He looked up at the top of the fissure and found that it had been blocked by rubble. He could only take the small path beside it and circle back to the volcanic region.
Lin Taichu slowly made his way along the path toward the volcanoes.
The path was covered in black rocks formed by cooled lava, as well as the corpses of deep-sea creatures cooked by the magma. He moved carefully, afraid of stepping on loose rocks and falling in.
After traveling for about two hours, Lin Taichu finally returned to the vicinity of the volcanic region.
He saw that the crater had stopped erupting. Only a few wisps of smoke still rose from it, while the surrounding lava had mostly cooled into black rock.
He hurried toward the place where he had seen the Red Crystal before. When he got there, Lin Taichu froze.
Where the Red Crystal had originally been, there was now only a stretch of black rock. The crystal was gone. He had no idea whether it had been swallowed by the lava or swept away by the force of the eruption.
A wave of disappointment washed over Lin Taichu. He searched the area for a long time, turning over all the nearby rocks, but found no trace of the Red Crystal. Could the only hope of reinforcing the seal really be gone just like that?
Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly spotted a faint red glow beneath a black rock not far away. Lin Taichu's heart stirred, and he hurried over, using his Short Blade to pry the rock aside.
Beneath the rock was part of the Red Crystal! Most of it had been buried under the lava, with only a small portion exposed, still giving off a faint red