Qinghuo Qiming looked at the one-armed man and explained, “We selected a Star General through the Star-Pointing Ritual. This visitor from the Azure Heavens will act as the Chess Master, representing our Qinghuo Tribe in the Game of Life and Death. The Chieftain instructed me to bring him to the Earth Cave to select warriors.”

The one-armed man merely grunted from his nostrils, “At least it’s somewhat useful.”

He stepped aside, allowing passage.

Jiang Wang and Qinghuo Qiming entered, and only then did he close the metal door again.

“These doors are best left unopened as much as possible, to prevent Star Beasts from escaping,” Qinghuo Qiming explained to Jiang Wang.

“What happens if they escape?” Jiang Wang asked.

“Once Star Beasts are exposed beneath the Azure Heavens, coming into contact with the Light of Tianshu… it’s a calamity.”

Qinghuo Qiming didn’t elaborate on the specifics of the calamity, but judging from his lingering fear, one could imagine the extent of the disaster.

This place resembled a vast underground cavern.

From outside the door, it seemed as if countless torches were held high in the long night.

Now inside, one could see that beneath those flames, there were people. More precisely, each warrior, whether sitting or standing, had a flame suspended above their head.

“This is the manifestation of their Totem Origin, which they use to recuperate,” Qinghuo Qiming explained, adding, “Our warriors only use their Totem Origin in extremely difficult times. The battle just now… must have been fierce.”

Jiang Wang could sense the difficulty of the previous battle, even without Qinghuo Qiming’s explanation.

Almost every one of those sitting or lying warriors was injured.

And some warriors were lying on the ground, snoring loudly. They were probably following some kind of rotation system.

There were approximately a thousand Qinghuo Tribe warriors in the entire Earth Cave. These were all extraordinary combatants, more than Jiang Wang had imagined, causing him to raise his assessment of the Floating Land’s overall strength once again.

As Qinghuo Qiming led Jiang Wang through the crowd, no one paid them any attention.

This Qinghuo Tribe shaman seemed unpopular. Even the warriors guarding the fortress outside didn’t show him much respect.

Qinghuo Qiming didn’t seem to care, or perhaps he was too preoccupied to care.

Jiang Wang noticed that he was trembling.

A tremor born of fear.

He must have experienced something, otherwise, someone of his status and strength shouldn’t be so afraid of the Earth Cave.

Qinghuo Gaochi had specifically asked Qinghuo Qiming to guide Jiang Wang to the Boundless Abyss, perhaps largely to resolve his inner demons.

In an environment like the Floating Land, a shaman who couldn’t descend into the Earth Cave would undoubtedly have a hard time gaining trust.

The one-armed warrior remained silent throughout the journey, simply leading them to a burly man with a full beard.

“The Chieftain sent them. Here to pick people for the Game of Life and Death,” he said succinctly.

“Pick people? What’s there to pick?” the burly man retorted angrily, “Does he know how strained our manpower is here? Wasting time selecting people for the Game of Life and Death will leave the Earth Cave unguarded. Does he want the Qinghuo Tribe to perish?”

The one-armed warrior only glanced back at Qinghuo Qiming, signaling him to explain.

“I hosted the Star-Pointing Ritual and welcomed a visitor from the Azure Heavens,” Qinghuo Qiming stepped forward to say.

The burly man sized up Jiang Wang a few times, his expression softening slightly, “Even so, he shouldn’t have come to the Boundless Abyss. He could have just picked some people from the tribe. If the Game of Life and Death goes well and we can recruit a dozen or so Star-Aligned, the next century will be much better.”

Qinghuo Qiming didn’t seem to have much confidence in front of this man, hesitatingly saying, “This time, we aim to secure five and strive for three.”

“Did the Chieftain say that himself?” the burly man asked.

“The Chieftain personally fought with him.”

The burly man immediately fell silent.

He turned around, silently looking behind him.

In the spacious Earth Cave, the ground was uneven, rising and falling. Only after walking all the way here did Jiang Wang see a massive pit not far behind the burly man.

Beneath the massive pit, it was as dark as ink, a night so thick it couldn’t be dissolved.

Jiang Wang took a few steps forward, straining his eyes to their limit, but he still couldn’t see the end of the darkness.

Was this the “Dark Heavens”?

Besides darkness, there seemed to be nothing else.

This massive pit was the true location of the “Earth Cave.”

