438: Han Ruyan and her group's hopes

"Go!"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth, using the last of his strength to stand up, stumbling to support the most severely injured fellow Disciple beside him.

However, their condition was truly dire!

Their Divine Souls throbbed with a tearing pain, the spiritual energy in their Dantians was exhausted, and their Meridians were completely empty.

They could barely even maintain sword-kinesis, let alone escape quickly.

The shadow of despair, like the sulfurous smoke permeating the surroundings, weighed down heavily upon them.

Just then, an extremely faint yet exceptionally pure and scorching aura fluctuated, faintly coming from deep within the nearby crater.

Although that aura was deliberately restrained, the majestic Fire Elemental Power and a domineering will that seemed capable of melting all things contained within it...

...were like a lighthouse in the dark, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"This aura... it's from the crater at the mountain peak..."

Lin Feng looked up abruptly toward the mountain peak, a flicker of uncertainty and surprise crossing his eyes.

"It seems... someone is cultivating? And... they're so strong!"

Han Ruyan's ice-blue eyes suddenly lit up!

She instantly made a decision:

"Everyone! In our current state, there's no way we can escape the Demon Skeleton Mountain Range to seek help!"

"The demonic Cultivators are in hot pursuit behind us, while ahead... the aura of the Senior at the mountain peak is magnificent and powerful."

"It far surpasses ours; they must be a Spirit Transformation Realm expert! Moreover, the aura is bright and righteous, definitely not of the Demonic Path!"

"Those two demonic Cultivators were severely injured by Junior Martial Uncle Ling's self-detonation; their strength must be greatly diminished! This is our only chance at survival!"

Her words were like a clap of thunder, exploding in the hearts of the despairing crowd.

Lin Feng and the others instantly realized!

Indeed, fleeing was a dead end; seeking help from that mysterious Senior might offer a sliver of hope!

That scorching and majestic aura was the best proof!

"Listen to Junior Sister Han!" "Let's give it our all!"

A faint flame of hope rekindled in everyone's eyes as they gritted their teeth and took out their remaining healing Medicinal Pills to swallow.

Enduring the intense pain in their Divine Souls and Physical Bodies, they supported each other.

They struggled to climb toward the top of the crater, toward the source of that scorching aura!

Dozens of miles away, the rapidly pursuing Hun Ya suddenly halted.

On his pale face, his eyes, like green ghost fires, gazed toward the crater with uncertainty.

"Damn it! They... they're actually running toward that Lava Earth Core Scorpion's nest?!"

Hun Ya was both shocked and furious, feeling an indescribable wariness.

The two brothers hunted Cultivators and collected souls in the Demon Skeleton Mountain Range, and they knew the few forbidden areas in this mountain range like the back of their hands.

This crater was definitely one of the top three most dangerous places!

That Peak ninth-rank Lava Earth Core Scorpion, combined with that terrifying Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire, was simply a nightmare for a Spirit Transformation Cultivator!

Even if a Void Refining Early Stage powerhouse came, they might not necessarily come out on top!

"Could it be... they want to use that Yao Beast to get rid of me? Or... that faint aura at the mountain peak..."

Thoughts raced through Hun Ya's mind: to pursue or not?

His elder brother was severely injured and recovering in the rear; although his own injuries were lighter, his strength was also compromised.

If he rashly entered that Vicious Beast's territory... "Damn it! To lose out on both fronts!"

The more Hun Ya thought about it, the more frustrated he felt. Ling Xuzi's self-detonation had yielded no benefits.

Instead, he had lost men and generals, and even the beauty within his grasp had flown away!

A fierce light flashed in his eyes as he finally gritted his teeth. "I'll wait right here at the foot of the mountain! I don't believe you can stay inside forever!"

"Once Big Brother recovers a bit, we'll charge up together! That silver-haired girl must be mine!"

His figure flickered as he transformed into a faint black smoke, sneaking toward the foot of the volcano to lie in wait.

Inside the crater, at the edge of the lava lake.

