The night before entering the Ancient Lava Cave, Ye Chen spent the night in a mountain cave at the back of the mountain with Li Ruo. Li Ruo lay quietly in the Crystal Coffin, while outside the cave, a dense group of guards kept watch. Ye Chen’s rebellious actions had sparked protests from the Elder Council, who were furious that Ye Chen had burned the remains of the first Clan Leader and tried to destroy Li Ruo’s body. Fortunately, the guards of the Luo Sijue family were under Da Xia’s command, allowing Haozi to easily mobilize a large number of guards to protect the back of the mountain, letting Li Ruo rest quietly.
Li Ruo in the Crystal Coffin was very peaceful, her expression cold; her delicate features and rosy complexion suggested that she had not died, but rather was in slumber in this world. Her soul was trapped by the Demon, awaiting Ye Chen’s redemption.
"Xiao Ruo, you have to believe in , I will definitely save you!" Ye Chen leaned on the Crystal Coffin, looking at Li Ruo inside through it. It seed as if they were exchanging intimate words. Outside, a commotion suddenly erupted, and the guards quickly moved to block the intruders at the entrance.
"We want to see the Clan Leader."
"Let the Clan Leader co out and speak!"
Hearing the voices, it was clear that they were from the Elder Council. These people were stubborn, old fools. Ye Chen squinted his eyes. How dare soone disturb his ti with Li Ruo at this mont; they must be tired of living. Ye Chen was furious, squinting his eyes as he walked out. Standing at the entrance of the cave, there were two high-powered lights illuminating the entrance, where those people were trying to rush into the cave.
"What do you want?!" Ye Chen suddenly appeared at the entrance, and a sudden silence fell outside.
"Ye Clan Leader, by what right do you burn the remains of the first Clan Leader?!" the crowd angrily questioned.
"Doesn’t a dead person occupying the place of the living deserve to be burned?" Ye Chen coldly looked at the crowd.
"The first Clan Leader made so many contributions to the Luo Sijue family; he deserves our adoration and reverence," the elders all said. They gritted their teeth and continued, "Shouldn’t we respect and love him?"
"Shut up!" Ye Chen roared with anger, "Adoration? Respect? Love? Are those things sothing you just put on display? They should be in your heart. You should think of the Clan Leader every morning when you wake up, and when you eat and sleep. Not leave him to lie a lonely death in the cave and only put on a show of adoration during holidays; is that aningful?"
"Ye Chen, stop making excuses!" the Great Elder scolded angrily, "You think we don’t know you have hidden a woman’s corpse inside?"
"Shut your mouth!" Ye Chen coldly looked at the Great Elder and said, "That is not a woman’s corpse, but a living person."
"If it’s a living person, why do you put her in a Crystal Coffin?" the crowd asked, puzzled.
"Because she’s not dead yet!" Ye Chen stared coldly at the crowd and then said, "I need to go to the Ninth Floor of the Ancient Lava Cave to refine a Phoenix Rebirth Pill to save her."
"Ah?!" Everyone was first stunned, then burst into mad laughter, "Haha..."
"What are you laughing at?" Ye Chen asked coldly.
"Ye Clan Leader, you’re just daydreaming, aren’t you?" the Great Elder laughed heartily, "Every past Clan Leader has taken pride in entering the Ninth Floor, but only one has succeeded since ancient tis. Your skills are the worst among all, so how do you plan to enter the Ninth Floor, let alone refine so Phoenix Rebirth Pill? I suggest you give up, be a proper Clan Leader, and bring that woman’s corpse out."
"Guards!" Ye Chen’s face darkened, and the crowd seed to realize that Ye Chen was angry, so they all stepped back in fear, their faces turning pale. Although Ye Chen wasn’t much, he was still a Clan Leader, after all. By his authority, no one could insult him. Everyone stepped back in fear, looking at Ye Chen with apprehension.
The Elder Council was no longer what it once was. Under Ye Chen’s sly and despicable control, the entire Luo Sijue family’s power had been stripped, causing the Great Elder imnse hatred. He couldn’t command the Luo Sijue family’s guard team anymore, and without the army, all power was empty, which was one reason he hated Ye Chen so much.
"Here!" The guard team imdiately stepped forward.
"Arrest these rebels and throw them into prison!" Ye Chen shouted.
"Yes!" The guard team imdiately moved to catch people. The Elder Council’s mbers scattered; these guys had so skills, making it nearly impossible for the guard team to catch them, disappearing in an instant. They didn’t dare go against Ye Chen’s words; if Ye Chen said to arrest, they’d arrest; if Ye Chen said to kill, they’d kill — no rcy given.
The guard team couldn’t catch anyone and had to apologize to Ye Chen, but Ye Chen didn’t actually want to imprison the Elder Council; he just intended to scare them. Being from the sa root, why should we be too eager to destroy one another? Ye Chen snorted coldly, "If the Elder Council dares to cause trouble again, arrest them for !"
"Yes!" Everyone nodded in agreent.
Unknowingly, the second morning arrived. As the sun rose from the east, the vast sea was already shimring with circles of golden fish scales. It was indeed beautiful, and the entire sea seed to be enveloped in tranquility, as peaceful as the sleeping Li Ruo. Ye Chen gazed at the beautiful scene, reminiscing about the past.
