53: Chapter 53 Taking Chestnuts from the Fire

Ye Chen's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable calm.

In this scorching and noisy magma lake cavern, it clearly struck everyone's ears.

A brief, dead silence followed.

The Ghost Old Man's figure, shrouded in black robes, stiffened slightly, seemingly not expecting Ye Chen to dare to be so unyielding.

A cold light flashed in Zhao Kun's eyes as killing intent surged.

Wang Mang was even more like a mad dog whose tail had been stepped on, roaring hoarsely.

"Little bastard! You're about to die and you're still acting tough! Everyone, this little brat has many oddities about him and surely possesses many treasures. Let's join forces to slaughter him first, then we can compete for the spiritual items based on our own abilities!"

Scarface, Lin Dong, and the others immediately went on high alert, weapons unsheathed, protecting Lin Qingxue in the center.

Liu Yiyi's face turned pale, but she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on her sword hilt.

Chen Feng also pulled her behind him.

The Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun's eyes flickered, clearly weighing their options. Joining forces to first eliminate Ye Chen, the biggest variable, was undoubtedly the safest choice.

But they each harbored their own ulterior motives, fearing they would be used as a tool by the other.

More importantly, the gold-red light in the center of the magma lake was becoming more and more intense.

The fragrance emitted by that fire spirit root was also becoming increasingly rich, seemingly on the verge of full maturity. If they engaged in internal strife and exhaustion now...

If they missed the optimal time to harvest it...

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

"Rumble—!"

The entire magma lake began to churn violently, like boiling water!

The gold-red light at the lake's center suddenly exploded in intensity. An ancient, majestic, and terrifying aura that seemed capable of incinerating all things erupted like an awakening volcano!

The burning crimson crystals floating on the lake's surface were drawn in by this aura, converging toward the center like meteors!

Then, under everyone's horrified gazes...

A massive phantom, formed entirely of gold-red flames, slowly rose from the center of the lake!

The phantom resembled some kind of giant bird with long tail feathers, its wingspan nearly covering half the lake's surface.

Though blurry, it radiated a pressure that made one's Soul tremble! It far surpassed the previous Three-Headed Lava Flood Dragon!

"Is this... a manifestation of the Fire Spirit Origin? Or the remnant Soul of some ancient fire-type Divine Beast?"

Zhao Kun blurted out in shock, his face turning pale.

The Ghost Old Man couldn't help but take a step back, heavy breathing coming from beneath his black robes.

The giant flaming bird phantom paid no heed to the ants on the shore.

It seemed to have just been startled from a long slumber, appearing somewhat dazed and irritable.

It tilted its head back and let out a silent but Soul-shaking shriek!

Where the shriek passed, space distorted and the magma surged in monstrous waves!

*Pfft!*

*Pfft!*

The nearest Shadow Fiend assassins and City Lord's Mansion guards...

...were caught in the wake of this Soul shriek. Without even letting out a scream, blood sprayed from their seven orifices and they collapsed stiffly, their auras extinguished!

Their Souls had been directly shattered!

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Zhao Kun was terrified out of his wits, leading the remaining people in a desperate flight backward.

The Ghost Old Man also pulled Wang Mang into a rapid retreat.

Ye Chen and the others also hurriedly protected Lin Qingxue, retreating behind a massive black reef, fully circulating their True Essence to protect their minds.

After the giant flaming bird phantom's shriek, it seemed to have consumed a significant amount of energy, and its form dimmed slightly.

Its cold eyes, formed entirely of flames, swept across the magma lake below.

Finally, they landed on that fire spirit root which was about to mature and was emitting pure fire Spiritual Qi!

A hint of desire flashed in its eyes as it extended a flaming claw, slowly reaching toward the fire spirit root!

Clearly, it wanted to devour this Earth Rank spiritual item to replenish its own consumption, perhaps even using it to solidify its form!

"Not good! It's going to eat the fire spirit root!"

Scarface said urgently.

If the fire spirit root was swallowed by this terrifying existence, let alone getting a share, they likely wouldn't even be able to save themselves.

"We must stop it!"

Lin Dong's eyes also turned red.

An Earth Rank spiritual item was right before them; who would be willing to give it up?

