I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

Thick, scorching, and dark. As if thrown into the heart of a furnace, the boundless crimson and suffocating heat were Lu Zhao's only sensations. Dark red magma, like boiling mud, pressed and enveloped him from all sides. The terrifying heat penetrated the extremely fragile gray-black membrane formed by the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scales, frantically scorching his skin, muscles, and bones, bringing excruciating pain akin to being sliced ​​a thousand times. Each breath inhaled scorching, acrid air mixed with sulfur and earth-fiend poison, burning his lungs and throat.

Even more terrifying were the raging energy turbulence deep within the fiery pool. This was not a calm lava lake, but rather the confluence and outlet of the earth's fiery ley lines, filled with violent, chaotic fiery aura and turbulent spiritual energy storms capable of instantly vaporizing refined iron. These turbulent currents were like invisible meat grinders, constantly impacting and tearing at the thin membrane of light surrounding Lu Zhao, emitting a hissing, teeth-grinding erosion sound. The membrane of light fluctuated violently, flickering uncertainly, as if it would shatter completely at any moment.

Lu Zhao gritted his teeth, his mouth filled with the taste of blood and burnt flesh, his consciousness teetering on the edge of excruciating pain and suffocation. He gripped the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale tightly in his hand; it was his only reliance at this moment. The faint but clear pull emanating from the Reverse Scale was like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding him forward. He dared not hesitate for a moment, using all his remaining spiritual power and willpower to maintain the light membrane, and desperately paddling his limbs, following the direction of the pull, struggling to descend and advance into the deeper, hotter, and darker area of ​​the magma.

"I can't faint... I absolutely can't..." Lu Zhao screamed frantically in his heart, pushing the Refining God Technique to its limit, forcibly maintaining the last shred of consciousness. The Qi and blood of the Hidden Dragon's Sleep Technique were also circulating wildly, repairing the flesh and skin that were constantly being torn apart by the high temperature and turbulent currents, but the speed of repair was far from keeping up with the speed of destruction. He felt like a wax figure being slowly melted, every inch of his flesh and blood wailing and withering.

He didn't know how long he had been diving and advancing; time had lost its meaning here. Perhaps it was the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, perhaps an hour. Just as Lu Zhao felt the light membrane was about to collapse, that he himself was about to be completely incinerated, and that his consciousness was about to sink completely into the abyss of darkness, the magma ahead suddenly became thinner and brighter! The temperature not only didn't decrease, but instead suddenly increased several times, taking on a dazzling golden-white color! And the flow of the surrounding magma seemed to be guided by some powerful and orderly force, beginning to accelerate and rotate, forming streams of scorching magma "rivers" rushing in a certain direction!

"This is... the main channel of the Earth's Core Fire Vein?!" Lu Zhao's heart skipped a beat. The Earth's Core Fire Vein is a special channel formed deep within the earth, where spiritual veins and earth fire intertwine, resulting in highly concentrated and relatively stable energy flow. It usually contains purer, but also more violent, fire and earth-evil energies. The environment here is more extreme and dangerous than the chaotic earth fire pool before, but the energy flow is also more regular.

The pulling force from the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale suddenly intensified here, pointing clearly to the depths of one of the thickest, almost pure gold-colored, and hottest magma rivers!

Should he continue following the traction, or seek another path? Lu Zhao had almost no choice. Behind him were pursuers and a deadly abyss; all around him were raging fires capable of instantly incinerating him. Only the direction indicated by the reverse scale seemed to hold a glimmer of hope.

"I'll risk it all!" A fierce glint flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes. He stopped resisting the suction of the lava river, instead relaxed his body, placed the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale in front of his chest, and poured all his own Annihilation Spiritual Power into it to maintain the gray-black light membrane that was already full of cracks and on the verge of collapse. Then, he took the initiative to throw himself into the thickest golden lava river!

"boom--!"

Upon entering the golden river, it was as if they had jumped from a swamp into a raging torrent of steel! The speed increased more than tenfold! The violent, pure, and all-destroying golden fire from the earth's core was like billions of red-hot files, frantically scraping and eroding the light membrane! The light membrane emitted a "crackling" sound, like glass shattering under the strain, and cracks spread rapidly!

