Morning light pierced the mist over the Blackthorn Mountains and spilled into a secluded valley. The scene within was fantastical-searing lava flowed down the slope on the left, bubbles churning on its dark red surface as it radiated scorching heat; the slope on the right was covered in thousand-year ice, its surface refracting cold blue light, with tiny ice crystals suspended even in the air. In the center of the valley, a clear spring steamed with white vapor, half its water tinged red and the other half pale blue. This was the Ice and Fire Spring Snow Spirit Qilin had spoken of.
"The ice and fire elements here are three times as dense as in the ice crystal palace!" Loran crouched beside the spring and touched the water with his fingertips. Half was scalding warmth, half bone-piercing cold. The two extreme temperatures mingled at his fingertips, actually producing a strange sense of comfort.
Lei Lin leaped to the edge of the spring, scarlet flames flowing around him and resonating with the fire element in the water. "I can sense an Ice-Fire Crystal Core at the bottom. Once I absorb its power, I'll fully recover my peak strength, and might even break through to the fifth tier!"
Snow Spirit Qilin also approached the spring, his pale blue chill responding to the ice element in the water. Anticipation flashed through his golden, slit-pupiled eyes. "My source of cold has been damaged. I can use the ice element to repair it, and perhaps even comprehend new ice spells."
Loran nodded and removed his black iron armor, leaving only his close-fitting cloth clothes. "Icefield Wolf, sorry for the trouble, but guard the valley entrance. Warn us immediately if anything unusual happens. The two qilins and I will focus on cultivating and try to break through within three days, so we can head to Bone Valley ahead of schedule."
Icefield Wolf gave a low growl, swished his tail, and hurried behind a boulder at the valley entrance, ears pricked as he watched his surroundings. Loran took a deep breath and leaped into the Ice and Fire Spring. Strangely, the water neither burned nor froze him. Instead, it wrapped around his body as if alive, ice and fire elements pouring madly into him through his pores.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the spring, closed his eyes, and began circulating his cultivation technique. Fourth-tier Dou Qi surged through his meridians, mingling with the fire element in the water and becoming hotter and more condensed. The magic core in his dantian absorbed the ice element, and a pale blue halo gradually gathered around the edges of the originally crimson core. The two elements flowed through his body. Rather than clashing, they nourished each other, forming a two-colored energy ring that continually washed through his meridians and dantian.
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin also jumped into the spring, occupying its fire and ice sections respectively. Lei Lin's scarlet flames connected with the fire element in the lava. His fiery wings gradually broadened, the flame patterns on his feathers grew clearer, and a sharp gleam flashed through his golden, slit-pupiled eyes-the aura of his peak strength was rapidly returning. Snow Spirit Qilin submerged himself in the ice section, his pale blue chill mingling with the power of the ice. His damaged scales gradually became lustrous white, and the cold around him grew increasingly pure, even condensing ice-crystal petals in the air.
Time slipped quietly by as they cultivated. On the evening of the first day, Lei Lin was the first to complete his breakthrough. He grew half a foot taller, and his spread wings could now cover half the spring. A trace of gold ran through his scarlet flames, and the pressure of a fifth-tier magical beast erupted from him, making even the lava in the valley tremble slightly. "I've finally regained my peak strength!" Excitement filled Lei Lin's voice. He beat his fiery wings and sent a golden fireball hurtling toward the valley wall, instantly blasting a deep crater in the rock.
The next morning, Snow Spirit Qilin finished repairing his source as well. An ice-crystal shield surrounded him, and he could freely condense sharp ice blades at his fingertips, even turning the moisture in the air into ice arrows. "I've comprehended the Ice Prison Formation. It can trap enemies below the fifth tier." Snow Spirit Qilin waved toward the valley entrance, and pale blue cold instantly condensed into an ice-crystal cage on the open ground, its runes flickering with a frigid light.
Loran's breakthrough came far more violently. At noon on the third day, the ice and fire elements in the spring suddenly surged madly toward his body. The two-colored energy ring spun rapidly within him, instantly shattering the barrier to the middle stage of the fourth tier. His Dou Qi became as condensed as molten gold, while his magic core transformed into a crystal interwoven with two colors. The two powers could now fuse instantly, without even needing deliberate activation.
"The middle stage of the fourth tier! And the two powers fuse ten times faster than before!" Loran opened his eyes, simultaneously gathering a mass of golden Dou Qi and scarlet flame in his palm. They merged into a two-colored orb. He tossed it into the air, where it exploded into a domain of interwoven ice and fire. Within it, the lava and ice actually became motionless at the same time.
