Chapter 65

Thick fog, like tangible cotton wool, enveloped everything, swallowing light and distorting sound, leaving only the frantic pounding of my heart and my heavy, strangled breathing. The pungent smell of sulfur was almost nauseating, mingling with a deeper, parched heat that seemed to come from the molten lava beneath the earth. The ground beneath my feet was slippery and scorching, requiring extreme caution with every step, lest I slip into the bubbling, unfathomable hot springs on either side.

Gu Linzhi was half-dragged, half-carried forward by Chang Wu, his consciousness blurring under the intense pain, cold, and scorching heat. He felt like a piece of ice thrown into a molten furnace, its outer layer melting, yet its interior still frozen with the chill of death. Mo Ya led the way, his shoulder wounds oozing blood, dripping onto the scorching rocks in wisps of smoke. But he kept his pace steady, his one arm tightly grasping a sharp-edged Fire Marrow Crystal he had broken off the rock face, as if holding the only key to a desperate situation. Relying on some inexplicable intuition, he struggled to identify his direction in the thick fog.

The sounds of the pursuers behind them were blocked by the thick fog, becoming erratic, sometimes far away, sometimes near, but the sharp whistles and faint shouts were like swords hanging over their heads, constantly reminding them of the approaching crisis.

"This way!" Mo Ya suddenly called out, turning to the left. The mist there seemed to have thinned a little, revealing a narrow, downward-sloping cave entrance, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. A scorching stream of air surged out of the cave, carrying a rumbling, dull echo, as if a giant beast were breathing underground.

Without hesitation, Mo Ya was the first to slip in sideways, and Chang Wu followed closely behind, supporting Gu Linzhi.

The cave wasn't as cramped as one might imagine, but rather a natural lava tunnel that spiraled downwards. Its walls were dark red, riddled with holes, emitting an astonishing heat. The air was as scorching as standing next to a branding furnace, and every breath burned my trachea. The tunnel twisted and turned, with numerous forking paths. If it weren't for the increasingly distinct pull of the searing heat emanating from deep within the earth's veins, and the faint resonant warmth of the Fire Marrow Crystal in my hand, it would have been easy to get lost in this underground maze.

Gu Linzhi's condition worsened. Stimulated by the extreme heat, the cold poison, like an enraged trapped beast, attacked the fragile defenses of the "Cold Suppressing Pills" like a raging beast. He trembled violently, his teeth chattering, yet his skin burned terribly. Ice and fire engaged in a brutal tug-of-war within him, threatening to tear his soul apart. His vision blurred, and he could only passively be dragged forward by Chang Wu.

"Hold on! We're almost there!" Chang Wu's voice was filled with tears. He could feel Gu Linzhi's life slipping away.

Mo Ya remained silent, but his speed increased again. He even ignored his shoulder injury and used his body to push aside the drooping, burning stalagmites in front of him. His eyes were fixed on the increasingly bright, vibrant red light deep in the tunnel!

Finally, after passing a sharp turn, the view in front of me suddenly opened up!

This was a vast underground cavern, its ceiling dangling from countless stalactites that shimmered with a faint phosphorescent glow. In the center, a lake swirled with thick, scorching lava! The crimson lava slowly squirmed like a living thing, occasionally bubbling up and then bursting with a scorching spray, illuminating the entire cavern in a blood-red hue. The overwhelming heat made it nearly impossible to stand!

And right in the center of the lava lake, on a black reef near the edge, grew an extremely bizarre plant! It was crimson in color, resembling a lotus, but not a lotus. It had three thick petals, tightly surrounding a fist-sized object in its center. It beat slowly like a heart, emitting a dazzling golden-red light!

Earth Flame Heart!

The pulsating golden-red light carried an indescribable, pure and majestic yang power, as if it was the core of the entire earth vein fire essence!

Hope is just around the corner! However, standing between them and the Earth's Flame Heart is a terrifying magma lake that can melt gold and iron!

"This...how do we get through this?!" Chang Wu shouted in despair as he looked at the rolling lava.

Mo Ya's eyes quickly swept across the lava lake. The lake wasn't completely impassable; there were scattered, larger black rocks that led to the center like springboards. However, the rocks weren't close together, and their surfaces were slick and scorching hot, making them extremely dangerous to step on.

"I..." Gu Linzhi struggled to raise his head and looked at the pulsating Earth Flame Heart. A flicker of desire flashed in his eyes, but was then drowned by severe pain. He knew that there was no way he could get through it on his own.

