The Underground Molten Lake

The stone stairs were longer than imagined.

Akes followed in the middle of the team, his feet treading on ancient stone steps, feeling a subtle tremor with every stride. The magic lamps on the walls on both sides lit up automatically, casting a dark red glow that made the entire passage look like it led to the depths of the earth.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Before them lay a massive underground cavern with a ceiling so high it was invisible, and a flat, rocky floor beneath their feet. The air was thick with the pungent scent of sulfur, and the temperature was far higher than on the first level; an ordinary person would suffer heatstroke here before long.

Directly ahead lay a lake of molten lava.

Dark red magma flowed slowly through the lake, occasionally bubbling up and splashing tiny sparks when the bubbles burst. The surface of the lava lake was vast, stretching beyond the reach of sight, with only a few black reefs vaguely visible protruding from the lake in the distance.

"This is the second level." Kallen stood at the edge of the lava lake, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings. "Be careful, there should be guardians here."

Before his words had even faded, a massive wave suddenly surged in the center of the lava lake.

Magma erupted into the sky as a colossal creature emerged from the lake. It was a giant beast, comparable in size to a small building, its entire body composed of magma and rock. It had thick, sturdy limbs and a head somewhat resembling a lizard, but it spewed raging flames from its maw.

Saint Realm.

Everyone present felt that oppressive force. It was a suppression stemming from the hierarchy of life, an instinctive fear felt by low-level cultivators toward a high-level powerhouse.

"Magma Behemoth." The blue-robed formation breaker's voice trembled slightly. "A Saint Realm level..."

Kallen's expression remained unchanged as he slowly drew the greatsword from his waist.

"Barton, Bally, take the others and fall back." His voice remained steady. "I will deal with this thing. You watch the surroundings and don't let anything else get close."

The group retreated rapidly, forming a defensive line in a relatively safe area by the edge of the lava lake. Akes stood next to Old Chen, his eyes locked on the battlefield.

Kallen had already charged toward the Magma Behemoth.

The speed of a Saint Realm powerhouse was incredibly fast; Akes could only see a blur streaking across the surface of the lake. This was followed by a deafening roar—Kallen's greatsword struck the giant beast, sending countless sparks flying.

The beast felt the pain and let out an angry bellow. It swung its front claw at Kallen, the force of the wind generated by the strike making even Akes, standing far away, feel the pressure.

Kallen flashed aside, dodging the blow, and simultaneously backhanded his sword into the beast's joint. That was a gap in the rock where the defense was relatively weak, and the strike actually carved a deep fissure into it.

"Good!" Barton couldn't help but cheer.

But the battle was far from over.

Although the Magma Behemoth was not as agile as Kallen, its defense was astonishing and its strength was terrifying. Every time it swung its claws, it shattered rock, and every time it breathed fire, it covered a large area. Although Kallen held the upper hand, he could not take it down in a short time.

The battle lasted for a quarter of an hour.

The surface of the lake was churned into chaos, with magma splashing everywhere. Some of it landed on the shore, instantly burning pits into the rock. The group had no choice but to retreat further and further away.

Just then, Old Chen's expression suddenly changed.

"Something's wrong." He stared at the lake surface. "Look over there."

Akes followed the direction he pointed; in the darkness at the edge of the lava lake, something was moving. It was a pack of small magical beasts, not large in size, but numerous. They were crawling out from the crevices in the rocks and quietly approaching the group.

"Magma Hounds." Bally recognized the magical beasts. "Around level eight, pack hunters."

At least twenty Magma Hounds were flanking them from both sides. Their movements were methodical, clearly hunting.

"Split up and deal with them." Barton gripped his greatsword. "Bally and I will block the left, the mages handle the right."

Without hesitation, the group immediately threw themselves into the fight.

Akes channeled the Fallen Heart Flame, condensing it into a wall of fire in front of him. The Magma Hounds had a much higher resistance to fire than the previous Fire Lizards; although they were burned while passing through the fire wall, they were still able to continue forward.

He immediately changed his tactics.

The Fallen Heart Flame split into dozens of tiny fire arrows, specifically targeting the eyes, mouths, and noses of the Magma Hounds—the areas with the weakest defense. One Magma Hound was struck in the eye and fell to the ground, howling and rolling. Several others were hit in succession, and their momentum faltered.

Old Chen's water-based magic played a miraculous role at this moment. Although his ice arrows could not wound the Magma Hounds, they lowered the temperature around them, making these fire-elemental beasts feel uncomfortable and slowing their movements.

