Crossing to Douqi Continent and walking sideways

The flame crystal bridge made a subtle "clicking" sound under Xiao Muchen's feet, and every step was accompanied by the unique crisp echo of the crystal. This bridge, which was formed entirely of flame crystals, was crystal clear. Through the translucent bridge surface, one could clearly see the rolling red magma below. Xiao Muchen deliberately slowed down his pace. He found that the red crystals inlaid on the bridge surface were not decorations, but were arranged according to some mysterious rules.

"The temperature is rising." Chu Li's voice came from behind. The edge of the ancient book in her hand had begun to curl and turn black. "Every ten steps forward, the ambient temperature rises by nearly 100 degrees. At this rate..."

Her words were interrupted by a sudden heat wave. Lin Wan'er's graceful figure suddenly stopped three meters ahead, and the girl's slender finger was pointing at a darker hexagonal crystal. "The arrangement of these crystals is not random." When she turned back, the hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat. "I recognize this pattern. It's the 'Lihuo Formation' from ancient times."

Xiao Muchen squatted down, and a wisp of phantom flame condensed on his fingertips. When the dark blue flame touched the crystal stone, the entire crystal bridge suddenly trembled violently! The flame runes on the rock walls on both sides that had been silent for thousands of years lit up one after another, and the red light flowed on the rock walls. In a blink of an eye, a flame barrier that penetrated the sky and the earth was formed, completely blocking their retreat.

"Oh no, the mechanism has been triggered!" Ye Feng immediately raised his mace. Although his burned right arm had been treated by Ling Shuang, his movements were still a little stiff. He looked around vigilantly and found that fine cracks began to appear on the bridge surface.

Chu Li flipped through the ancient book quickly, the pages making a crisp sound under her fingertips: "This is a test set by Yan Xiu!" She suddenly stopped on an illustration, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, "You must activate the crystals in the order of the five elements to pass safely." She pointed to a hexagonal crystal in the center of the bridge that was a circle larger than the other crystals. "That is the center of the formation, which requires five different attributes of spiritual power to be activated at the same time."

Ling Shuang frowned: "We only have three attributes: ice, fire, and wind. We still lack..."

Before she could finish her words, the entire crystal bridge suddenly made a teeth-grinding cracking sound! Large chunks of flame crystals began to collapse and fell into the boiling magma below, splashing waves of fire several feet high. Everyone was forced to scatter and hide. Xiao Muchen grabbed Chu Li who was about to fall at the critical moment, and the two of them barely landed on a protruding crystal platform.

"Look at the other side!" Lin Wan'er's voice came from the right. The originally intact bridge deck was now shattered, leaving only five isolated crystal platforms suspended above the magma. What was even more bizarre was that an ancient Yan Xiu character appeared on the surface of each platform, emitting a faint golden light.

Chu Li's pupils suddenly contracted: "This is... the Five Elements Trial!" She quickly wiped the sweat off her face, "According to ancient books, someone must occupy the five positions of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth to activate the formation at the same time!"

The situation was critical, Xiao Muchen made a prompt decision: "Wan'er will be in charge of the 'gold' position, you have the fastest body movement; Ye Feng will be in charge of the 'wood' position, using the vitality; Ling Shuang will naturally be in charge of the 'water' position; I will be in charge of the 'fire' position; Chu Li, you will be in charge of the command!"

Everyone quickly took their positions. Ye Feng gritted his teeth and injected spiritual power into the mace, and the green vitality force flowed through the shaft of the mace; Ling Shuang formed seals with his hands, and the icy spiritual power formed frost flowers under his feet; Lin Wan'er crossed her two blades, and the golden spiritual power clanged; Xiao Muchen used all his strength to activate the Phantom God's Dark Flame, and the dark blue flame flowed on his body surface.

"Three, two, one, now!" Chu Li gave the order.

Five completely different spiritual powers were injected into the crystal at the same time, and the entire rift suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Even the magma below stopped surging, and time seemed to freeze at this moment. The next moment, the crystal bridge fragments that fell into the magma actually rose slowly against gravity and reassembled into a complete bridge in front of everyone's shocked eyes. Even more amazingly, the temperature of the bridge surface dropped suddenly, and a safe passage paved with blue flames emerged out of thin air, leading directly to the other side.

