Earth Core Fire Vein: The Truth of the Mother of Heavenly Flames
[System notification: The main quest "Purify the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul" has entered its final stage. Current team status: Xiao Yan (fused the Green Lotus Core Flame, Gu Clan Sacred Flame, and Earth Vein Flame Seed; Mid Dou Emperor), Zi Yan (Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline advanced; Mid Dou Emperor), Lin Yan (Burning Heaven Flame has completely absorbed the Nether Prison Purple Flame; Early Dou Emperor), Ye Xinlan (alchemy has reached the Pill Emperor realm; Early Dou Emperor), Lu Mu (array mastery fused with spatial runes; Early Dou Emperor), Wu Hao (Black Tortoise Space-Splitting Axe mastered; Early Dou Emperor), Lin Xiuya (sword intent manifested as Eagle and Falcon Formation Break; Early Dou Emperor), Hu Gan (mid-stage Black Tortoise Indestructible Body; Early Dou Emperor). Quest objective: Venture deep into the Earth Core Fire Vein, destroy the energy core of the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul, and stop Mo Xuan from fusing with the remnant soul.]
Chapter 1: The Fire Vein Passage and Lava Puppets
Beyond the stone gate in the meteor crater, a bottomless passage stretched deep underground. Flowing magma covered its rocky walls, and the air was filled with heat waves fierce enough to melt refined iron. Glowing fire crystals were embedded in the walls on both sides, lighting the path as brightly as day, but the rock underfoot was icy cold. It was "ice-fire rock," formed by the prolonged interweaving of the earth core's cold Qi and the earth vein's fire. The slightest carelessness could cause it to shatter under uneven pressure.
"Watch your step. Ice-fire rock can bear no more than three thousand jin, so we'll have to spread out." Lu Mu tossed out several runes, which transformed into floating stone platforms when they landed. "Step on the platforms. That'll keep you away from the magma snakes in the cracks."
No sooner had he spoken than several scarlet, snakelike creatures darted from cracks in the walls. They spat magma onto the platforms, instantly corroding small holes in them. [System notification: Encountered lava puppets (level: Early Dou Emperor ×12). Their magma is highly corrosive. Their weakness is the "cold crystal core" in their heads.]
"These aren't living creatures. They're puppets refined from magma and earth vein stone." Ye Xinlan condensed green Dou Qi at her fingertips and laid a Water Condensation Array on the platforms. The magma immediately solidified into stone when it landed on the array. "Cold crystal cores are vulnerable to water. Attack them with ice- or water-type Dou Qi!"
Xiao Yan's eyes flickered. A wisp of extreme cold Qi suddenly separated from the Green Lotus Core Flame-an unexpected transformation brought about by a fragment of the Gu Clan Sacred Flame. With a wave of his hand, he turned it into several ice spikes and sent them shooting precisely at the lava puppets' heads. With a series of cracks, the scarlet crystals in their heads shattered, and the puppets instantly collapsed into puddles of magma, deprived of their cores.
Zi Yan's Dragon-Phoenix Power also contained an ice attribute. Her golden dragon breath, laced with ice crystals, froze three puppets in one blast. Wu Hao used his Space-Splitting Axe to cleave open the cracks and drag out the puppets hiding inside. Hu Gan followed up with a punch, smashing their cold crystal cores outright.
After they cleared the first wave of puppets, a fork appeared ahead. Dense Heavenly Flame energy radiated from the left passage, while the right was relatively calm. Lu Mu took out a compass, whose needle swung wildly between the two sides. "The source of the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul's energy is on the left. The right might be a trap Mo Xuan set, but there could also be a shortcut."
"Split up," Xiao Yan decided on the spot. "Zi Yan, Lin Yan, and I will take the left and confront the energy source. Wu Hao, Lin Xiuya, and Hu Gan will take the right and check for traps. We'll meet at Earth Core Square. Xin Lan, stay in the middle and support both sides. Keep in contact with transmission talismans."
[System notification: The team has temporarily split up, triggering the "dual-path quest." Complete the side objectives to receive the "Earth Vein Blessing" buff.]
Chapter 2: The Left Passage and the Mother of Heavenly Flames' Memory Fragments
Xiao Yan and his two companions entered the left passage. The heat abruptly intensified, and magma began flowing along the lines in the walls like blood racing through veins. After walking for about the time it took an incense stick to burn, they came upon a floating magma platform. At its center knelt a flame-formed apparition: a woman in Gu Clan attire, praying to a black crystal.
"Is that... an afterimage of the Mother of Heavenly Flames' true form?" Lin Yan's Burning Heaven Flame suddenly grew restless, as if in awe of something.
The apparition slowly raised her head. The woman's face bore some resemblance to Zi Yan's, and her voice carried the weariness of a thousand years. "Descendants of the Gu Clan... you've finally come."