"Pfft!" Lu Zhao suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly vaporized from the high temperature. He felt as if his internal organs, limbs, and bones were about to be crushed and melted by the terrifying heat and impact! His consciousness began to blur again.

However, at this critical final moment, another unexpected event occurred!

Perhaps it was the stimulation of the extreme heat and destructive power of the Earth's core fire, or perhaps it was the annihilation spiritual power and indomitable will that Lu Zhao desperately poured into it, but the Nether Dragon Reverse Scale in his hand changed once again!

At the center of the Reverse Scale, that deep, dark golden light suddenly erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling dark golden radiance! A purer, more ancient, and more majestic aura of annihilation dragon energy, filled with supreme majesty and the aura of the destruction of all things, surged out from the Reverse Scale. It was not an attack, but rather an active interaction with the surrounding raging earth core golden fire, resulting in contact, collision, and even... some kind of strange fusion!

Nirvana is annihilation, decay, and return to nothingness.

The Earth's core fire represents the ultimate destruction, burning, and purification.

Two forces, both representing the "destruction" side, met in this extreme environment. Instead of the expected violent explosion, under the harmonization and guidance of a certain mysterious property of the reverse scale, a temporary, fragile, yet real dynamic balance and mutual transformation were formed!

The gray-black light membrane, which was on the verge of shattering, suddenly deepened in color after absorbing this wisp of pure Annihilation Dragon Qi, turning into a dark gold. The cracks on it were rapidly repaired and healed, and the thickness and strength of the light membrane instantly increased several times over! Although it was still sizzling and fluctuating violently from being burned by the golden fire from the earth's core, it actually managed to temporarily withstand the erosion of this terrifying golden fire!

Moreover, Lu Zhao could sense that a mixture of extremely pure, yet much gentler, fire and annihilation energy was slowly seeping into his body through the dark golden membrane. Although this energy was still violent, under the "filtering" and "harmonizing" of the Reverse Scale, it was no longer enough to instantly burst him apart. Instead, it began to slowly nourish and repair his severely burned and nearly collapsed body, even replenishing his already depleted spiritual power!

Although the process was still extremely painful, like having molten iron injected into his meridians, at least life returned to his body! From the midst of destruction, a glimmer of new life was born!

"It's the Reverse Scale... It's protecting me, and at the same time... it's also utilizing the power of the Earth's Core Golden Fire?" Lu Zhao was utterly shocked. The extraordinary nature of this Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale far exceeded his imagination. It was not only an "object" containing terrifying power, but also seemed to possess some kind of faint, autonomous spirituality, or rather, the part of the Nine Nether Evil Dragon's remaining will related to "survival," "adaptation," and "utilizing the environment" at work?

He stopped thinking and was too weak to think any further. He could only hold onto the last bit of clarity in his mind, grip his own back tightly, and let the golden river of lava carry him along, propelling him at high speed through the main channel of this "earth's core fire vein," whose destination was unknown.

Along the way, he "saw" many strange sights. There were "fire crystal" veins formed from pure fire elemental energy shimmering in the rock walls; there were strangely shaped fire spirits born from the earth's fire frolicking and chasing each other in the river, but they seemed extremely wary of the aura emanating from Reverse Scale and avoided it; he also saw some ancient, seemingly man-made passages and ruins that had long been eroded beyond recognition by the earth's fire, telling that cultivators or civilizations may have once ventured into this place.

This fiery vein seemed extremely long and not entirely underground. In some sections, it penetrated the rock layers, briefly intersecting with the space above. Through the scorching magma and golden flames, Lu Zhao occasionally glimpsed other, relatively "milder" layers of magma above. For a fleeting moment, he even seemed to catch a glimpse of a sky shrouded in colorful light and swirling clouds! But that sight vanished in an instant, immediately engulfed by endless golden flames.

"Could that...be other areas of the secret realm? Spirit Cloud Lake?" Lu Zhao's heart stirred. The Earth Core Fire Veins were interconnected, linking various parts of the secret realm. Perhaps they really could lead to the "Spirit Cloud Lake" area at the core of the secret realm? If that were the case, perhaps he could escape the Earth Fire and return to the surface!

