The three Sand Lizard Camels were like three streaks of yellow lightning cleaving across the sky, racing between rolling dunes that resembled golden waves. Their sturdy camel hooves pounded across the scorching sand, each step kicking up a skyful of fine dust. But the dust was quickly left behind by their speeding forms, like the tail of time itself, unable to catch up with their strides. The desert's suffocating heat and deathly silence were torn apart by their rapid movement, leaving only the wind roaring past their ears, as though it were playing an impassioned overture for this adventure.
Xiao Zhan sat astride the lead Lizard Camel, his green robes snapping in the gale like a battle flag. The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist was like the most precise compass. Its slender body was taut as a bowstring, and its little head stubbornly pointed southwest. Excitement and longing mingled in its pale-purple eyes. Its urging hiss had scarcely ceased, as though it were an ancient summons, urgent and unwavering. Even across a great distance and through layer upon layer of sand, this guidance born of bloodline instinct remained fixed on the location of the Green Lotus Core Flame, like an invisible beam of light showing them the way.
The three Snake-People Tribe Dou Wang elders followed closely behind Xiao Zhan. Each was one of the tribe's most experienced warriors, intimately familiar with the terrain deep in the desert. Their expressions were solemn, their Dou Qi faintly circulating around them like an invisible shield as they warily surveyed their surroundings. The farther they ventured into the desert region known as the "Death Corridor," the thicker the dangerous aura in the air became, like some invisible giant beast lurking in the darkness, ready to launch a fatal attack at any moment. Beneath the blazing sun, they occasionally spotted enormous dunes slowly writhing like living things. Those were terrifying magical beasts lurking beneath the sand, breathing; every movement brought the threat of death. On the distant horizon, enormous sandstorm tornadoes sometimes rose without warning, connecting heaven and earth like the desert god's furious roar. Their world-destroying force filled onlookers with dread.
"Elder Xiao, the edge of the 'Quicksand Burial Pit' lies ahead!" one elder warned in a low voice. He had a hideous knife scar across his face and was named Yan Ci, a Three-Star Dou Wang. His voice remained clear even amid the howling sandstorm, like a beacon shining in the darkness. "That place is riddled with quicksand traps, like mouths gaping open to devour anything that approaches. Sand Poison Earth Dragons also live there in groups. They're vicious and extremely dangerous! Should we go around?"
Xiao Zhan's gaze was sharp as two keen sword points as he looked toward the seemingly flat expanse of sand, which concealed endless deadly hazards. Sensing that their target lay deep inside the burial pit, the Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist grew increasingly restless. Its tiny tail kept tapping his skin, as if urging him to press forward without hesitation.
"No need to go around." Xiao Zhan's voice was steady and resolute, his decision beyond question, like a beacon suddenly shining in the darkness to show everyone the way. "The target is in the central area of the burial pit. Full speed ahead. If danger comes, we fight!"
"Yes!" the three elders answered in unison. Their voices rang out loud and clear, and their eyes held both awe and trust in their powerful leader. They acknowledged Xiao Zhan's strength and were determined to see this adventure through. The Lizard Camels sped up instead of slowing down, charging into this forbidden land that made ordinary experts tremble at the mere mention of it, like an arrow loosed from a bow. It was as though they were challenging fate itself!
The Quicksand Burial Pit truly lived up to its name as a place of death. The seemingly solid sand beneath them could turn in the next moment into a deadly whirlpool that swallowed everything, like a demon waiting with its jaws open for prey. The Lizard Camels had to place each step with utmost care. Only thanks to the Snake-People Tribe elders' keen, hawklike senses for the shifting sands, along with the camels' natural wariness, could they narrowly avoid one sudden quicksand trap after another. The air was tinged with a faint smell of sulfur and the rank stench of some enormous magical beast, as though the breath of death were silently spreading.
"Grrraaaah—!"
