Southern Volcano

The party headed south.

On the third day after leaving the Imperial Capital, the scenery began to change. The endless plains gradually gave way to rolling hills, and the green vegetation was replaced by reddish-brown soil. The air, too, grew dry and hot.

Akes rode midway through the party, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding terrain. It was his first time traveling so far from the heart of the Yulan Empire, and everything he saw felt new.

"We're almost there." Old Chen spoke beside him, raising a hand to point ahead. "See those mountains?"

Akes followed his gesture. A faint, black-red outline appeared on the horizon, shimmering slightly in the sunlight from the heat.

"That's the Southern Volcano range," Old Chen said. "We're heading for the main peak. The locals call it Flame Peak."

Akes nodded without asking more. Over the past few days, he had gotten a general sense of the party. Old Chen's full name was Chen Guang. He was a Ninth Rank Water Element mage and an unaffiliated cultivator. In his youth, he had traveled far and wide and explored several ruins, giving him plenty of experience. Kallen had hired him for a high price to provide Water Element support—after all, Water Element mages had limited uses in the Volcanic Ruins, but could save lives at a critical moment.

"First time exploring ruins, young Akes. Nervous?" Chen Guang asked with a smile.

Akes thought for a moment. "A little."

"That's normal." Chen Guang stroked his beard. "The first time I entered ruins, my legs were shaking. It gets easier after a few times—as long as you make it out alive, of course."

It didn't sound much like reassurance, but Akes found it comforting. This old hand spoke plainly; he was much more reliable than people who kept saying, "It'll be fine, it'll be fine."

At the head of the party, Kallen rode alongside the two Array Breakers, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words with them. The warrior siblings followed close behind. The man was named Barton, and the woman Bally. Both were Ninth Rank warriors, reportedly from a mercenary group, and Kallen had hired them on short notice.

After observing them for a few days, Akes had noticed that they didn't talk much, but worked together seamlessly. They were clearly seasoned fighters who had fought side by side for years.

After another hour of travel, the volcanoes drew closer. A faint smell of sulfur began to mix with the air, and wisps of heat occasionally rose from the ground. The vegetation had vanished completely, leaving only bare rock and gravel.

"Dismount. We're going on foot." Kallen's voice came from up ahead.

Everyone dismounted. Several mercenaries, who had prepared in advance, gathered the horses and tied them beside a large boulder. Akes noticed several other horses already tethered there, probably left by the scouts who had come ahead.

"From here on, we proceed on foot. Stay close to the party." Kallen looked over everyone. "Magical beasts roam the outskirts of the ruins. Most are below Ninth Rank, but we can't rule out the possibility of a Saint-level beast. Stay alert, and don't leave the party without permission."

Everyone nodded.

The party set off on foot. They moved much more slowly than they had on horseback, but it was safer. The two Array Breakers walked behind Kallen, holding strange instruments and taking readings as they went.

Akes walked beside Old Chen, surveying the surrounding terrain. The rocks here had unusual patterns, as if they had been repeatedly scorched by extreme heat. In some places, he could even see signs of crystallization.

"Caused by volcanic eruptions." Chen Guang noticed his gaze and explained quietly. "There's a lot of activity underground here. An eruption happens every few decades. The strange thing is, the ruins have never been destroyed."

Akes's thoughts stirred. "They're protected by a magic array?"

"Probably." Chen Guang nodded. "Otherwise, the lava would've swept them away long ago."

Just then, a low shout rang out from ahead. It was Barton.

The party stopped at once, and everyone went on alert.

Akes looked ahead and saw that Barton and Bally had already drawn their greatswords and taken up positions in front of the party. A huge red magical beast was peering out from behind a rock opposite them.

An Eighth Rank magical beast: a Blazing Lizard.

Akes had read about this creature in books. It was a Fire Element beast with tough skin and thick flesh, capable of spewing high-temperature flames. It was a common sight in volcanic regions. An Eighth Rank Blazing Lizard was as strong as a human at the Eighth Rank Peak, but had even greater defensive power.

"Don't panic." Kallen's voice was calm. "Barton, Bally, take care of it."

The siblings didn't waste words. They charged straight in.

Barton attacked head-on, his greatsword whistling as he brought it down toward the Blazing Lizard's head. The beast opened its mouth and spat a stream of fire. Barton dodged at the last moment, and the flames struck the rocks behind him, turning them red-hot in an instant.

Bally seized the chance to circle around and thrust her sword into the Blazing Lizard's belly. The scales there were thinner, making it the beast's weak spot. The Blazing Lizard roared in pain and lashed its tail across the ground.

Bally withdrew her sword and leaped back. The tail swept past the hem of her clothes, and the gust it raised made her sway slightly.

Barton charged in again. The two worked together seamlessly, attacking from the front and behind. The Blazing Lizard struggled to fend them off, and soon several wounds appeared across its body.

Akes watched from behind, quietly calculating his odds. If he faced this beast himself, what were his chances of winning?

The Fallen Heart Flame could pierce its defenses, but it would take time. The Blazing Lizard's flames covered a wide area, so he would have to rely on Teleportation or an Ice Block to evade them. His true essence body protection should withstand a few attacks, but he couldn't rely on it completely.