At this moment, clear footsteps and shouting came from the tunnel behind him, getting closer and closer!

"They're in there!"

"Hurry! Don't let them get away!"

The pursuers have reached the tunnel entrance!

There is a dead end in front and a powerful enemy behind, it is a situation where there is no chance of survival!

A gleam of determination flashed in Mo Ya's eyes. He suddenly thrust the Fire Marrow Crystal into Chang Wu's hand and sternly said, "Chang Wu! Protect him! I'll get him!"

Without waiting for Chang Wu to react, Mo Ya stretched out his body and leaped towards the black reef closest to the shore without hesitation, like a moth to a flame!

"Master Mo!" Chang Wu screamed in horror.

Mo Ya landed with perfect stability, but the reef's surface was incredibly smooth and incredibly hot. His body swayed slightly, and the wound on his shoulder and back opened again from the violent movement. Blood gushed out, dripping onto the reef and instantly vaporizing. Without pausing, he locked his sights on the next reef and leaped out again!

His movements were as fast as lightning, leaping and dodging between several dangerous reefs, maintaining amazing balance with one arm, and every step was risky! The scorching air waves burned him, and his wounds bled profusely, but his eyes remained cold and determined, with only one goal in mind - the Earth Flame Heart!

At the entrance of the tunnel, several Dongchang soldiers had already appeared. When they saw the scene in the cave and the black crow fighting for its life on the lava lake, they were stunned at first, and then they grinned.

"Shoot! Shoot the one who took the thing! Capture Gu Linzhi alive!"

Several crossbow arrows shot towards the black crows in the center of the lake with a shrill sound of breaking through the air!

The black crow seemed to have eyes on his back. The moment the crossbow arrows hit him, he suddenly rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding most of the arrows, but one arrow still grazed his ribs, leaving a trail of blood! He groaned, his feet slipped on the reef, and he almost fell into the magma!

"Mo Ya!" Gu Linzhi was heartbroken and struggled to stand up, but he was too weak to do anything.

Chang Wu's eyes were bloodshot and he wanted to rush over to help, but he couldn't leave Gu Linzhi behind.

At this critical moment, Mo Ya took advantage of the momentum of his slip and used his uninjured right hand to push against the edge of the reef. His body bounced up again as if it had no weight, and landed accurately on the central reef where the Earth Flame Heart grew!

He grabbed the crimson plant! It felt scorching hot, like a red-hot iron! But he held on tightly and pulled hard!

“Buzz!”

The moment the Earth Flame Heart was pulled out, the entire cave seemed to shake! The magma lake surged even more violently! The golden-red light suddenly erupted, enveloping Mo Ya completely!

Without stopping, he turned around and threw the plant with the Earth Flame Heart attached to it towards Gu Linzhi on the shore!

“Catch it!”

The Earth Flame Heart turned into a golden-red stream of light, passed through the scorching air, and fell precisely towards Gu Linzhi!

At the same time, several crossbow arrows shot towards him again! This time, Mo Ya could no longer completely avoid them!

“Puff!” “Puff!”

Two crossbow arrows pierced his back fiercely! His body trembled violently, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He could no longer stand steadily and slid towards the roiling magma below!

"No——!" Gu Linzhi and Chang Wu let out heart-wrenching roars at the same time!

Just as Mo Ya was about to be swallowed by the crimson magma, he turned back to glance at the shore. His eyes were still cold, but there seemed to be a subtle hint of relief. Then, his figure completely disappeared into the boiling lava.

"Black Crow!!!"

Gu Linzhi felt an indescribable wave of grief and anger rushing through his head. His vision went dark, and he almost fainted. And the thrown Earth Flame Heart landed squarely in his arms!

The heat was not as hot as imagined, but rather an extremely warm heat. The overwhelming yang power seemed to have found a home, and instantly penetrated through his clothes and poured into his almost frozen body!

"boom--!"

An indescribable conflict erupted within him! The pure and mighty yang power of Earth Flame Heart, combined with the Nether Palm cold poison, the Ice Soul coldness, and the residual poison of the Blue Spider Saliva that had penetrated his bone marrow, like natural enemies, engaged in the most intense and brutal stranglehold!

Gu Linzhi let out a painful roar that was inhuman, his body convulsing violently. Frost would condense on his skin, then turn red and scorching. Wisps of white air would gushed out of his pores! He felt his meridians, flesh, and bones being repeatedly torn apart, crushed, and reassembled by these two extreme forces! The pain was far greater than any he had ever experienced before, nearly obliterating his consciousness!

