A good night's sleep.
The next morning, sunlight spilled down.
[ System Prompt: You have enjoyed high-quality sleep, feeling refreshed in body and mind. All attributes +5%, Stamina recovery speed +10%, lasting for 4 hours. ]
"Alright, it's time for us to go."
After eating breakfast, the four members of Lin Qingyue's Squad rose in high spirits to take their leave.
Pan Wenhuo bowed deeply. "Sir, we will await good news after seven days!"
Lin Qingyue waved her hand in farewell.
Under the awe-struck gazes of the Pan family uncle and nephew, the four left the Mid-Mountain Market and headed south.
Xia Lian unfolded the map to confirm their direction. "After crossing this jungle, we will be within the range of the Vermilion Bird Ruins."
"Finally, I don't have to smell that overpowering fragrance anymore."
Lin Xiyue rubbed her stomach, which still felt a bit full, and let out a satisfied burp.
"If I stayed any longer, my plate armor would have definitely burst."
"You have the nerve to say that?"
Su Wan glanced at her sideways, but a faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered at the corner of her mouth.
"I wonder who secretly packed a large portion before we left."
"That's called a strategic reserve!"
Lin Xiyue's face didn't blush, nor did her heart beat faster, as she argued her point with conviction.
"In a critical moment, this portion of soup can be used as ten Large Red Potions! This is called tactics, you know? Tactics!"
Lin Qingyue watched them bicker and smiled, interrupting.
"Alright, alright, Xiyue, you should hold back a little. If you eat any more, you'll trigger the 'Gluttony' penalty."
"Our post-meal digestion exercise is about to begin."
As they passed through the increasingly sparse jungle, the earth took on a sickly, withered appearance.
The soil was no longer brown, but a lifeless dark red, as if it had been repeatedly scorched by raging fire.
The air was no longer just hot.
It was a heavy, aggressive burning sensation. Inhaling it felt like swallowing scalding iron sand.
"Everyone, pay attention."
Xia Lian's voice tightened. As a Ranger, her senses were the keenest.
"The environment here is wrong. The temperature is too high."
Just as she spoke, the four stepped onto a patch of cracked, crimson earth.
Boom!
A destructive heatwave erupted from deep underground.
It wasn't wind.
It was an invisible but scorching wall, crashing straight into them!
Everything in their field of vision was distorted by the high temperature, shimmering with water-like ripples.
Every breath felt like forcing down a handful of glowing red charcoal, continuously burning their throats and lungs.
[ System Prompt: You have entered the outer area of the "Vermilion Bird Ruins." ]
[ System Prompt: You are in an "Extreme Heat" environment. Comfort level has decreased significantly. All attributes are continuously decaying, currently decreasing by 1% per minute. Stamina consumption rate has increased by 20%. ]
A series of system prompts instantly froze the previously relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
"Damn it, they hit us with a main dish right off the bat!"
Lin Xiyue cursed. Under the high temperature, her Runic Plate Armor rapidly heated up. Every inch of metal turned into a branding iron, pressing against her skin and sending waves of sharp pain.
She felt like a slice of Spam sealed in a can, being slow-cooked over a gentle fire.
Su Wan immediately deployed an Ice Crystal Shield.
Wisps of cold air emanated from it, slightly relieving everyone's discomfort, but the shield itself was melting at a visible rate, consuming a huge amount of magic power.
"Up ahead."
Xia Lian narrowed her eyes, withstanding the scorching heatwave, and pointed into the distance.
A hundred meters away, a flowing Flame Barrier, like an upside-down crimson waterfall, roared and spanned between heaven and earth, sealing off the path ahead.
In front of the barrier, several charred black human-shaped bodies lay scattered on the ground, their twisted postures forever frozen in the final second before death.
The silent, horrific scene was more impactful than any warning.
"Those are previous explorers."
Su Wan's expression was grave. "Judging by their size, they don't look human. They probably tried to force their way through the barrier and were instantly burned to ash."
She closed her eyes, carefully sensing the flow of magic power around the barrier, and opened them a moment later.
"The barrier's energy flow is cyclic. Every so often, a momentary weak point will appear. But..."
She quickly did the math.
"It will be another hour or more before the next one."
Over an hour.
Staying in this godforsaken place for over an hour, even if they did nothing, the continuous attribute-decaying debuff alone would be enough to cripple anyone.
"We can't wait."
Lin Qingyue shook her head. Her long pink hair billowed in the hot wind, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.
She took out that crimson feather from her Storage Space.