Just as they had ventured dozens of li into the burial pit, a deep, threatening roar suddenly boomed from behind a huge dune ahead and to one side, like a thunderclap shattering the deathly silence. The dune then surged upward as if an invisible giant hand had lifted it, and several enormous magical beasts burst through the sand, like earthworms magnified a hundredfold. Thick, dark-yellow carapace scales covered their bodies, glinting coldly in the sunlight like impenetrable armor. They had no eyes. Their heads bore only hideous mouthparts lined with layer upon layer of razor-sharp teeth, exuding a nauseating stench like a summons from hell.
A group of third-tier magical beasts—the Sand Poison Earth Dragons! They were the desert's meat grinders, leaving nothing but bloodshed and death wherever they went!
The leading Earth Dragon was by far the largest. Its aura had astonishingly reached the level of a fourth-tier early-stage beast, equivalent to a low-star Dou Wang among humans. Like a moving hill, it radiated a chilling pressure. It aimed its enormous mouthparts at Xiao Zhan and spat out a stream of thick, foul-smelling, dark-green venom with strong corrosive properties. The venom shot toward him like water from a high-pressure hose. Wherever it passed, even the air hissed as if scorched by fire.
"Damn beast, you're courting death!" Yan Ci roared, his voice booming like a great bell. He sprang into the air like a streak of lightning and instantly condensed his earth-yellow Dou Qi into an enormous stone shield. As solid as the hardest rock, it stood in the path of the venom, attempting to block the deadly attack.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—!"
The highly corrosive venom slammed into the stone shield Yan Ci had conjured, like a ferocious beast gone mad. The hard rock instantly corroded into a pockmarked mess, as though countless sharp teeth had gnawed at it. Thick smoke billowed from the corroded surface, carrying a pungent, nauseating stench. The shield shuddered violently under the venom's assault, groaning with a low hum as the light flowing over it rapidly dimmed, like a candle about to go out. Yan Ci grunted, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as his face paled. Clearly, holding back the venom was no easy task; every passing second drained a great deal of his Dou Qi and strength.
At the same time, the two smaller Sand Poison Earth Dragons let out deafening roars and charged toward the other two elders and the Lizard Camels like a pair of runaway war chariots. Their massive bodies gouged deep trenches into the sand, like scars torn into the earth. They opened their mouths wide, revealing rows upon rows of sharp teeth, then lunged to bite like hungry tigers, bringing a foul wind with them!
The battle erupted in an instant! Brilliant Dou Qi flared like fireworks through the swirling sand, intermingling with the Earth Dragons' roars and the hissing corrosion of their venom to create a brutal, frenzied requiem for the dead. Sand whirled through the air, obscuring their vision and making the battlefield even more chaotic and dangerous.
Xiao Zhan sat atop the Lizard Camel, his gaze as cold as frost, like an immovable mountain of ice. He did not join the fight, merely watching in silence as if waiting for something. The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist, however, seemed startled by the sudden battle and grew uneasy. It hissed a warning toward the Earth Dragons. Though quiet, its voice carried an unmistakable authority.
"Be still." Xiao Zhan gently stroked the little snake's cold scales, his touch tender and calm, as if soothing a frightened child. Just then, a Sand Poison Earth Dragon cunningly slipped around the battle and crept toward him like a ghost. The instant its enormous mouthparts were about to bite the Lizard Camel beneath him—
A golden gleam flashed in Xiao Zhan's eyes, like two streaks of lightning tearing through darkness!
"Vmmm!"
An invisible yet mountain-heavy soul pressure descended with the precision of a surgical blade upon the Earth Dragon's hideous head. The pressure carried boundless majesty and power, making the beast instantly feel the threat of death.
"Yowww—!"
The Earth Dragon let out a pained, anguished shriek, its body trembling uncontrollably as its vicious aura vanished without a trace.
