Chapter 476: Void Fire Illusion Realm, Entrance Opened

"It is the Hun Dun Flame," Lin Xuan whispered to himself, "it is calling to me."

He closed his eyes, attempting to respond to this consciousness. Surprisingly, his divine sense was able to follow this connection and vaguely see a strange Otherworldly Space surrounded by endless flames, with a mass of red-gold flame whose shape was constantly changing floating in the center; it was the true form of the Hun Dun Flame.

At dawn, the team set off for the volcano at the bottom of the valley. As the altitude decreased, the surrounding temperature climbed sharply, and the air was filled with a pungent sulfurous scent. Even with the protection of the Primordial Cold, everyone still felt difficulty breathing, and every step felt like a struggle.

Finally, a massive active volcano appeared before their eyes. This volcano was completely different from ordinary volcanoes—its crater constantly erupted lava of various colors, and this lava did not fall directly but instead formed a peculiar vortex in the air, resembling a flowing three-dimensional scroll. The center of the vortex shimmered with golden-red light, emitting powerful energy fluctuations.

"It's so spectacular," Xiao Yuan exclaimed, "is this where the entrance is?"

Lin Xuan nodded, observing the energy vortex intently: "Exactly. According to the records of the Rune in the cave, this vortex is the gateway to the Void Fire Illusion Realm, but it requires a specific method to activate."

Xu Feng took out a copy of the Rune he had transcribed last night: "The record mentions, 'Only the purest power that opposes fire can serve as the key to open the Gate of Void Fire.' I think this refers to the Primordial Cold."

Lin Xuan took a deep breath and stepped forward slowly. The temperature at the edge of the crater was already terrifyingly high; even with the protection of the Primordial Cold, he could still feel the burning pain on his skin. But more obviously, the Primordial Cold within his body was surging violently, as if strongly attracted by the energy field here.

"I need to inject the energy of the Primordial Cold into the center of the vortex," Lin Xuan said to the others, "unpredictable changes may occur next, so you should retreat to a safe distance."

Xiao Yuan looked at him with worry: "Are you going in alone?"

Lin Xuan nodded: "The Void Fire Illusion Realm is an intersecting space of half-matter and half-energy; it may be dangerous for ordinary people to enter. Moreover, according to the records, the time and space inside the illusion are unstable; if too many people enter, it could lead to a spatial collapse."

"At least let me—"

"Xiao Yuan," Lin Xuan gently held her hand, "I need you and Xu Feng to keep watch outside. If I do not return within a certain amount of time, or if any abnormalities occur here, you must evacuate immediately and return with the known intelligence."

Xiao Yuan knew this was not the time for argument and nodded: "Be careful, you must come back."

Lin Xuan smiled at her and turned to face the energy vortex of the crater. He closed his eyes, sank deeply into his inner self, and guided the power of the Primordial Cold. A stream of pure cold air surged from his body, transforming into a blue-white pillar of light that shot straight into the center of the vortex.

Shockingly, the moment the cold air touched the vortex, the violently swirling lava suddenly solidified, and the golden-red light at the center of the vortex surged, forming a ring of light with a diameter of about three meters. The space inside the light ring began to twist, as if something were trying to tear through the barrier of reality.

"The entrance has opened!" Xu Feng exclaimed, "It's amazing!"

Lin Xuan took a deep breath: "I am going in; remember what I said." After speaking, he leaped up and jumped into the center of the light ring.

The surrounding world instantly became blurred, and Lin Xuan felt a strong sense of weightlessness, as if falling into an endless Void. Countless bizarre scenes flashed before his eyes, and the concepts of time and space became meaningless at this moment. He did not know how much time had passed before he finally felt his feet touch some solid entity, and the scene before him gradually stabilized.

Lin Xuan was surprised to find himself in a strange world composed entirely of fire. There was no fixed terrain here, no solid matter; everything was composed of pure fire elemental energy. The ground was a slowly flowing sea of golden-red fire, the sky was orange-yellow energy clouds, and various shapes of flame islands floated in the distance, constantly changing their forms and positions.

Even more peculiar was that the flow of time here seemed to exhibit irregular fluctuations. Some flames burned extremely slowly, as if slowed down by hundreds of times; while others flickered so fast that it was almost impossible to capture their changes with the naked eye.

"This is the Void Fire Illusion Realm," Lin Xuan whispered to himself, feeling the rules of this strange space, "an independent dimension composed of pure fire elemental energy."

He carefully moved forward, searching for traces of the Hun Dun Flame. There was no need to search deliberately; the Primordial Cold within his body had already pointed the way for him, surging strongly toward the central area of the illusion.

As he went deeper, the surrounding fire elemental energy became more active, beginning to form various strange shapes: flame creatures flapping their wings like birds, points of light swimming in the sea of fire like schools of fish, and even flame structures resembling flowers and trees. These forms were not fixed but were constantly flowing, decomposing, and recombining, showing infinite possibilities of change.

Finally, Lin Xuan arrived at the central area of the illusion. An orange-red flame floated in the air, purer and more condensed than the surrounding fire elements, emitting powerful energy fluctuations that made one's heart tremble. Without a doubt, this was the true form of the Hun Dun Flame.

Lin Xuan approached cautiously, his heart filled with both awe and anticipation. Just as he was a few steps away from the flame, a sudden change occurred! The orange-red flame suddenly trembled violently, then split into countless tiny sparks, scattering in all directions. These sparks quickly changed their forms; some turned into small birds, some became slender snake-like shapes, and some condensed into insect-like forms, all rushing toward Lin Xuan together!

Lin Xuan instinctively wanted to release the Primordial Cold to resist, and a burst of cold air surged from his body, forming a protective barrier. To his shock, the cold air had absolutely no effect on these flame creatures! They easily passed through the cold air barrier as if it did not exist at all, continuing to close in on him.

"What is going on?" Lin Xuan was astonished, "The Primordial Cold is ineffective against them?"

The attacks of the flame creatures followed one after another; although they were small in size, they were numerous and moved extremely fast. Lin Xuan could only keep dodging while thinking of a countermeasure. Although these attacks were dense, strangely, they did not truly harm him; it was more like some kind of probing or test.

In his desperation, Lin Xuan suddenly remembered the realization he had during the trial of the Primordial Cold—true power does not lie in confrontation, but in understanding and acceptance.

"I understand," Lin Xuan stopped dodging and took a deep breath, "the Hun Dun Flame does not want me to conquer it, but wants me to understand its essence."