52: Chapter 52 Heart of Lava

Searing air currents licked at the skin, the stench of sulfur rushed into the nasal passages, and the roar of churning magma echoed in the ears.

Ye Chen struggled to wake from a brief unconsciousness; his throat was parched as if on fire, and his bones felt as though they had been shattered and then pieced back together.

His Meridians, in particular, throbbed with a dull pain from being torn apart and then forcibly healed.

Forcibly erupting the ice lotus Origin, combined with the tearing of the spatial teleportation, had left him extremely weak at this moment.

He barely managed to lift his head and scanned his surroundings.

They were inside a massive karst cave where magma constantly dripped, and beneath their feet was scalding black basalt.

Several crimson rivers of magma flowed slowly not far away, reflecting a bright red glow throughout the cave.

The temperature was terrifyingly high, and the air distorted within the heatwaves.

A faint groan came from beside him.

Lin Qingxue lay nearby, her face pale and her elegant brows furrowed; she didn't seem to have woken up yet, but her aura was relatively stable.

Scarface, Lin Dong, Chen Feng, and Liu Yiyi also woke up one after another, each looking wretched and shaken.

But seeing that they were all still alive, their eyes revealed the relief of having survived a disaster.

"Is this... deeper within the Molten Fire Abyss?"

Scarface struggled to sit up, warily observing the surroundings with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"That teleportation formation actually sent us here."

"Young Miss!" Lin Dong hurriedly went to check on Lin Qingxue.

Ye Chen took a deep breath of the searing air, enduring the discomfort.

He circulated his remaining Profound Ice True Essence, letting it flow slowly through his body to nourish his damaged Meridians.

He looked down at his still tightly clenched right hand, where a cool sensation came from his palm.

It was the profound ice token; although its light was dim, it wasn't damaged.

And his left hand... was being held tightly by a cold, soft hand that was covered in a light sweat.

It was Lin Qingxue.

Even in her unconscious state, she had subconsciously gripped him tightly.

Ye Chen's heart stirred slightly; he gently broke free, propped himself up to move beside her, and checked her pulse.

Her pulse was weak, but that entangling Yin poison had been completely suppressed; she was merely suffering from a severe depletion of Qi and blood.

Coupled with the impact of the teleportation, she remained unconscious.

He channeled a wisp of gentle True Essence containing the aura of the Ice Lotus Imprint's Origin into her body.

"Mm..." Lin Qingxue's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.

The initial confusion quickly turned into clarity upon seeing Ye Chen's face close at hand, along with a trace of lingering fear and concern that she couldn't hide.

"You... how are you?"

Her voice was raspy; she wanted to sit up but her whole body lacked strength.

"I'm fine. Your injuries haven't healed yet, don't move recklessly."

Ye Chen held her down and pressed the profound ice token back into her hand.

"This token seems to have overexerted itself; keep it, perhaps it can help you resist some of the fire poison here."

Lin Qingxue gripped the cool token, and a strand of pure chill spread up her arm, making her feel refreshed.

She looked at Ye Chen's pale face and the undried blood on his lapel.

Knowing he was far from as fine as he claimed, a surge of complex emotions rose in her heart—gratitude, heartache...

...and an indescribable flutter.

In the end, she only gave a low "mm," gripped the token tightly, and began to silently regulate her breathing.

"Young Master Ye, Young Miss, what do we do next? This place doesn't look safe either."

Scarface was tending to the wounds on his body, looking worried.

The danger level deep within the Molten Fire Abyss was no lower than that of the ice cave.

Ye Chen sat cross-legged, regulating his breathing while attaching his Divine Sense to the profound ice token to try and sense something.

The token emitted an extremely faint fluctuation pointing deeper into the karst cave.

And the resonance from the jade booklet in his Sea of Consciousness became clearer and hotter than ever before in this place.

It seemed to have developed a resonance with the fire-attribute environment here, pointing in the same direction—the depths where the magma rivers converged.

"This token and... a certain resonance within me are both pointing inside."

Ye Chen looked toward the dark, heat-steaming passage deep within the cave.

"There might be an exit there, or something else."

"Could it be the source of 'fire' that the ice lotus sensed it needed for balance?"

Lin Qingxue suddenly spoke; she Cultivated a Profound Yin Cultivation Technique and had some understanding of the way of Yin and Yang balance.

"This place is extremely Yang and hot; perhaps it has birthed some pure fire-attribute spiritual item that would benefit the ice lotus's recovery. Since you can absorb the ice lotus Origin, maybe you can use the fire spirit here to further harmonize yourself and stabilize your Foundation."

Ye Chen's heart stirred, thinking there was great merit to her words.

Before the ice lotus spirit fell into its slumber, it had indeed seemed to hint that it needed 'fire' to balance its revival.

He now bore the Ice Lotus Imprint; if he could find a pure fire spirit in this place...

...perhaps he really could break the balance again, charge toward a higher Realm, and even find a way to help the ice lotus.

"That makes sense. But it will definitely be more dangerous inside," Ye Chen said in a heavy voice.

"Everyone's injuries are not light. Although it's sweltering here, we haven't discovered any living creatures yet, so it's relatively safe. We'll recover here first and explore again in half an hour."

The others had no objections.

They each found a relatively safe corner, swallowed Medicinal Pills, and used their techniques to heal.

Liu Yiyi brought out the little fresh water she had left and shared it with everyone to moisten their throats.

Half an hour passed in suffering.

Though their injuries hadn't fully healed, the group had finally recovered some mobility and combat power.

