Several small piles of Fire Marrow Crystals surrounded them, and quite a few Lava Monsters had gathered around to feed.
The small piles contained far fewer crystals than the huge pile in the middle.
But even the smallest pile held tens of thousands of units of Fire Marrow Crystals.
Star Level Lava Monsters were usually dozens of meters long. They could swallow hundreds of units in a single bite, and one meal could sustain them for over a month.
Su Zhe began to suspect that this was merely the Lava Monsters' cafeteria, not the actual place where the Fire Marrow Crystals were stored.
After all, a much wider passage lay deeper in the nest, leading down into the earth.
And to those Universe Level Lava Monsters, even the more than eight hundred thousand units of Fire Marrow Crystals seemed like no more than a few meals' worth.
Su Zhe followed several other Star Level Lava Monsters toward one of the smaller piles. Mimicking their movements, he reached out with a forepaw and pawed at the crystals. The moment he brought them to his mouth, he devoured them with the Void Devouring Flame.
Before long,
Su Zhe noticed that each Lava Monster seemed to have a different appetite.
The larger the Lava Monster, the more it ate. Defensive types in particular could swallow thousands of units of Fire Marrow Crystals in a single bite.
Strength was another major factor affecting how much they ate.
The Lava Monster Su Zhe had disguised himself as was relatively small, and he had mimicked the aura of a fifth-stage Star Level creature. Its appetite wasn't particularly large.
Su Zhe didn't want to expose himself, so after devouring nearly a thousand units of Fire Marrow Crystals, he decided to leave.
After eating, some Lava Monsters left the nest to keep searching for Fire Marrow Crystals, while others picked out a clear patch of ground and lay down to rest. This cavern was enormous, easily big enough to hold a small city.
Su Zhe watched the Lava Monsters cautiously, and a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps I can do it this way?
Su Zhe mused. There were countless Lava Monsters here, and as ferocious beasts, they were extremely unintelligent. They couldn't even remember the auras of the companions beside them.
At least, they hadn't noticed Su Zhe, who had infiltrated their nest.
That left plenty of room for him to maneuver.
Half a day later,
"Roar?"
A Universe Level Lava Monster guarding the pile of Fire Marrow Crystals opened its eyes contentedly and surveyed its surroundings. Several Star Level Lava Monsters were eating, while others rested farther away.
Everything was as usual. Nothing seemed out of place.
The Lava Monster yawned, closed its eyes, and prepared to rest for a while.
"Hm?"
It abruptly opened its eyes again and looked toward the Lava Monsters that were eating.
Why did it feel like the Fire Marrow Crystals were being used up so quickly today?
The Universe Level Lava Monster was puzzled, but nothing seemed amiss. With its doubts still weighing on its mind, it lay back down and fell asleep.
"Phew..."
Not far away,
The Lava Monster Su Zhe had disguised himself as let out a long breath, not daring to make a sound.
The plan was working!
The Universe Level Lava Monsters hadn't noticed him!
Su Zhe was thrilled. By repeatedly entering and leaving the nest while disguising himself as Lava Monsters with different appearances, he had already devoured nearly a hundred thousand units of Fire Marrow Crystals!
The huge quantity of Fire Marrow Crystals had almost pushed Su Zhe's Domain of Fire, which had only recently reached the Third-Stage Domain, to the brink of another breakthrough.
Even the Void Devouring Flame had grown more powerful after devouring so many Fire Marrow Crystals.
If he could keep devouring them here, his Domain might well be forcibly raised all the way to the ninth stage.
Unfortunately, the Universe Level Lava Monsters seemed to have grown suspicious.
If he kept devouring them without restraint, he would probably soon alert them.
It was about time to stop.
Su Zhe turned his gaze toward the depths of the nest.
A passage led farther in, its destination unknown.
Every so often, he saw a ninth-stage Star Level Lava Monster head down the passage, but none ever came back. He had no idea what lay beyond it.
Su Zhe decided to take a look.
As it happened, he had disguised himself as a huge ninth-stage Star Level Lava Monster this time. Even if he went over, he wouldn't arouse the Universe Level monsters' suspicions.
With that thought, Su Zhe quickly set off.
He strode toward the passage. The Lava Monsters around him were weaker than he was, and even if he accidentally stepped on one, it didn't dare fight back. It could only let out a yelp and retreat into a corner.
Soon, Su Zhe reached the mouth of the passage.
Looking down, he saw only darkness. The light emanating from the Lava Monsters ahead barely illuminated the area around the passage, leaving its far end hidden from view.
Su Zhe continued downward along the deep passage.
The farther down he went, the more sharply the temperature rose. It soon reached a terrifying level that no human at Star Level could withstand, approaching the temperature of a star's surface. Without the Lava Monsters' natural resistance to heat, they would have died there.
Su Zhe was doing all right, though.
The Blacklight Virus could acquire the best genes from different species and combine them. In terms of survival, it was practically unmatched.
Su Zhe wondered what was down there.
The Universe Mercenary Alliance's mission briefing hadn't mentioned anything like this.
Could it be because the mission was only open to Star Level mercenaries, and they didn't think anyone at Star Level could make it this far?
Su Zhe pondered the matter. He couldn't believe the people from the Universe Mercenary Alliance hadn't discovered these passages. The Lava Secret Realm's strongest creatures were only at Universe Level; a Domain Lord could easily turn the whole place upside down.
The farther down he went, the greater the pressure from the surrounding space became.
The air reeked of sulfur. Once they reached a certain depth, large amounts of lava began flowing from the rock walls on both sides of the passage, providing some light.
The Lava Monsters ahead walked with a strange, limping gait, their movements stiff and awkward.
Su Zhe cautiously studied them. There was something distinctly eerie about this place.
As the air grew more saturated with fire-element energy, Su Zhe felt the Void Devouring Flame inside him grow livelier. It began actively devouring energy from its surroundings to strengthen itself.
If he stayed in this environment to cultivate for a long time, he could slowly deepen his understanding of the Domain of Fire even without devouring Fire Marrow Crystals.
After who knew how long,
The passage suddenly opened up.
An immense underground space beyond imagination appeared before Su Zhe.
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