Deep inside Twin Flame Mountain, blazing flames burned as waves of intense heat spilled out of the mountain. Wuchen and Su Weiwei were sweating profusely from the heat, and they only managed to make it bearable by using water elements to form an ice mirror barrier as they advanced.
Suddenly, a massive fiery beast leaped out from the flames. Engulfed in raging fire, it opened its gaping maw and lunged straight at them.
Su Weiwei screamed in fright. Wuchen gripped her hand tightly and quickly channeled the water element to form a water wall for defense. The fiery beast crashed into the water wall with a sizzling sound, and a large portion of the water was instantly vaporized.
Gritting his teeth, Wuchen increased his output of the water element while pulling Su Weiwei to dodge aside. At that moment, the fiery beast spat out a column of flame, shooting straight toward Su Weiwei.
Without a second thought, Wuchen pulled Su Weiwei behind him to shield her. The column of flame struck his back, and he let out a muffled groan as his body swayed slightly.
Seeing Wuchen injured, Su Weiwei felt a pang of heartache. She closed her eyes and concentrated on mobilizing the bright Spiritual Power within her. Suddenly, a soft glow radiated from her body, and wherever the light reached, the flames gradually extinguished.
Upon seeing this, the fiery beast let out an angry roar and turned to vanish back into the flames. Su Weiwei anxiously checked Wuchen's injuries, her eyes brimming with tears. She retrieved a bottle of recovery pills from her Space for Wuchen to take, then pulled him back into the Space to soak and wash his wounds in the Lotus Pond, using her bright Spiritual Power to heal him.
The gentle healing power of the bright Spiritual Power seeped into Wuchen's bare back, and the wounds slowly scabbed and healed. After rinsing them with the water from Spirit Creek, his back was restored to as good as new. However, Su Weiwei fainted from the complete exhaustion of her Spiritual Power.
Looking at the unconscious Su Weiwei, Wuchen's heart was filled with guilt and heartache. He gently gathered her into his arms, placed her on the Purple Spirit Bed in the bedroom, and fed her a Nourishing Pill to replenish her Spiritual Power.
After a long while, Su Weiwei slowly regained consciousness. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Wuchen right in front of her, and her face flushed crimson in an instant. "You're awake." Wuchen gently stroked Su Weiwei's face. "You silly girl, don't ever be so foolish again next time, exhausting all your Spiritual Power just to heal my injuries."
"I was worried about you!" Su Weiwei's Spiritual Power had recovered, making her look much more spirited. "Are you all right?"
Instead of answering, Wuchen gently kissed Su Weiwei's lips and sighed softly, "How could I not be all right when you care about me so much?"
An air of subtle ambiguity settled between them. Suddenly, the Space trembled, and a mysterious voice echoed: "You have passed the test of the fiery beast. The secrets of Twin Flame Mountain are about to open for you."
As the voice faded, a passageway leading to the core of Twin Flame Mountain appeared within the Space. Wuchen and Su Weiwei exchanged a glance, both seeing determination in each other's eyes.
Hand in hand, they stepped out of the Space and walked toward the passageway, ready to lift the mysterious veil of Twin Flame Mountain. Meanwhile, their affection for one another quietly deepened through this trial of life and death.
Colorful ancient runes flickered inside the passageway, and an aura of antiquity rushed toward them. Wuchen held Su Weiwei's hand tightly as they walked forward vigilantly. Feeling the warmth radiating from his palm, Su Weiwei felt completely at ease.
Suddenly, the runes on both sides of the passageway flared with brilliant light, and a group of fire-element guards composed of runes emerged from the walls. Wielding flaming weapons, they charged toward the two. Wuchen immediately condensed the water element into water arrows and shot them at the fire-element guards.
Su Weiwei also mobilized her newly recovered Spiritual Power, releasing the power of light to illuminate the entire passageway. Working together, they managed to beat back the fire-element guards.
However, just as they thought they were temporarily safe, a massive flame vortex appeared at the end of the passageway, out of which stepped a fiery beast.
An aura of terror emanated from the fiery beast. With a roar, the entire passageway began to vibrate violently. Wuchen pulled Su Weiwei behind him, his gaze fixed resolutely on the fiery beast.
Behind Wuchen, Su Weiwei silently gathered her Spiritual Power, ready to provide support at any moment. The fiery beast took the initiative, waving its hands to send countless blazing meteors raining down upon them.
Wuchen and Su Weiwei quickly evaded while searching for the fiery beast's weak spot, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. A fierce battle thus ensued.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Wuchen. *Wait, doesn't the dark element devour everything? Let's give it a try.*
Wuchen released the dark element from within his body, and a pitch-black radiance that blocked out all light enveloped the fiery beast. The creature immediately let out a painful scream: "Ah, don't devour me, I surrender!"
Wuchen reined in his Spiritual Power, and the fiery beast shrank into a ball, transforming into a cluster of red, lotus-shaped flames.
"Brother Wuchen, could this be the Red Lotus Karmic Fire?" Su Weiwei exclaimed in surprise.
Looking at the cluster of flames, Wuchen was also a bit unsure. "It's possible. Legend has it that the Red Lotus Karmic Fire is the purest fire in the world, possessing world-destroying power."
Su Weiwei said excitedly, "If we obtain it, won't our strength increase drastically? Refining pills will also yield twice the result with half the effort!"
The Red Lotus Karmic Fire, transformed from the fiery beast, suddenly spoke: "That's right. As long as you can form a pact with me, you will be able to command my power."
Wuchen and Su Weiwei exchanged a glance, seeing pleasant surprise in each other's eyes. Following the method described by the fiery beast, Wuchen and Su Weiwei simultaneously injected a wisp of Spiritual Power into the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. In an instant, a powerful surge of energy poured into their bodies, and both of them felt filled with strength.
A flash of pact-formation light dispersed around them, and a pair of small fire flames materialized within their Divine Sense. "Masters, we are the male and female Twin Lotus Karmic Fires. The female fire pacts with the mistress, and the male fire pacts with the master. Please bestow names upon us!"
"So that's why it's called Twin Flame Mountain," Su Weiwei said with sudden realization. "Then let's call the one paired with me Xiaolian, and the one paired with Brother Wuchen Xiaohuo! Brother Wuchen, what do you think?"
Wuchen smiled as he looked at her. "As long as Weiwei likes them!"
"Masters, when you engage in Dual Cultivation and unite as one, we will also merge. Our power will be enhanced, and in your usual battles, your Divine Senses can entwine to bring our ultimate strength into full play," the Twin Lotuses added.
"Ah? It can do that too?" Su Weiwei was shocked, her wide-eyed, adorable expression delighting Wuchen once again. Wuchen thought to himself that Dual Cultivation indeed seemed like a good choice—it allowed him to grow close to the person he loved while also increasing his strength.
Just then, the light at the end of the passageway flared brilliantly, and an ancient palace appeared before their eyes. The palace gates were engraved with mysterious runes, radiating wave after wave of oppressive might.
Taking a deep breath, Wuchen and Su Weiwei walked toward the palace hand in hand. They knew that the true secret of Twin Flame Mountain lay within this palace, and what they were about to face might be an even greater challenge, but with each other by their side, they had nothing to fear.