Wind-Erosion Canyon

The threat of the earthfire was already at their doorstep. The stone steps beneath them grew hotter by the moment, the acrid stench of burning sulfur thickened in the air, and the dark red glow surging up from underground became blinding.

"We have to risk it!"

Su Muxue put away the crystal, its glow now dim, hoisted the unconscious Lin Ye onto her back, then gritted her teeth and dragged the gravely wounded Chen Feng along as she struggled toward the steps above.

"Rumble—!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from deep within the stairway. The entire passage shook violently, and web-like cracks instantly spread across the stone walls on either side.

A terrifying torrent, carrying searing heat, roared upward and surged wildly along the steps.

Lin Ye's body suddenly convulsed without warning.

"Bzz—!!!"

An invisible force field burst outward around Lin Ye, enveloping Su Muxue and Chen Feng.

The earthfire's frenzied fire-element energy, the origin of the earth, and even the chaotic Killing Intent left behind by the Ancient Battlefield were forcibly swallowed and absorbed by the seed inside him.

The force field surrounding the three grew ever more stable. The surging earthfire was continuously drawn into it, all of it transformed into nourishment for the seed.

Lin Ye... what had he become?

After an unknown amount of time, the earthfire spewing from the depths gradually subsided.

"Thud."

Su Muxue's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with Lin Ye still on her back.

She looked at the still-unconscious Lin Ye beside her, then glanced at Chen Feng, whose breathing had finally begun to steady. Her heart was still pounding from their narrow escape.

"We have to leave here as soon as possible..."

Gritting her teeth, Su Muxue dragged Lin Ye and Chen Feng out of the cave. She found a sheltered rock wall and stopped to rest for the time being.

She swallowed a healing pill, leaned against the rock, and began circulating her cultivation technique to recover.

As the blood moon shifted farther across the sky, Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes.

The instant their eyes met, a chill ran down Su Muxue's spine.

"Lin Ye?"

"Su Muxue." Lin Ye's voice was hoarse and dry.

"How are you feeling?"

"I've recovered a little."

"What about Chen Feng?"

"He hasn't woken up yet, but his life isn't in danger. He needs time to recuperate."

Lin Ye struggled to sit up, his movements stiff. Su Muxue reached out to help him, but he gently waved her off.

He sat cross-legged and took the initiative to circulate the cultivation technique within him, guiding the seed as it absorbed and transformed the remaining earthfire energy.

Suppressing her doubts, Su Muxue closed her eyes once more and resumed cultivating.

When Lin Ye opened his eyes again, the weakness that had weighed on him was gone.

"How are you feeling now?" Su Muxue asked, opening her eyes at just the right moment.

"I can travel."

"We have to reach Wind-Erosion Canyon as soon as possible."

"What about Chen Feng..."

"I'll carry him." Lin Ye walked over to Chen Feng and hoisted him onto his back with ease.

"Let's go."

He set off first, heading deeper into the forbidden land.

"According to the map, once we cross that Ghost-Howl Stone Forest ahead, we'll reach the entrance to Wind-Erosion Canyon." Su Muxue pointed toward an area of dark red stone pillars.

The map marked the stone forest as the transition zone between Feiqiu and Wind-Erosion Canyon. Its terrain was complicated, and many demon beasts skilled at ambush lurked within.

Lin Ye nodded and continued on without breaking stride, entering the stone forest first.

The light grew dimmer inside the forest, where the passageways twisted and narrowed.

They had barely entered when several black shadow spiders silently slid down the stone walls on either side.

But the moment they came within three zhang of Lin Ye, they abruptly froze, as if they had hit an invisible wall. Their eight legs scrabbled frantically, then they instantly turned around and darted into the shadows between the rocks, vanishing from sight.

That inexplicable force field was at work again.

The three made their way through without incident and soon crossed the Ghost-Howl Stone Forest. The view opened up before them, revealing a bottomless chasm stretching across their path.

This was Wind-Erosion Canyon.

"Down." Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ye carried Chen Feng to a relatively gentle slope and began climbing down.

The moment they entered the canyon, a fierce gale erupted, sweeping sand through the air.