The wind blades of the Zhou-surnamed wind mage coordinated with the ice arrows, slicing at the flanks of the Magma Hounds. The magic of the three formed a synergy; although improvised, the effect was excellent.

On the left, the siblings Barton and Bally had already slain several Magma Hounds. The two worked with tacit understanding, their greatswords dancing like the wind, each strike claiming the life of a magical beast.

But there were too many Magma Hounds.

As soon as one batch was killed, a second batch surged out from the darkness. They seemed endless, impossible to finish off.

"Damn it!" Bally cursed, splitting a Magma Hound that lunged at her with a single strike. "Just how many of these things are there!"

Akes observed the surroundings while fighting. He discovered that these Magma Hounds were not coming from a single direction, but were crawling out from various rock crevices along the lake. In other words, there might be a nest here, or multiple tunnels.

"Lord Kallen!" he shouted. "We need time over here!"

Kallen was in the midst of a fierce battle with the Magma Behemoth and frowned upon hearing the shout. He forced the giant beast back with a sword strike and suddenly leaped high into the air.

"Get out of the way!"

With a low shout, the pressure of the Saint Realm powerhouse was fully released.

Akes felt a terrifying pressure descend from the sky, almost forcing him to his knees. He gritted his teeth to hold his ground, catching a glimpse of the Magma Hounds also being pinned down by this pressure, their movements stalling in unison.

In that moment of hesitation, Kallen struck.

With a single sword swing, the light of the blade transformed into a crescent-shaped arc, sweeping across the entire lakeshore. Wherever the arc passed, the Magma Hounds fell one after another; some were cut directly in two, others had their internal organs shattered, dying on the spot.

Over twenty Magma Hounds, wiped out in a single blow.

Akes gasped.

So this is the Saint Realm.

But he had no time to ponder, for the Magma Behemoth had also been enraged. It let out a roar that shook the heavens, and the entire lava lake began to boil. Magma surged, creating towering waves, and countless fireballs formed from the molten rock erupted from the lake, pelting the surroundings like a torrential downpour.

"Defend!" Old Chen roared, instantly condensing a curtain of water above everyone's heads.

The fireballs slammed into the water curtain with a hissing sound, and steam billowed, filling the entire space in the blink of an eye. Akes felt the temperature around him rise sharply, making it difficult even to breathe.

He immediately channeled his True Essence to protect his body, and a golden light barrier emerged around him, insulating him from some of the heat.

The others also employed their own methods. Barton and Bally stood back-to-back, their battle qi manifesting into protective shields. The Zhou-surnamed wind mage conjured a wall of wind, deflecting the fireballs. The two formation breakers hid behind a massive boulder; the rock was made of a special material that could actually withstand the bombardment of the fireballs.

But someone was too slow.

The archer, having been injured earlier, was not as agile as before. A fireball hurtled toward him; he barely dodged it, but the splashing magma caught his leg.

"Ah--"

A scream rang out as his lower leg was instantly burned through, exposing charred bone. The rogue nearby rushed over to pull him away, but another fireball crashed down, striking them both.

Akes wanted to rush over, but the distance was too great; he was too late.

Another wave of fire rain fell, and the two figures were swallowed by the magma, falling silent forever.

"Damn it!" Bally gritted her teeth, her eyes turning red.

The battle continued.

Kallen finally got serious.

His sword momentum shifted abruptly, moving from probing attacks to lethal, razor-sharp strikes. Every swing carried world-shattering power, and as they struck the Magma Behemoth, the sparks that flew were ten times larger than before.

The behemoth's defenses began to crumble.

Rocks shattered, magma sprayed, and the beast let out a painful roar. Its left forelimb was severed by Kallen's sword, the limb falling into the lava lake and splashing up a massive wave. Next came the right hind limb, and the beast's body began to tilt.

With a final strike, Kallen slashed at the beast's neck.

The massive head fell on cue, dropping into the lava lake and sinking deep into the molten rock.

The behemoth's body collapsed with a boom, slamming onto the lake shore and shaking the entire underground space.

The battle was over.

Kallen sheathed his sword and flickered back to the shore. He had a few burns on his body, but none were serious. The defensive power of a Saint Realm expert was truly beyond ordinary imagination.

"Count the survivors." His voice sounded somewhat weary.

Everyone counted in silence.

Twelve had entered; now only ten remained. The archer and the rogue had not survived.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Akes looked at the two corpses, now unrecognizable from the magma burns, and said nothing. This was the first time he had seen companions die right before his eyes. Although he had known the ruins were dangerous, knowing and seeing were two different things.

"Bury them," Kallen said. "Right here."

