As the thought struck him, Young Master Liu lowered his voice. “This place is dangerous. Let’s get up there first!”

Scholar Jia waved him off. “Hold on a moment. Look over there!” He aimed his wolf-eye flashlight behind Young Master Liu.

Amongst a jumble of broken stones and gravel, they discovered a severed arm. It was thick, and the wound was ragged, looking as if it had been violently torn from the body. The blood on the ground had already dried and congealed, and judging by the spray pattern, the scene at the time must have been intensely gruesome.

Next to the severed arm lay a cyan pouch. Young Master Liu recognized it as belonging to one of the bald brutes seated beside the skinny tall man. Could this severed arm belong to one of those bald brutes? It seemed the seven strange figures had been attacked by some mysterious beast at the bottom of the volcano, leading to this tragedy.

Scholar Jia squatted down and opened the cyan pouch. A flash of cold light shot out, forcing both men to squint. Lying within the cyan pouch was a polished steel shovel. It had a long shaft, and the curve of the blade was perfect—thin as tin foil, radiating a bone-chilling sheen. It was clearly no ordinary tool.

Scholar Jia snatched up the polished steel shovel and swung it in a wide arc. The sharp blade sliced the air, emitting a sharp whish. Then, with a flick of his wrist, Scholar Jia smoothly plunged the shovel into the ground beneath his feet. The normally hard earth yielded like soft tofu before the steel shovel; the entire crescent-shaped blade sank effortlessly out of sight.

Young Master Liu let out a silent gasp of awe, only then noticing a strange pattern carved onto the shovel’s handle.

Scholar Jia swiftly yanked the shovel from the earth and said with admiration, “The Crescent Shovel of the Desert Saints is indeed worthy of its reputation!”

“The Desert Saints?” Young Master Liu looked at Scholar Jia curiously. How did he know such a peculiar name? And what did the Desert Saints represent?

However, Scholar Jia seemed in no mood to alleviate Young Master Liu’s confusion. He stood up, walked over to the mutilated corpse of the skinny tall man, and plucked off the jade thumb ring. “This ring is quite valuable. Consider it extra income from this trip to Tibet!”

With that, Scholar Jia made no ceremony of slipping the jade thumb ring into his pocket.

“Let’s go! We need to leave this place!” Scholar Jia turned and told Young Master Liu.

Young Master Liu and Scholar Jia crept toward the climbing rope, careful not to make any loud noises, terrified of alerting the lurking monster. Young Master Liu felt as if he were walking the edge of the gates of hell, sweat pouring down his body. Scholar Jia appeared much more relaxed; perhaps his extensive experience in life-and-death situations had forged such extraordinary courage in him.

As they walked, perhaps due to extreme tension, Young Master Liu suddenly tripped, falling to the ground with a thud that made him grimace in pain.

As Young Master Liu pushed himself up on his arms and raised his head, he saw two fireballs, each the size of a fist, glowing faintly not far ahead. Behind the fireballs, a vague shadow seemed to stand—it was impossible to tell what it was.

Young Master Liu’s heart seized. His sixth sense screamed that the shadowy mass was most likely the man-eating beast lurking at the base of the volcano! At that moment, he had no time to ponder why life could exist inside an active volcano; he only managed a low gasp, “Run!” Immediately after, he and Scholar Jia bolted away like two startled rabbits, scrambling toward the climbing rope.

The moment they moved, the beast lurking in the darkness shot out with a whoosh. A powerful gust of wind rushed from behind them; the creature was closing in with terrifying ferocity.

Young Master Liu couldn't help but glance back. That single look shattered his composure. Oh heavens, it was a gigantic lizard! This lizard was unlike any they had seen before—its body was brilliant white, covered in red nodules, looking from a distance like a delicious sweet bean cake dotted with red beans. This lizard was over two meters long, moving like the wind, its powerful tail whipping up shards of rock from the ground.

The distance between them and the lizard was rapidly shrinking. Suddenly, it opened its mouth, and a stream of crimson fire erupted, much like the flame from a flamethrower, though perhaps slightly less potent.

That scarlet jet of fire struck Young Master Liu’s rear end like a venomous snake. Young Master Liu felt a searing heat, as if his backside had been slapped onto a hot stove, making him jump three feet in the air. Ignoring the burn, he ran and yelled, “Damn it, it’s a Salamander!”

The fire salamander was a strange creature—an amphibian whose body was cold, impervious to fire, and capable of spewing flames to attack enemies, possessing incredible regenerative abilities, giving it an almost deathless quality. Such creatures were extremely rare; they never expected to encounter one inside a volcano.

A fire salamander of this immense size naturally expelled flames far more potent than common lizards. Furthermore, having lived inside the volcano year-round, its flames burned intensely hot, capable of melting rock. If Young Master Liu had been slightly slower, he would likely be roasting now.

They reached the base of the rock face; there was no time to attach ascenders. They leaped up, grabbing the climbing rope with bare hands, desperately climbing upwards. As the crater opening above them grew larger, their climbing speed increased.