The Earth Dragon had been about to bite, but its movements abruptly froze, as if an invisible hammer weighing a thousand jun had smashed into the depths of its brain! It let out an unbearably shrill, distorted wail, as though the sound had been torn from the depths of its soul, brimming with pain and despair. Its enormous body staggered across the sand like a drunkard, every step weak and unsteady. Its mouthparts opened and closed unconsciously as dark-green drool mixed with venom dripped onto the scorching sand, sizzling as it corroded the ground. Its simple, primitive nervous system could not withstand the terrifying pressure of a Dou Zong-level soul attack. It plunged into a chasm of confusion and agony, unable to escape.
Xiao Zhan did not even glance at it, as if it were no more than a tiny ant—brushing it aside as easily as flicking away a speck of dust. The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist seemed soothed by that silent but overwhelming show of strength. It settled down again, still pointing insistently toward the depths of the burial pit, as though that unwavering direction were its inborn mission.
The three elders fighting nearby caught sight of the scene out of the corner of their eyes, and their hearts shuddered! With just a glance, Xiao Zhan had robbed a ferocious fourth-tier magical beast of its ability to fight. Such strength was simply godlike, unfathomable! Awe for Xiao Zhan surged through them like a rising tide.
Yan Ci's spirits soared as though he had been filled with limitless strength. With a roar that rang like a great bell, he transformed his earth-yellow Dou Qi into countless sharp stone spears, which rained down densely upon the Sand Poison Earth Dragon, still dazed from the soul attack. The spears carried such fierce force that they seemed sure to pin the beast to the sand. The other two elders also unleashed their full strength. For a moment, dazzling Dou Techniques bloomed across the sandy ground, and before long they had killed the remaining Earth Dragons or wounded them badly enough to drive them away.
The battle ended astonishingly quickly, like a brief storm that came and went in a flash. Several enormous Earth Dragon corpses lay sprawled across the sand, their blood staining the grains around them and leaving the ground in disarray. The awe in the three elders' eyes as they looked at Xiao Zhan had grown even stronger, their gazes brimming with admiration and faith in the powerful.
"Keep moving," Xiao Zhan said calmly, as if everything that had just happened were no more than a trivial matter. The Lizard Camels set off once more with steady strides, following the direction indicated by the Seven-Colored Little Snake as they pressed deeper into the heart of the Quicksand Burial Pit, as if driven by a destiny they had no choice but to pursue.
Rich, mellow spiritual energy seeped through the Spirit Gathering Pavilion's carefully arranged formation in wisps, like a clear spring flowing into the room. It brought a refreshing coolness that seemed to wash away the fatigue and dust within one's heart, filling the entire room with a serene, ethereal atmosphere.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a stone bed covered in soft beast hide. His complexion was still pale from his recent recovery, like the last remnants of snow in winter, but his breathing had steadied considerably, like a lake after the wind died down. The sharpness of his gaze had returned as well, glinting like a cold star in the night sky and brimming with resolve and courage.
At that moment, he was gently turning over a palm-sized, rust-spotted piece of Bronze Fragments in his hand. Its uneven edges looked as though they had been mercilessly gnawed by time, or perhaps the fragment had broken off some larger, more mysterious object. A thick layer of verdigris covered its surface like an ancient veil, concealing its original patterns completely. It felt cold and heavy in his palm, carrying an indescribable sense of ancient desolation, as though it were telling a tale long lost in the river of history. This was the "junk" he had casually picked up in a shadowy corner of an abandoned Snake-People ruin on the outskirts of an oasis.
"Teacher, take another look at this thing... It really has nothing special about it?" Xiao Yan again sent his thoughts to Yao Lao, who was asleep in his sea of consciousness. Ever since he woke and found the fragment, he had felt an inexplicable intuition that it was no ordinary object and must conceal some unknown secret. But no matter whether he washed it with surging Dou Qi, probed it with his soul as fine as a thread, or even tried dripping blood onto it, the fragment had shown no reaction. It lay quietly in his palm, as ordinary as scrap metal.
Yao Lao's sleeping soul gave no response. Clearly, protecting Xiao Yan or dealing with some other situation earlier had consumed too much of his strength, and he had now fallen into a deep slumber.
