Relying on the positions in his memory, Ning Zhuo gave a light leap and landed behind Ning Yong.
Ning Yong sensed wind at his back and instinctively turned around. His eyes bulged like bronze bells, yet he could not see the Azure Iron Han Armor right at his side.
With a light strike, Ning Zhuo knocked Ning Yong unconscious, then casually tossed him into a corner.
Using the same method, Ning Zhuo knocked Ning Chen unconscious as well and threw him beside Ning Yong.
Having done this, Ning Zhuo swiftly retreated, racing at full speed toward the lava lake.
"There is one person directly ahead, five steps away."
"There are two people on the left, one step and four steps away."
"There are three people diagonally to the right, defending in a cluster, three steps away."
Although the black smoke blocked his vision and cut off spiritual sense, Ning Zhuo had prepared beforehand and clearly remembered the location of every Ning Clan cultivator from moments ago.
Everyone else was like blind men, but he was like someone with his eyes wide open, accurately avoiding everyone in his path.
He charged forward all the way, swift as lightning, and arrived at the lava lake.
Protected by the Azure Iron Han Armor, he was utterly unaffected by the searing heat.
"Now!"
Ning Zhuo shook open his Storage Bag and released the Mechanical Fire Ape within.
The Fire Ape stood half a man tall, its fur a uniform blood-red, its muscles bulging and its movements nimble.
Under Ning Zhuo's control, the ape did not hesitate in the slightest and plunged directly into the lava.
Ning Zhuo turned and ran!
Every second counted!!
The Fire Ape dove downward, struggling forward through the thick lava.
The terrifying heat swiftly melted through its pure blood-red fur.
The flesh exposed beneath was lifelike, but its surface rapidly turned black, hard, and brittle, carbonizing at speed within the lava.
The "blood" coursing through the Fire Ape's body fully exerted its heat-dissipating effect, evaporating in great quantities and causing streams of steam to rise from the mechanical ape's surface.
By the time the Fire Ape reached the surface of the Magma Immortal Palace, it had been burned down to its Sky Gold framework.
But it had succeeded!
Under the control of Ning Zhuo's Heart Seal, the Storage Array activated, instantly vomiting out over a thousand jin of stored fire essence.
It's coming. Ning Zhuo's heart skipped a beat.
Boom—!
The erupting shockwave surged like a raging tide, smashing violently outward.
The next instant, a terrifying blast thundered beside his ears! The shockwave slammed fiercely into his back, but fortunately, he had already activated the Azure Iron Han Armor. It withstood the impact, preventing his bones from breaking and his tendons from snapping.
Propelled by the shockwave, he reached the position from his memory. At the corner, he bent down and scooped up two people with unerring precision.
They were Ning Yong and Ning Chen.
Ning Zhuo curled up in the corner, bending at the waist and hunching his back. He shielded Ning Chen and Ning Yong before him, facing the direction of the explosion with his back.
The next moment, the firelight born of the explosion swept over them, briefly forcing back layer upon layer of shadowy smoke.
Ning Zhuo resisted with difficulty, feeling the temperature on his back rise sharply. The iron armor melted, bringing him intense pain.
He clenched his teeth hard and pushed the Han Armor's defenses with all his strength.
In just a few breaths, the Foundation Establishment Pill had been violently consumed by twenty percent, leaving only the final ten percent.
Fortunately, Zheng Shuang Gou let out a low roar afterward, sacrificing a magical artifact to unleash mighty power, blocking the explosive crimson flames and the surging lava.
The Black Shadow Demonic Cultivator laughed loudly. "Zheng Shuang Gou, this old man will return!"
Before leaving, he hurled out another black orb artifact.
The black orb erupted again, adding countless thick shadows and dense smoke.
Zheng Shuang Gou's spiritual sense was restricted. He could not even perceive what lay beyond three zhang, much less lock onto the enemy. He also had to maintain the underground passage to prevent it from collapsing and burying him alive. He was so furious he could have spat blood, yet he could only remain where he was.
When the black smoke finally dispersed, Zheng Shuang Gou could only see the tunnel walls devastated to the utmost degree, and the former site of the lava lake buried beneath layer upon layer of lava.
As for the corner of the Immortal Palace's structure, it had been completely buried.
Oh, and there were also the Ning Clan cultivators sprawled on the ground. Some had survived, but all were unconscious.
Zheng Shuang Gou cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"
His gaze flickered for a while, but he did not rashly give chase.
That mysterious demonic cultivator had already vanished without a trace. Zheng Shuang Gou feared he was being lured away from the mountain while the tiger was elsewhere. To prevent the other party from making a return strike, he simply remained on guard here.
With a casual gesture, he treated these Ning Clan cultivators.
Ning Zhuo activated My Buddha Heart Demon Seal and feigned unconsciousness, successfully deceiving Zheng Shuang Gou.
When the right moment came, Ning Zhuo slowly opened his eyes and discovered that he had returned to the crater.
After this string of perilous upheavals, only eleven Ning Clan cultivators had survived.