This thought invigorated him. He tried to sense the area above using the [Refining Spirit Technique], while simultaneously sensing more carefully the changes in the pulling force emanating from the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale. The pull of the Reverse Scale didn't seem to point to the end of the Earth's core fire vein, but rather... at some point, it pointed upwards?

He waited patiently, enduring the endless heat and pain while focusing intently on his senses.

Finally, after advancing for an unknown amount of time, the pulling force emanating from the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale suddenly became clearer, stronger, and pointed precisely to the upper left! Simultaneously, in the perception of the [Refining Spirit Technique], the earth fire aura emanating from the upper left noticeably weakened, replaced by a rich, pure, and vibrant fluctuation of spiritual energy—a mixture of water and wood elements! Although separated by thick layers of rock and magma, this fluctuation of spiritual energy was completely opposite to and incompatible with the aura of the earth's core fire, yet it undeniably existed!

"That's it!" Hope shone in Lu Zhao's eyes. Without hesitation, he began to desperately swim against the current of the golden lava river, heading towards the upper left direction indicated by the traction force.

This process was extremely difficult. The scouring force of the Earth's Core Golden Fire was immense, flowing upstream, and every inch forward felt like battling against a mountain. The dark golden light membrane vibrated violently, and Lu Zhao's recently recovered spiritual energy was rapidly depleted again. But he gritted his teeth, pushing the power of the "Sleeping Dragon" technique to its limit, and with the pull of the Reverse Scale, he moved forward little by little with great difficulty.

Closer...closer...

He could clearly feel the "thickness" of the rock strata above thinning, and the fluctuations of the water and wood spiritual energy becoming increasingly clear. He could even faintly hear the sounds of flowing water and swaying vegetation! This formed an eerie and stark contrast with the roaring, surging sounds of the surrounding subterranean fire.

Finally, just as he felt he was about to exhaust all his strength again, and the dark golden light membrane dimmed and became covered with fine cracks, the magma above his head suddenly became thin and transparent, and the golden light was replaced by a soft, cool, pale blue light! A cool, moist, and vibrant air, mixed with rich water and wood spiritual energy, seeped down through the last thin layer of magma and the cracks in the rock wall!

Overjoyed, Lu Zhao mustered his last strength and thrust upwards with all his might!

"Splash—!"

With the sound of magma being broken open, Lu Zhao felt himself break through some kind of "membrane". His body suddenly felt lighter, and the scorching heat and viscous pressure around him disappeared instantly. In its place was cool, moist air with the fragrance of grass and trees! The dazzling golden light was replaced by soft light.

He broke free from the earth's fiery core! He broke free from that death furnace!

However, before he could even see his surroundings clearly, an overwhelming force of descent came over him—he seemed to have been thrown out of an exit located at a high place!

"Thump—!!"

The cool, clear lake water, brimming with spiritual energy, instantly submerged him. The immense impact of the fall dealt another heavy blow to his already severely injured body. His vision went black, he choked on several mouthfuls of water, and his consciousness blurred instantly. The Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale, which he had been tightly gripping in his hand, loosened slightly due to exhaustion.

Just before he completely lost consciousness, he managed to open his eyes and look up through the rippling, clear lake water.

Above, a clear blue sky dotted with wisps of white clouds stretched out. Sunlight filtered through the lake, refracting into a rainbow of colors. Around them, shimmering water plants swayed gently, and vibrantly colored fish swam about. Further away, on the lakeshore, lay a fairyland of mountains shrouded in mist, with towering peaks and exotic flowers and plants.

The air was filled with spiritual energy from heaven and earth that was several times richer, purer, and more peaceful than in other parts of the secret realm.

This is... the core of the Cloud Sea Secret Realm—Lingyun Lake?

This thought flashed through Lu Zhao's mind, and like a kite with a broken string, he sank completely into the boundless darkness and the depths of the icy lake. Only the Nether Dragon's Reverse Scale in his hand still emitted a faint, dark golden light, slowly sinking, carrying him silently towards the deeper, more mysterious unknown depths of the lake...