The veil covering her face was already gone. Her exquisitely beautiful features were now flushed with a faint, unusual redness, making her appear even more captivating.
Unsure how to continue, Zhu Chen changed the subject.
"I've refined all the fire-attribute energy here. Let's head to the third level."
As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Zi Ling's slender waist. Vermilion wings unfurled behind him, and in a flash, his body transformed into a streak of light, flying straight toward the end of the Lava Path.
Zi Ling remained silent the entire way, her gaze occasionally drifting to her fair wrist, where complex emotions flickered.
There had once been a cinnabar mole there....something she had treasured for over a hundred years.
Now, it was gone.
Along the way to the end of the Lava Path, they encountered countless Iron Fire Ants.
The ants surged out from beneath the sand in overwhelming waves, attempting to block their path.
Zhu Chen merely flapped his wings once, sweeping them all away.
These fire ants might have been valuable to Han Li, who cultivated Gold-Devouring Insects, but to Zhu Chen, they were utterly worthless.
Carrying Zi Ling, he flew effortlessly through the endless swarm, quickly reaching the end of the Lava Path.
As with the Spirit Abyss, a teleportation array stood there.
However, just as Zhu Chen was about to enter the array with Zi Ling....
A colossal black ant, more than a hundred meters tall, burst out from beneath the sand.
"That's the Fire Ant Queen—!"
Zi Ling was just about to warn him.
"I know."
Before her words could finish, Zhu Chen flapped his wings and accelerated.
The Fire Ant Queen had only just emerged and hadn't even stabilized herself when Zhu Chen's punch sent her flying thousands of meters away.
Her massive, hill-like body smashed through several stone pillars midair before crashing heavily into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Zhu Chen didn't even spare her a glance.
He immediately carried Zi Ling into the teleportation array.
In the next instant, they appeared inside a vast, desolate stone palace ruin.
Four enormous gates stood at the four cardinal directions.
Each gate contained a teleportation array leading to a treasure vault.
Only three of these gates held treasures, and each person could only take one before being forcibly teleported to the Extreme Temple Illusion.
The Extreme Temple Illusion was the final trial of the outer hall of the Void Heaven Palace.
The remaining gate, however, led directly onward—to the inner hall.
Zhu Chen had no interest in the magical treasures here, nor did he wish to waste time breaking through the so-called Extreme Temple Illusion.
Using the Primordial True Explanation, he quickly identified the gate that led straight to the inner hall, bypassing the three treasure pavilions without hesitation.
…
Meanwhile.....
Inside the Spirit Abyss.
After several days of relentless hunting, Xiao Yan and the others had nearly wiped out all the Yin spirits and fierce souls in the area.
Han Li even managed to slay two intelligent artifact-spirit ghost kings.
Now, only a handful of scattered Yin spirits remained, drifting aimlessly.
[Xiao Yan]: Everyone, the Yin spirits are basically gone. Let's move on to the next level.
[Lin Dong]: Agreed. That's what I was thinking too.
[Han Li]: The second level is the Ice and Fire Path. On the way, we'll pass through a spirit garden where herbs are grown. We can gather what we need first.
[Xiao Yan]: What?! There's something that good? What are we waiting for—let's go!
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up.
He suddenly felt that the Void Heaven Palace had been tailor-made just for him.
While chatting in the group, Xiao Yan and the others hurried toward the end of the Spirit Abyss.
Several hours later, Xiao Yan and Lin Dong arrived at the Spirit Abyss Water Pavilion one after another.
Han Li arrived slightly later, having taken a longer route.
However, just as Xiao Yan and Lin Dong stepped out of the teleportation array, they spotted a dark figure disappearing into another teleportation array in the distance.
"Huh? Was that Brother Zhu just now?"
Lin Dong rubbed his eyes and asked Xiao Yan.
"It must be him!" Xiao Yan said confidently, stroking his chin. "No wonder he didn't say anything in the group chat—he wanted to get there first and snatch all the good stuff!"
As they spoke, Han Li caught up.
After hearing what they saw, Han Li walked straight to the teleportation array and examined it carefully.
"There's residual aura from Daoist Zhu's magic power on this array. It seems he forcibly activated it."
With Han Li's confirmation, Xiao Yan and Lin Dong were fully convinced.
Without wasting another moment, the three immediately activated the teleportation array and headed toward the Immortal Spirit Land on the outer edge of the second level—the Ice and Fire Path.
Unlock 400+ Advanced Chapters via My Patreon Collection
✨ Available in Shop Now
patreon.com/HeavenlyYinYang