"Ah..." Xiao Yan sighed helplessly. He was about to toss the "useless thing" aside when his gaze happened to pass over the ancient black ring on his left index finger—the place where Yao Lao lived and the link connecting the souls of master and disciple.
The moment the Bronze Fragments neared the ring!
Vmmm—!!!
Something changed without warning!
The black ring, which had remained silent and lifeless for so long, suddenly erupted with a powerful, almost ravenous soul-sucking force! It was like a long-slumbering giant beast suddenly awakened, opening its gaping maw to devour everything. An invisible power seized the Bronze Fragments in Xiao Yan's hand, like a great unseen hand clenching around it and leaving it no chance to escape.
"What?!" Xiao Yan's eyes flew wide with alarm, and he instinctively reached out to grab the fragment before it got away.
But the suction bursting from the black ring was far stronger than he could have imagined! Like iron filings drawn powerfully toward a magnet, the Bronze Fragments were wrenched from his grip in a flash, easily slipping free of his fingers despite his attempt to hold on. Then they became a dim but swift streak of light, like a shooting star tearing across the night sky, and slammed into the seemingly indestructible black ring!
"Chit!"
A faint sound rang out, almost inaudible, yet somehow charged with a mysterious power. The fragment was not repelled as common sense would dictate. Instead, it passed into the seemingly unyielding black ring without resistance, as though a drop of water were sinking into a soft sponge. With an eerie shimmer, it "melted" into the ring and disappeared without a trace!
The surface of the ring was perfectly still, as though nothing had happened. Not even the faintest ripple appeared. It was as if that breathtaking scene had been nothing but a dream.
"This... How is this possible?!" Xiao Yan stared in disbelief at the ring on his left hand, his heart pounding so hard it seemed ready to burst from his chest. He hurriedly tried to send his soul power into the ring to investigate.
"Vmmm!"
In an instant, the soul space inside the ring, which had belonged to Yao Lao, underwent a tremendous transformation! It seemed to have been forcefully expanded several times by an invisible yet powerful force. The space, previously somewhat cramped, was now vast and mysterious. Yao Lao's sleeping soul still floated quietly in the center, radiating a soft, warm glow. But now, something else had appeared beside it!
It was the Bronze Fragments that had vanished without a trace!
The fragment now floated quietly in the soul space. The verdigris and rust on its surface peeled away and vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, as though a treasure sealed away by time were finally shedding its mysterious veil. Beneath it was a smooth, mirrorlike metal surface that shimmered with a dark golden hue, like stars in the depths of the night sky, shining with a captivating light.
Even more astonishingly, countless tiny, intricate, profoundly mysterious dark-golden runes appeared on the fragment's surface! The runes moved slowly as if alive, their light flickering on and off. They radiated an indescribable ancient cadence and boundless aura, as though they could communicate with the laws of heaven and earth, inspiring reverence in all who sensed them.
An incomparably pure and indescribable energy of some strange nature slowly flowed from the fragment, spreading throughout the soul space like a trickling stream. Xiao Yan felt his spirits lift just from sensing it with his soul power, as if rain had fallen upon parched earth. Even the weakness lingering after his serious injuries eased a little, and new vitality seemed to flow through him.
"This... What on earth is this thing?!" A raging storm rose in Xiao Yan's heart, like fierce waves whipped up by a gale, and refused to subside. A fragment capable of triggering such a violent reaction from Yao Lao's mysterious ring, cleansing its own rust, and releasing such pure energy and profound runes could not be anything ordinary! Its origins were as distant and mysterious as the stars in the depths of the night sky, beyond anything he could imagine!
Just as his mind reeled and his thoughts knotted into a tangled mess, the pure energy filling the soul space seemed drawn by the invisible yet powerful pull of Yao Lao's sleeping soul. Like countless rivers returning to the sea, it slowly seeped, thread by thread, into Yao Lao's dim soul-light.
Under the gentle nourishment of this pure energy, the light that had been so faint it was almost extinguished grew brighter by the tiniest degree, like a sprout breaking through the earth in spring. Its change was too subtle for the naked eye to detect, yet it was real. Thanks to his keen senses, Xiao Yan clearly caught this minute change. Yao Lao's sleeping Soul Origin was being quietly restored and carefully nourished by the energy radiating from the fragment!