Fan DeBiao and the others waiting at the crater rim saw the perilous situation below and their faces turned ashen. Shouting loudly, they raised their guns and fired several rapid shots behind the two men, attempting to stop the frenzied fire salamander.

The creature followed them closely; climbing the rock face was clearly its forte. Its four limbs scrabbled against the stone, sending it surging upward with alarming speed, as if traversing flat ground. Two of the bullets fired by Fan DeBiao’s group struck the fire salamander, but they failed to deter the enraged beast. In its fury, it suddenly spat a jet of flame, igniting the climbing rope near the bottom. The fire crackled and raced upward along the rope.

Left with no choice, Young Master Liu and Scholar Jia released the rope, clutching the protruding rocks on the cliff face with both hands, plastered against the wall like geckos. The biting wind whipped at their dangling forms. They dared not relax for an instant; falling from several tens of meters high was no joke.

Hiss!

The fire salamander suddenly opened its mouth and roared, lunging directly at Young Master Liu.

In that split second, the horrific, tragic death of the skinny tall man flashed through Young Master Liu’s mind. Utter despair washed over him; he wanted to let go and jump, feeling that dying from the fall would be better than being bitten to death by the salamander.

Swish!

Just as he was preparing for his noble end, a flash of cold light blinded him. The polished steel shovel sliced down through the air with fierce momentum, clack, hacking deep into the fire salamander’s body and cleanly severing its left foreleg. The salamander shrieked, tumbled mid-air several times, and rolled down the rock face.

In that split second, Young Master Liu had brushed past the gates of hell; his entire body was soaked in cold sweat.

“Are you alright?” Scholar Jia asked Young Master Liu, clinging to the rock face with one hand while gripping the steel shovel with the other.

Young Master Liu wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’m fine! Fine! Let’s get away from here!”

“Wait!” Scholar Jia suddenly said.

Young Master Liu stammered, “Wait… wait for what?”

Scholar Jia held the wolf-eye flashlight level, its beam striking the opposite rock face. “Kid Liu, look over there!”

Young Master Liu didn't know what Scholar Jia had spotted, but he turned to look. On the cliff face halfway up the mountain, he saw several pitch-black cave openings, and nothing else.

“What am I supposed to be looking at?” Young Master Liu asked Scholar Jia.

“Those caves!” Scholar Jia pointed.

“Caves? What’s so strange about those caves?” Young Master Liu asked, confused.

Scholar Jia said, “Look closely. Doesn't the arrangement of those caves resemble a pattern?”

Hearing Scholar Jia’s words, Young Master Liu suddenly noticed that the cave openings did indeed look like some kind of pattern. But one had to look very closely to see it; at a glance, they just seemed like haphazard openings. This peculiar visual effect was somewhat like the 3D stereograms they often saw.

The entire pattern was bizarre. From a distance, it looked like one massive circle, but within this circle, six smaller circles interlocked and overlapped. The arrangement of the caves seemed almost to rotate, utterly magical. Yet, the moment he blinked, the pattern vanished, replaced once more by the scattered, dark cave mouths, staring at them coldly like countless black eyes.

“What… what pattern is this?” Young Master Liu asked Scholar Jia, certain he would know the answer.

Scholar Jia said, “Did you see a large circle containing six smaller circles, and those smaller circles seemed to be spinning on their own?”

“Yes!” Young Master Liu nodded.

Scholar Jia let out a long sigh. “Then it’s confirmed. The pattern formed by these caves must be the legendary ‘Six Cycles Reincarnation Array’! Good heavens! To think we’d run into this mysterious and bizarre Six Cycles Reincarnation Array here. I wonder if it’s our luck or our misfortune? Sigh!”

Noticing the change in Scholar Jia’s tone, Young Master Liu quickly asked, “Is this Six Cycles Reincarnation Array… very terrifying?”

Scholar Jia sucked in a sharp breath. “Not just terrifying—extremely terrifying! Among all these caves, only one offers passage through the trial. This cave is the array’s core; all others lead only to death!”

“What is passage through the trial?” Young Master Liu asked curiously.

Scholar Jia explained, “Passage through the trial means survival! Only by finding the cave that symbolizes the core of the entire Six Cycles Reincarnation Array can we live!”

“What are you two dawdling for? Hurry up and climb!” Fan DeBiao shouted from the crater rim above.

Scholar Jia ignored Fan DeBiao. He handed the Crescent Shovel to Young Master Liu. “Watch my back. If that fire salamander dares to climb up again, use this Crescent Shovel on it!”

Young Master Liu nodded and took the shovel.

“Hurry up! What are you doing?” Fan DeBiao and the others called out anxiously, their voices echoing throughout the volcanic interior.

Scholar Jia stared fixedly at the opposite rock face, unmoving, like an old monk in meditation. Young Master Liu knew he was searching for the core of the Six Cycles Reincarnation Array.

Young Master Liu pressed against the stone wall, intensely vigilant, his palms slick with cold sweat as he watched the area below.

Time ticked by. Suddenly, he heard a cry from Fan DeBiao and the others. Two fireballs appeared on the rock wall beneath Young Master Liu, clinging to the stone as they rapidly ascended.

