Whether it was the overwhelming fear or the scorching magma, Xie Lian was completely submerged.

After a long time, he slowly woke up.

When he woke up, he found himself lying on the hard ground, and Mu Qing was sitting beside him, staring at him blankly.

Xie Lian's eyes were still slightly red as he sat up suddenly and said, "San Lang!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he sat up, Mu Qing came back to his senses and said, "Don't move!"

Xie Lian subconsciously tried to push his palms against the ground, but found nothing. His center of gravity shifted, and he nearly fell over. With a slight start, he realized that he wasn't lying on the ground at all.

He was lying on a bridge!

This is a huge underground cave with a dome that extends deep into the vast night sky. Inside the cave, a broken bridge "floats".

The bridge is incomplete, dark and eerie, resembling wood and stone, as if it has endured millennia of rain, wind, dust, and fire. Supported by no pillars, it hangs suspended in the air, stretching endlessly forward and backward, its origin and destination unknown, its end in sight and its direction indistinguishable. In places, it's as wide as three feet, in others, so narrow that only one person can pass.

A hundred feet below the broken bridge was a boiling pool of red magma, like the red soup of hell.

Tongtian Bridge?

Those three words immediately popped into Xie Lian's mind. Two thousand years ago, Prince Wuyong had built a bridge to heaven to escape disaster. Could this bridge be a remnant of that bridge?

He remembered that he was dragged down by Bai Wuxiang, so how come he was on this bridge now?

Xie Lian climbed to his feet and asked, “Sanlang?”

Mu Qing was still sitting aside and said, "No need to shout, he's not here."

Xie Lian turned to him and asked, "How did we get here? Did they set up a teleportation system along the way?"

Mu Qing said, "Probably. I clearly fell towards the lava pool, but was teleported here in mid-air."

Poor Feng Xin, all three of them had fallen, leaving him alone up there. He was probably going to throw a tantrum again. However, the most important thing was to find Hua Cheng first. I wonder where he'd been moved to?

Xie Lian glanced at the discarded heart and long sword, picked them up, and walked towards Mu Qing. Seeing him approaching with a sullen face, Mu Qing wondered what he was going to do, and her expression suddenly became tense.

Xie Lian handed him his knife, then extended his hand toward him, saying, "Are you alright? If you are, then stand up. We need to leave quickly."

Mu Qing looked at the hand he extended to her, was silent for a long time, shook her head, and said, "I can't leave. My hands and feet are injured."

Xie Lian squatted down to examine him for a moment. Sure enough, Mu Qing's palms were covered in red, and his legs were also burned. He was afraid he would have to walk slowly. After a moment's thought, he said, "Let me help you."

He pulled Mu Qing up, put his arm on his shoulder, and supported her as she walked. After a few steps, Mu Qing suddenly asked, "Why?"

Xie Lian surveyed his surroundings as he asked, "Why?"

Mu Qing said, "I thought you would be more suspicious of me after you found out that I was fine."

Xie Lian said, “Oh, no.”

"Why?"

"Because I know."

"Know what?"

Xie Lian said, "I know you're not lying."

“…”

The expression on Mu Qing's face is truly indescribable.

Xie Lian said as a matter of course, "Didn't you ask me to believe you? I do believe you. That's all."

“…”

"Well, how should I put it..." Xie Lian said, "I've known you for many years, so I can be sure of this: you're not that kind of person. Didn't I tell you before that you might spit in someone's cup, but you wouldn't do something like poisoning them?"

Mu Qing seemed slightly moved by the first sentence, but his face darkened when he heard the second. He said, "Forget about this metaphor. Really, forget it. Don't mention it again. I wouldn't do something like spitting. It's too unrefined!"

Xie Lian waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry about such details. Besides, even if, by some chance, I were utterly unlucky and misjudged you, you wouldn’t be able to defeat me and San Lang. I could kill you with a single backhand strike. You wouldn’t pose a threat, hahaha…”

"..." Mu Qing murmured, "You did it on purpose, you must be trying hard to piss me off to death..."

"Ahem, I was just kidding. Anyway." Xie Lian stopped laughing, grabbed his arm, looked forward, and said, "If you really are put in the cursed shackles by Jun Wu because you refuse to do evil, then I can't let you pay a bad price for doing this."