"Teacher!" Xiao Yan trembled with excitement, as if buffeted by a gale and barely able to contain himself. Tears welled in his eyes, threatening to spill over. He stared fixedly at the mysterious Bronze Fragments, his gaze full of reverence and gratitude, as if he were looking at the world's most precious treasure—the light of hope that could save his mentor! This inconspicuous fragment actually possessed the miraculous power to nourish and restore Yao Lao's soul! It was like rain suddenly falling amid utter despair, soaking his long-parched heart!
He forced down the excitement surging through him like waves and carefully guided his soul power, like a meticulous craftsman, trying to direct more of the energy released by the fragment toward Yao Lao. At the same time, he silently spoke to the fragment with utmost solemnity: "Whoever you are, wherever you came from... thank you! As long as you can save Teacher, I, Xiao Yan, will never let you down! Even if a mountain of blades and a sea of flames lie ahead, I'll press forward without hesitation!"
Meanwhile, conditions outside grew even harsher. The air was so hot it felt like a giant steamer, wrapping around people until they could barely breathe. The sand beneath their feet was scorching, like burning coals, and even glimmered with a faint dark-red hue as if it had been roasted by flames. The smell of sulfur was so strong it stung the nose like countless tiny needles. The terrain here was even stranger and more unpredictable. Enormous quicksand whirlpools, like scars on the earth, dotted the land and turned slowly, swallowing anything that dared approach. Deeper in, a low rumble from the earth's veins could be heard, like the land growling in its sleep and sending shivers down their spines.
The Seven-Colored Little Snake's agitation had reached its peak, almost to the point of madness! It no longer urged them gently with soft hisses. Instead, its whole body tensed like a bow drawn to the limit. Its little head pressed hard against Xiao Zhan's wrist, as though he were its only source of support. Its pale-purple eyes blazed with such intense light that they seemed ready to ignite, like two purple stars about to erupt! Its target was unwaveringly fixed beneath the largest quicksand whirlpool ahead, a fearsome chasm with the gaping maw of an abyss.
"Elder Xiao, we can't go any farther!" Yan Ci's face was as dark as ink, worry etched between his brows. He pointed with a trembling finger toward the enormous quicksand whirlpool ahead, over a hundred zhang across and slowly rotating. His voice carried a note of urgency and dread. "The 'Soul Burial Vortex' is the most dangerous place in the burial pit. It's bottomless, like an abyss with no end, and its suction is terrifying. Even a Dou Wang expert would have trouble escaping if they fell in! The center of the vortex is also unbearably hot. It may lead straight to the scorching magma underground. One step closer could mean being reduced to dust!"
The other two elders also looked worried, their brows furrowed and their eyes filled with deep concern. The Green Lotus Core Flame, a Heavenly Flame of heaven and earth, was actually hidden beneath such a deadly place? The already difficult path to obtaining it had just become even more treacherous.
Xiao Zhan's gaze flashed like lightning, sharp and deep as it swept across the enormous vortex, which resembled the Gate of Hell. His soul power extended downward like a cluster of invisible tendrils, slipping lightly but steadily through layer upon layer of quicksand. Just as he expected! The farther down it went, the higher the temperature rose, as though it had entered a blazing furnace! His soul-sense encountered nothing but a searing chaos and frenzy, like an endless catastrophe raging below. Yet at the deepest part of that chaos, he clearly sensed a pure, vast flame energy that held both destruction and life, like a sleeping sun radiating a scorching, mysterious glow! The flame was violent and untamed, like a caged beast, yet it had a deadly allure that made one want to draw closer.
The Green Lotus Core Flame! It was right below!
"Keep watch here," Xiao Zhan said in a deep voice, his tone firm and unquestionable, like an immovable deity.
