76: Chapter 77 The Battle for the Fire Gate

Less than half an incense stick's worth of time after the key slot of the old fire gate was revealed, two short cries of a Night Wing echoed from the bridge belly—one long, one short. It was Ning Yanqiu who had found them.

Lu Jin remained standing by the well, his gaze fixed on the dark red key slot at the bottom. In the gloom at the end of the side path beneath the bridge, Ning Yanqiu had already emerged.

Her cuffs and boots were covered in dust, and her right hand tightly gripped that royal court cold mirror fragment. The cold white light along the edge of the disk had not yet faded, clearly showing she had been using it to navigate the path all the way here.

Two Night-Wing Scout Hunters swept back half a step ahead of her; one landed on the broken railing of the well, while the other hung from a crooked beam on the collapsed slope. Their wingtips trembled slightly, a clear sign of their hurried journey.

"The bridge has awakened." Ning Yanqiu did not mince words, getting straight to the point. "When you blew open the key slot on this side, the three dead fire eyes beneath the Rift Gate Fire Bridge all lit up simultaneously."

As she spoke, she flicked her fingertips, tilting the cold mirror fragment disk toward the rubble by the well. A line of cold white mirror patterns unfurled, projecting a rough but clear map of the bridge belly.

"The front gate is a dead end; the true gate is hidden within the bridge belly. To open the ancient fire gate, we must first sustain the well fire, then activate the bridge eyes and the gate core together."

Lu Jin's gaze swept over the mirror map. The three eyes of the bridge belly were distinct: the left eye held broken wind, the right eye held hanging ropes, and the middle eye was the deepest and darkest, pressing down on a cluster of unawakened old fire.

"What is the situation outside?"

"Three groups have arrived." Ning Yanqiu's tone was grave. "The main force of Beiyue Academy is the fastest, having already reached the left bridge shoulder. On the right, there is a Heavy Hammer Team currently testing the front gate. High up, there is a fast team with double ropes eyeing the bridge eyes. Further away on the ridge, the dark gold short banners are still there; the Pei family hasn't moved, just watching us."

Lu Jin's expression remained unchanged. The Pei family was always like this—watching from the sidelines to see who would win or lose, waiting to reap the rewards after everyone else fought to the death.

"Then let's not give them the pleasure of laughing at us."

He turned to deploy his team, his instructions crisp and decisive: "You take the Night Wings to seize the upper eye and stabilize the wind pocket above the bridge belly. I will take the Burrowing Spear Rats and the Bone-Armor Furnace Guards through the old repair seams below to directly force the gate core. Wu Fu, guard the well fire well—do not let the line break."

"And the front gate?" Ning Yanqiu asked, her gaze sweeping over the Heavy Hammer Team on the mirror map that was currently pounding the gate.

"Let them smash it." Lu Jin bent down, his fingertips brushing over the fire line extending from the well. "Shitong said long ago not to take the main entrance. Let them break the dead seal of the front gate for us; it saves us the effort."

Ning Yanqiu nodded and flicked her fingertips. The two Night-Wing Scout Hunters immediately flapped their wings and swept upward along the old stone ribs on the outer edge of the bridge belly. She followed closely behind, the cold mirror fragment disk always emitting a beam of light, specifically illuminating the hooks and traps hidden in the dark corners of the bridge eyes.

At this moment, Wu Fu had already gathered the two surviving Spore-Plague Explosive Rats at her feet, binding their abdominal sacs tightly with nest silk. She said in a low voice, "The well fire can only hold for another half-burst. Any longer and the Post Station side won't be able to hold up."

"That's enough." Lu Jin raised his hand, condensing a wisp of well fire in his palm, and gently tapped it onto the nose of a Burrowing Spear Rat. "Go."

A group of Burrowing Spear Rats darted out first, their sharp claws prying open the rubble in the old repair seams at the bottom of the bridge. The Bone-Armor Furnace Guards followed closely behind, their heavy armored bodies crushing the dust and debris, emitting muffled sounds. Lu Jin walked at the back, his gaze constantly scanning the area above the bridge belly, wary of the fast team with double ropes high above.

The Rift Gate Fire Bridge was even older than expected. The entire bridge resembled a black-red bone beam lying across the rift valley. The bridge deck was partially collapsed, but the bridge belly was intact, though covered everywhere with old fire patterns and broken hook marks, clearly having been dismantled and hastily repaired in the past. The Heavy Hammer Team at the front gate was still pounding furiously, sparks splashing all over the stone gate, yet that old fire stone gate embedded in the rift wall remained unmoved.

At the left bridge shoulder, the youth in the grayish-brown short cape from Beiyue Academy had already spotted Lu Jin's group. His brow furrowed, and he shouted sharply to stop them: "Stop! This gate's ownership is not for you to seize!"

