Chapter 2153 Raw 2258 : Life or Death
Xiao Chen’s earlier palm strike struck the weak point in this area of the desolate plain, causing the ground to shake and creating a deep crevasse.
After he landed, he saw a new cave before him. Following his mental map, he navigated its many branches crisscrossing in the underground ice.
He moved very slowly, as it was too cold. Occasionally, he stopped to dislodge ice from his Alloy Battle Armor.
One hour later, a dead-end appeared in front of Xiao Chen, blocked by thick, tough ice.
At this depth, the underground ice was already as tough as divine materials. Logically, it should be very hard to break.
However, if Xiao Chen had gone the right way, this ice wall before him should be a weak spot as well.
He soared into the air and punched. His fist immediately numbed, an unpleasant feeling.
However, he only left a faint mark on the tough ice before him; nothing much changed.
“Did I remember wrong?” Xiao Chen sighed softly and prepared to throw another punch.
“Crack! Crack! Crack!”
Cracks suddenly spread through the ice wall in front. Then, it exploded with a loud ‘bang.
Xiao Chen felt that the situation was not good. He crossed his arms in front of himself, and the formation in the Alloy Battle Armor activated automatically, forming a shield of electric light in front.
“Pa!”
However, it was still too late. The impact of the explosion instantly knocked Xiao Chen into the air.
The cave shook violently once more. The ice above him seemed to be crumbling as well; ice chunks continuously fell.
Xiao Chen lowered his hands and took a look. His expression flickered as he immediately executed the Divine Firmament Nine Variations.
Moving at lightning speed, he charged through the opened passage. The moment he vanished from his original spot, the ice roof collapsed.
When Xiao Chen looked back, he saw that the way back was blocked entirely. The terrain had changed.
“It will probably be somewhat difficult to return now.”
When Xiao Chen entered the cave, he had not thought things through. Now, he discovered that this was indeed a problem.
I should just go on. As long as my Universe Origin True Flame and Heavenly Snow Divine Flame can benefit, all this will be worth it.
Following the route in his memory, Xiao Chen broke through the various weak spots, connecting them and going deeper.
The ground shook several times, changing the tunnels. The cultivators on experiential training aboveground all felt on edge, wondering what was happening.
“I found it!”
After a few setbacks and wandering underground for about six hours, Xiao Chen finally found a flame vein.
The surging flame vein was pure and dense, looking like a river gushing endlessly.
Despite being ten kilometers above the flame vein, he still could feel surging heatwaves washing over.
Fortunately, Xiao Chen had the Alloy Battle Armor. Unlike other divine materials, this alloy was incredibly resistant to heat.
Had he been wearing armor of other divine materials, he would not be able to endure this even with an acquired Divine Body.
Not only that, but the Alloy Battle Armor also had excellent insulation functions, significantly easing the pressure on him.
“What pure fire-attributed energy!”
Pleasant surprise filled Xiao Chen’s eyes. He had not sensed it from aboveground. But after observing it from such a close distance, he knew that he had found a treasure.
If he could absorb ten percent of this flame, his Universe Origin True Flame could probably advance to Rank 6.
This would save him one hundred thousand Faux God Coins.
As Xiao Chen stood above, his emotions fluctuated; he felt like he was dreaming.
Xiao Chen was really grateful to the person who controlled the mastiffs to kill him. If not for that person, how could he have comprehended All Things Rejoicing Together and gained a drop of Fiend blood afterwards?
Even if he were a Sovereign Emperor, he would have to spend decades or centuries trying to explore this place without the Fiend blood. Perhaps this feat might be possible if he were a Faux God, but that was still hard to say.
Of course, it was more likely that Sovereign Emperors or Faux Gods could not sense the eighteen flame veins below the Ice Fire Wasteland in the first place.
“Boom!”
Xiao Chen spread his palm, and a clump of golden flame appeared. This was the Origin Flame of the Universe Origin True Flame, the Heavenly Flame that he obtained in the Kunlun Realm.
“Go.”
Xiao Chen gently thrust his palm forward. This clump of Origin Flame slowly descended and hovered above the flame vein.
The flame vein gushed like a raging river. Xiao Chen sat down cross-legged, and his Soul Energy surged.
Immediately, the Origin Flame started spinning.
