The Small Caldera. He Luo and He Lai entered the fire zone, He Luo shielding He Lai, occasionally barking reprimands from below. He Lai seemed to have focused entirely on refining the Pure Bottle, emitting no sound, and gradually, He Luo within also fell silent, as if afraid to disturb him. At the edge of the crater, Shi Yan, Mo Duanhun, and He Qingman also ceased their conversation. Half a day later.

He Lai, sweat streaming down his face, excitedly emerged from the caldera, holding aloft the verdant Pure Bottle, presenting it like a treasure and shouting, "Success!"

The newly refined Pure Bottle was as green as jade, crystal clear, its appearance vastly improved.

Shi Yan smiled and nodded, "Hand over the bottle, the stone is yours."

"Good." He Lai grinned, stepping forward, handing the bottle to Shi Yan, and triumphantly addressing He Luo who was just surfacing, "See? I can refine Pure Bottles too. The reason so many things I've refined before failed wasn't due to my poor skill; it was the lack of a sufficiently scorching environment.

Heh heh, given adequate conditions, I’m no worse than anyone else. In fact, I have a real shot at becoming a Weapon Refiner."

"Without the Yan Flame Martial Spirit, you can forget about becoming a true Weapon Refiner in this lifetime," He Luo scoffed. "From now on, behave yourself and stop wasting energy on refining. Focusing on advancing your cultivation realm is what matters most."

He Lai nodded, his face long and troubled.

"Let's head to the Ten Thousand Year Volcano," Shi Yan, having achieved his goal with the Pure Bottle, saw no need to waste more time and turned to Mo Duanhun.

"Mhm."

Mo Duanhun summoned a Green Blood Demonic Bat, and the two ascended, flying away on the creature. The He Luo family seemed intensely interested in Shi Yan heading to the Ten Thousand Year Volcano as well. Though it shouldn't concern them anymore, they mounted a distant Azure Blood Guard's Green Blood Demonic Bat and flew toward the Ten Thousand Year Volcano on Fire Cloud Island.

An hour later.

A magnificent, towering volcano several thousand zhang high suddenly appeared in Shi Yan's vision.

This volcano soared impossibly high, piercing straight into the clouds, with wisps of fiery light flashing from the crater above. At a glance, it seemed the very sky was being scorched.

Before even reaching the lip of the crater, rolling waves of heat washed over them, making one feel as if they were trapped inside a colossal furnace, so hot it was impossible to draw breath.

He Qingman’s family trailed far behind Shi Yan and Mo Duanhun, observing from a fifth-level Green Blood Demonic Bat.

The sixth-level Green Blood Demonic Bat beneath Shi Yan grew agitated and restless. The closer they got to the crater, the slower its pace became.

Every Ten Thousand Year Volcano harbored impossibly high temperatures, containing magma capable of melting metal, and the searing heat waves scorched the surrounding land barren, making beasts and men reluctant to approach. Although this Green Blood Demonic Bat had reached the sixth level, its nature was inherently yin and cold, preferring dark, icy caverns. The intense, scorching heat of the Ten Thousand Year Volcano was what it despised most. Mo Duanhun knew his mount wished to stay away from the crater, but he frowned and patted its neck.

At Mo Duanhun's gentle tap, the Green Blood Demonic Bat immediately settled down, cautiously approaching the volcano’s rim out of fear. The Green Blood Demonic Bat carrying the He family had long since halted its advance, the three of them watching Shi Yan from a distance in amazement.

"Qingman, is that brat really only at the realm of the Second Heaven of the Hundred Tribulations?" He Luo stared blankly at Shi Yan, some doubt creeping into his voice. "You grew up on Fire Cloud Island. You must know how hot the temperature is at the crater of this volcano. Forget martial artists of the Hundred Tribulations realm; even those in the Status realm might struggle to withstand the scorching air currents at the Ten Thousand Year Volcano's rim. Yet that brat seems utterly unaffected? I didn't see Mo Duanhun lift a finger to help him either?"

"If he couldn't even withstand the heat waves at the crater, how would he dare descend into the volcano?" He Qingman’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she spoke calmly.

"Descend into the volcano?" He Lai shrieked suddenly, his plump face aghast. "Isn't it Mo Duanhun going?"

He Luo's expression also shifted, and he looked strangely at He Qingman. "Why would he be the one descending?"

Both He Luo and He Lai had assumed the one entering the heart of the volcano would be the Asura King, Mo Duanhun. Hearing He Qingman’s words now completely stunned them.

Mo Duanhun possessed the cultivation of the Third Heaven of the Celestial Level; entering the Ten Thousand Year Volcano would be understandable for someone of that realm. But on what grounds could Shi Yan venture in?

No matter how He Luo and He Lai puzzled over it, they could find no logical explanation. "He was nearly taken over by the Profound Ice Cold Flame. While I don't know his current relationship with it, the fact that he dares descend into the Ten Thousand Year Volcano must be related to the Profound Ice Cold Flame. Without it, given his cultivation, he would be instantly incinerated into ashes the moment he fell into the volcano's core!" He Qingman stated plainly.

"Profound Ice Cold Flame? A Heavenly Fire?" He Lai shrieked repeatedly, his fat face alight with excitement. "I'm starting to admire him! He's incredible! Truly incredible!"

"The Profound Ice Cold Flame failed to take him over?" He Luo was also stunned, his face a mask of confusion.

"The Earth Core Fire resides within the Fire Crystal Jade. If you wish to collect the Earth Core Fire, you must shatter the Fire Crystal Jade. Take this Dragon Slaying Sword; it is perfectly suited to break the jade," Mo Duanhun said.