"Elder Xiao! You mustn't!" Yan Ci was horrified, his face instantly turning pale. He hurried forward, trying to stop Xiao Zhan. "This place is perilous, a den of dragons and tigers! The earth fire is as fierce as a runaway horse, and the quicksand swallows everything. If you get caught in it, you'll be doomed for all eternity!"
"Don't worry." Xiao Zhan cut him off. The aura around him abruptly changed, like a sleeping giant dragon awakening! A layer of fine, reddish-gold dragon-scale shadows instantly covered his body, shining brilliantly like golden armor. Substantial golden flames ignited in the depths of his eyes, blazing brightly as if they could pierce all darkness! A Dragon Phoenix pressure from the primordial age erupted with a roar, like an invisible storm, forcing the scorching air back three feet. The Seven-Colored Little Snake on his wrist sensed this pressure and let out an excited hiss, bright and clear, as though cheering him on.
The three elders were instantly silenced by the sudden, terrifying pressure, as if a primordial beast had awakened. Their mouths hung open, and their eyes held nothing but boundless awe, like worshippers standing before a deity. At last, they truly understood the astonishing, world-shaking power hidden within this normally modest and composed guest elder—a slumbering volcano that had finally erupted with all its heat and majesty!
Xiao Zhan said no more. He moved like lightning and leaped! He did not use the common technique of condensing Dou Qi wings. His body shot downward like a meteor tearing through the night sky, carrying an unstoppable momentum straight toward the center of the slowly rotating "Soul Burial Vortex," whose suction was enough to chill the blood!
Whoosh—!
The moment he touched the edge of the vortex, its frenzied quicksand suction, strong enough to tear apart steel and grind anything to pieces, swept over him like a tide. It was as if countless invisible hands were desperately trying to drag him into the abyss. Yet the reddish-gold dragon-scale shadows around his body shimmered like an indestructible golden armor, while the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art surged to its limits with a low rumble. He forcibly withstood the terrifying pulling force! Like a needle pinning the sea in place, he stood firm in the raging vortex. His speed only increased as he sliced through layer after layer of surging quicksand and plunged rapidly toward the source of the scorching aura and immense energy fluctuations!
The farther down he went, the higher the temperature climbed, as though he were inside a blazing furnace! The sand was mercilessly melted by the heat, turning into thick, scorching rivers of flowing magma, like furious fire dragons racing wildly through the earth! The pungent smell of sulfur was almost suffocating, like the breath of death wafting from hell. The violent earth-fire energy struck Xiao Zhan's protective dragon scales like invisible blades, howling sharply.
[Warning! Entering an ultra-high-temperature earth-fire environment! Strain on the Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art is increasing!]
[Warning! Violent earth-vein energy impact detected! Spatial structure is unstable!]
The system alerts continued to sound in Xiao Zhan's mind like a ringing alarm. But his gaze remained cold and unwavering, and his speed did not slacken at all. The reddish-gold light around him grew ever more brilliant, like the rising sun, forcibly repelling and refining the incoming earth-fire energy, as though he were locked in a breathtaking contest against the power of heaven and earth!
No one knew how long he plunged through the endless darkness and scorching heat. It was as if time had stopped and space had blurred, as though he had pierced through hell's thick, freezing barrier and entered an unknown, terrifying world.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the scene before him opened up, like a veil of mist being drawn aside to reveal another world! An enormous underground space, vast beyond imagination, lay fully exposed before him, filled with dark-red magma that churned and roared like a burning sea. Scorching waves of heat surged toward him. The air twisted violently from the extreme temperature, as though an invisible hand were kneading it, blurring his vision.
Below lay a boiling magma lake, bubbling with enormous bursts of gas. Its searing light gathered like millions of suns and illuminated the entire underground space in a sea of red, as though he were inside a colossal furnace, with flames burning in every breath of air.
And at the very center of the magma lake!
