Molten Wasteland

Black gravel stretched beneath their feet, and the air was thick with a strange, dry, acrid smell. Dark red hills rolled beneath the warped sky, desolate and lifeless.

This was the "Molten Wasteland" marked on the map.

According to ancient scrolls, during the war of antiquity, this place had been scorched time and again by lava spells. The energy in the earth veins had long since grown violent and chaotic.

"We have to cross the wasteland as soon as possible and find shelter."

"Cough..." Su Muxue coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly opened her eyes.

"Don't speak. Save your strength," Lin Ye said quietly. He went to Chen Feng and carefully examined his injuries. The slash across Chen Feng's chest was deep enough to expose bone. Combined with his severe blood loss and depleted true qi, it had left him in a deep coma.

Lin Ye tore off some of his clothes and rebandaged Chen Feng's wound, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

Then he went to Su Muxue and said gravely, "Can you walk? We have to get out of here."

Su Muxue gritted her teeth and nodded. She struggled to stand, but her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed.

"Chen Feng..." she said, gazing anxiously at her still-unconscious companion.

Lin Ye said no more. He bent down, hoisted Chen Feng onto his back, and steadied Su Muxue with one hand. With heavy steps, he entered the Molten Wasteland.

Every step felt like treading on the tip of a blade.

Sweat streamed down his forehead and dripped onto the scorching gravel, vaporizing in an instant.

After an unknowable length of time, the three of them finally reached the outer edge of the Molten Wasteland.

Fighting to stay alert, Lin Ye followed the directions on the scroll map, avoiding areas where monsters were frequently sighted and taking a relatively safe route.

As they rounded a crimson rock wall, a monster shaped like a giant scorpion came into view, crouched in the middle of the passage!

It had been dozing, but the moment the three drew near, their presence startled it awake. Its compound eyes snapped open, coldly fixing on the unwelcome intruders.

Late True Qi Realm!

Its crimson carapace glinted coldly, and its stinger was wreathed in greenish venom. Faint traces of earth fire curled around its body. It was a fearsome beast.

Lin Ye's pupils contracted. He first helped Su Muxue lean securely against the rock wall, then gently lowered Chen Feng from his back. Gripping the Star-Shattering Sword, he stepped into the middle of the passage to block their way.

Su Muxue struggled to get up and join the fight, but Lin Ye silenced her with a stern look.

"Take care of him," Lin Ye said in a low voice, his gaze locked on the crimson giant scorpion.

The monster seemed wary of him. It didn't pounce at once, but slowly swayed its body, coiling to strike.

Lin Ye waited patiently for his chance, too.

The seed within him churned wildly, forcibly condensing all the energy it had devoured at the tip of his sword in a manner that was almost self-destructive.

The crimson giant scorpion clearly sensed the deadly threat. It screeched restlessly, yet still didn't dare approach.

Just as Lin Ye's mind wavered for an instant—

"Skree—!!!"

The giant scorpion seized the opening. Its body shuddered violently, and it lunged at him with a scorching, foul gust!

At the same time, its raised tail whipped around at an incredibly tricky angle, driving its poisoned stinger straight toward Lin Ye's back!

Su Muxue's beautiful eyes flew wide, her heart clenching, but she couldn't even cry out in time.

A cold gleam blazed in Lin Ye's eyes!

He poured the last remnants of his will into the strange point of light at the tip of his sword.

Facing the giant scorpion's gaping maw, he thrust!

A swordbeam honed to the utmost pierced straight into the depths of its throat.

The crimson giant scorpion's forward lunge abruptly froze, terror filling its eyes.

"Skree—!!!"

A shrill, agonized scream burst from within it. It thrashed wildly, sending shattered stone and sparks flying in every direction.

"Boom—!!!"

With a muffled, thunderous blast, the giant scorpion's massive body exploded from within.

Lin Ye bore the brunt of it. The violent shockwave hurled him through the air and slammed him hard against the rock wall. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision turning completely black as his consciousness plunged into boundless darkness.

"Lin Ye—!!"

Su Muxue let out a cry of anguish and rushed to his side, trembling as she felt for his breath.

"No..." Tears instantly blurred her vision. Without hesitation, she channeled what little true qi she had left into Lin Ye, desperately protecting the last flicker of life in his heart meridian.

The blast's aftershocks had yet to fade when more scraping and crawling sounds came from the depths of the wasteland at the other end of the passage.

Were they really going to die here?

Through tear-blurred eyes, Su Muxue accidentally glanced at the rock wall beside her.

The impact had dislodged the outer layer of red stone, revealing the faint outline of a flight of steps beneath.

Steps? Where did they lead?

A spark of hope rekindled in her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she dragged the two of them into the pitch-black opening one after the other, then hurried in herself.

The moment she entered, most of the scorching air outside was cut off, and a wave of cold swept over her.

Daring not to venture farther, she laid Lin Ye and Chen Feng down gently on the steps just inside the entrance, then slumped beside them, gasping for breath.

After a moment of silence, Su Muxue finally took out the box containing the Earth Vein Crystal.

She pressed the crystal to Lin Ye's chest and carefully guided its energy into him, nourishing the seed that was on the verge of shattering.

"Hum!"

The dim seed within Lin Ye seemed to seize its last lifeline. It instantly unleashed a fierce devouring impulse, greedily gulping down the energy flowing from the crystal.

"Hum!"

The dim seed within Lin Ye seemed to seize its last lifeline. It instantly unleashed a fierce devouring impulse, greedily gulping down the energy flowing from the crystal.

But Su Muxue's heart sank little by little.

She could clearly feel that the seed devoured energy with a powerful impulse to plunder and destroy. Though it had temporarily stabilized and stopped the seed from shattering completely, it was also intensifying the conflict within, and might even alter the seed's very nature—pushing Lin Ye down an unknowable path.

She tried to forcibly sever the connection, but Lin Ye's body had become a bottomless black hole. That terrifying devouring force had locked onto the Earth Vein Crystal and the true qi she was channeling into him.

"Lin Ye... wake up... control it..." Su Muxue whispered anxiously.

The crystal's light dimmed at a visible rate.

"Crack..."

A faint sound of breaking came from within the crystal.

Su Muxue's expression changed. The crystal's energy was nearly spent, but the chaos within Lin Ye still hadn't subsided.

"Thump..."

A pulse with a strange rhythm slowly traveled from deep within the staircase, echoing clearly through the narrow passage.

"Thump... thump..."

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable weight and heat. Each time it sounded, the stone steps beneath them trembled.

The chill in the air quickly faded, replaced by a scorching wave slowly rising from deep underground.

"Is this the Earth Fire Pulsation?" Su Muxue's beautiful eyes narrowed.

Beneath the Molten Wasteland, an exceptionally active Earth Fire Spirit Vein ran through the depths.

They had barely taken refuge in this passage before stumbling upon the Earth Fire Spirit Vein's active phase.

"Thump!!!"

Another pulse rang out, heavy enough to make their hearts pound and clear enough to shake the passage! This time, the tremors grew even stronger...

In the endless darkness at the foot of the stairs, a dim red glow began to shimmer, as though something burning hot were slowly awakening below.

As the Earth Fire Pulsation grew stronger, the air grew too hot to bear.

Su Muxue's mouth went dry, and even breathing caused a burning pain. Though Lin Ye and Chen Feng remained unconscious, their skin quickly turned red and dry.

"We can't stay here!" Su Muxue thought through gritted teeth.