Just then, Icefield Wolf's roar suddenly came from the valley entrance, accompanied by a sharp whistle through the air. "Enemies!" Loran instantly leaped from the spring and grabbed the black iron armor on the bank. With an infusion of Dou Qi, the armor was fitted onto him in an instant. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin immediately went on guard as well, spreading fiery wings and an ice shield as they flew toward the entrance.
At the valley entrance, three knights clad in black armor were surrounding and attacking Icefield Wolf. Bone spikes covered their armor, scarlet eyes showed beneath their helmets, and the spears in their hands radiated black-red evil energy. They were the Bone-Eroding Cult's Bone Crow Envoys. Icefield Wolf had already been stabbed around his shoulder and neck, black poison spreading from the wounds, but he still gritted his teeth and held them off, refusing to let the knights set foot in the valley.
"Trackers from the Bone-Eroding Cult!" Lei Lin roared angrily. Golden fireballs shot out like rain, hurtling straight toward the knights' faces. The Bone Crow Envoys remained unhurried, raising their spears to block. Evil energy collided with flame, producing sizzling sounds of corrosion.
"So you were hiding here to cultivate. That saves us quite a bit of trouble." The lead knight's voice was hoarse as he pointed his spear at Loran. "His Holiness has ordered us to capture the two qilins alive and take them back to Bone Valley. As for you, Loran Kane-die!"
He swung his spear fiercely, and the black-red evil energy formed a phantom spear that stabbed straight at Loran's chest. Rather than retreating, Loran advanced. His middle-stage fourth-tier Dou Qi and magic fused perfectly along his blade, and two-colored light blazed. "Ice-Fire Evil-Breaking Spear!" Wielding his knight's sword as a spear, he struck the phantom of evil energy precisely with its tip. The two powers collided, and the phantom instantly dissipated.
Snow Spirit Qilin seized the chance to unleash the Ice Prison Formation. Pale blue cold instantly enveloped the three knights, and an ice-crystal cage rose from the ground, trapping them inside. "Don't let them use their evil arts!" Snow Spirit Qilin warned. He could sense talismans hidden in the bones beneath their armor that could detonate their evil energy.
Loran understood and leaped in front of the cage. His knight's sword swung repeatedly, sending out three streaks of two-colored sword light that severed the knights' spears. At this, a vicious gleam flashed in the lead knight's eyes. He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of black blood. It landed on the cage, instantly corroding three cracks into the ice crystals. "Blood Bone Secret Technique!" he roared. His body swelled, and the bones beneath his armor pierced his skin, turning him into a half-human, half-bone monster. His evil energy instantly surged to the early fifth tier.
"It's the Blood Bone Transformation!" Snow Spirit Qilin's expression shifted slightly. "They fuse their own flesh and blood with evil bone to temporarily raise their strength by one tier!"
Lei Lin immediately beat his fiery wings, turning golden flames into a wall of fire in front of Loran. The transformed knight burst through the cage and pounced, brandishing bone claws whose evil energy carried a putrid stench. Loran took a deep breath. The two-colored energy ring spun rapidly within him as he poured all his strength into his blade, making it shine with blinding light. "Fourth-tier peak-Ice-Fire Heaven-Splitting Slash!"
This was a new move he had comprehended after breaking through to the middle stage. The two-colored sword light became a blade of light several meters long, slashing straight toward the knight's head. It pierced the evil energy and instantly severed the knight's bone claws, then struck his chest without losing any force. The knight let out an agonized scream as his body burned to black ash under the power of ice and fire, leaving only a black token engraved with a serpent pattern.
The remaining two knights were terrified out of their wits at the sight and turned to flee. Snow Spirit Qilin immediately released ice arrows that struck their knees, while Lei Lin breathed fire, trapping them within a wall of flame. Loran walked forward and pointed his sword at one knight's throat. "Talk! Why is His Holiness accelerating the Evil Bone Grand Formation's progress? How many Blood Bone Knights are left?"
The knight trembled all over and spoke haltingly. "His Holiness... obtained the Heart of Evil Bone and can complete the formation early, so he sent fifty Blood Bone Knights... to surround Fallen Maple Territory and keep you from interfering... We're only the advance party, responsible for tracking..."
Before he finished speaking, his entire body suddenly convulsed. Black blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he fell to the ground, dead-another poison curse to silence him! The remaining knight immediately bit through a poison sac as well and died instantly.
Loran picked up the black token from the ground. The words "Blood Bone" were engraved on it, and its reverse bore a simplified map of the Evil Bone Grand Formation, marked with "The Blood Bone Knights have departed. Arrival at Fallen Maple Territory in three days." "This is bad! Fallen Maple Territory is in danger!" Loran's expression changed drastically. He had originally planned to return to Fallen Maple Territory after cultivating before heading to Bone Valley, but now the Blood Bone Knights had departed early. Old Byrne and the guards could not possibly hold them off.
