To enter the Contract Lava Cave, the group had to deal with the lava golems first. A Mu readjusted the ice-fire ratio of his New Sprout Sword. This time, instead of blocking directly, he transformed the ice mist into " Iceflame Chains "—pale blue ice mist intertwined with pale orange flames, like two coiled snakes, binding the golem's stone spikes. The flames drilled into the golem's body along the spikes, while the ice mist cooled it from the outside. The impact of this hot and cold caused the golem's lava shell to crack. A Ya seized the opportunity to inject all the energy from her psionic net, the fibers transforming into fine spikes that pierced the golem's cracks. A Shi, meanwhile, quickly drew a "Lava Flow Diagram" on the scorching rocks, marking the golem's energy core in red. "Attack the flames on their chests! That's the source of their spiritual vein energy!"
Lei Lin transformed into a wolf, his golden form flashing like lightning as he charged towards the leftmost puppet. His claws, glowing with Golden Crystal Power, slammed into the puppet's chest—the flames instantly extinguished, and the puppet's lava shell collapsed into a pool of cooled rock. Loran, meanwhile, raised the Origin Key, its pale blue light shimmering faintly in the intense heat. She pressed the key against a crack in the ground, the blue light seeping down and temporarily stabilizing the gushing lava. "Quick! Before the puppet reappears, let's enter the lava cave!"
The entrance to the Contract Lava Cave was narrower than expected, allowing only two people to pass side by side. The temperature inside was even higher than outside, and the cave walls were covered with "Lava Pattern Stone Tablets." The patterns on the stone Spirit Vein Compensation Talisman.
But as the group approached the compensation talisman, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the depths of the cave. Lord Fire Rock emerged from the shadows: he was burly, covered in dark red rock armor, from which pale red lava seeped. His eyes were two blazing flames, and he held a " Crimson Flame Axe " made of lava rock, its blade gleaming with a blinding red light. "Are you here to 'make amends' for the Ice Spirit Clan? Or to steal the spirit vein?" His voice was like lava striking rock, causing rubble to fall from the cave walls.
"We're here to help you repair the flaws in your spiritual veins." Loran held up the Star-Track Token, the molten fire patterns on the token resonating with the patterns on the Lord Fire Rock's armor. "A thousand years ago, the Ice Spirit Clan didn't come on time because the Far North Rift suddenly erupted, and they all went to suppress it. Before leaving, they left this compensation talisman, intending to come back after the crisis was over—but they never returned."
Lord Fire Rock's fiery eyes twitched violently. He stared at the Star-Track Token in Loran's hand, then looked at the Compensation Talisman. The red light on the axe blade dimmed slightly. "Words are meaningless. Who can prove what was said a thousand years ago?" He raised his hand and waved it. The molten stone tablet on the cave wall suddenly lit up, reflecting the scene of the Ice Spirit Clan envoy leaving a thousand years ago—the envoy glanced back at Crimson Flame Peak, clutching something tightly in his hand, but ultimately turned and left. The scene froze there.
"The stone tablet can reflect memories and verify the truth." Lei Lin suddenly spoke, walking to Loran's side. The Golden Crystal Power in his palm merged with her Origin Key light once more—this time, the two energies encountered resistance under the high temperature, and the transmission of spiritual energy became intermittent. Cold sweat beaded on Lei Lin's forehead, and the Golden Crystal Power trembled slightly in his palm. "We... we use the Spirit Core Symbiosis to 'reflect' the truth from a thousand years ago onto the stone tablet."
Loran immediately gripped Lei Lin's hand, channeling all the blue light from the key into his palm. "Don't push yourself, let's work together to adjust our spiritual energy." She closed her eyes, recalling the scene of the Far North Rift projected by the Star-Track Token, and transmitted the scene from her memory to Lei Lin through the Spirit Core Symbiosis; Lei Lin then gathered their spiritual energy into a golden-blue interwoven "memory light band," gently placing it on the Molten Stone Tablet—the tablet instantly erupted with dazzling light, reflecting the aftermath of the Ice Spirit Clan a thousand years ago: after the envoy arrived in the Far North, he suppressed the rift together with the guardian, ultimately sacrificing himself due to exhaustion. Before his death, he inscribed the message of the Spirit Vein Compensation Talisman on the crystal tablet in the Far North, but it never reached the Western Region.
"It's true..." Lord Fire Rock's Crimson Flame Axe clattered to the ground. He walked to the stone tablet, the anger in his fiery eyes gradually fading, replaced by complex emotions. "I guarded this loophole for a thousand years, plugging it with my own spirit core, thinking they had truly forgotten... But it turns out they hadn't forgotten." He raised his hand and retracted the lava from the gap in his armor into his body, revealing the pale red spirit core beneath the rock—a long crack on the spirit core, left from plugging the spiritual vein a thousand years ago.