Lu Jin did not respond, only raising his hand to signal the Bone-Armor Furnace Guards to hold the repair seam. The Burrowing Spear Rats accelerated, digging toward the middle eye of the bridge belly. Seeing this, the Beiyue youth waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to rush over. A short hook stabbed directly at Lu Jin's back, but it was blocked by a Bone-Armor Furnace Guard turning around. The tip of the hook struck the armor, scattering fine sparks.

"Don't stop me, seize the bridge eyes first!" The Beiyue youth roared, charging forward with his hook in hand, but he failed to notice the gray gap under his feet that had been pried open by the Burrowing Spear Rats.

"Watch out!" someone exclaimed from behind, but it was already too late—the Beiyue youth's footing gave way, and he fell into the gray gap, entangled by the Red-Eyed Rat Tide that surged out, his screams of pain endless.

Above the bridge belly, Ning Yanqiu had already seized the upper eye. With a press of the cold mirror fragment disk, the cold white mirror patterns locked the wind along the outer edge of the bridge eye. The fast team with double ropes had just thrown out their battle ropes, but they were deflected by the mirror patterns, and the hooks embedded themselves into the dead ash nearby, unable to be pulled out.

"The upper eye is stabilized!" Ning Yanqiu's voice came from above. "There are old nail slots in the middle eye; it looks like someone has counter-locked it. Be careful!"

Lu Jin acknowledged, pressing his fingertips down. The Burrowing Spear Rats immediately stopped, their sharp claws prying open the layer of ash outside the middle eye. Indeed, a circle of old nail slots was revealed, with half a rusted iron hook embedded inside—clearly left behind when the gate was sealed in the past. "It was sealed by an old hand, not a recent mark."

Wu Fu's voice came from the Sea of Consciousness: "The well fire has been sustained, the fire line on this side of the bridge belly is connected, and we can force the gate core!"

Lu Jin did not hesitate any longer, thrusting the well fire in his palm forward, letting it drill into the middle eye along the old fire groove. The Burrowing Spear Rats exerted force simultaneously, prying open the dead ash shell outside the middle eye. A cluster of old fire sealed in a black shell was finally revealed—that was the gate core, only the size of a fist, as hard as unburnable bone, with a thick layer of scorched ash wrapped around the outer layer.

"There is old sealing ash on the outside of the gate core, put there by an old hand." Lu Jin crouched down, wiping off a layer of scorched black powder with his fingers. "Give the upper eye another burst of fire; I'm going to force it open."

A muffled sound immediately came from above. Ning Yanqiu guided the well fire downward, while the Night-Wing Scout Hunters simultaneously swooped toward the fast team outside the bridge eye, entangling their movements. The well fire in Lu Jin's palm merged with the fire sent from above and smashed fiercely against the black shell of the gate core.

Crack—

The black shell cracked, and the old fire inside leaked out slightly, carrying a scorched smell that had been sealed for many years. Lu Jin increased his force, and the Bone-Armor Furnace Guards pushed forward simultaneously. The black shell of the gate core shattered in response, and a cluster of pulsing old fire was finally completely revealed.

Almost at the same instant, the three eyes of the bridge belly lit up simultaneously, and the well fire surged along the old fire patterns all the way to the front gate. That old fire stone gate, which had been pounded by the Heavy Hammer Team for a long time, finally slowly slid open to both sides.

Everyone at the front of the bridge who had been fighting for the spot stopped their actions.

Behind the gate was not a normal passage, but an entire ancient war map spread out inward—on the gray-black stone wall, semi-submerged steles, winding old fire paths, and the shadow of a huge Main Stele that had not yet been fully illuminated in the depths were all clearly illuminated by the firelight emanating from within the gate.

In the center of the war map, three old characters covered in dust were lighting up bit by bit. First a horizontal stroke, then a vertical stroke, and finally the three characters appeared clearly, made exceptionally eye-catching by the firelight—Main Stele Area.

Lu Jin stood before the gate, his gaze falling on those three characters, his fingertips tightening slightly. He turned to look at Ning Yanqiu, who was leaping down from the bridge belly, the cold light of the cold mirror fragment disk gradually fading: "The Pei family has moved."

Lu Jin raised his eyes, looking toward the distant ridge. The dark gold short banner had indeed moved and was rapidly approaching. The remaining people from Beiyue Academy also gathered together again, their eyes full of unwillingness, yet they dared not easily step forward.

"Guard the gate." Lu Jin's voice sank. "The situation inside the Main Stele Area is unclear; do not let anyone enter for now. Wu Fu, sustain the well fire; Ning Yanqiu, keep a close eye on the Pei family and Beiyue Academy; Bone-Armor Furnace Guards, stand guard in front of the gate and do not allow anyone to approach."

Everyone answered in unison, each taking their position.

The wind of the rift valley rolled in with dust, making the ancient war map inside the gate increasingly clear, and the shadow of the Main Stele flickered in the firelight. Lu Jin stared at that unilluminated Main Stele, knowing clearly in his heart—this was not the end; the real battle had only just begun.