Gold Everywhere

The moment the Fire Tribulation erupted, forces from every direction were already on the move.

Far away at the Shamang River, Mo Fan and his companions had no idea that a great many people were already rushing toward them.

Not that they would have cared at the moment — the Shamang River had grown restless, and if they didn't get out soon, even Xinxia's Mind Element magic would be rendered useless.

"What the hell is going on?!" Zhao Manyan snapped.

They'd come all the way to the northern edge of the Blazing Plains only to nearly be swallowed by a Fire Tribulation, and after barely making it to the Shamang River, now the river itself was growing agitated and impossible to manage.

"Are we going back or pushing through to the northern Blazing Plains? Just make a decision already!" Zhang Xiaohou said.

"It's too late to turn back now. Everyone, head for the Blazing Plains as fast as you can..." Xinxia said, her brow knitting with worry.

Her words sent a chill through the group. The Fire Tribulation had thrown their entire plan into chaos, and this place was far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. Mo Fan couldn't help feeling it wasn't worth risking everyone's lives on this treacherous, unpredictable land just for the sake of a Flame Queen.

So even though Chenying kept insisting they absolutely couldn't retreat, none of them had any real desire left to keep searching for the Flame Queen.

And now the Shamang River had turned against them too — even Xinxia's Mind Element magic seemed on the verge of failing. From where they stood, it had to be at least ten kilometers back to Dunhuang, far too long to make it in time. If they forced a retreat, they might end up stranded right in the middle of the river.

A scattered handful of White Sand Giants they might manage, but God only knew how many lurked in the river's central expanse. Once Mind Element magic failed, the Giants could simply wear them down through sheer numbers and bury them all in the Shamang River.

"Since fighting our way back isn't really an option, we have no choice but to press on to the northern Blazing Plains. Let's just hope we don't run into another one of those." Mo Fan made the call quickly.

"Don't worry — a Fire Tribulation absolutely cannot occur twice within a single year. The interval between them is usually far longer than that." Chenying said with certainty.

"Enough talk — let's get out of this horrible river," Lingling said.

They moved at once. Xinxia sat astride the Swift Star Wolf with her eyes closed, concentrating fully to clear the path ahead. The constant furrow of her delicate brows made clear that her Soothe was meeting resistance — the White Sand Giants were growing volatile, pushing back against her influence.

Fortunately, they hadn't ventured too deep into the river. Before long, the bare rock and gravel of the northern Blazing Plains came into view.

The moment they reached the riverbank, a bone-chilling sight greeted them — a mountain of skeletal remains, heaped high along the shore.

Mo Fan clearly remembered that before they'd fled, a pack of Battle-General-class Armored Slaughter Beasts had been prowling this area.

They'd obviously been consumed by the Fire Tribulation while they stood there hesitating, unable even to throw themselves into the Shamang River in time. Every last one had been reduced to bleached bone, without the faintest chance to struggle.

"I give up — I am completely done," Zhao Manyan said, a shudder running through him. "If I'd known this place was this terrifying, nothing on earth could have dragged me here!"

Those Armored Slaughter Beasts had the combined strength of an entire army, and even they'd been scorched down to a heap of bones in an instant. That alone spoke volumes about just how terrifying the Fire Tribulation truly was.

"Stop whining — we're already here," Mo Fan said with a touch of mockery. "Like Chenying said, let's grab as much as we can. Otherwise, what was the point of risking your life to overcome those cowardly instincts buried deep in your bones?"

"For now, let's stick to the original plan and find as many Fire Element Spirit Seeds nearby as possible," Lingling told the group. "That said, according to what Chenying just told us, the Fire Tribulation may have caused even more treasures to form here. Spirit Seeds will likely be more plentiful — which means our chances of finding the Flame Queen grow even slimmer."

"I don't think that's bad news at all," Xinxia said, looking at the tension on everyone's faces.

Her words made the others stop and think.

Right — why were they so fixated on finding the Flame Queen?

If they could get their hands on a few Spirit Seeds, or other rare Fire-attribute resources, they'd be going home loaded regardless. Opportunities like this came along once in a lifetime — if ever.

The northern Blazing Plains had just been through a Fire Tribulation, and as far as they could tell, they were the only group in this entire vast fiery basin. This rich land was theirs to harvest however they pleased.

The more they turned it over in their minds — treasure lying everywhere around them, just waiting to be taken — the more the dread the Fire Tribulation had stirred in them dissolved.

"Then why are we still standing here making plans? Let's move!" Zhao Manyan cried. Coward he might be, but he also happened to love money more than his own life. It was in his blood — the legacy of the Zhao Clan, one of the wealthiest families around.

They pushed deeper into the northern Blazing Plains with a growing sense of anticipation. The land had gone unnervingly quiet; Demon-Beasts were barely anywhere to be seen.

They hadn't even covered two kilometers before Mo Fan found Spirit Seed Fragments practically lying exposed on the surface of the earth.

Three fragments in total. He knew exactly what these things were worth — between 300,000 and 800,000 on the open market — and the ones he'd picked up were clearly decent quality. Five hundred thousand each, easy.

*And we just stumbled over these lying on the ground. Truly gold everywhere — no, not gold. Diamonds.*

"Let's collect every resource we can get our hands on," Mo Fan told the group. "We'll divvy up the spoils once we're out of here."

"Spirit Seed Fragments are fine, but there are things here worth far more," Lingling said. "We're the first group to set foot here — we need to find the most valuable resources while we have the chance. Don't waste too much time on small fry."

Zhao Manyan blinked. Back at the academy, they fought and competed endlessly, and all they ever got for their trouble was a handful of Spirit Seed Fragments. Here, those same fragments were apparently going to be the least valuable thing around.

The mere thought of actual Spirit Seeds — or things worth even more than that — hit him like a shot of adrenaline. The Zhao Manyan who'd been terrified by the Fire Tribulation and desperate to go home had vanished entirely; now he strode at the very front of the group, eyes blazing.

"Set the Element Detectors here — there don't seem to be any Demon-Beasts nearby. We can scan without worrying, and we'll cover a wide range," Lingling said.

All four of them knew it was only a matter of time before they found Spirit Seeds. They buried the Element Detectors in the ground with remarkable eagerness — faster and more energetically than they'd ever done anything in their lives.

A single Spirit Seed went for anywhere between fifteen and thirty million. Fire Element ones averaged above twenty million...

Get a few of those, and they'd all be rich.