The Lava Path Beckons

“My disciple’s cultivation is still shallow. As his master, it is only natural that I look after him more closely. This White Rhinoceros Pendant is valuable enough, but since I must walk the Profound Crystal Path, it serves little purpose for me. I recall that Brother Man also possesses a Cold Ice Pearl; would you not be willing to lend it to my disciple as well? Surely, Brother would not wish for my disciple to meet with an accident before he even enters the inner hall.” Extreme Yin Patriarch did not take offense. Instead, his eyes moved, and he spoke with a faint smile.

“Hmph! Before the Void Heaven Cauldron is retrieved, I naturally will not allow him to die so easily. This Cold Ice Pearl was obtained long ago when I slew a Cold Carp. Boy, consider yourself fortunate.” With these words, Man Brutal Beard produced a hazy white, warm, and glossy orb, about the size of a thumb, and tossed it toward Han Li.

A flicker of joy passed through Han Li’s heart as he caught the orb and offered a few words of thanks. He knew full well that the two elders had bestowed such treasures upon him entirely because of the Blood Jade Spider. Still, items that could ensure his safe passage through the lava road were something he would not refuse.

The Cold Ice Pearl and the White Rhinoceros Pendant both shimmered with white light, but the moment he held the pearl, a chill that seemed to pierce his very skin caused Han Li to shudder involuntarily. He quickly stored it within his storage pouch. Its sensation was entirely different from the White Rhinoceros Pendant’s gentle coolness; it seemed to be of a higher grade than the pendant.

The Confucian-robed elder chuckled at the scene, then flickered as he stepped into the Profound Crystal Path. The other cultivators followed suit, entering the gorge through the passage they had chosen earlier.

Within moments, more than half of the cultivators before the passageways had vanished.

“Han Li, enter the gorge first. We will meet at the teleportation formation at the gorge’s end in a few days.” Extreme Yin Patriarch glanced at Han Li and spoke with a genial tone.

Han Li had no objections. Acknowledging the instruction, he walked toward the passage marked by the stone tablet that read “Lava Path.”

Yet, before entering, Han Li swept his gaze across his surroundings, his expression unchanged.

An uneasy feeling settled in his heart.

That old fiend, the Profound Bone Saint, still had not shown himself. Could he have suddenly changed his mind and slipped away on his own?

Han Li could not help but consider some of the worst possibilities.

After all, men’s hearts were hard to fathom. It was entirely possible that the Profound Bone Saint, seeing Extreme Yin’s overwhelming momentum, had simply changed his plans.

But if that truly happened, Han Li would have no qualms about using the old fiend’s secrets as a bargaining chip at the worst possible moment to save his own life. A fierce glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes at the thought.

Perhaps this motion stirred someone. Just as Han Li was seething internally, the Profound Bone Saint’s calm voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Stop looking around. I am concealed nearby, merely not revealing myself. Conduct yourself well. Once you have passed the Ice-Fire Path, I will contact you.” With these words, the voice fell silent once more.

Surprise and relief washed over Han Li, but he finally put his mind at ease. Taking large strides, he entered the passageway.

Waves of hot air rushed toward him along the passage, giving Han Li an immediate sense of being roasted beside a blazing furnace as he stepped inside.

Frowning, Han Li focused his gaze ahead.

The passage was only about two zhang high, not particularly tall, but the piercing red light seeping from its depths was startling.

He licked his slightly dry lips, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Then, step by step, he advanced.

With every step, the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to rise by a degree.

After twenty or thirty paces, Han Li could no longer move forward. The intense heat, coupled with occasional blasts of hot wind, made the skin on his face sting.

Hesitating for a moment, he first released a water-attributed protective barrier over his body.

A cerulean radiance enveloped Han Li, and the searing heat immediately lessened.

Then, slapping his storage pouch, a streak of green light flew out and landed in his hand. It was the Flame-Repelling Garment.

Without a second thought, Han Li slipped it on beneath his robes.

A surge of coolness spread from the garment, and his spirits lifted. He continued onward.

A dozen paces later, his eyes brightened. A shimmering red light wall blocked his path.

After only a few glances at the wall, Han Li plunged straight into it.

He had heard footsteps behind him—other cultivators were entering as well. He had no interest in crossing paths with them.

After a dizzying passage through the blinding red light, the vanished high heat surged back like a rampaging monster, pressing down with overwhelming force. The water-attributed barrier flickered blue twice, then began to teeter precariously.

Startled, Han Li, still not fully recovered from his dizziness, hurriedly channeled a surge of spiritual power to stabilize the barrier. He steadied himself and looked around.

