"Good." Li Xiaoyu nodded. "In that case, we'll join forces for now."
"But let me make one thing clear first." Li Xiaoyu's gaze sharpened.
"While we're working together, if you make any suspicious moves or dare to play games behind my back..."
"I guarantee you'll die a very unpleasant death."
His words brimmed with warning.
Jin Ping'er felt a chill in her heart. She could tell Li Xiaoyu wasn't joking.
She smiled seductively, masking her unease.
"Don't worry, Great Hero Li."
"I may not be a good person, but I, Jin Ping'er, do have that much honor."
With Jin Ping'er's guidance, the three circled around to the rear of the Mystic Fire Altar.
There stood a steep cliff, with a volcano churning with lava below.
Scorching waves of heat surged up from below, hot enough to singe their eyebrows.
"This is the place." Jin Ping'er stopped before a cliff face and pointed at the stone wall.
Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi looked at her in puzzlement. The wall was no different from the surrounding mountainside and showed no sign of concealing a passage.
Jin Ping'er didn't explain. She simply pressed the Bell Jade Pendant gently against the stone wall.
Buzz!
Golden light flashed from the pendant, and the wall rippled like water.
A deep, narrow opening, just wide enough for one person to pass through, appeared before them.
"Let's go." Jin Ping'er entered first. Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi exchanged a glance, then followed close behind.
Inside, a narrow flight of stone steps descended into darkness. Ancient Wu Clan runes covered both walls, glowing faintly to illuminate the passage.
The air carried an old, musty scent of sulfur and dust.
The three cautiously made their way down the steps. The deeper they went, the more sharply the temperature climbed.
The