The pitch-black cavern seemed to stretch on without end.
As the biting cold grew more intense, everyone's pace gradually slowed. Apart from the faint, shuffling sound of their footsteps, the cavern was eerily silent—not a single noise to be heard.
It felt as though they had been cast into a separate world, completely cut off from the outside.
And this dark cavern appeared to have no end whatsoever.
Jiang Chen suddenly pressed an object into Mu Gaoqi's hand: "Gaoqi, take this."
The object was none other than the Ice Fire Spirit Pearl. During the alliance battle at the Treasure Tree Sect, he had fought the eccentric Zhuiyang. The Ten-Rank Inspector Feng Beidou of the Nine Suns Heavenly Sect had given Zhuiyang an Ice Fire Spirit Pearl.
After Zhuiyang was crushed by the Ice Fire Demon Lotus, the pearl had been consumed by the lotus and ended up in Jiang Chen's possession.
Though Feng Beidou had been reluctant to part with it, he had no face to demand its return. After all, the Nine Suns Heavenly Sect had lost that battle.
Now, sensing the strangeness of this cavern, Jiang Chen gave the Ice Fire Spirit Pearl to Mu Gaoqi for protection, in case something unexpected happened and he couldn't reach him in time.
The Ice Fire Spirit Pearl was Feng Beidou's treasure—a Saint Grade artifact. The moment it entered Mu Gaoqi's hands, Mu Gaoqi felt a wondrous sensation surge through his entire body.
In an instant, his senses returned to equilibrium. Neither too hot nor too cold—it felt as though he were standing in a gentle spring breeze.
That extreme chill had been affecting everyone else's speed, slowing their blood flow and making their limbs more numb.
Fortunately, Mu Gaoqi had prepared plenty of Yang Gathering Pills for everyone beforehand, which proved extremely useful against the cold.
Each person swallowed a Yang Gathering Pill and felt the chill inside their bodies gradually recede.
Just then, a faint glow appeared ahead.
"We're here!" Gao Yi exclaimed excitedly. "Look—that faint light should be the magma zone."
Last time, they had made it to that magma zone but couldn't withstand the scorching heat, which was why they had stopped there.
Now, after nearly an hour of walking, they had finally reached the place where they had turned back before. Every one of them felt a surge of excitement.
At that moment, Jiang Chen's steps abruptly halted.
His body tilted slightly, assuming a turning posture. Behind him, Yue Pan laughed: "Are we there? Fantastic!"
With that, Yue Pan strode forward quickly, as if eager to be the first to get a look.
A chill ran through Jiang Chen's heart. As Yue Pan's body moved past them, a flash of killing intent flickered in Jiang Chen's mind.
Because in the moment he had stopped walking, he had clearly detected Yue Pan behind him, silently preparing a sneak attack.
Jiang Chen had cultivated the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, and his mental power was formidable—his senses far surpassed everyone else's here. No matter how well Yue Pan hid his intentions, he couldn't escape Jiang Chen's perception.
It was just that Jiang Chen's sudden stop had thrown off Yue Pan's rhythm, startling him and making him hesitate to act rashly.
But Yue Pan's reaction was swift. Having planned a sneak attack, he immediately shifted his tone and spoke those words, attempting to mask his killing intent.
Yet how could any of these moves deceive Jiang Chen?
Jiang Chen transmitted his voice to Mu Gaoqi: "These two from the Great Sacred Hall are up to no good. Be careful."
Mu Gaoqi gave a slight nod. After everything they had been through, he had thoroughly seen through these people's true colors and no longer harbored the illusions he once had.
The faint glow ahead was like a beacon, urging them to quicken their pace.
Yue Pan, a Earth Origin Realm cultivator, charged at the very front.
The others raced forward as well, jostling to be the first.
"Don't rush." Jiang Chen's perception was extraordinary. He held Mu Gaoqi back and didn't follow the others in their sprint.
Mu Gaoqi said, "We've walked this path before. From here to the magma zone, there's no danger."
Jiang Chen replied flatly, "Just because there was no danger before doesn't mean there's none now."
While they were speaking, a shrill scream suddenly echoed from ahead.
"Who's there?!"
"Who?!"
"Ah! An ambush!"
Three or four consecutive cries of agony rang out, and chaos erupted at the front.
Jiang Chen looked ahead and saw that four people had already fallen. Two from the Northern Abyss Sect, one from the Three Star Sect, and one from the Sacred Sword Palace.
Of the ten disciples from the five sects who had entered, apart from Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi who were at the rear, eight had charged forward. In the blink of an eye, four had gone down.
The sight left the remaining few dumbfounded.
At that moment, Yue Pan bellowed: "Someone's over there—don't let them escape!"
As he spoke, a crisp clanging sound rang out through the void.
Clang!
Sparks flew as a crossbow bolt shot toward Yue Pan, only to be blocked by his weapon with a shower of sparks.
Yue Pan's pursuit was brought to a halt. His gaze turned icy as he stared into the darkness ahead—but he had lost all courage to give chase.