The words of the Firekeeper were infectious and inspiring, but to Fang Zhou's ears, they sounded mystical, like those of a con artist trying to persuade someone.

Fang Zhou glanced at the hand the Firekeeper had placed on his shoulder and extended his own hand to place it on her shoulder: "Could you explain a bit more clearly?"

The scene of them touching each other's shoulders was somewhat comical, and Aya, trying to suppress her laughter, also suspected Fang Zhou of taking advantage of the situation.

Fang Zhou felt wronged, as though he could indeed feel the soft and smooth shoulders of the Firekeeper through the thin fabric, he truly had no intention of taking advantage.

Moreover, wasn't the Firekeeper touching his shoulder too? One couldn't treat things differently.

The Firekeeper slowly withdrew her hand, placing both hands on her lower abdomen, and explained gracefully: "To find the Fire of Hope, you must return to the past, as only an untainted flame will meet your requirements."

"Untainted?"

"Exactly, the Fire of Hope and the Fire Stealers are all cursed by the Ancient Dragon. Only before that was the Fire of Hope pure."

Fang Zhou frowned slightly, as this meant going back to a time long ago, and he wasn't even sure when the Fire Stealers had stolen the Fire of Hope.

After speaking, the Firekeeper stood up: "Go, I will bless you."

Fang Zhou asked, "Won't you come with us?"

The Firekeeper shook her head: "I have already fulfilled my mission. When the ashes burn out, my life will also reach its end."

The nearby campfire began to diminish again, and quickly.

Fang Zhou poured a large amount of Soul Fire into it, but it couldn't be stopped.

"Go, and let me have some peace in this final moment."

The Firekeeper said as much, so Fang Zhou and Aya had no choice but to leave.

Aya hugged the Firekeeper, her eyes carrying a hint of sadness as she bid farewell to this old friend.

Fang Zhou also wanted to give the Firekeeper a farewell hug, but thought better of it to avoid being mistaken for a rude rogue.

The three parted ways, and as they left, the Firekeeper stood by the campfire, waving goodbye to them with a sense of loneliness and desolation.

Leaving the underground hollow, Fang Zhou brought Aya back to the surface of Black Soul Mountain.

The Firekeeper's words were crystal clear; to obtain hope, they must return to a time before the fire was polluted.

That would be at least a few thousand years ago, with the river of history flowing relentlessly and many details buried like silt in its waves.

Due to frequent wars and the Black Soul World's poor recording of history, history was fragmented. Even Aya was unsure when exactly the four Fire Stealers had stolen the Fire of Hope from the Ancient Dragon.

Fang Zhou couldn't be certain if the Earth Escape Technique could travel that far. The Human Escape Technique was certainly not an option, as they couldn't find someone who had lived for thousands of years.

Switching to the Heavenly Style Technique should be feasible, but he still hadn't mastered it to this day due to its complexity.

No matter the difficulty, this was the only option now and had to be tried.

Fang Zhou and Aya climbed to the top of Black Soul Mountain, took out the Heavenly Repair Stone, and began to perform the Earth Escape Technique.

The two entered the escape technique, with the bizarre and dazzling scenery flashing by around them.

When they emerged from the escape technique, Black Soul Mountain had completely changed its appearance.

Originally barren, with numerous withered and decayed trees, and bare rocks exposed, it now burst forth with vitality, covered entirely with lush and thriving trees.

The buildings on Black Soul Mountain had also vanished, with Ancient Dragon Peak, Fran Fortress, Lorric City, and such nowhere to be seen.

These three cities had been relocated from various parts of the world by wise men using powerful magic during the apocalyptic times, and their disappearance now meant the two had arrived before the apocalypse.

Fang Zhou took Aya to fly high into the sky, looking around to find the previously endless Black Plain now covered with vegetation and rivers.

It was now morning, with a newly risen sun hanging in the east, and its warm rays shimmering on the river.

Having not seen her homeland in such a vibrant state for over a century, Aya remained dazed for a long time before she came to her senses and said to Fang Zhou: "Ten years before the apocalypse, the last Ember King began constructing defensive fortifications on Black Soul Mountain."

Fang Zhou glanced down, finding nothing on Black Soul Mountain now, meaning they must be more than a decade before the apocalypse.

He asked Aya, "Want to take a look around?"

Aya was tempted for a moment but shook her head in the end: "Forget it, there's nothing worth seeing in the past."

She knew what was more important, and finding the Fire of Hope was the most crucial task now.

Fang Zhou could only take out the Heavenly Repair Stone and perform the Earth Escape Technique again.

When they exited the escape technique again, the Black Soul Mountain and surrounding plain's vegetation were even more lush, with an air of a primordial forest, and giant birds flying over the forest.

Even Aya was unsure what period this was, but deduced that it was at least three hundred years before the apocalypse based on the flying giant birds, which were thought to have gone extinct around that time.

Fang Zhou and Aya continued leaping further, traversing through time again and again, with each instance bringing changes to Black Soul Mountain and the surrounding plains.

Finally reaching the point where the Earth Escape Technique was almost at its limit, knowing it couldn't run indefinitely everywhere.

The Black Soul Mountain and the surrounding plains were now entirely like a primordial forest, with the river routes altered and the mountain itself slightly lowered.

The two had to fly out of this desolate area in search of living people, only then could they determine the time they had reached.

Aya led the way, heading first to the nearest duchy from Black Soul Mountain.

The two passed through long stretches of forest and plains, seeing no signs of human activity, only various magical creatures and wild beasts.

Arriving at the duchy's location, they found it desolate, indicating that human feet had yet to reach here.

"The duchy was established at least three thousand years ago. Before that, there was constant fighting among small states, and before that, the city-state system, and before that, the tribal systems."

Aya explained the history of the location to Fang Zhou, having once organized an archaeological team, and her knowledge of history was on par with some historians.

Now, with no traces of humans here, it indicated that humanity might still be operating under a tribal system.

The four Fire Stealers had taken the Fire of Hope from the Ancient Dragon precisely at the end of the tribal system, marking the beginning of human civilization.

Fang Zhou and Aya flew past the forest, continuing forward toward Aya's nation.

After flying day and night, they finally arrived at Aya's ancestral land.

There were now signs of human activity here, with stone houses and cultivated fields below and people in coarse fabrics gathering fruits nearby.

Many were hunting beasts in the forest, wielding spears and stone axes.

Seeing her ancestors' way of life for the first time, Aya couldn't help but pause.

Fang Zhou suddenly grabbed her shoulder: "Something's coming."

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