Young Master Liu’s heart clenched: “The fire salamander is back!”

As expected, the massive body of the fire salamander reappeared in his vision. To Young Master Liu’s utter astonishment, the left foreleg that had been cleanly severed moments ago had already regenerated at the break point, as if it had never been injured. Its regeneration speed was astonishingly fast.

Scholar Jia seemed completely unaware of the approaching danger, not even glancing down at the salamander. But Young Master Liu knew he was aware; his composure was truly extraordinary.

The terrifying fire salamander closed the distance. Young Master Liu gripped the Crescent Shovel, raised his arm, aimed squarely at the salamander’s head, and brought the blade down with a whoosh.

Unexpectedly, the fire salamander reacted with extreme speed, jerking its head aside. The Crescent Shovel slammed against the rock face, sending up dazzling sparks. Missing its target, the salamander instantly closed the gap with Young Master Liu. A thick, foul stench washed over him. Panicked, Young Master Liu tried to stop the creature’s advance, only to realize that the Crescent Shovel was now too sharp; its edge had embedded itself in the rock wall, and he couldn't pull it free immediately.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Young Master Liu’s brow. He could see the salamander open its hideous maw, revealing its chilling, gleaming fangs.

“Get back! Get back!” In desperation, Young Master Liu kicked out with his foot, striking the fire salamander’s head. However, it was clear this attack caused the creature no harm.

The fire salamander suddenly raised a claw and, with a shredding sound, tore Young Master Liu’s trouser leg into strips. Then, using its front claws to grip the rock face, its body lunged upward, its cavernous mouth snapping open.

At the critical moment, Young Master Liu clung to the rock face with both hands, straining to stiffen his body and shift sideways half a meter. With a sickening crack, the fire salamander bit clean through a protruding rock, sending dust and debris showering over his face. Young Master Liu swallowed hard; if he had reacted half a beat slower, he would have been reduced to bloody shreds.

“Roar!” The fire salamander let out a low growl, abruptly turning its head to strike at Young Master Liu again.

Instinctively, Young Master Liu continued to shift rapidly to the side, but in his panic, his foot missed purchase. He felt his center of gravity vanish abruptly, and his whole body tumbled off the rock face.

“Da Shao!”

Young Master Liu heard the frantic shouts of Fan DeBiao and the others, followed by deafening gunfire. His vision went dark as he plummeted like a broken kite, spiraling downward.

“Ah!” Young Master Liu shut his eyes helplessly. The rushing wind scraped past his cheeks; he could no longer feel pain. Unless he grew wings instantly, death was certain. Falling from tens of meters high, he would either be smeared into meat paste or scattered in pieces beyond recognition. To think that Young Master Liu hadn't even reached thirty, hadn't found a wife, and now had to say goodbye to the world—heaven was unjust!

Just as he braced for death, his back suddenly felt a sharp tug, as if someone had grabbed his collar, abruptly halting his downward momentum. At that moment, he was only about ten meters above the rugged ground.

Young Master Liu’s first thought was that Scholar Jia had saved him, but he immediately dismissed the idea. Scholar Jia wasn't Spider-Man; even with his incredible agility, he couldn't reach out from thin air to grab him. The force generated by his weight falling from that height would be immense.

Young Master Liu quickly realized he had been saved by a protruding rock on the cliff face. His backpack had snagged on the rock, thus arresting his fall. He swung in mid-air like a flag, suspended for a long moment, unable to regain his senses.

Young Master Liu was soaked to the bone in cold sweat. The wind chilled him to the core, turning him into something like dried jerky. He let out a long breath, trying to calm his racing heart and relax his frayed nerves. He had just barely escaped meeting King Yama. His luck was clearly holding; surviving that meant his ancestors must have been blessed.

With this thought, Young Master Liu couldn’t help but let out a laugh. It wasn’t a laugh of joy, but a reflex of relief after narrowly escaping death. After laughing until he was breathless, he finally expelled the tension trapped in his chest and leaned against the rock face, gasping for air.

Suddenly, a dark shape tumbled past him, followed by a dull thud. Young Master Liu didn't need to look to know that Fan DeBiao and the others had knocked the fire salamander down again.

Hearing Young Master Liu’s laughter, Fan DeBiao and the others shouted with relief, “Da Shao, you’re not dead yet?”

Young Master Liu gasped and shouted back, “My life is tough! I won't die that easily!”

“Wait there, I’m coming down to save you!” Fan DeBiao called.

A moment later, Fan DeBiao tossed down another climbing rope, and he slid down using his descent device. When Young Master Liu and Fan DeBiao finally climbed out of the crater, they found that Scholar Jia had already scaled the wall barehanded at some point.

As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Young Master Liu’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the earth with a thump, unable to stand for a long time. All his nerves had been stretched taut; now that the tension released, his entire body felt drained, collapsing like a puddle of mud.

Fan DeBiao asked, “What were you two doing on the cliff face? You knew that monster was below, why didn’t you climb faster?”

Young Master Liu wiped the sweat from his brow. “We found some strangely arranged caves on the opposite rock face!”

“Caves?” Fan DeBiao looked at the two of them, puzzled.