Yao Delong sat cross-legged, his aura restrained, yet faintly resonating in a wondrous harmony with the entire volcano and even the pulse of the earth beneath his feet.

He held his hands in a hollow embrace before his Dantian. Between his palms...

...a cluster of dark red, nearly white flame, with a blindingly white light pulsing at its core, hovered quietly. It was the Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire that had just been completely refined!

At this moment, he was fully operating the exquisite fire control techniques of the Void Derivation Pill Transformation Art.

In his Sea of Consciousness, that ethereal Void Flame Blazing Fire acted as the most loyal bridge and lubricant.

It carefully harmonized the vibrant vitality of the Life-Generating Creation Fire with the violent incinerating power of the Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire.

Under the absolute cooperation and exquisite control of his powerful Divine Soul will, the three essences of fire with completely different properties...

...gradually reached a delicate balance. They no longer conflicted with each other, but instead showed a faint trend of Fusion and complementarity.

With the final completion of the refinement, Yao Delong's Divine Soul will was completely imprinted upon the core Origin of the Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire.

An unprecedented sense of clarity welled up in his heart.

He felt as if he could "touch" the omnipresent Fire Elemental Power in the surrounding world.

He could even faintly perceive deeper levels of the earth's pulse and the Law of Fire!

This wasn't an increase in cultivation Realm, but a sudden elevation in his comprehension of the power of heaven and earth!

He even had a strong premonition that he wouldn't need to wait for the Soul Transformation Realm to attempt to channel a sliver of the power of heaven and earth to empower himself!

This sense of control was incredibly profound!

"This Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire... actually has the miraculous effect of burning Divine Thought power?" Yao Delong was pleasantly surprised.

He tried to probe a strand of Divine Thought into the flame's core.

That strand of Divine Thought was instantly enveloped and purified by a strange Earth Core Incinerating Power, becoming more condensed and pure!

This meant that this fire could not only harm enemies but also protect his own Divine Soul and resist the intrusion of external evils! Its uses were endless!

"Roar!"

Just then, Qiong Shuang, who was on guard at the perimeter, let out a low dragon roar of warning.

Her body instantly swelled to over a dozen zhang, her ice-crystal scales shimmering under the red light of the lava.

She blocked the only path leading to this place, her dragon prestige awe-inspiring!

"Stop! My Big Brother is in secluded cultivation here. If you know what's good for you, leave quickly! Otherwise, don't blame this Flood Dragon for being impolite!"

Qiong Shuang's voice, carrying the pressure of a true dragon, rolled out.

Han Ruyan and the others, who were struggling to approach from below, were startled by this sudden Peak eighth-rank Flood Dragon. Under the pressure of its aura, they could barely stand.

"Senior, please appease your anger!" Han Ruyan forced a breath, her voice cold yet laced with urgency.

"We are Disciples of Myriad Sword Valley. We were pursued by demonic Cultivators, and our sect elder has... has heroically sacrificed himself to cover our retreat!"

"Now, with Soul Transformation demonic Cultivators in hot pursuit behind us and our strength exhausted, we truly have no way out!"

"We hope Senior will take pity on us as fellow members of the Righteous Path and lend a helping hand!"

"Those two demonic cultivators—one is at the Early Stage Soul Transformation and the other at the Mid-stage Soul Transformation—were both severely injured by my Junior Martial Uncle's self-detonation; their strength is greatly diminished!"

Qiong Shuang's ice-blue vertical pupils swept over the disheveled group, pausing for a moment on Han Ruyan, recognizing her.

Thinking that her Big Brother seemed to have some history with this woman, and that the demonic Cultivators she mentioned were only two injured ones... Qiong Shuang's massive dragon head nodded slightly.

"Wait here and do not move! I will go see if Big Brother has completed his seclusion."

With that, her massive body transformed into a streak of white light and instantly vanished into the depths of the crater.

Hearing this, Han Ruyan and the others finally relaxed their tense nerves, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, seizing every second to regulate their breathing and recover.

At least, they were safe for the time being.