Heavenly Lock

This concerned the revenue of the Crimson Flame Tribe, so the investigating gods dared not be negligent in the slightest.

However, not everyone in the Crimson Blood Tribe feared punishment from Olga.

Thinking of this, Aier asked Kero while flying toward the mine.

"Kero, who was responsible for surveying this mining area?"

"It was Lord West, Lord Aier."

Hesitating for a moment, Kero finally answered Aier's question.

Clearly, like Aier, Kero had also guessed at this possibility.

"Lord West?"

Hearing this name, Aier froze for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

If Lord Olga was the emperor of the Crimson Blood Tribe, then Lord West was the crown prince of the Crimson Blood Tribe.

That's right, West was Olga's only heir.

He was also a rare genius in the Crimson Blood Tribe who had become a god on his own; West had already been a Mid-God hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Within the Crimson Blood Tribe, aside from the two other High-Gods who had refined Godheads, West was the strongest.

Now that he knew West had been the one to survey this mining area last time, Aier knew that he would likely have to take the fall for this.

"What kind of mess is this?"

Shaking his head with a bitter smile, Aier felt an even greater desire to increase his strength.

Although he was quite unhappy, Aier still had to do what needed to be done.

When he was a miner, he had encountered many crises, all of which were eventually handled by god-level powerhouses.

Now, it was his turn as a god-level powerhouse to handle the crisis!

"Whoosh!"

Aier took a step forward, appearing a hundred meters away as if teleporting, and after a few flickers, he had arrived at the mine.

This was a technique Aier had developed over the years regarding the Earth-Walking Profound Mystery—Shrinking Inches into Feet!

The mine was winding and full of intersections; even a miner like Aier, who had worked for over a million years, wouldn't dare claim to know the mine perfectly.

After all, every hundred years or so, the Saint Realm miners would dig out one or two new branching paths.

This mining area had been excavated for over four million years, and the underground tunnels were as dense as a spiderweb, resembling a labyrinth.

Without looking at markers, even a veteran miner of a million years like Aier would get lost.

Sensing the distance between himself and that Crimson Flame Beast, Aier shook his head.

If he were to proceed along the mine tunnels like this, many more Saint Realm miners would likely die by the time he arrived.

Yellow divine power wrapped around his body, and the next moment, Aier stepped toward the mine wall, his entire body sinking into it—

Earth Escape!

This was a technique that allowed him to completely change the nature of his body to merge with the earth, enabling Aier to take the shortest path to intercept this Crimson Flame Beast!

"Roar—"

A terrifying beast covered in red scales, with four legs and a pointed snout, was roaring and charging wildly through the mine.

The mine tunnels, which were difficult for Saint Realm powerhouses to damage even with their full-strength attacks, were as fragile as glass before this Crimson Flame Beast, unable to stop its advance at all.

Seeing that several Saint Realm miners ahead were about to be crushed by the beast's charge, Aier's figure emerged from the side wall of the mine, and he shouted loudly—

"You beast, surrender at once!"

"Hum—"

As he neared the Crimson Flame Beast, Aier's Divine Domain radiated outward, directly enveloping the creature.

"Roar—"

Logically speaking, a god-level powerhouse's Divine Domain was an "absolute restraint" for any existence below the god level; once enveloped, even a Saint Realm peak expert who had comprehended 99% of a law's profound mysteries would be immobilized.

However, after this Crimson Flame Beast was enveloped by Aier's Divine Domain, it was not completely restrained.

On the contrary, the violent aura blooming in its pupils allowed the Crimson Flame Beast to withstand the pressure of Aier's Divine Domain, turn around, and open its blood-red maw toward Aier, attempting to swallow him in one bite.

"Oh?"

Aier raised an eyebrow, but he didn't dodge, instead throwing out a right fist—

"Clang!"

Aier's right fist collided with the Crimson Flame Beast's head, erupting with the sound of clashing metal and sending sparks flying.

In the first collision, the beast's head was knocked askew by Aier, while Aier himself was pushed back by the force of the beast's attack.

"This guy is no ordinary Crimson Flame Beast!"

Although Aier had sensed something when the beast was able to move within his Divine Domain, the sensation transmitted from his right fist this time still left him shocked.

You must know that Aier's physical strength, after absorbing that wisp of Godhead essence, had already reached the level of a Low-God Artifact.

It could be said that although Aier had not yet forged his own artifact, he was equivalent to a Low-God who possessed both a material defense artifact and an offensive artifact.

An ordinary Crimson Flame Crystal Beast had a body composed of Crimson Blood Essence Ore; while its durability was high, it still did not reach the level of an artifact.

Yet, the physical strength of this particular beast was not the least bit inferior to Aier's.

A Crimson Flame Crystal Beast with this kind of strength...

"It's a Crimson Flame Beast King!"

When Aier cast his gaze toward the center of the beast's brow, his heart skipped a beat.

If ordinary Crimson Flame Crystal Beasts were special lifeforms born from countless Crimson Flame Mines with bodies composed of Crimson Flame Essence Ore, then the Crimson Flame Beast King was born from the most precious Blood-Red Source Crystal found within the Crimson Blood Mine.

If Crimson Blood Essence Ore was a material for refining offensive and material defense artifacts, then the Blood-Red Source Crystal was a material for refining a Soul Defense Artifact.

Crimson Flame Crystal Beasts born from Crimson Blood Mines possessed Saint Realm strength, and because their bodies were so durable, even a peak Saint Realm powerhouse would have to expend great effort and time to defeat one.

However, the body of a Crimson Flame Beast King that had devoured a Blood-Red Source Crystal reached the level of an artifact, and the Blood-Red Source Crystal at its brow also possessed powerful soul-attack capabilities.

Having recognized the Crimson Flame Beast King, Aier naturally could not allow it to unleash the soul attack of the Blood-Red Source Crystal.

Otherwise, given his currently weakened soul, even if he weren't killed in a single blow, he would certainly suffer another heavy injury.

Without hesitation, Aier stomped his foot, and his divine power spread across the ground.

"Heavenly Lock!"

In an instant, dozens of chains glowing with yellow divine power erupted from the walls of the mine, binding the Crimson Flame Beast King's head, limbs, and tail, hoisting the beast into mid-air!

Given the physical strength of the Crimson Flame Beast King, ordinary chains would not be able to restrain it.

Even Crimson Blood Mine ore was as fragile as paper in the face of the Crimson Flame Beast King.

But with the addition of Aier's divine power, it would not be an easy task for even the Crimson Flame Beast King to break free.

Especially now that the Crimson Flame Beast King was suspended in mid-air with no leverage, it was even more impossible for it to break free from Aier's restraints through mere thrashing.