The wind in Sand Valley carried a slight chill, stirring the dark purple sand into swirls along the edge of the blue-green rock platform. Xiao Yan leaned against a stone pillar at the platform's edge, the inky black discoloration on his arm still strikingly visible. He coughed now and then, his face so pale he looked ready to collapse at any moment. Only his eyes betrayed him, flashing with an almost imperceptible sharpness whenever he studied the Stone Sword.
"These seal patterns... look a little familiar." He frowned, tracing the patterns on the platform in midair with a finger. "They look like some ancient formation, but they also carry the uniquely violent aura of heavenly flames."
Yao Lao's voice was grave. "This is a simplified version of the Heaven-Burning Formation, laid out using heavenly flame origin as the catalyst, supplemented by Earth Vein Qi. It can seal heavenly flames, but it can also kill intruders. Look at the intersections of those patterns. Each contains a trace of flame power compressed to its absolute limit. Touch it, and it will detonate instantly."
Xiao Yan's heart tightened. Sure enough, he spotted barely perceptible red glimmers at the junctions where the patterns crossed. He withdrew his hand and slowly sat down, pretending his strength had given out. His gaze, however, swept across the edges of Sand Valley—the concealed presences remained motionless, clearly waiting for the perfect moment.
Hoping to reap the fisherman's reward while others fight? He sneered inwardly, deliberately making his breathing heavy, as though even staying conscious was a struggle. Meanwhile, the dou qi inside him circulated quietly, slowly forcing the frozen poison toward the end of his arm to create the illusion that he was "struggling to purge the poison."
Just then, the Stone Sword suddenly trembled. The blue-green aura around its blade seemed to come alive, beginning to flow slowly. The patterns on the platform lit up in response, emitting a faint blue-green glow. A scorching presence surged from underground, abruptly raising the temperature throughout Sand Valley.
"What's happening?" Xiao Yan looked up in feigned surprise, but a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes—this was a sign that an outside force had disturbed the seal. Clearly, the hidden watchers could no longer restrain themselves.
Sure enough, a faint sound came from behind the Wind-Eroded Rock on the left side of Sand Valley. A dark figure darted out like a phantom, lunging straight for the Stone Sword at the platform's center. The figure moved with extraordinary speed, radiating the aura of a Peak Dou Ling and gripping a Short Blade that gleamed coldly, clearly hoping to seize the Stone Sword amid the chaos.
Hiss!
The instant before the dark figure touched the Stone Sword, one of the patterns on the platform erupted with a blinding red light. A concentrated strand of flame power shot out like a venomous snake, instantly coiling around the figure's arm.
"Aah!"
The dark figure screamed. The arm enveloped by the flame power turned to charcoal before the naked eye. The intruder recoiled in terror, only to be swallowed by the torrent of flames that followed, leaving not even ashes behind.
A deathly silence fell over Sand Valley. Even the wind seemed to stop.
Xiao Yan hunched his shoulders, letting just the right amount of fear show on his face. "This... this formation kills people?"
Yao Lao said gravely, "That was only the appetizer. The Heaven-Burning Formation's true power lies deep within the Earth Core."
Before his words had faded, the Stone Sword at the center of the platform began shaking violently. The blue-green aura around its blade swelled into a pillar of light that shot skyward, illuminating all of Sand Valley as brightly as day. Every pattern on the platform lit up, spreading across the rock like blue-green venomous snakes before converging into an enormous circular formation.
Humm—
The instant the formation began to rotate, the entire platform started sinking slowly, revealing a pitch-black opening beneath it. An even hotter, more violent presence gushed from the opening, mingled with the acrid stench of sulfur, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Xiao Yan's heart clenched. This turn of events was beyond anything he had expected. Instinctively, he tried to retreat, only to discover that the glowing patterns had somehow already entwined his feet. A powerful suction rose from below, dragging him toward the opening.
"Not good!" he cried, flailing both hands toward the nearby stone pillar, but grasping only empty air. He lost his balance and tumbled into the pitch-black opening.
As he fell, he saw two more figures dart out from behind the Wind-Eroded Rock on the right side of Sand Valley, clearly hoping to enter while the formation was open. But the moment they stepped onto the platform, suddenly flaring flame patterns engulfed them, reducing them to ash and smoke as well.
Those fools. Xiao Yan cursed inwardly as his body plummeted. He dared not use his soul power to control his body and could only let himself fall like a kite with its string cut. At the same time, he gathered dou qi over his body, forming a thin layer of protection—this was the most he could do for now.
