305: Chapter 305 Crimson Flame Town

After paying a "town entry fee" of ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones, Ye Tian and Hou Xiaojie walked inside.

Shops lined both sides of the street, hanging various signs: "Earth Fire Artifact Workshop," "Fire Lizard Material Acquisition," "Fire-Avoidance Pill Specialty Shop," and "Flame Cauldron Pavilion."

Almost every few steps, one could see Ye Tian's wanted poster on the walls. The reward amount listed below the portrait caused many passersby to stop and discuss it.

"Tsk tsk, a million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, any Earth Rank Cultivation Technique of your choice... if I could find this Ye Tian, I wouldn't have to worry for the rest of my life!"

"Forget it, didn't you see the small print next to the portrait? This person is extremely dangerous and once killed a Sea Transformation Realm Elder from the Wanren Sword Pavilion! With your meager cultivation, you wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth."

"I heard that the 'Ghost Face' squad from the Shadow Calamity Tower has already entered the Land of Flowing Fire, specifically for this matter."

"Not just the Shadow Calamity Tower, the Wanren Sword Pavilion's Law Enforcement Team has also set up checkpoints outside the town to strictly inspect everyone entering and leaving. This kind of display hasn't been seen in years."

Ye Tian lowered his head and pulled Hou Xiaojie along, quickly weaving through the crowd, yet his eyes took in the entire surrounding environment.

He noticed that both openly and in the shadows, there were indeed many Cultivators with formidable auras within the town. Some wore the attire of the Wanren Sword Pavilion and were patrolling the streets.

Others blended into the crowd, their eyes scanning every passerby; they were clearly hidden agents of the Shadow Calamity Tower.

"Let's find a place to stay first and gather some information."

Ye Tian led Hou Xiaojie into a secluded alley and found an "Old Stone Inn" with a somewhat worn-out sign.

Inns like this were usually low-priced and filled with a mix of characters, making it easy to avoid attention.

He requested the cheapest ground-floor guest room. The room contained only a hard wooden bed and a broken table, but it had the advantage of being quiet.

Ye Tian had Hou Xiaojie look after the Dragon Ape in the room while he went out to gather information.

"Xiao Jie, lock the door. Don't open it for anyone unless I return. If someone tries to force their way in..."

Ye Tian took several third-rank Explosive Flame Talismans and a simple Sound-Isolating Talisman from his qingxuan ring and handed them to Hou Xiaojie. "Use these."

"I understand, Senior Brother, please be careful." Hou Xiaojie nodded heavily, clutching the Talismans tightly in his hand.

Ye Tian left the inn and first went to the general goods market in the center of town.

This was the most crowded place, and the news here was the most varied.

He pretended to want to buy some "Heart-Clearing Pills" and "Heat-Insulating Talismans," which were essential for entering the Land of Flowing Fire. He lingered in front of several stalls, ears pricked to listen to the surrounding conversations.

"I heard there was some unusual activity over at 'Sulfur Valley' a few days ago. It seemed like a treasure appeared, drawing several groups of people over, but they ended up hitting an earth fire eruption, causing many casualties."

"The Earth Fire Demon Abyss is even more eerie. Recently, the concentration of fire baleful energy on the outskirts of the Demon Abyss has increased by several dozen percent. It's said that those who weren't afraid of death went in and never came out again."

"The Wanren Sword Pavilion's reward is so high, isn't there any reliable lead? Could that Ye Tian have burrowed into the center of the earth?"

"Who knows? But I heard the 'Black Crow Intelligence House' at the east end of town might have some leads, but the price is deathly expensive, and they don't guarantee the truth."

Black Crow Intelligence House?

Ye Tian noted down the name.

He circled the market once more, bought some necessities, and then walked toward the east end of town.

The east end was the "gray area" of Crimson Flame Town. The alleys were dirtier, and most of the shops on both sides were engaged in shady businesses.

Ye Tian quickly found the "Black Crow Intelligence House." The storefront was narrow, the sign was a pitch-black crow, and a plaque hung at the door saying "No Credit Given, Truth or Falsehood at Your Own Risk."

Pushing the door open and entering, the light inside was very dim. Only an old man wearing a single-eye crystal lens was sitting behind the counter wiping an ancient bronze coin, not even looking up.

"Buying information?" the old man spoke.

"I want detailed information about the interior of the Land of Flowing Fire, especially the recent situation in the Earth Fire Demon Abyss and Sulfur Valley. The more detailed, the better."

"Also, the general locations of the defensive outposts of the Wanren Sword Pavilion and the Shadow Calamity Tower nearby."

Ye Tian lowered his voice and placed ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones on the counter.