And the burly man, as the leader of all the warriors in the Boundless Abyss, was guarding the front lines.

Jiang Wang wanted to get closer to take a look, but the burly man stopped him, “Don’t get any closer. You’re important now, we can’t afford anything happening to you.”

Jiang Wang heeded his advice and didn’t move, but asked, “Is it dangerous even standing nearby?”

“No one knows when the Star Beasts will surge up,” the burly man paused, then added, “Since the Chieftain acknowledges your strength, it’s worth our warriors risking their lives to fight alongside you. Go ahead and choose your people, anyone you want.”

“I won’t get much out of choosing like this,” Jiang Wang said, “I need to see them fight.”

The burly man’s expression turned grave, “This isn’t a performance, let alone a game. Once the battle starts, we can’t guarantee anyone will be there to protect you.”

“I don’t need anyone to protect me. I’m a warrior too,” Jiang Wang said, “If we’re going to fight side-by-side in the Game of Life and Death, we might as well start here.”

The one-armed warrior chuckled in a hoarse voice, “He’s got the spirit of a warrior, just a little on the skinny side.”

His words carried a deeper meaning.

Qinghuo Qiming said, “No, you can’t take this risk. It’s not easy to have a chance to achieve good results in the Game of Life and Death. Our Qinghuo Tribe can’t afford this risk!”

The one-armed warrior looked at him impolitely, “Is it he who can’t afford the risk, or you who can’t afford the risk?”

“You!” Qinghuo Qiming’s face flushed red, glaring at him furiously. His fury was mixed with fear and shame.

The one-armed warrior showed no sign of backing down.

“Alright, Shaman,” Jiang Wang reached out and patted Qinghuo Qiming on the shoulder, not wanting to see him so embarrassed, “I’ve made up my mind. I need to experience at least one battle here before I can choose the people who will go with me to the Game of Life and Death. Go back and tell your Chieftain for me.”

“Yes,” the one-armed warrior sneered, “Hurry back, and hide in the Chieftain’s arms.”

“I’m not leaving!” Qinghuo Qiming suddenly shouted, gritting his teeth, “Qinghuo Yuanchen, don’t think I’m really afraid! It’s just the Dark Heavens, isn’t it?”

He couldn’t deny his fear of the Dark Heavens, but he couldn’t tolerate such blatant humiliation. It was one thing to be ignored as a mere shaman. But how could he endure being spat upon?

“That’s enough,” the burly man spoke up at this moment, “Qinghuo Qiming, you should go back. A shaman should stay in the Fire Shrine, not in the Earth Cave.”

“Uncle Heng, I’m not a coward!” Qinghuo Qiming said, his eyes red, “Do you also think I’m a coward?”

The burly man didn’t say anything.

“I won’t leave,” Qinghuo Qiming said, word by word.

The burly man didn’t seem like a very patient person. Upon hearing this, he simply said, “Then do as you please.”

The one-armed warrior named Qinghuo Yuanchen was quite obedient. When the burly man told him to stop, he stopped provoking Qinghuo Qiming and turned to Jiang Wang, “Brother, I don’t know when the next wave of Star Beasts will come. Where will you be waiting? Our battle order is fixed, and the position must be clear.”

Jiang Wang looked at Qinghuo Qiming and said, “I’ll stay with him.”

After all, they were relatively familiar, and Qinghuo Qiming was the one who ignited the Fire Totem on his back. He felt closer to Qinghuo Qiming.

It was just that the status of this Shaman Qinghuo Qiming in the Earth Cave was a bit difficult to understand.

Jiang Wang actually wanted to stay by the edge of the Earth Cave so he could engage the Star Beasts at the first possible moment. But out of consideration for Qinghuo Qiming, he deliberately walked back a bit.

He found a place to sit down within the area Qinghuo Yuanchen had marked out, resting his sword across his knees.

Qinghuo Qiming sat down beside him in silence.

“Tell me,” Jiang Wang deliberately started a conversation, “Why don’t you cover the Earth Cave? Cast a big iron block and put it directly over the hole.”

Qinghuo Qiming’s emotions hadn’t fully recovered, but he still explained, “Anything that blocks this hole will dissolve, including people. So don’t fall in, or you’ll disappear.”

“I see,” Jiang Wang nodded, “I’ll be careful.”

Qinghuo Qiming seemed to have opened the floodgates of conversation.

He looked in the direction of the hole.

“Do you know? Actually, when I was very young, I wanted to come here.”