The volcano was like a colossal furnace.
Within it, something humanoid was being forged.
"It's like an idea borrowed from Flaming Mountain and Taishang Laojun's pill furnace—" Ian stared at the figure within, unable to keep a note of emotion from his voice.
"What are you talking about?"
Smallville Superman did not understand Ian's choice of words.
"Nothing. It's not important."
Ian knew this was not the time to educate anyone about the culture of his homeland. A dark crimson glow surged up from below, forming a constantly rising pillar of light before them. A wave of heat rushed at them, dry and scorching, as though something were being continuously pumped out from the depths of the earth.
Ian's gaze pierced through the flowing light and saw the structure within the volcano. The entire interior truly seemed artificial, filled with deliberate designs.
Their purpose, upon closer inspection,
was most likely to forge that humanoid figure.
The figure's outline remained stable within the light, as though covered by a continuously flowing liquid shell, steadily undergoing its final refinement.
Its build was roughly that of an ordinary person. Its limbs were proportionate, and the ratio between its shoulder width and body had an almost uniform balance.
It was impossible to tell whether it possessed consciousness. Even though Ian's super vision saw more clearly than Smallville Superman's, he still felt that some power was concealing it.
Of course.
As a New God,
Ian was also trying to break through that concealment and see what was inside.
"A humanoid version of the One Ring?" Ian needed some time, but that did not stop him from making a snarky comment. No matter what, the sight of something powerful being forged in a volcano reminded him of films he had watched before.
"The One Ring?" Smallville