"Fellow Daoist Tang!"

Meng Changtu cupped his hands in greeting from a distance.

Looking up, Chen Che saw a man dressed in a Daoist Robe with white hair and a long beard. A white duster was draped over his arm, making him look like a transcendent old master walking the mortal world.

He crossed a hundred zhang with a single step, arriving before the two of them in just a few breaths.

"Uncle Tang!"

Chen Che cupped his hands.

Tang Youliang, a Fourth Level Cultivator.

He had known Meng Changtu for over forty years, and it was he who had relayed the news about Sun Hao.

He had helped Meng Changtu quite a bit in the past, and for the last few days, he had been the one keeping an eye on Sun Hao.

Tang Youliang glanced at Chen Che, his displeasure evident. "Didn’t I tell you? The target is incredibly cunning. I almost got discovered several times while tracking him. Why did you bring someone else along?"

Meng Changtu was at a loss for words.

He had brought Chen Che for two reasons. First, the Little Chick was a Flying Demon Beast and was extremely fast in the air. If their target tried to flee, it could catch up immediately.

Second, Chen Che had told him that he had placed a Divine Sense Mark on the target and would be able to sense him as soon as they got close.

"In that case, you should just wait here..."

"Forget it!"

Just as Meng Changtu was about to speak, Tang Youliang glanced over again and cut him off. Waving his hand and flicking his duster, he said with seeming resignation, "Since you’re here, you might as well come with us. If anything happens, Fellow Daoist Meng and I can look out for you."

With that, he moved forward, taking the lead.

"Don’t mind him. Fellow Daoist Tang has always been like this."

His father-in-law turned and patted his shoulder, his tone gentle.

"Finishing our business here is what’s most important."

’Always been like this?’

Watching Tang Youliang take two steps forward to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Meng Changtu, Chen Che narrowed his eyes. A moment ago, he had felt the man’s Divine Sense linger on him for a long time. It seemed he was trying to determine his Cultivation Realm before agreeing to let him tag along.

’This guy...’

...

Ten Thousand Fire Mountain actually consisted of only 407 volcanoes. The surrounding area wasn’t completely barren; in fact, the land where lava had once flowed was now covered in lush trees.

Along the way, they saw a few volcanoes that had recently erupted, with lava still churning within.

"Who’s the kid in the mask?"

"Fellow Daoist Meng, what exactly is the reason you had me track down Sun Hao?"

The three of them traveled together, with Chen Che lagging slightly behind, looking around. The Little Chick perched on his shoulder, preening its feathers. From ahead, he could hear Tang Youliang’s incessant questioning, but Meng Changtu just shook his head, refusing to reveal anything.

After asking for a long time without getting an answer, he seemed to grow annoyed:

"Don’t you even trust me?"

"He and this junior of mine have a grudge, so I want to get rid of him for good."

Meng Changtu answered vaguely.

Chen Che raised an eyebrow.

’My father-in-law really is reliable. He didn’t reveal a single thing about the Golden Core Remnant Soul.’

The matter was of great importance; the more people who knew, the more complicated things would become.

"Tsk, and here I thought it was something important. Turns out it’s just about some junior..."

Tang Youliang chuckled and shook his head. "You patriarchs really have it rough. This is precisely why I’ve never been willing to start a family. If I see no hope of reaching the Golden Core Realm, I’ll only consider such things in my last thirty years."

Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Meng Changtu changed the subject. "How did you find Sun Hao, and where is he now?"

"A few days ago, I happened to witness a fight between two Foundation Establishment cultivators."

Tang Youliang explained:

"One of them commanded a Yin Dragon and devoured the other. I guessed he was the man you were looking for, so I sent you the message and tracked him here. I’m seventy percent sure it’s him."

"I didn’t dare get too close, but I’m certain he’s in one of the central volcanoes."

Tang Youliang gestured forward with his duster.

Ahead, among the cluster of volcanoes, seven or eight giant ones stood out. One was spewing thick, rolling smoke, with lava continuously overflowing from its crater. From a distance, it looked like a Fire Dragon snaking its way down.

Chen Che gazed into the distance, simultaneously sweeping the area with his Divine Sense.

However, the Fire Element here was violent and the Spiritual Qi was chaotic. The moment his Divine Sense spread out, it felt like wading through a swamp, losing its usual smoothness. Its range was also severely affected, reduced to only half of normal.

’Could this be why True Master Chilong chose this place for his Cave Mansion all those years ago?’

Chen Che mused.

Still, despite the harsh environment, it wasn’t impossible to practice Cultivation here.

Moreover, these hundreds of volcanoes were likely connected by earth veins, forming a network of underground passages. Unless they could seal off all of them, capturing their target would be impossible.

’But it’s nothing compared to Jinyun Valley!’

Chen Che shook his head to himself.

Living here meant being a lone wolf, relying on plunder for all resources.

"I can’t sense anything..."

At that moment, Meng Changtu also withdrew his Divine Sense.

His Divine Sense was not as vast as Chen Che’s. If even Chen Che felt like it was a struggle to move, it was an even greater challenge for him.

"Then let’s go up the mountain and search. He might have already gone inside."

Tang Youliang suggested earnestly, "But we must not alert him. If we startle him and he takes the opportunity to hide, finding him again won’t be easy!"

"Yes, up the mountain."

Meng Changtu nodded slightly and was the first to enter the mountain, leading the way and searching for any possible clues.

Chen Che followed behind, continuing to keep his Divine Sense extended.

His Divine Sense had already reached the Golden Core Realm. Even with the interference, it could still extend nearly five thousand zhang, far surpassing that of a cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment.

The three of them proceeded in silence, concealing their auras as they moved.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, as his Divine Sense spread out, Chen Che discovered a faint trace of something.

"Let’s check that mountain!"

Chen Che looked up and pointed to a volcano in the mountain range—one that was quiet and dormant, but surrounded by a dense growth of trees.