"We have to go back immediately!" Lei Lin beat his fiery wings, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Fallen Maple Territory's fortifications may be strong, but they can't stop fifty Blood Bone Knights."
Snow Spirit Qilin nodded and walked over to Icefield Wolf, using pale blue cold to purify the poison in his wounds. "Icefield Wolf's injuries need treatment. I'll use the Ice Evasion Technique to take him along. That can cut the travel time in half."
Loran put away the black token, then searched the knights' corpses and found a sealed secret letter. Its writing was twisted, using the Bone-Eroding Cult's code. Relying on his ability to sense evil energy, Snow Spirit Qilin barely managed to translate its contents: "Once the Blood Bone Knights arrive, first slaughter Fallen Maple Territory to draw the two qilins back to its aid, then set up the Bone Prison Grand Formation to surround and kill them. The Evil Bone Pillar is eighty percent complete. The planar passage will open in three days, requiring the two qilins' blood essence as a sacrifice."
"So they're luring us away from our position!" Loran clenched his fists. The Bone-Eroding Cult not only wanted to destroy Fallen Maple Territory, but also intended to use its people to force them back to its aid, then trap and kill them. "We can't fall into their trap. We must split into two groups-Uncle Byrne is experienced, so perhaps he can delay the Blood Bone Knights. We'll head straight to Bone Valley and destroy the Evil Bone Pillar, stopping the formation at its source!"
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin exchanged a glance and both nodded in agreement. Snow Spirit Qilin gathered Icefield Wolf into his arms, and pale blue cold enveloped them, forming an ice-crystal shield. "I'll be fastest using the Ice Evasion Technique. I can reach the outskirts of Bone Valley within two days. You ride there, and we'll meet at the valley entrance."
Loran immediately took the fine horse he had prepared earlier out of his storage pouch. It was a Gale Horse Old Byrne had prepared for him, three times faster than an ordinary horse. "Be careful. If you encounter Blood Bone Knights, don't fight them head-on. Wait until I join you." Loran swung into the saddle, his gaze filled with resolve.
Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin took Icefield Wolf with them, turning into a streak of pale blue light that flew toward Bone Valley. Loran spurred his Gale Horse onward, its hooves kicking up dust as it galloped in the opposite direction from Fallen Maple Territory. He glanced back toward the territory, praying silently, Uncle Byrne, you have to hold on. Once I destroy the Evil Bone Grand Formation, I'll come back to help you!
The Gale Horse was extremely fast, the trees along the road flying backward. Loran held his knight's sword across his body, watching his surroundings warily. He knew the Bone-Eroding Cult's Blood Bone Knights might be pursuing him, and the three Saint-level experts in Bone Valley were an even greater threat. Yet he did not falter in the slightest. The two qilins' trust, the people of Fallen Maple Territory, and the safety of the continent all rested on his shoulders, and also gave him boundless strength.
Two days later, Loran finally reached the outskirts of Bone Valley. Lei Lin and Snow Spirit Qilin were waiting for him at the entrance, and Icefield Wolf's injuries had largely healed. Dense evil energy filled the valley, and black smoke shot into the clouds. He could faintly make out the Evil Bone Pillar in the center-a black stone pillar dozens of meters tall, entwined with countless twisted skeletons, its tip flashing with black-red light. It was the core of the Evil Bone Grand Formation.
"The Evil Bone Pillar's light is stronger than on the map. I'm afraid it's already ninety percent complete." Snow Spirit Qilin's voice was grave. He could sense the auras of at least three Saint-level experts within the valley, along with dozens of Blood Bone Knights on patrol.
Loran tightened his grip on his knight's sword, middle-stage fourth-tier Dou Qi and magic circulating within him. "No matter how difficult it is, we have to destroy it. Lei Lin, you draw the Blood Bone Knights' attention. Snow Spirit Qilin, use the Ice Prison Formation to trap the patrolling black-robed figures. I'll destroy the Evil Bone Pillar. As long as we destroy the core, the formation will stop working."
The two qilins nodded together. Lei Lin's scarlet flames intertwined with Snow Spirit Qilin's pale blue cold, forming a two-colored ribbon of light that heralded the coming battle. Loran took a deep breath and charged into the valley first. The two-colored light on his knight's sword cut a dazzling streak through the valley's pervasive evil energy.
At last, the decisive battle for the continent's survival began in Bone Valley.