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墨書 Inktalez
In our astonishment, The Girl on the Water held the Lotus Lantern and lightly stepped onto the land, walking towards another girl. When she reached the position of the girl ahead, that girl also stood still and turned to look at us.
Two identical girls, appearing to be flesh-and-blood humans, now had more than half of their bodies overlapping, creating a terrifying sight.
It seemed our speculation was correct; the appearance of the Guide was indeed predicated on blood recognition, and now the Guide belonging to both of them had manifested.
Should I give it a try as well?
I took the Caiyou Sword and hesitated for a moment, contemplating cutting my arm. However, fearing the pain made it difficult for me to go through with it, so I handed the sword back to Qiu.
"I'll give it a try. If my Guide doesn't appear, then we can confirm our thoughts."
Nie Qiuyuan took the sword and sheathed it with a swift motion.
"Let me do it? I won't partake in such an act. Let's go; there's no need to confirm this in such a way when we already have a Guide present."
Hmm, is she reluctant to inflict even this small wound on me? A sweet feeling suddenly welled up in my heart.
We continued to follow the girls as they ran ahead.
The two girls occasionally crossed paths and then separated again, but their direction remained consistent. We used our lightness skills to keep up with them, running for over an hour before the two girls finally came to a stop.
As we steadied ourselves and looked around, we realized we were already at the foot of a towering Active Volcano. We could even hear the intense, restless sounds coming from deep within the mountain.
The temperature had become particularly hot; even standing still made us break into a sweat.
To my surprise, I saw a few meters ahead that a line of reptiles was sparsely crawling across the lava wasteland.
They weren't intentionally forming a line; rather, upon reaching a specific spot, they ceased to crawl forward and instead began to move sideways or even backward, as if an invisible line had been drawn by the Golden Staff of the Great Sage ahead of them.
There was always a sense of Ominous Feeling, as if it were a Death Line that absolutely could not be crossed. Even their instincts seemed to convey this message.
The two girls paused for a moment before changing their pace, slowly stepping over that "Death Line" and moving forward.
We exchanged glances, and Nie Qiuyuan stepped ahead, shielding me behind him, while Luo Dachun brought up the rear. We formed a straight line, ready to face any threats, following the Guide as we advanced.
The moment we crossed the "Death Line," I felt a wave of heat enveloping me instantly. Although the scenery inside and outside the line appeared identical, the temperature was worlds apart. I felt as if I had been thrust into a furnace, dizziness washing over me, nearly overwhelming me.
Just when I thought I could barely hold on, I felt a cool hand gently supporting me, accompanied by a refreshing breeze blowing in from the side.
I turned in surprise to see it was Luo Dachun. His internal energy radiated from his body, spreading a scent of ice and snow amidst the heatwave.
"Sikong. Heart." Nie Qiuyuan's body was also enveloped by Luo Dachun's internal energy, causing him to furrow his brow.
"Don't worry," Luo Dachun said with an easy smile. "It's been two years; don't judge my progress too harshly."
I knew that the violent surge of the Ice Cold Divine Pill within him was becoming increasingly severe, but it seemed he had not yet lost control. On the contrary, he appeared to be gaining more experience in mastering this power, maintaining a delicate balance even in such perilous circumstances.
The thought that this divine object within him could one day threaten his life filled my heart with an unshakeable sadness.
Yet at this moment, the icy power emanating from Luo Dachun's body effectively alleviated our burning pain, creating a sanctuary for us amidst the furnace-like air.
As we continued forward, we suddenly encountered a vast fracture ahead; the ground before us had deeply caved in. Beneath that broken earth bubbled and churned red-hot magma.
Without Luo Dachun by our side, it felt as if we couldn't even breathe in this place.
What was the purpose of bringing us to such a location?
The two girls walked to the edge of the cliff, their bodies overlapping, and turned to silently gaze at us for a moment. Then, quite suddenly, both of them spun around and lightly leaped into the air, plunging into the rolling lava below.
Even though I knew they weren't real, it still startled us greatly. Watching the two girls overlap as they fell into the magma and instantly vanished, I couldn't help but let out a sharp scream.
The Guide brought us here, but what about them… did they choose to end it themselves?
No, that can't be right. The so-called Guide's mission should be…
Could it be that this is meant for us…?
I looked in surprise at the two people beside me, only to see their faces were grave.
"So, is this the entrance?"
In the scorching air, I heard Nie Qiuyuan's voice.