Crimson rocks, yellow-red soil, vegetation glowing with red light, and a deep red, hazy sky—everything was the color of fire.

Standing within the barrier, wearing the Flame-Repelling Garment, Han Li could still clearly sense the feeling that the very air itself was burning.

He drew a deep breath, his expression darkening.

If he only had to endure such high temperatures for three to five hours, traversing this path would be effortless even without using any treasures.

However, according to Fairy Ziling, on this second trial, the Ice-Fire Path, no cultivator could fly. They had to rely on their own two feet to advance, slowly and steadily.

Thus, those who were teleported in further away would have to walk for several days and nights without rest to reach the gorge’s end.

This could not be accomplished by cultivation alone. It also depended on the quality of the treasures one possessed for warding off cold and fire.

Moreover, the harsh environment was not the only problem the cultivators faced. The natural fire- and ice-attributed spirit monsters that gathered within the gorge were the greatest obstacle to a safe passage.

Of the cultivators who attempted this trial, a small half always perished at the hands of these spirit monsters.

Beyond that, ambushes and backstabbing by those with evil intentions along the path, in order to seize treasures, was a common occurrence every Ice-Fire Path trial.

After all, the closer one drew to the teleportation formation at the gorge’s end, the more likely one was to encounter other cultivators.

And seizing another’s cold- and fire-defying treasures could greatly increase one’s own chances of survival. It was certain that some cultivators who were barely holding on would not hesitate to strike.

Han Li stood still, not moving immediately. Instead, he squinted as he surveyed his surroundings, analyzing the information he had, lost in thought.

After a full quarter of an hour, his expression shifted slightly. Reaching into his robe, he retrieved the White Rhinoceros Pendant and hung it at his waist. Then, he withdrew the blue protective barrier.

The pendant’s white light replaced the blue, enveloping Han Li.

He could not afford to waste a single drop of magical power. Sitting down to rest here was tantamount to suicide.

Lifting his head to gaze at the sky, he barely made out the blurry red sun and confirmed his direction. Without further hesitation, he set off.

Ahead of him lay only heaps of rubble and eerie trees standing straight at half a man’s height; there was no road to speak of. He could only plod forward slowly.

After walking only a short distance through the scorching air, Han Li found his way blocked by a patch of wild grass that shimmered with an eerie red light.

He stared at the bizarre vegetation, his brows deeply furrowed.

Suddenly, a blue water orb shot from his hand, striking the grass.

The moment the blue light touched the plants, a sizzling sound rang out, and it transformed into a puff of white steam.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly.

He glanced to either side of the grass, only to find the same strange vegetation stretching as far as the eye could see. There was no other path.

Hesitating for a moment, Han Li gritted his teeth and cautiously stepped onto the grass, taking a few tentative steps.

The moment his feet touched the grass, he understood the terror of the Lava Path.

This was no ordinary grass; it was nothing less than a field of glowing red, fiery swords. Not only were they razor-sharp, but the flame energy clinging to them was formidable, causing him no small amount of suffering.

Though the White Rhinoceros Pendant and the Flame-Repelling Garment protected him from serious harm, a sharp stabbing pain from his thighs downward made every step an ordeal.

After advancing a mere ten paces, Han Li was forced to reopen his water-attributed protective barrier, completely shielding his entire body.

Though this consumed his magical power at a rapid rate, it allowed him to dash through the grass at a flying pace.

Resorting to his Smoke Step technique, a ghostly blue figure flickered east and west against the glaring red light before shrinking to a small black dot in the distance, gradually disappearing.

...

Bu Xu was a mid-Core Formation cultivator with earth-fire spiritual roots. Having achieved his current level of cultivation in less than three hundred years, he was distinguished across several sea territories and held in high esteem.

Many in the nearby area even believed him to be one of the most promising cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea in recent centuries, with a high chance of advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

Bu Xu greatly enjoyed the awe, envy, and praise that others directed at him.

But his own situation was something he understood all too well.

If he had not, during an expedition years ago, fortuitously discovered an ancient “Divide-Yuan Pill” within the belly of a fourth-grade demon beast—saving him over a hundred years of bitter cultivation—he would likely still be struggling within the Foundation Establishment stage.

Yet, it was this very elixir that had given him a taste for the benefits of ancient spiritual medicines. Thus, he had long set his sights on this expedition to the Void Heaven Palace.

Beforehand, without drawing attention, he had paid a high price to procure a Fire Dragon Insect.

He intended to brave the inner hall, using this insect to seize the legendary Void Heaven Cauldron, the supreme secret treasure of the Chaotic Star Sea. With the myriad treasures within the cauldron and the rumored Heaven-Mending Pill, he believed his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage was practically imminent.