Moch'i continued his journey, pausing and moving forward. His eyes, constantly exposed to the searing heat, had gradually become accustomed to it, tinged with a golden light that allowed him to perceive the sun's interior with greater clarity.
The sun, he observed, was essentially divided into three layers. The outermost layer contained little of the Sun's essence but possessed immense destructive and lethal power, making it inaccessible to most.
The middle layer saw an increasing concentration of the Sun's essence, with flames burning even more fiercely. This layer could incinerate all things, and many talented individuals had met their end here.
The innermost layer was the location of the Sun's Heart, a place yearned for by many but unreachable.
Legend had it that the Sun's Heart was what enabled the sun to endlessly radiate light and heat. Possessing the Sun's Heart, it was said, could illuminate all things and command all realms, thus attracting countless aspirants.
The Golden River World had lost the Taiyin Heart, leaving them with only death and destruction as their fate.
For their survival, they had two options: either abandon the Golden River World and seek refuge in the Silver River World, or seize the Sun's Heart to restore order to the Golden River World and plunge the Silver River World into chaos.
There had been a notion among them: to borrow the Sun's Heart, stabilize the Golden River World with it, and then return it.
No one knew if this notion held any truth. After the Sun's Heart stabilized the Golden River World, would the Golden River World remain stable if it were taken away?
No one had the answer!
But primarily, the Sun's Heart could not be lent. If the Golden River World borrowed it and refused to return it, the Silver River World would fall into crisis.
Therefore, neither the Silver River Heavenly Emperor nor the Saintess of Light was willing to lend the Sun's Heart.
Moch'i's golden pupils could still discern some invisible entities within the sun. He saw delicate, moth-like beings dancing within, their bodies a vibrant red, light and ethereal, drifting and swaying. Could these be the true forms of the Sun's essence?
With this question in mind, Moch'i flew forward to capture one of these moths. However, as he reached out to touch it, the creature suddenly dissipated, becoming formless and intangible.
As Moch'i felt a pang of dejection, a graceful figure caught his eye in his peripheral vision. She drifted and swayed within, her movements elegant and beautiful.
In her ethereal dance, she collected many of these moths, then emitted streams of red light, causing the moths to gradually melt into her hands.
As she merged with the moths, her form became even more exquisite and translucent.
Moch'i was mesmerized, and a nosebleed uncontrollably streamed down his face.
The woman suddenly cried out in surprise, "You, you can see me?"
"My eyes aren't blind, how could I not see you?" Moch'i replied gentlemanly, turning his head away.
However, after that, there was no further movement from behind him.
After a long while, he couldn't resist looking back, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.
Strange, was it a hallucination?
But he had clearly seen the figure of a beautiful woman, and she had spoken to him.
With this lingering question, Moch'i continued his journey.
His forward progress slowed considerably, but he clearly felt that he was still alive, which was the best outcome he could hope for at the moment.
Yet, the path ahead remained arduous and long. To meet the conditions for the sacrifice, his current cultivation was insufficient; he needed to improve further.
Moch'i's thought was to raise his cultivation to a sufficiently high level to prevent the Golden River World's actions without the need for sacrifice.
This was a deep-seated desire, one he dared not voice.
For if he did, he would be ridiculed for his naivety.
If even the Saintess of Light, with her immense cultivation, required a sacrifice, what made him think he could succeed?
After walking for a while, feeling unable to bear the intensity any longer, he stopped, closed his eyes, and began to meditate to break through his cultivation.
At this moment, he heard a rustling sound and a faint, delicate fragrance.
He even sensed a fleeting shadow searching for something in front of him. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing; the view remained a sea of fiery red.
Something had definitely passed by, but what it had done remained unknown.
He immediately checked himself and was astonished to find a storage bag open. He quickly inventoried its contents and, to his immense relief, realized nothing seemed to be missing. This was a great relief, as it contained various elixirs and magical treasures.
He resumed his cultivation!
The fire spiritual energy here was incredibly abundant. Even without actively absorbing it, the dense fire spiritual energy entered his body with each breath, automatically circulated through his meridians, and promoted his cultivation.
However, this was contingent on having sufficient cultivation and stamina to survive. Otherwise, merely breathing would be fatal!
He felt that heaven was indeed looking favorably upon him, allowing him to survive in such a harsh environment.
After a considerable time, he raised his cultivation to the fourth level of the Saint King realm and stood up, slowly proceeding.
After walking for a while longer, he distinctly felt the searing power increase exponentially, nearly crushing him on the spot.
Looking back, the flames behind him were less intense than those ahead. The fire in front was dense and fierce, burning a deep purple. Clusters of flames twisted together like rolling lava, like roaring, maddened beasts.
The rolling crimson fire seemed like tumbling bayonets, constantly slicing through the surrounding space.
This, he surmised, was likely the core of the sun.
A flicker of excitement, mingled with a touch of fear, coursed through him.
This was the goal he had been pursuing for days. One step forward could mean death or rebirth; everything was left to fate.
At this moment, a figure flashed into his vision. He immediately accelerated his movements, giving chase.
Despite enduring torment akin to a thousand cuts every moment, an inexplicable force drove him to charge forward desperately.
Strangely, his speed was faster than ever before.
Perhaps this was the power of anticipation!
He harbored a hope that the figure ahead was the woman he had seen earlier.
The profound loneliness within this place made him yearn for someone to talk to, hence this anticipation.
Or perhaps, he was constantly convincing himself that this was the reason he was pursuing the figure ahead.
Moments later, the figure ahead seemed to sense someone pursuing it, stopped abruptly, and turned to face Moch'i with anger, "Why are you chasing me? Don't think I'm afraid of you; I simply disdain to fight you. Since you're seeking death, I'll send you on your way."
Moch'i looked closely and realized it was a man, not the woman he had seen earlier!
He couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment.
"You scoundrel, lurking around, what are you doing here?" Moch'i questioned.
If he could enter, others could too!
This could very well be someone else who had come to train!
However, the other person's arrogant and overbearing tone angered him, prompting him to instinctively challenge the man.
Unexpectedly, the other party directly confessed, "I am Shuo Jin from the Golden River World. I came here naturally to obtain the Sun's Heart. What do you intend to do? Stop me?"
Who was Shuo Jin? Moch'i was utterly bewildered, "I don't care if you're ancient or modern, if you dare covet our Sun's Heart, I won't agree."
At this very moment, however, another question occupied his mind: this person could traverse the sun with such ease, clearly no ordinary individual.
He likely couldn't defeat him.
But since they had encountered each other, there was no reason to retreat.
Shuo Jin's heart burned with rage. What insignificant nobody dared to defy him? Truly ungrateful!
At this moment, a gentle voice echoed in his ear, "Shuo Jin is the creator god of the Golden River World, much like Pangu of the Silver River World."
Moch'i froze!
Facing such a figure, wouldn't it be as simple as him flicking a finger to extinguish Moch'i?
Wait, who was speaking?