"Success!" Ye Feng was about to take a step when a deafening cracking sound suddenly came from the rock wall on the other side. The huge rock wall slid open to both sides like a door, revealing a deep cave. A low echo came from the cave, as if some ancient existence was awakening.

The phantom flame in Xiao Muchen's body suddenly became violently agitated, and an instinctive sense of crisis swept through his body. "Go!" he shouted, "Something is coming out!"

As soon as they crossed the crystal bridge, the passage behind them suddenly closed. The cave was much wider than expected. The rock walls were inlaid with countless fiery red crystal clusters, which illuminated the entire space in a blood-like color. These crystal clusters were arranged in a strange pattern, as if guiding a spiral staircase extending downward. At the end of the stairs, an ancient altar half-submerged in the magma could be vaguely seen. The surface of the altar was engraved with dark blue runes similar to the color of the phantom god's dark flame.

"The altar of the inheritance of the Flame Cultivator!" Chu Li's voice was shaking with excitement. She carefully touched the crystal clusters on the rock wall. "These crystal clusters record the complete entry-level mental method of the Nine-Transformation Flame God Technique! According to ancient books, only those who pass the five elements test can see the true inheritance."

Just as everyone was about to walk down the stairs, the magma around the altar suddenly surged violently. A humanoid figure made entirely of pure flames slowly rose from the magma. It had no facial features, but everyone felt that it was being watched by some ancient and powerful being. The flame figure was three feet tall, and the flames dancing around it were a rare bluish-white color, which was a sign of extreme temperature.

"Intruder..." The sound made by the flame figure was like thousands of crystals rubbing against each other, forming a heavy echo in the closed cave, "Accept the trial of pure fire, or turn into ashes."

Xiao Muchen took a step forward, and the Phantom God Flame in his body was released automatically, forming a layer of dark blue armor on his body surface: "I am here to accept the trial."

The flame figure suddenly split into seven flame pillars, forming the shape of the Big Dipper and surrounding Xiao Muchen in the center. "Show your flame, outsider."

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Muchen slowly spread his hands. The Phantom God Dark Flame condensed in his palms and gradually turned into a strange blue lotus. Even more amazing was that seven different colored flames could be vaguely seen dancing in the center of the lotus, entangled with each other but coexisting harmoniously. This was exactly the new realm he had reached after fusing the seven kinds of strange fire - "Seven Flames Return to One".

The flame figure seemed to be shocked by this scene, and the seven flames trembled violently at the same time: "Seven flames merge into one... This is impossible... Unless it is..."

Its whisper was interrupted by a deafening explosion! The top of the cave suddenly exploded, and countless rubble fell like raindrops. A figure completely shrouded in black flames fell from the sky, and a hoarse voice echoed in the cave:

"Finally found...Yan Emperor's inheritance!"

The black flames dissipated, revealing a middle-aged man in a dark red robe. His face was covered with strange black lines, and his eyes were completely occupied by dark flames. The most disturbing thing was that the black flames around him were actually devouring the surrounding fire elements, and even the crystal clusters on the rock wall quickly dimmed.

"The Flame Demon Elder of the Soul Palace!" Chu Li cried out in shock, "How could he..."

The Flame Demon Elder did not give anyone time to react. He waved his right hand and dozens of black flames attacked the altar like poisonous snakes. "The Flame Emperor's inheritance is mine!"

At the critical moment, the flame figure suddenly disintegrated and turned into a wall of fire to block the black flame. At the same time, the entire altar burst into a dazzling blue light, enveloping Xiao Muchen and others.

"The inheritor... accept the final test..." The voice of the flame figure sounded in Xiao Muchen's mind, "Stop him... otherwise the people of the world..."

The voice stopped abruptly, and Xiao Muchen felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes again, he was already in a strange space made entirely of flames. In the distance, the wild laughter of the Flame Demon Elder could be faintly heard:

"It's useless! The Soul Devouring Black Flame is specifically designed to defeat all fires in the world. You..."

Before he finished speaking, the whole space suddenly shook violently. Xiao Muchen was horrified to find that the Phantom God Dark Flame in his body was undergoing some kind of change, and a trace of golden light began to emerge in the dark blue flame. Even more terrifying was that the pulsation of some ancient existence came from under the altar, as if something was awakening...

(To be continued)