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The Fallen Dragon said, "...Aren't you worried the Red Lotus Karmic Fire might cleanse its sins but also harm it?"

"What kind of effect?" the young Qilin asked.

The Fallen Dragon paused and admitted honestly, "I don't know either."

Dragon and Qilin locked eyes for a moment before the Fallen Dragon coiled its tail around the phoenix egg and flew toward where the Red Lotus Karmic Fire was.

Wen Qiao watched this scene and suddenly felt that both the dragon and the Qilin seemed rather unreliable. Would this phoenix egg actually hatch properly?

Just as she was thinking this, the calm Red Lotus Karmic Fire suddenly exploded with a roar, blooming into a searing firepool. At the center of the fiery pool, the uncanny fire-lotus swayed and emitted a childish voice.

"You want me to hatch this phoenix egg?"

"Yes," the Fallen Dragon's voice boomed. "If you can help it break free from its shell, the Four Divine Beasts owe you one."

The Fallen Dragon was being shrewd—it directly included all Four Divine Beasts in the deal, refusing to let the dragon clan shoulder the responsibility alone. Even though the Black Tortoise wasn't present, it didn't matter; since the Black Tortoise was one of the Four Divine Beasts, it was included as well. No one could refuse a favor from the Four Divine Beasts.

The Red Lotus Karmic Fire indeed didn't refuse.

Though it had only recently gained sentience, existing in this netherworld and burning away the sins of the world, it instinctively understood the schemes of all living beings and could weigh gains and losses. It would never be easily fooled by any creature.

So, anyone who tried to deceive it would surely face dire consequences.

After obtaining its agreement, the Fallen Dragon tossed the phoenix egg into the flames.

True to its nature as a fire-attribute divine beast, the colorful phoenix egg didn't instantly cook upon entering the flames. Instead, it eagerly absorbed the fire's energy.

Fortunately, this cluster of Red Lotus Karmic Fire had already gained sentience and possessed abundant flame energy. If it had been like the Crimson Heart Flame Qin Hongdao encountered back then, it would've been exhausted after the absorption.

Flames differed in potency, and there was no doubt that this Red Lotus Karmic Fire was exceptionally powerful.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou watched the scene without approaching. Since the Fallen Dragon and the young Qilin were helping, there was no need for them to take any risks.

After irresponsibly tossing the phoenix egg to the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, the Fallen Dragon coiled around a jagged stone pillar, its huge draconic gaze unwavering on Ning Yuzhou.

Ning Yuzhou looked perfectly at ease, occasionally exchanging a few words with the young Qilin.

After watching for a while, the Fallen Dragon finally withdrew its gaze.

This human who had awakened the Divine Emperor's bloodline was definitely not that person! If it had been that person, facing the might of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, they'd endure soul-scorching torment—agony not even gods could bear. There was no way they could remain so composed.

Still, the Divine Emperor's bloodline was one of the Five Emperors' lineages. It wasn't something just any human could awaken so easily. Who could tell what made him special that he could awaken such a powerful bloodline?

After chatting with them for a while, the young Qilin suddenly remembered something and said seriously, "Sister Wen, Brother Ning, you shouldn't be here. You should leave quickly."

Wen Qiao lowered her gaze to it and asked softly, "Why?"

The young Qilin seemed troubled, unsure how to answer. It circled in place before finally saying, "Sister Wen, a horrifically evil monster has been born here. Only the Red Lotus Karmic Fire can suppress it, but it's so powerful that even the fire's been fighting to purge its sins, yet they persist endlessly."

Wen Qiao's expression turned solemn. "What is it?"

"Well..." The young Qilin turned to look at the Fallen Dragon.

The Fallen Dragon remained coiled around the stone pillar, eyes closed as it rested, showing no intention of responding.

The young Qilin had no choice but to say, "It... it's a being of pure sin and malice, forged from the world's vilest evils. According to the Fallen Dragon, the red rain in the Red Forest Continent is caused by it."

Wen Qiao stiffened, her eyes darting to Ning Yuzhou. Seeing his expression unchanged, she knew he'd figured it out.

"Is it really safe with just you handling something so dangerous?" she asked softly.

"No problemo! We have the Red Lotus Karmic Fire and Long Yi," the little qilin replied cheerfully. "The Red Lotus Karmic Fire is eternal, scorching away the world’s sins. It will destroy it."

Though the little qilin's words sounded naive and confident, almost comical, no one actually laughed.

Wen Qiao bent down, picked it up, and gently stroked its head, sighing to herself.

If it were truly as simple as the qilin claimed, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire wouldn’t have suddenly emerged, drawing the attention of all beings on Wangyue Island, nor would the Fallen Dragon have rushed here in such haste. Perhaps that sinful abomination really was connected to the red rain of the Red Forest Continent, but it also proved that the Red Forest Continent and the Underworld were undeniably linked.

Otherwise, Wen Yi and the others wouldn’t have been able to open the passage to the Underworld so smoothly, bringing a group of people inside.

As she pondered this, they suddenly sensed another shift in the air.

With a thud, the little qilin jumped to the ground and urged them, "Get to your pocket dimension, now! Don’t come out, whatever you do—don’t let it find you!"

Without hesitation, Ning Yuzhou pulled Wen Qiao into their space.

The moment they vanished, dark evil qi surged from all directions, letting out a silent howl as it lunged toward the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

The two forces clashed once more. The crimson lotus within the flames grew more sinister by the second, gradually crushing and incinerating the dark evil entity until it dissipated into gray mist that dissipated skyward.

As a creature of death, the Fallen Dragon, and the little qilin with its puppet body, remained unaffected by the dark evil qi. They observed impassively as the Red Lotus Karmic Fire continued to burn quietly.

Suddenly, the little qilin asked, "Long Yi, were those cultivators for real?"

Long Yi remained silent.

"Long Yi, why did you do what you did back then?"

Long Yi flicked his tail impatiently. "The three realms were teetering on collapse. No living being could escape it—not even the Four Auspicious Beasts. We could only accept it passively. I was exiled. I wanted to return to the dragon clan, so I had no choice. And you? You were just a cub. Why did those qilins abandon you?"

"They didn’t abandon me!" the little qilin snapped. "There must have been a reason they sent me to the lower realm. Even though my spirit and body were separated, I survived because of it. As long as I find my body, one day I’ll return to the upper realm and the qilin clan."