The trek through the forest took a toll on Li Lang’s young teenage body. The uneven surface and the dense foliage made every step many times more tiring.

It would’ve been even more strenuous if Li Lang had to worry about the Qi beasts lurking about as well. His Qi arts were either straightforward attacks or relied on tricks. The veiling shroud technique was more effective against humans than it was against beasts. That was because they had sharp senses, and didn’t rely on sight nearly as much. Thankfully, that wasn’t something Li Lang had to be worried about.

It took him a whole hour to cut across all the foliage. He regretted not having a sharp saber by his side to hack a path open.

By the time he got to the other end of the forest, he found a steep incline before him. Climbing up onto the hill, he was instantly assaulted by a wave of hot air. Before him lay an orange sandy desert. Behind him lay the verdant forest he had just traveled through.

The contrast was stark, but he didn’t waste any time gawking. Being on the hill left him too exposed. He didn’t just have to guard against Qi beasts, but other cultivators with ill intentions as well.

He swiftly dove into the desert after getting his bearings straight. He had a map, and he planned to follow it. He judged the pocket realm would unlikely provide him with a fake that led to a trap.

The deeper he got into the desert, the fiercer the winds grew. It didn’t take long to lose sight of the forest behind him. Thankfully, it wasn’t impossible to navigate. He could still see the sun. Using that as a marker, Li Lang soon arrived inside a derelict ruin.

The half-collapsed sandstone buildings still did their best to resist the elements. Li Lang took shelter behind the rubble to get out of the wind. He then checked the map, rested, and replenished himself.

It only took a few minutes to read the map, take a Nourishment Pill, and employ a water talisman to wash away the sand stuck to his face.

He found that his destination wasn’t far, likely within the ruins, which was a good start.

After his break, he went house to house, searching for any clues. It would’ve been a lot harder if these houses were still whole. Many walls were missing, saving him from having to search from room to room. The disrepair worked out in his favor.

That was because he managed to discover a stairway leading down inside a plain-looking house. The stone used to construct the stairs was completely different from the rest of the house, which was composed of sandstone. It was light grey in color, and Li Lang could feel the sturdiness of the material.

Placing a hand on the stairs, he found it resisted his attempts at using Qi sense on it. The material completely blocked out his senses.

Interesting…A material that can block out Qi.

He tried to break off a brick-sized piece, to no avail. Despite being battered by time for who knows how long, the material held strong. Unfortunately, that meant Ruby couldn’t take it into its artifact space. The size was too large, and Ruby couldn’t manage precise maneuvers like taking molecular samples.

With no way to deal with the stone, Li Lang continued his journey. The stairway took him down much further than he thought. It spiraled and spiraled downward for hundreds of steps.

With a light talisman in hand, Li Lang found the air getting hotter with each step.

When he arrived at the bottom, he was greeted by gigantic stone doors blocking his path. The doors were at least thirty meters tall and were wide enough to allow six Skyrunners to pass through them side by side.

The circular chamber, like the doors, was made of grey stone-like material.

I hope it’s not locked. I don’t think even several full-powered strikes from me would make it budge.

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Li Lang curiously approached the colossal doors, searching every nook and corner for levers or hidden switches. Due to that, it took until he arrived right before the door to notice something weird about the engravings. They didn’t seem to form any coherent decorative image, but there was a rectangular indent that was completely blank.

The size of this…

Li Lang rummaged through his pack and took out the map he was rewarded. When he did so, it began glowing with orange light. Taking the hint, he placed it against the rectangular area and found it was a perfect match.

He didn’t have to do much else after that. The map snapped onto the door as if it was glued onto it. Then the rumbling of the gears behind the door could be heard.

Despite their size, the doors quickly parted, opening up a large passageway for Li Lang.

The moment Li Lang stepped in, he found the temperature had cooled. The overbearing heat up until now had suddenly died down. It was as if there was a forcefield of some kind behind the door that kept the heat out.

It made Li Lang question if he was in the right place. After all, his goal was to attain his reward, the Primordial Star Fire. As he understood it, fires were typically hot.

After moving along the snaking path, Li Lang’s questions were answered. He arrived before a boulder. It wouldn’t have drawn any attention if it wasn’t left at the end of the hallway and, most importantly, a silverish-blue fire was constantly burning away at it.

The flame was blue at its center, but the entire outer ring of it was silver. It was like the silver was outlining the fire.

What kind of chemicals combusting would result in this color? It’s not that hot here. I don’t think it’s some kind of copper alloy, though.

Li Lang quickly shelved his thoughts away once he had a moment. It was time to go through with the mantra he had received along with the map. It was supposed to be a way to tame the flame, and he was excited to see what would happen.

He took a seat a distance away and began reciting the mantra. He could only recite it slowly, as it was a mix of words and nonsensical noises.

As Li Lang got into his groove, the silver-blue flame began to flicker. It put a smile on Li Lang’s face upon seeing the miraculous scene. His mumbling had somehow affected the weird fire.

Is it alive somehow like an artifact spirit?

He didn’t get to think about it for long. As he continued to chant the mantra, the flames reacted more actively. The movements sped up swiftly, and before Li Lang knew it, it latched onto him.

He couldn’t even react in time when he suddenly found himself engulfed in flames.

Shit, shit!

He rushed to cover himself protectively with his Qi. He reached into his pockets for his talismans, only to grimace when he realized it would be burnt up along with him. His hands still completed the motion anyway, and to his surprise, he found the talismans completely fine.

In fact, he was fine as well. The fire didn’t hurt and simply enveloped him.

Li Lang didn’t even get to theorize how that was possible when he suddenly found himself inside a dark space. There was nothing around, and it was pitch black.

What in the world? Am I dreaming? Or did the fire kill me somehow…is this the afterlife?

No matter where he turned to, it was still pitch black. Just as he gave up, the same silverish-blue fire abruptly lit up in front of him.

Okay…so I’m guessing I’m not dead yet. Did this fire put me to sleep or into some kind of illusion?

As if the fire could read his mind, it flared. It flared violently toward him and formed a fist. It then punched Li Lang right in the face, blowing him back. The assault didn’t relent, as it continued unleashing a flurry of blows onto him.

What in the world? I’m being beaten up by the fire!

Li Lang still had the composure to think as he reflexively concentrated his Qi around where he was being hit. Still, it hurt.

That was why he began to dodge and retaliate. However, the fire simply phased through his Qi-empowered spear. It made the battle into a defensive one for Li Lang.

The pummeling didn’t last long. The flames could tell its blows weren’t effective and changed its mode of attack. It engulfed Li Lang’s entire body and gathered around his forehead. It formed a small wisp of fire and then launched itself into Li Lang’s head.

Instantly, Li Lang cried out in pain.

The roar of pain echoed in the dark space he was in. He felt his brain heating up drastically, and something was trying to drill its way into him. He instinctively knew that he could not let it prevail, but he did not know how to defend himself.

Li Lang could only roar out while rejecting the invader attempting to breach his mind. He didn’t even have time to panic as he fought back with the vigor expected of someone with their life at stake. He felt like he was in a tug-o-war match, and if he lost, he would fall forever into the abyss.

I can’t…give…in…