Ye Chen stared intently at the flaming claw reaching for the fire spirit root, then looked at the gold-red light still churning in the lake's center, as well as the slightly warming profound ice token in his hand and the restless jade booklet in his Sea of Consciousness.

A crazy idea rose in his heart.

"Qingxue, Brother Scarface, you all stay here to provide backup. Do not act rashly."

Ye Chen spoke quickly, his tone carrying a sense of resolve.

"Ye Chen, what do you want to do?" Lin Qingxue's heart tightened as she grabbed his arm.

"To snatch chestnuts from the fire."

Ye Chen looked at her worried eyes and grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, actually showing a bit of a youth's unrestrained spirit.

"That thing's target is the fire spirit root, so its attention is drawn. The thing in the center of the lake is the key sensed by the jade booklet, and perhaps our only hope of leaving. I'll go try to snatch the food from the tiger's mouth and grab some benefits while I'm at it."

"It's too dangerous! That flaming phantom is at least at the fourth or even fifth rank!"

Scarface urged.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. If I can't win, can't I still run?"

Ye Chen broke free from Lin Qingxue's hand and stuffed the profound ice token back into her palm.

"Keep this for self-defense. Wait for my signal."

With that, without waiting for the others to persuade him further, Ye Chen's figure blurred.

He executed the Mist Transformation Steps, but instead of retreating, he moved like a specter, clinging to the scorching ground and the shadows of the rock walls.

He stealthily moved toward the fire spirit root on the opposite side from the giant flaming bird phantom, near the edge of the magma lake!

He wanted to circle to the side and attempt to do something the moment the giant flaming bird devoured the fire spirit root, or take the opportunity to approach the lake's center!

"This kid... is crazy!"

In the distance, the Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun also saw Ye Chen's actions, their faces showing shock and expressions as if they were looking at a madman.

Wang Mang, on the other hand, wore a venomous sneer, wishing for Ye Chen to be immediately incinerated into ash.

The giant flaming bird's claw had already touched the bud of the fire spirit root!

The gold-red flames collided with the crimson spiritual light emitted by the bud itself, producing a sizzling sound. The bud trembled violently, seemingly about to bloom or be devoured at any moment!

Now is the time!

A cold light exploded in Ye Chen's eyes as he pushed his remaining Profound Ice True Essence to the limit.

At the same time, the Ice Lotus Imprint deep in his Soul spun frantically, releasing a wisp of Chaos-colored Origin cold qi!

He did not direct this power toward the giant flaming bird.

Instead, he transformed it into an extremely fine, nearly transparent blue thread, shooting it out with lightning speed.

It shot toward the weak point at the base of a crimson rock where the fire spirit root was anchored, near the magma lake!

"Profound Ice Silk! Break!"

*Crack!*

A faint crisp sound occurred, nearly drowned out by the roar of the magma!

The base of that rock, which had endured the essence of earth fire and the power of the fire spirit root for countless years...

...instantly developed a tiny crack under the invasion of the extreme cold qi!

And because the entire fire spirit root was shaking violently due to the giant flaming bird's grasping, this slight crack in the Foundation immediately triggered a chain reaction!

"Buzz—!"

The fire spirit root's entire body erupted with light. Its nine flaming leaves suddenly stood upright as if sensing a fatal threat, autonomously bursting forth with a powerful resistant force!

A pure and majestic impact of fire spirit slammed hard into the giant flaming bird's claw!

The giant flaming bird phantom seemingly hadn't expected this 'food' to dare to resist, and its form was even stalled by that pure fire spirit impact, the flames on its claw dimming slightly.

It let out an angry, silent roar and increased its power.

And in this brief moment of stalemate and energy Chaos—

Ye Chen moved!

He no longer hid, his body shooting out from his hiding place like an arrow from a bow, his target aimed straight for...

...the place where the gold-red light was most intense at the center of the magma lake!

He wasn't going to snatch the fire spirit root, but was taking the opportunity to rush toward the lake's center!

Because in the instant the fire spirit root erupted in resistance and the giant flaming bird was distracted...

Ye Chen keenly felt that the aura of the gold-red light sphere at the lake's center experienced an extremely brief fluctuation and weakness.

It was as if there was some kind of ebb-and-flow connection between it and this giant flaming bird phantom!