Loran picked up the Spirit Vein Compensation Talisman from the ground. The golden light on the talisman resonated with Lord Fire Rock's spirit core. "This talisman can temporarily stabilize the crack in your spirit core. We can also help you repair the spirit vein leak—as long as you're willing to open the spirit vein and let us inject balancing energy." Lord Fire Rock didn't hesitate. He walked to the "spirit vein core area" deep within the lava cave, where there was a dark red crack, the leak from a thousand years ago. He placed his palm on the crack, and pale red spirit vein energy slowly flowed out. "The leak has eroded the spirit core. Ordinary balancing energy isn't enough; we need the Spirit Core Symbiosis."
Lei Lin and Loran walked side by side to the crack, their palms pressed tightly together. The Golden Crystal Power and the light of the Origin Key finally broke through the barrier under the high temperature, forming a stable "symbiotic light shield." The shield surface shimmered with gold, blue, and red light (with the addition of Lord Fire Rock's spiritual vein color), and slowly pressed against the spiritual vein's hole. A Mu injected the ice and fire power of the New Sprout Sword into the light shield, and pale blue and pale orange light spread along the shield, balancing the lava energy in the spiritual vein; A Ya laid out a spiritual energy net around the hole to prevent energy leakage; and A Shi recorded the spiritual vein's repair process on the lava-patterned stone tablet, the tip of his pen tracing a pale golden mark as it passed over the tablet.
As the symbiotic light shield fully integrated into the ley line breach, the crack began to slowly heal, and the fissures on Lord Fire Rock's spirit core gradually faded. A soft rumbling sound came from outside the cave, no longer the previous boiling, but a gentle "breathing" sound—the ley line had finally regained its balance. Lord Fire Rock looked at the healed breach, a warmth appearing in his fiery eyes. "A thousand years... the ley line is finally no longer in pain."
He took out a dark red " Volcano Crystal " from his spirit core and handed it to Loran: "This crystal allows you to move freely in high-temperature environments and sense the location of the last contract—it's in the ' Northern Frontier Frozen Earth Ruins,' guarded by the ' Frozen Earth Shaman,' the only person who witnessed the sacrifice of the entire Ice Spirit Clan a thousand years ago, and also the one who knows the full picture of the contract best."
As the group left the volcanic cluster, the lava eruption of Crimson Flame Peak became gentler. Pale red magma flowed slowly down the mountainside, solidifying into a new layer of rock at the foot of the mountain, as if giving the volcano a new coat. Lord Fire Rock stood at the mountain pass, waving to the group. For the first time, a soft red light shone from his rock armor—no longer a warning, but a blessing.
That night, the group set up camp in an oasis outside the volcanic cluster. Lei Lin transformed back into his wolf form, curled up on Loran's lap. His Golden Crystal Power had been significantly depleted by the high temperature, and he was now gently rubbing against Loran's palm, absorbing the pale blue light of the key. A Ya used Volcano Crystal fragments to improve the psionic net, allowing the fibers to withstand even higher temperatures. A Shi marked the location of the Northern Frontier Frozen Earth Ruins in his crystal pattern notebook, the pen tip leaving a pale red trail as it traced the pages. "According to the Volcano Crystal's sensing, the Frozen Earth Ruins are hidden beneath the permafrost. The spiritual veins there are in a 'dormant state,' potentially more difficult to deal with than the volcanic cluster."
Loran stroked Lei Lin's fur, looking at the Volcano Crystal and Star-Track Token in his hand, and suddenly understood: the protection of the volcanic cluster was not "awakening" or "resolving," but "compensation"—the regret of the Ice Spirit Clan a thousand years ago, they would make up for; the thousand-year wait of the Lord Fire Rock, they would respond to. True protection is never a one-sided sacrifice, but a two-way understanding and compensation, so that all unfulfilled waits can have a warm ending.
Moonlight spilled across the oasis's grasslands, casting a soft, silvery glow. The distant Crimson Flame Peak no longer spewed lava; only a faint red light flickered on its summit, as if guiding the departing Youth Camp. For the first time, the Youth Camp's path of protection shifted from "awakening oneself" to "mutual compensation." They knew that the Frozen Earth Shaman awaiting them at the Northern Frontier Frozen Earth Ruins might not only be the guardian of the final pact but also a witness to the truth of a thousand years ago—but as long as Loran and Lei Lin's spirit cores remained tightly connected, and the team members supported each other, there was no truth they couldn't unravel, no obstacle they couldn't overcome.
The Star-Track Token glowed a pale red in Loran's palm, pointing towards the distant frozen Northern Region. There, the cold winds had begun to howl, as if calling upon the guardian of the last covenant, and also calling for a final journey of truth and fulfillment.