The moment Chiying passed through the reddish-orange mist, the temperature suddenly surged.
Liu Yi felt as if she had run into an invisible wall of heat. Jinyao poked its head out from her arms, took a deep breath, and then squinted its eyes in satisfaction.
Ziyue, following behind on its Frost Path, visibly slowed down. The ice path dissipated more than twice as fast in the high-temperature mist than outside, forcing it to frequently replenish energy and lay down a new path every few steps.
Liu Yi glanced back at Ziyue.
“Are you okay?”
“Bingbing.”
Ziyue chirped, its voice steady.
Although the environment was harsh, it could still manage.
Chiying emerged from the mist, landing at the end of the Lava Corridor.
Before them, the view opened up dramatically—the Blazing Plains.
It was a vast, endless reddish-orange plain. The earth was cracked, with dark golden lava flowing through the fissures.
The sky was deep orange, cloudless, and the sun hung low above the horizon, painting the entire land in a burning crimson. At the far end of the plain, the faint outline of a massive structure was visible, distorted by the heat haze.
The Blazemark Ruins.
Liu Yi opened her wristband map, confirming her location.
The central area of the Blazing Plains was marked with the words “Blazemark Ruins,” indicating it was still some distance from their current position.
“Mo.”
There’s a very strong energy fluctuation ahead.
Liu Yi followed Chiying’s gaze towards the distant, blurred outline of the structure.
“Let’s go.”
The ground temperature of the Blazing Plains was much higher than the Lava Corridor. As Chiying flew, heat waves surged from below, forcing it to increase its flight altitude significantly.
Jinyao lay on Chiying’s back, its golden fur gently swaying in the heat haze.
It looked down at the reddish-orange land below.
“Yanyan.”
So much energy here.
Liu Yi looked down at it.
“What?”
“Yanyan.”
Jinyao tilted its head.
I just feel warm inside, very comfortable.
Liu Yi nodded, asking no further questions.
The Saint Glow Secret Realm provided special benefits to Fire-type pets, so it was normal for Jinyao to sense energy fluctuations.
The heat haze distorted their vision, making the distant structure’s outline waver in and out of focus.
Chiying adjusted its flight altitude, surveying the entire plain from high above, while Ziyue constantly changed its route on the ground, searching for paths with lower temperatures.
After nearly an hour, they finally reached the Blazemark Ruins.
The ruins were even more magnificent than Liu Yi had imagined.
Three colossal steles stood in the center of the ruins. Each stele was about ten meters tall, dark red in color, and covered in intricate patterns.
The patterns shimmered faintly in the heat haze, as if something flowed within the steles.
Surrounding the steles was a wide plaza, paved with smooth, dark flagstones. A reddish-orange moss grew tenaciously in the flagstones’ crevices, surviving the high temperatures.
Broken stone pillars lay scattered at the plaza’s edge, their surfaces carved with rough yet powerful depictions of lions battling apes.
A central circular platform faced the three steles.
The platform’s edge was carved with ring-like patterns, narrowing from the outside inwards, eventually converging at three distinct indentations in the center of the platform.
The indentations were arranged in a triangle, each with a different shape.
One resembled a flame, one a fist, and the last was a pattern intertwining both a flame and a fist.
Jinyao leaped from Chiying’s back, its four paws landing on the scorching flagstones. It took two steps, then looked up at the three massive steles, its eyes reflecting the flowing patterns.
“Yanyan.”
So big.
Ziyue emerged from behind Liu Yi, its gaze sweeping over the three steles before settling on the central circular platform.
It approached the edge of the platform, looking down at the ring-like patterns, and its ears twitched slightly.
“Bingbing.”
The aura here is very ancient.
Chiying hovered beside Liu Yi, watching the shimmering patterns on the steles, its tail gently swaying behind it.
“Mo.”
There’s energy in the steles, very pure.
Liu Yi opened her wristband, and the main quest page automatically refreshed.
【Main Quest: Explore the Core Area of the Saint Glow Secret Realm, reach the “Blazemark Ruins,” and activate the Trial Steles.】
【Current Progress: Reached Blazemark Ruins】
【Please select the Trial Stele to activate】
【Trial of Flame (Blazing Lion tribe)】
【Trial of Fist (Iron Fist Ape tribe)】
【Trial of Radiance (Jointly established by both tribes) ※Requires completion of Trial of Flame and Trial of Fist to activate】
Liu Yi stared at the screen for a few seconds, then looked up, her gaze falling on the stele on the left.
The patterns on the stele’s surface were more complex than the other two; the lines seemed to burn, spreading upwards from the base to the very top.
In the center of the stele was a flame-shaped indentation, its edges carved with denser patterns than the rest, seemingly guiding something towards it.
“Yanyan.”
Jinyao had, at some point, walked to the stele, craning its head to stare at the flame-shaped indentation, its tail gently swaying behind it.
Liu Yi walked over and crouched beside it.
“You want to try this one first?”
“Yanyan,” Jinyao nodded, its eyes reflecting the flowing patterns on the stele. “Yanyan.”
The thing inside seems to be calling me.
Liu Yi looked at Jinyao’s earnest eyes, remained silent for a moment, then stood up and took two steps back.
“Then go for it.”
Jinyao turned back, facing the stele once more. It took a deep breath and stepped towards the stele’s base.
The flagstones were very hot, but its paw pads were already accustomed to the scorching heat, and it walked steadily with each step.
It reached the exact spot beneath the stele, tilted its head back, and looked at the flame-shaped indentation.
The indentation was high, far beyond its current reach.
Jinyao looked up for a few seconds, then turned its head to Liu Yi.
“Yanyan.”
Can’t reach it.
Liu Yi was about to speak, but Ziyue moved first.
It extended a Frost Path from the ground upwards, creating a ramp in front of the stele, its end stopping just before the flame indentation.
Jinyao turned to look at Ziyue.
“Bingbing.”
Go on.
Jinyao nodded and walked up the ice path step by step. When it reached the end, it extended its right front paw and gently pressed it onto the flame indentation.
In that instant, the stele lit up.
Dark red light surged from deep within the stele, spreading upwards along the intricate patterns, from base to top, from top to tip. The entire stele seemed to ignite, burning beneath the reddish-orange sky.
Jinyao’s paw pressed against the indentation, and it felt a warm energy surge from the stele, flowing through its paw and into its body.
Liu Yi watched Jinyao’s back.
Then, the light suddenly receded.
The dark red light faded from the stele’s surface, retreating into the patterns, back to the indentation’s edge, and finally converging entirely at Jinyao’s paw tip.
Jinyao’s paw was enveloped by the light. It looked down at its right paw, its eyes reflecting the pulsing reddish-orange orb of light.
“Yanyan?”
It tilted its head, just about to withdraw its paw, when a ripple suddenly spread across the stele’s surface, and a phantom emerged from within the stele.
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