The sooner they dug it up, the sooner they would gain the initiative.

The fire tree had only a few roots still connected to the soil.

At this moment, Feng Miaojun suddenly heard Yun Ya’s voice in her ear: “Leave one root intact!”

Even the strongest tree is still a tree, with its inherent weaknesses—this fire tree would die if all of its root system rotted. But the roots remained tangled together, and the shovel alone could not separate them.

Without a second thought, Feng Miaojun tossed aside the golden bell shovel and reached out with her bare hands!

Only the dexterity of human hands could completely and undamagingly separate this shallow, short fine root.

The ground continuously emitted smoke, its temperature many times higher than burning charcoal. Her delicate hands, even with spiritual power for protection, would still feel a heart-piercing burn and stabbing pain upon contact!

Yet Feng Miaojun didn’t make a sound, her ten fingers moving swiftly to clear the soil from the fine root and gradually unwind it from the main root system.

She inadvertently looked up and saw the giant whale and long python chasing after a bright point of light.

She was certain that was Yun Ya—who else could incur such hatred from the Fire Spirits? However, he was completely engulfed in raging flames, and she couldn’t tell if he was unharmed.

Just then, she heard a third angry roar.

Immediately after, a massive figure jumped directly from above into the sea of fire, once again stirring up terrifying waves.

The floating island had drifted directly under the fissure. The Fire Spirit from the abyss looked down and saw the scene below, immediately rushing back to settle accounts with the two thieves!

However, by this time, a tiny human figure had already positioned himself firmly in its path.

Feng Miaojun’s nerves were so taut that they had become numb. She merely glanced up once before lowering her head to continue her work.

In any case, she couldn’t handle even one of them. So be it, leave it to fate.

No, that’s not right—leave it to Yun Ya, and fate.

After all, from now on, he would be fighting against three great Fire Spirits.

No matter how intense the battle became, how deafening the nearby roars were, or how violently the floating island rocked, she didn’t raise her head.

As long as she was still alive, there was hope. But even with Yun Ya’s extraordinary abilities, he couldn’t withstand three great Fire Spirits indefinitely.

Every second he could delay was worth more than a thousand gold pieces.

Now both their lives hung by a thread, and the task in her hands would ultimately determine both their fates.

Feng Miaojun knew that her fingertips were probably eighty percent burned, but in the face of danger, she completely forgot the pain, making it easier to peel away the roots.

Finally, she leaped up from the ground and shouted: “It’s done!” Simultaneously, she silently recited the incantation she had struggled to memorize, grabbed the fire tree with one hand, and stuffed it into the inch-sized bottle.

Yes, this treasure was called the “Inch Bottle.”

Strangely enough, a suction force emanated from the bottle’s mouth, and the fire tree, which was as tall as herself, was “sucked” inside.

Looking more closely, she saw that in the landscape within the “Inch Bottle,” a small tree had suddenly appeared in front of the house. Its appearance was identical to the fire tree, only its size had been reduced more than tenfold, and it lay horizontally on the ground.

As soon as she captured the tree, the three Fire Spirits in the distance acted as if someone had stepped on their sore spots—they all turned their heads and rushed toward her simultaneously!

By this point, Feng Miaojun no longer knew what fear was.

In mid-air, Yun Ya dropped a sand tray that grew with the wind, forming a formation when it landed on the ground.

This formation looked familiar to her at a glance.

The… the Small Mountain Moving Formation?

Was this Yun Ya’s final move? But the formation could only allow one person to pass through, which meant—

He truly had never planned to take her out with him!

At this life-or-death moment, Feng Miaojun didn’t understand why a surge of intense rage welled up in her heart. Then she heard Yun Ya’s rare shout: “Get into the bottle, quickly!”

She should also… go into the bottle. The consequences were too unpredictable. Even with danger imminent, Feng Miaojun couldn’t help but hesitate.

Yun Ya, while amid a life-and-death struggle, immediately saw through her concerns. While using all his strength to block the three rampaging Fire Spirits, he shouted without pause: “I promise to get you out safely!”

Feng Miaojun knew the consequences of delay. Hearing his promise, she finally recited the incantation again and plunged headfirst toward the bottle’s mouth.

In this instant, even she didn’t realize that she could trust him so unhesitatingly.

Trust that he could escape from here, trust that he would release her.

And then, the Inch Bottle sucked her in.

Feng Miaojun noticed that the bottle was transparent, allowing her to see the outside scene from within, though after being shrunk, everything appeared gigantic. At first glance, she saw the floating island finally giving way under the Fire Spirits’ fury, shattering into pieces.

Then, all she could see was a blood-red hue.

Before she could worry, the red faded away, and she saw a hand pick up the Inch Bottle.

It was Yun Ya.

My goodness, that hand was still so handsome even when magnified countless times!

Behind him, the Fire Spirits had taken on new forms—monsters she had never seen before, with four thin, sharp talons that were hooked and deadly, stabbing fiercely toward him.

The distance between them was very, very close.

Then the light was blocked, and she could no longer see anything outside.

Inside the bottle, Feng Miaojun couldn’t feel stillness or turbulence.

Compared to the upside-down world outside, this place was like a secluded Peach Blossom Spring, dim but peaceful, with only the gurgle of water behind the house—lonely fish blowing bubbles.

She was still conscious and breathing, which proved that Yun Ya hadn’t been killed by the three Fire Spirits. Thus, temporarily relieved of a great burden, she began to walk around the wooden house.

She hadn’t been mistaken earlier. The house wasn’t large, with the space in front enclosed by a bamboo fence. Traces in the corner showed that objects had once been piled there, but now there was nothing, only moss silently climbing. Vines grew on the trellis, with morning glories in full bloom, boldly displaying their purple flowers atop the millstone in magnificent bloom.

Under the jujube tree beside the house were stone tables and chairs. It was evident that the surfaces had originally been roughly hewn, but the tabletop and seat surfaces had been polished smooth, seemingly through long-term use. On the tabletop, besides a few half-green, half-red fallen jujubes, there was a carved chess board. The chess pieces were made from polished pebbles, some covered with patterns. Although the materials were simple, they were finely polished, showing the owner’s care.

Feng Miaojun stared at it for quite a while.

She had learned the game of Go in Jindu and had become quite passionate about it. With just a couple of glances, she could tell that this endgame had reached a critical point. Unless black had a divine move, its situation would only worsen until it was completely consumed by the opponent.

The white pieces’ offensive was as fine and dense as flowing mercury, yet with the tenacity of one who “bites down on the green mountain and never lets go.”

Judging a person by their chess, this player was extraordinary.

Behind the house was a small mountain, where only bird songs could be heard in the empty hills. As she strolled among them, plump brocade pheasants and wild rabbits were too slow to run away from humans, and various unidentified birds chirped.