431: Chapter 431 Circumstances are stronger than people

“Junior Brother Ye!” On the shore, Pei Tieshan and Dongfang Xinghe watched, their hearts filled with terror. They saw Ye Tian leap and bound several times along the chain, narrowly dodging that finger wind, but his figure staggered, aggravating his injuries.

Meanwhile, Li Xuanxiao had already stabilized the source crystal, his gaze turning cold as he looked over.

At that moment, the chain link that Ye Tian had slashed finally could no longer withstand the platform's vibrations and the magma's impact. With a sharp crack, it snapped completely!

The entire chain, along with the path Li Xuanxiao had taken to arrive, instantly lost its connection to the platform, dropping down and splashing up a massive wave of magma.

Because it lost its stabilization from one direction, the platform suddenly tilted violently!

Li Xuanxiao, who was in the middle of exerting his full strength to seize the source crystal, lost his footing and his body swayed.

And from below, that thick pillar of fire had already crashed into the bottom of the platform with a roar!

“Boom!”

The entire platform was thrown upward by the fire pillar's force before crashing back down heavily!

Ye Tian had just landed on the third chain when the massive tremor nearly caused him to lose his grip. He clung to the chain desperately to steady himself.

Pei Tieshan and Dongfang Xinghe were also knocked off balance on the shore.

In the center of the platform, the temporary formation eye Ye Tian had left behind, condensed from Chaos True Essence, finally could not hold up under the violent impact and collapsed with a pop!

The moment the formation eye dissipated, the faint connection with the fire spirit source crystal was completely severed.

Li Xuanxiao felt the longsword in his hand suddenly become light. The red-gold crystal no longer resisted and was successfully drawn into his hand.

It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and the majestic fire spirit energy contained within even made him secretly alarmed; it was indeed a rare treasure.

But before he had time to examine it closely, his expression changed.

With the loss of the source crystal's stable output and the temporary formation eye's replacement, the balance between the entire magma lake and the cave's fire-element veins was completely shattered!

The magma below began to churn frantically like boiling water. Countless pillars of fire shot into the sky one after another. The entire cave shook, and the crimson crystal pillars at the ceiling began to snap and fall, crashing into the lake and inciting even larger waves.

“Oh no!” Li Xuanxiao instantly understood that this place was about to go completely out of control!

He had to leave immediately!

He glanced at the source crystal in his hand, then at Ye Tian, who was struggling to climb toward the opposite shore on the third chain. Killing intent flashed in his eyes as he prepared to give chase.

“Li Xuanxiao!” Ye Tian’s voice suddenly came through the roar. “You’ve got the source crystal, but this place is about to explode! You and I are grasshoppers on the same rope now!

Killing me is easy, but if you kill me, you might not be able to find the right way out before the magma completely erupts!

This third chain is the only path that hasn't been destroyed. I don't know where it leads, but staying here means certain death!”

Li Xuanxiao’s movements paused.

He looked at the source crystal in his hand, then at the increasingly violent magma below, and at the two chains that were either broken or led to unknown places.

Ye Tian was right; now was not the time for entanglement.

Though he was conceited, he was not brainless.

Once this magma lake fully erupted, its power would likely be comparable to the self-detonation of a high-stage Huahai Realm Cultivator. Even he couldn't say for sure that he could escape unscathed.

“What are you trying to say?” Li Xuanxiao asked coldly, his figure already drifting toward the third chain where Ye Tian was.

This chain led to a pitch-black tunnel entrance on the opposite rock wall; it was the only way out at this moment.

“Cooperation.” Ye Tian spat out two words and continued to climb forward. His speed was not fast, clearly waiting for Li Xuanxiao. “Let's leave this hellhole first. We can settle our grievances once we're out.

You wouldn't want to be buried here right after getting your treasure, would you?”

Li Xuanxiao’s eyes flickered.

He certainly did not.

Moreover, Ye Tian was heavily injured and his aura was withered; in his eyes, he no longer posed a significant threat.

Once they reached safety, it wouldn't be too late to kill him.

As for cooperation?

What a joke.

He was merely using this waste to scout the path.

“Fine.” Li Xuanxiao landed on the chain, keeping a distance of several yards from Ye Tian. One in front and one behind, they moved quickly toward the opposite tunnel.

He didn't attack Ye Tian from behind, not out of mercy, but because the chain was swaying violently and magma was splashing below; the risk of an attack did not outweigh the rewards.

He was confident that as long as they left this dangerous place, Ye Tian would not be able to escape his grasp.

The two stopped talking and focused all their efforts on moving along the violently shaking chain.