The fall lasted longer than he had imagined. Pitch darkness surrounded him, with only the wind roaring past his ears and the increasingly distinct sensation of scorching heat. After an unknown stretch of time, something soft suddenly met his feet. He landed heavily on a pile of warm sand, the pain making him bare his teeth.
"Cough, cough..." He coughed as he climbed to his feet and looked around. This appeared to be an underground passage. Glowing crystals covered the rock walls on either side, lighting the tunnel as brightly as day. Patterns of the Heaven-Burning Formation were also carved into the passage floor, only these were more intricate than those on the platform and radiated even more violent energy.
"This is the path to the Earth Core." A trace of excitement entered Yao Lao's voice. "The Green Lotus Core Flame is right at the end of this passage!"
Xiao Yan nodded and stretched his aching body. Just as he was about to take a step, the patterns beneath his feet suddenly lit up. A blade of flame shot from the ground, slashing toward his ankle. He hurriedly retreated. The flame blade skimmed past the sole of his shoe and left a deep, scorched gouge in the rock wall.
"Looks like getting through won't be so easy." He frowned, looking farther down the passage. Every few dozen feet, the patterns on the ground formed a small formation—clearly a succession of trials.
He drew a deep breath and took his first step.
The moment he stepped onto the first rock, the surrounding crystals began flickering, their light alternately bright and dim. Countless flaming arrows suddenly shot from the rock walls on both sides of the passage, raining toward him in a furious downpour.
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. His body spun like a top as he used the agility of Dou Qi Third Stage to weave through the gaps between the flaming arrows. He deliberately let several arrows graze his body and set the hem of his clothing alight, creating the illusion of desperate peril.
"Whew..." Having evaded one wave of attacks, he panted as he extinguished the flames on his clothing. Sweat had already soaked his back—this time, the cold sweat was genuine. Those flaming arrows had already reached the power of an early-stage Dou Ling. If one struck him, even with his dou qi protection, it would peel a layer of skin off him.
As he pressed onward, the trials grew increasingly difficult. Sometimes the ground suddenly collapsed, exposing churning magma below. Sometimes Flame Puppets emerged from the rock walls, swinging enormous burning axes. There were even illusion formations that bewildered the mind, showing him his family in the Jia Ma Empire and the humiliation of his broken engagement, tempting him to abandon his advance.
Relying on the steadfastness of his emperor realm soul and his precise control over his own strength, Xiao Yan turned danger into safety time after time. He consistently kept his performance at the level of "Dou Qi Third Stage pushed to its absolute limit." Every attack he evaded left him looking utterly bedraggled, as though he had survived by luck alone.
After traveling through the underground passage for roughly two hours, his clothes were in tatters, and small burns covered his skin. The inky discoloration on his arm had also grown darker because of the "excessive strain of purging the poison." Yet his eyes shone ever brighter, for the aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame was now close enough to touch.
At the end of the passage lay an enormous underground cavern. In its center was the Magma Lake, several hundred feet across. On a stone dais in the middle of the lake, an enormous blue-green lotus was slowly blooming. Pure blue-green flames danced between its petals—it was the Green Lotus Core Flame he had searched so desperately for!
Although the flame radiated a violent aura, it carried a fresh lotus fragrance that contrasted sharply with the surrounding scorching heat.
"Found it..." Xiao Yan gazed at the blue-green lotus, a flicker of excitement passing through his eyes.
Just then, a soft chuckle came from behind the rock wall on the far side of the Magma Lake. "So someone really did arrive before me. A little brat at Dou Qi Third Stage, making it all the way here—that is rather unexpected."
Xiao Yan whipped his head around. An old man in black robes slowly emerged. His face was withered, but his eyes glittered with greed as he stared fixedly at the Green Lotus Core Flame in the center of the lake. He radiated the aura of a Peak Dou Wang.
"You!" Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized the old man—the Mysterious Elder who had traded with the Otherworlder, whom he had seen earlier in the memories of the Mo Family pursuer!
The elder clearly recognized him as well. Surprise flashed across his face before twisting into a vicious smile. "So it's you, you little bastard. You killed my men, and now you dare try to steal the heavenly flame? Today, I'll bury you here in the Earth Core!"
Before his words had faded, the elder moved, sweeping across the Magma Lake like a phantom and thrusting a palm toward Xiao Yan. Dense dark energy filled the force of his palm strike; clearly, he had cultivated some kind of sinister art.
Xiao Yan's heart tightened. He knew the true trial was only now beginning. Rather than retreat, he charged straight into the force of the elder's palm strike, a cold edge flashing in his eyes.
Within the cavern at the Earth Core, the blue-green flames continued to burn quietly, while a great battle to decide who would claim the heavenly flame had already erupted.
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