The Path of Burning Heaven Refines the Heart; a Bloody Slaughter at the Altar! (Two Chapters in One)

At the entrance to the Path of Burning Heaven, a vortex of flames churned like an awakened ancient fire beast. The scarlet waves surging at its center scorched even space, leaving faint traces of distortion.

Lin Chen stood before the vortex, clearly sensing the two forces within it. One was heat intense enough to melt black iron; the other was an insidious assault on the mind, clinging like a maggot to bone.

He did not hesitate. Dou Qi trembled faintly around him, and Red Lotus Karma Fire seeped from his pores, forming a film of flame as thin as a cicada's wings over his body.

Then he stepped into the vortex.

Behind him, Medusa tensed. Her seven-colored Dou Qi barely formed a thin shield around her. It could withstand the heat, but even a slightly stronger impact would leave it tottering on the verge of collapse.

Zi Yan, meanwhile, was at a loss. Though her Ancient Void Dragon bloodline made her unafraid of flames, she had no experience dealing with an assault on the mind.

All she could do was cling tightly to Lin Chen's side, gripping the hem of his robe, her little face full of anxiety.

The instant they entered the vortex, the scene before them changed abruptly. Beneath their feet was no longer solid ground, but a lava road about a zhang wide.

Dark-red magma churned beneath the road's surface. From time to time, bubbles of scorching lava burst, sending sparks flying onto Lin Chen's film of flame with a faint sizzling sound.

On either side of the road stretched an endless sea of fire, scarlet flames surging like waves. The air was so hot that even a Dou Zong who breathed it in might scorch his lungs.

More terrifying still was the unseen pressure bearing down