50: Earthfire Puppet

Inside the well, thick liquid-like black-red Devilish Qi churned continuously, battering the pale gold light curtain formed by the giant pillars.

On the light curtain, at seven key nodes corresponding to the tops of the seven giant pillars, three were currently flickering unsteadily with dimmed runes, clearly having suffered significant power loss.

Beside one of the most heavily damaged pillars, several blurry figures were embedding an object emitting an ominous blood-red light into a crack in the pillar's base.

With every inch it was embedded, the pillar's tremors intensified, and the light curtain dimmed further.

Further away, another group of agile people dressed in black were moving along the winding rocky tunnels, attempting to bypass the front and approach the "Demon Well" from the side.

At the end of the vision, an icy gaze suddenly swept over from deep within the Demon Well!

"Hmph!"

Lin Mo groaned as his consciousness, hit like by a heavy hammer, instantly snapped back into his body. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his blood churned in his chest.

"Young Master!" Chen Feng, who was keeping watch below, noticed the abnormality and immediately leaped up onto the high rock.

"It's nothing," Lin Mo waved his hand, suppressing his churning blood, though the shock in his eyes had yet to fade.

Was that just now... real-time images transmitted by the rusted sword?

"The danger here far exceeds our estimates," Lin Mo said in a heavy voice. "The Seal is indeed being destroyed, and more than one faction is at work. We must speed up!"

The next day, before dawn, the group set off.

Following the rough topographical map Lin Mo had drawn from memory, they adjusted their direction, no longer heading straight for Wild Wolf Valley.

Instead, they detoured toward a surface area characterized by a lava lake and a broken stone bridge from his memory.

The closer they got to the core of the Crimson Flame Mountain Range, the harsher the environment became.

The surface temperature rose, the smell of sulfur in the air was pungent, and vegetation disappeared, leaving only black rocks cracked by the intense heat.

Along the way, they discovered several more traces of intense combat.

"Something has come out from underground," Liu Qingli said, her expression grave as she examined a claw mark.

"It's definitely no ordinary Yao Beast. There's a faint residue of corrosive energy on the edges of the claw marks, similar to the descriptions of Devilish Qi."

Lin Mo crouched down and brushed his fingertips over the rock near the claw mark; his hand felt a stinging, icy chill.

The Aperture Condensation Method internal qi within his body circulated automatically, neutralizing the minute alien force that had invaded.

"Be careful, do not touch these residues directly," he warned. "Keep moving, and try to avoid areas with obvious signs of battle."

In the afternoon, they finally reached the edge of the area in Lin Mo's memory.

Before them was a massive circular depression, looking as if it had been struck by a meteorite.

In the center was a lake over a hundred feet in diameter, filled with churning, dark red, viscous lava.

On the opposite side of the lake, the ruins of a massive stone bridge, broken in the middle, were faintly visible.

The topographical features basically matched the images transmitted by the rusted sword!

"This is the place!"

Lin Mo's gaze was sharp. "The weak point of the Seal is right beneath this lava lake, or somewhere connected to that broken stone bridge!"

However, before they could observe further, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom—!"

The lava lake suddenly churned violently, and a pillar of blazing fire shot into the sky, accompanied by a deafening roar!

Within the fire pillar, a massive shadow loomed!

Immediately after, dozens of figures darted out from the rock walls surrounding the depression!

These people were clearly divided into two groups.

One group of about twenty people wore uniform dark black light armor. They moved quickly and coordinated well, carrying specialized crossbow bolts and chains with runes—they were dressed as the Black Iron Guards of the Heavenly Supervision Department.

The leader had a profound aura and was clearly at the Marrow Cleansing Realm; it was Vice Director Sikong Xuan!

The other group consisted of over thirty people. Their attire was disorganized, but each had a fierce aura, with the wildness and cruelty unique to grassland tribes in their eyes.

The leader was a one-armed, balding old man holding a strangely shaped scimitar. His eyes were as sinister as a vulture's, and his aura also reached the Marrow Cleansing Realm!

Beside him was a pale-faced, shifty-eyed middle-aged scholar—it was Advisor Hu, who had been missing for many days!

"Gray Harrier! It really is you!" Sikong Xuan's voice was like ice, piercing through the roar of the lava. "Colluding with foreign invaders to destroy the national Seal—you deserve ten thousand deaths!"

The one-armed old man called "Gray Harrier" sneered. "Old man Sikong, stop being so self-righteous!

This Seven Star Demon Sealing Array might be pinning down something unpleasant, but rather than letting it stay sealed forever, why not release it and see who truly rules the world!

The eagles of the grassland have long grown tired of circling over bitter, cold lands!"

"Stubborn fool!" Sikong Xuan stopped wasting words and waved his hand. "Take them down! Dead or alive!"

"Kill!" Gray Harrier also shouted harshly.

Instantly, the Black Iron Guards and Grassland Warriors clashed! Energy surged, blades flashed, and the sound of clashing metal and roars momentarily drowned out the lava's rumble.

Even more terrifyingly, the fire pillar erupting from the lava lake gradually subsided, revealing the true form of the monster within—

It was a terrifying humanoid creature standing thirty feet tall, composed entirely of burning rock and flowing lava!

It had no facial features, only two hollow eye sockets flickering with crimson flames. It exhaled scorching air and sparks, and as it swung its arms, it brought forth waves of blazing lava!

"Earth Fire Demon Puppet!"

Sikong Xuan's expression changed. "A monster formed by the combination of the loose Seal's leyline Devilish Qi and earth fire! Careful, it has immense strength, its flames ignite on contact, and it can even manipulate the earth fire to attack!"

The Earth Fire Demon Puppet roared to the sky, seemingly provoked by the surrounding battle. It took heavy steps and charged toward the densest part of the fray!

Every step it took shook the ground and sent lava splashing.

Both the Black Iron Guards and the Grassland Warriors had to divide their attention to deal with this sudden, terrifying monster, and the battle became even more chaotic.

Lin Mo and the other four hid behind a tall rock pillar, watching the battle with bated breath.

"It's the people from the Heavenly Supervision Department and the Grassland Royal Court!" Liu Qingli whispered. "They really are here fighting for control of the Seal! That monster..."

"It's a product of the leaked Devilish Qi from the damaged Seal combining with the earth fire."

Lin Mo stared intently at the battlefield, especially at the Earth Fire Demon Puppet. "We must find a way to get close to that broken stone bridge.

The true entrance to the Seal is likely beneath the break in the bridge or connected to the bottom of the lake."

"Go over now? That's too dangerous!" Chen Feng frowned.

With two Marrow Cleansing Realm experts fighting and that terrifying Earth Fire Demon Puppet, if the five of them rashly got involved, they could be torn apart by the aftershocks in an instant.

"Wait," Lin Mo said heavily. "Wait until they are both injured, or until that monster creates even more chaos."

In the battlefield, Sikong Xuan and Gray Harrier were already locked in combat.

Sikong Xuan used a pair of pitch-black short halberds. His Moves were simple and grand, each strike incredibly heavy. As the short halberds swung, there was a faint sound of wind and thunder.

Although Gray Harrier was one-armed, his blade techniques were fierce and cunning, and his movement was like a ghost. His scimitar was coated in a layer of gray energy with strong corrosive properties, constantly eating away at Sikong Xuan's Protective Aura.

Both had similar cultivation levels, making it difficult to determine a winner in a short time.