The strange force field around Lin Ye's body spread on its own once more, forming an invisible shield that kept most of the sand and wind outside. Su Muxue hurried close and took shelter within its range, and the pressure around her immediately eased.

They struggled forward along one side of the canyon, battling the howling wind as they searched for the sheltered cave marked on the map.

About half an hour later, a pitch-black cave entrance finally appeared beneath the rock wall ahead.

"This is the place." Lin Ye stepped into the cave first.

"This place should be safe for now. Keep an eye on him. I'll scout outside and look for water and food while I'm at it." Lin Ye turned to Su Muxue.

Su Muxue nodded and cautioned him, "Be careful."

Lin Ye gathered some patches of moss and lichen from around the canyon that looked relatively normal, then took out the empty jade bottles he carried and filled several with clean water.

Just as he was about to head back to the cave, a sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang out overhead!

"Screee!"

Lin Ye looked up sharply. Three Wind-Rending Falcons, their feathers glinting coldly, had folded their wings and were diving toward him.

His eyes turned icy. He stamped hard on the ground, his body shooting skyward like a cannonball released from its string. He swung his sword straight at the Wind-Rending Falcons.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The three Wind-Rending Falcons were caught off guard. They seemed to crash into an invisible mountain, their dives abruptly halted.

While they were briefly immobilized, Lin Ye closed in and drove the tip of his sword precisely beneath one of their necks.

"Shhk!"

The sword tip pierced through without resistance, instantly extinguishing its life.

The other two Wind-Rending Falcons were both furious and alarmed. They let out even sharper cries and beat their wings wildly, sending several invisible blades of wind slicing toward Lin Ye.

The force field around Lin Ye's body surged in an instant. The wind blades struck it, stirring only faint ripples. He didn't slow down, closing in again as the Star-Shattering Sword darted out repeatedly, aiming straight for the two Wind-Rending Falcons' heads.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

With two soft thuds, the heads of both Wind-Rending Falcons burst apart.

Lin Ye landed steadily and gazed at the three Wind-Rending Falcons' corpses, his expression calm. He stepped forward, cut open their bodies with his sword, and extracted their demon cores. Then he sliced off several tender pieces of breast meat and returned to the cave with his spoils.

When Su Muxue saw the demon cores and meat he had brought back, a flicker of delight crossed her eyes.

Lin Ye held out a wind-element demon core to her. "This might help with your cultivation."

Su Muxue accepted it and said quietly, "Thank you."

The night passed in silence. The wind howled outside the cave, but within, all was calm and still.

The next morning, Chen Feng finally opened his eyes.

"Don't move." Su Muxue quickly pressed a hand against him. "Your injuries are severe. You still need to rest."

Chen Feng looked around in confusion. Once he took in his surroundings, his gaze fell on Lin Ye, who stood with his back to them at the cave entrance. His tense body relaxed a little, and he asked in a weak, hoarse voice, "Where are we? Brother Lin..."

"A temporary shelter in Wind-Erosion Canyon. Lin Ye is fine." Su Muxue briefly told him how they had made their way there.

Chen Feng let out a soft sigh when she finished. "I owe Brother Lin another life."

Su Muxue said nothing. She handed him the roasted meat and clean water she had prepared.

For the next two days, all three remained in the cave to recuperate. Lin Ye circulated his cultivation technique and digested the earthfire energy he had absorbed, while Su Muxue looked after the gravely wounded Chen Feng and occasionally refined the wind-element demon core. Their injuries and cultivation gradually recovered.

On the morning of the third day, Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes. A glimmer of dark golden light flashed through them and vanished. His aura was steady, and his strength had recovered to seventy percent.

It was time to move on.

"Pack up. We leave today. We'll cross Wind-Erosion Canyon and head for Skeleton Plains." Lin Ye rose to his feet and spoke to Su Muxue and Chen Feng in a low voice.

Su Muxue nodded and quickly gathered their few remaining belongings. Chen Feng also forced himself to his feet despite his injuries.

They had no way back. They could only keep moving forward and find a way out of this forbidden land if they wanted to truly survive.

Once they were ready, the three walked out of the cave together and plunged once more into the howling winds of the canyon.