Mo Duanhun forcefully extracted the Dragon Slaying Sword from Gu Jianke’s body and handed it to Shi Yan, explaining, "The Sword Spirit of the Dragon Slaying Sword Hall is intrinsically linked to Gu Jianke’s soul. As long as Gu Jianke’s soul endures, the Fire Larva will be difficult to subdue. I have merely sealed the Fire Larva’s soul temporarily. Fortunately, shattering the Fire Crystal Jade doesn't require the Fire Larva; we only need the sharpness of the Dragon Slaying Sword and its fire attribute."

"Mhm," Shi Yan nodded, grasping the Dragon Slaying Sword. He released a sliver of spiritual power to explore it; indeed, he found the Sword Spirit bound by some force, unable to move. Ordinary weapons would be unable to withstand the intense heat of the magma pool in the Ten Thousand Year Volcano and might melt into liquid slag. However, the Dragon Slaying Sword was forged from various fire-attributed metals and ores, rendering it fearless of the magma’s high temperatures, making it ideal for shattering the Fire Crystal Jade. "Once the Fire Crystal Jade is broken, the Earth Core Fire will dissipate rapidly into the magma. The Earth Fire's power will disperse temporarily. Only after a new Fire Crystal Jade reforms in the earth’s core will the Earth Core Fire begin to gather again through it. It takes at least a hundred years for a new Fire Crystal Jade to form. Therefore, if you want to obtain the Earth Core Fire, you must use the Pure Bottle to collect it the very instant the Fire Crystal Jade shatters, before the fire disperses into the magma," Mo Duanhun added.

"Mhm," Shi Yan nodded, speaking calmly. "Don't worry, I know what to do."

"Be careful," Mo Duanhun frowned. "Whether it’s the Earth Core Fire or anything else...

...they are just one goal, and not necessarily one you must achieve immediately. But you only have one life; that is the crucial thing. Remember not to push yourself too hard."

"Understood, I’m going down now," Shi Yan smiled.

His consciousness sank into the Blood Pattern Ring, and Shi Yan finally summoned the Profound Ice Cold Flame. "I have reached the rim of the Ten Thousand Year Volcano. Protect me as I descend."

"Good!"

Streams of bone-chilling cold air suddenly leaked out from the Blood Pattern Ring, quietly infusing Shi Yan's body.

The speed at which Shi Yan's body froze was visible to the naked eye. In mere seconds, crystalline ice encased him entirely.

Shi Yan resembled an ice sculpture, his body gleaming, with a pure white light flowing within the ice. "I’m going," Shi Yan propelled himself toward the crater and plummeted down. "Plop!"

In the crater, the sound of a heavy object falling suddenly echoed, sending three plumes of magma splashing out, startling the Green Blood Demonic Bats into screeching and quickly maneuvering away.

Mo Duanhun frowned, gazing at the crater for a while, then urged his Green Blood Demonic Bat to leave.

The Ten Thousand Year Volcano resembled a conical funnel, with the crater as the sharp point. Once entered, one would find the interior growing progressively wider.

Bubbling fire pockets rose from the surging magma within the volcano, and the intense heat evaporated, causing thick, fiery smoke to linger endlessly.

In the magma pool, the frozen Shi Yan sank rapidly.

Covered entirely by the protective ice condensed by the cold energy of the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Shi Yan found himself submerged in a scorching ocean of fire within the magma pool. Firelight flashed everywhere, and bubbles continuously formed in the murky lava, quickly ascending toward the surface of the pool.

This was a deep pool formed by the magma, where the power of the flames was dense; the deeper one went, the hotter the magma became.

An ordinary martial artist of the Hundred Tribulations realm, if they accidentally fell into this magma pool, would have their flesh and bones melted within three seconds.

A martial artist of the Status realm, without special defensive martial skills or treasures for support, could only last for a short while—perhaps a quarter of an hour—on the surface of the pool before ultimately being melted away.

Martial artists of the Nirvana Nest or Celestial Level might be able to maneuver on the surface of the magma pool, but sinking a thousand zhang toward the bottom would surely leave them unable to resist the body-scorching effect of the flames, which were dozens of times more concentrated. However, relying on the protective aura of the Heavenly Fire, the Profound Ice Cold Flame, Shi Yan slid unimpeded toward the bottom of the magma pool, perfectly safe.

"Be careful. Within the magma pool, there might be life forms of a special nature, or perhaps Fire Demon Beasts cultivating with the Earth Core Fire. Be vigilant so you aren't suddenly ambushed and caught off guard," came the reminder from the Profound Ice Cold Flame within the Blood Pattern Ring.

"Life forms of a special nature? Fire Demon Beasts?" Shi Yan's expression shifted slightly, his brow furrowing deeply. "Life can survive in such a harsh environment?"

"The world is full of marvelous and mysterious things; miracles of life exist everywhere. Anything is possible. In any extremely harsh environment, unique life forms may arise. The more extreme the environment these lives inhabit, the more formidable they are," the message from the Profound Ice Cold Flame arrived. "However, even if there are creatures or beasts in the magma pool, you needn't be overly afraid. Any life living here must be fire-attributed, which my power can suppress. You only need to be cautious not to be killed instantly; then you can use my power to counterattack."

"Mhm, I will be careful."

"Pop!"

The moment Shi Yan finished speaking, a huge fiery bubble beside him suddenly burst.

Immediately following this, a demon beast, red as a branding iron and shaped like a cat, lunged toward him...