Lindsay’s eyes widened, tears glittering anew. “Does that mean he wants to join forces with Malevolent Path Hall? He did say he’s heading for level twelve!”
“Yes… That’s most likely,” Jared answered, blood still wet on his tongue. A ragged stab of pain speared his chest, causing him to knit his brows tight. “An old demon like Soul Devourer is good at assessing the situation and acting at the right moment… He’s cunning as a fox.
He knows he can’t remain on level eleven, not when he has both Earthfire Pavilion and me hunting him down. Therefore, his best choice is to join Malevolent Path Hall. It’s a fellow demonic faction, strong and actively recruiting powerful cultivators. It’d be the safest refuge for him.”
Vermilion Demon Lord’s crimson aura dimmed at the edges. “As if dealing with the inscrutable leader of the Malevolent Path Hall wasn’t bad enough, we now also have Soul Devourer in the High Immortal Realm… If they fully join forces, the consequences would be unimaginable!”
Jared drew a long breath, forcing the churning blood and the icy bite of demonic flame back into their cages. For an instant, steely resolve flashed across his eyes. “Whatever comes, we meet it head-on. Brooding helps no one. In any case, our priority now is to find the Jadeheart Marrow and heal your partner. Then we’ll make a beeline for level twelve.”
With that, Jared lowered his gaze to the ancient map gifted by Gerald, his fingertip tracing a nearly invisible vein of ink that revealed a hidden passage. “We must find Soul Devourer and Malevolent Path Hall and deal with them before they forge a stable alliance,” he said firmly.
“Otherwise, once they are fully prepared and strike back, wielding the Door of Reincarnation along with the might of two High Immortals, we—and even the entire level eleven—will be doomed…”
Jared folded the map and lifted his gaze to the only passable gap ahead. The corridor looked like a crack in the world, a narrow throat of rock plunging into darkness toward the legendary Magma Heart, the sole safe route his chart had promised. Propped against Lindsay’s slender arm, Jared steadied himself. His boots slipped on loose gravel, yet his eyes shone, razor-bright once more.
“Let’s go. Our goal waits just beyond that shadow,” he said, low but unflinching. Vermilion Demon Lord gave a single heavy nod and stepped forward to lead the way. Lindsay tightened her hold on Jared’s waist, her eyes filled with both worry and unwavering determination.
They left the fading taint of Soul Devourer’s demonic aura behind them, drew one deep breath, and slipped through the hidden passage toward their final destination.
Vermilion Demon Lord advanced first. Scarlet demonic aura curled from his shoulders, knitting itself into a solid bulwark around his massive frame. Each stride landed with deliberate heaviness, proof that every nerve in the demon lord was tuned to danger’s highest pitch.
The Chthonic Abyss birthed threats of its own making. Soul Devourer might have fallen, yet the womb that forged him remained far deadlier than any single fiend.
The tunnel sloped downward in a slow coil. With every yard, the heat climbed, turning breath into steam. Dull crimson walls soon glowed furnace-bright. Pockets of rock softened into glassy, half-melted ridges that pulsed with inner fire. Sulfur and age-old ore stung their noses. Even Jared’s celestial energy labored, thick as syrup in the scorched air.
Suddenly, Vermilion Demon Lord stopped and raised one clawed hand. “Array fluctuation ahead!” he warned.
Jared closed his eyes, leaning on Lindsay as agony ripped through the wound over his heart. Soul-Devouring Demonic Flames still wrestled his chaotic celestial energy there, and every breath he took felt like a knife was being stabbed into him. Despite that, he suppressed the discomfort and let a strand of chaotic energy silently unfurl from his brow.
“It’s an ancient restriction, one that’s tied to the earth vein,” he rasped. “I don’t think this is the work of Soul Devourer… It feels more like a natural formation of this place, or a remnant from ancient times.”
The passage widened without warning into a cavern nearly a hundred yards across. At its core, blinding white magma fountained upward, yet seven distinct streams rotated in patient arcs, sketching an immense array across the floor.
Nine obsidian pillars pierced the rim, each etched in warped runes that bled searing light. Every ember of heat-charged spiritual energy in the cavern bent to that array, weaving a translucent crimson barrier that sealed the path forward.
“It’s an Earthfire Spirit-Binding Array…” Vermilion Demon Lord muttered, having recognized the formation before them. “And it’s an intact ancient version. The formation feeds off the earth’s fire veins, allowing it to run perpetually. To strike it head-on would only set off a volcanic upheaval, engulfing this entire area.”
Lindsay’s face went pale. “Then what do we do?”
Jared gently pushed her hands away and steadied himself alone. He drew the Dragonslayer Sword, letting its tip barely touch the ground. A wisp of chaotic celestial energy seeped down the blade into the rock, spreading like a spiderweb.
Cough, cough… He spat a few mouthfuls of black-tinged blood, his complexion paling further, yet his eyes shone with startling clarity. “Every formation has a core. This one is rooted in the earth veins, so its heart must lie at the nexus of the magma flow.”
He closed his eyes, focusing, letting the chaotic celestial energy roam through the earth veins and sense the formation.
The Golden Dragon Bloodline whispered within him, providing the last shred of clarity. Though his activation of the Earthfire True Scripture ran slowly due to his injuries, it resonated subtly with the surrounding earth fire’s spiritual energy.
Fifteen minutes later, beads of sweat had gathered along Jared’s brow. Beneath his left collarbone, the imprisoned demonic flames bucked against his forced circulation, dark-red filaments creeping another inch outward, as though eager to pierce the walls of his heart.
Across from him, Lindsay watched, her stomach in knots. Her knuckles whitened around her cloak, yet she dared not speak for fear of shattering his fragile focus. Just then, Jared’s eyes snapped open, steely and unblinking. Dragonslayer Sword rose like a verdict, its blade leveled at a seemingly ordinary crystal pillar in the array’s northeast corner.
“It’s over there,” he said, voice rough. “The earth vein beneath that post falters for a heartbeat, proof of a human-made blind spot—the lone living gate through which we can crack this maze.”
Vermilion Demon Lord followed the point, eyes narrowing. After a moment’s silent sensing, his lips curled. “Very remarkable, Jared… Your understanding of arrays is downright frightening.”
“You flatter me, Mr. Vermilion,” Jared replied between ragged breaths. Still gasping, he summoned three pale-blue, ice-attributed array flags from his storage ring, spoils taken from Earthfire Pavilion for moments just like this.
“I’ll need you to work with me, Mr. Vermilion,” he said to the demon lord. “This formation feeds off the fire veins. We have to briefly suppress their flow with extreme cold before I can break through to its core.”
Vermilion Demon Lord nodded, and the crimson demonic aura surrounding him suddenly deepened into a dark red. It was a trace of his Netherchill Aura, hidden within his fundamental demonic techniques. Though not his main cultivation, it was perfect for use in this moment.
“Three breaths,” Vermilion warned, voice like frost over embers.
“That’s enough,” Jared shot back as he pulled in one cavernous breath. Chaotic celestial energy surged, and the wound over his heart burst, fresh blood soaking through his tunic, yet he clenched his teeth and stood firm. With a flick of his wrist, the three flags streaked out like sapphire comets, staking themselves around the pillar so precisely that they formed a flawless equilateral triangle.
