As Xue Chenjing leaped into the furnace, the tentacles covering the ground grew increasingly red.
Through her clothes, Yu Yi could feel the tentacles wrapped around her body changing from initially cold and slimy to warm, and gradually becoming hotter than her own body temperature.
These tentacles didn't seem to be faring well either. They writhed restlessly, continuously secreting slippery mucus from within to lower their own temperature.
The mucus slowly evaporated in the heat, and eventually, some of the smaller tentacle tips even began to curl up from the burning, emitting a constant sizzling sound. The rising steam almost engulfed the entire concave platform.
The continuously rising temperature within the tentacles soon became unbearable for Yu Yi as well. If she didn't want to be roasted alive while wrapped in the tentacles, she had to find a way to escape.
Fortunately, as the heat scorched these tentacles from the inside out, they rapidly lost moisture and shrank, feeling as if they were about to be cooked through.
Their grip around her body also loosened significantly.
Yu Yi was completely enveloped by the tentacles. With her eyes closed, she managed to draw in some spiritual energy from the sweltering air, channeling it into her depleted meridians.
As her internal spiritual power slightly recovered, she silently recited a sword incantation. The Green Bamboo Sword lit up with a sword glow, breaking free from the fleshy cocoon.
Then, Yu Yi used her mental power to control the Green Bamboo Sword, prying open the half-cooked tentacles wrapped around her body one by one.
By the time she crawled out from the tentacle wrappings, she was nearly exhausted. The scorching steam made it difficult for her to breathe.
The surrounding tentacles still tried to slither over and entangle her, but she kicked them away forcefully. Yu Yi swung her sword to part the mist and ran towards the crane.
"Crane Senior Brother? Are you still alive?" Yu Yi prodded the crane's drooping head.
The Crane Senior Brother opened and closed his sharp beak, having been burned to the point where he couldn't even make a sound.
Seeing that he was still alive, Yu Yi breathed a slight sigh of relief. She quickly took out a talisman from her storage bag and stuck it onto the crane's body.
Under the talisman's light, the crane shrank to the size of a palm-sized bird, which she then tucked into her pouch.
After safely storing away Crane Senior Brother, she trudged through the sea of soft, writhing tentacles on the ground, making her way towards the edge of the forging platform.
There was no way out from above; both the heat and the mist were contained within this concave basin by the spell formation.
The basin was like a pressure cooker. If she wasn't a Golden Core stage cultivator with both thunder and fire spiritual roots, she would have likely been steamed to death already.
Yu Yi's entire body was flushed red, her hair wet and clinging to her face, her skin marked with circular imprints from where the tentacles had bound her.
Finally reaching the wall carved with spell formations, she leaned against it to rest for a moment before starting to feel for an exit.
After walking along the wall for a short distance, she finally found a crack.
Cold air from outside seeped in through this crack. She pressed herself against the opening, cupped her hands around her nose and mouth, and took several deep breaths, finally regaining some composure.
If cold air could seep in from outside, the heat inside could certainly escape through here as well.
The spell formation should have been airtight, and if this trap formation was meant to contain the heat within the forging platform, it shouldn't have left such a fine crack.
This opening had clearly been artificially damaged, and it was likely that Xue Chenjing had entered the forging platform through here earlier.
Yu Yi felt along the crack for a long time before finally finding a broken spell symbol about the size of a mosquito.
She concentrated sword energy at her fingertip and pressed hard against the broken spell symbol.
The wall suddenly shook, and a beam of white light shot out from this symbol, quickly outlining a square door shape on the wall.
Then, the bricks inside the door rapidly retreated to both sides, opening up a doorway.
The cool air of early spring rushed in, giving Yu Yi a comfortable shiver. She quickly stepped out along with the surging mist behind her.
Amidst the swirling mist, her ankle was suddenly gripped tight. Several bright red tentacles squeezed out from the mist, attempting to ensnare her once more.
Yu Yi quickly retreated two steps, swinging her sword to cut through the approaching tentacles. She twisted the long sword in her hand at a tricky angle, avoiding the hard snake scales on the tentacle's back. The sword tip burst forth with a sharp sword light, diagonally pinning a tentacle to the wall from its belly upwards.
The tentacle convulsed violently, transparent mucus flowing from its wound, sliding down the Green Bamboo Sword's blade and pooling on the ground.
Yu Yi watched its trembling tip in mid-air. The tentacle's end was curled, and the originally semi-transparent flesh had turned white. The tip, about a finger's length, wasn't covered in snake scales and gave off a scent of grilled squid.
Yu Yi's stomach growled, her empty belly whining with hunger.
She firmly held the sword, keeping it pinned there, and moved closer to bite the tentacle's tip. She bit down hard, and to her surprise, she actually managed to tear off a piece.
"Pah, the meat is too tough, can't even chew it, tastes awful," Yu Yi spat it out in disgust. She flew back several steps before summoning back her Green Bamboo Sword, then turned and fled quickly.