"Stop him!"

The Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun shouted almost simultaneously.

Though they didn't understand the details, Ye Chen's actions were too abnormal; there must be something fishy!

Several sharp attacks immediately struck toward Ye Chen's back!

"Don't even think about it!" Scarface and Lin Dong roared, rushing out from behind the reef, brandishing their blades and swords in a desperate interception!

Lin Qingxue also forced her True Essence to surge. The profound ice token flashed with light, and several ice spikes shot out to block the attacks.

*Bang bang bang!*

The energies collided. Scarface and Lin Dong were shaken until they spat blood and retreated, but they ultimately secured a slim chance for Ye Chen!

Ye Chen ignored the attacks behind him, pushing his speed to the limit.

White light flashed on his body's surface as the black tortoise armor emerged, tanking several stray energy blasts. He gave a muffled groan, blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth.

But his momentum didn't slow. Like a meteor, he plunged hard into the churning magma lake, heading straight for that gold-red light!

"He jumped into the magma?! He's looking for death!"

Wang Mang was both shocked and stunned.

The Ghost Old Man and Zhao Kun were also taken aback.

The temperature of the magma at the lake's center was enough to instantly vaporize refined iron.

Even Wheel Sea Realm Cultivators wouldn't dare set foot there without special protection. Was this kid seeking his own end?

Only Lin Qingxue tightly gripped the hot profound ice token, her eyes fixed on the lake surface where Ye Chen had disappeared, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest.

Below the magma was another world.

Viscous, scorching, and destructive energy undercurrents squeezed from all directions.

The light of the black tortoise armor rapidly dimmed, letting out overwhelmed groans.

Ye Chen felt his skin, muscles, and bones were all being incinerated and melted!

He frantically circulated his Profound Ice True Essence, and the Ice Lotus Imprint was fully activated, emitting Chaos-colored cold qi.

It formed a thin protective film on his body's surface that was constantly being eroded and reborn.

Agony! Indescribable agony! It was as if he had been cast into the furnace of heaven and earth!

But Ye Chen gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. Relying on the increasingly clear sensations from the jade booklet and the profound ice token, he desperately dove deeper!

Ten feet, thirty feet... fifty feet...

The pressure grew greater, the temperature higher, and the speed at which his protective ice was eroded far surpassed the speed of its recovery.

He felt his consciousness starting to blur and his body on the verge of collapse.

Just as Ye Chen was about to give in—

His vision suddenly opened up!

The surrounding viscous magma vanished, replaced by a strange space enveloped in a thin golden light shield!

The space wasn't large, only about the size of a room. In the center floated a fist-sized crystal that was gold-red throughout, crystal clear, with what looked like liquid fire flowing inside!

The crystal radiated a warm, pure, and ancient Origin aura. It was precisely the source of the jade booklet's sensation and the gold-red light!

And below the crystal was a small, ancient, and dilapidated teleportation Formation constructed of some kind of white jade.

At the core of the Formation were several white fragments whose energy had long been exhausted, made of a material similar to the profound ice token.

This was the true core of the Molten Fire Abyss!

That giant flaming bird phantom was likely a spirit body that this Origin Fire Crystal had naturally nurtured over countless years to protect itself!

And the fire spirit root was merely an auxiliary spiritual item that grew on the periphery, nourished by its aura.

"Found it!"

Ye Chen was ecstatic, but his body had reached its limit. He staggered toward the floating gold-red fire crystal.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the fire crystal—

"Roar—!"

From above came the giant flaming bird phantom's enraged roar that acted directly upon the Soul!

It had clearly sensed its core being touched and instantly abandoned its entanglement with the fire spirit root, its massive flaming body crashing into the magma.

It charged toward the golden light shield where Ye Chen was!

The light shield vibrated violently, and cracks appeared!

Time was of the essence! A flash of madness crossed Ye Chen's eyes.

He no longer hesitated and grabbed the gold-red fire crystal!

"Boom—!"

As the fire crystal entered his hand, an unimaginable, pure, and vast yet gentle and inclusive Origin Fire Spirit...

...like a floodgate being opened, surged frantically into his body!

It collided violently with the Profound Ice True Essence and the Origin cold qi from the Ice Lotus Imprint within him!