75: Chapter 75 That Fire-Absorbing Punch, I've Calculated It All

Amidst the roar of the earth fire pouring down like a waterfall, Chen Fan felt his skin cracking inch by inch.

The three-segment 'Critical Hit Pre-burn' bar seared his retinas, the golden light almost piercing his pupils.

But the earth fire erupting from the lava fissure was far hotter than ordinary flames—he could smell scorched flesh; the skin on his arm was curling up, and even the areas covered by the blue veins were starting to burn, feeling as if countless red-hot needles were stabbing into his blood vessels.

"The Tombstone Guardian said... a holder of the token can share the life soul..." Chen Fan ground his back molars until they ached, his bloodied hand reaching toward his chest.

The copper coin he picked up in the ruined temple in the Newbie Village was still there, the cracks on its edge even worse than before, looking like it could shatter into dust at any moment.

He recalled how Su Shuang, before falling unconscious, had clutched this coin and pressed it into his palm. Her fingertips were cold as ice, yet she had lightly traced a Fox Clan rune on the back of his hand.

"To hell with rebirth!" Chen Fan suddenly roared, violently pressing the copper coin against his heart.

A 'boom' of golden light exploded outward.

That was the energy of the critical hit system, and also Su Shuang's fox blood lingering within the coin.

The two forces twisted into golden threads in his chest cavity, drilling along his blue veins into every limb and bone.

The pre-burn bar, previously chaotic due to the high temperature, suddenly stabilized. The three segments of golden light stopped flashing and instead condensed into tangible light blades, casting sharp shadows in his pupils.

Crimson Nightmare's voice mixed with the earth fire: "Reborn in fire—"

"It's a counterattack!" Chen Fan interrupted him.

The force of the earth fire impact slammed into his back, but the blue veins reflected it back as thrust.

He used that force to spring up, his muscles taut as iron cables under the intense heat, his right fist aimed directly at the flickering fire core in Crimson Nightmare's chest.

Crimson Nightmare finally moved.

He raised his arm to block, but the lava robe instantly hissed and burned away the moment it touched Chen Fan's punch wind, revealing skin beneath covered in cracks.

Only then did Chen Fan clearly see that countless fine fire crystals were embedded within the body of this Flame Lord. Every crack seeped with faint blue Law Fire, like lightning trapped in a glass jar.

The pre-burn countdown suddenly appeared before his eyes: [3... 2... 1...]

Chen Fan's pupils constricted sharply.

He forcefully twisted his waist and abdomen in mid-air—this was a subtle skill honed while moving three-hundred-pound cement bags on construction sites, allowing him to change their direction mid-flight.

The critical hit energy, which should have exploded at 1 second, was suppressed by half a beat, coinciding exactly with a gap in the fire core's pulsation.

"Explode for me!"

The moment his fist grazed Crimson Nightmare's arm, five beams of golden light burst from his knuckles.

The notification sound of [Critical Hit Charge x 5] was almost deafening, and worse, the heatwave of the earth fire resonated with his attack, causing an 'om' sound to explode in the air, unexpectedly stacking [Environmental Resonance x 3]!

Crimson Nightmare's fire core cracked with a spiderweb pattern with a 'ka' sound.

The faint blue Law Fire sprayed all over Chen Fan's face with a 'chi' sound, like air escaping a punctured balloon.

He didn't dodge; instead, he opened his mouth and sucked fiercely—the Law Fire drilled into his throat like a living thing, instantly igniting a scorching heat in his meridians. But Su Shuang's fox blood rune suddenly lit up with faint pink light marks beneath his skin, guiding the Law Fire toward his Dantian like countless small snakes.

"Ding—Detected High-Dimensional Law Fire fusion, Critical Hit Module upgraded."

The system notification carried static noise, "Can actively charge, maximum limit 5 times; cooldown time reduced by 50%."

Blood seeped from the corner of Chen Fan's mouth, but he let out a laugh.

"Tongue Burner! Initiate ultimate sacrifice!" Crimson Nightmare's roar carried a hint of weeping.

Chen Fan turned his head and saw the messenger whose tongue resembled charred charcoal kneeling by the altar, his blackened tongue coiling to draw bizarre runes.

The chains around the necks of the surrounding imprisoned New Players simultaneously grew hot, and dark red light emerged beneath their skin, as if they were about to be burned into human-shaped candles.

"Trying to use them as fuel?" A dark shadow shot out from under the altar.

It was Blue Scale!

Chen Fan recognized him—this kid had been pretending to be a captured miner for the past three days. Now, he held a poisoned short knife and severed the main chain with a 'danglang' sound.

The moment the neck chains broke, the New Players let out heart-wrenching screams, but the dark red light began to recede.

Blue Scale threw an ink pellet into the fire. Sparks popped and crackled, illuminating dense rows of names in mid-air—all the players sacrificed to the Fire Prison Court over the years.

"The list has been sent out!" Blue Scale wiped the blood from his face, "Your sins will be known throughout the entire server!"

Tongue Burner's charred tongue suddenly elongated by three feet, wrapping around Blue Scale's neck like a venomous snake.

Chen Fan's temples throbbed, and the pre-burn bar lit up on his retina again—this time only two segments, but it was enough.

He raised his hand and clenched his fist toward Tongue Burner's direction.

"Hidden Critical Hit x 3."

Invisible qi pierced through the air, precisely penetrating Tongue Burner's throat.

The charred tongue exploded into black ash with a 'pu' sound. Tongue Burner clutched his neck and fell backward, only a wheezing 'ho ho' sound remaining in his throat, unable to utter a single complete syllable.

Crimson Nightmare knelt on the ground, his fire core completely extinguished, leaving only a scorched empty cavity in his chest.

He stared in the direction where the night blister had disappeared, tears mixed with black blood streaming down. "I always thought... by burning away their weakness, I could find the answer... but you... you are the kindling." He raised his hand and plucked a key from his chest—the handle was shaped like a burning torch. "The earth core flame marrow is in the deepest part... but she only has twelve hours left."

Chen Fan took the key without speaking, just nodding heavily.

He turned and walked toward Su Shuang.

She lay on the rubble beside the lava, her face as white as paper. Her usually pinkish fox ears had shrunk into small tufts of fur, and even her tail lacked the strength to manifest.

Chen Fan gently supported her waist and carried her on his back.

Su Shuang's forehead was alarmingly hot, and her breathing was so light it seemed about to dissipate in the wind.

"Shuang, hold on a little longer." Chen Fan touched her icy hand, clutching the key tightly.

The critical hit system pulsed inside him, synchronized with his heartbeat.

The lava staircase leading to the earth's core was right ahead. Every step glowed with crimson-gold light, and the heatwave, smelling of sulfur, struck his face like a knife cut.

At the end of the staircase, a crimson-gold gate slowly opened.

The roar of the earth's core came from behind the door, like a giant beast turning over in its sleep.

Chen Fan took a deep breath and took the first step.

Lava churned at his feet, but the weight on his back kept his spine ramrod straight—he would burn this fire to the end for her.

And deep within the gate, a pool of boiling crimson-gold liquid churned beneath chains.

Seven chains pierced the surface of the pool, their other ends disappearing into the darkness, leading directly toward the top of the Starlight Tower...