A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5915

Lindsay's eyes widened, tears glittering anew. "Does that mean he wants to join forces with Malevolent Path Hall? He did say he's heading for level twelve!"

"Yes. That's most likely," Jared answered, blood still wet on his tongue.

A ragged stab of pain speared his chest, causing him to knit his brows tight. "An old demon like Soul Devourer is good at assessing the situation and acting at the right moment. He's cunning as a fox. He knows he can't remain on level eleven, not when he has both Earthfire Pavilion and me hunting him down. Therefore, his best choice is to join Malevolent Path Hall. It's a fellow demonic faction, strong and actively recruiting powerful cultivators. It'd be the safest refuge for him."

Vermilion Demon Lord's crimson aura dimmed at the edges. "As if dealing with the inscrutable leader of the Malevolent Path Hall wasn't bad enough, we now also have Soul Devourer in the High Immortal Realm... If they fully join forces, the consequences would be unimaginable!"

Jared drew a long breath, forcing the churning blood and the icy bite of demonic flame back into their cages. For an instant, steely resolve flashed across his eyes.

"Whatever comes, we meet it head-on. Brooding helps no one. In any case, our priority now is to find the Jadeheart Marrow and heal your partner. Then we'll make a beeline for level twelve."

With that, Jared lowered his gaze to the ancient map gifted by Gerald, fingertip tracing a nearly invisible vein of ink that revealed a hidden passage.

"We must find Soul Devourer and Malevolent Path Hall and deal with them before they forge a stable alliance," he said firmly. "Otherwise, once they are fully prepared and strike back, wielding the Door of Reincarnation along with the might of two High Immortals, we—and even the entire level eleven—will be doomed."

Jared folded the map and lifted his gaze to the only passable gap ahead. The corridor looked like a crack in the world—a narrow throat of rock plunging into darkness toward the legendary Magma Heart, the sole safe route his chart had promised.

Propped against Lindsay's slender arm, Jared steadied himself. His boots slipped on loose gravel, yet his eyes shone, razor-bright once more. "Let's go. Our goal waits just beyond that shadow," he said, low but unflinching.

Vermilion Demon Lord gave a single heavy nod and stepped forward to lead the way.

Lindsay tightened her hold on Jared's waist, her eyes filled with both worry and unwavering determination.

They left the fading taint of Soul Devourer's demonic aura behind them, drew one deep breath, and slipped through the hidden passage toward their final destination.

Vermilion Demon Lord advanced first. Scarlet demonic aura curled from his shoulders, knitting itself into a solid bulwark around his massive frame.

Each stride landed with deliberate heaviness, proof that every nerve in the demon lord was tuned to danger's highest pitch.

The Chthonic Abyss birthed threats of its own making. Soul Devourer might have fallen, yet the womb that forged him remained far deadlier than any single fiend.

The tunnel sloped downward in a slow coil. With every yard, the heat climbed, turning breath into steam.

Dull crimson walls soon glowed furnace-bright. Pockets of rock softened into glassy half-melted ridges that pulsed with inner fire.

Sulfur and age-old ore stung their noses. Even Jared's celestial energy labored, thick as syrup in the scorched air.

Suddenly, Vermilion Demon Lord stopped and raised one clawed hand. "Array fluctuation ahead," he warned.

Jared closed his eyes, leaning on Lindsay as agony ripped through the wound over his heart. Soul-Devouring Demonic Flames still wrestled his chaotic celestial energy there, and every breath he took felt like a knife was stabbed into him. Despite that, he suppressed the discomfort and let a strand of chaotic energy silently unfurl from his brow.

"It's an ancient restriction, one that's tied to the earth vein," he rasped. "I don't think this is the work of Soul Devourer. It feels more like a natural formation of this place, or a remnant from ancient times."

The passage widened without warning into a cavern nearly a hundred yards across.

At its core, blinding white magma fountained upward, yet seven distinct streams rotated in patient arcs, sketching an immense array across the floor.

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