Yang Kai had originally intended to put the artifact spirit back into the Space Ring, but now that it had regained its freedom, it flatly refused to be restrained again. Instead, it transformed into a miniature firebird and perched on Yang Kai's shoulder, using its sharp little beak to preen his hair in a fawning, affectionate display. No matter how Yang Kai tried to coax it, the spirit adamantly refused to return to the forging furnace.
Yang Kai didn't want to push it too hard, so in the end he had no choice but to let it be. However, the forging furnace couldn't be stored in the Space Ring either — if it were, the artifact spirit would be forcibly pulled back into the vessel. Yang Kai could only stuff the small furnace into his robe, then turned to survey his surroundings.
The fifth layer was the same as it had been over a month ago — scorching waves of heat and unbearable fire toxins everywhere he looked, the entire world bathed in a blazing crimson hue.
But Yang Kai found that resisting the harsh environment of the fifth layer had become noticeably easier than before.
Part of this was naturally due to his increased strength and the fact that his cultivation had advanced by a minor realm, but the main reason was the enhanced power of his Demonic Flame and the fact that he could now control its transformation. Over a month ago, the Demonic Flame inside him had been impossible to fully command — though it was powerful and pure enough, it still struggled against the fifth layer's environment. Now, however, the nature of his Demonic Flame allowed him to shift between cold and heat in the blink of an eye. With the Cold Flame shielding him, the ferocious waves of heat and fire toxins held no terror for him. The visible waves of heat dissipated a half-foot from his body, repelled effortlessly.
Yang Kai stood in place, stroking his chin in thought for a while. Once he had worked out the reasoning, his mood lifted considerably.
Moreover, he had originally worried that he might not have enough time, yet even after he had refined the Mysterious Yin Kui Water, the Flaming Sand Ground still hadn't closed. Judging by the time, it would seal within the next few days at most.
In just a few days, Yang Kai naturally had no interest in returning to the fourth layer. It would be better to press deeper and see whether there truly was a rumored sixth layer!
If it existed, what kind of place would it be?
If his Demonic Flame hadn't grown stronger, Yang Kai would never have dared attempt the sixth layer. The last time he had come here, moving through the fifth layer had already been grueling — venturing any further would have been completely out of the question. But now, with the Cold Flame as his shield, he felt confident enough to explore deeper.
From the third layer onward, the Flaming Sand Ground had been untouched for tens of thousands of years, and each layer held astonishing treasures and opportunities. The third layer had yielded the Red Candle Fruit, and the fourth had contained the massive ruins of an ancient Sect. Unfortunately, Yang Kai hadn't been strong enough to breach it and could only sigh at the sight. The fifth layer held the Earth Lung Fire Pool and the Void King-grade forging furnace that had birthed the artifact spirit. If a sixth layer truly existed, there had to be something good waiting inside.
Having made up his mind, Yang Kai wasted no more time. Time was precious now — the Flaming Sand Ground could seal at any moment. He retrieved the Elemental Magnetic Compass from his Space Ring, confirmed his direction, and set off in a straight line.
With the Cold Flame protecting him, traversing the fifth layer was far more convenient. Aside from the considerable expenditure of Saint Yuan, he no longer encountered the kind of difficulties he had faced before.
He also continuously activated the innate ability of his Eye of Annihilation, steering clear of any obvious restrictions and seemingly dangerous areas.
As he traveled, he encountered absolutely no danger. Even the artifact spirit remained perfectly docile — it would occasionally fly off to look around, but it always returned quickly to squat on his shoulder.
It seemed the spirit understood the perils of this place and didn't dare wander recklessly.
For three straight days, Yang Kai walked through the fifth layer. Without something like the Elemental Magnetic Compass, he would have certainly lost all sense of direction in this crimson world.
On this particular day, while Yang Kai was making his way forward, the artifact spirit perched on his shoulder suddenly stood up, letting out a rapid series of low chirps. Its tiny eyes peered ahead, every inch of its body radiating alertness.
Yang Kai's heart tightened. He immediately halted and swept the Eye of Annihilation forward, but strangely, it detected nothing out of the ordinary. His expression darkened.
He knew that within the Flaming Sand Ground, certain restrictions had been laid with extraordinary sophistication — even his Eye of Annihilation couldn't discern them. It appeared there might be one right in front of him.
What surprised him, however, was that the artifact spirit had sensed it first. That was something he hadn't expected.
The spirit had been born from a forging furnace — logically speaking, it shouldn't have much knowledge of restrictions. How had it detected this? Yang Kai turned his head to regard it with a suspicious look, but the spirit kept up its urgent chirping, as though trying to convey some message to him.
Yang Kai furrowed his brow and concentrated, sensing carefully. After a moment, his expression turned peculiar. "You're saying... we've already walked into a restriction?"
The spirit fell silent, which was clearly confirmation.
"That can't be right." Yang Kai's face changed. He had been extremely cautious throughout his journey, never venturing into areas that looked suspicious. He had deliberately chosen routes he considered utterly safe. But if the artifact spirit was telling the truth, he had very likely triggered a restriction at some point without even realizing it, and was now trapped inside.
He looked around him and found nothing unusual — the surroundings were the same as everywhere else, a blazing red vista of hostile terrain.
There wasn't even a trace of danger in the air.
It had to be some kind of maze or illusion formation! Yang Kai trusted that the artifact spirit wouldn't raise a false alarm, so this was the only explanation that made sense. But where exactly had he triggered it? He turned the question over in his mind again and again, finding no answer.
And with even the Eye of Annihilation unable to pick up any clues, it seemed there was no way for him to break free on his own.