"Good. Loyal and true," Gerald said, a grin cracking the ash on his cheeks. "You are indeed worthy of Earthfire Pavilion."
His smile shifted to the young woman in scarlet robes. "Lindsay, apany Jared. You''ve trained behind these walls long enough—it is time you tempered that me."
Lindsay''s eyes shed like twin rubies as excitement thrummed in her voice. "Yes, Great Elder Earthfire!"
"Ignatius," Gerald ordered. "Send scouts after Soul Devourer''s trail. He may be a soul remnant now, but he was terror itself ten millennia ago. We can''t underestimate him."
"On it, Great Elder Earthfire," Ignatius answered, bowing low, ember-ted armor clinking softly.
"And one more thing," Gerald mused, stroking his beard. "Unleash every thread of our intelligence web and have them watch Malevolent Path Hall. Their sudden retreat to level twelve reeks of a scheme. I''m sure they''re up to no good."
"Understood!"
Having ryed his orders, Gerald produced a blood-red device and pressed it into Jared''s palm. "This is the map of the Chthonic Abyss. The Magma Heart is marked, as are the danger zones. Study it well."
Jared''s spiritual sense sank into the device; torrents of symbols, routes, and cautions flooded his mind like molten ss. He inhaled slowly, letting each detail settle into ce.
The Abyssy in the far-southern reaches of the ze Region, a bottomless rift that split thend like a scar the world had tried to forget.
Beneath its rim churned rivers ofva and the baleful glow of Earthcore Demonic me, hungry enough to gnaw through steel-or soul.
The deeper one traveled, the hotter the air, the heavier the pressure, and the more savage the beasts that called that furnace home.
At the very bottomy the Magma Heart, ake of molten rock stretching three hundred feet, its surface pulsing like the heartbeat of a slumbering titan
Hovering at the very center was a single b of ten-thousand-year cial jade— and upon that frozen altar, drop by luminous drop, the Jadeheart Marrow.
"Earthcore Demonic me... Even those in the High Immortal Realm back away from something that vicious," he muttered, brow tightening beneath the firelight that danced across his face.
Gerald inclined his ancient, ember-scarred head. "Precisely. The Earthcore Demonic me reaches monstrous heat and drags a poison from the''s marrow. It gnaws at celestial energy and corrodes the divine soul itself. That said, the chaotic celestial energy inside you—and the Golden Dragon Bloodline that stirs in your veins—can shield you for a while. Combine that with the mastery of me you''ve learned from Earthfire True Scripture, and you may carve a path where others simply burn."
"Understood."
Jared slid the device away, its glow dying between his fingers, then straightened with sudden purpose. "No sense wasting a heartbeat-let''s move."
"Wait."
Gerald''s call rasped through the chamber. He produced a token wrought of red-gold metal, the surface alive with tiny runes that simmered like coals. "This is Earthfire Pavilion''s Earthfire Token," he said. "It grantsmand of every Earthfire Pavilion resource in the ze Region. If peril finds you, show this, and nearby factions will provide assistance—or at least hesitate before striking."
Jared epted the token with both hands, its heat pulsing against his palm. "Thank you, Great Elder Earthfire."
Gerald flicked his wrist in a weary blessing that looked oddly like smoke drifting away. "Go on, then. Come back soon."
Momentster, Jared, Lindsay, and Vermilion Demon Lord stepped beyond the pavilion''s gates and headed south, shadows stretching across the ckened earth.
***
Three dayster, the trio arrived at the edge of the Chthonic Abyss.
From the lip of that scarred world, they stared into a chasm a thousand yards wide, its depth lost to darkness. Molten rock crawled below in sluggish rivers, belching sulfur so thick it wed the throat. Far beneath even that, coils of dark-red fire rolled and folded-mes unlike any living ze, exhaling a malevolent pulse that pricked at the heart with nameless dread.
"This heat is terrifying..." Lindsay uttered as she wiped the sweat beading along her brow, the gesture futile in the furnace wind. "This is hotter than the Heart of Earthfire itself."
Vermilion Demon Lord''s crimson eyes narrowed. "Earthcore Demonic me... It truly is a thing of ultimate evil. Even my demonic techniques are stirring restlessly."
Jared unfolded the map given to him
by Gerald and studied it carefully.
"ording to the markings, the Chthonic Abyss is divided into threeyers The outeryer is rtively cool, with only low level fire beasts. The middleyer grows hotter, inhabited by fire beasts of Heavenly Immortal Realm caliber. The deepestyer is the true danger
zone-not only is there Earthcore
Demonic me, but also all manner of strange traps and formations."
Then, he pointed to a red dot on the map.
"Our target is here the Magma Heart. We''ll need to pass through the outer and middleyers, descend into the depths, and then find this hidden passage."
"All right. Let''s make a move then," Vermilion Demon Lord said.
Together, the three leapt from the brink and into the Chthonic Abyss.
Heat mmed them mid-fall, a living wall that tried to peel skin from bone.
Jared summoned chaotic celestial energy; a dim, ash-gray aura blossomed around him, sipping the furnace wind before it could sting.
Lindsay whispered lines from the Earthfire True Scripture. Scarlet light curved around her like petals of living me, forming a shield that shimmered with ritual elegance.
Vermilion Demon Lord, on the other hand, let his demonic aura surge. ck demonic mists roared out and hardened into a midnight barrier, sparks racing across its surface like red lightning.
Encased in their three auras, the trio drifted lower, embers swirling past like silent, angry stars.
The outer ring of the Chthonic Abyss still zed like a furnace, yet the swelter remained tolerable for the three of them.
From time to time, a low-level fire beast would lunge from the molten cracks, hissing
in frantic hunger, only to be cut down with a casual flick of steel or azy burst of demonic me.
Half a dayter, they crossed the invisible threshold into the middle sector. Heat spiked without warning. Magma that had glowed bright scarlet moments ago now churned a deep wine-dark red, thick as congealed blood.
An acrid miasma of toxic fire hung in the air; if one were to breathe too much of it, their meridians would cken like scorched parchment.
Jared''s shoulders stiffened. "Be careful. Something''sing," he warned, voice low but razor-sharp.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than three colossal shapes erupted from the magma ahead, geysers of molten rock raining down around them.
Each creature looked like a winged lizard forged entirely from living embers— crimson scales, de-edged wings, and maws that belched smoldering, wine- colored fire.
The aura they exuded matched a Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Five cultivator, enough to cow lesser adventurers into fleeing.
Lindsay''s eyes widened. "Crimsonme Flying Lizards! They''re pack hunters-we''ll be knee-deep in them any second!"
Her fear proved prophetic. Dozens more burst from the surroundingva, encircling
the trio in a tightening ring of snapping jaws and beating wings.
The lead lizard shrieked—a grating, metallic screech.
Instantly, every beast hurled streams of dark-red fire that wove together overhead, forming a zing descending toward the three intruders.
Jared kept his tone calm and clipped. "Lindsay, shield yourself. Mr. Vermilion, let''s finish this quickly."
With a single resonant ng, the Dragonyer Sword leapt from its sheath.
"Dragonyer—Armybreaker!" Jared roared, his strike splitting the fiery like linen ripped by a gale.
A golden-gray arc of sword-force
tore through the mes. Jared''s figure vanished within that streak and reappeared before the nearest lizard, one decisive stroke parted scale, bone, and sinew.
A wet thud followed. The severed head rolled into theva, the massive body
sinking after it with a hiss.
Not to be outdone, Vermilion Demon
Lord brought all three faces into a savage grin: Six arms moved at once, six demonic weapons hammering outward. Two more
lizards ered
ato steaming pulp.
before they could even scream.