The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 1702: Chapter 1799: The Mystery of the Volcano

Although Fang Lin was deeply curious about this mysterious volcano, he did not rashly descend. The strange changes that occurred earlier proved that what was sealed within the volcano was extraordinary. Fang Lin didn’t want to court disaster and accidentally release something catastrophic.

Fang Lin’s gaze lingered on the nine chains. By sight alone, he could not discern what material the chains were crafted from. He wondered if he should touch them to investigate further.

At that moment, Fang Lin noticed a figure sitting cross-legged at the edge of the volcano.

Fang Lin froze. Earlier, he had clearly scanned the volcano thoroughly but saw no sign of any figure. This figure on the edge had materialized suddenly.

Fang Lin was about to take a closer look, but the figure vanished again.

“What’s going on here?” Fang Lin became alert. This place exuded eeriness and mystery. He had clearly seen the figure earlier, so how could it disappear in the blink of an eye?

Fang Lin wondered if this place not only housed a seal but was also surrounded by an illusion formation, trapping him unknowingly. Could everything he just experienced be false, and the figure he saw merely an illusion?

But Fang Lin quickly shook his head. He should not be caught in any illusion formation. After all, his Heavenly Eye had been open all along, capable of breaking through delusions. If there truly were an illusion formation, it would have been exposed by the Heavenly Eye already.

Unless it was an illusion formation that even the Heavenly Eye couldn’t penetrate!

However, Fang Lin didn’t believe there existed formations in this world that could elude him. With his current cultivation at the Longevity Realm, the power of his Heavenly Eye had significantly increased. No matter how formidable an illusion formation, he could see through it.

After pondering for a moment, Fang Lin decided not to act hastily. He patted the Nine Palace Bag and retrieved an item.

It was a painting scroll, but the scroll was blank with no figures or objects depicted.

Even though they were underwater in the sea, the seawater could not soak the scroll, indicating it was no ordinary artifact.

Fang Lin held the scroll out before him, and after a few breaths, an image of Fang Lin himself appeared on the scroll.

Then, Fang Lin shook the scroll, and another Fang Lin emerged.

The Fang Lin from the scroll was identical to the real Fang Lin, even down to the aura emanating from his body.

The only discernible difference was the lifeless eyes of the scroll-figure, which appeared like a walking corpse devoid of vitality.

Fang Lin extended his hand and pressed it to the forehead of the doppelganger, imprinting a mark upon it.

This allowed the figure from the painting to obey Fang Lin’s commands seamlessly, as if it were an extension of his own will.

“The treasures of the Confucian Sect truly have remarkable uses,” Fang Lin said with a faint smile. This scroll was one among many items he had scavenged from the Return to Sea Painting Studio. He still possessed over a dozen similar blank scrolls, all with the same function.

Of course, the method to use these scrolls had been taught to Fang Lin by Zhen Yangzi. After all, Fang Lin wasn’t a member of the Confucian Sect and would have no idea how to activate them otherwise.

Although Zhen Yangzi was of the Taoist Sect, he had significant knowledge of both the Confucian and Buddhist Sects. He had previously used such scrolls himself, so they were not unfamiliar to him.

“Go!” Fang Lin waved his hand, and the figure from the painting headed straight towards the volcano below.

Fang Lin chose not to conduct the exploration himself but sent the scroll-figure instead. This way, if anything went awry, Fang Lin would not be personally endangered—a very cautious approach.

The figure didn’t head straight for the volcano’s crater but instead landed near one of the nine chains.

As the scroll-figure steadily approached, the volcano remained inert. Even so, Fang Lin stayed highly alert.

Finally, the figure stood beneath one of the chains and reached out to touch it.

The moment the figure made contact with the chain, it instantaneously exploded, leaving not even a speck of ash behind.

Fang Lin was startled. Since the scroll-figure was linked to his mind, at the moment it touched the chain, Fang Lin experienced the same sensation.

“These chains are so cold, forged from an extremely frigid material, and are shrouded in a powerful force,” Fang Lin thought to himself.

The reason the scroll-figure vanished was because the chain held an overwhelmingly strong energy. Since the figure was merely a phantom created by the artifact and not a true clone of Fang Lin, it could not withstand the force and was shattered instantly.

“Nine chains forged of an extremely frigid material, sealing something within this volcano—there’s something deeply suspicious about this,” Fang Lin muttered, furrowing his brows as he tried to piece things together, his mind circling around a vague guess.

Suddenly, Fang Lin thought of something. He reached into the True Dragon avatar and retrieved the head of the black-skirted woman.

The black-skirted woman’s head dangled in Fang Lin’s grip for some time before realizing they were deep underwater.

“What do you intend to do this time?” she snapped as she stared at Fang Lin.

Fang Lin ignored her glare and gestured towards the volcano below, asking, “Do you know what’s down there?”

The black-skirted woman caught sight of the volcano and the nine enormous chains, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

“You managed to find this place?” she said with astonishment.

Hearing her response, Fang Lin immediately surmised that she must know something about this place.

“Tell me what you know,” Fang Lin ordered.

The black-skirted woman sneered, “How long do you intend to keep me subdued like this?”

Fang Lin frowned, “Not killing you is already showing you mercy. Want freedom? It’s not going to be that easy.”

Gritting her teeth, the black-skirted woman glared at Fang Lin. Reduced to nothing but a head, she remained alive but constantly suppressed within the True Dragon avatar, unable to regain her body—a truly humiliating situation.

Still, having been trapped for tens of thousands of years by Bai Qingxue in an ancient cave before Fang Lin further subdued her, she had grown somewhat accustomed to this treatment.

However, being a living being, how could she not desire freedom?

“I’ve never ventured deep into this place. Something appears to be sealed within. Attempting entry would likely provoke disturbances,” the black-skirted woman said coldly.

Fang Lin felt a pang of disappointment. It seemed the black-skirted woman knew little more than he did.

“One other question: You previously mentioned that among the Unparalleled Eight Emperors, three founded the three sects. Are those three still alive?” Fang Lin asked, changing the topic.

When she heard this, the black-skirted woman’s expression grew uncertain. “Why do you ask that?”

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