By now, they had clearly entered a deeper region of Ember Passage Ridge. The pressure around them grew heavier with each step. Even his Flame Armor let out faint metallic sounds under the strain, and simple movement became difficult. They had no choice but to rely on movement Gu to continue forward.
From here on, they had to move carefully. The entire Ember Passage Ridge was still collapsing, its structure unstable, with the risk of sinking into the sand at any moment. If that happened, anyone inside would be buried alive.
Shan Shayuan reassured him, "Don't worry. I brought an Earth Escape Gu. If things go wrong, we can get out."
Before they could move further—
Roar!
A surge of muddy yellow light suddenly burst from ahead. A terrifying fluctuation swept through the passage, and wherever it passed, the tunnel crumbled into dust, collapsing layer by layer.
Lin Yan's expression changed instantly. "Not good—an enemy! Why didn't my Fire Eyes and Golden Gaze detect it?!"
He barely had time to react before the attack struck. His body was sent flying, slammed back by the yellow light. The crimson-gold Flame Armor covering him trembled violently, cracks appearing across its surface. Its brilliance dimmed as a layer of gray, stone-like substance spread over it, threatening to turn his entire body to stone.
At the critical moment, Lin Yan's Borrow Fire Gu and Fire Aperture Gu activated in sequence. A surge of intense flame energy burst from within his body, reinforcing the Flame Armor. The dull gray petrification was instantly burned away, and the armor flared back to life, blazing with crimson-gold light. Its defense rose sharply, already comparable to Rank 4.
At the same time, Shan Shayuan reacted without hesitation. Rock Wall Gu activated, raising layers of thick earthen barriers in front of them. The muddy yellow light smashed through several layers in succession, but its force weakened and finally stopped.
Then, from the depths of the passage, a figure shot forward.
A deep yellow true dragon surged out, its body dozens of feet long, with four claws and dense scales. Its eyes were wide and imposing, radiating a terrifying pressure.
Shan Shayuan immediately activated Iron Sand Gu. A dark light swept outward, and the earthen walls transformed into black, metallic structures, hard and solid like forged iron.
Boom!
With a deafening crash, the yellow dragon slammed into the reinforced wall. The barrier shattered instantly, as if cut through without resistance. The impact sent violent tremors through the surrounding tunnels, the entire area shaking under its overwhelming force.
Seeing this, Shan Shayuan frowned in surprise. "Could it be a Myriad Beast King that survived?"
Not far away, Lin Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Accumulated Ash Gu activated, spreading a warm current through his body as the injuries on his surface quickly healed. Thanks to the combined defense of Flame Armor Gu and Glass Flame Bone Gu, he had managed to endure that strike without serious damage—just barely avoiding disaster.
He forced his eyes open again, activating Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze. This time, he saw through it.
"This isn't a Myriad Beast King," Lin Yan said sharply. "It's a Rank 4 Gu!"
No wonder his earlier detection had failed—there was no heat signature to track. As the illusion broke apart, the true form of the yellow dragon became clear. Both of them felt a surge of excitement.
A Rank 4 Gu. This was most likely Earth Dragon Gu, a rare existence that could only form in places tied to dragon-kind, similar to Dragon Scale Earth. Its offensive power was known to be exceptional.
Without hesitation, the two of them moved at the same time.
Lin Yan raised his hand, activating Exploding Fireball Gu, Borrow Fire Gu, and Fire Source Gu at the same time. A blazing golden fireball, half the size of a person, shot forward and slammed into the yellow earth dragon. It exploded on impact, scattering fire in all directions, then triggered a second blast that expanded into a raging sea of flames.
Roar!
The earth dragon writhed under the assault, its scales breaking apart and falling as specks of light.
At the same time, Shan Shayuan moved steadily. Iron Sand Gu activated again and again, forming layers of dense iron-sand barriers that closed in from all sides, sealing off every path of escape.
The two worked in perfect coordination. One attacked relentlessly, the other restricted and suppressed. Gradually, the earth dragon weakened, its movements slowing, until it could no longer resist. Its massive form shrank, condensing into a coiled Earth Dragon Gu, its surface covered in damage.
Even so, its value was clear. A Rank 4 Gu like this, even damaged, could be restored and was worth at least one hundred thousand primeval stones. The gap between Rank 3 and Rank 4 was obvious—refining Gu of this level with any reliability already required high attainment in Refinement Path.
Shan Shayuan accepted it with satisfaction and said, "I'll take this Earth Dragon Gu. We'll deduct it from my share."
This round of scavenging brought Shan Shayuan real gains. Not only did he obtain a Rank 4 Gu as a trump card, he also now had the means to sustain it. Earth Dragon Gu fed on Dragon Scale Earth, and they had just collected dozens of kilograms of it.
Lin Yan, however frown. His own Flame Path Rank 4 Gu could only be obtained through refinement, not luck. Thinking of that, he let out a quiet breath.
After a short rest to recover their primeval essence, the two continued forward. The passage ahead grew wider and wider, but at the same time, the pressure increased. The pull from the surroundings intensified, making each step heavy and draining their essence at a noticeable rate.
Then Lin Yan suddenly stopped.
His Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze pierced through layers of rock, extending deep into the distance. In his vision, a large mass of condensed orange-red heat appeared, blazing like a furnace. Beside it were three or four dimmer shapes, their outlines clearly human.
"Wait," he said quietly. "There are people ahead."