The large tentacle fell to the ground, shuddered once, wrapped around the small piece of meat spat on the ground, and suddenly retracted back through the door.
After escaping from the forging platform, Yu Yi discovered that this place was actually at the peak of a majestic mountain, with the sunken forging platform truly resembling the crater of a volcano.
The mountain echoed with incessant sword hums, and chaotic sword lights formed aurora-like bands in the sky above.
Unable to fly on her sword, Yu Yi could only run down the sole mountain path.
Because she had broken open a door in the originally sealed mountain mouth, all the heat that had been contained within the forging platform now poured out through that opening.
The collision of hot and cold air quickly formed a ring of clouds around the mountain peak.
Yu Yi took out two soft flatbreads stuffed with meat from her storage bag, gave one to Crane Senior Brother, and ate while running down the mountain.
She had no desire to know what would happen to Xue Chenjing, nor did she want to know who the young man in the depths of his heart, who looked exactly like him, was. Whether he was a body snatcher or a transmigrator with a system, it had nothing to do with her.
The fate of protagonists was always fraught with difficulties. She neither wanted to be the despised innocent female lead nor did she want a happy ending with such a monstrous villain.
She just wanted to be a free and carefree background character, cultivating and enjoying the scenery in this world of immortal cultivation.
In the past, when Yu Yi played games, she was always a solo player who enjoyed the scenery, with no interest in grinding for levels or forming couples.
The heat flowed down the mountain steps, and the spirit swords on both walls vibrated with a hum. As she ran down quickly, her fluttering skirt was caught by a spirit sword on the wall. Yu Yi casually grabbed the spirit sword and gave it a pull.
She had acted on impulse, not expecting to be able to pull out the spirit sword. After all, such high-level spirit swords were known for their pride and wouldn't let anyone pull them out easily without a struggle.
Back then, she had suffered quite a bit to forge her Green Bamboo Sword.
However, to her surprise, when she gripped the spirit sword and gave it a light pull, it came loose with a clang, separating from the cliff wall.
Yu Yi paused, looking at the spirit sword in her hand with astonishment.
This spirit sword was about two feet long and two fingers wide, a short sword.
It was snow-white all over, with a frost-covered blade. After leaving the wall, frost quickly covered the bright blade, forming an icy scabbard that contained all the cold energy within the sword body.
This was undoubtedly a high-level spirit sword.
Yu Yi hugged the Frost Snow Sword, her dark eyes slightly moving as she looked up at another spirit sword a bit higher.
She measured the height with her eyes, half-bent her knees, and suddenly jumped up. Her lithe body leaped nimbly into the air, her hand grasping the hilt of that sword.
Clang——
The sword tilted with the force of her descent, once again easily pulled out by her.
Yu Yi looked at the two high-level spirit swords in her hands, which had been surprisingly obedient, and her eyes instantly brightened.
Although the spirit swords embedded diagonally in the walls of this mountain path weren't very dense, in just the distance she had run down, there were about a dozen or so, all high-level spirit swords.
If she could take them all back, even if she couldn't use them herself, she could sell them. She wouldn't have to worry about travel expenses for a long time.
Yu Yi patted the pouch containing the still recovering crane and excitedly said, "Crane Senior Brother, we've struck it rich!"
She immediately took out a storage bag, emptied it of less important items, and dedicated it to storing spirit swords.
Jumping up and down between the two walls to pull out swords slowed her descent, but with so many high-level spirit swords in hand, she was willing to endure being scorched by the heat flow a bit longer.
Yu Yi climbed up the cliff face. As she pulled out the highest sword, she glanced down and suddenly saw two cultivators racing up the straight mountain path below.
The approaching pair, a man and a woman, didn't even spare a glance at the humming spirit swords on either side. They were rushing upwards, clearly aiming for the weapon-forging platform at the summit.
In the brief moment Yu Yi squinted to observe them, the two had already nearly reached her.
The female cultivator lagged slightly behind, panting as she clutched her chest. Reluctantly, she said, "Senior Brother, the sword pressure on the Sword Retrieval Path has disappeared. Those cultivators below will surely take this chance to retrieve the spirit swords. Are we really going to let them do as they please?"
"I've already sent a message to Mount Li. Our disciples will arrive shortly," the male cultivator in front turned back and extended his hand to her. "Yuxiu, the weapon-forging platform is shaking, which is why these spirit swords no longer wish to remain here. Right now, the platform is our top priority. Nothing else matters."
Yao Yuxiu glanced sideways at the spirit swords nearby, biting her lip. She placed her hand in his, and Pei Jingchao supported her waist as they continued to sprint upwards.
The narrow mountain path carried their voices to Yu Yi's ears. At the same time, she could clearly see the silver bamboo leaf patterns glinting on their clothes.
There was only one person who could be called "Senior Brother" by Mount Li's Fairy Yuxiu and act so intimately with her.
Yu Yi cursed her bad luck silently. If she continued downwards, she would inevitably encounter Pei Jingchao.
Not to mention whether he still remembered that she had once buried him alive, just the fact that the weapon-forging platform was in trouble and she happened to be descending from this only mountain path...
