Chapter 517: Again Appears

Chen Mu's gaze turned slightly cold.

He had intended to leave one alive to ask why they had come here, but now it seemed their spirit had completely shattered—beyond saving.

He immediately extended his right hand, fingers gently closing toward the direction of the red-robed elder.

In an instant, the runaway Qi swirling around the red-robed elder, his bloated body, and even the space around him, seemed gripped by an invisible hand.

His bloated body froze abruptly, then collapsed inward at an even faster rate, along with his piercing scream, compressed into a fist-sized, violently trembling sphere of energy.

The energy sphere glowed chaotic black and red, its surface crackling with lightning, radiating terrifying energy fluctuations, yet utterly unable to explode.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

……

Card acquired.

Chen Mu twisted his wrist, and the energy sphere was drawn through the air, hovering above his palm.

Without even glancing, he tossed it casually into the nearby magma pool.

Puh~!

A soft muffled sound.

The energy sphere, potent enough to obliterate the flesh of a Ground Altar cultivator, sank into the dark red magma, stirring only a tiny ripple before vanishing—instantly swallowed and annihilated by the far greater, far hotter power of the earthfire.

The cave fell silent again, save for the occasional bubbling "gul-gul" of the magma.

On the stone bridge, all traces of the red-robed elder had vanished.

The faint, unpleasant spiritual disturbance lingering in the air also dissipated completely.

Ning Zhixi held her breath, watching as Chen Mu casually resolved a crisis that could have crippled or killed her—her heart trembled in wordless awe.

After disposing of the threat, Chen Mu's gaze returned to the stone platform at the center of the magma pool.

The "Summer" token in Ning Zhixi's hand vibrated more fiercely, its glow nearly solidifying into substance.

"Go take a look."

Chen Mu's body rose, bypassing the narrow stone bridge entirely, instead flying directly through the air toward the central platform.

Seeing this, Ning Zhixi also activated her Qi, carefully taking flight to follow.

The platform was small, barely a zhang square, carved entirely from a smooth, warm crimson jade, standing in stark contrast to the scorching magma below.

At its center, a fragment of stone stele was embedded.

The fragment was about the size of two palms, its edges irregular, dark red in color, neither metal nor jade, cool to the touch.

On the fragment were carved several lines of ancient script, stylistically identical to those on the "Summer" token, yet more archaic and profound.

Ning Zhixi focused intently, softly reciting them aloud.

"... The seasons turn in sequence, each guarding its domain. Summer governs upward flame, wielding command to manifest. Heart-fire ignites the plains, divine intent turns self-destructive. None without the key who draws near shall perish. The Flame Platform leaves its mark, awaiting its light..."

"So it was meant for the holder of the 'Xia Yao,'" Chen Mu understood.

The meaning was clear: the four seasons cycle, each ruling its direction.

"Summer" governs the Way of Upward Flame, and only with the "Xia Yao" can its authority be manifested.

Here, a mark remains, waiting for the light of the "Xia Yao."

Those who dare approach without it will ignite heart-fire and bring about their own destruction.

The red-robed elder was proof.

"The Flame Platform leaves its mark... this fragment is the 'mark'?" Ning Zhixi looked at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu did not answer, but gestured for her to bring the "Summer" token closer to the stele fragment.

Ning Zhixi obeyed, carefully pressing the golden-red glowing token against the stele fragment.

Hum—

The instant they touched, both token and fragment vibrated violently, their golden-red light flaring brilliantly, illuminating the entire cave in radiant clarity.

The ancient characters on the stele fragment seemed to come alive, flowing out as liquid gold that merged seamlessly with the token's radiance.

Immediately, a complex, intricate pattern emerged on the fragment's surface, outlined in light.

It resembled a portion of a map—mountains and rivers twisted in strange, unnatural lines, with a distinct flame-shaped mark at its center.

Alongside the pattern, several smaller lines of ancient script appeared.

"South Li... Bing Wu... gathering place of fire essence..."

Ning Zhixi strained to decipher them, "This seems like directional guidance and a key to unlocking some portal? Is 'Bing Wu' a celestial stem-terrestrial branch year or a direction?"

"It is both direction and time."

Chen Mu scanned the script and the map's light, already forming a hypothesis: "South Li Bing Wu refers to the southern Li Fire direction, specifically the Bing Wu orientation within the celestial stem-terrestrial branch system."

"'Gathering place of fire essence' must be the location marked on the map."

"And 'Bing Wu' may also refer to a specific hour—such as Wu Hour, when yang energy peaks and fire element is strongest. This fragment is a clue—or rather, a guide to the next path."

The light lasted roughly ten breaths, then slowly faded.

The stele fragment returned to its original dull hue, but the ancient characters and the newly revealed map's light were now deeply imprinted in Chen Mu and Ning Zhixi's minds.

The glow of the "Summer" token in Ning Zhixi's hand also subsided, yet the warm pulsing sensation grew clearer, as if a deeper connection had formed with some distant presence.

Chen Mu extended his hand, fingertips touching the stele fragment.

The fragment trembled slightly, then detached from the crimson jade pedestal, falling into his palm.

It felt slightly heavy; aside from that faint ancient aura, no other peculiar qualities could yet be sensed.

"This fragment is key—keep it safe."

Chen Mu handed the fragment to Ning Zhixi. "The 'Xia Yao' is in your possession; this fragment is yours to hold. According to the clue—'South Li Bing Wu, gathering place of fire essence'—it should still lie to the southwest, possibly deeper within the Flame Scorching Mountains. But the exact location must still be matched against the real terrain."

Ning Zhixi solemnly accepted the fragment, carefully storing it alongside the token.

She understood that this fragment was a guide to the true entrance of the Xia secret place, of paramount importance.

Just as the two were about to leave the Flame Altar Cave, Chen Mu suddenly felt something, and turned to look toward the entrance of the "Flame" branch path they had come from.

Almost simultaneously, a rapid, faint whistling sound came from outside the passage, accompanied by several muffled groans and the thud of falling bodies.

Someone had arrived—and they had already begun fighting outside.

Chen Mu quietly extended his spiritual sense, instantly perceiving the scene within the cavern outside the cave.

At the three branch entrances, seven or eight figures now stood, all clad in black robes, their qi cold and sinister, identical to the Blood Refining Sect disciples Chen Mu had previously slain.

The two leaders exuded a deep, obscure aura—they were both at the Earth Altar Realm's "Perceive the Spirit, Indestructible" cultivation level!

At their feet lay the corpses of the two sentries left outside by the red-robed elder, each throat marked by a thin bloodline—a single strike had killed them.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

……

These Blood Refining Sect members had also found this place—and it seemed they had come prepared, with clear intent.

The lead figure, an emaciated old man with sunken eyes, held a compass-like device in his hands; its needle trembled slightly, pointing toward the "Flame" branch path where Chen Mu and Ning Zhixi were.