A massive battle broke out between Gu Qinghe and the lava monster.

Gu Qinghe flew forward at high speed, unleashing a powerful crimson slash from his Demonic Sky Energy Sword.

The attack struck the lava monster’s body, but the damage was not significant.

With its unique ability, it could regenerate any lost body parts.

"Is that all you’ve got, boy?!" it roared.

Gu Qinghe pulled back, still gripping his sword tightly, his gaze fixed forward.

Not long after, the lava monster attacked. It gathered a massive amount of lava, compressed it into a giant fireball, and hurled it toward Gu Qinghe.

Gu Qinghe reacted quickly. He gripped his sword and swung it sideways.

A crimson slash tore through the sky, colliding directly with the lava fireball.

BLAST!

A powerful explosion erupted, sending flames scattering everywhere.

Gu Qinghe paused briefly, raising his hand and shielding himself with dark qi.

This monster was different. It was injured, but its regeneration saved it again.

Its severed arm regrew instantly. It let out a furious roar, trying to intimidate Gu Qinghe.

"Its regeneration is troublesome," Gu Qinghe muttered.

"Hey, Qinghe. Can I give you some advice?" Saint Yue asked.

"What?"

"You won’t defeat it unless you destroy its qi core," she said.

"Qi core?"

"Yes."

"The lava in this volcano is formed from dark qi. You must have noticed," Yue explained.

Gu Qinghe looked forward again and activated his cultivation vision.

Through his eyes, he could faintly see crimson qi radiating from the monster’s body, extending all the way to the lava crater.

"You’re right." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I don’t know where the core is located. Try destroying its body first," Saint Yue said.

"If it’s still not there, then there’s a chance the qi core is inside the lava crater."

The crater is filled with aggressive dark qi. If I stay there too long, my mind and heart could be corrupted.

"Take this!" the lava monster shouted.

It attacked again, clenching its fist and punching forward.

Gu Qinghe wasn’t ready. He could only defend with his sword, and his body was blasted backward, crashing into the ground.

COUGH!

He rose into a crouch, coughing up blood. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

The only option left was to follow Saint Yue’s plan.

Without destroying the qi core, he would be trapped on this star for far too long.

Gu Qinghe shot back into the sky, sending his Demonic Sky Energy Sword upward.

His hands formed seals as he activated the technique Sword Punishment Descent.

An Earth-grade high-tier technique. Combined with the Demonic Sky Energy Sword, its power increased several times over.

Red lightning rumbled across the dark sky, accompanied by strong winds and surging qi.

The lava monster looked up and saw a massive crimson sword descending from above.

"An impressive technique, but not enough to kill me!" the monster roared.

Instead of defending, it chose to clash head-on. The lava in its hand transformed into a massive trident spear.

Gu Qinghe lowered his hand, pointing downward and commanding the giant sword to descend.

The lava monster reacted quickly, throwing its flaming trident spear to collide with Gu Qinghe’s crimson sword.

Its attack was powerful, but not strong enough to destroy the sword.

BLAST!

Another massive explosion erupted, releasing a shockwave strong enough to push Gu Qinghe back, though it didn’t injure him further.

The trident spear shattered, exploding into thousands of fiery meteors that rained down across the land, setting parts of the black forest below ablaze.

Gu Qinghe’s giant sword continued its descent, empowered by overwhelming dark qi.

The monster tried to stop it with both hands, roaring loudly. But Gu Qinghe did not hold back.

He increased his power, forcing the sword down even harder.

"Die!" Gu Qinghe shouted.

The monster failed to stop it. The sword pierced straight through its chest, impaling it completely.

Within seconds, the monster’s body exploded, turning into meteors that rained down for the second time.

Gu Qinghe raised his hand, using dark qi to shield himself.

He looked forward but could not find the qi core as Saint Yue had mentioned.

"It’s not here," Gu Qinghe said.

"Then you have to enter the lava crater and find it there," Saint Yue replied.

Gu Qinghe clenched his fist. He didn’t want to do it, knowing the risk to his consciousness. But in the end, he had no choice.

He swung his arm, wrapping his entire body in dense dark qi. Saint Yue assisted, adding a second layer of natural qi protection.

"You have one incense stick of time," Saint Yue said.

One hour? That’s enough.

Gu Qinghe took his sword. It shrank and returned to his grasp.

Just before the lava monster could regenerate, he shot straight into the lava crater.

As soon as he entered, he felt the crushing pressure of dark qi.

Strengthening his body with layers of energy, he continued searching.

"The qi core is producing dense dark qi. I just need to trace the flow to find it," Gu Qinghe said.

"Your reasoning is correct, Qinghe," Yue replied.

His cultivation vision activated, tracking the flow of dark qi deeper into the crater.

The deeper he went, the stronger and more dominant the dark qi became.

Without the two protective layers, he would have been overwhelmed.

Then he saw it. All the dark qi converged into a glowing red stone at the deepest point.

Gu Qinghe stopped. "Is that the qi core?"

"Destroy it, Qinghe," Yue urged.

Without hesitation, Gu Qinghe swung his sword and split the core in two.

The dark qi flow stopped and faded, no longer pressing down on him.

Above the crater, the lava monster collapsed and disappeared, causing lava to surge violently.

Gu Qinghe looked up and quickly flew out, escaping the eruption.

He emerged from the crater safely, but the strain was heavy. Exhausted, he dropped to a crouch, breathing heavily.

Gu Qinghe looked ahead. Gu Qingyin had already arrived at the mountain. The wounds on his body were from the earlier battle.

"Brother Gu Qinghe?" Gu Qingyin called.

The fairy she obtained was a metal-element fairy. Saint Yue recognized her as An Ruyu.

"Are you alright, Brother?" she asked, worried.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry about me."

Suddenly, a blue crystal rose from the lava crater and floated in front of Gu Qinghe.

"That’s the Immortal Sky Crystal of the Seventh Peak. Anyone who has it can go to the seventh peak," Yue explained.

"Immortal Sky Crystal? Looks like I can finally leave this place."

Gu Qinghe turned to Qingyin before leaving.

"Find the monster’s qi core inside the crater. Destroy it, and you can get out of here."

"Thank you for the information, Brother."

"After I leave this place, I promise I’ll visit Mother!"

Gu Qinghe crushed the crystal in front of him, creating a blue portal before his face, "Do whatever you want!"