"Master Gu! Master Gu!" Chang Wu was so frightened that he wanted to go forward, but he was prevented from getting close by the terrifying air waves that were emanating from him.

The Dongchang guards on the shore were also stunned by this sudden change and forgot what to do for a moment.

At this moment, another mutation occurred!

The owl token left by Su Wanwan, which had been quietly in Gu Linzhi's arms, suddenly took flight on its own, hovering above his head. It emitted a soft white halo, within which complex runes faintly swirled. Simultaneously, a fluorescent fragment of silk embroidered with water patterns from the Cloud and Ze Hui, which he had kept close to his skin, also floated out of his own accord. It intertwined with the halo of the owl token, transforming into a cool, gentle aura that slowly infused Gu Linzhi's nearly exploding sea of ​​consciousness.

This sudden cool breath was like a stream of sweet spring water injected into a hell of ice and fire. Although it could not quell the violent energy conflict, it miraculously protected his last bit of spiritual clarity and prevented him from being destroyed by the extreme pain in the first place.

He desperately clung to that moment of clarity, relying on his tenacious willpower to instinctively guide the chaotic energy within him. It was no longer a simple confrontation, but an attempt to allow the yang power of the Earth Flame Heart to gradually erode and dissolve the cold and toxic energy!

This is an extremely dangerous process, like walking on a tightrope over a bottomless abyss. If you make the slightest mistake, you will explode and die.

Time passed slowly in pain.

The Dongchang guards on the shore finally reacted, and the leader laughed grimly, "Now's the time! Capture him!"

Several people approached slowly with knives.

Chang Wu roared, picked up the sharp-edged Fire Marrow Crystal that Mo Ya had left on the ground, and stood in front of Gu Linzhi, his eyes gleaming with ferocity: "Who dares to come here!"

Just when the two sides were on the verge of a fight——

“Ding-ling-ling… Ding-ling-ling…”

The familiar, ethereal and crisp sound of the copper bell suddenly rang out again!

This time, the ringing sound did not come from the outside world, but came directly from the floating owl token!

The ringing sound carried a strange soothing and purifying power, spreading outward. The approaching Dongchang guards froze in their tracks upon hearing it, their faces filled with confusion and struggle, as if their minds were disturbed by some force.

Then, a white figure silently slid out from an inconspicuous crack on the other side of the cave. It was none other than the bell doctor who had appeared that night! Her face was still covered with a white veil, and she held a simple bronze bell, gently shaking it. Her gaze swept across the scene, lingering for a moment on the lava lake where Mo Ya had disappeared. A faint wave of emotion seemed to flicker across her eyes, and then she settled on Gu Linzhi, who was experiencing a life-or-death situation.

She ignored the Dongchang guards and walked straight towards Gu Linzhi. Chang Wu wanted to stop her, but was stopped by her cold eyes.

Doctor Ling walked over to Gu Linzhi, squatted down, stretched out her slender jade fingers, and quickly pressed several acupuncture points on his body. Her fingertips had a cool breath, and each time she pressed, the violent energy conflict in Gu Linzhi's body was slightly calmed.

Then, she took out several golden needles as thin as ox hairs and, with lightning-fast movements, pierced the blood vessels on Gu Linzhi's head and around his heart. The needles seemed to be imbued with special medicinal properties, channeling the Yang energy of the Earth Flame Heart to more effectively and gently neutralize the Yin-cold poison.

After doing all this, she stood up, looked at the Dongchang guards who were gradually recovering from the influence of the bell and had fierce looks on their faces again, and gently shook the copper bell in her hand.

The ringing sound suddenly became rapid and sharp!

Those barbarians screamed as if they were hit by an invisible hammer, fell to their knees on the ground with their heads in their hands, and rolled over in pain!

Doctor Ling stopped looking at them and said to Chang Wu calmly, "Carry him. This place is about to become unstable."

Chang Wu, waking as if from a dream, quickly carried Gu Linzhi, who was still struggling in pain but whose breathing seemed to be slowly approaching a dangerous equilibrium. Doctor Ling, on the other hand, put away the golden needle and the suspended owl token (the silk fragment had turned to ash) and led the way, heading towards the crack she had come from.

Behind them, the lava lake boiled even more violently, the entire cave began to shake violently, and rocks fell one after another.

Chang Wu carried Gu Linzhi on his back and followed Doctor Ling into the crack, running forward without looking back.

Behind him is the lava that swallowed up the loyal souls, the collapsed Jedi, the lament of an era and... a faint fire of heart that was reborn with difficulty in the face of death.