Because Zhao Yulin and the bodyguards he brought along had suffered severe soul damage, even walking was a problem—so they could only rest in the forest for now.

Mo Fan and the others stayed behind to care for them, while Zhou Haoyu took Chen Ying to find Jiang Feng.

Only after the Ghost Bride exposed her Psychic Element did Chen Ying finally believe everything Zhou Haoyu had said.

Soon after, Jiang Feng and Chen Ying finally reunited as mother and daughter.

Afterward, Jiang Feng personally came to Zhou Haoyu to express her thanks and stated her willingness to help him extract the Fire Vein.

Zhou Haoyu did not beat around the bush and directly spoke of issues concerning mining the Fire Vein.

For example, Jiang Feng was currently not suitable to appear in human cities—otherwise it would cause quite a disturbance.

So Zhou Haoyu asked Jiang Feng to temporarily stay inside his Contract Space.

As long as Zhou Haoyu didn't restrict her, Jiang Feng could remain inside Without any problems.

As for signing a contract—not to mention whether Jiang Feng would agree, Zhou Haoyu actually had no intention of contracting her.

He had traveled all this way to find Jiang Feng purely for the purpose of the Sun Ridge Fire Vein.

And Jiang Feng had a human soul; she very likely wouldn't accept a contract either.

Besides that, Zhou Haoyu certainly hadn't forgotten about the Fire Calamity Fruit.

Now that the Fire Calamity had passed, as long as a bit more time passed, the fruit would fully ripen—and the Little Flame Empress would be born.

The Flame Scorpion Tiger's bloodline was limited; Soul Seed Fire was already its limit—evolving into Heavenly Fire was practically impossible.

But as long as the Little Flame Empress was cultivated properly, she could control true Heaven & Earth Tribulation Flames. For forging Magic Tools, that would be twice the results with half the effort.

The only downside was that raising her would be troublesome—resources were only part of it; it would also require time.

Once Jiang Feng entered the Contract Space, Zhou Haoyu regrouped with Mo Fan and the others.

On the way back, Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, and the others all wore bitter expressions.

They had traveled a thousand miles to the Northern Corner only to fail to find the Flame Empress—and even got hit by curses.

The negative side effects were no joke—at best they'd be lethargic for a while; at worst the soul could be damaged and turn them into idiots.

The best solution was to find a Blessing Mage for purification.

But outside of the Parthenon Temple, finding a Blessing Mage was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Upon reaching Dunhuang, Zhou Haoyu parted ways with Mo Fan's group.

Chen Ying also left with her father; Zhao Yulin was badly injured and was desperate to find a Healing Mage.

But in truth that was merely treating the symptoms—curse magic's aftereffects weren't something ordinary healing magic could fix.

That, however, was none of Zhou Haoyu's concern. He had already done more than enough by saving them.

Zhou Haoyu didn't stay in Dunhuang. After a short rest, he took Lingling and headed back.

Imperial Capital.

After a night's rest, Zhou Haoyu took Jiang Feng and headed to Sun Ridge to locate the Volcanic Heavenly Pool.

Only by pinpointing its location could he persuade his grandfather and father.

With Jiang Feng as his personal bodyguard, as long as they didn't encounter a Monarch-level demon, it was basically safe.

Sun Ridge consisted of over a hundred connected mountains, far higher in elevation than surrounding ranges.

In midsummer, baked by direct sunlight and shaped like a heat-locking furnace, the central peaks reached scorching temperatures that ordinary people could barely approach.

Regions with such dense elemental energy were prime candidates for birthing Fire Veins.

Things born from Fire Veins were not limited to spirit and soul seeds—even the humblest stones could become guiding stones and produce batches of Fire Mages.

Zhou Haoyu did not venture too deep—there was a Fire Wing Monarch rumored in Sun Ridge; accidentally running into it would be almost certain death.

He simply flew to a high peak, confirmed the location of the Volcanic Heavenly Pool, then used Blink repeatedly to withdraw safely.

Once back at the clan residence, Zhou Haoyu immediately went to speak with his father.

"Xiao Yu… you're saying there's an undiscovered Fire Vein in Sun Ridge? Are you sure?"

Zhou Hong grabbed Zhou Haoyu's arms tightly, his expression especially grave.

This was a Fire Vein!

Even the lowest tier Fire Vein would be enough to propel the Zhou Clan into the ranks of first-class noble families.

"There's a volcanic heavenly pool there with an extremely dense concentration of fire elements—completely in line with the conditions for a Fire Vein." Zhou Haoyu explained.

Zhou Hong rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "This is a serious matter. I need to discuss it with your grandfather first, and then send people to investigate."

Zhou Haoyu nodded. Besides, he was already certain the Fire Vein lay beneath the volcanic heavenly pool.

As long as they used instruments to survey, they would definitely find it!

Of course, Fire Vein exploitation was very complicated—not something that could be mined just because you found it. They would still need approval from the Magic Association.

Normally, the Magic Association would take a portion, which ensured legality for Zhou Clan's mining rights.

Even if the Mu Clan or any other family had thoughts about it, they'd still have to consider the Association—and Pang Lai, the Dean behind Zhou Haoyu.

Two days later, the survey was completed: it was a B-grade Fire Vein!

The profits from a B-grade Fire Vein were enough to sustain a top-tier noble family!

Very few clans had B-grade or above veins—basically only ancient houses like the Mu Clan or Zu Clan.

"Sigh… we've confirmed the Vein, yet can only watch helplessly. How unlucky."

"The Sun Ridge Overlord is one thing—and our Patriarch might deal with it—but even that volcanic heavenly pool is troublesome. Even Super Mages don't dare to enter lightly."

In the council hall, several Zhou elders were sighing repeatedly.

This was supposed to be the Zhou Clan's chance to rise—and now they couldn't mine it.

At this point, Zhou Hong spoke: "If worst comes to worst, I'll enter the heavenly pool myself and try."

The elders glanced at one another—unable to decide.

Undeniably, Zhou Hong's strength was exceptional, being ranked on the Profound List.

But precisely because of that, they didn't want him risking his life.

"I cultivated Water, and my Space Element is already Super-Tier. I should be able to protect myself." Zhou Hong added.

In his view, this B-grade vein must be won.

Only by elevating the Zhou Clan to the level of a top noble house could they provide greater support for Zhou Haoyu.

In the future, the Zhou Clan might really produce a Forbidden Curse Mage!

For that goal, even severe injury was worth it.

The elders fell silent—they, too, harbored some hope.

With Zhou Hong's strength, at worst he'd be injured in the Pool—not lose his life.

"Grandfather, Dad, Elders… I have a way to enter that heavenly pool."

....

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