Heavenflame Ridge – Outer Cliffs
The searing heat thickened as Gao Tian and Shu Yu stepped into the outer cliffs of Heavenflame Ridge.
The earth beneath them had turned from brown soil to scorched black stone, and the air shimmered with rising waves of heat.
A faint, constant rumble echoed through the terrain.
Molten lava flowed slowly from the side of a jagged mountain, pouring like glowing blood into a wide basin below.
Before them lay a vast, open area—charred rock stretching far in all directions.
In the center was a lava pool, its surface bubbling and glowing a dangerous crimson-orange. The very air above it twisted from the intensity.
Gao Tian raised his sleeve to cover his face, squinting.
"This heat… it's enough to roast someone alive."
Shu Yu remained unaffected beside him, her red robes fluttering slightly from the heat waves. Her face, as always, was unreadable.
They both scanned the area.
Then Gao Tian's gaze landed on something.
"There," he said, pointing.
Across the molten pool, embedded into the sheer face of the mountain, was a massive dark hole—a naturally formed cave or tunnel, tall enough for several men to walk through side by side.
A faint breeze drifted from it, strangely cool in contrast to the surroundings.
Shu Yu narrowed her eyes slightly. "That cave… something feels unusual."
Gao Tian nodded. "You feel it too?"
He activated his spiritual sense, but the energy in the area was chaotic—distorted by the intense fire aura. He could barely sense anything inside the hole.
It's either a cave leading to the deeper parts of the ridge… or something ancient is sealed inside.
Gao Tian looked at the bubbling lava pool between them and the cave.
"No flying over," he muttered. "The heat pressure will burn our spiritual energy midair."
Shu Yu examined the rocky terrain along the edges of the lava lake. "There's a narrow path on the right edge. If we're careful, we can walk along it."
Gao Tian smirked. "Adventuring with you is never boring."
She didn't respond, already walking ahead.
He followed, glancing one last time at the dark hole in the mountain wall.
Whatever's in there… We are Coming.
The lava hissed, the mountain rumbled softly, and the path ahead shimmered under the burning sun.
Step by step, Shu Yu moved forward on the jagged rocky path winding around the lava pool. Her crimson robes fluttered slightly, completely undisturbed by the scorching heat or the dangerous terrain.
Second step.
Third step.
Fourth.
Sixth.
Tenth.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A loud roar echoed through the cliffs as a massive beast surged out from the lava. Its enormous serpent-like body was half submerged in molten rock, its scales glowing red and white like heated steel. Steam hissed from its body, and its head alone was larger than a wagon.
Gao Tian's eyes narrowed. "That… thing's guarding the cave."
The beast let out another roar, revealing rows of serrated black teeth. Its crimson eyes locked onto the intruders.
Shu Yu turned calmly. "As expected, a guardian beast."
Gao Tian nodded but quickly reached out with his spiritual sense. What he felt caused his expression to stiffen.
Rank 3, Low-Tier…
He turned to Shu Yu. "Uh… this one might be a little troublesome."
But Shu Yu had already turned away, continuing to walk as if the massive lava serpent didn't exist.
Gao Tian blinked. "You're really not going to help…? Fine!"
The beast noticed Shu Yu again and snarled. A strange black flame sphere formed before its mouth—dense, dark, and radiating corrosive heat.
Gao Tian's eyes widened.
Black flame… rare and incredibly destructive. That shouldn't exist here…
The beast launched the flaming sphere straight at Shu Yu.
She didn't stop walking.
She didn't even look back.
But Gao Tian moved.
He shot forward, spiritual energy surging as he summoned his Dynamic Palm. His right hand exploded with chaotic blue energy as he leapt in front of Shu Yu.
"Let's see how tough you are!"
He struck the sphere dead-on.
BOOM!
The clash of flame and energy created a shockwave that blasted molten fragments from the edge of the pool. The air howled, and Gao Tian's expression twisted in pain.
His palm energy began to disintegrate.
The black flames engulfed his arm.
"AHHHHHH!!"
The searing pain shot through him like a thousand needles. His skin cracked, charred at the edges. Shu Yu, expressionless as always, paused and turned back.
