Su Ma shook his head and sighed again. "How much help can just a few of you be to him? You might even end up holding him back. If we weren’t going to help, that would be one thing, but since we’ve decided to, there’s no sense in being a burden. Let everyone who’s willing to go, go. Hell can’t shelter us forever, and neither can the glory our ancestors gave us!"
Hearing his words, Kuimu understood that Su Ma wasn’t joking. He then nodded, his expression solemn, and said, "Clan Leader, rest assured. When we go to the outside world, we won’t bring shame to you or the Human Emperor!"
Su Ma smiled, waved his hand, and gestured for them to leave.
After Kuimu spread the word, and once everyone understood the clan leader’s intentions, many more among the Hell Humans became willing to follow Li Chang’an to the outside world.
Although the group of Hell Humans willing to leave numbered just over a hundred, they were all so enormous that from a distance, they looked like walking hills. Thus, despite their small numbers, they marched with the terrifying presence of a mighty army.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the Holy Mountain, Li Chang’an took out the Map of Mountains and Rivers he always carried.
Ever since using the Map of Mountains and Rivers to enter Hell, Li Chang’an had discovered that he seemed to have formed a faint connection with the artifact.
He found that he could now control the Map of Mountains and Rivers to a small extent.
Now, with just a single thought, Li Chang’an found that the crimson, barren land of Hell had vanished. He had appeared once more in the Fire Realm.
Upon seeing the equally harsh climate of the Fire Realm, the Hell Humans who had left alongside Li Chang’an were filled with curiosity and excitement.
Someone exclaimed, "So this is the outside world? It’s wonderful!"
Hearing this, everyone nodded in unison. Clearly, the moment they saw the outside world, they had fallen completely in love with it.
However, Li Chang’an shook his head. "This isn’t the outside world. In fact, this place is called the Fire Realm. It should be considered an outer region of your own territory..."
At his words, the eyes of all the Hell Humans widened.
Kuimu couldn’t help but ask, "You mean the outside world is even more beautiful than what we see here?"
Li Chang’an hadn’t realized this group had truly never been to the outside world before. He nodded. "Yes. The outside is much more beautiful than this, and far more habitable!"
’He couldn’t really blame them for their lack of exposure.’
After all, while the Fire Realm’s environment was also extremely harsh, compared to a Hell dotted with lakes of lava, the difference was night and day.
For the Hell Humans, who were used to swimming in lakes of lava, to see the Fire Realm and think they had arrived in a mortal paradise was something Li Chang’an hadn’t expected, but when he thought about it, it made perfect sense.
Not in the mood for idle chatter, Li Chang’an led the hundred-plus devilish strongmen from Hell toward the outermost edge of the Fire Realm. As they walked, he used his formidable Spiritual Power to probe the situation outside.
The last time, he had fled to the Fire Realm in a panic, escaping a direct attack from a Divine Spirit.
After so many years, Li Chang’an knew nothing about the current situation in the outside world.
But he doubted the Divine Spirits would let him go so easily. For all he knew, an inescapable trap was waiting for him outside the Fire Realm.
Once he reached the absolute limit of his Spiritual Power’s range, Li Chang’an paused and looked back at the hundred-plus Hell Humans. "Everyone," he said seriously, "from this point on, do not make a single sound or movement. The situation outside is unclear. There might even be a Divine Spirit from the Celestial Realm standing guard. I’ll go scout ahead. Once I see what we’re facing, we can figure out how to proceed."
Although the Hell Humans lived in a very isolated environment, they were thankfully quite obedient. After Li Chang’an gave the order, they immediately fell silent.
Once he was sure they were settled, Li Chang’an continued forward on his own.
He made his way to a spot near the border of the Fire Realm and carefully scouted the area with his Spiritual Power. To his surprise, the world outside was completely empty; he couldn’t find a single trace of any living creature.
’Not even a shadow of a person in the outer area. That’s very strange.’
’Could the Celestial Realm have really given up on hunting me?’
For a moment, Li Chang’an was both alarmed and uncertain.
Although his Spiritual Power hadn’t detected any danger outside, his intuition kept him from letting his guard down.
There was more than one Fire Realm in this world.
In other words, there were many entrances to Hell in this world.
But without exception, each entrance had only a single exit.
In other words, regardless of whether there was danger outside, Li Chang’an had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
...
As he followed the path out of the Fire Realm, the very instant Li Chang’an stepped forth, a gigantic palm came slapping down toward him.
The palm appeared without any warning.
As always, it was fast, accurate, and ruthless.
Li Chang’an wasn’t surprised. On the contrary, the moment he sensed the massive hand appear, his tense body relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Li Chang’an thrust out his own palm. The instant he did, his normal-sized hand expanded dramatically, colliding with the attacking palm in mid-air.
"BOOM!"
A violent explosion rang out like a clap of thunder.
In the blink of an eye, the once peaceful and quiet area outside the Fire Realm erupted into chaos like a disturbed anthill. Dozens of beings with imposing auras shot out like streaks of light, cutting off Li Chang’an’s escape route.