"Bro, it’s getting late!" Haozi quietly approached.
"Mm!" Ye Chen nodded, holding a cigarette butt in his hand, took a deep drag with it clamped in his mouth, and then exhaled a thick puff of smoke. He tossed the cigarette butt directly into the abyss below, where there lay a sheer cliff face. Ye Chen stood up and walked towards the castle. Haozi handed Ye Chen a sheet of paper and said, "Brother Chen, this is the record of the Ninth Floor. You must do your best. Find the Phoenix Blood and then craft the Phoenix Rebirth Pill."
"Mm!" Ye Chen nodded.
He glanced briefly at the record, which was the invaluable docuntation left by the only clan leader who had ever entered the Ninth Floor. He clearly docunted the locations he reached inside, as well as what kinds of monsters were there. The Ancient Lava Cave was a very strange place. The first few levels were quite peaceful without any strangeness, but starting from the sixth level, there were so creatures. The creatures on the sixth level weren’t very aggressive. However, the deeper one went, the stronger the attack abilities of the creatures.
So creatures on the seventh level already gave Ye Chen a hard ti. If he entered the eighth or ninth level, Ye Chen could hardly imagine it. As he went further down, the attack capabilities of the creatures beca even more bizarre and diverse. It might truly be where the Phoenix once lived.
Ye Chen prepared so gear, fire-resistant weapons, and a long spear that Haozi had asked a craftsman to forge overnight. This weapon wasn’t afraid of fire, so it could only be ford through external ans. It turned out quite well, with its surface very bright. The weapon was crafted from a piece of thousand-year-old cold iron, and it wouldn’t lt in the extrely high temperatures.
Ye Chen gathered these items and also carried a canteen of water. Although the canteen was heat-resistant, it still had a lting point. Particularly, once inside exceedingly high temperatures, the water inside would imdiately boil. Once opened, it would instantly turn into a cloud of steam. Therefore, Ye Chen needed to be extrely careful.
With Haozi accompanying, Ye Chen arrived at the entrance of the Ancient Lava Cave. Two enormous iron doors stood there, and no one knew what material they were made from. The doors’ surface was entirely dark and emitted a continuous antique aura. The old and desolate energy ca rushing at them. Ye Chen couldn’t help but reach out to touch the door.
Rumble...
The door slowly opened, and a dense mist wafted from inside. Even though Haozi was standing a bit away from Ye Chen, he could still distinctly feel the intense heat pouring out. He took a deep breath, eager to follow Ye Chen in.
Ye Chen walked in slowly, and the heavy door closed slowly behind him. Haozi sighed and said, "Bro, do your best! Sister-in-law and the brothers are waiting for you outside!"
Haozi looked up at the towering door, more than ten ters tall and five to six ters wide. The door was indeed majestic, facing the vast sea. Haozi took a deep breath, and then looked at the guards on both sides and said, "Without my order, no one is allowed to approach the door. Violators will be executed without rcy!"
"Yes!" The doze guards on both sides nodded imdiately.
Ye Chen entered the first level, where the first and second levels had guards stationed, but below the third level, there were none. Upon seeing Ye Chen enter, the guards saluted. Ye Chen nodded and proceeded downward. The cave on the first level was relatively small and didn’t have much of an impact on Ye Chen initially. Upon entering the second ti, Ye Chen’s clothes started to beco scorching hot, almost catching fire. In the extrely high temperatures, Ye Chen struggled to protect his clothing.
At the center of the stone slab on the second level, Du isha was seated cross-legged, seemingly concentrating. ditation was the most beneficial way to elevate a person, gaining power through ditation. Ye Chen didn’t disturb her, but Du isha was already awake. Upon seeing Ye Chen, she quickly knelt down, exclaiming fearfully, "Ma... Master!"
"Mm, how are you feeling?" Ye Chen glanced at her briefly. He had a long spear slung on his back and a canteen at his waist. Standing at the entrance of the second floor in army-green attire, Du isha quickly said, "I’m... all good, except I feel like I have endless strength inside."
"Mm, good. You may continue!" said Ye Chen, as he turned and entered the third level.
Du isha looked at Ye Chen in astonishnt, finally surprised to realize that Ye Chen had simply walked in fully clothed. Reflecting on her own nudity, Du isha blushed, while amazed at Ye Chen’s prowess, that his clothing remained unburned even in such intense heat. She smiled helplessly, knowing that surpassing her master might not be within her capability.
Ye Chen entered for the third ti, the intense heat surging forward. It was akin to the midday sun of September bearing straight down. Ye Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued walking. From the fourth level to the fifth, Ye Chen’s clothing had entirely vanished amidst the flas. Upon entering the sixth level, Ye Chen already felt slightly strained. Countless fire ants crawled towards him, and Ye Chen continuously shooed them away.
Upon entering the sixth level, the Golden Silkworm in his body seed to awaken, voraciously absorbing the surrounding heat. Ye Chen chuckled helplessly, "Could the Golden Silkworm have connections to the Ancient Lava Cave?"
The fire ants on the sixth level posed little threat to Ye Chen. However, the fire wolves on the seventh level marked the beginning of true challenges for Ye Chen.
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