Chapter 57 Breaking the Barrier

Bubble, bubble—
Magma churned, and scorching liquid poured over barren rocks, while the scent of sulfur grew thick and heavy in the air.

On the cliff face, the disciples huddled together. Some of them took turns attacking the barrier, while others channeled their spiritual power to reinforce the formation.

Bubbles continually formed on the surface of the flowing lava, and splashing jets of searing liquid whipped fiery trails through the air. The rock walls mirrored an eerie, incandescent red.

A streak of light pierced through the blazing barrier, silver-white cutting across the ominous red, accompanied by fluttering snowflakes. In an instant, the scorching temperature plummeted by dozens of degrees.

Wen Jue rolled his eyes and reminded Bing Cang, "You pretending-to-be-dead fellow, hurry up and catch the zither! I have no interest in dying here with you."

A faint gleam flashed in Bing Cang's eyes. He pushed off the rock, leaped upward, and steadily caught the zither.

His slender fingers plucked the strings, releasing a melodious tune. Frost blossomed between the notes, flying upward toward the barrier above as sharp icicles slashed through its weakest points.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the crimson barrier, and dark red magma surged upward in defiance, crawling along the fissures.

Standing high above, Bing Cang's fingers rapidly danced across the strings. White snow frosted his dark hair, his black robes billowed in the fierce wind, and his eyes were half-hidden behind stray locks. Much of his usual sickly aura had vanished, lending him the formidable air of a master.

More cracks spread rapidly, resembling a spider's web across the upper portion of the barrier. A stark white light collided with the blazing, translucent barrier, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The disciples fighting for their lives on the cliff face saw a glimmer of hope. Burning fires of determination ignited in their eyes, and their hands trembled with excitement.

"The barrier is about to break!"
"It's actually going to break!"

Earlier, they had tried working in teams and couldn't so much as shake the barrier.
Never had they imagined that under the threat of a good-for-nothing, they would all manage to break it together.

"Don't celebrate too early! If you don't want to die here, pour more power into it!"
Wen Jue shouted a cold reminder. Following Ling Xi's instructions, his fingers continuously infused talismans while his figure flashed beneath the barrier.

Hearing this, the disciples hardened their expressions and desperately squeezed the remaining spiritual energy from their bodies.
As long as they could get out, there was hope of curing their poison.

Boom—
The blood-red fragments shattered completely. Flashes of lightning and roaring thunder flooded their vision. Unsure of what to do next, the disciples instinctively looked toward Wen Jue.

"Do you want to die that badly? Rush out right now!"
Wen Jue rolled his eyes and was the first to charge across the boundary of the barrier.

The disciples exchanged glances, summoned their swords, and flew out right behind him.

Seeing the low-lying magma about to surge forth, Ling Xi looked at her right hand, which was a crisscross of wounds, and ruthlessly carved yet another cut into it.
What is that lunatic Wen Jue doing? Even after tearing open an opening, he doesn't even have the sense to lead people out.

No one else came out, but the magma rushed right through.
If it burst out of the mystic realm and exploded in some heavily populated area, then the few drops of mindfulness power she had cultivated with such painstaking effort would wave goodbye to her as well.

If she failed to secure the mustachioed master's inheritance, this gamble would be a massive loss.

Before she could draw another rune, the ripples in the red broth churned, as if a thousand stones had been cast into it, stirring up wave after wave of ripples.

A streak of white spiritual light burst out from the scalding water, followed closely by dozens more.

A celebratory tune drifted up from the magma, and Ling Xi barely managed to keep her balance, avoiding a fall straight into the furnace.

Not only her, but everyone else looked up into the air.

The black-clad youth landed slowly, walking closely beside Wen Jue, flipping the zither in his right hand and cradling it against his chest.

Sui An warded off the final tribulation lightning, successfully making his breakthrough, and landed beside Ling Xi, staring in disbelief at Bing Cang.

"E-Eldest Senior Brother? You played 'The Phoenix Seeking Its Mate'? But there isn't a single female cultivator among the group of you who came out!" Sui An stammered, looking utterly terrified.