He said calmly, "Because what you did was right."

Mu Qing glared at him for a long time, and finally, gritting his teeth, he said, "Xie Lian, you are such a..."

Xie Lian immediately said, “Forget that. Don’t I already know what you want to say about me? You still need my support right now, so don’t say anything that makes me want to throw you into the lava pool.”

Mu Qing snorted, "You know what I want to say to you, but you still saved me."

Xie Lian said, "It's mutual. I saved you simply by following my usual principles. Besides, although you're quite subtle in every way, there was a time when I really wanted to beat you to death, but I didn't succeed then, and after so long, I've lost interest. But no matter how subtle I am, no matter how much I want to beat you, your crime doesn't deserve death, so of course I'll save you if I can."

Mu Qing chuckled a few times as if he was disappointed, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Your Highness, actually, I..."

At this moment, the two men's feet sank at the same time, and both of them changed color suddenly.

Mu Qing was injured and couldn't react in time, but Xie Lian was still very fast. He pressed his foot forward and lightly landed three feet ahead. Looking back, the bridge they had been standing on suddenly broke and fell straight down!

boom!

A pitch-black section of the bridge fell into the crimson pool of hell. The vengeful spirits, who had been waiting there for so long, quickly reached out their hundreds of hands, scrambling to reach up, as if hoping to escape their suffering. But they were too numerous, and the broken bridge couldn't hold them up, quickly sinking. The two men above exchanged a horrified glance. Xie Lian said, "It seems this bridge isn't very solid!"

Mu Qing opened his mouth, perhaps thinking of retreating. The bridge where they were lying was relatively wide and shouldn't collapse. But once that section collapsed, the road was gone. There was no way back, so the two of them had no choice but to move forward. The bridge ahead, however, widened and narrowed, as if it were filled with traps and dangers. There was no telling where to step and you'd fall!

Without a word, Xie Lian threw Mu Qing onto his back and said, "We can't stay in the same place for too long, or it might collapse. Hold on tight, I need to get through quickly!"

As fast as he said it, Xie Lian leaped out. The further he went, the narrower the bridge became, almost breathtakingly narrow. At its widest point, it was barely wider than a door, and at its narrowest, it was barely wider than a person's waist!

Yet, in this perilous situation, Xie Lian remained motionless wherever he passed. Every time his foot touched the bridge, it was like a swallow skimming the water, gently skimming and then withdrawing. If any other Martial God were present, they would likely be stunned by this terrifyingly precise control of their steps. For no other Martial God could pull this off. This was a skill forged only by someone who could not rely on magic power, but who diligently cultivated their martial arts day after day!

Suddenly, a pillar of fire shot up into the sky, blocking Xie Lian's path. If he hadn't reacted incredibly quickly and braked in time, he would have been burned to death. The two looked down. Thousands of vengeful spirits, the same color as the lava, had gathered below them. They screamed and laughed wildly, reaching out to them. The pillar of fire was their combined power. Both of their ears ached slightly. Mu Qing asked, "What are they shouting?"

Xie Lian muttered, “… ‘Come down, rot here with us!’”

Mu Qing looked at him in horror: "Do you understand? They should be speaking Wuyong language."

Xie Lian nodded. “Yes, these… are the people of Wuyong who fell into the lava and burned to death after the Tongtian Bridge collapsed. Be careful not to get entangled by them, as they will drag everything they see into the lava. This is indeed the remains of the Tongtian Bridge!”

Mu Qing asked, "Can they free themselves by dragging people down?"

Xie Lian said, “No. Dragging others down with them won’t free them. These vengeful spirits can never be freed. It’s just that they like to see others become like them.”

Because of this, they can never be freed and will forever suffer in this pool of hell. Mu Qing asked in confusion, "How do you know so much?"

Xie Lian said, “I don’t know either, but I think… he told me.”

It was like implanting him with the memory of the screams of the ghoul rats.

The lava wraiths seemed displeased that they hadn't fallen yet. They stalked furtively, gathering together and rustling, holding hands as they prepared to launch a new upward attack. Xie Lian broke into a run, and the pillar of fire arrived in an instant, further damaging the already bumpy bridge surface.

