Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: It’s better to be a bit bad

Following this crack, they walked deeper inside and could feel that it clearly ascended in a winding manner. The rocks inside were a semi-crystal, semi-rock formation of fire, very smooth. Along the way, they picked up some spirit seed fragments, suggesting that this cave was also a good place for tempering. If they searched carefully, they would definitely be able to find one or two more spirit seeds. But at present, finding the Flame Witch was clearly more important. But as they walked, they suddenly heard a strange sound. Mo Fan immediately stopped and said, "This sound isn't right!" This metallic clanging sound was not the usual crisp one; it carried a dull, grating noise that, when heard, was like fingernails scraping on a blackboard, a sound that made one's hair stand on end. The cave they were walking through was already winding, dark, and silent, and suddenly hearing such a chilling sound, coming from an unknown direction and drilling into their minds, made them feel particularly panicked. Mo Fan then pointed to an empty hole nearby and immediately said, "We should hide in that hole first; it seems like lava is pouring down from above!" The others didn't dare to hesitate and immediately scurried inside one by one. Soon, hidden in the hole and having set up their defenses, they saw the surging lava. Fiery red, everything around them was fiery red. The magma filled most of the low-lying areas and completely spread onto the mountain path they had just been on, then poured downwards. After the lava had passed, they continued to move upwards, and the two-faced turtle demons they encountered were directly dealt with by Mo Fan. Upon reaching the mountain, Chen Ying led them into the Fire Cloud Forest. The scorching sun hung high, right in the center of this Burning Plains North Corner, which resembled a brazier. The only towering fire pillar mountain in the Burning Plains North Corner was the closest to the sun. There were hardly any living creatures visible on the mountaintop, but some plants that required intense flames to grow thrived, covering the flat-topped mountain in vast patches. They were fiery red, like dense maple leaves, spread out lavishly. When the red leaves fell, they were like candle flames, slowly drifting down from mid-air. If a violent gust of wind swept through here, the air would be adorned with these dancing candle flames, exquisitely beautiful. "After passing through this forest, we will reach the place where the fire calamity fruit is located," Chen Ying said. She then smoothly led them through the dense flame forest. Although the Fire Cloud Forest was vast, it was ultimately located at the top of a mountain, so it didn't take long to cross it. Having walked to the edge of the Fire Cloud Forest, everyone could see a raised rocky area. The rocky terrain had a gentle slope, like a hill on flat ground. At the very top of the slope was a huge tree unlike any other Fire Cloud Tree. The tree had no leaves, and its branches were twisted and winding, with numerous offshoots. Even without any leaves, it looked majestic and like a canopy. The giant tree stood alone under that sky, its trunk growing completely towards the heavens, its dense branches curving in all directions. It stood there, solitary, on the summit of the Burning Plains. One would think that even though countless hunters had once ventured into the Zhuo Yuan North Corner, they would never have imagined such a thing existed here. And if it were night, perhaps it would be even more beautiful? At this moment, Zhao Manyan also felt increasingly uneasy and looked at Chen Ying, saying, "Chen Ying, do you really not find it strange?" If it was possible to remember the previous places, this Fire Cloud Forest was truly a bit outrageous. Chen Ying looked at Zhao Manyan with some confusion. She didn't understand what he meant. "This jungle is clearly the easiest place to get lost, yet you haven't stopped at all as we've walked through it," Zhao Manyan added. "This?" Chen Ying was not foolish; at this moment, she naturally realized that something was amiss. "So, Chen Ying, you must have been enchanted by a Mind Element Mage. It's just that their cultivation was quite high, so you probably didn't notice it immediately," Xin Xia said with certainty at this moment. "But... my mother, she..." Chen Ying remembered clearly that her mother definitely did not possess Mind Element magic. But if it wasn't Mind Element magic, why would she be so familiar with this place upon arriving? It was as if she had been here before. This truly didn't seem like something one could achieve just by hearing about it! And just at this moment, a vibrant red humanoid figure was slowly approaching them. It moved very strangely, its toes slightly lifted, its legs remaining suspended, like a ghost descending from beneath the large tree. Upon seeing this flame creature, everyone immediately became alert. "Ling~~~" But to their surprise, the flame person did not attack them. Instead, it gazed intently at Chen Ying and let out a soft cry. It was clear that upon seeing Chen Ying, the Flame Witch appeared very excited. "Don't be nervous. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Flame Witch Chen Ying mentioned," Mo Fan reassured everyone, then said, "Xin Xia, try to see if you can communicate with her." Xin Xia was a Mind Element Mage, and the Flame Witch in front of them was originally human, so communication would naturally not be difficult. After Xin Xia agreed, she quickly began communicating with the Flame Witch. And as they communicated, Xin Xia looked at Chen Ying with some surprise. "You... why are you looking at me like that?" Chen Ying was puzzled. They had just communicated, why were they now looking at her? "She... she said she is your mother!!" Xin Xia said, somewhat shocked. To be honest, if the Flame Witch hadn't said it herself, she would have found it hard to believe. "I think the one in your home right now is actually a Mind Element Mage, and she was saved by your mother. She used her Mind Element magic to infiltrate the Zhao family, precisely to have you retrieve the fire calamity fruit for her. After all, this is your mother; she would absolutely never harm you," Mo Fan said. Chen Ying wanted to refute him, but she found that she couldn't refute him at all. If it wasn't for a Mind Element Mage, how could she be so familiar with this place??? If she was a Mind Element Mage, how could she still be her mother? As Chen Ying accepted this reality, the Flame Witch also understood everything. She never expected that the person she saved would actually peek into her memories? And, she even wanted her own daughter to harm her? This was something the Flame Witch could not tolerate; in an instant, terrifying fire waves exploded! From the moment the scorching fire waves surged, everyone almost felt the Flame Witch's fury. "Mo Fan, do you mean she's my grandaunt?" Zhao Manyan asked. "Yes." Mo Fan was a bit speechless looking at Old Zhao, whose intelligence was touching. "Then, the grandaunt in my house is fake?" Zhao Manyan continued. Mu Ningjiao, who was beside them, couldn't bear it anymore and interjected, "She is actually the one who was saved in the story. Or rather, she stole Chen Ying's mother's memories." Zhao Manyan looked as if he finally understood. After roughly understanding, Chen Ying looked at Mo Fan and Xin Xia and expressed her gratitude. "Please tell your mother that I came for Little Flame Belle," Mo Fan said after the mother and daughter had finished talking to each other. He wouldn't believe it himself if he said he helped Chen Ying without any selfish motives. He just wanted to obtain Little Flame Belle through her and save her mother along the way. At this moment, the Flame Witch had also recovered her composure. Upon learning that Mo Fan was here to acquire Little Flame Belle, she hesitated. Although Mo Fan helped them, mother and daughter, reunite, Little Flame Belle had, after all, saved her life. "If you are willing to entrust Little Flame Belle to me, I will definitely make her even stronger." Mo Fan didn't make too many promises, but he was extremely sincere. As the saying goes, sincerity is the ultimate killer move! "Ling~" The Flame Witch let out a soft cry after a long time. Mo Fan couldn't understand what she was expressing, so he immediately looked at Xin Xia. "Brother Mo Fan, Chen Ying's mother said that Little Flame Belle can be given to you to train, but you must not let her become a tool for power struggles." Mo Fan replied, "Aside from killing demons to improve my cultivation, I have absolutely no interest in anything else. You can rest assured about that." The Flame Witch observed Mo Fan; at such a young age, he was already a High-Level Mage. Even her own exceptional talent back then couldn't compare. However, the Flame Witch also wasn't sure if Mo Fan's strength was accumulated or if he cultivated it himself? "Ling~" The Flame Witch let out another soft cry, and Xin Xia continued to explain, "Brother Mo Fan, Chen Ying's mother said that Little Flame Belle has not yet fully recovered and needs at least half a year. She wants to know if you are willing to wait?" Upon hearing this, Mo Fan's inner thoughts were "MMP!" Half a year, my foot! To put it bluntly, she just wanted to observe him, right? Although it was reasonable. But he had to remember, he was saving her life! After a surge of