The Fatty looked down at the crazed swarm of snakes and, without a word, grabbed the wine from the platform, intending to pour it out, only to be stopped by Lu Zong. The Fatty looked at Lu Zong, confused, and asked curiously, "What's wrong, Lu Zong? Can't you see these snakes are about to crawl right over us? Are you still feeling merciful now?"

Lu Zong shook his head and explained, "No, I mean, look ahead. If we just burn the snakes around us here, it’ll only be a temporary fix. But the majority of the snakes are concentrated in the middle section. Wouldn't doing that just be sending ourselves to die? I think it's better if we clear the snakes around us by hand first, then burn the majority of the snakes in the middle. Once that's done, we can rush straight to the local area and then charge toward Ma Xiong's position. Then we can escape this prison-like place, right?"

The Fatty listened to Lu Zong's words, observed carefully, and nodded, saying, "Yes, Lu Zong is right. This little bit of wine really shouldn't be easily burned. Why are those people so stingy? Knowing it's wine dedicated to the gods, they only gave this little bit. It’s hardly worth drinking."

Ma Xiong shouted, "What are you two messing around with? Hurry up and pour it down! Burn those snakes!"

The Fatty gestured to Lu Zong, "No, we can't pour it where we are. There aren't many snakes here; most are concentrated in the middle. We need to consider the bigger picture and burn the ones in the center."

Ma Xiong observed the situation closely and indeed, it was as the Fatty said, but now was not the time for a careful analysis of pros and cons. He just roared at the Fatty, "Since we’ve decided to pour it in the middle, hurry up and pour it! Burn them quickly anyway; I can't stand it anymore."

The Fatty shook his head and said, "But how are we supposed to pour the wine to the middle? This spot is way too far from where the snakes are gathered."

Ma Xiong bellowed, "Damn it, just throw the wine jars towards the middle! Leave the rest to me. I’ll fly to the center later and kick the bottles over. The moment the wine lands, you two throw a torch over and be responsible for igniting it."

The Fatty looked at the crazed, attacking snake swarm below. Without another word, he tore a piece of cloth from his clothes, soaked it in the wine, and shouted, "Ma Xiong, catch this!" The cloth slipped from the Fatty's hand and flew toward Ma Xiong's position.

Ma Xiong saw that the time was right. He pushed off the wall behind him with both feet, and the recoil propelled him outward. His body met the wine jar in mid-air, precisely at the center of the room. However, because he was suspended in the air, he lost control of his body, and his head collided directly with the wine jar. He felt dizzy and nearly lost consciousness, almost passing out.

Fortunately, there was Gan Da behind him. Driven by a sense of responsibility, he didn't pass out and continued to drift in mid-air. At this moment, he faced another problem: how was he supposed to get back?

He looked up and found a vine hanging directly in the center. This meant he was currently hanging vertically, not swinging side to side. He felt a searing heat in his lower body, a different temperature than usual when he was... He looked down in confusion. Good heavens, there was a sea of red flames below, about to engulf his feet. And the flames were rising, threatening to drown his groin area.

Worried about his future generation, he grew extremely anxious and cried out, "Oh my god, Fatty, hurry and save me! My son's life is in your hands! Hurry and save me, or both Gan Da and I will be burned into jerky."

The Fatty and Lu Zong watched Ma Xiong being scorched in the roaring inferno, turning around anxiously like ants on a hot pan. He looked at the raging flames below; they were much bigger than he had imagined, almost taller than a person. It wasn't just the wine burning fiercely; it was the snakes themselves. Each one seemed more flammable than the last, writhing within the blaze. The air was thick with the smell of scorching skin. Their collective, frantic hissing echoed terrifyingly throughout the cavern for a long time.

Lu Zong looked at the towering flames and then at the nearly dead Ma Xiong being burned, shouting, "Ma Xiong, don't fall asleep! Believe us, we will save you! Just wait a moment. You absolutely must stay awake, keep your mind clear. Ma Xiong, are you listening?"

Ma Xiong lifted his weak head, large beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He looked at Lu Zong and managed a strained smile, then said half-jokingly, "Lu Zong, think of a way to put this fire out! I can barely breathe."

The Fatty was also sweating profusely from anxiety, but the more anxious he became, the hotter his head felt, and the less he could think of anything useful. All he could do was try to comfort Ma Xiong like Lu Zong was doing. But he realized he and Ma Xiong had developed a bond, and not just an ordinary one. Angrily, he blurted out, "Ma Xiong, you son of a bitch, don't you dare die! I won't carry you if you do! Hold on for me! Even if Fatty dies, I absolutely will not let you die!"

