Translator: CinderTL
"Fellow Daoist Gou Jun," Ye Gaozhuo said, his gaze sharp as he stared at Song Wen, "I'm truly curious—how did you manage to find me?"
"Just a little trick, nothing remarkable," Song Wen replied with a smile.
He then shifted the topic, continuing, "Let's not waste any more time. We should head to Burning Heaven Abyss as quickly as possible, lest Chi Qi beat us there, kill Fellow Daoist Ye Yangshu's spirit beast, steal the Jade Marrow Stone, and escape."
"Do you truly not need our assistance, Fellow Daoist?" Ye Gaozhuo asked.
"If you wish to lend a hand, I won't stop you," Song Wen replied. "But if you'd rather not, I won't force you. All I need is for Fellow Daoist Ye Yangshu to point out the spirit beast's location. If you're concerned, you can follow us and observe from the shadows."
"Very well," Ye Gaozhuo said. "Then I'll go and witness your methods firsthand, Fellow Daoist."
Without another word, Song Wen took the lead, flying toward Burning Heaven Abyss.
Ye Bing moved swiftly to follow closely beside him.
After exchanging a glance, Ye Gaozhuo and Ye Yangshu also ascended, heading in the same direction.
A pungent, corrosive stench flooded Song Wen's nostrils, instantly searing his throat with a burning pain.
He found himself in a narrow fissure, surrounded by scorched rock. Molten lava flowed beneath him, while a dense, yellow smog blotted out the sky above.
The lava surged westward in a gurgling stream, eventually merging into a vast lava lake several dozen miles away.
According to Ye Yangshu, his Yellow Earth Giant Rhinoceros resided deep within this lava lake.
Song Wen suppressed his aura, allowing the billowing yellow smoke that periodically erupted from the lava to engulf his body before spiraling upward.
He waited patiently. During this time, two Divine Transformation Stage cultivators passed overhead, but the toxic fumes were too intense for them to linger, and they sped by without stopping.
Occasionally, demon beasts surfaced in the lava lake, circled briefly on the molten surface, and then vanished back into the depths, their destinations unknown.
The Yellow Earth Giant Rhinoceros also made an appearance. Resembling an enormous bull, it measured about fifteen meters in length. Its dark brown hide was crisscrossed with fissures, resembling ancient, indestructible rock.
With its jaws slightly agape, it exhaled scorching lava.
Clamped between its massive, jagged teeth was a silver-white crystal the size of a watermelon.
The crystal shimmered with iridescent light, faintly radiating Golden Sharp Qi that carved fissures into the magma flowing between the Yellow Earth Giant Rhinoceros's jaws.
This crystal was none other than the Jade Marrow Stone.
The rhinoceros appeared to be devouring the Jade Marrow Stone, yet it hesitated to swallow it whole, instead holding it in its mouth and slowly absorbing the Golden Sharp Qi to strengthen itself.
Chi Qi finally appeared after a full day's wait.
He hovered in the air, his gaze sharp as lightning as he surveyed the magma lake below.
His divine sense expanded without restraint, searching the surrounding area and the depths of the magma lake.
However, the dense yellow smoke and scorching magma severely suppressed his divine sense.
Chi Qi's mid-Void Refinement stage divine sense could only scan within a hundred li radius. Beneath the magma, his range was further reduced to just ten li.
After a thorough search, he found no other cultivators nearby, but neither could he locate the rumored demon beast with the Jade Marrow Stone in its mouth.
Chi Qi pondered for a moment, then flicked his finger, sending a surge of spiritual power shooting forth.
Instantly, a hundred-zhang-tall boulder on the shore of the magma lake rose into the air, floated to the center, and crashed down with tremendous force.
With a thunderous roar, the boulder plunged into the magma lake, instantly erupting in a fiery spray of molten rock.
The molten lava erupted like a blooming Fire Lotus, scattering in all directions with scorching heat that was almost unbearable.
Chi Qi fixed his gaze on the spot where the massive boulder had sunk into the magma. The lava churned violently, and suddenly, a colossal crocodile covered in dark red scales burst forth.
The crocodile appeared enraged, its massive jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth snapping open as it spewed a torrent of crimson magma.
The molten blast tore through the air, hurtling directly toward Chi Qi.
Unfazed, Chi Qi casually waved his hand, unleashing another surge of spiritual power.
This spiritual power shot forth like a lethal arrow, colliding with the oncoming magma in an instant.
The magma shattered into countless fiery droplets that rained down in a blazing shower.
The lingering force of the spiritual power continued its trajectory, striking the crocodile.
Realizing it was no match for the human cultivator above, the crocodile panicked, thrashing its massive body in a desperate attempt to escape.
But as it plunged back into the lava, the spiritual power struck.
The crocodile's head exploded in a shower of crimson flesh and blood.
The gore splashed into the lava, instantly igniting into fiery blooms.
The crocodile's severed torso floated on the molten surface, emitting a thick, metallic stench that mingled with the surrounding acrid fumes, creating an even more nauseating stench.
Chi Qi watched the crocodile's mangled remains like a fisherman observing his bait, patiently awaiting his prey to take the hook.
Suddenly, a violent surge erupted from the depths of the magma. A massive, gaping maw lunged forth, snapping at the giant crocodile's carcass.
Chi Qi's pupils constricted sharply, his eyes gleaming with intense focus.
He saw clearly: within the gaping maw lay a thick, elongated tongue, its surface bristling with countless sharp spines.
At the center of the tongue, a silver-white crystal was embedded, squeezed tightly by the spines as if firmly anchored to the flesh.
"It's the Jade Marrow Stone!" Chi Qi's face lit up with elation.
He raised his hand and clenched his fist in the air, summoning a longbow into his grasp.
His other hand drew back the bowstring, slowly pulling it taut as a black arrow materialized with a sudden, shadowy glow.
The arrow pointed toward the crocodile carcass already clamped in the massive maw, its surface shimmering with an eerie light, yet radiating no discernible power—appearing utterly unremarkable.
Chi Qi released his fingers, and the arrow shot forth with explosive force.
Just as the Yellow Earth Giant Rhinoceros was about to fall to the arrow and the Jade Marrow Stone was within reach, Chi Qi's face twisted in sudden horror.
He abruptly sensed a chilling killing intent surging from behind.
Startled, Chi Qi reacted instinctively, summoning a shield without hesitation.
The shield expanded rapidly, swelling to a towering ten-foot diameter in an instant.
Chi Qi's spiritual power surged into the shield like a raging flood.
The shield gradually began to glow with a cyan light.
Clang!
A foot-long dagger struck the shield with a deafening roar.
Chi Qi had reacted hastily, unable to fully unleash the shield's power. The cyan light abruptly vanished, and the shield was sent flying.
The dagger, though partially blocked by the shield, had lost much of its momentum.
Yet after a brief pause, the dagger's power surged anew, its cold light gleaming as it hurtled straight toward Chi Qi.
A dark yellow talisman had materialized in Chi Qi's hand.
As the talisman shattered, an earthen-yellow protective shield materialized, enveloping Chi Qi completely.
The dagger struck the shield, causing its yellow light to flare violently and flicker incessantly. Though the shield didn't shatter, it carried Chi Qi backward several dozen meters.
While Chi Qi was fending off the dagger's ambush, the Yellow Earth Giant Rhinoceros had already been slain by the arrows.
The Jade Marrow Stone in its mouth had been drawn to Chi Qi's side.
Chi Qi seized the stone, ready to flee.
But then he realized, with a jolt, that the surroundings had turned crimson.
(End of the Chapter)
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