The old man glanced at the Spirit Stones, then looked up at Ye Tian, and said slowly, "The fire baleful energy in the Earth Fire Demon Abyss has been rioting recently, suspected to be due to changes in the earth veins. There might be extraordinary treasures in the depths, or there might be great peril."

"A medium-sized earth fire eruption occurred in Sulfur Valley three days ago. The fire poison in the valley is now extremely thick, but 'Sulfur Fire Essence Crystals' sometimes form near the eruption vents."

"Currently, both the Wanren Sword Pavilion and the Shadow Calamity Tower have sent people to monitor these two places closely. There are hidden sentries ten miles away in all four cardinal directions of the Demon Abyss, and there are overt posts at the entrance of Sulfur Valley."

"This is a rough map of the defensive layout."

He pushed over a sketch with several points marked.

"The information is worth this price."

"Additionally, I'll give you one for free. Recently, a few new faces have arrived in town with rather dark methods, specifically targeting lone young people with low cultivation, seemingly looking for someone."

"Kid, you look like a new face, be careful yourself."

Ye Tian felt a slight chill in his heart. He took the sketch, looked at it carefully, memorized it, and then used his True Yuan to shake it into powder.

"Thanks." He turned and left.

Just a few steps out of the intelligence house, after turning into an even more secluded alley, Ye Tian felt that he was being watched.

It wasn't the broad surveillance from before, but a precise lock-on!

At some point, four dark figures appeared at the front and back exits of the alley, blocking his path.

These four were all dressed in gray martial attire, with cultivations between the sixth and eighth stages of the True Martial Realm. Their coordination in movement was excellent; they were clearly assassins skilled in combined attack techniques.

Judging by their temperament, they were by no means ordinary bandits, but likely peripheral assassins of the Shadow Calamity Tower or a squad of desperate outlaws who would do anything for money.

"A new face, just arrived in Crimson Flame Town?"

The leader, a man at the True Martial Eighth Stage, asked, his gaze sweeping over the cloth bag on Ye Tian's back and the qingxuan ring on his waist. "What good things did you buy? Take them out and let us brothers have a look."

"I have no money, only a few lives. Do you want them?" Ye Tian stopped his pace, his voice cold.

He knew that in a place like this, showing weakness would only make the other party more arrogant.

Moreover, the other party was likely related to the "Northern Region Pursuit Order" or was a local thug specializing in "profit without capital" in Crimson Flame Town.

Regardless of which it was, this wouldn't end peacefully.

"Heh, quite tough, aren't you?"

A fierce light flashed in the man's eyes. "It seems you've chosen the hard way! Move, finish him! We'll split the goods!"

As soon as the words fell, the four of them lunged forward simultaneously!

Two of them held short blades and attacked Ye Tian with considerable speed.

Another person held a chain sickle with a barb and threw it out suddenly, aiming to wrap it around Ye Tian's legs.

The last person stood slightly behind, hands quickly forming seals as a wave of mental fluctuations struck toward Ye Tian's mind—it was actually a rare Divine Sense interference secret technique!

The four's methods could be described as quite professional.

If it were truly an ordinary third or fourth-stage True Martial Realm Cultivator, they would likely be killed in an instant.

However, Ye Tian's true strength was not at the level he appeared to be!

He no longer suppressed his aura, and his True Martial Realm ninth-stage cultivation erupted. His powerful blood-qi and True Yuan force formed a shockwave that instantly crushed the mental interference!

At the same time, he lifted his left foot and stepped onto the flying chain, stomping down hard!

"Clang!"

The chain was stomped so hard it changed direction, rebounding toward the assassin using the chain sickle and forcing him to retract it.

Meanwhile, Ye Tian's figure didn't stop. After dodging the short blades, he pointed his right finger toward the forehead of the assassin on the left!

Simultaneously, his left hand formed a palm, with lightning jumping in the center, and he struck a Thunder Heart-Piercing Palm toward the chest of the assassin on the right!

Not only did he neutralize all the opponents' attacks within a few breaths, but he was also able to free his hands for such a powerful counterattack!

"Not good!"

The assassin on the left's face changed drastically. He felt a sharp pain in his forehead and the sensation of death descending instantly. He desperately tilted his head while swinging his blade to parry.

"Squelch!"

Although the sword finger was deflected by him, the Sword Qi still sliced a deep gash on his cheek, and blood sprayed out.

The assassin on the right was even more horrified. The power of thunder contained in Ye Tian's palm wind made his whole body numb and weak, slowing his movements by half a beat. He could only barely hold his short blade across his chest.

"Bang!"

The palm force slammed into the short blade, causing it to bend and instead strike his own chest!

The power of thunder further shook his heart with intense pain, causing his blood and qi to surge backward. He screamed and flew out, crashing into the wall and spitting blood, instantly losing his combat capability.

In the blink of an eye, the four-man combined attack was broken, and one was heavily injured!