Wen Jue hurried over to Ling Xi's side, casting a lingering, fearful look at Bing Cang. "You crafty faker, even inside, I thought that tune sounded rather strange."

Bing Cang offered a rare explanation, "This is called summoning the wind. Master said all girls like it."

Watching Bing Cang look at her with shining eyes, Ling Xi truly could not bring herself to appreciate it.

Fearing that Bing Cang might utter another startling statement, Ling Xi hastily began assigning tasks.

"Eldest Senior Brother, lead the others back a bit further first. I need to do something out of the ordinary."

Ling Xi stared intently at the magma within the bronze furnace, where countless blood-red flames drifted, and couldn't help licking her lips.
This furnace looked like an absolute treasure.
The fact that it could form a miniature world of its own within was truly rare.

Putting everything else aside, if she swung it at someone, combining the weight of the magma with sheer physical force, it would be the ultimate weapon for sneak attacks.

Sui An took two steps, froze in place, and turned back to ask Ling Xi, "What about you, Junior Sister?"

Ling Xi waved her hand with a heartbroken expression, "I must stay behind to eliminate the root cause of the trouble."

"I'll stay with you. Since Junior Sister is so responsible, a Senior Brother should naturally stay to help." Wen Jue's crystal spectacles flashed with white light, a hint of madness lurking in his eyes.

The two exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths curving into matching smiles.

"Senior Brother, do you have your eye on this furnace? Trade me something for it, and I'll give it to you," Ling Xi whispered via telepathy.

"Mine is already yours anyway. Do you really think I don't know how you managed to use that blockhead's sword?" Wen Jue glanced at the sword in Ling Xi's hand.

"Aha~ You didn't fall for it, Senior Brother. No fun~ Well then, happy cooperation." Ling Xi raised her right hand, blood dripping from her index finger.

Wen Jue smiled, raising the needle in his hand. "Junior Sister's eyes are rather special; my eyes are quite different from ordinary people's, too."

Ling Xi bared her teeth in a smile, squeezed her index finger, and made a face of utter agony.

Before the water mirrors, the old men's eyes sparkled, and their jaws nearly hit the floor.

"Wait, did six of them achieve Foundation Establishment simultaneously?! Is Foundation Establishment really that easy?!"
"Dual cultivation of talismans and swords! Surely I didn't see that correctly!"
"Didn't Wen Jue... have problems with his spiritual veins? How on earth is he wielding true power? Could his mental fortitude be off the charts?!"
"None of my disciples have reached Foundation Establishment yet. Next time, I'm sending them to run a lap with Ling girl!"
"Mine are good-looking, and young maidens love that."

Amidst the increasingly eccentric chorus of voices, Lu Buwei's thoughts began to wander as well. He glanced at Luo Chen, "Peak Master Luo, what do you think of that child Chongxue?"

Luo Chen's gaze was dark and low. "Mediocre at best. Neither his appearance nor his cultivation warrants whatever nonsense you're thinking about."
Lu Buwei protested, "I haven't even said anything yet."
"You're incapable of saying anything decent." Luo Chen cut him off flatly.

With those words spoken, anyone else who had been meaning to address Luo Chen promptly shut their mouths, contenting themselves with exchanging superficial praises regarding each other's disciples' performances.

Luo Chen swept his gaze across everyone present, taking in the subtle expressions of every single person.

Gu Jiuyuan gripped the armrests of his chair so tightly that the skin on the back of his hands pulled taut, pale veins protruding, and his brows knitted together in a fierce knot.

He truly had not expected her to succeed!
Could this really be that pure, slow-witted disciple?
Rou'er had complained to him countless times about how much Ling Xi detested suffering.

Looking at the blood-drenched hands in the water mirror, his heartstrings twitched faintly.
She seemed entirely different from the impression he had of her.
Perhaps this time, he could give her another chance.
With the gratitude Ling Xi held toward him, she would surely turn back from the wrong path.
He simply could not allow Luo Chen to completely ruin her.