With the help of the profound ice token, Lin Qingxue's complexion looked much better, and she was already able to walk on her own.

Ye Chen had also recovered thirty to forty percent of his True Essence, and the Ice Lotus Imprint was slowly rotating.

It was automatically absorbing the thin water vapor around him and a trace of imperceptible cold Qi from deep underground, slowly recovering.

"Let's go." Ye Chen stood up, leading the way with the dim profound ice token in hand.

The token's faint light flickered in the searing air currents, barely illuminating the path ahead.

As they walked deeper into the cave, the temperature rose higher and higher; the rock walls were toasted to a dark red, and the stones underfoot were terrifyingly hot.

The air was filled with toxic sulfur gas, forcing everyone to constantly hold their breath or filter it with True Essence.

Occasionally, searing magma dripped from cracks in the ceiling, requiring careful evasion.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a deafening roar came from ahead, and the heatwaves almost condensed into substance.

Turning a corner, the sight before them made everyone gasp!

This was an unimaginably massive underground space, several times broader than the previous ice cave!

In the center of the space was a giant lake over a hundred zhang in diameter, filled with constantly churning dark red magma!

Deep within the heart of the lake, a gold-red light faintly shone through, as if something were burning.

Above the lake's surface floated countless burning crimson crystals like stars, reflecting the entire space like a purgatory.

The four walls and the dome of the space were covered in holes of various sizes, leading who knows where.

What was most shocking was that at the edge of the magma lake, near their side, a plant was actually growing!

That plant was only about three feet tall, its entire body a crystalline crimson like carved red jade, with nine flame-shaped leaves.

Among the cluster of leaves was a gold-red flower bud about to bloom; the bud opened and closed slightly, breathing in the searing fire Spiritual Qi.

It emitted heart-palpitating energy fluctuations!

"A... fire spirit root?!" Scarface cried out in shock, his voice changing pitch.

"It's at least an Earth Rank spiritual item of heaven and earth! Looking at this aura, it's about to mature!"

Lin Dong, Chen Feng, and Liu Yiyi were also stunned. An Earth Rank spiritual item—that was a supreme treasure that even Wheel Sea Realm experts would fight to the death for!

Furthermore, this fire spirit root's attribute was so pure; for those who Cultivated fire-attribute techniques, it was simply a divine object of their dreams!

Ye Chen's gaze, however, passed over that fire spirit root and looked toward the faintly visible gold-red light in the center of the magma lake.

The resonance from the jade booklet and the faint throb from the profound ice token originated not from that fire spirit root, but from the depths of the lake's heart!

Within that gold-red light, there seemed to be an even more ancient and primordial power.

"It seems we aren't the only visitors."

Lin Qingxue's cold voice rang out as she pointed toward the other side of the magma lake.

On several giant reefs near the rock wall over there, several figures were actually sitting cross-legged!

One of them, with a stooped figure shrouded in a wide black robe, was precisely the Ghost Old Man!

Behind him stood several Shadow Fiend assassins with sinister auras.

On another reef was a cold-faced old man wearing the attire of the City Lord's Mansion.

It was Zhao Qian's confidant who had pursued them with the Black Wind Fiend earlier, the Middle Stage Wheel Sea Realm Zhao Kun!

He also brought several experts from the City Lord's Mansion.

Both sides seemed to be regulating their breathing, yet their gazes were deathly locked onto the gold-red light in the lake's center and the fire spirit root at the edge.

They were wary of each other but hadn't made a move, seemingly waiting for something.

"Ghost Old Man! Zhao Kun!"

Scarface's expression darkened.

"They really did find their way here! Where are Wang Mang and the Black Wind Fiend?"

"Perhaps elsewhere, or..." Lin Dong hadn't finished speaking.

The surface of the magma lake near the Ghost Old Man's side suddenly exploded, and a wretched figure leaped out, landing beside the Ghost Old Man.

It was Wang Mang, who had lost an arm, was charred all over, and had a withered aura!

He had clearly used some secret method to escape from the previous cold wave and chaos to pursue them here.

"Wang Mang is still alive!" Chen Feng whispered.

As soon as Wang Mang landed, he glared at Ye Chen's group with incomparable venom.

His gaze lingered on Ye Chen in particular, the killing intent in his eyes almost becoming tangible.

But his injuries were extremely severe, and he was wary of the Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun, so he didn't erupt immediately.

The Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun also noticed the arrival of Ye Chen and the others; a flash of surprise crossed their eyes, which then turned into coldness and scrutiny.

Ye Chen's methods of freezing the flood dragon outside the ice cave and later erupting the cold wave had left them wary.

"Kid, you have a big life to actually make it here alive."

The Ghost Old Man's raspy voice was like a broken gong, sounding particularly piercing amidst the roaring magma.

"However, this isn't a place you should come to. Scram, and perhaps you can live a few days longer."

Zhao Kun also said coldly,

"This place has been sealed by my City Lord's Mansion. Idle people, leave immediately! Otherwise, kill without mercy!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense.

Ye Chen's expression was calm; his gaze swept over the glaring enemies, then looked at the enticing gold-red light in the center of the magma lake and the nearly mature fire spirit root at the edge that was emitting a tempting fragrance.

He sensed that something deep within the lake's heart was waking up, and its resonance with the jade booklet and profound ice token was getting stronger and stronger.

He took a step forward, shielding the weak Lin Qingxue behind him, and spoke slowly; his voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"This place has no master; treasures go to those destined for them. If you want us to leave, it depends on your ability."