"With the black smoke helping me, no one should have discovered that I was the true culprit behind the explosion!"
"This went more smoothly than I imagined."
"But although I detonated it, did I actually succeed?"
Ning Zhuo pondered in secret.
"I survived, I survived! Wuwuwu..." Ning Yong came to his senses and burst into sobs.
Ning Chen also awoke as if from a dream, his face deathly pale and filled with lingering fear. "All the other newcomers died. For us to survive... we were truly lucky."
Neither of them knew that they had survived solely because of Ning Zhuo's protection.
The two walked over to Ning Zhuo. Ning Chen asked with concern, "Are you all right?"
"Were you hurt?" Ning Yong asked as well.
After this battle between life and death, the two's impression of Ning Zhuo had undergone a qualitative change. During this perilous exploration, Ning Zhuo had displayed calmness and courage that made them secretly admire him.
The concern they showed at this moment came entirely from the heart.
At first, Ning Zhuo looked dazed, his eyes vacant. Once he reacted, exhaustion and terror from surviving a disaster immediately appeared on his face.
This expression did not damage Ning Chen and Ning Yong's opinion of him in the least. Instead, it made them feel even closer to him.
Because they had just experienced, to the fullest extent, the great terror between life and death! They deeply empathized.
Moreover, they could be said to have fought shoulder to shoulder and shared life and death.
Ning Zhuo took several deep breaths and gave a bitter smile. "We actually all survived. It's unbelievable... how wonderful... But I never want to enter this Crimson Flame Demon Lava Cave again."
Ning Chen and Ning Yong hurriedly comforted him.
The awakened Ning Clan cultivators rose to their feet. Some treated their injuries, while others thanked Zheng Shuang Gou nearby.
Watching large numbers of City Guard cultivators file in through the opening in the ground, Zheng Shuang Gou snorted coldly. "Your Ning Clan was used by that demonic cultivator! He concealed himself with your auras, causing me to overlook him for a moment. Afterward, he even lured out a small beast tide, still trying to muddy the waters."
"Once you return, prepare to answer for your crimes!"
The Ning Clan cultivators froze, then immediately protested. "The other party was a Golden Core demonic cultivator. Our Ning Clan was weak, which was why the enemy found an opening to exploit. Besides, our Ning Clan suffered the gravest losses!"
Zheng Shuang Gou impatiently waved a hand. "Take those excuses to your Clan Head and the city lord."
The good mood the surviving Ning Clan members had felt after narrowly escaping death vanished without a trace.
Before parting, the Ning Clan cultivators solemnly thanked him again. "Fortunately, Lord Zheng Shuang Gou drove back the demonic cultivator and did not let that man succeed."
No matter what, Zheng Shuang Gou was their lifesaver.
Just as the two sides were about to part ways, the earth suddenly shook and the mountains swayed!
Countless rays of Treasure Light burst through openings large and small, pierced the volcano's white smoke, and shot deep into the night sky.
Beneath the cultivators' feet, the grand formation sealing the crater operated at full force, revealing formation lines and nodes like dragons and serpents.
The City Guard cried out in alarm.
"What is happening?!" The Ning Clan cultivators staggered unsteadily, and many screamed.
Zheng Shuang Gou's expression turned incomparably grim. The last thread of luck in his heart vanished completely. "Damn it! The battle just now ultimately still affected the Magma Immortal Palace!"
Rays of Treasure Light pierced the night sky, dazzling beyond measure.
The volcano trembled faintly, waking all of Fire Persimmon City!
An incomparably enormous blue Cloud Qi palm covered the heavens and pressed down.
It descended from the sky, intending to force all the Treasure Light back down.
The crimson Treasure Light and the great Cloud Qi hand held each other in stalemate for a moment, before the light pierced through the godlike giant hand like a sharp sword and drove straight into the depths of the night!
Vast stretches of red-rock earth collapsed and split apart. Scorching earth-qi churned endlessly from countless fissures, while flames erupted in every direction like furious dragons.
The cultivators fled in panic.
Zheng Shuang Gou simply saw his good deed through to the end. With a sweep of his long sleeve, he carried the Ning Clan cultivators up into the clouds.
Looking down from the sky, they saw the tip of a tall tower rise with an unstoppable force, charging upward like a spear thrusting into the heavens. Then the entire tower, like the axis of heaven and earth, broke through layer after layer of obstruction and brazenly revealed itself before the eyes of the world.
Immediately afterward, vast swathes of palace rooftops burst through the heavy red-rock earth and slowly rose, ascending toward the Azure Vault.
Mountains rumbled, and heaven and earth shook!
The surviving Ning Clan members swallowed hard, staring in dumbfounded shock.
The rocks continued to crack. Fierce firelight surged from countless fissures, golden-orange lava splashed everywhere, and blazing heat roared forth in wild torrents, terrifying countless people to the depths of body and soul.
"The... the Magma Immortal Palace?"
"The Immortal Palace has emerged!"
Even more people were rendered speechless.
Once hidden deep beneath the earth, its edge was revealed today. Such a spectacle shook the heart to its core.
Before you continue