[System notification: Triggered "The Mother of Heavenly Flames' memories." Viewing the memory fragments can unlock information about Heavenly Flame Origin.]
Memory fragments flooded into their minds like a tide:
- A thousand years ago, the Mother of Heavenly Flames had been an "origin flame" kept by the Gu Clan, tasked with safeguarding the balance of the Earth Core Fire Vein. She formed a pact with the Gu Clan's holy maiden of the time, and together they resisted an invasion by the Outer Realm Evil Clan.
- After the war, a rift emerged within the Gu Clan. Some believed the Mother of Heavenly Flames' power was too dangerous and advocated sealing her away. To protect her, the holy maiden hid her core in the Earth Core Fire Vein, while she herself was subjected to the "heart-burning punishment" for violating the clan's rules.
- The holy maiden's death bred resentment in the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul. The ancestors of Burning Heaven Valley exploited it, and she gradually fell into a force of destruction.
"So... she wasn't born an evil thing." Zi Yan's voice trembled slightly. The resonance of her Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline allowed her to feel the sorrow within the apparition.
The apparition looked at Zi Yan, a trace of tenderness flashing in her eyes. "The Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline... the same presence as Lady Holy Maiden. Mo Xuan is absorbing my core's energy. He wants to use it to open the seal on the Outer Realm Evil Clan and bring back the flames of war from a thousand years ago."
"Why are you telling us this?" Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.
"Because you carry the presence of 'protection,' just like Lady Holy Maiden." The apparition turned into a streak of red light and entered Xiao Yan's Green Lotus Core Flame. "This is a seed of the origin flame. It can counter the corrupted core. Go. Destroy the core before Mo Xuan completes the fusion, or the Central Plains will be doomed beyond redemption."
[System notification: Obtained the Heavenly Flame Origin Seed. Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flame has risen to the Quasi-Emperor Realm. Skill unlocked: Ten Thousand Flames Return to Origin (can purify all corrupted Heavenly Flames).]
The magma platform suddenly shook violently, and Mo Xuan's mad laughter rose from below. "Xiao Yan, don't think you can win with a few petty tricks! Once I fuse with the Mother of Heavenly Flames, you'll all die!"
Chapter 3: The Right Passage, the Spatial Trap, and Hu Gan's Outburst
Wu Hao and his two companions entered the right passage. Unlike the scorching heat on the left, a thin layer of frost covered the rocky walls here. Before they had gone far, Lin Xiuya suddenly stopped, his sword intent pointing straight ahead. "Something's wrong. The spatial fluctuations are highly abnormal."
Before he finished speaking, the ground vanished beneath their feet, and the three fell into a distorted space. Light and shadows spun around them, and it felt as though countless hands were pulling at their bodies. The circulation of their Dou Qi fell into disorder. [System notification: Triggered the Space Strangulation Array. This array was laid by Mo Xuan's younger brother, Mo Ying (Early Dou Emperor, skilled in secret spatial arts). Duration: 10 minutes. Once time runs out, you will be torn to pieces.]
"Damn it, it's a spatial array!" Lu Mu's transmission talisman was completely useless here. "We have to find the spatial node at the heart of the array to break it!"
Mo Ying's voice came from amid the light and shadows. "Don't waste your strength. My Strangulation Array is powered by your Dou Qi. The more you struggle, the faster you'll die!"
Wu Hao tried to cleave through the space with his Space-Splitting Axe, but the rebounding force numbed his arm. "Where's that bastard hiding?"
"There!" Lin Xiuya's sword intent locked onto a faint spatial ripple amid the light and shadows. "He's controlling the array with a clone. His real body is hidden behind the node!"
Hu Gan suddenly let out a low roar. His muscles swelled, and Black Tortoise shell patterns emerged on his dark golden skin. "Move!" He used Tortoise Breath Explosion, a forbidden technique of the Black Tortoise Indestructible Body, concentrating all his Dou Qi in his fists. Bearing the tearing force of the Space Strangulation head-on, he charged in the direction Lin Xiuya had indicated.
"Lunatic!" Mo Ying hadn't expected anyone to dare withstand the Space Strangulation directly. He hastily activated the array, sending countless spatial blades stabbing toward Hu Gan. They cut wounds deep enough to expose bone, but Hu Gan didn't stop. At last, both fists slammed into the spatial node-
Crack!
The distorted light and shadows collapsed in an instant, and the three fell back into the passage. Mo Ying's clone turned into a wisp of black smoke, while his real body staggered backward, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. "You actually dared to..."
"There's nothing I wouldn't dare." Hu Gan wiped the blood from his face. The Black Tortoise Indestructible Body's restorative power took effect, and his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. "Your brother's about to be dealt with by Xiao Yan, and you're still here playing with arrays?"