Even an idiot could figure out that those two wouldn't let her leave easily.
Above her head, the sword energy was in chaos. Flying would likely result in being cut to death by the wild swords. If she turned back, the only destination was the weapon-forging platform at the summit.
Where a giant squid was still being roasted.
As Yu Yi was caught between a rock and a hard place, Pei Jingchao suddenly looked up. His sharp gaze penetrated the clouds surrounding the mountain, precisely capturing the figure leaning against a sword on the cliff face.
"Who goes there!" His thin lips parted, his voice rolling like thunder to Yu Yi's ears, imbued with spiritual might.
Yu Yi's ears rang from the impact, her chest aching violently. She nearly coughed up blood. In one swift motion, she pulled out the spirit sword from the cliff face, twisted her body as she fell, and used all her strength to sprint upwards.
To hell with it. Since there was no escape anyway, it was better to bring those two together. It would be easier to muddy the waters that way.
She hoped Xue Chenjing could still hold on and not end up completely roasted.
...
Inside the weapon-forging platform.
Xue Chenjing finally entered the core of the furnace and saw the motionless white flame at its center.
Although the flesh of his body was burned red-hot, he hadn't actually sustained much damage. After all, this true fire had been taken from his body, and now he was merely here to reclaim it.
"Three thousand years have passed, yet divine power still remains," Xue Chenjing approached the white flame. As he drew near, the flame began to dance vigorously, as if eagerly wanting to return to his body.
However, Xue Chenjing seemed somewhat disgusted. He despised the divine power lingering in this flame, saying irritably, "If I simply take you back as you are, it would only strengthen his power."
He had gone to great lengths to imprison that fool and gain control of this body. He absolutely couldn't give him a chance to turn the tables.
Unable to even protect the three fires within, causing this body to become so weak – utterly useless.
Xue Chenjing took a deep breath, cut open his wrist, and let the fresh blood flow from the wound, dripping down in a vertical line to his feet. The blood line moved, coalescing into a formation.
As soon as the formation took shape, he immediately covered the wound on his wrist. When he removed his hand, the wound had already healed.
With the pain gone, Xue Chenjing's tightly pressed lips finally relaxed.
Black mist surged out of the formation, guided by his fingers towards the flame.
The white flame wavered even more violently, refusing to be tainted by the demonic energy.
Xue Chenjing paid no heed to its struggle, summoning more black mist to emerge. Like layer upon layer of curtains, it shrouded the flame's light, dimming it.
The demonic energy and the divine power within the white flame wrestled, wearing each other down.
This true fire had been sealed in the weapon-forging platform for three thousand years, used to forge countless weapons. The divine power remaining in the fire now was merely one ten-thousandth of what it had been.
Even the master of this divine power had been imprisoned by him, let alone this tiny, struggling remnant of divine power.
The endless demonic energy soon devoured all the divine power remaining in the white flame. Only then did Xue Chenjing extend his hand, satisfied. He collected the now "cleansed" true fire into his palm and pressed it into the sea of qi below his navel.
With the sea of qi's natal fire back in place, a warm current flowed from his lower abdomen into his four limbs and hundred bones, melting his ice-sealed blood and bones.
Xue Chenjing savored this long-lost warmth, letting out a comfortable sigh. Even the corners of his eyes flushed red.
With the true fire reclaimed, the fire energy in the furnace dissipated rapidly. The flowing lava and molten iron gradually solidified.
A thick tentacle extended from above, wrapping around Xue Chenjing and lifting him out of the furnace.
All the tentacles on the ground came back to life, gradually cooling and returning to their semi-transparent state, occasionally flashing with serpentine golden light as they writhed.
The tentacles crowded around him, and Xue Chenjing narrowed his eyes as he lay down in the fleshy bed they constructed, slowly feeling his body warm up.
A tentacle wriggled to his front, continuously coiling and uncoiling around the back of Xue Chenjing's hand.
He finally grew a bit annoyed. His long eyelashes lifted slightly, revealing a narrow slit of his eyes as he glanced at the restless tentacle. "What's wrong?"
The tentacle suddenly stood upright, moving closer to show him the teeth marks on its head. The sticky fluid secreted from the wound dripped down wetly, like tears covering its face.
— It had been bitten, a large chunk of flesh torn away, and the person who bit it even complained that it didn't taste good!
Xue Chenjing had been in the furnace earlier and hadn't paid attention to these tentacles. Now that this tentacle was tattling, he received the information it conveyed and saw the scene from earlier.
Very well, biting him was one thing, but to insult his flesh as tough and unpalatable!
Xue Chenjing lazily reached out his hand, pulling the tentacle into his embrace. His fingertips repeatedly caressed the teeth marks, covering his hand in shiny, sticky fluid. He said resentfully, "I'll bite back sooner or later."
He would devour her bit by bit until nothing remained. Surely her flesh would be tender and juicy.
The system helplessly reminded him: "Master, this is a sweet romantic novel, not a culinary one."