A huge lotus made of pure cyan flames floated quietly within it, like a brilliant star. Its lotus base was about one zhang across, solemn and imposing, and it had twelve petals. Each petal was like flawless green jade, crystalline and translucent, radiating a soft yet mysterious glow. Yet these seemingly delicate petals burned with a horrifying flame of destruction, like the wrath of hell, ready to devour everything. At the heart of the lotus, a mass of deep-cyan flame like liquid jade slowly pulsed and burned, radiating terrifying heat and immense vitality, like a beating heart controlling this world of flame.
The Green Lotus Core Flame!
As though it sensed the intruder's arrival, the previously calm flames suddenly surged upward like an enraged beast and let out a furious roar. The entire magma lake instantly boiled over. Countless pillars of magma burst skyward like furious fire dragons, clawing and roaring as they coiled toward Xiao Zhan in midair, as if to devour him completely in the scorching flames. The temperature of the entire underground space shot up to a level capable of melting fine steel, and the air crackled as it burned.
"Roar—!!!"
Even more unnerving, as the magma pillars erupted, a terrifying python made entirely of dark-red magma surged out of the boiling lake. It stretched dozens of zhang long and reared its enormous body. It had no eyes, yet seemed able to see everything. Its huge head was made entirely of churning magma, radiating a terrifying, scorching aura. It opened its maw wide enough to swallow a mountain and let out a deafening roar full of savagery and destruction. The sound seemed to pierce the soul, sending chills down one's spine. The energy it radiated had astonishingly reached the level of a fifth-tier peak magical beast, equivalent to a Peak Dou Emperor among humans. Like a moving mountain, it bore down on Xiao Zhan with boundless pressure.
It was the Magma Guardian Beast, a spirit of the earth veins nurtured by the Green Lotus Core Flame over countless years, like the guardian deity of this blazing magma world, born with majesty and savagery.
"Hmph! A mere Fire Spirit dares to stand in my way?" Xiao Zhan hovered proudly among the raging pillars of magma, brilliant reddish-gold light radiating from him. He looked like an unparalleled deity descending from the heavens into a fiery hell, his presence inviolable. Facing the magma pillars, which could burn a Dou Huang expert to ashes, and the terrifying python surging toward him like a mountain, he felt no fear. Only his scorching battle intent blazed like an inferno, as though it would set the endless magma alight.
"Dragon Phoenix Flame! Emerge!"
With a low, powerful shout, Xiao Zhan abruptly brought his hands together, the motion crisp and decisive, as if reaching out to the power of heaven and earth. The Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body Art roared into action within him like a finely engineered machine running at full speed, releasing boundless power. Deep in his dantian, the reddish-gold flame he had obtained during Medusa's evolution—infused with the Dragon Phoenix Origin—awoke like a slumbering dragon, then erupted with a roar! Its power seemed capable of tearing apart space and shaking the heavens and earth.
"Boom!"
Reddish-gold flames surged over Xiao Zhan in an instant, wrapping around him like a blazing suit of armor. This was no ordinary flame formed from Dou Qi. It carried the majestic sound of dragon roars and phoenix cries, clear and powerful, like an ancient summons, radiating a nobility that surpassed Wan Huo and inspired awe.
Wherever it passed, the violent magma pillars rushing toward him twisted and contorted, like vassals encountering their emperor. They fled in panic, and some were even forcibly assimilated and devoured, as if bowing before the flame's majesty.
Dragon Phoenix Flame! The sovereign of Wan Huo! It naturally suppressed and commanded all fire energy, like an emperor ruling over subjects who could not rebel. In this blazing magma world, it was the master—the master of everything!
"Roar?!" The python, formed entirely from magma, seemed to sense the terrifying threat contained in the reddish-gold flames. On its enormous magma head, a hint of personified surprise strangely appeared, as if it were trying to make sense of this sudden turn. But its instinct to guard the Heavenly Flame burned like a raging blaze, overpowering all fear and hesitation. It roared even more furiously, its voice like rumbling thunder, carrying a colossal tide of magma as it surged toward Xiao Zhan like a moving volcano, bearing the force to destroy heaven and earth! Before its gaping jaws even reached him, the terrifying heat had already twisted and cracked the surrounding space, which groaned in agony.
