“The lineup is settled. We move out in half an hour. Jared, you take Lyndon, Ethan, and that beast of yours to lead the way. Keep a thousand feet ahead. The moment you sense anything off, raise the alarm. Understood?” Ferdinand asked.
“Understood.” Jared’s reply was crisp. Thirty minutes later, the expedition started moving toward the gorge. Jared, Lyndon, Ethan, and Lucky took the lead toward a small path to the depths of the gorge. Humans had paved the way; it was narrow and steep enough to fit only two people shoulder to shoulder.
The farther they descended, the hotter the surroundings became. The odor of sulfur was very pungent, while the scorching heat burned the skin. Any ordinary human would have shriveled here in heartbeats. For cultivators, they could withstand the heat by channeling celestial energy to shield their bodies.
Jared walked at the front. The chaotic celestial energy channeled inside him, protecting him from the high heat and poisonous gas. Moreover, it absorbed the fire-type spiritual energy from around him. He thought that the environment in the Flame Gorge could boost the speed to cultivate his fire techniques.
“Heads up!” Lyndon’s warning cracked through the heat. A longbow filled his hands, and a green arrow kissed the string.
Around the next bend, a dozen scarlet lizards clung to the rock face. Each stretched nearly three feet, scales the same rusty red as the cliff, making them all but invisible until they moved.
“Scarlet fire lizards! They live in groups and can spit poisonous fire. I’ll take care of them,” Lyndon said. He drew. The green arrow hissed away, splitting mid-flight into three, then nine, each arrow a streak of emerald light homing for a separate target.
Wet pops echoed down the gorge as arrows punched through scale and bone. Nine scarlet fire lizards dropped to their deaths. The rest of the lizards screeched, hacking out ropes of dark-crimson fire. Ethan roared back, twin hammers spinning. Earth-yellow light ballooned into a shield that swallowed the flames. Lucky galloped forward and stomped the remaining lizards into splotches.
In a few minutes, the fight was over. Jared had never lifted a finger. He simply observed the lizards’ and his companions’ actions. Lyndon’s archery was quick and precise; Ethan had a strong defense and immense strength; Lucky’s speed and attack were incredible, on par with a cultivator at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Six.
“All clear! Let’s move on!” Jared said.
The three pushed deeper, descending step by step into the gorge’s blazing throat. The further they moved, the more vicious beasts they encountered. They faced lava worms that spat corrosive lava, shadow-fire leopards that lunged from the shadows, and endless phalanxes of fire ants. Amid this danger, Jared gradually showed his strength.
When dozens of fire ants closed around him, he pressed two fingers together to form a sweep of grey energy that flashed. Every ant that touched that energy disintegrated into ashes. Later, he faced three lava lizards that were at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Five. He froze them in their tracks with his chaotic celestial energy to let Lyndon and Ethan slay them. A fire wyrm erupted from the lava river behind them; Jared pivoted and drove a single fist into its crown, breaking the skull. The creature fell back into the lava river.
Awe replaced caution in Lyndon’s and Ethan’s eyes. Only now did they grasp how Jared, outwardly at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level One, had survived that perilous trial. They felt his power was at least at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Eight.
A thousand feet behind Jared’s group, Earthfire Pavilion’s main contingent safely advanced along the path Jared had cleared. Elliot watched as Jared defeated yet another beast, his expression souring shade by shade. He had hoped the vicious beasts would hurt or even kill Jared. Instead, Jared strode ahead unscathed, stealing every scrap of spotlight.
“Damn it…” Elliot muttered, his teeth grinding.
“That was incredible! Jared defeated another beast!” Lindsay cheered whenever Jared took action. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. “Good job, Lucky! Tear them to shreds!”
She wanted to move closer to watch Jared, but Ferdinand’s curt glare rooted her in place. “Lindsay, stay with the group. Flame Gorge is perilous. Keep watch!”
Lindsay held back her excitement, yet her gaze never left the blue-robed figure ahead. An hour later, the group reached the middle of the gorge. The environment grew worse. The ground lay crazed with rifts, each crack bubbling with molten lava. Scorch-tainted motes drifted in the haze. Strange scarlet flora clung to the cliffs—flamegrass, ember vines, and earth-fire mushrooms exuding thick spiritual energy. Yet, the flora was not the objective.
“The Flame Spirit Basin is five kilometers ahead. The fire-type spiritual energy is ten times denser than in other places, and it’s much more dangerous. Fire Bats and Lava Giant Apes reside in the basin,” Lyndon explained while pointing toward an area covered with crimson mist.
Jared nodded and led the squad forward. Yet, something happened just as they almost reached the Flame Spirit Basin.
