feel any evil energy, it's definitely not an ordinary giant python. We might be in trouble!"
When it came to matters of life and death, Ye Tiancheng would never agree to the fatty's request casually. He was also worried that if he made a wrong decision, he would endanger lives, and he would regret it for the rest of his life.
"Okay, Brother Ye. I'll listen to you this time. Let's go."
The fatty also felt that something was wrong. He had already made a move just now, but now he quickly put away the shovel. For him, everyone's safety was the most important thing. The fatty was not someone who sought quick success or profit, nor did his personality completely change after obtaining a shovel.
However, as the fatty turned around, he was suddenly controlled by a force within his body, and his eyes flashed with red light.
"Brother Ye, this big snake is provoking me. I won't let this hateful big snake go. I'll fight it!"
They had just agreed, but then he suddenly changed his mind. This was beyond everyone's expectations, and it felt inexplicable.
"What's wrong, Fatty? Didn't you just agree to leave? You don't keep your word, or have you been bewitched!"
Ye Tiancheng was initially confused. Seeing the red light flashing in the fatty's eyes, he suddenly understood. After all, the fatty's foundation was too shallow, making him the most susceptible to temptation. Just like now, he couldn't control himself at all.
"Fatty! Don't worry, I'll help you now!"
At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng prepared to unleash a wave of true qi, but all his actions were too late. There was no time. The fatty charged at the crimson snake with the shovel.
In a flash, the snake roared and leaped hundreds of meters into the air. The snake's body was as thick as several ancient trees.
"Brother Ye! What happened? Why did this snake suddenly go berserk!"
After the red light in the fatty's body disappeared, he immediately returned to normal. He had no memory of what had just happened. In that short span of less than a minute, all the great mistakes had been made and were irreparable.
"Stop talking, let's run quickly."
Ye Tiancheng had already used his true qi to create a protective layer. Ordinary monsters could be directly eliminated by true qi, but this was different. When breaking free from the true qi, he could clearly feel that this bit of true qi was nothing to the large snake.
This also indicated that if Ye Tiancheng did not retreat in time, everything could get out of control. He had no way of knowing how powerful that red snake was. The only thing he could do was to retreat quickly, not a second to spare.
"Okay, let's run quickly."
As they ran back, they saw that the sky behind them was filled with flames. These flames were all spewing from the body of the crimson snake.
This fire was very strange. Wherever it touched in Black Wind Mountain, even normally incombustible stones would suddenly ignite. The emerald green stones quickly burned to black and then turned into powder, carried away by the wind.
The few of them ran with all their might, and Ling Xuan had to use spiritual power as a barrier, otherwise, they would have been caught by the merciless flames, and their flesh would have been burned.
The few of them finally found a cave and hid inside. Outside the cave, Lin Xue had used her spiritual power to create a protective layer to prevent the man-eating flames from spewing in.
"Brother Ye, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for causing trouble. I should have listened to you. Black Wind Mountain is full of dangers. I really shouldn't have messed around."
"It's alright. We can't escape it. I strongly suspect that the crimson snake is the guardian beast of Black Wind Mountain. Even if you hadn't provoked that crimson snake, that guardian beast would have come to seek revenge sooner or later." Ye Tiancheng saw the fatty looking self-blaming and quickly comforted him, "It's alright. You didn't actively seek trouble. It was the big snake that controlled me with its mind. I saw it all. Your eyes were crimson, and you clearly lost your self-awareness, which is why you continued to provoke that guy."
After hearing Ye Tiancheng's explanation, the fatty immediately felt much better. Otherwise, he would have been very self-reproachful, feeling that he was largely responsible for the incident.
"Master, now is not the time to argue about who is at fault. At this point, we should focus on saving our lives. I can clearly feel that my spiritual power won't last long. I've never seen such flames. Under these flames, everything will be refined. So we need to hurry and find a way to escape. We definitely won't be able to hold on for much longer."
Lin Xue had always been a reliable person. She wouldn't say anything without reason. The current serious problem was that the fire had come too suddenly, and for them, it was more like a disaster of extinction.
"Brother Ye, what should we do? We're in big trouble now. Help us!"
The fatty was now panicking. For him, no matter how many times he saw such a grand scene, he always felt flustered, his heart always felt heavy, and he was afraid he would die.
"It's alright. I believe there's always a way out. We won't die just like this. Definitely not!"
While saying these comforting words, Ye Tiancheng's mind was racing. He couldn't just sit there and wait to die. He had to find a way.
However, with the raging flames right in front of them, if he couldn't find a solution, no matter how loudly he shouted, it would be useless.
"It's so hot. My whole body feels like it's being burned by the flames. I feel like I'm being roasted."
The fatty was not exaggerating. He felt like all his body fat was about to explode. That feeling was not good at all. The fatty felt that he was getting closer and closer to death.
"Xue'er, you rest for a while. I'll hold on."
The fatty's body fat was about to be roasted. Ye Tiancheng, no matter how uncomfortable he was, couldn't just stand by. He quickly used his true qi to form an insulating layer, trying to block all the heat from the outside.
"Master, don't push yourself so hard. You won't be able to hold on for long like this. Take care of yourself first. Your health is the most important thing."
Lin Xue began to worry about Ye Tiancheng's health. Ye Tiancheng was forcefully using his true qi to protect everyone. Seeing that this raging fire would continue to burn, many places in Black Wind Mountain would suffer, and many living beings were wailing in pain.
The final outcome was that Ye Tiancheng's true qi would be exhausted. Of course, the animals and monsters would not be able to escape either. One by one, they would all be annihilated.
It was as if this was a protective mechanism of Black Wind Mountain. Once foreign enemies invaded, everything on Black Wind Mountain would be burned.
"No, no one can escape this great fire. Since Black Wind Mountain can have such a protective mechanism, it means there are still creatures that can survive."
As Ye Tiancheng thought this, he immediately felt that there must be a way to survive. But what exactly was the mystery? Ye Tiancheng couldn't figure it out yet.
"We're dead for sure this time, Brother Ye. I didn't expect that after experiencing so many hardships, we would end up dying here. It's truly unexpected."
The usually arrogant fatty now understood what life-threatening danger was.
He truly believed he was going to die, his face full of dejection, and he had even decided to leave a last will.