Fear flashed in Mo Ying's eyes, and he turned to flee, but Lin Xiuya's sword intent had already locked onto the center of his back. "Stay."
[System notification: Right passage quest complete. Obtained the "spatial resistance" buff. Team members are immune to 30% of damage from spatial skills.]
Chapter 4: Earth Core Square and Mo Xuan's Final Form
Earth Core Square was a circular cavern a hundred zhang across. A giant pillar made entirely of crystallized Heavenly Flames stood at its center, with a black core the size of a basketball floating above it-the Mother of Heavenly Flames' energy core. Mo Xuan sat cross-legged beneath it, his body wrapped in black flames. The purple crystals on his armor were already connected to the core, emitting a suffocating pressure.
"Your timing is perfect." Mo Xuan slowly opened his eyes. Even the whites had turned completely black. "Once I finish absorbing this last wisp of the core's energy, I'll become the new Mother of Heavenly Flames!"
[System notification: Mo Xuan has fused with 70% of the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul. Current status: Peak Dou Emperor (partially transformed). Skills: Black Flame Devouring, Evil Flame Clone, Gate of the Outer Realm (not fully opened).]
"Dream on!" Xiao Yan injected the Heavenly Flame Origin Seed into the Green Lotus Core Flame. The golden-green flames transformed into a gigantic phoenix and swooped toward Mo Xuan. Zi Yan spread her dragon wings, and her golden dragon breath intertwined with the phoenix flames, forming a destructive stream of energy.
"Pathetic tricks!" Mo Xuan waved a hand and summoned dozens of black Flame Clones. They spat black flames simultaneously, colliding with the energy stream and engulfing the entire square in the blast wave.
Lin Yan's Burning Heaven Flame worked in tandem with Wu Hao's Space-Splitting Axe: one used flames to restrict Mo Xuan's movement, while the other used spatial rifts to tear the clones apart. Lin Xiuya's sword intent became a silver eagle that repeatedly pecked at the purple crystals on Mo Xuan's armor-the nodes through which energy was transferred. Hu Gan used the Black Tortoise Indestructible Body to withstand the burning black flames, forcibly erecting a defensive wall in front of Mo Xuan. Lu Mu laid Spirit-Locking Arrays around the square to stop Mo Xuan from opening the Gate of the Outer Realm. Ye Xinlan's pill furnace floated in the air, continually tossing out pills that enhanced Dou Qi to keep everyone going.
"You think numbers alone can win?" Mo Xuan laughed wildly as his body began to transform. Two pairs of bone wings grew from his back, and his arms became claws. "Have a taste of this-Evil Flame Devours the Heavens!"
Black flames covered the entire square in an instant. Wherever they passed, rocks melted and array runes went dark. Xiao Yan's eyes hardened, and he activated Ten Thousand Flames Return to Origin. The golden-green flames suddenly burst with purifying power, and the black flames rapidly receded like ice and snow beneath the sun.
"Impossible! How do you have the origin flame?" Mo Xuan's face filled with disbelief.
"Because you never understood the true power of Heavenly Flames." Xiao Yan's voice rang out like thunder. "Heavenly Flames aren't meant for destruction. They're meant for protection!"
He leaped into the air. The Green Lotus Core Flame, Gu Clan Sacred Flame, and Earth Vein Flame Seed fused completely, becoming a great flaming sword that spanned heaven and earth. Zi Yan's Dragon-Phoenix Power, Lin Yan's Burning Heaven Flame, Wu Hao's spatial power... the power of all his companions gathered upon the sword.
"This strike is for the holy maiden of a thousand years ago! For peace in the Central Plains!"
The instant the flaming sword fell, Mo Xuan's armor shattered inch by inch, and the Mother of Heavenly Flames' core erupted in dazzling white light-the light of the origin seed purifying the remnant soul. Mo Xuan let out a piercing scream, his body gradually dissolving in the white light. All he left behind was a furious final roar: "The Outer Realm Evil Clan... will return..."
[System notification: Mo Xuan has been slain. The Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul has been purified. Obtained the Heavenly Flame Origin Core (purified version). Main quest "Purify the Mother of Heavenly Flames' remnant soul" complete. All team members have received the Earth Vein Benediction (maximum Dou Qi increased by 20%).]
The white light faded, and peace returned to Earth Core Square. The Heavenly Flame Origin Core became a warm current and entered the Earth Core Fire Vein, once again nourishing the earth veins of the Central Plains.
Xiao Yan looked at his battered companions and smiled. "It's over."
Zi Yan leaned against his shoulder, the feathers on her dragon wings slowly regaining their luster. "We won't have to fight and kill anymore, will we?"
"At least... not for now." Xiao Yan looked toward the outside of the passage, where sunlight was streaming through the cracks, carrying the warmth of new life.