[ Vermilion Bird Fire Feather ].
The moment the Fire Feather appeared, the raging fire elemental energy in the surroundings seemed to bow and obey like courtiers before their monarch, miraculously calming down.
A gentle, pure light radiated from the Fire Feather, forming an invisible field that sealed off the scorching heatwave.
The four of them suddenly felt a lightness in their bodies, and the internal and external scorching sensation that had almost set them on fire instantly subsided.
"Oh?"
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow, not expecting the feather to have such a function; it was practically a portable, constant-temperature air conditioner.
Holding the Fire Feather, she walked slowly toward the Flame Barrier.
Lin Xiyue and the other two followed tensely behind her, ready to react to any sudden change.
As Lin Qingyue approached, the originally raging, all-consuming Flame Barrier underwent a startling transformation.
The flowing flames ceased their chaotic movement and became orderly and gentle.
As if possessing a will of their own, they actively receded to either side. In the center of the barrier, they parted to create a safe passage about three meters wide, composed of a gentle light, for Lin Qingyue and her team.
On both sides of the passage were churning walls of crimson fire.
Inside, however, it was a place of serene tranquility.
It was as if a royal guard was clearing the way for its king.
"Let's go."
Lin Qingyue turned back and waved to her three teammates, who were already staring in awe.
"It looks like we have a VIP Pass."
Passing through the passage went unbelievably smoothly.
Yet, the moment the four stepped into the ruins, a completely different aura wafted from the depths of the ruins.
It was a scent mixed with sulfur, burnt flesh, and... boundless rage.
[ System Notification: You have entered the Vermilion Bird Ruins. The Dungeon Rule "Punishment of the Seven Sins" has been activated by a high concentration of the same-source emotion. ]
[ System Notification: This area will continuously induce and amplify the "Wrath" emotion within living beings. Please exercise caution in controlling your anger. ]
Lin Qingyue's pupils constricted slightly. She immediately turned to Lin Xiyue beside her, about to speak.
"Tch!"
An extremely impatient click of the tongue escaped Lin Xiyue's teeth.
"What the hell? Why is this happening again?"
Lin Xiyue's tone held a trace of gunpowder that she herself had not yet noticed.
The veins on the back of the hand gripping her shield bulged one by one, like coiled dragons deep underground, her knuckles turning white from the force.
She swept her gaze across this dilapidated, charred ancient hall. An unnamable fire erupted from her heart, impossible to suppress.
Everything she saw was displeasing.
She just wanted to smash everything in sight to pieces.
"Xiyue?"
Su Wan also sensed the abnormality and called out tentatively.
"What?"
Lin Xiyue whipped her head around, her eyes filled with fiercely aggressive irritation.
That gaze made Su Wan's heart leap, and she instinctively took half a step back.
This was not the Lin Xiyue she knew.
"So annoying."
Lin Xiyue forced the three words out through her gritted teeth, her voice low and hard.
She kicked a charred, waist-high rock nearby with all her might.
Bam!
The rock shattered on impact, sending shards flying on a gust of wind!
"Calm down!"
Lin Qingyue's voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear and piercing.
She understood instantly: this was the "Wrath" at work.
Lin Xiyue had the most straightforward personality, wearing her heart on her sleeve, so she naturally became the first target to be influenced.
"I am perfectly calm!"
Lin Xiyue roared back, her chest heaving violently, her eyes even beginning to glow with an abnormal, bloodshot red.
"This damned place is hot as hell and has too many rules. Isn't it annoying enough?!"
Her reason was being slowly devoured by that inexplicably sprouting rage.
Xia Lian gripped her twin swords tightly, her body slightly hunched in uncertainty.
Forcible restraint?
That would only infuriate her more.
Reasoning?
Someone in a blind rage couldn't listen to any reason.
Just at this tense moment, Lin Qingyue did something that no one had expected.
She calmly reached into her Storage Space and took out a...
An ice-chilled watermelon.
Thump.
A soft sound.
A round, emerald-green watermelon, its skin still coated in a fine layer of white frost, was placed steadily on the ground.
The white frost on the melon's skin came into contact with the ground, emitting a faint sizzle and sending up a wisp of barely perceptible white steam.
A cool, sweet fragrance instantly diffused through the sweltering air.
Su Wan and Xia Lian were both stunned.
Even Lin Xiyue, who was on the verge of a blind rage with bloodshot eyes, had her furious expression instantly frozen.
She stared fixedly at the melon on the ground, which was emitting a cool mist.