Luo Dachun replied, "Logically speaking, it should be like that, but this…"
He lifted the collar of his white robe and with a swift motion tore off a piece, tossing it into the lava below. As the fabric fell halfway down, it emitted a wisp of blue smoke and burst into flames before even touching the magma, turning to ash.
If this is an entrance, then it's far too welcoming. Those guiding robots would surely be fine falling down there, but we are flesh and blood!
If all of this is just an illusion to scare off enemies, then it has been crafted with astonishing realism. In this era, could such a level of skill truly exist?
It seems that a scientific mindset has sometimes limited my thinking. The world of the Tang Dynasty may not be explainable by the rules of my own world.
"The information given by the gem is Ruteng Rehai Extreme Depth. This sounds very much like a method to enter the depths of Rehai," Nie Qiuyuan said thoughtfully.
I still felt quite uneasy.
"This is a message left for you by your family, so they must hope you find this place. Logically, they wouldn't want to harm you. But I can't help but worry. I'm concerned that we might misunderstand..."
Although I said that, I couldn't figure out how to interpret the Guide's actions.
"It shouldn't be wrong, but Zhenzhen, you must not go down. Let Sikong protect you and wait for me here. I'll go down. Whatever happens down there, I'll find a way to communicate it to you."
Hearing Qiu's words made me anxious.
"Don't go down! Let me go! I'm the only one here who won't truly die. Even if we make a mistake, I'll just return to another world and wait for you. So if something happens to me, you must win this battle. Then, find a way to bring me back!"
Nie Qiuyuan grabbed me firmly.
"What are you saying, Zhenzhen? Don't think that having two lives makes your current one less valuable. This life is mine; it's meant to be shared with me for a lifetime. I won't allow you to think like that."
"But..."
"This was left to me by my family. Do you really think they would want to harm me?"
We were both arguing heatedly, our faces flushed, when we heard a light laugh from nearby.
"You two, warm up for a bit."
It was Luo Dachun's voice. Immediately after, we felt a wave of heat wash over us. Turning our heads, we were astonished to see Luo Dachun and Flowing White Garment. Like a light bird taking flight, he soared upwards and then plunged straight into the flowing red magma.
In that moment, we were both stunned. In our bickering, we had completely forgotten about him.
He was someone who cared even less for his own life than we did.
Suddenly, our anxiety transformed into a burning urgency. Without Luo Dachun's icy presence surrounding us, the heat here was unbearable; yet the fire in our hearts was even hotter, making us forget that we were in a literal oven.
We watched helplessly as his figure floated down and landed on the lava, but he made no sound. His clothes did not catch fire; instead, he seemed to vanish entirely, as if he evaporated into the magma in an instant.
I shouted hoarsely, "Brother Luo!" but the heat wave swallowed my voice like an endless black hole.
Sweat began to bead on my forehead. While we had been caught up in our argument, how could we have forgotten about him? Now, all we could do was hope for the goodwill of Qiu's family.
Nie Qiuyuan appeared calm and reassured me that everything would be fine, but he took my hand and stepped forward two paces, gazing intently at the sea of fire below. I knew it was impossible for him not to feel nervous or anxious inside.
After about five minutes, we suddenly heard a long howl echoing through the air.
The sound was powerful and clearly emitted by a master with deep internal strength. However, it was impossible to tell from which direction it came; it felt as if it resonated from above.
"It's him; it's Sikong," Qiu's face lit up with joy.
It seemed that Luo Dachun was unscathed after jumping down, so in the unknown direction he was transported to, he gathered his inner strength and sent out a long cry, hoping to convey to us that he was fine and still alive.
Sure enough, the entrance to Tengyue Atami should be right here.
"Zhenzhen, are you ready?"
I nodded, and Nie Qiuyuan reached out his arm to wrap around my waist.
I felt the autumn breeze as he lifted us both off the ground, plunging down toward the rolling lava below. The crimson magma churned like boiling water; the scene was incredibly thrilling, and I couldn't help but tightly shut my eyes.
Later, I regretted my cowardice at that moment. If I had kept my eyes open, what a marvelous sight I could have witnessed!
I believed that Nie Qiuyuan must have kept his eyes open, but he refused to tell me what he saw, only mocking my timid nature.
As we continued to descend, a cool breeze rushed toward me, washing away all the high temperatures. When I finally opened my eyes again, the sea of fire and lava had vanished; behind us stood a massive copper door that was wide open, and ahead lay a dark passage that seemed endless.
Above the copper door hung a large plaque with four bold characters inscribed: "Gate of Courage." (To be continued)
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