“What exactly did Sect Leader Bu mean by ‘unable to enter’? Was he referring to the depths of the core?” Lu Yaoyao asked. At first, she thought the core referred to the entire Flame Mountain, and that the Sect Leader was saying they couldn’t enter the mountain. But now, as they walked within the mountain range without difficulty, she realized she might have misunderstood.
Bu Yang nodded, “Yes, the core is the volcanic crater at the summit of Flame Mountain. It is said to be an active volcano, unfathomably deep, connecting directly to the center of the earth. Master once tried to enter, but the volcanic lava was too intense, even for him.”
In order to investigate the disturbances, Master tried to force his way into the depths of the core but almost lost his life in the process. The sect spent a lot of resources to heal his injuries. After that time, no one had made another attempt.
Chao Muxue took out her fire-avoidance pearl. “Even with this pearl, it’s still not possible?”
This item could shield the wearer from fire and high temperatures, but was it not enough?
“What we have are ordinary fire-avoidance pearls; they have no effect on the magma that flows through the core.” Bu Yang shook his head. Concerned that the Guiyuan group might mistakenly believe the pearl could shield them from the core fire, he emphasized that it had no such capability.
Lu Yaoyao asked again, “Is the fire in the core that special? How special is it?”
“We cultivators strengthen our bodies and souls, so an ordinary fire cannot cause us harm. But the fire in the core is different. It can burn even cultivators. According to the records of the Tianyan Sect, the fire deep within the core can burn both the body and soul, killing anyone so thoroughly to the point of nothingness. But no one has ever ventured inside, so we don’t know how true these rumors are.”
Even those who accidentally fell would be thoroughly incinerated, leaving not even a corpse behind. As such, there was no one to return and confirm the truth of this matter. However, since this statement was recorded in Tianyan’s official record, there must be some credibility.
These things weren’t secrets, so when Sect Leader Bu sent the letter requesting aid from Guiyuan, he also explained the peculiarities of the core. Bu Yang thought the ones coming to aid would at least be Nascent Soul stage elders, but instead, it was a group of disciples younger and more inexperienced than him.
On second thought, however, he realized that even an outer disciple of a prestigious sect might have more knowledge than them, and perhaps, problems that looked unsolvable to them could actually be resolved by a simple deduction. Hence, Bu Yang looked at Lu Yaoyao and her friends with great hope.
Master’s intention for him to accompany Guiyuan’s group was clear; having one chance to gain experience alongside disciples from major sects was many times more beneficial than months of solo training.
“There must be artifacts that can shield against the flame and magma in the core. Unfortunately, I’m not very knowledgeable in this aspect, but one of the three great treasures of the Cultivation Realm, the Ruyi Brocade, can definitely do it.” Cherishing this rare opportunity, Bu Yang tried his best to make himself useful. The Ruyi Brocade was an immortal-level artifact, immune to all elements and impervious to a myriad of attacks, it was said to be the nemesis of spiritual fires.
But there was only one piece of Ruyi Brocade in the entire Cultivation Realm, and its whereabouts were unknown. The Ruyi Brocade also has another unique characteristic: it was capable of changing its color and shape at will, appearing no different from ordinary clothing. Even if its owner were to wear it openly, no one would recognize the garment as the legendary artifact.
When Lu Yaoyao heard the words ‘Ruyi Brocade,’ she subconsciously glanced down at her clothes. Well, isn’t that what she was wearing? Luckily, she decided to wear this outfit for the journey, since it was more convenient.
Hearing that the artifact was extremely rare, with only a single one known to exist on the entire continent, Du Qianshan muttered, “Even if we went searching for it now, there wouldn’t be enough time!” And even if it were found, there is only one piece, so who would wear it and enter the core?
“Yaoyao, have you heard of it?” Wen Zixing asked.
“Yeah,” Lu Yaoyao nodded succinctly. She was wearing it, in fact, but after some thought, she decided not to expose it for now.
“Without full preparation, none of us should venture deeper. Let’s first check out the situation around the core.” Yan Zihui made a decision. The further he delved into the matter, the greater his concern became. This issue clearly lay deep within the core, and only by going inside could they discover what it was. But the area was inaccessible without the legendary Ruyi Brocade. Was this trip in vain?
Regardless, Yan Zihui decided they should continue with the investigation.
The distance from the foot of the mountain to the summit was considerable. Bu Yang, who was very familiar with the entire Yanhuo Mountain, led them along shortcuts. Half walking and half climbing, they reached the summit in an hour. The summit was a vast plateau, surrounded by what appeared to be bottomless cliffs. No signs of vegetation could be seen on the dark gray ground. Instead, many rocks, perhaps volcanic, scattered around the plateau.
Wen Zixing curiously walked a few meters away and then came back. “I thought the summit would be a huge magma crater.” It was all land here, so how would they access the core? Were they supposed to dig into the ground?
“Follow me,” Bu Yang said, leading them to the edge of the eastern cliff, where they discovered a narrow path that only allowed one person to pass at a time, carved into the cliff and winding down. If you weren’t familiar with the area, locating the path would be time-consuming, as it is both narrow and well-hidden.
The group proceeded along the path for a short time before reaching a cave entrance. Bu Yang continued without stopping and entered first, followed by the others.
As soon as they stepped inside, everyone except Lu Yaoyao was hit by a wave of heat—the temperature was so high that even the fire-avoidance pearl couldn’t shield them. Wen Zixing and the others quickly swallowed a pill to maintain their body temperature at a normal level.
“My apologies,” Bu Yang said. As locals, they had become accustomed to the heat and didn’t feel it was unusual, so he failed to anticipate that the Guiyuan group would be affected despite having the fire-avoidance pearl.
Yan Zihui smiled and said, “It’s alright. We have our own ways to cope. Let’s continue.”
This was only the entrance to the core. Although everything appeared ordinary at a glance, creatures who hadn’t adapted to the temperature would be roasted alive in no time. The group proceeded deeper into the cave. The further in they went, the higher the temperature. Fortunately, Lu Yaoyao and the others had done their research about Yanhuo Mountain in advance and prepared many pills and artifacts to resist the heat. Until now, the heat was manageable, thanks to the fire-avoidance pearl, so they hadn’t needed the prepared items.
Lu Yaoyao’s gaze remained vigilant, as she wasn’t affected by the temperature and could focus more on staying alert. Although Bu Yang and the others kept saying there was no immediate danger, they couldn’t lower their guard.
They walked quietly for about fifteen minutes before stopping. “This is the core,” Bu Yang announced.
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