Hiss! The sword energy shot through the giant ape’s head, killing it with one strike. Seeing its companion fall, the final ape loosed a panicked grunt and lurched backward, desperate to flee.
Jared merely lifted his hand and closed his fingers in a gentle curl. The chaotic celestial energy coalesced into a vast grey palm to seize the giant ape and slammed it into the hardened ground with bone-splintering force.
Bam! The ground trembled when the giant ape crashed down. Lucky streaked forward, piercing straight through the giant ape’s eye socket. It burst from the back of the skull in the same breath, trailing a geyser of blood as hot and viscous as fresh lava.
In that instant, the fight ended. Three Lava Giant Apes at the Top Level Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Seven, plus several hundred Fire Bats, were dead. Lyndon and Ethan stood gape-mouthed, forgetting even to breathe. A thousand feet back, every disciple of Earthfire Pavilion was stunned.
Lindsay’s mouth hung open, eyes rounded into perfect circles before she finally whispered, “T-This… This is too…”
Elliot’s face turned sour. His fists clenched so hard the joints crackled. He had never imagined Jared wielding power of this magnitude. Jared had easily defeated three vicious beasts at level seven; this was not the prowess of a cultivator at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level One.
Ferdinand’s gaze flashed, fixing on Jared as though he meant to strip every secret from him. “A Chaotic Domain… This kid is different,” he murmured. “No wonder the spiritual crystal couldn’t detect his cultivation. He possesses chaotic energy.” Then, he looked at Elliot and said, “You have underestimated him.”
“Elder, the stronger he appears, the more suspect he becomes! How could a mere wandering cultivator possess such power? He might be a spy planted by some rival force,” Elliot gritted his teeth.
“We finish the mission first. Questions can wait until we are home,” Ferdinand replied.
Up ahead, Jared removed his Chaotic Domain. The gray mist slowly faded. He strode to the nearest Lava Giant Ape, crouching beside the hulking corpse for a closer look. At the base of the ape’s neck, he found a tiny crimson sigil. The sigil was fading, but left a lingering aura.
Jared’s gaze turned cold. The aura is similar to the cultivator from Malevolent Path Hall at the Darkwind Gorge… Has the Malevolent Path Hall reached here? Jared was alarmed.
Lyndon and Ethan hurried up and asked, “Mr. Chance, are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Jared said, shaking his head. “Let’s keep moving. The sooner we reach Flame Spirit Basin, the better.” He paused mid-stride and glanced over his shoulder at the Earthfire Pavilion, his eyes lingering on Elliot for a heartbeat. Without a word, he faced forward again.
Elliot felt that brief stare scrape across his nerves like a claw. A shiver slid down his spine, quickly drowned by a surge of spite. What are you looking at?! Once we’re back in Earthfire Pavilion, you’ll beg for mercy!
Half an hour later, they arrived at Flame Spirit Basin. The basin—a perfect circle nearly a mile across—was walled by jagged peaks on every side. Inside, the heat hit like a physical blow. At the very center simmered a lava lake roughly three hundred feet wide, its surface rolling and popping with bubbles of burning gold. In the middle of that lake sat a lone crimson island.
Upon that island swayed a patch of scarlet spiritual plants. They had found the Flame Spirit Herbs. There were around fifty of them; thirty had matured, a gold, fiery flower blooming out.
“We found them!” Excitement rippled through the disciples.
Ferdinand’s tone cut through the clamor. “Be careful. The Flame Dragon could be nearby.” He turned to the escorts and said, “As agreed, you’ll handle the defense. My disciples will harvest the herbs. Complete the task to my satisfaction, and your pay will be doubled.”
The escorts nodded and fanned out. Jared and the Vermilion Demon Lord chose a jutting ledge of blistered rock high above the basin. Under Ferdinand’s brisk commands, Earthfire Pavilion disciples carefully entered the basin. Lindsay was skilled in harvesting the herbs; she moved quickly and harvested three mature plants. Elliot kept pace at her side, while his eyes swept the perimeter.
For a heartbeat, everything felt normal. Then, just as the twentieth herb left its stem, there was a rumbling sound like thunder.
Roar!
From the depths of the lava lake came a dragon’s cry so vast it seemed to shear the air itself. Lava surged sky-high in snarling waves. A colossal silhouette pulled free of the molten depths. The dragon stood fifteen feet tall, covered with sharp-edged crimson-gold scales. Within its eyes, a tangible furnace of golden fire burned without mercy.
Draconic pressure crashed outward. The Flame Dragon was at the Top Level Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Nine!
“This is bad! We’ve awakened it!” Ferdinand’s voice cracked above the roar. “Fall back now!”
Disciples scrambled toward the exits, but it was too late. The Flame Dragon’s jaws yawned wide, unleashing a torrent of gold fire. Where the flames swept, the very fabric of space writhed and warped.
“Form the shield array now!” Ferdinand bellowed. The disciples locked positions at lightning speed, igniting a scarlet barrier that barely blocked the fire. Waves of heat pummeled the shield, its surface shuddering, dimming—clearly moments from collapse.