Unable to simply take the beating without fighting back, Xie Lian also tried to blast downwards, but he had little mana left and couldn't reach far. Mu Qing had more mana than him, and could blast farther, but still a little less. Several times, the pillars of fire below nearly burned their heels. The vengeful spirits gathered in groups, full of energy, laughing and pointing, excited as if they were watching some kind of escape show. Yet, they were completely helpless, feeling extremely frustrated and angry, their joints crackling with hatred!

After a while, Mu Qing took a few breaths with gritted teeth on Xie Lian's back, as if he had made a difficult decision. He said in a hoarse voice, "Forget it, Your Highness the Crown Prince...Xie Lian, please put me down!"

Xie Lian ran as he said, “What are you talking about! You’re so afraid of death, you’re not the type to say such things!”

Mu Qing's forehead veins bulged as he said, "I'm really embarrassed that I'm afraid of death. I'm going to die anyway... Let me go before I change my mind and regret it."

Xie Lian said, “Stop making a fuss. Stop talking, it’ll distract me. The most important thing right now is to find the end of this bridge as quickly as possible.”

Mu Qing said, "Who's messing with you? If this bridge is really a sky bridge, who knows how long you'll keep running? Sooner or later, they'll knock you over. Let me down, I'll kill these sinister bastards, and you can go on your own!"

As he spoke, he gently tapped Xie Lian on the shoulder, flew up, and landed behind him. Xie Lian turned around and took a step toward him. Mu Qing said, "Don't come over here. The bridge is narrow here. If you come over, both of you will fall!"

Xie Lian had no choice but to pause. Mu Qing snorted, then added, "You're right. We're both in the same boat. You see me as subtle, and I see you as subtle, too."

He looked directly at Xie Lian and said, "Now, let me be frank. I have many thoughts about you."

Xie Lian said, “Uh… well… actually, I already knew this.”

Mu Qing said coldly, "Really? Then you know, I always feel that you only rely on your birth because you are the Crown Prince and you are lucky, but your abilities are not much better than mine."

“…”

"I also think that maybe you like doing good things for others to see, and then enjoy the praise and flattery. Maybe you're even helping me for this reason, because I'm the perfect person for you to show your compassion and kindness. To be honest, I still can't change some of these thoughts. I probably never will. I suppress them for a while, but they'll surface again after a while."

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to feel ashamed or what to do: “There’s no need to say such detailed things in front of me!”

Unexpectedly, the next sentence, Mu Qing said: "But most of the time, I still quite... admire you."

Xie Lian was stunned.

Mu Qing gritted his teeth, as if someone was pinching his neck and forcing him to speak, and said stiffly, "It's normal. You... are indeed... quite capable. You're... also... a better person... than... me. Generally speaking, I... really want to be... friends... with you."

“…”

Xie Lian had never imagined that he would one day hear such words from Mu Qing. Although they were halting, reluctant, and stiff, they were surprisingly so straightforward and honest, so human!

His eyes widened: "You..."

Mu Qing finally managed to squeeze out those few words from between his teeth, exhaled, and said, "Regarding what happened when Xianle destroyed the country, no matter if it was right or wrong, no matter how difficult it was for me, I still owe you an apology."

Xie Lian paused for a moment before saying, “…It’s all old news, forget it. Rather than this, let’s just get going!”

Mu Qing said loudly, "He told me that if I was a suspect, even if you knew in your heart that I didn't do it, you would just go with the flow and not save me. Because you hate me, you won't believe me."

"Him"? Xie Lian understood who this "him" was. Mu Qing said, "Although I didn't agree to help him, I've considered what he said. I always thought you hated and despised me in your heart, so I always... Anyway, you didn't really think that way, which is good."

Another pillar of fire shot up into the sky. Xie Lian took a few steps back to avoid it, further away from Mu Qing. Mu Qing, furious, leaned over and slammed his palm against the bridge. Xie Lian's pupils constricted. "What are you doing?!"

Not surprisingly, the bridge section collapsed, taking Mu Qing with it. Mu Qing shouted at him from mid-air, "Let me help you clear this debris!"

