25: Second Life: First Steps on the Immortal Path (Twenty-Four)

Xu Yuan's words invigorated Luo Shou, and he nodded vigorously, "That goes without saying!"

"Brother Hou, you are responsible for gathering all scattered information about the Earth Flame Rift, even if it's just rumors!"

"Miss Liu, please trouble yourself to prepare more Water Moistening Talismans and Clear Heart Pills to deal with the fiery, toxic, and dry Qi there."

Luo Shou looked at the three of them, his eyes filled with earnestness and determination, "Brothers, sister, you all know my situation. For this mission, I, Luo Shou, beg everyone to lend me a hand!"

"If we succeed this time, I, Luo Shou, will never forget it!"

Hou Ting sighed, but finally nodded, "Fine, fine, wealth is sought in danger! Don't worry, Boss, the scouting is on me!"

Liu Yiyi sighed softly and said gently, "Brother Luo, you speak too seriously. Since we have been traveling together for ten years, we should naturally advance and retreat together."

Seeing no objections, a look of gratitude appeared on Luo Shou's face. He took a deep breath and then accepted the mission without hesitation.

After accepting the mission, the four of them spent a full three days making preparations.

The team almost emptied their savings, purchasing a large quantity of High Grade Fire Avoidance Talismans, potent Qi Recovery Pills, and several powerful defensive Talismans.

"Brother Hou, how is the intelligence gathering on the Earth Flame Rift going?"

As they neared departure, Luo Shou asked.

Hou Ting smiled bitterly, "The internal passages of the Earth Flame Rift are intricate. Besides being filled with a large number of fire-attribute Yao Beasts, it is permeated with fire poison and teeming with poisonous insects. I spent a lot of effort this time, but I only managed to piece together a small part of the map, and its authenticity remains to be verified."

"That's enough. After all, detailed map information for the Earth Flame Rift is worth two thousand merit. Brother Hou, being able to piece together a small part of the map has already greatly improved our team's safety." Luo Shou patted Hou Ting on the shoulder.

The next morning, the four members of the team quietly left the camp and headed towards the Earth Flame Rift in the Southeast direction.

As they got closer to the destination, the Spiritual Qi of fire in the air became more restless, and the temperature gradually rose.

The ground changed from ordinary soil to dark red scorched earth, vegetation became sparse, and a faint smell of sulfur began to permeate the air.

On the way, they encountered a few waves of Yao Beasts, mostly High Grade Tier 1 Yao Beasts. They were not strong, but the four of them did not entangle with them too much, choosing to carefully avoid them instead.

After all, before arriving at the Earth Flame Rift, the four were unwilling to expend too much energy on the road.

After nearly a day of trekking, the four finally arrived at the entrance of the Earth Flame Rift.

It was a huge rift valley, like a scar on the earth, lying across the dark red wasteland.

Hot waves of air continuously surged out from the crack, distorting the air, and one could faintly see the dark red light glowing deep below.

The rock walls were charred black and covered with honeycomb-like holes, with fire-type poisonous insects crawling in and out from time to time.

"Such intense Spiritual Qi of fire..."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, feeling the operation of his Cultivation Technique speed up slightly, but at the same time, he also sensed that the Spiritual Qi was mixed with fire poison that made one feel agitated.

This fire poison was not just as simple as making people feel agitated.

If one stayed in this dense fire poison environment for too long without protection, at the very least, one's heart Meridians would be damaged, Spiritual Qi circulation would become sluggish, and one's internal organs would feel like they were burning; at worst, the fire poison would attack the heart, eroding one's sanity, causing one to fall into manic hallucinations, and eventually, one might even die from one's own Meridians burning up!

Fortunately, the four were well prepared.

"Take the pill!" Luo Shou whispered, taking the lead by putting an ice-blue Clear Heart Pill into his mouth.

Xu Yuan, Hou Ting, and Liu Yiyi immediately followed suit.

As the Medicinal Pill entered his abdomen, a wave of coolness instantly dissipated, flowing rapidly through his limbs and bones, barely suppressing the hot evil poison that had invaded his body, and his mind returned to clarity.

At the same time, they activated the Water Moistening Talismans they had been maintaining, and a thin, constantly flowing water-blue halo enveloped their bodies, effectively isolating them from the direct erosion of some of the scorching breath and fire poison.

However, whether it was the Medicinal Pill or the Talisman, their effectiveness was constantly being worn down by the pervasive, scorching heat and fire poison in the surroundings.

Therefore, the four had to successfully evacuate within a certain amount of time. Otherwise, once the Medicinal Pill was exhausted or the Talisman failed, the four would be completely exposed to the fire poison.

"This damn place is really no place for people to stay." Hou Ting muttered, but his eyes became even more vigilant, "Everyone be careful. The Yao Beasts that can survive in the fire-poison-filled Earth Flame Rift are much more troublesome than the ones seen on the surface."

"Brother Hou, scout the path. Try to avoid areas dense with poisonous insects." Luo Shou ordered, his gaze sharply scanning the intricate intersections.

Hou Ting nodded, his figure becoming blurry again. Like a gecko, he clung to the scorching rock wall and slid forward silently, carefully sensing the breath and movement of the passage ahead.

Xu Yuan followed closely behind. His Divine Sense was highly concentrated, scanning the front and flanks as meticulously as invisible tentacles.

Although the intense Spiritual Qi of fire environment accelerated the operation of Xu Yuan's Cultivation Technique, it also greatly interfered with the detection range of his Divine Sense and his perception of subtle fluctuations, forcing him to expend more mental effort.

Entering the inside of the rift, the light suddenly dimmed, with only some glowing minerals on the rock walls and the surging magma deep below providing a faint light.

The passages were intricate with many forks, and the heat waves were rolling. Even with Talismans protecting their bodies, the four were still sweating profusely.

Following the general direction indicated by the mission, they moved forward with difficulty in the labyrinth-like rift.

However, just as they were gradually deepening and, according to the description in the mission Jade Slip, were about to approach the area where the Earth Vein Fire Lotus might grow, a sudden change occurred!

"Not good! It's a Yao Beast riot!" Hou Ting suddenly revealed his figure, his face changing drastically, "Quick! Find a place to hide!"

Just as Hou Ting's warning fell, the change struck with earth-shattering force!

The entire Earth Flame Rift seemed to come alive, emitting painful groans and roars!

The ground beneath their feet shook crazily, as if a giant beast was turning over underground, making it extremely difficult to stand.

Above their heads, countless stones and debris of various sizes fell like a rainstorm, smashing onto the charred ground and making loud cracking noises. Several millstone-sized boulders crashed down, kicking up large clouds of scorching dust!

"Hide in that rock crevice!" Luo Shou roared, pointing to a relatively sturdy recessed rock wall to the front side.

The four of them almost rolled and crawled, braving the falling rocks, and rushed into the narrow rock crevice in a sorry state.

Liu Yiyi immediately exerted all her strength to prop up a thick water-blue light screen, blocking the entrance. Stones smashed against the light screen, sending ripples layer after layer, making tooth-aching muffled sounds.

Almost the moment they hid, the terrifying sound wave swept over!

Rumble—!

That was not a single sound, but a destructive torrent formed by the manic roars of thousands of Yao Beasts!

The sound penetrated the rock walls, causing their eardrums to sting, and their hearts couldn't help but beat wildly along with that terrifying rhythm.