Jared drew a steadying breath, the molten air around the Heart of Earthfire rippling against his skin. “What do you need the Pentacarna Tower for?”
Gerald’s eyelids lowered, as if he could already feel veins and sinew reforming around the fragments of his spirit. “To condense my soul and resculpt my physical body… My soul remnant is too fragile to stray beyond the Heart of Earthfire.”
“But inside the tower—where time crawls and the laws bend—I can forge a solid soul, seize a new vessel, or even remake a physical body through a secret technique.”
A faint, humorless smile cracked across the elder’s fiery visage. “Don’t worry. I won’t use your artifact for free. In addition to the precise coordinates of the Jadeheart Marrow, I will impart to you the complete Earthfire True Scripture and help you expose the traitor within Earthfire Pavilion.”
Jared’s gaze sharpened. “You know who the traitor is?”
“Though I am nothing more than a soul remnant,” Gerald replied with a cold chuckle, “the Heart of Earthfire remains bound to Earthfire Pavilion’s defensive formation. I can sense any disturbance in fire-type spiritual energy within the Pavilion.”
“Three nights ago, Elliot Ember secretly activated a message talisman. Its aura carried the same stench of the Malevolent Path Hall that still clings to your robes.”
Elliot Ember… It really is him.
Cold light flashed in Jared’s eyes, sharp as sparks struck from steel. “Well?” Gerald asked, his voice echoing through the furnace-lit cavern. “Do you accept the trade?”
Jared let the silence stretch as magma popped below like distant thunder. At last, he nodded once. “I do—but on three conditions.”
“Go on.”
“First, your information on the Jadeheart Marrow must be complete, and you will assist me in obtaining it. Second, while I help temper your soul, you must not take any action detrimental to me. Third, the proof against the traitor must be irrefutable.”
Gerald burst into laughter, the sound rippling across the molten pool. “Cautious, aren’t you? Very well. I agree. But I also have a condition.”
Jared’s brow lifted slightly. “Name it.”
“After you obtain the Jadeheart Marrow, you will help me reconstruct my flesh. For that, I require a single drop of your Golden Dragon blood essence as the catalyst.” Gerald’s eyes gleamed. “You will be rewarded generously. That much, I promise.”
Jared’s fingers tightened.
Golden Dragon blood essence was no trivial offering—each drop carried a fragment of his life itself.
Yet a single drop of Jadeheart Marrow could save the woman Vermilion Demon Lord cherished above all else. And the demon lord had risked his life for Jared more times than he could count.
There was a price to be paid—but loyalty carried its own weight.
Finally, Jared nodded. “Very well. One drop only. No more.”
“Deal.”
Gerald’s body—pure flame sculpted into the rough outline of an old man—shuddered like a bonfire struck by sudden wind. “Shall we begin now? I have waited far too long to feel my soul whole again.”
Jared raised a hand, calm but resolute. “Not yet. I still need time to fully recover and gather my strength. Besides, someone is waiting for me outside.”
That someone, of course, was the Vermilion Demon Lord.
Gerald’s flames settled into a steady glow. “Three days, then. On the third day, we begin. As for Elliot…”
With that, his blazing silhouette unraveled ember by ember, sinking back into the magma pool until nothing remained but shimmering lava.
Silence reclaimed the cavern. The air cooled just enough to feign normalcy, though Jared knew everything had changed.
He now had a path to the Jadeheart Marrow.
The traitor’s identity was clear.
And an ancient elder of living fire had entered the game.
The road ahead was clearer—but far more dangerous.
Jared stowed the Pentacarna Tower and climbed toward the stone staircase winding upward like a spine through the rock.
The moment his boot touched the steps, Lindsay’s voice spilled down from above, thin with panic.
“Jared! Jared—are you there? Something’s happened!”
A chill shot through his chest. He hurried up the stairs.
Lindsay stood at the entrance of the forbidden ground, her face bloodless, eyes wide with fear.
“What happened?” Jared asked.
“Elliot went to my father and reported you,” she said urgently. “He claimed you entered the forbidden ground with malicious intent. Father is on his way with several elders. You have to leave—now!”
The news would have shaken most, but Jared remained calm. He glanced back toward the magma pool, which lay placid, as though nothing extraordinary had occurred.
“Don’t worry, Princess Lindsay. Since Master Flameheart wishes to come, let him. Some truths are best revealed in daylight—and this cavern will do just fine.”
Lindsay stamped her foot, desperation creeping into her voice. “But Jared, the forbidden ground is Earthfire Pavilion’s deepest secret! Outsiders who trespass are executed by law. Elliot won’t stop until you’re dead! Please—leave first and wait until Father cools down!”
“Leave? And go where?” Vermilion Demon Lord scoffed. “The Pavilion’s defensive formation has surely been activated. The moment we step outside, we’ll be hunted down on sight.”
He turned to Jared. “What’s your plan?”
A glint of frost slid through Jared’s eyes.
“If Elliot wants to play,” Jared said calmly, “I’ll play along.”
Then he looked at Lindsay, his tone softening. “I’m sorry I’ve dragged you into this, Princess Lindsay.”
She bit down hard on her lip until she tasted blood. “I’m not afraid. I brought you here—if anyone must be punished, let it be me. And I believe Father will judge right from wrong in the end.”
At that moment, hurried footsteps and raised voices echoed from beyond the cavern entrance. Dust drifted from the ceiling in thin, trembling veils.
Lindsay’s face went pale. “They’re here!”
Jared smoothed the front of his travel-worn robe and stepped forward with unhurried composure—like a host greeting guests rather than facing judgment.
Beside him, the Vermilion Demon Lord straightened to his full, imposing height, every trace of fatigue gone.
Boom!
The illusion array guarding the forbidden ground shattered. The mountain wall quaked as fragments of stone crashed to the floor.
Through the settling dust stormed a contingent of cultivators, each step radiating menace.
At their head strode Ignatius Flameheart, master of Earthfire Pavilion. A robe of molten gold rippled over his broad shoulders, and his Top-Level Heavenly Immortal Realm, Ninth Layer aura crushed the cavern air into suffocating heat.
Five senior elders followed, each above Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Seven, faces set like carved stone, eyes burning with restrained fury.
Elliot lingered at the rear, a cold, triumphant smile twisting his lips.
Ignatius’ gaze swept over Jared, the Vermilion Demon Lord—and finally his daughter. The fury that ignited in his eyes could have melted steel.
