“The Heavenly Fire Mountain Range, legend says this treacherous land was formed during a battle between two ancient powers.”
“It’s perpetually dry and scorching, barren of any vegetation, filled only with crimson rocks and sand emitting strange heat waves.”
“Without proper protective measures, ordinary cultivators can’t stay here for long.”
“Moreover, due to constant erosion by wind and sand, the terrain is quite complex.”
“You two better stick close and don’t get lost.”
After instructing the two girls, Shen Mu took out a crimson-patterned Fire-Warding Pearl, chanted a few incantations, and activated it…
A barrier of flowing crimson runes formed within a three-zhang radius around him, shielding against the relentless heat waves from all directions.
“No need for you to remind me, Senior Brother.” Lin Yuhe also took out a Fire-Warding Pearl, activating its effect to form a rune barrier.
Though she cultivated a fire-based technique, her body couldn’t endure the endless high-temperature heat waves of this “furnace” for long.
“Yunfei, could a Fire Infant Fruit really exist in this godforsaken place?”
Chi Ying gazed at the towering mountain range before her, seemingly unaffected by the waves of heat, as if she were born to thrive in such an environment.
“Though this place lacks any green vegetation, it’s rich in concentrated fire essence.”
“And the spiritual energy here is dominated by fire, with other attributes making up less than a tenth. Plus, since few cultivators are willing to explore here, the chances of high-quality Fire Infant Fruits growing are quite high.”
“Master’s right. This kind of place is indeed likely to produce Fire Infant Fruits.”
The Golden Toad crawled out of Shen Mu’s robe, hopped onto his shoulder, and nodded in agreement.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look first. I won’t stray too far.”
With that, Chi Ying leapt off the peak, soaring through the air toward the mountains of the Heavenly Fire Range.
“Having flight abilities sure is nice. You can move through places like this without much restriction.”
On a desolate crimson rock and sand path, Lin Yuhe glanced at the steep, treacherous cliffs on either side, then up at the cloudless, sun-scorched blue sky, sighing slightly.
In the game, she only unlocked this area after reaching the Golden Core Realm.
Back then, she explored mostly by flying on her sword.
Now, without flight abilities, trudging through this sandy, barren terrain on foot was really testing her patience.
“With your talent and aptitude, if you put in even a bit of effort, wouldn’t you have reached Foundation Establishment by now?” Shen Mu said calmly, walking ahead of her.
Since meeting her, he hadn’t seen her cultivate seriously for more than a few days.
What a waste.
“If I broke through to Foundation Establishment that quickly, wouldn’t I constantly be compared to that guy by the sect’s elders and disciples?”
“I don’t want to be tied to him in every conversation.”
To completely avoid any karmic ties with that guy, she had to steer clear of all connections.
Even topical associations could draw his attention.
As an avid reader of web novels, Lin Yuhe knew well that once someone was compared to the protagonist, they were almost guaranteed to cross paths later—whether through friendly sparring or becoming mortal enemies. Either way, a bond of fate would form.
So, suppressing her cultivation a bit could reduce the chances of competing with him head-on.
And thus, lower the likelihood of forming karmic ties.
“Sigh~ I can’t understand what’s driving this mindset of yours.”
In Shen Mu’s view, in this world, only sufficient personal strength gave you the power to change everything.
No amount of fancy maneuvers could outwit the hand of fate.
“Oh, it’s fine if you don’t understand. As long as we stick to being grasshoppers on the same rope, that’s enough.”
Lin Yuhe skipped up to Shen Mu’s side, then asked, “By the way, are we just going to keep wandering aimlessly like this?”
Shen Mu nudged the Golden Toad on his shoulder. “Well, got any leads?”
“Hm…”
The Golden Toad carefully sensed the flow of spiritual essence for a moment…
Then responded, “Once we exit this valley, head southwest about a hundred miles. There’s a convergence point of fire spiritual essence. We can check there.”
“Good.”
Roughly two days later.
Following the Golden Toad’s directions, the two trekked over a hundred miles, arriving at a flat, sandy shore.
Before them lay a turquoise lake, surrounded by towering, steep cliffs.
The lake spanned an estimated twenty to thirty miles, dotted with scattered, intricately carved stone pillars, some broken.
But what drew the most attention were the massive beast skeletons submerged in the lake.
These bones, untouched by the erosion of eons, no longer held life or flesh but still radiated faint traces of spiritual charm and the lingering pressure of their former might, inspiring awe.
No doubt, they were once extraordinarily powerful beings.
Yet, in ages past, they met some unknown fate, their bones now resting here.
“This must be some kind of ancient ruin, right?”
Shen Mu scanned the surroundings, sensing the ancient aura, his eyes thoughtful.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Lin Yuhe walked to the edge of the still, waveless lake, crouching to peer into the bottomless turquoise water, her eyes curious.
“But this place doesn’t look like somewhere a Fire Infant Fruit would grow.” Shen Mu frowned, eyeing the strange carved pillars and surrounding cliffs.
“Wait here. I’ll check deeper areas. Don’t wander off.”
“Got it.”
With her reply, Shen Mu activated his Wind Spirit Movement, his speed surging as he began exploring around the lake’s edge.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuhe crouched down, curiously dipping her fingertip into the lake…
“Warm?”
Feeling the warmth and the faint, pure fire spiritual essence seeping into her skin, astonishment flickered in her eyes.
“Hm~ Feels pretty nice…”
She plunged her entire hand into the water, wanting to absorb more of the refined fire essence.
[Careful!]
“Huh?”
As the warning echoed in her mind, Lin Yuhe suddenly felt several hands grab her wrist from within the lake!
Then, with a splash!
Those hands, with an irresistible force, yanked her into the lake!
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