Everyone set to work, finding a relatively flat spot on the shore and piling up two simple graves with rocks. There were no tombstones, no inscriptions, only two stones placed atop the mounds to serve as markers.

"Move out." Kallen stood up. "The third level is on the other side of the lake."

The group proceeded along the lake shore. The lava in the lake continued to flow slowly; the fireballs had ceased, and only the occasional rising bubble broke the stillness.

After half an hour of walking, they finally saw the opposite shore.

There was a stretch of black reefs, and behind the reefs stood a stone gate, similar to the one on the first level, also carved with complex runes.

"The entrance to the third level," the blue-robed formation breaker said.

The group quickened their pace and stepped onto the reefs.

Just then, the unexpected occurred.

The reef beneath their feet suddenly shook, and a massive claw reached out from a crevice in the rock, swiping at Bally, who was walking in the lead.

Bally reacted with lightning speed, retreating and barely dodging the swipe. However, the wind pressure from the claw swept across her abdomen, tearing her clothes and leaving a bloody gash underneath.

"There are more?" Barton rushed forward, swinging his sword at the claw.

The claw retracted into the rock crevice and vanished.

The group vigilantly formed a circle, staring at every rock beneath their feet.

Rumble--

The entire reef area began to vibrate, countless cracks appeared, and claw after claw reached out from the fissures. It was a group of smaller Magma Behemoths, but there were at least a dozen of them, each one at the ninth level.

"A trap." Kallen's expression darkened. "This is their nest."

There was no time for hesitation; the battle erupted once more.

Kallen held off the three strongest ones alone, Barton and Bally teamed up to deal with two, and the rest of the group fought on their own. Akes faced a medium-sized Magma Behemoth, roughly at the mid-ninth level.

He did not retreat.

He channeled the Fallen Heart Flame to its limit, condensing it into a long flame spear before him. The spear flew from his hand, heading straight for the beast's eye. The beast instinctively closed its eye, and the flame spear pierced the eyelid, burning a charred pit into it.

The beast felt the pain and roared as it lunged toward Akes.

Akes did not retreat but advanced instead, his figure flickering as he activated Teleportation, instantly appearing behind the massive beast. This was his first time using Teleportation in actual combat; although the distance was short, the effect was surprisingly good.

The beast lunged at empty air, and before it could react, Akes's second spear had already arrived.

This time, he aimed for the back of its neck, the beast's weak point where the scales were thinner. The Flame Spear pierced through, and the beast let out a shrill roar, its body beginning to sway.

Akes did not give it a chance to catch its breath. Third shot, fourth shot, fifth shot—he fired five times in succession, all hitting the exact same spot.

The back of the beast's neck was completely run through, and its massive body crashed to the ground with a boom.

Akes panted heavily, his internal mana nearly exhausted. He hurriedly took out a Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it, feeling his mana slowly recover.

Looking around, the battle was still ongoing.

Kallen had already slain the three strongest beasts and was helping the Barton siblings deal with the remaining ones. Old Chen's water-type magic had also drained him significantly; his face was pale, but he was still holding on.

Finally, the last beast fell.

The battle ended, and those who remained alive were so exhausted they could barely stand.

Akes leaned against a reef, gasping for air. He had multiple burns on his body, all from being splashed during the fight when he couldn't dodge in time; though not fatal, they stung with a searing pain.

Old Chen walked over and handed him a bottle of ointment. "Apply this; it will stop the pain."

Akes took it and offered a word of thanks.

Bally was bandaging a wound on her abdomen while Barton stood guard nearby. The two formation breakers were hiding in a corner, their faces deathly pale, clearly shaken. Although they understood formations, their combat ability was nearly zero, and they had relied entirely on the others for protection during the fight.

Kallen stood at the edge of the reef, gazing at the stone gate.

"Rest where you are. We enter the third level in two hours." His voice remained steady, but Akes noticed his breathing was slightly more rapid than usual.

Even a Saint-tier was tired.

Akes leaned against the reef, closed his eyes, and circulated his cultivation technique to recover his mana. The Fallen Heart Flame flowed slowly through his body, absorbing the thin fire elements in the surroundings. The concentration of fire elements here was much higher than outside, and his recovery speed was twice as fast as usual.

Two hours passed quickly.

The group stood up and walked toward the stone gate.

The runes on the stone gate were similar to those on the first level but more complex. The two formation breakers stepped forward to study them for a quarter of an hour and found the method to open it—this time, no key was needed, only the simultaneous input of sufficient mana.

Kallen nodded and looked at the group. "Everyone, together."

Twelve people—no, only ten remained now—placed their hands on the stone gate simultaneously, and mana surged in.

The stone gate slowly creaked open.