73: Chapter 73 My Brutal Strike, Not to Burn the Child

The heat waves in the volcanic rift were enough to scorch one's nostrils; by the time Chen Fan climbed onto the Lava Bridge with Su Shuang on his back, his coarse hemp shirt was already soaked through with sweat.

The young girl's arm slid from the side of his neck, and a drop of pale green blood landed on his shoulder, instantly condensing into a green sigil. Like a sleeping little snake, it pulsed with a faint heat in time with his heartbeat—it was Su Shuang's final protection before her bloodline was exhausted.

"Beep—"

A mechanical voice exploded overhead. Chen Fan looked up to see three torches, each as tall as two men, rising from the lava. Beneath each torch knelt a trembling New Player.

At the leftmost one, a Little Girl with pigtails was curled up. The fire chain around her neck sizzled with sparks as she was slowly dragged toward the flames at the base of the torch.

"[Triple Fire Hell Trial Initiated]"

A translucent system announcement floated above everyone's heads: "One person must be sacrificed for each stage. Those who pass may enter the Earth Core Ruins."

"Refusal to sacrifice or failure to pass will result in the elimination of all members."

The Little Girl suddenly began to sob, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz: "Inside the fire... there are people crying." She curled her legs and shrank behind the torch, the fire chain tightening until her neck turned red. "Grandma said she was cold, but the uncles insisted on burning her to warm the stove..."

Chen Fan's Adam's apple bobbed.

He gently placed Su Shuang on a nearby stone platform and used his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from her brow.

The girl's eyelashes fluttered, but she didn't wake. The green sigil on his shoulder grew even hotter, as if it were trying to remind him of something.

"Wait for me," he whispered. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists and turned around.

"The sacrifice begins!"

A charred tongue suddenly lashed out from the high platform. It belonged to an old monster covered in charcoal ash, with ghostly blue flames burning in its eye sockets—Chen Fan would later learn that this was the Tongue Burner Envoy under the Crimson Nightmare.

As the incantation rolled out, the first torch erupted into red flames with a "boom." The fire chain tightened with a "clack," and the Little Girl's scream pierced Chen Fan's eardrums like a needle.

"Let go!" he roared, charging forward and slamming his left fist heavily against the base of the torch.

"Bang!" Stone chips flew, but the torch didn't budge an inch.

At the same time, Chen Fan's temples throbbed as a health bar appeared before his eyes—[Soul-Scorching Brand Activated: Lose 5% HP per minute].

Gritting his teeth, he threw another punch. His HP dropped to 95% with a "swish." Blisters formed on his palm, and the pain made him gasp.

"It's useless," a cold sneer drifted down from the high platform.

Chen Fan looked up to see a man in black and red robes sitting on a Lava Throne. A blue flame pulsed within his chest; it was none other than the Crimson Nightmare. "This fire was tempered with three thousand lost souls. Do you think this is like hauling bricks on a construction site?"

Chen Fan didn't respond.

Staring at the Little Girl's wrists, which were turning purple from the fire chain, he suddenly heard a "ding" in his mind—[Critical Pre-ignition: 3... 2... 1...]

The moment the countdown hit zero, his right fist exploded forward.

A muffled explosion rang out in the air.

This punch was more than four times heavier than the previous one. The torch's base cracked into a spiderweb pattern before collapsing into rubble with a "boom!"

The fire chain hit the ground with a "clang," and the Little Girl threw herself into his arms, sobbing and shaking like a leaf.

The entire place fell into a dead silence.

Crimson Nightmare's pupils shrank to pinpoints, the blue flame in his chest flickering. "A mortal fire dares to defy the laws?

You know how many lives are being burned in this fire?"

Chen Fan panted heavily, the green sigil on his shoulder flashing for a brief moment.

Only then did he realize that his HP loss was lagging behind—it was Su Shuang's bloodline sharing the damage for him.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he gave Crimson Nightmare a cold smirk. "I know. That's why this punch was for them."

Before his voice could fade, the second torch erupted into flames.

This time, the one dragged out was a youth dressed in blue cloth short-garb, a broken jade pendant tangled in the fire chain around his wrist.

Just as Chen Fan was about to rush over, three fire puppets blocked his path with a "clack," flames flickering from their joints and making the air sizzle.

He took two steps back, feigning a stumble.

The fire puppets immediately surrounded him, four fiery claws lunging toward his chest simultaneously.

Chen Fan watched the rhythm of their movements, suddenly recalling his days hauling bricks on the construction site—to lift a two-hundred-pound bag of cement, one had to sink their waist and gather strength, exploding the moment the whistle blew.

[Critical Pre-ignition: 3... 2... 1...]

He suddenly ducked low and slammed his right fist heavily into the ground.

Lava splashed everywhere as the shockwave surged through the rock fissures to the base of the second torch, causing half of it to collapse with a "boom!"

The youth in blue cloth rolled away from the fire chain and quickly stuffed a black pellet into a crack in the rock, his voice as light as the wind: "The list... is in the fire."

Crimson Nightmare finally stood up.

His lava robes billowed. With a wave of his hand, the stone platform beneath Chen Fan's feet suddenly split open, and a tongue of fire lashed toward Su Shuang's face!

"Shuanger!"

Chen Fan's pupils constricted. Soul-Scorching Brand, fire puppets—everything was thrown to the back of his mind.

He lunged forward with all his might, taking the full force of the fire tongue on his left arm. An agonizing pain shot from his arm to the top of his head, and his HP plunged to 60%.

But at that moment, the green sigil on his shoulder flared brilliantly. Su Shuang's last drop of fox blood seeped into his palm, burning so intensely he could barely keep his fist clenched.

[Critical Pre-ignition Mode Activated: Energy accumulation available (Limit: 3 times)]

Chen Fan slowly straightened his back.

He stared at Crimson Nightmare, his gaze like a fire-tempered blade. "You say the fire needs a sacrifice?

Today, I'm not burning people... I'm only burning lives."

The flames of the third torch suddenly surged three feet high.

Crimson Nightmare's cold laugh was laced with killing intent. "Then let me show you what it means to—"

"Boom!"

The Lava Bridge suddenly shook violently.

Chen Fan looked down and saw the green sigil in his palm glowing brightly, like a red-hot branding iron.

He looked up to find the iron gate of the Third Hell had appeared before him at some point, the roar of surging subterranean fire echoing from behind it.

Crimson Nightmare's words caught in his throat.

Watching Chen Fan walk step by step toward the gate of the Third Hell, he suddenly realized that this construction laborer who had barged in with a woman on his back might actually be able to burn through the fire net he had painstakingly woven for a hundred years.

Chen Fan stood before the gate.

The green sigil on his shoulder was so hot his back felt numb, but he didn't flinch.

He reached out and pressed his hand against the door knocker. He heard the wailing of countless lost souls from behind the gate, mingling with Su Shuang's faint breathing, coalescing into a single sentence in his ear:

"Burn it."