Chapter 5915

Huo Ling’er was startled, her tear-streaked face filled with worry: “Then isn’t he going to join the Evil Path Palace? He just said he was going to the Twelfth Heaven!”

“Most likely.”

Kai nodded, the pain in his chest causing him to frown slightly. “Old demons like the Soul Devourer Venerable are extremely shrewd and cunning.”

“He knows that under the pressure from the Earth Fire Pavilion and me, there’s no place for him in the Eleventh Heaven. Joining the Evil Path Palace, which belongs to the same demonic path, is powerful, and is currently gathering strong individuals, is his best option right now.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s expression was solemn: “A Soul Devourer Venerable who has recovered to the Upper Immortal Realm, plus the unfathomable Lord of the Evil Path Palace, if they were to completely collude, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

Kai took a deep breath, suppressing the churning blood and the icy pain from the demonic flames, a resolute glint in his eyes.

“We’ll meet force with force, and water with earth. Thinking about these things now is useless. Our top priority is to obtain the Earth Core Jade Marrow Milk to heal your Daoist partner, Senior. Then, we must head to the Twelfth Heaven as quickly as possible!”

Kai’s gaze fell on the ancient map given to him by the Earth Fire Ancestor, his finger slowly tracing a hidden path.

“We must find and eliminate the Soul Devouring Venerable and the Evil Dao Palace before they form a stable alliance!”

Kai’s voice was soft, yet it contained boundless fighting spirit. “Otherwise, once they are fully prepared and launch a counterattack with the power of the Gate of Reincarnation and the two Supreme Immortals, we, and indeed the entire Eleventh Heaven, will face annihilation.”

He put away the map and looked ahead at the entrance to the deep, narrow passage leading to an unknown destination—the only safe path marked on the map to the Heart of Lava.

“Let’s go.”

Kai steadied himself with Huo Ling’er’s support. Although his steps were somewhat unsteady, his eyes had regained their sharpness. “Our target is just ahead.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord nodded emphatically, saying nothing more, and led the way.

Huo Ling’er held Kai tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with heartache and determination.

The three ignored the lingering demonic energy of the Soul Devourer behind them, adjusted their stance, and headed towards the hidden passage leading to their final destination.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord led the way, his body enveloped in crimson demonic energy, forming a solid protective shield.

Each step he took was extremely heavy, clearly indicating that he was on high alert.

The depths of the Earth’s Core Demon Abyss were fraught with danger. Although the Soul Devourer had retreated, the inherent dangers of such a perilous place were sometimes more deadly than the demon himself.

The narrow passage wound downwards, the temperature increasing with depth.

The rock walls gradually changed from dark red to a dazzling bright red, even beginning to resemble semi-molten glass.

The air was filled with a mixture of sulfur and some ancient mineral odor; inhaling it made even the flow of immortal energy sluggish.

“There are fluctuations in the formation ahead,” the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord suddenly stopped and gestured.

Supported by Huo Ling’er, Kai focused intently on sensing the formation. At the wound on his left chest, the Soul-Devouring Demonic Flame was still entangled with the Chaotic Immortal Power, each breath bringing excruciating pain. He endured the discomfort, a wisp of chaotic energy quietly emanating from between his brows.

“It’s an ancient restriction, connected to the earth’s veins,” Kai’s voice was hoarse. “It shouldn’t have been set up by the Soul-Devouring Venerable; it’s more like it formed naturally here, or is a remnant from ancient times.”

The passage ahead suddenly widened, forming a natural cave about a hundred feet in diameter.

In the center of the cave, blazing white magma surged like a spring, but it wasn’t chaotic. Seven streams of magma flowed slowly along some mysterious trajectory, outlining a vast and complex array on the cave floor.　　At the edge of the array, nine dark red crystal pillars burst forth from the ground, their shafts covered in ancient, twisted runes, now radiating a scorching light.

The intense spiritual energy of the entire cave was drawn and bound by this array, forming a visible, pale red barrier that sealed off the path ahead.

“Earth Fire Binding Spirit Array,”

the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord recognized it, his brow furrowed. “And it’s the complete ancient version. This array draws upon the power of the earth’s core fire veins, endlessly regenerating. A direct attack will only trigger a magma eruption, completely submerging this entire area.”

Huo Ling’er’s face paled: “Then what do we do?”

Kai slowly pushed away her support, standing firmly on his own.

He took out the Dragon Slayer Sword, its tip lightly touching the ground. A wisp of chaotic immortal power seeped into the rock strata along the sword, spreading out like a spider web.

“Cough cough…”

He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood mixed with black qi, his face turning even paler, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness. “Every formation has a core. This formation is based on the earth’s veins, so the core must be at the nexus where the fire veins flow.”

He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting his chaotic immortal power flow through the earth’s veins to sense it.

The golden dragon bloodline hummed within him, providing the last vestiges of clarity;

although the circulation of the Earth Fire True Scripture was slowed by his injuries, it subtly resonated with the surrounding earth fire spiritual power.

An incense stick’s time passed.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Kai’s forehead, and the demonic flames at the wound on his left chest seemed to be retaliating against his full-force exertion, the dark red patterns spreading outwards by an inch.

Huo Ling’er watched anxiously, but dared not utter a sound to disturb him.

“Found it.”

Kai suddenly opened his eyes, pointing his Dragon-Slaying Sword at a seemingly ordinary crystal pillar in the northeast corner of the formation. “The slight obstruction in the flow of the earth veins beneath that pillar is a man-made blind spot, and also the only viable opening in the entire formation.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord followed the direction, focused his senses for a moment, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes: “Indeed… boy, your understanding of the Dao of Formations is truly terrifying.”

“Senior is too kind.”

Kai panted, taking out three light blue ice-attribute formation flags from his storage ring. He had specially selected them from the Earth Fire Pavilion’s treasury as a precaution. “I still need Senior’s cooperation. This formation borrows the power of fire, and I must temporarily suppress the flow of the fire veins with extreme cold power for a moment before I can break through the formation’s core.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord nodded, and the crimson demonic energy around him suddenly transformed into a deep dark red. That was a trace of “Nine Netherworld Cold Fiend” contained in his original demonic art, which, although not his main cultivation, was perfect for this moment.

“Three breaths.” The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord said in a deep voice.

“Enough.”

Kai took a deep breath, forcefully drawing upon his Chaos Immortal Power. The wound on his left chest immediately burst open, and blood soaked through his clothes.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. Three array flags flew out of his hand, tracing three azure trajectories in the air, and precisely planted themselves around the crystal pillar, forming an equilateral triangle.