Invincible Soul Emperor

The two of them steadied their minds, then began walking forward along the dim passage.

With their steps, the surrounding temperature gradually rose, the air filled with a scorching aura, as if a flame force that could erupt at any time was lurking beneath their feet. Even though the Luminous Pearl in their hands emitted a soft glow, it still seemed insignificant in this dense darkness.

Xue Zhao looked around, her heart on high alert. She followed closely behind Ye Qingchen, because she wasn’t sure when something out of the ordinary might suddenly appear around them.

Xue Zhao had some understanding of this area, but at this moment she couldn’t determine exactly where they were.

Traces of red light began to appear on the surrounding stone walls; they were marks of flowing magma, as if reminding them that they were deep inside an active Volcano.

"This place... looks like something Xue Wei specially created just to deal with us." Xue Zhao muttered in a low voice, a hint of anger in her tone. "That bastard really went to great lengths to take us down."

Ye Qingchen nodded. "We’ve got to be careful. Xue Wei’s probably hoping to finish us off in one go here."

The two continued to probe forward.

The ground grew ever more scorching; the stones beneath their feet gradually turned red, as if they might melt at any moment. The air was thick with a strong smell of sulfur, making it a bit hard for them to breathe.

Their clothes were soaked through with sweat.

Suddenly, a wide open area appeared ahead. The ground was covered with deep red Magma Pools, radiating intense light that illuminated the entire space. The magma churned and boiled, emitting a low, roaring sound, like a giant beast deep underground raging in fury.

On the surrounding stone walls, some ancient inscriptions and Runes could be seen, glowing faintly, as if telling some long-forgotten story.

"These Runes... seem to record some kind of ancient Secret Technique." Ye Qingchen stared at the stone wall, his brows slightly furrowed. "Could it be this place wasn’t created by Xue Wei?"

Xue Zhao looked around, her face full of puzzlement. "Yeah, if Xue Wei did this, how come there are so many Runes all over the place?"

She lifted her head to look above them. There, the stone wall faintly let through a trace of light, as if leading to the outside world, but it was sealed off by thick layers of rock.

At this point, the two of them could no longer afford to worry about all that.

They kept moving forward; the surrounding temperature continued to climb, the scorching air burning their skin as if they were walking within flames. Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao both felt the Energy within their bodies unconsciously draining away rapidly, as if being devoured by this strange underground world.

"Something’s wrong with this place," Ye Qingchen said with a frown, sensing the rapid loss of Energy within him. "I’m using Energy to protect my body, but it’s still bleeding away fast. Something’s off here!"

Xue Zhao also felt the Spiritual Power in her body weakening at an alarming rate.

She scanned the surroundings, trying to find the source of the anomaly. "The temperature here is too high. This kind of scorching environment might be absorbing our Energy, but for it to drain this fast, it definitely isn’t just because of the heat!"

As they moved forward, the darkness around them grew even thicker, as if some invisible force was blocking their advance.

The Magma Pools on the ground became more and more dense, the air thick with a heavy sulfur stench; every breath felt like swallowing a mouthful of flame. Their steps began to grow heavy, and the dual consumption of stamina and Spiritual Power forced them to quicken their pace.

Suddenly, an area ahead flickered with a dark red glow. Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao exchanged a glance, then cautiously walked toward it. The light came from a massive Rune Formation on the ground.

The Rune Formation was covered with complicated and obscure symbols. The red light it emitted coiled around them like chains, as if intending to imprison them here forever.

"This is... a Sealing Formation!" Ye Qingchen exclaimed. He could feel the strong binding force contained within the Formation, constantly draining the Energy from their bodies while at the same time cutting off all their avenues of retreat.

The surrounding temperature continued to rise; the scorching aura burned their skin, as if it meant to roast them alive.

Ye Qingchen tried to circulate his Energy, attempting to break through the Formation’s restraints, but discovered that every time his Energy moved, it was mercilessly absorbed by the Formation, only worsening their sense of weakness.

Xue Zhao felt the terrifying power of the Formation as well. She tried to cast a Spell, but found that under the Formation’s suppression, her Energy became extremely feeble, almost unable to form any effective attack.

She cursed viciously, "If we keep being trapped here, we’ll probably be drained dry and end up dying in this damned place. That bastard Xue Wei actually used this kind of Formation against us! Where the hell did he even get it from?!"

The red light of the Formation grew ever more intense, as if mocking their futile struggles.

Ye Qingchen and Xue Zhao felt the Energy in their bodies continuously slipping away, their stamina also nearing its limit. The Formation was not only siphoning off their True Qi, it was also twisting their senses, making their thoughts muddled and hard to focus.

"We’ve got to find a way to break this Formation," Ye Qingchen gritted his teeth, his gaze fixed firmly on Xue Zhao. "Otherwise we really will die here."

They had calculated everything, except that Xue Wei would pull a stunt like this on them in a place like this!

However, Ye Qingchen knew that since it was a Formation, there had to be a chance to break it!

On the other side.

Wu Chang went through countless hardships before finally arriving at the seabed.

He had traversed treacherous deserts, avoided ferocious Monster Beasts, and nearly exhausted all his strength.

When he finally reached the seabed, his heart was full of dissatisfaction and resentment, and he couldn’t help but curse under his breath.

"Damn it, this place is an absolute hellhole! That Xue Wei is definitely doing this to mess with me!"

Wu Chang cursed as he weaved through the coral thicket on the seabed, observing his surroundings while hoping to find the Thousand-Year Elder Gui as quickly as possible.

Xue Wei had already gone over the Secret Realm’s situation with him beforehand.

So Wu Chang was at least somewhat familiar with the Secret Realm.

Even so, he still couldn’t help grumbling.

Xue Wei should’ve sent someone over to guide him on how to navigate this Secret Realm!

Otherwise he wouldn’t have wasted so much time earlier!

It was all Xue Wei’s fault!

The scenery on the seabed was strange yet beautiful; multicolored corals and bizarrely shaped marine creatures intertwined into a dreamy spectacle.

However, Wu Chang had no mind to appreciate any of it. His gaze kept sweeping the surroundings, anxiety churning in his heart.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally discovered an ancient Cave in an area thick with seaweed. The entrance was covered by dense sea plants, and he could faintly make out a dark silhouette inside.

Wu Chang’s heart stirred, and he sped up, swimming over.

When he entered the Cave, a massive sea turtle appeared before his eyes.

The Old Turtle’s shell was covered in scars, and it seemed to be resting with its eyes closed, quietly recuperating.