"He's finally here?!"
Li Ye suddenly sat up from the grass, flipping his hand to pull out a jade tablet. The tablet's many compartments glowed with a steady pale light except for a few that briefly flashed crimson before going completely dark.
These were part of the sensory mechanism he'd left near the sealing formation, designed to detect the aura of those who passed through. If the aura exceeded a certain threshold, the mechanism would quietly deactivate on its own.
The feedback Li Ye received was simple: the corresponding compartments on the jade tablet would flare red, and then fade to black.
That threshold, naturally, was set at the Golden Core level!
All this time, it had only ever reacted once before when the ten-headed fire beast chased Kong Changsheng out of the cave, forcing Li Ye to patch the mechanism afterward.
Now, it had triggered again!
Li Ye quickly regained his composure, a slight frown forming as he pondered.
"So, he went straight to the Lava Palace… didn't come looking for me?"
"Judging from the current condition of the four Golden Cores, there's a slightly higher chance it's that Bihu Sanren who came this time."
After all, from the outside world's perspective, Li Ye had never once ventured into the underground palace after it was discovered. Even after the appearance of the Golden Core fire beast, he had remained behind closed doors for over a year.
Others might even assume he knew less about the place than the disciples who barely escaped with their lives.
But as the one who controlled this area, there was no way those Golden Core cultivators would believe he knew absolutely nothing.
It would've been perfectly reasonable for them to come to question him if anything useful came of it, great; if not, well, their lofty status meant they wouldn't think much of it either way.
Yet this particular Golden Core didn't show up at his door at all. That was… slightly unusual.
The only one that made sense was Bihu Sanren whose impending death due to old age had long been public knowledge. No one knew how many years he had left to live.
If he'd come seeking opportunity, he'd have to act fast but also avoid drawing any attention, lest others realize his sect was vulnerable and ruin his plans.
Such cautious behavior would fit him perfectly.
"If it is him, that would be the best outcome for me."
A thought crossed Li Ye's mind, and he visibly relaxed a little.
Compared to the other Golden Cores, only Bihu Sanren was truly at the end of his lifespan and in the worst condition.
The fact that he came alone, without even a single disciple, showed just how desperate he was for a final gamble.
He might have already settled all his affairs before setting out choosing to die fighting for hope, rather than sit around waiting for the end.
But the Lava Palace was ridiculously dangerous. In his current state cultivating water-based techniques, no less, which were heavily countered by the fire beasts surviving and gaining anything would be nearly impossible.
If he died inside… that would be Li Ye's chance to profit.
Li Ye wasn't all that interested in treasures or valuables. What he truly wanted were the insights and understanding of breaking through to the Golden Core realm!
"…It's kind of immoral, but for me, this may be the only chance I've got…"
With a sigh, Li Ye calmed his thoughts and stopped overthinking.
A Golden Core cultivator had entered there was no longer anything he could control about the situation.
All he could do now was wait patiently.
At most, if fire beasts erupted again, or if the formation remained inactive for a long time, he could recall his rock puppets to observe the state of the Lava Palace.
If there was truly something to gain, he could always consider sending the puppets down for a look later.
............
"So this is the ancient Lava Palace?"
Standing amidst a sea of molten lava, Bihu Sanren had entered the underground space without much effort. He muttered to himself as he looked toward the towering, motionless structure of the palace, eyes burning with excitement and anticipation.
This place held the last chance of his life.
A protective shield of true essence swirled around him like rippling blue-black water, isolating him from the searing heat of the area.
The scattered first- and second-tier restrictions in the outer region couldn't even get close to him before being forcefully dissolved by his true essence.
But as he extended his divine sense to scan the vast underground world, Bihu Sanren's expression gradually turned grave.
As a Golden Core cultivator, he possessed a powerful divine sense. Though not particularly gifted, he had managed to push his formation mastery to the second tier.
So when it came to the chaotic formations here, his assessment was not mistaken.
Even with his strength, to truly enter the core of the Lava Palace, he would need to proceed with utmost caution.
"This legacy is indeed extraordinary. If there are any pills or spiritual treasures left behind, they could be of immense use to me!"
Having made his judgment, he chose to follow the path previously taken by the cultivators of the Three Sects, steadily making his way toward the palace proper.
Days passed.
Fortunately, the formation masters from Thousand Island Water City had escaped earlier and made it back safely.
Although the restrictions and formations here constantly shifted, altering even the original path the Three Sects had opened, it still provided some valuable reference.
With Bihu Sanren's centuries of cultivation and energy refinement, he advanced with exceptional caution making barely any noise and minimizing his spiritual presence to the utmost.
Even when fire beasts emerged from time to time to block his way, he made sure to kill them in a single strike.
He had made it to the very edge of the Lava Palace without alerting any Tier-3 fire beasts a sharp contrast to the chaos caused by the earlier, larger group that had drawn those beasts out early and suffered for it.
Along the way, he did find a variety of minor treasures, even some Tier-3 items, but to him, these were just trinkets.
Had it been in his younger days, back when he had first reached the Golden Core stage, he would've been overjoyed.
But now, the only things he truly sought were spiritual pills that could extend his lifespan or help him advance in cultivation. Everything else was meaningless he didn't even know if he'd live long enough to make use of them.
"That ruined structure seems… unusual."
As the Lava Palace loomed before him, Bihu Sanren couldn't help but feel a rare sense of smallness. Yet when his divine sense swept over a nearby island-like structure, something caught his attention.
"Protected by Tier-3, perhaps even Tier-4 formations… the spatial restriction around it is so complete, it's practically sealed off from the rest of the palace…"
The more he probed, the more shocked he became.
It was the first time he had seen such a refined yet ruined structure.
Compared to a previous island he had tried to breach only to be subtly unsettled by it and ultimately gave up this one was even more intricate.
Bihu Sanren hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, he ultimately chose to leave it alone and head directly into the core of the Lava Palace.
Formations of Tier-3 or Tier-4 were not something he could dismantle easily. Even with all his accumulated formation-breaking methods, brute force would still be required.
Such a move would cause too much noise and that could easily provoke the Tier-3 fire beasts. If he failed to acquire the contents and lost his chance to enter the palace as a result…
He didn't have the luxury of time to wait for the fire beasts to retreat into dormancy again.
Passing through the final layer of formation-based defenses, Bihu Sanren finally stepped into the main body of the Lava Palace.
In that instant, his expression subtly changed.
There were no formations covering the area he now stood in.
Or rather…
As his divine sense spread out further, he made a discovery.
The chaotic and dangerous restrictions outside had been replaced within the palace by something more structured and stable, with formations only covering individual buildings and still maintaining the palace's internal functions.
But just as this realization settled, a strange feeling rose in his chest a vague, unnerving sense of being watched.
Startled, he instinctively prepared to retreat. Yet, the grand palace around him showed no visible reaction.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and resolutely took his first step deeper into the Lava Palace.
-support me on Patreon for more chapters, 405+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LordoftheReader