The scorching air currents and the magma that splashed up from time to time forced them to divide their attention to dodge, greatly reducing their speed.

Behind them, the platform had already begun to tilt and deform under the impact of the magma.

On the shore, Pei Tieshan and Dongfang Xinghe watched with burning anxiety, yet they didn't dare to shout for fear of distracting Ye Tian.

They could only watch helplessly as Ye Tian and Li Xuanxiao, one following the other, disappeared into the tunnel on the opposite rock wall.

Almost as soon as the two entered the tunnel, an earth-shaking roar came from behind!

The metal platform finally disintegrated completely, its wreckage falling into the magma and inciting a towering wave of fire.

A large area of the cave's ceiling collapsed, and countless boulders mixed with crystal pillars crashed down, completely burying that area.

“Junior Brother Ye!” Pei Tieshan’s eyes filled with tears.

“Don't panic!” Dongfang Xinghe forced himself to stay calm, staring intently at the direction of the buried tunnel. “Junior Brother Ye and Li Xuanxiao went inside; that tunnel should be safe for now.

Now we... have to find a way to circle around or find another path.”

Despite his words, as the two looked at the completely blocked magma lake and the opposite shore, their hearts sank.

How were they supposed to get across this hellhole?

...

In the darkness, a rough stone corridor slanted upward.

The sound of collapse came from behind, but it was quickly blocked by the rock and grew faint.

Ye Tian leaned against the rock wall, panting heavily. Every breath he took made his chest ache sharply.

The sequence of extreme maneuvers and the escape just now had nearly drained his last bit of strength.

He swallowed two huiyuan pills, and only after the medicinal power dissolved did he manage to steady himself.

Li Xuanxiao stood a few steps in front of him with his back turned; his white clothes were still conspicuous in the darkness.

He was also regulating his breath, but his breathing was much steadier.

In his hand, he held that red-gold source crystal. The crystal's light was restrained, but it emitted powerful fire-element fluctuations, illuminating a small area around them.

“You certainly aren't afraid of me killing you right now,” Li Xuanxiao suddenly spoke.

“I am,” Ye Tian said honestly. “But if you kill me now, the commotion might cause this passage to collapse or disturb something that shouldn't be disturbed. You just got the source crystal and don't want any complications.”

“You know me very well?” Li Xuanxiao turned around. By the light of the source crystal, his face was expressionless, but his eyes were cold.

“I don't. But I can put myself in your shoes.” Ye Tian sat down against the rock wall, taking the time to regulate his breath. “If I were you, I would also prioritize stabilizing myself and scouting the path ahead.

You can kill me anytime; there's no need to rush.”

“You're certainly open-minded.” Li Xuanxiao took two steps closer, looking down at him. “I won the bet; the source crystal is mine. Now, you owe me another life.

If I hadn't stabilized the chain in time just now, you might not have made it across.”

“Likewise.” Ye Tian looked up at him. “Without me cutting the chain to create a distraction and causing the magma to erupt early, you might not have escaped unscathed with the source crystal.

Besides, I chose this third path first. Strictly speaking, I'm the one who found the way out for you.”

“Sophistry.” Li Xuanxiao’s tone was indifferent, but he didn't press closer.

He was evaluating.

Evaluating Ye Tian’s injuries, evaluating this unknown passage, and evaluating whether it was worth acting immediately.

Ultimately, he decided to wait a bit longer.

Ye Tian was in bad shape, but the light in those eyes reminded him of his previous experience in the Mirror Abyss.

This kid always seemed to find some unorthodox way out of desperate situations.

Keeping him might still be useful for scouting the path, or... drawing out other secrets from him.

Like that gray True Essence, or his strange control over the fire element.

“Say what you will.” Ye Tian stopped arguing and closed his eyes to regulate his breath.

He knew that his temporary safety came from the fact that both sides needed the other to scout the path, and Li Xuanxiao’s evaluation of his 'value'.

This balance was very fragile and could be broken at any time.

He had to recover some strength as quickly as possible.

The two of them remained like that, one sitting and one standing, silent in the darkness.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the muffled sounds of the collapse behind them completely vanished.

The passage fell silent.

“Can you move now?” Li Xuanxiao asked.

Ye Tian opened his eyes and slowly stood up while leaning against the rock wall. “I can.”

“Go in front.” Li Xuanxiao stepped aside, signaling for Ye Tian to lead the way.

This was to make him the cannon fodder for scouting the path.

Ye Tian said nothing and silently walked to the front.

Circumstances were stronger than people.