"Where are we going? What is this place?" Zhou Yan asked, walking along the passageway and looking at his surroundings with confusion.
"This is the path to hell. At the end of this road lies hell," the Flame King said slowly as he walked, then stopped. "Remember, this road is very dangerous. If you can't bear it anymore, retreat immediately. Do you understand?"
After hearing the Flame King's words, Zhou Yan nodded and said, "Yes, I'll be careful. Um... can you take me out?"
"I can, but you must be prepared. If you die, your soul will be devoured by me. Do you understand what I mean?" the Flame King said, looking at Zhou Yan coldly.
"Yes, I understand. Don't worry, I will definitely not back down. Not only will I not back down, I will also take down those demons," Zhou Yan said and then continued to walk forward.
As he walked, Zhou Yan noticed that the tomb was spiral-shaped, extending all the way to the bottom. Zhou Yan estimated that reaching the deepest part of the tomb would likely mean arriving at his destination. However, Zhou Yan didn't know what lay at the bottom. The place was too quiet, and Zhou Yan had a nagging feeling that something was watching him from the depths of the tomb. The sensation made Zhou Yan deeply uneasy, but he knew something was indeed observing him, and a single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
Zhou Yan climbed the spiral staircase for nearly half an hour before finally reaching the entrance to the lowest level. Upon reaching the entrance, he saw a massive stone door. The door was covered in intricate runes, all drawn with blood.
"Do you want to open this door?" the Flame King asked.
"Of course," Zhou Yan nodded. He then took out the bronze key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently. With a "click," a sound emerged from the bronze key. The stone door slowly rose, revealing a pitch-black opening.
Seeing the situation, Zhou Yan said to the Flame King, "Let's go in."
"Are you sure you've thought it through?" the Flame King asked, looking at Zhou Yan.
"I've thought it through. Hurry up and go in," Zhou Yan urged.
The Flame King sighed and walked into the opening. Zhou Yan followed him. As soon as they entered, a wave of chilling air washed over Zhou Yan. The cold was piercing, almost bone-chilling, causing Zhou Yan to shiver. Zhou Yan looked around and saw many coffins piled up in the tomb. The lids of these coffins were all open. Inside lay skeletons, clad in ancient armor or knightly attire, similar to what Zhou Yan had seen from ancient times. The only difference was that the armor was devoid of any embellishments, instead bearing faint traces of red bloodstains.
"It seems these bodies died here," Zhou Yan mused. He then looked up at the stone walls overhead, noticing that the rock surface was green. Zhou Yan knew that in the outside world, rocks wouldn't turn this color unless they had been scorched by something. He then examined the bodies again and found that they had not decomposed and were remarkably well-preserved. Although the skin of these skeletons was damaged from burning, their age could still be discerned. These people likely died while alive, but why they died here puzzled Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan wandered around the tomb and discovered that the stone slabs were covered in paintings, all made of metal. They depicted strange patterns whose meanings were unknown to him. Suddenly, one painting caught Zhou Yan's attention. It showed a group of people standing in the center of a forest, gazing up at the sky. In the sky, a dark cloud floated, containing a red planet. Three red moons hung at the edges of the cloud, and in the center of the cloud was a purple orb, appearing extremely eerie.
"Could that red gem be the thing you're looking for?" the Flame King asked Zhou Yan after seeing the painting.
"I don't know. I can't answer your question right now," Zhou Yan shook his head. He still couldn't comprehend what that red gem was, nor why the Flame King became so agitated when mentioning it.
"I need this thing," the Flame King said. He then walked to a coffin, opened it, and took out a box. He handed the box to Zhou Yan and said, "Put this in."
Zhou Yan looked at the box and opened it. Inside was a red gem the size of an egg. The moment he saw it, Zhou Yan felt an intense surge of fire elemental energy flood his entire body. The fire element was incredibly pure.
"The Core of Flame. How can this be here? Could this be the City of Flame?" Zhou Yan thought to himself in astonishment. The object in the box was the Core of Flame that the Flame King had spoken of earlier. Zhou Yan put the box into his backpack and said, "We can't stay here. Let's leave quickly."
"Yes, let's go," the Flame King nodded and led Zhou Yan toward the entrance. As they reached the cave entrance, Zhou Yan glanced around and saw that the entire cave was filled with similar coffins. Zhou Yan gasped, wondering how many people were buried here.
After exiting the cave, Zhou Yan breathed a long sigh of relief. He looked around and found no other exits, only the cave they had come from. The temperature inside was extremely high, continuously scorching Zhou Yan. At this moment, a blue flame appeared in the Flame King's palm.
"Let's go," the Flame King said to Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan nodded in response.
"Rumble~~" Suddenly, the entire cave began to shake violently, as if the mountain were about to collapse.