The broken bridge entered the pool, stirring up huge waves. The lava wraiths had originally rushed over happily, ready to drag him down, but unexpectedly, a blast swept over and scattered a large number of them. Amidst the screams and cries of horror, Mu Qing stood in the center of the broken bridge, his spiritual light blazing to its brightest. He sneered, "You bunch of scum from the gutter, you enjoy releasing Yin Fire, don't you? I'm here, so don't run away!"

Now, he can finally hit those lava wraiths!

Mu Qing raised his crimson palms and furiously swept at the vengeful spirits, killing them with abandon. The spirits who had been watching the spectacle below screamed and scattered, swimming in all directions. His sleeves and collars were ablaze. Xie Lian, crouching above him, asked, "Mu Qing?! How high can you jump?"

Mu Qing shouted, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Why haven't you left yet?"

Xie Lian defended himself, "That's not my problem. You finally managed to speak a few human words in your life, and then you fell. How can anyone leave like that?"

Mu Qing was furious: "What do you mean by finally saying a few words to people..." Before he finished speaking, the broken bridge under his feet sank a little. Both of their faces changed.

This time, he was really going to be buried at the bottom of the magma pool and his bones would turn into steam!

Mu Qing, so full of energy just now, now turned pale. He raised his palm and closed his eyes, as if hoping to shatter his crown before being burned to death, for a quicker death. Xie Lian hurriedly said, "Wait, wait, don't be impulsive! I, I, I, I, I have a way!"

Mu Qing opened his eyes again: "What method?"

Although Ruo Xie couldn't reach the very bottom, he could reach halfway. Xie Lian threw it down and said, "Jump with all your might! Pick it up and grab it! I'll pull you up."

Mu Qing’s face paled even further. “If I could jump, would I even need to think of a way?!” He was about to muster up the courage to kill himself, but Xie Lian said, “Wait, wait! Seriously, wait!!! I’ll think of a way right away!”

"What's the solution?"

What's the solution? What's the solution? Come up with something!

There is no way!!!

Both of them were almost in despair, and Mu Qing raised his hand again. Unexpectedly, at this moment, a hand snapped his palm open and grabbed him.

Then, he picked up the almost dazed Mu Qing and jumped!

Xie Lian felt the end of the white silk tighten. He looked down, surprised and delighted, and said, "Feng Xin?!"

The broken bridge that Mu Qing had originally stood on had already sank completely to the bottom of the magma river with a thud. At the end of the white silk, Feng Xin grabbed Ruo Xie with one hand and held up the ashen-faced Mu Qing with the other, shouting at him, "Your Highness, quickly pull us up!"

A few hollow creatures fluttered past below, seemingly riding them from the upper reaches of the river. Without time to question, Xie Lian quickly found a wider, more stable bridge to pull them up. As the two ascended steadily, a new group of lava wraiths gradually gathered below, gazing upward with resentment, muttering and conferring amongst themselves. Soon, another pillar of fire blasted upward!

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were suspended in mid-air, unable to dodge. Xie Lian, carrying Ruo Xie, moved several steps, avoiding the attack. However, the bridge surface elsewhere was not as wide and stable as this one, so after dodging the attack, they had no choice but to return. Feng Xin was nearly burned by the pillar of fire and cursed loudly, "What kind of bastards are these down there? How can they take advantage of someone's misfortune so insidiously? I'll fuck your whole family!"

Xie Lian said, “Their whole family looks like this, are you sure you really want to fuck them?!”

They hadn't given up yet, giggling and making as if preparing to continue their sneak attack. Feng Xin was furious and lifted Mu Qing up, saying, "Catch him!"

Mu Qing had just thought he was going to die. The shock was so intense that his reactions were still a bit slow. He followed his instructions and grabbed hold. Feng Xin didn't need to hold him up. He freed one hand and unhooked the longbow from his back, along with a few branches he'd scavenged from somewhere. He used the branches as arrows, holding the bow in one hand, gnawing at the bowstring and the nock with his teeth. He nocked the arrows and pulled them steadily—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Four arrows were unleashed!

The arrow hit the pool of fire, exploding into a blast. The lava wraiths were so frightened that they turned upside down and scattered again. Feng Xin finally felt relieved and cursed, "Did you see that? Fuck you! You fucking bastards! I'll shoot you all with one hand!"

Finally, the three of them stood on the Tongtian Bridge together. Xie Lian wiped his sweat several times, his heart still pounding, and asked, "Feng Xin, how did you get here?"

