Chapter 1066: Temporary Peace

At the very moment of Spiritual Fire Detachment.

Crack!

The Star Radiance Cold Ice, deprived of Spiritual Fire's primal power, instantly lost its activity; that protective layer instantly became the deadliest prison. The ice layer spread and thickened at a visible speed, frenziedly. The terrifying Mysterious Yin Cold Demon, deprived of its target, like an uncontrolled venomous snake, fiercely turned on itself. That piece of Strange Black Stone, which had endured unknown ages of Earth Fire tempering, was instantly completely frozen, then let out a groan it could not bear, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

The next second, under the impact of the Lava Flood below, it exploded into countless fragments wrapped in azure ice, swallowed and annihilated by the surging magma.

Han Wuxian didn't even glance at the destructive scene; his entire focus centered on his palm. The instant that faint Spiritual Fire fell into the power field vortex, an indescribable chill and chaotic will, mixed with pure Stellar Origin Essence, pierced his consciousness like an ice cone!

"Ugh!" Han Wuxian grunted, his crimson-golden body instantly covered with a thin layer of frost, even the flowing Dao patterns stagnated! The mutant cold poison power lingering in Xiao Ran's residual true spirit, even if only a core thread remained, its tyranny and chaos far exceeded imagination!

But he gritted his teeth, the Earth Vein Heart Will fused in his consciousness steadied like a boulder, while the Stellar Vein's power surged like a warm furnace. Dark gold and crimson light burst from his palm, gently yet firmly wrapping and compressing that point of Spiritual Fire into a crystal sphere only the size of a fingertip joint, its exterior flowing with dark gold crimson Dao patterns, its interior sealing a faint silver-white light.

At the moment the crystal sphere formed, that bone‑chilling cold and chaos were forcibly isolated and suppressed by more than half.

"Temporarily… safe!" Han Wuxian felt the faint but definite existence of Xiao Ran's life imprint within the crystal sphere in his palm; the great stone in his heart finally fell. He held it carefully, as if grasping the world's most precious treasure.

However, the crisis was not resolved!

Boom!!

Losing partial support from that Strange Black Stone, plus Han Wuxian's earlier forced intrusion and the energy disturbance from this Spiritual Fire Detachment, this already violent Earth Fire Lava Core Area erupted completely! The massive Lava Flood above, like a heavenly river pouring backward, carried world‑destroying power, wildly pouring down toward Han Wuxian's position! The surrounding space was warped by heat and pressure, emitting a grating tearing sound.

This place is no fit for lingering! We must leave immediately!

Han Wuxian's eyes flashed with a fierce light; he suddenly looked up at the chaotic, scorching Lava Channel above. The way back had been sealed off by even more violent energy turbulence! He hesitated not, making an extremely bold decision—no longer charging upward head‑on, but instead riding this turbulent Earth Vein Flood!

"Earth Shell!" he shouted low, the heavy sword in his hand humming and trembling, its tip pointing to the deeper darkness where the Lava Flood poured down! Not an attack, but a guidance!

The Dark Gold Crimson Light Cocoon surrounding him instantly shifted form—no longer round, but elongated and shaped into a shuttle‑shaped sharp blade that enveloped Han Wuxian entirely, like a deep‑sea submersible warship! The tip of the shuttle‑shaped blade was exactly the unmatched point of the 'Earth Shell' heavy sword!

"Charge!" Han Wuxian poured all his strength into it; instead of resisting the down‑pouring Lava Flood, he actively lodged the shuttle‑shaped blade at its edge, going with that destructive impact, like a knight taming an angry dragon, he boldly surged toward the deeper, unknown reaches of the Earth Vein!

Boom!!!

The shuttle‑shaped blade and the Lava Flood merged into one, speed instantly soaring to the extreme! Terrifying impact and friction frenziedly tore at the blade's outer layer, the dark gold crimson Dao patterns flickering, emitting a piercing screech. Yet Han Wuxian stubbornly maintained the form, using the 'Earth Shell' heavy sword's trait of guiding Earth Vein power to constantly fine‑tune his direction, narrowly avoiding the flood's more deadly energy turbulence core and collapsing rock strata.

This was a desperate dash dancing with destruction! Every tiny direction adjustment drained his mind, every energy impact made his qi and blood surge. Yet he clung tightly to the crystal sphere sealing Xiao Ran's true spirit, his crimson‑gold eyes burning with unyielding fire. He could not stop, nor could he die here!

No one knew how long had passed—perhaps merely an instant, yet it felt like ten thousand years.

Ahead, the surging Lava Flood suddenly emptied! Its violent impact vanished abruptly!

Han Wuxian, riding the shuttle‑shaped blade like an arrow released from a bow, shot fiercely out of that destructive Lava Waterfall!

Before him, the view suddenly opened up!

Below was not the endless abyss he had imagined, but an extremely vast, unimaginable underground space. At its bottom was not a rolling sea of lava, but a… silent, heavy expanse of Dark Gold Earth exuding an ancient primordial aura!

The earth was not flat, but covered with deep fissures like giant wounds; at their bottoms flowed a viscous, slow dark‑red Earth Vein current, like the earth's congealed blood. The air was saturated with rich Earthwalk Primordial Force and a heavy will that had slept for hundreds of millions of years.

Farther off, at the edge of the space, a faintly visible crimson‑gold barrier stretched across heaven and earth, immense beyond description, like the world's spinal column, emitting a soul‑shaking pressure! That place was the true source of Earth Vein power!

Here, beneath the Ocean Trench Furnace, lies a deeper Earth Vein Core Space! A secret earth treasury even the furnace's will has never fully reached!

Han Wuxian's mind and spirit were shaken; this vast, ancient underground world deeply shocked him. He quickly steadied his form, the shuttle‑shaped blade dissipating to reveal a somewhat fatigued but sharp‑eyed figure. He hovered above this ancient earth, instantly feeling a vast, gentle yet immensely powerful Earth Vein source energy enveloping him, as comforting as returning to a mother's body, swiftly nourishing his greatly depleted body and strength.

"Temporarily… safe." He lowered his head, opening his clenched palm. The Dark Gold Crimson Crystal Sphere sealing Xiao Ran's true spirit lay still in his palm. That speck of silver‑white light within seemed to sense the outside's rich, gentle Earth Vein source qi, flickering weakly once, conveying a hint of reassurance and fatigue.

Han Wuxian let out a long breath; his tensed nerves finally relaxed a little. He carefully surveyed his surroundings, looking for a temporary place to settle and to accommodate Xiao Ran. Eventually, his gaze fell on a relatively gentle giant rock platform not far away, beside a broad Earth Vein current.

He descended slowly, placing the crystal sphere gently at the platform's center.

"Xiao Ran, we are temporarily safe." Han Wuxian sat cross‑legged, his crimson‑gold eyes fixed on the crystal sphere, his voice low and firm: "Next, we must find a way… to truly bring you back to life!"