Even Madmen Have Moments of Clarity

"Don't go that way! That's where the explosion came from!"

Old Vincent took command while Rolf cleared the way ahead.

"Let's head upward as much as possible. The closer we get to the surface, the better!"

Freed from their shackles, these explorers were all First-class Experts. Taking advantage of the chaos, they each displayed their abilities and finally made it safely to the uppermost level of the underground Demon Palace.

"This is the closest point to the surface." A gaunt, blindfolded man said. His name was Kuwen. Blind from birth, he had encountered Vital Energy by chance and cultivated an ability of perception. Combined with his hearing, he could accurately sense every structure and movement within a radius of ten miles. "The ceiling above us is roughly twenty-seven meters thick..." Kuwen said. "This is the thinnest area within several kilometers."

"Over twenty meters—about the height of nine floors' worth of rock, and it's Hell's hard stone at that. It won't be easy to punch through." Vincent said. "No wonder those demons rely on teleportation to get in and out."

"It's fine. If we want to get out, we can break through eventually!" Rolf cracked his knuckles. "It's just a matter of time!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a loud noise suddenly came from not far away. A mass of flames mixed with a heatwave surged through the passage!

At that moment, a bearded, heavyset man stepped forward. With a wave of both palms, he raised a hemispherical transparent barrier before the group, cutting off the raging flames.

Once the flames had passed, everyone looked up and saw that the passage had been cut off several dozen meters ahead. Red light spilled in from outside, illuminating the rock walls that were melting drop by drop.

"It broke through?!"