Feng Xin held his head in his hands when he spoke of this. "How did I get here? The three of you jumped in. What could I do? I almost went crazy! I had to find a way to get around to the bottom of the cliff, floated all the way here, and only found you after hearing the rumbling and voices. What the hell are you doing, jumping into a lava pool? You're crazy!"

Mu Qing finally regained consciousness and said, "I was dragged down!"

Feng Xin must have been swearing the entire way through, so Xie Lian said, "Okay, okay, calm down. Anyway, you've been a lifesaver, and a huge help! So, sometimes, people really just... need a hand from others to get through it, seriously!"

All three were terrified, their faces livid as they panted for a moment. Not daring to linger, Feng Xin, carrying Mu Qing on his back, continued to soar across the Tongtian Bridge. After leaping a bit and exchanging observations, Xie Lian was heartbroken to learn that Feng Xin hadn't seen Hua Cheng either. Where, exactly, was Hua Cheng? They could only walk along the bridge, searching for him.

At this time, Feng Xin said to Mu Qing on his back, "By the way, I also heard a few of those words you shouted earlier. The first person who heard it was furious and wanted to beat you up, but I didn't expect that you actually had such thoughts in your mind!"

“…”

Mu Qing's face darkened. Feng Xin said to Xie Lian, "I've told you this before, right? His thoughts are even more complex than those of a resentful concubine in the deep palace. He's completely incomprehensible!"

"..." Xie Lian saw that Mu Qing's face was already too much to bear, so he waved his hand at him. Feng Xin, however, was completely oblivious. Turning to Mu Qing, he said, "If you want to be friends with His Highness, just say so! You think His Highness despises you and can't be friends, so you keep being sarcastic and disgusting. I really don't understand what's going on in your head."

Xie Lian gave up and waved his hand, saying, "Hasn't he been like this since he was a child? Don't talk about him anymore, his face is red."

“………………”

Mu Qing couldn't stand it any longer and roared, "I fucked it, I really fucked it?! Can you two shut up?!"

Xie Lian reminded him, "You seem to have mixed up Feng Xin's words. Also, swearing isn't very nice."

Feng Xin said, "You said it yourself, you really want to be friends with His Highness!"

He even deliberately imitated Mu Qing's gnashing of teeth. Mu Qing's face was ferocious, and his hand had already secretly reached behind his back to grab the knife. Feng Xin said again, "Alright, let's talk it out now. Anyway, remember: His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never thought badly of you. Except for that time when you went too far and got angry, he never said a bad word about you in front of me afterwards! You, from now on, be a normal person, speak normally and express yourself normally. If you act sarcastic again, I will scold you."

Mu Qing lowered his head and kept silent when he heard the first part, but rolled his eyes when he heard the second part: "Haven't you been scolding me for hundreds of years?"

Xie Lian reminded him, “Mu Qing, you’re a priest. You need to be mindful of your image. You can’t just roll your eyes casually. If the believers see you, they’ll be offended.”

Mu Qing said, "Come on. This guy is still swearing in the Heavenly Palace all day long."

Feng Xin snorted, "You deserve to be scolded."

Mu Qing said, "Don't bring up the past with me. Didn't you also leave the prince to give birth to a son?"

Feng Xin's forehead veins stood up, and he rolled up his sleeves and said, "You're looking for a fight, right?"

Mu Qing sneered, "You're the one who's exposing yourself. If you hadn't been saying bad things about me in front of the Crown Prince all day, would I have always felt that he looked down on me and was feeling subtle?"

The conversation had fallen into an endless loop again. Xie Lian said, “At a time like this, why don’t you guys just stop digging up each other’s dark history? What’s the point in hurting each other…”

Mu Qing rolled his eyes again and sneered, "Besides, look at what a fuss I made you make back then. What's wrong with a robbery? If I were His Highness, if it came to that, I would rob eighteen wealthy families in the middle of the night without blinking an eye. Only you took it as a big deal and chased after His Highness to ask what was going on."

Xie Lian blushed and turned around, saying, "Wait a minute, don't bother looking through my stuff, okay? Anyway, let's find San Lang first. So, help me find San Lang! Hahahaha..."