Ma Xiong opened his weak eyes, looked at the Fatty's agitated expression, and said, "Show some action."

The Fatty scratched his ear, looked into Ma Xiong's sincere eyes, then looked back at the raging fire and the ferocious snake swarm, and cursed, "Fine, I'll show some action! Ma Xiong, swear to me, I will definitely avenge you, so you..."

Ma Xiong snapped, "What the hell kind of time is this for joking? Do you want to eat roasted human flesh? Let me tell you, the Beijing Municipal Government currently has clear regulations: roadside grilling is forbidden. You are breaking the rules!"

The Fatty looked at Ma Xiong's determined face and felt he truly needed to act. He said, "Ma Xiong, just hold on a little longer. Most of the snakes below are dead. Later, I'll rush over and pull you out, even if I have to drag you. Oh, wait, Ma Xiong, you can untie yourself from the vine and jump down! The fire is weakening now. Just think of a beautiful woman in front of you, and charge toward her!"

Ma Xiong looked down and saw that the fire was indeed beginning to weaken. He didn't feel as hot either, and his heart instantly relaxed, as if seeing a glimmer of hope amidst death. He sighed and said, "Forget it, I'd better wait until the fire below goes out before I go down. I can't guarantee I can run over there yet. Heh heh."

Seeing that Ma Xiong seemed to be recovering a bit, the Fatty didn't feel as anxious and just squatted there, waiting for the fire to die down.

He suddenly noticed the wall behind Ma Xiong—the wall hiding the Gate of Survival. The middle section had actually begun to melt slowly. He observed and found that the area where the door should have been was melting. He looked curiously at the wall and reminded Ma Xiong, "Ma Xiong, look at the wall behind you. Has it melted from this fire? Why is there a hole in the middle?"

Ma Xiong twisted his body a few times and finally managed to turn around. To his surprise, he saw that a section of the wall was indeed slowly melting. He didn't know what material the wall was made of for it to melt like this. He said, "Fatty, look, isn't that where the Gate of Survival is?"

The Fatty blinked a few times, then said with certainty, "Yes, that's definitely where the Gate of Survival is. It looks like we have hope, hehe."

Lu Zong clearly became more optimistic, saying, "I told you so! God wouldn't just let us die here. We still have greater things to accomplish; we can't just die here in vain."

Ma Xiong and the Fatty exchanged a look and laughed. They genuinely couldn't remember when Lu Zong had ever said anything like that.

The Fatty watched the melting Gate of Survival. The melted substance turned into a milky white material, slowly dripping down, and then began to spread across the ground. He didn't know what these things were, but he was certain they must be very light because wherever they flowed, the torches and snakes were lifted up. However, they didn't go out; instead, they burned even more fiercely.

Ma Xiong stared at the strange scene, his expression frozen on his face. He exclaimed, "Rock Oil!"

The Fatty looked at Ma Xiong and asked curiously, "What rock oil?"

Ma Xiong said, "This is bad. We're in big trouble. This rock oil will kill us; it will kill everything here."

Lu Zong and the Fatty immediately tensed up again. Lu Zong asked, "Ma Xiong, what do you mean by that? Explain it clearly; I don't understand!"

Ma Xiong said, "Rock oil is a substance between liquid and solid. At normal temperatures, it exists in solid form, but if heated, it melts into a liquid. Furthermore, its density is even greater than water, allowing it to float a large amount of solid matter. That's why all these snakes are floating. However, it doesn't burn itself; it only expands gradually as the temperature rises until it fills all space. If we don't stop it, it will soon drown us, filling the entire cavern. Then we will become a substance like stone until the surrounding temperature drops again, and it solidifies back into the gate. But by then, we'll probably already be cooked into roasted pork."

The Fatty and Lu Zong both shuddered. They never expected that their earlier wise decision had now turned into a foolish act leading to their demise. They felt immense regret, wishing they could bring the Ice Crystal Jade Fetus here for a chance to go back in time.

But regret was too late now. He looked at Ma Xiong struggling below and had an idea. He said, "Ma Xiong, don't move! When that... substance flows up to your feet, you can step on it to escape! We can charge across while that thing is filling the entire cave, and we'll be safe!"

Ma Xiong looked down at the white, milky substance flowing by, with the corpses of snakes floating on top. If it could float snakes, then stepping on it shouldn't be a problem for him. Besides, the temperature was already starting to drop; it should be hardening by now, right?