Cloud Kun rode the waves, forging ahead with all its might.
Oh—there were only waves, no wind. It lurked a hundred meters beneath the sea, shaped itself into a yellowfin tuna, and shot forward with whooshes.
As it darted along, it communicated with Shen Le:
[The water down here feels a little hot!]
"Is that so? How hot?"
[Not that hot. But it seems to be getting hotter the farther we go. Is a volcano about to erupt ahead?]
Shen Le fell silent for a moment. He only regretted not bringing along the experts who had previously gone on missions with Cloud Kun, along with all their equipment.
If he had brought them, the experts could probably have fiddled with their instruments and determined what was happening ahead.
But now, he could only miserably use his face—no, his spiritual power—to feel his way through the grass...
"...Dive a little deeper first. Get as close to the seafloor as possible, and let me sense the condition down there."
He discussed it quietly with Cloud Kun. Cloud Kun gradually slowed down, changed shape, shortened and widened itself into a flounder, then calmly lay against the seabed and slowly swam forward.
Shen Le, meanwhile, spread out his spiritual power and continuously probed ahead along the seafloor.
Most of what his spiritual power touched was seawater and earth. Yet the farther forward it reached, the more it sensed restless, explosive forces churning ceaselessly, eager to burst forth:
That was fire—earthfire rising from the depths of the planet, yearning to tear apart and incinerate everything.
It roiled and howled, struggling to break free of its restraints and gain freedom, while the earth and seawater both gave way before it—
"It really seems like an undersea volcano is about to erupt," Shen