Another threat?

Jun Beiyue despised threats more than anything. This group was clearly just trying to stall for time!

Ziqing glanced at the molten lava not far off, a complicated look flickering through her eyes — the magma’s roiling had become noticeably more intense, and the surrounding white gas was clearly increasing too!

If this dragged on any longer, they truly wouldn’t even know how they’d died!

“Beiyue, we need to find a solution right now — we can’t afford to wait even a moment longer,” Ziqing said in a low voice. Though Jun Beiyue didn’t understand the mechanics of volcanoes, he too could see everything happening around them!

He narrowed his eyes at the man before him, saying nothing, and — disregarding the warning entirely — began walking forward, step by step!

“Jun Beiyue, I meant what I said!” the red-clad assassin snapped furiously.

Anger, in truth, was just another form of fear!

Crown Prince Lie’s orders were for Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing to die here — in truth, he had no real way to threaten Jun Beiyue at all, he could only stall for time!

If he truly threw Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian down, he’d have no way left to fulfill Crown Prince Lie’s orders!

The red-clad assassin could only keep retreating, stalling as long as possible, until the death-defying warriors behind them arrived to help!

As the assassin retreated, Jun Beiyue grew even more resolute, continuing to advance.

The red-clad assassin kept backing away, until finally, with no more room to retreat, he abruptly shoved Yelu Qianqian toward the edge. “Jun Beiyue, I don’t mind sending one down first, to let you see the consequences for yourself.”

As long as he still held one hostage, he wasn’t worried about failing to stall for time!

Just then, a series of crackling, popping sounds rang out — the entire magma pool seemed to be boiling as though on the verge of exploding!

A cold flicker of a smirk crossed the red-clad assassin’s eyes. He shoved Yelu Qianqian down and pinned her with his foot — one kick, and she’d be sent over the edge.

Jun Beiyue halted. The red-clad assassin was overjoyed, laughing, “Prince Yao, you must be curious — how exactly did Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian end up here?”

They were indeed desperate to know what agreement Xuanyuan Lige and Wanyan Lie had reached — but at this point, even if he told them the secret of Parting Grief itself, it would sound like nothing but empty noise to their ears.

Because! The rock beneath their feet had already begun to shift! This meant the magma was about to erupt in full force!

“Indeed, quite curious…”

Jun Beiyue said with a smile, his hand behind his back signaling to Ziqing.

Ziqing immediately understood, smiling as well. “I’m quite curious too.”

Yet the moment those words left her mouth, the two of them struck simultaneously — Jun Beiyue leaping into the air, Ziqing swooping down low. One high, one low — one caught the red-clad assassin completely off guard, the other positioned below, catching Yelu Qianqian just as she was kicked over the edge!

The husband and wife coordinated flawlessly — in terms of speed and agility, the red-clad assassin was simply no match for them at all!

The moment Ziqing had Yelu Qianqian secured, she immediately shot upward, while Jun Beiyue seized Situ Haonan by the collar and delivered a vicious kick to the red-clad assassin, saying coldly, “Even Xuanyuan Lige couldn’t necessarily threaten this prince — and you think you can?”

With that, he too shot skyward. But just as quick as lightning, at nearly the same instant, a surge of magma suddenly burst forth like a wave, rushing straight at Jun Beiyue, instantly burning his leg!

“Beiyue!”

Ziqing cried out, turning to go back down. Even though she knew she couldn’t — going down any further would mean even she couldn’t escape — she still, without a second thought, turned around while holding Yelu Qianqian!

Not far below, the entire magma pool was surging upward, growing bigger and higher, churning and rising!

Jun Beiyue’s leg had been burned — the fabric instantly incinerated, the flesh and skin seared black in an instant!

He had no choice but to find somewhere to stop, to put out the fire on his leg and scrape off the molten residue clinging to it — otherwise, even the bone of his leg would be lost!

This moment was critical beyond words — even the blink of an eye couldn’t be spared!

Jun Beiyue knew there was nowhere here he could afford to linger!

Yet, unwilling to let his leg bone be destroyed, he still forced himself to stop on a large rock, shaking off the burning debris on his leg, ignoring the pain, and scraping furiously against the scorching stone to smother the flames!

Yet, in that same blink of an eye, the magma had already surged up toward him!

“Beiyue, you can’t stop!”

Ziqing cried out. Her understanding of volcanic magma far exceeded Jun Beiyue’s — he couldn’t stop, not even for an instant!

The magma was about to surge over him again!

Ziqing still had Yelu Qianqian in her arms, utterly unable to help. Instinctively, she wanted to throw her own body in the way to shield Jun Beiyue!

But right at that critical, split-second moment!

A streak of red, like an arrow loosed from a bow, shot through the air — faster even than Ziqing — and blocked the way directly behind Jun Beiyue.

Truly a razor-thin escape!

The moment it blocked the surge, the magma instantly incinerated that red-clad death warrior, obliterating him without a trace!

Jun Beiyue grabbed the still-shocked Ziqing and shot skyward.

Baili Weisheng, arriving just in time, didn’t bother with words either, turning immediately to flee.

Heaven only knew how much magma was hidden beneath, how much force was hidden down there — all they knew was that the magma had erupted in full force, chasing after them like a relentless pursuing rope.

“The magma is bound to burst out of the crater — we need to move faster!” Ziqing cried out in alarm.

No sooner had she spoken than a streak of fire-dragon-like magma shot out beside her, surging skyward!

Jun Beiyue immediately split off from Ziqing, the better to dodge separately. In an instant, more and more fire-dragon-like surges of magma kept bursting forth, growing denser and denser, threatening to fill the entire space!

No one dared let their guard down, not even for a moment’s careless thought! Dodging on all sides, unable to tell direction amid the billowing white smoke, they pressed upward!

Three people, carrying two unconscious companions — it was, admittedly, a rather undignified scramble!

This was probably the most disheveled, desperate flight for their lives any of them had ever experienced!

In any case, Jun Beiyue was keeping score on this debt.

Fortunately, they emerged unscathed. The moment they burst out of the crater’s opening together, the Miser Beast, already hovering in midair, immediately swooped in to receive them.

The instant the first surge of magma had erupted from the crater, Xiong Xiaobao and the others had all taken cover. Looking down from above, the entire crater was a blinding wash of white, utterly impossible to make anything out!

Not a single poison beast dared to venture down recklessly, and Jue Mingzi held tightly onto Xiong Xiaobao, refusing to let him go down.

The moment he saw Mommy and Daddy tumbling down together onto the Miser Beast’s back, Xiong Xiaobao nearly burst into tears, rushing forward and choking out, “Why did it take you so long! So long! So long!”

Hearing this, Ziqing’s heart nearly broke. Having just clawed her way out of the mouth of a volcano, with her husband right beside her, what she could least bear to think about was Xiong Bao.

“It’s alright, it’s alright now!” Baili Weisheng let out a huge sigh of relief — he too had been thoroughly frightened just now, truly a close call.

“Daddy, your foot!” Xiong Xiaobao cried out, quickly noticing that Jun Beiyue’s right leg had been burned black, the pale white of bone faintly visible beneath.

Yet Jun Beiyue had no time to spare for that, anxiously looking down below. The entire Flame Mountain was still thick with smoke, only a few streaks of firelight visible here and there — traces of the flowing volcanic magma.

“Ziqing, the musician’s ancient map said the secret of Parting Grief lies within Flame Valley. Now that everything’s been destroyed, how are we supposed to find it?”