"Good! Come at me!" A sharp glint flashed in Xiao Zhan's eyes like two fierce bolts of lightning, tearing through the scorching, chaotic air. He did not retreat or dodge. Instead, like a mighty lion, he strode forward to meet the devouring jaws of magma and threw a punch! His fist carried such resolute force that it seemed ready to shatter every obstacle in the world.
"Dragon Phoenix Tyrant Body! Rend the Void!"
With this earth-shaking roar, the Dragon Phoenix Flame condensed tightly around his fist and transformed into the phantom of a giant dragon-phoenix claw ablaze with golden flames. The claw was lifelike, as if it belonged to a divine beast from ancient myth. It carried the terrifying force to shatter the void and incinerate all things as it tore toward the magma python's head like an invincible blade!
"Rumble—!!!"
The blow was like two burning stars colliding fiercely in a confined underground space, unleashing a deafening crash. The sound was like heaven and earth roaring in fury, or a god giving vent to boundless majesty. An indescribable roar and storm of energy erupted at once, like a cataclysm unleashed upon the world.
The reddish-gold dragon-phoenix claw print collided with the dark-red magma jaws, crushing against them and annihilating them, as if two worlds had collided and burst into boundless sparks. Frenzied fire energy surged out of control in every direction, devouring everything in its path. The magma lake was whipped into towering waves, like a furious tsunami with the power to destroy all things. The hard rock walls cracked and melted inch by inch under the scorching impact, like fragile glass, breaking with a series of agonized snaps.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss—!"
A piercing sound of disintegration rang out, like thousands of venomous snakes hissing in unison, echoing through the scorching, chaotic underground space and making one's skin crawl. The Dragon Phoenix Flame, a force of pure yang that surpassed Wan Huo, was the magma spirit's natural nemesis, striking precisely at its weakness. The reddish-gold flames clung to the Magma Guardian Beast like bone-deep poison, pressing forward without hesitation as they devoured and burned its vast, hideous body, as though intent on wiping it from the world entirely.
"Argh—oooh—!!"
The magma python let out an unbearably mournful wail, as if the pain came from the deepest part of its soul, full of despair and unwillingness. Its body, condensed from pure earth-fire energy, rapidly melted and crumbled beneath the Dragon Phoenix Flame's scorching, overbearing blaze, like snow meeting boiling water. Great chunks of the magma forming its head turned to smoke and drifted away, as though its life were ebbing. Its enormous body twisted and struggled wildly, each thrash stirring up an even more violent wave of magma. Like a beast gone mad, it tried to extinguish the reddish-gold flames clinging to it, but all its efforts were futile—like an insect trying to shake a tree.
In just a few breaths, a fleeting moment to an ordinary person but an eternity in this scorching, perilous underground, the fifth-tier peak Magma Guardian Beast, whose overwhelming power could make even Dou Huang experts tremble, had been burned down to half a body by Xiao Zhan's astonishing punch infused with the Dragon Phoenix Origin. Its remains rolled painfully through the boiling magma, each turn splashing up great waves of searing liquid. Its aura rapidly withered like a candle in the wind, and it no longer posed the slightest threat.
The power of a single punch was terrifying beyond compare! Its stunning force seemed capable of tearing space apart and shaking heaven and earth.
Xiao Zhan stood unmoved amid the raging currents of energy, like an immovable mountain enduring a violent storm. The reddish-gold Dragon Phoenix Flame burned quietly around him, radiating a soft yet majestic glow as it incinerated and devoured every wave of magma that came his way, like an invisible shield protecting him. His gaze was sharp and deep as it passed over the dying remains of the Magma Guardian Beast and locked firmly onto the center of the magma lake. There, amid the storm of energy, a Heavenly Flame still floated serenely, its cyan light blazing brightly—the Green Lotus Core Flame, radiating a mysterious and...
terrifying aura.
The Heavenly Flame was within arm's reach! It seemed close enough to touch, yet still held endless challenges and dangers.
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