He really blocked that? With his body? This guy…
Just as she stepped forward to help—
Gao Tian suddenly grinned.
Through the pain, his voice was resolute.
"Hahaha… beast, don't even think you can burn me."
He extended his injured arm, spiritual energy flowing in reverse.
Then he activated it—
Flame Dao Manifestation.
A secret technique born from an ancient supreme immortal, once a comrade of the mythical Huan Li. It allowed one to resist and nullify fire-based attacks, so long as their comprehension of the Flame Dao surpassed that of their enemy.
The moment it activated, the black flames began to distort… then flickered… and vanished completely into nothingness.
Even the heat in the air dropped slightly.
Gao Tian landed beside Shu Yu, panting. His robes were scorched at the sleeve, but his arm—miraculously—was intact, though steaming.
Shu Yu looked at him, eyes faintly narrowing.
"What was that? How's your injury?"
Gao Tian brushed dust off his shoulder and gave a light smile. "Just a little trick. No injuries worth mentioning."
Inside, he was still trembling from the pain.
That was close. If I hadn't remembered that technique...
The guardian beast roared again, enraged. Its flame aura surged wildly, encasing its enormous body in a blazing inferno. Lava boiled higher around it as it prepared to attack again.
Gao Tian looked up at the beast with a glint in his eye.
"You're not the only one who knows how to burn."
The bubbling lava pool hissed as heat shimmered in waves across the rocky terrain. Gao Tian stood with narrowed eyes, sweat trailing down his cheek. The beast—the colossal Lava Serpent—reared back halfway submerged in the molten pool.
Suddenly, it opened its fiery maw.
A swirling black fire sphere began to form, rotating faster and faster as the surrounding air warped from the intensity.
Gao Tian's gaze sharpened.
What is it trying to do?
The answer came a moment later.
BOOM!
The beast launched the fire sphere skyward, and once it reached its peak—
—it exploded like a firework of destruction.
From that point in the sky, dozens of blazing fireballs scattered like meteor rain, each one crashing down toward the battlefield below with deadly precision.
Gao Tian cursed under his breath.
"Shu Yu! Protect yourself. Create a spiritual barrier—now!"
Shu Yu, unfazed as always, activated her barrier, a thin translucent sphere of energy flickering around her as she continued walking calmly through the heat and chaos.
The fireballs descended like divine punishment.
But Gao Tian didn't flinch.
He stood firm, raising his hand as his aura surged.
"Flame Dao Manifestation."
The black fireballs heading toward him—one by one—disintegrated mid-air, as if consumed by an invisible force. The temperature dropped around him as the Flame Dao Manifestation technique nullified the fire's will.
Gao Tian smirked.
"Heh… now it's my turn—"
He stepped forward, preparing to attack.
But then he felt it.
A violent surge of spiritual energy twisted in the air.
His eyes darted back to the Lava Serpent.
Its body writhed unnaturally in the lava, roaring so loudly the cliffs trembled. Red veins pulsed along its body, glowing like molten lightning.
"Is it… sacrificing its blood essence?" Gao Tian's eyes widened.
Before his words could finish, the beast's body shuddered, and then—
Transformation.
The Lava Serpent's shape began to change. Bones cracked. Muscles warped. From its lower serpentine body, a humanoid upper torso emerged—twisted, demonic, armored in red-white lava scales. Its eyes glowed like hellfire.
Now it hovered above the lava pool in the air, fully transformed. Its blood essence burned like a furnace, and its aura skyrocketed.
Gao Tian's pupils shrank.
"Damn it... it jumped to Rank 3 High-Tier!"
Shu Yu stopped walking, turning back to face the beast.
Her expression was calm, unchanged—but she muttered:
"Oh. So it transformed… using its blood essence to maintain this form. That's reckless."
Gao Tian nodded slowly, tense. "Yeah. Its power is… insane now."
Shu Yu turned to him with her usual blank face.
"But it's your fight, right?"
Gao Tian stared at her. He gave a dry, awkward laugh, sweat dripping down the side of his face.
"…Y-Yeah. Of course."
Above the lava, the humanoid beast let out a thunderous roar.
Then—it launched forward, flames twisting behind it like wings of fire, claws raised and aimed straight at Gao Tian.