When Bu Xu entered the Void Sky Hall and saw so many Nascent Soul stage old monsters arriving one after another, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.
The Nascent Soul cultivators had come here, of course, for the treasures in the inner hall, with the Void Sky Cauldron being the most coveted prize. Although Nascent Soul cultivators had visited the Void Sky Hall in the past, there had only been three or four at a time. But this time, eight had been drawn here, which naturally made him feel that his hopes were slim.
However, since he had already come this far, he was unwilling to return empty-handed. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he successfully passed through the Ghost Mist and entered the Molten Rock Road.
To be honest, if he had some fear of the Ghost Mist and the next trial, the “Extremely Marvelous Illusion,” he had never been concerned about the Icefire Path and had never doubted his ability to pass it. This was because the cultivation technique he practiced was the “Taiyang Art,” a rather famous technique in the Scattered Star Seas.
This technique ranked among the top ten fire-attribute cultivation methods in the Scattered Star Seas. Using the Taiyang True Flame from this technique, he had incinerated countless enemies and sent them into the abyss. Thus, he was naturally brimming with confidence about fire resistance, considering it a piece of cake.
Of course, after so many years of cultivation, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could traverse the Molten Rock Road empty-handed. He had prepared two fire-resistant magical instruments. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to prepare more, but purchasing the Fire Dragon Insects had nearly bankrupted him.
With the “Taiyang Art” at his disposal, he felt that with the aid of these two instruments, passing the Molten Rock Road would be no problem at all. But now, Bu Xu was filled with regret to the point of despair.
Shortly after entering this place, he discovered that although the Taiyang Art was indeed highly effective at resisting fire, if he didn’t want to be roasted into a dried husk by the intense heat in a short time, he had to keep the technique running at full power. This was vastly different from his initial assumption that minimal magical power expenditure would allow him to ignore the harsh environment.
Outside, running the Taiyang Art at ten percent power was enough to completely shield him from ordinary flames.
Clearly, the high temperatures emanating from the Molten Rock Road were very different from ordinary fire. Due to the restrictions here, it seemed to suppress fire-attribute techniques.
Moreover, his two fire-resistant magical instruments were of limited use in this bizarre environment. After walking for several hours, Bu Xu grew increasingly anxious.
Based on the rate of his magical power consumption, even with a spirit stone in each hand constantly replenishing his spiritual energy, he could only sustain himself for about half a day at most. After that, he would be reduced to ashes due to exhaustion of magical power.
Naturally, Bu Xu had no intention of dying here. As he sprinted nervously, he kept looking around. But the surroundings were deathly quiet, with no one in sight. His idea of killing other cultivators to seize their fire-resistant treasures died before it could take shape.
The further he ran, the stronger his sense of despair grew. After running frantically for a quarter of an hour, Bu Xu finally stopped, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Although he had spells like Lightness Art enhancing him, at this speed, there was no hope of reaching the end of the canyon. Moreover, if he continued running, even if he encountered other cultivators, his magical power would be severely depleted. By then, not only would he be unable to kill others, but they might even attack him upon seeing his weakened state.
Bu Xu paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. As time passed, countless thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to find a way out.
Suddenly, he looked up at the crimson sky, his expression shifting uncertainly.
A look of determination flashed across his face. A yellow light shimmered around him, and his body slowly began to float. Throughout this process, he didn’t blink, his face filled with caution.
When he reached a height of about two or three zhang, nothing happened, and his face lit up with ecstatic joy. At this altitude, he could fully employ flight techniques. If he used a flight spell, reaching the end of the canyon would be a matter of moments.
Suppressing his overwhelming joy at finding a way out of certain death, Bu Xu formed a hand seal, and his body transformed into a ball of yellow light before vanishing from sight.
With a thunderous boom, Bu Xu, who had just flown about ten zhang, was struck by a silver lightning bolt from the crimson sky. He let out a blood-curdling scream, and his body instantly turned to ash, vanishing without a trace. Two items fell from mid-air into the grass below, landing without a sound.
…
Elsewhere on the Molten Rock Road, a stunning woman in her thirties, draped in a shimmering blue veil, hesitated as she gazed at a river of molten rock before her. Blocking her path was a fiery red river about forty zhang wide, with only a square stone pillar about a chi wide spanning it.
Looking at the scorching molten flow in the river, the woman frowned deeply. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously stepped onto the glowing red pillar.
As her delicate foot touched the pillar, a pained expression crossed her jade-like features. Clearly, the heat of the pillar was extraordinary, and even with the protection of her veil, she was suffering considerably.
However, this female cultivator was evidently strong-willed. Gritting her silver teeth, she slowly inched forward along the pillar, her face filled with caution.
At first, everything went smoothly, and she safely crossed about a third of the distance. But as she approached the center of the stone bridge, a low, rumbling sound suddenly echoed from afar.
The woman was startled and instinctively looked upstream. Her face turned deathly pale, and panic seized her.
An extremely powerful hurricane was surging down the river, transforming into a gray, dragon-like vortex. It reached the stone pillar in the blink of an eye, engulfing the woman just as she leaped into the air.
A sharp, despairing scream echoed, and the woman’s figure vanished without a trace.
A moment later, something glowed blue on the surface of the molten rock below the pillar before sinking to the bottom.
…
Near an iceberg somewhere on the Mystic Crystal Path, a middle-aged man and an old man stood back-to-back, battling over a dozen translucent crystalline monsters. Red and white beams of light shot everywhere, but soon the sounds of battle ceased. The monsters lingered for a moment before scattering, leaving behind two mutilated corpses on the ground.
…
Elsewhere on the Mystic Crystal Path, Patriarch Extreme Yin strolled leisurely across an icy plain, a black glow shimmering around him, unaffected by the cold. Occasionally, crystalline monsters would emerge from beneath the ice to ambush him, but with a casual flick of black light, he effortlessly sliced them in half.
Then, he continued on his way as if nothing had happened.
…
On a small hill, Han Li stared blankly ahead, hesitation evident on his face.
After using the Misty Step to quickly cross the large grassland, he had resumed his normal pace. After all, the Misty Step placed a significant strain on his body, and even with his Core Formation stage resilience, he couldn’t sustain it for too long. Of course, compared to his Foundation Establishment days, it was like heaven and earth.
Later, he traversed an extremely dangerous molten swamp. Those patches that looked like solid ground but were actually hidden pits of molten rock made even someone as resilient as Han Li break out in a cold sweat.
If he hadn’t activated Barbarian Ghost’s Frost Pearl early and used it to protect himself the moment he fell into a pit, he would likely have been severely burned, if not killed.
Then, while passing through a forest of strange trees, he was targeted by two or three Flame Spirit Beasts, which also required considerable effort to deal with before he could proceed safely.
But none of those places had shocked Han Li as much as the scene before him now: an endless black desert.
Yes! Black sand, black dunes.
This bizarre sight naturally made Han Li uneasy, and he dared not rush in recklessly.
Detouring was also not an option, as the black desert was simply too vast. Taking a detour would delay him by at least two days. According to the experiences of previous cultivators who had passed this trial, it had to be completed within five days. Otherwise, the teleportation formation would close permanently, trapping those inside with certain death.
Han Li estimated that he was only halfway through the canyon. A two-day delay would likely leave him with insufficient time, and he didn’t want to take that risk.
After all, who knew what other horrors awaited beyond the black desert? The delay might even be longer.
Frowning deeply, Han Li studied the scene before him, trying to guess what hidden dangers lurked there. Just then, his expression shifted, and without looking back, he vanished from his spot.
Only then did faint sounds become audible from behind.
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