A suction came from the Origin Flame, and a loud sound rang out. Flames splashed up from the flame vein, pouring towards the Origin Flame. The Universe Origin True Flame’s Origin Flame was like a cultivator absorbing Origin Liquid as it excitedly absorbed and refined the flame from the flame vein.
Xiao Chen closed his eyes and circulated his energy. He unhurriedly controlled the Universe Origin True Flame’s Origin Flame to absorb and refine the flame.
“How slow!”
One hour later, Xiao Chen ferociously opened his eyes. The flame vein was vast and boundless like an immense sea. Although the Origin Flame absorbed flames at a speedy rate, it still was insufficient.
At this rate, I will have to spend two to three years to absorb a tenth of this flame vein.
No, I cannot wait for so long.
Determination flashed in Xiao Chen’s eyes. He stood up and gave the flame vein a contemplative look.
This flame vein gushes endlessly, but where is it gushing to?
Are all the other flame veins gushing endlessly and heading to the same place?
If I can find the nexus of these flame veins, I can save a lot of time.
However, just this flame vein alone already feels somewhat unbearable. How horrifying would the nexus of eighteen flame veins be?
I’ll push myself!
Xiao Chen only hesitated for one second before coming to a decision. He jumped down and drew the Universe Origin True Flame’s Origin Flame back into his body. Then, he entered the flame vein.
“Whoosh!”
The flame vein was over ten times faster than Xiao Chen’s Movement Technique.
Amid the gushing flame, Xiao Chen used his Veritable Essence Energy to activate the Alloy Battle Armor at full power, to prevent himself from being swallowed up by the flame and the rapid flow.
“How dangerous! Fortunately, my Alloy Battle Armor has reached a 2-Star ranking. Otherwise, it would be difficult to endure this.”
Xiao Chen released his bated breath as his Alloy Battle Armor held up in the flame rapids, albeit barely.
The most important thing to do now was to follow the flow and reach the nexus of the eighteen flame veins.
As time passed, Xiao Chen found the heat increasingly harder to bear. Even with the Alloy Battle Armor protecting him, his body had already turned red, slowly getting cooked.
Xiao Chen knew that he was getting closer to where the other flame veins were. The greatest challenge would come when all the flame veins were present.
The eighteen flame veins were divided into extreme Yin and extreme Yang. They intersected in complicated variations.
Master, your Alloy Battle Armor seems to be softening.
The Demon Blood Vulture’s voice rang out in Xiao Chen’s mind. When he looked, his Alloy Battle Armor was indeed slowly softening.
Upon noticing this, Xiao Chen felt somewhat flustered. This was the Alloy Battle Armor’s self-protective function.
If the Alloy Battle Armor could no longer hold up, it would liquefy and flow back into the gloves.
At that time, Xiao Chen would be in big trouble.
What should I do? Without the Alloy Battle Armor’s protection, I cannot last for more than five minutes in this flame vein before melting.
Even if my acquired Divine Body has awakened once, it is still a body of flesh and blood. Only a pure-blooded dragon can endure such heat.
The Alloy Battle Armor softened at an even faster rate, startling Xiao Chen. Oh no, I am about to reach the nexus of the eighteen flame veins.
It’s over. I’m going to die in this blasted place…
The Alloy Battle Armor finally turned back into a silver liquid that slowly flowed back to the gloves. However, Xiao Chen continued getting dragged to the flame veins’ nexus.
The eighteen flame veins that spanned the Ice Fire Wasteland gathered at that spot.
Xiao Chen already found one flame vein somewhat unbearable. Now, it dragged him to where the eighteen flame veins met, while he had lost the protection of the Alloy Battle Armor.
Is there a way to survive?
With that thought, Xiao Chen felt that he might die in this place.
As his body heated up, he became broiled to the point of his consciousness wavering. His breathing weakened, and his mind turned fuzzy. As his body continuously sank, a loud sound suddenly rang out in his ear.
Xiao Chen understood what had happened. He had arrived at the nexus of the eighteen flame veins. Then, he fainted.
---
Xiao Chen groggily opened his eyes and found himself at the bottom of a lake with his body slowly drifting around.
“I’m alive?”
Just one flame vein nearly broiled me to death. To think that I did not immediately die in the nexus of the eighteen flame veins.
All Xiao Chen saw was clear lake water.
Am I dead or alive? Am I hallucinating? To think that the nexus of the eighteen flame veins is a lake.