"So..." Zhang Tian muttered as the Fire Lord walked past him and into the ship.
"You're just letting him get on?" he added.
"What else can you do, we're all in the same boat," I shrugged.
"You're too carefree aren't you?" he added.
"A bit, but there is no point in getting hostile right now, it'll only cause us more problems," I said as I walked inside.
"I agree with Shen Bao, leaving him out there is like leaving a ticking time bomb. The moment he decides to give up on life, he could destabilize the entire area and blow us up with him."
"From what you're all saying it's like inviting a wolf to a sheep's cage," Law said.
"No, more like a wolf to a wolf pack, after all none of us here is afraid of him. But we rather not cause any issues," I replied.
"Shouldn't you at least give him a prohibition pill or a poison pill so he doesn't stab us in the back?" Law asked.
"It won't work," I said as I was the most familiar with the Fire Lord's body.
"His entire body is fire. He can't be poisoned; he could simply burn it all to nothing. Even some of my strongest fire and soul poison were ineffective against him, so we might as well just take him with us," I said.
"What if he tries to vie for the handkerchief once we find it?" Law asked.
"A good question, but how will he ever take it back?"
"You're all talking as if I don't exist," the Fire Lord replied as he was standing at the end of the hall.
"Not like it would have mattered if you were here or not, make yourself at someone else's home," I said.
"I see that I'm not welcome," the Fire Lord said.
"If you were me, you'd probably think the same," I said to him.
"You have a point, we do have our grievances, but it's not the time or place to solve them. As for the handkerchief. I'll be forfeiting the race. I've yet to fully recover, and have no intention of risking my life further," he said.
"There is a room to your left, you can go inside it and recover. There will be a couple of puppets that will be guarding the door exit. Don't do anything I wouldn't," I said and took my companions to the main control room.
Zhang Tian sighed once more but I couldn't help solve his anxiety. It was understandable after all. The Fire Lord was a mortal enemy of the Vast Expanse. But we're no longer there. And if anyone has more grievances with him they'll have to solve them themselves.
I had already resolved my issue with that man since the death of YuYu and her revival, and the destruction of the Purple Cloud sect. They were my benefactors when I first set foot in the path of cultivation. So, I solved their karma. By rebuilding the sect and thanks to my karma with Zhang Tian and YuYu came back to life in a new body.
Though I'm still pissed at the fact that he destroyed my home planet. After regaining Du Shen's memories, I had to give up the thought of revenge for the planet. Since it became something insignificant.
Sometimes one has to tolerate one's enemy, not to bow down to them, but to tolerate them. I have all the power to destroy the Fire Lord right now. But the problem is, by doing so, I'll deprive Meng Hao of his opportunity to take his own personal revenge against him which will deviate from his own path.
So, we'll suck it up for now.
"How is the situation looking?" I asked Law who was already in the boot below.
"Nothing so far, but the ground is steadily getting darker and the ash thicker the more we proceed forward," Law said.
I approached the door, it was full of many mystical symbols that I couldn't understand. I tried to push the gate, but it didn't budge. I couldn't use my Qi though, in case the storm reacts.
Law approached the gate and began inspecting it. Perhaps he'll figure something out, if knowledge can't solve something maybe luck can.
When I tried to compare the symbols of the handkerchief and the gate, something seemed missing.
The person who was drawing these hadn't finished.
I pocketed the handkerchief and began analyzing the gate.
"Brother Shen, are we not returning?" Zhang Tian asked.
"There is something here, and it piqued my interest," I said.
Zhang Tian looked at the gate and didn't seem to figure anything out.
"The symbols on this gate, they're carved with blood." I heard.
Looking behind us, it was the Fire Lord. He was looking at the gate as if it was something mortifying.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"The flames are asking you to back away, if that door is opened we'll die." The Fire Lord said.
Although I'm not someone who would back away easily, I still had to give up on the thought of entering this place. Not to mention, I have no idea how we could even access this gate.
As I was thinking of retreating and claiming the reward for first place. The small orb that kept following and recording us appeared in front of us.
"Come back!" it was the voice of the Blue Sun, she seemed rather pressured. "You have to bring back the handkerchief," she added.
"The symbols on it are incomplete," I said.
"What do you mean?" she questioned me.
"You want a copy of the symbols on the door, but they're missing in many areas, the handkerchief is incomplete," I said.
"Can you complete it?" she asked.
Looking at the gate I replied, "I already memorized it."
"Then good, come back and take your rewards," she said.
"Oh, brother Shen..." Law said.
As I turned to Law I noticed him having the "I think I fucked up" look on his face.
His finger was nicked and it was bleeding and the blood had been absorbed into the gate.
My entire body seemed to shiver as if something terrible was going to happen.
But before I could even shout for the group to run away, the gates in front of us spread open inwardly. It was so fast that none of us could even react in time. The mere pressure from inside the gate caused us to be sucked in.
The doors then slammed shut.