180: Bone Forging Road

The extreme concealment provided by [Tracking Perfection] allowed him to avoid several lurking Martial Artists and wandering small flame guards along the way. In less than a hundred breaths, he had snuck to the edge of the crystal cluster, hiding behind a half-person-high red rock.

Observing from a close distance, the three Flame Stone Dog Guards were even clearer: their bodies were the size of calves, with obvious rock joints at their articulations. They made a "clack-clack" friction sound when moving, and the flames in their eyes burned steadily, clearly in standby mode. Their claws and teeth were sharp, with a metallic luster on the surface, indicating high hardness.

The fire source crystals on the altar emitted an alluring glow, with liquid flames seemingly rotating slowly inside the crystals.

Chen Linsheng did not strike rashly.

He first picked up a few stones from the ground and flicked his wrist lightly.

"Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Two pebbles broke through the air, accurately hitting the heads of the left and right stone dog guards!

"Crack! Crack!"

The flames in the eyes of the stone dog guards suddenly brightened, and their heads turned, locking onto the direction from which the pebbles had flown. They let out a low growl—a sound like two rocks rubbing together—and pounced clumsily yet swiftly toward the landing spot of the stones!

The guard in the middle only turned its head alertly, without leaving the vicinity of the altar.

"They have basic alert logic, but their intelligence is low," Chen Linsheng judged in his heart.

At the moment the left and right stone dogs pounced, he moved!

His figure was like lightning, erupting from his hiding place and pouncing straight at the guard in the middle! He moved so fast that he left only an afterimage in the air!

The middle stone dog's reaction was not slow; the flames in its eyes surged, and it opened its mouth to spit out a blast of crimson Flame Breath! The temperature of the flame was extremely high, distorting the air wherever it passed!

Chen Linsheng did not dodge or avoid it. A pale golden luster flowed over his body, and his "Golden Garment" Qi membrane was instantly strengthened!

"Chiii—"

The Flame Breath hit the Golden Garment Qi membrane and was actually forced apart, sliding to both sides! The high temperature was significantly weakened, only making his skin feel slightly hot.

Meanwhile, his right palm had already struck the center of the stone dog's head like a thunderbolt!

[Mountain Suppressing Seal] · Suppressing the Mountain!

The palm strength was as majestic as a mountain, further containing the spiral penetration of [Python Dragon Strength]!

"Boom!"

The stone dog's head exploded upon impact! Countless stone fragments splattered, the flames in its eyes instantly extinguished, and its massive stone body crashed to the ground, twitching twice before becoming motionless.

A fatal blow in one strike!

At this time, the left and right stone dogs had already turned around and pounced back, their sharp rock claws tearing through the air, clawing at Chen Linsheng's back, waist, and abdomen!

Chen Linsheng shifted his steps, deploying [Crane Ape Illusory Wind Steps], his figure passing through the gap between the two dogs' combined attack like a phantom. At the same time, both his hands struck out; his left hand formed a claw, gripping the neck joint of one dog, while his right fingers, joined like a sword, pointed toward the Flame Core in the other dog's eye socket!

"Crack!"

Applying force with his left hand, he forcibly crushed the rock structure at the stone dog's neck! The Qi force from his right fingertips penetrated through, directly shattering the Flame Core!

The movements of the two stone dogs came to an abrupt halt, and they crashed to the ground.

From the moment he struck to the end, it had been less than three breaths of time.

Chen Linsheng withdrew his stance, his breathing steady. The strength of these three stone dog guards was roughly equivalent to a Middle Stage Flesh Refining Realm Martial Artist, but their movements were clumsy and their Moves were singular, posing no threat to him.

He walked to the altar and reached out to take the floating fire source crystal.

The crystal felt warm in his hand, its interior slowly rotating as if it were alive. He tried to probe it with a sliver of Heart Fire Origin Qi—

"Buzz!"

The crystal glowed slightly, and a surge of pure, gentle, and easily absorbed fire-element Origin Qi flowed into his body along his arm, instantly absorbed and transformed by the Heart Fire Qi Vortex. He could clearly feel that the Heart Fire Qi Vortex had grown a bit, and its rotation speed had also increased slightly.

"As expected, it's a treasure... Not only can it serve as 'currency', but it also has direct benefits for cultivating fire-attribute techniques."

He put the fire source crystal into a pouch close to his body. Almost simultaneously, a number naturally surfaced in his mind—"One."

This was a counting sense granted by the rules of the Secret Realm.

"The number of fire source crystals collected will be automatically recorded... making it convenient to compete for rankings," Chen Linsheng realized.

He did not leave immediately, but carefully inspected the remains of the three stone dog guards and searched the crystal cluster for a while. After confirming there were no other hidden mechanisms or treasures, he turned and left.

For the next half day, Chen Linsheng wandered the edges of the Secret Realm like a patient hunter.