He would probably have a seventy percent chance of winning, but he would definitely get hurt.

As he pondered, the battle ended. Bally drove her sword through the Blazing Lizard's throat, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

Barton stepped forward and deftly dug out its Magic Core. He wiped it off and tucked it into his clothes. By custom, the spoils belonged to the siblings.

"Let's keep moving." Kallen nodded, clearly pleased with their performance.

The party set out again, passing the Blazing Lizard's corpse. As Akes walked by, he glanced at it. Its scales gleamed dark red in the sunlight. They really were thick.

The rest of the journey wasn't peaceful.

The closer they got to the ruins' entrance, the more magical beasts they encountered. Blazing Lizards, Lava Spiders, Flame Scorpions—Fire Element beasts appeared one after another. Kallen never joined the fighting, instead letting the others take turns. It helped preserve their strength and gave them a chance to sharpen their teamwork.

Akes fought a few times as well.

The first time, they faced three Lava Spiders. The beasts were incredibly fast and could spit out sticky strands of webbing. Barton and Bally were caught up in the webs, and the others couldn't get involved right away. Akes waited for the right moment, then fired an arrow of flame condensed from the Fallen Heart Flame. It pierced straight through one spider's head.

The speed and heat of the flame arrow stunned everyone present.

The spider's shell was burned through, leaving a charred hole. It fell without even struggling.

"What a flame!" Barton praised, never pausing as he cleaved another spider in two with his greatsword.

Bally dealt with the last one. The three of them finished the fight in barely more than ten seconds.

Kallen glanced at Akes, his gaze lingering for a moment on the flames of the Fallen Heart Flame, but he didn't ask any questions.

The second fight took place in a narrow valley. The party encountered a swarm of Flame Scorpions, more than twenty in number. They weren't high-ranked, but their sheer numbers made them troublesome when they swarmed all at once.

This time, Akes held nothing back.

He raised both hands, and the Fallen Heart Flame gathered into a cloud of fire in front of him before abruptly spreading out. Flame Scorpions were extremely sensitive to such high temperatures and instinctively tried to retreat, but the fiery cloud spread even faster, swallowing the dozen or so at the front in an instant.

Their shells were as brittle as paper before the Heavenly Flames, and in the blink of an eye, they had burned to cinders.

The remaining scorpions turned and fled, disappearing into the cracks between the rocks.

The valley fell silent.

The others looked at Akes differently now. Until then, they had thought he was just an ordinary Eighth Rank fire mage—young and inexperienced, tagging along with the party to gain experience. After seeing him fight twice, no one thought that anymore.

That flame's heat was far beyond what ordinary Fire Element magic could achieve.

"Impressive." Old Chen patted Akes on the shoulder, smiling. "No wonder that kid Holman recommended you so strongly. Turns out you've been hiding a special skill."

Akes shook his head. "I was lucky."

"Don't be modest." Old Chen lowered his voice. "But here's a word of advice: there are a lot of people around, and a lot of eyes on you. Keep your cards hidden when you can. There was no choice just now; everyone was watching. Later on, don't reveal all your trump cards unless you have to."

Akes nodded, keeping the kind advice in mind.

Over the next two days, the party continued toward the ruins' entrance. They encountered more and more magical beasts, and now and then, a Ninth Rank monster would appear. Once, they ran into a Red Flame Lion King at the Ninth Rank Peak, and Kallen finally stepped in.

Just one sword strike.

A Saint-level powerhouse swung his sword, and the Red Flame Lion King's head was severed.

Watching from the side, Akes experienced the gap between Saint-level and Ninth Rank for the first time. If the Lion King had fought them, at least half of them would have died before they could bring it down. But before Kallen, it couldn't withstand even a single move.

That was the power of the Saint-level.

He looked away and continued following the party.

On the evening of the fifth day, the party finally reached its destination.

It was a massive cliff face, dark red from top to bottom and covered in strange patterns. A stone door was embedded in its very center, and its frame was carved with densely packed magical runes.

"We're here." Kallen stood in front of the stone door, his gaze sweeping over the runes. "This is the place."

The two Array Breakers immediately stepped forward and began inspecting it with various instruments. The others spread out to keep watch in case a magical beast launched a sudden attack.

Akes stood some distance away, studying the stone door.

The runes were ancient, and some had grown indistinct, but the array as a whole was well preserved. He could sense an intense concentration of Fire Element energy within it, stronger than any magic array he had ever encountered.

"A Saint-level work." Old Chen came over and spoke in a low voice. "The array was set up by a Saint-level Magus, at the very least."

Akes nodded, now understanding.

The two Array Breakers worked for half an hour before finally returning to Kallen, looking grim.

"My lord, this array won't be easy to break," the Grey-Robed Array Breaker said. "It'll take at least three days, and it'll consume a great deal of magic power."

Kallen nodded. "Then we'll set up camp and break the array in three days."

The party got busy. Some pitched tents, others started a fire and prepared food, while a few took turns keeping watch through the night. Akes volunteered for the latter half of the night. Years of cultivation had trained him to be more alert at night than during the day.

Night fell, and the camp gradually grew quiet.