emotions, Mo Fan decided to endure it! "That won't do. You can come back in half a year," Zhao Manyan said. They naturally couldn't stay here for half a year. Zhang Xiaohou was with the guard, and he had various tasks to do. Mu Ningjiao had to cultivate and compete within the academy. Xin Xia was the same. Although Zhao Manyan didn't care about these things, he wouldn't be willing to stay here for so long either. It was probably just Chen Ying and Lingling who were willing to stay here. One was because she finally saw her mother, and the other was simply because she didn't need to go back to school while she was with Mo Fan here. "It's not easy to go back right now. My Mind Element was also difficult to suppress during the Sha River riot before," Xin Xia said with some difficulty. Upon hearing this, Zhao Manyan felt a bit "MMP!" Although there were resources everywhere along the way, if he stayed here all the time, wouldn't he cry himself to death? There were girls here too, but one was a cousin, one was an aunt, and all of them were connected to Mo Fan! "I think it was probably caused by the Fire Calamity before. It should be fine in a few days," Mo Fan said. Chen Ying's father would also come here, as well as Nan Jue and her group. They all had ways to cross the Sha River, so there was no need to worry too much. It was just that when Mo Fan thought about Little Flame Belle needing to wait half a year to be born, wouldn't that delay production? Damn it! Sometimes, resolving a tragedy isn't so friendly to oneself! The night sky was a silent dark blue, and in the latter half of the night, some clouds turned into soft, thin veils, covering the entire brilliant starry river. The hazy light sprinkled down on this quiet flat-topped mountain forest, making the forest exceptionally desolate and beautiful. Mo Fan sat on the hillside, under the Star Language Giant Tree, with the vast sky and the boundless Burning Plains. "Brother Mo Fan, you don't have to be too anxious. What's yours will eventually be yours," Xin Xia came to Mo Fan's side and said softly. She was a Mind Element Mage, and after the Flame Witch indicated that she needed half a year, she felt some fluctuations in Mo Fan's emotions. "Xin Xia, this incident tells us that it's hard to be a good person; it's better to be a little bad," Mo Fan said. Xin Xia paused, but didn't think too much. She just continued to gently comfort Mo Fan. The next day. They stayed here for one night. As everyone was discussing searching for some resources, Zhang Xiaohou suddenly said, "Hey, look, a team of people is rushing towards us!" Hearing this, the few of them all went to Zhang Xiaohou's side. The next moment, they indeed saw a team of people. And leading them were none other than Zhao Manyan's granduncle and Chen Ying's father, Zhao Yu Lin. In Zhao Yu Lin's team, there was also a person wrapped in white cloth. The moment they saw them, the Flame Witch almost glared at them furiously. Chen Ying, however, still hesitated in her heart, because the woman wrapped in white cloth was someone she had considered her mother for many years. When Zhao Yu Lin arrived here, he was also stunned. Because he saw Mo Fan and his group right under this big tree. And the Flame Witch was hovering around them. "Chen Ying, come here," the white-clothed person called out to Chen Ying, though puzzled. Chen Ying hesitated. "Chen Ying, what are you doing? Are you not listening to your mother anymore?" The white-clothed person frowned when she saw Chen Ying unresponsive. Zhao Yu Lin also didn't understand how they could be with a demon, and furthermore, this demon didn't seem to have any intention of attacking them? And very quickly, he focused on the fire calamity fruit there. "Ling~~~!!" At this moment, the Flame Witch Jiang Feng also unleashed her monarch's might. The moment the monarch's pressure spread out, a powerful pressure almost made Zhao Yu Lin and his group feel suppressed. The white-clothed person realized something was wrong and immediately threw a sinister cold thorn to Chen Ying: "Quick, Chen Ying, insert this into the back of this demon, otherwise we will all die!" At this moment, Chen Ying could already confirm that the other party was indeed not her mother. What kind of mother would let her daughter backstab a powerful demon? Wouldn't that be sending her to her death? "Why are you just standing there? Go quickly! She can't hurt you!" The white-clothed person was a bit angry when she saw Chen Ying not moving. "Roar~~~!!!" And just as the Flame Witch was unable to act because of the people there, Mo Fan directly punched out! Everyone was dumbfounded. Where did this kid come from? Most importantly, how could he, a human, attack them, who were also human???