He specifically chose fire source crystal points guarded by a small number of guards, using the perception of [Tracking Perfection] to avoid large-scale conflicts and quickly collecting crystals with efficient and precise strikes.

By dusk (though there was no true day or night in the Secret Realm, the glow of the fire clouds would change in intensity periodically), he had collected seven fire source crystals. The number in his mind had also changed to "Seven."

During this period, he encountered two sneak attacks from other Martial Artists.

One was from three allied Loose Cultivators who, seeing him alone, wanted to kill him and seize his crystals. In the end, Chen Linsheng counter-killed two with thunderous methods and heavily injured one, seizing the three crystals from them instead.

The other was more dangerous: an assassin skilled in concealment suddenly erupted while he was fighting guards, thrusting a dagger straight at his back. But with [Five Senses Clarity], Chen Linsheng had already sensed the opponent when they were sneaking close. He deliberately showed a flaw to lure the attack, then used [Golden Robe Skill] to tank the dagger and retaliated with a Mountain Suppressing Seal that crushed the assassin's chest.

After these two battles, his positioning of his own strength in the Secret Realm became clearer: with his many trump cards, he was already top-tier at the Flood Dragon Tendon Realm, Initial Stage level. Facing a siege of two or three peers, he could fight and win; facing a Peak Flesh Refining Realm or a Middle Stage Jiaojin Realm, he needed to be cautious, but it wasn't as if he lacked the power to fight.

As he continued deeper into the Secret Realm, the guards he encountered became stronger and stronger.

From the initial stone dogs to later Flame Statues (equivalent to Late Stage Flesh Refining Realm) and Lava Giants (equivalent to Flood Dragon Tendon Realm, Initial Stage), and even deep within some ruins, he saw from afar a "Flame General" three zhang tall, clad in flame armor and wielding a giant lava sword. Its aura was so strong it likely reached the Late Stage Jiaojin Realm or even higher. He decisively bypassed it.

"The guards' strength is proportional to the rarity of the fire source crystals... Those Flame Generals are likely guarding large crystal mines or core ruins. They aren't something I can covet for now."

Chen Linsheng took a temporary rest in a relatively hidden rock crevice, swallowed a grain of Qi Recovery Pill, and circulated the [Five Viscera Absorbing Essence Art] to regulate his breathing.

He took out the map given by Old Hu—after entering the Secret Realm, the part of the map regarding the outside world had become invalid, but on the blank back, he was sketching a simple map of the area he had explored in his own way, marking the important locations, guard distributions, and other noteworthy details he had discovered.

"Current position is at the southeastern edge of the Secret Realm, about twenty li from the three Peaks. In the explored area along the way, there are twelve fire source crystal points, seven of which I have cleared. The remaining five either have guards that are too strong or are already occupied by other Martial Artists..."

He turned his gaze toward the three towering mountain Peaks in the distance.

On the Bone Forging Road, scattered figures could be seen Climbing with difficulty, every step appearing incredibly heavy. Some even collapsed halfway and were dragged into the cracks beside the mountain path by abruptly appearing flame Puppets, their screams faintly echoing.

On the Heart Refining Bridge, the mist churned even more violently. Figures on the bridge were sparse; occasionally, someone would suddenly go mad, attacking the companions beside them or jumping directly into the lava river.

On the Contention Platform, the slaughter never stopped. Bodies on the mountaintop platform had already piled up several layers deep, and the blood-light reached the sky.

"I must make a choice as soon as possible." Chen Linsheng put away the map, his gaze firm.

After half a day of observation and thought, he finally chose the "Bone Forging Road."

There were three reasons: first, his Physical Body was his strongest point, so he had the greatest confidence in reaching the top; second, the gravity field and flame Puppets on the Bone Forging Road were themselves a form of tempering for the Physical Body, which he could use to further polish his [Golden Robe Skill]; third, compared to the eerie and unpredictable Heart Refining Bridge and the chaotic and bloody Contention Platform, the environment of the Bone Forging Road was relatively "simple" and easier to control.

As for the fire source crystals... he currently had ten (including those obtained from counter-killing). Although not many, it was certainly not a small amount. If there were opportunities along the way, he could collect more, but he didn't need to force it; his primary goal was to reach the top.

Having finished his meditation, Chen Linsheng stood up.

He checked his equipment one last time: the Sky Fire Bow's string was taut, with fifteen arrows remaining; the Iron Sword's edge was still cold and sharp; his inner soft armor was intact; and supplies like trauma medicine and Qi Recovery Pills were sufficient.

The crimson flame great peng feather in his bosom was currently emitting a strange warmth, faintly pointing toward the Bone Forging Road.

"Do you also think I should take this path?" Chen Linsheng lightly stroked the feather in his bosom and, no longer hesitating, set off with steady steps toward that iron-gray, steep mountain Peak.

His figure gradually moved further away, finally blending into the shadows of the mountain path distorted by gravity and surrounded by flames.