Cui Hua is Forced, Ma Hongjun's Defense Shatters!

"Besides, she doesn't even have a shred of soul power. In a place where she's a complete stranger, where could she possibly run to?"

On the Sky Screen, the scene continued.

The young man in the green robe waved his hand, signaling the servants behind him to withdraw.

He bent down, his tone growing increasingly gentle, "Don't be afraid, miss. This is Tianshui City, in the Zhao State."

"I see you're all alone, helpless and hungry enough to hear your stomach growling. Why not come back to my mansion and have a full meal first?"

"Once you've eaten your fill, I'll send people to help you find your way home. How about that?"

Hearing the words "full meal," a flicker of hesitation crossed Cui Hua's eyes.

She glanced at the young man in the green robe, thinking he looked refined and was dressed so well; he couldn't possibly be a bad person.

Most importantly, the scent of those steamed buns kept drifting into her nose. She was truly too hungry; her stomach felt as if it were burning.

"R-really? You'll provide food?" Cui Hua asked timidly.

"Of course. My word is as heavy as a mountain."

The young man in the green robe smiled and extended his hand. "My home is not far ahead. Let's go."

Cui Hua hesitated for a moment, then climbed up from the ground.

She didn't take his hand, but instead hugged her broken wooden ladle tightly, following cautiously behind the young man in the green robe.

Half an hour later, Cui Hua followed the young man into a sprawling, grand estate.

The pavilions, rockeries, and flowing water within the grounds left Cui Hua dazzled.

She was led into a side room.

The table was soon filled with roasted chicken, roast duck, and various exquisite pastries.

Cui Hua had never seen so much delicious food in her life. Forgetting all decorum, she grabbed a greasy chicken leg with her hand and shoved it into her mouth.

The young man in the green robe sat opposite her, watching her wolf down the food with a beaming smile.

After a while, he thoughtfully poured a cup of tea for her.

"Eat slowly, don't choke. Drink some water to wash it down."

Cui Hua took the teacup and gulped it down in one go.

"Thank you, young master, you really are a kind person..." Cui Hua mumbled her thanks.

However, before she could even finish her sentence, Cui Hua felt a wave of dizziness wash over her head.

The vision before her began to blur, and everything she saw appeared doubled.

She couldn't even hold the half-eaten chicken leg, which dropped onto the wooden table.

"Young master, I feel so dizzy..." Cui Hua tried to stand up, only to find she had no strength left in her body.

The young man in the green robe slowly stood up. The gentle smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a lecherous glint.

He walked over to Cui Hua and used two fingers to lift her chin.

"Since you've eaten my food and drunk my tea, you belong to me from now on."

"Being able to enter my Zhao Mansion as a concubine is a blessing you, a country bumpkin, have spent several lifetimes cultivating."

Cui Hua was so terrified that tears streamed down her face.

She wanted to scream for help, but only a faint whimper could escape her throat.

She struggled desperately, but her body remained limp, collapsing into the chair like a pile of mud.

The young man in the green robe sneered, scooped Cui Hua up in his arms, and turned toward the wooden bed in the inner room.

Bang.

The door to the side room was slammed shut by the servants outside.

Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy.

Ma Hongjun's eyes were bloodshot, and the fat all over his body was trembling.

"Bastard! I'm going to kill him!"

A ball of purple-red flame erupted violently from the fatty's body, and the surrounding air instantly became scorching hot.

Ma Hongjun swung his fists at the sky like a madman, his face covered in tears and snot.

Although he and Cui Hua had already broken up, watching the woman who had once been with him being targeted by such despicable, low-handed tactics made his heart ache as if it were being sliced by a knife.

Tang San grabbed the fatty's arm and shouted sternly, "Fatty! Calm down!"

"This is happening in the Renegade Immortal World! What good does it do for you to go crazy here!"

Xiao Wu was also frightened, hiding behind Tang San. Looking at the tightly closed door on the Sky Screen, her small face was filled with sympathy and lingering fear.

"How can the people in that world be so evil..." Xiao Wu murmured to herself.

Dai Mubai sighed, a sense of powerlessness welling up in his heart.

This is the price of having no power.

In that completely unfamiliar, high-dimensional world, the fate of a commoner with no ability to protect themselves is even more miserable than dying in the jaws of a beast.

At this moment, the commoners across the entire Douluo Continent have also fallen into a deep silence and panic.

And just as everyone was feeling indignant and helpless over Cui Hua's plight, the screen in the middle of the Sky Screen suddenly shook violently.

Yan, a level fifty-two Spirit King of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, was currently standing on the edge of a volcanic crater.

His surroundings were completely shrouded in blinding firelight and thick, black smoke.

The dense smoke, carrying a pungent smell of sulfur, rolled continuously out of the massive crater ahead.

The temperature here was terrifyingly high.

Even through the screen, the audience on the Douluo Continent seemed to be able to feel the heat wave rushing toward them.

Spirit City, the open-air training ground behind the Pope Palace.

Sunlight spilled onto the hard granite ground, but compared to the scorching heat radiating from the Sky Screen, today's sun seemed somewhat insignificant.

Xie Yue stared fixedly at the screen, his palms sweating.

He took a step forward, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, and pointed at the rolling black smoke in the image. "The environment in this place is too harsh."

"Look at the rocks on the edge; they've all been baked dark red by the high temperature, and some are even in a semi-molten state."

"Although Yan possesses the fire attribute, I'm afraid his body won't be able to withstand such an extreme, subterranean environment."

Hu Liena stood to the side, biting her lower lip, her hands clasped in front of her chest until her knuckles turned white.

Her fox-like eyes, usually full of charm, were now filled with worry.

"Yan's spirit is the Flame Lord; a place like this should be like a fish in water for him, right?" Hu Liena said in a low voice, as if trying to comfort herself.

"He has been exposed to volcanoes in Spirit Hall's simulated training environments for years; he should be able to adapt."

Bibi Dong, standing at the very front, nodded slightly, her gaze carrying a hint of approval.

She tapped her scepter lightly against the ground, producing a crisp sound.

"Liena is right. Although this crater is dangerous, it is rich in fire-attribute elements," Bibi Dong said, her tone remaining calm and imbued with the majesty of one who controls the entire situation.

"With Yan there, his spirit power recovery speed will be more than twice as fast as usual."

"Furthermore, such an extreme environment can maximize the earth and fire attributes within his spirit."

"Even if he encounters a powerful enemy, he can retreat unscathed by relying on the terrain advantage."

"This is the reason I let him undergo more training."

Hearing the Pope say this, Hu Liena and Xie Yue breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, in the very next second.

As Yan followed the steep rock wall to the bottom of the crater on the Sky Screen, the camera slowly zoomed in.

The entire training ground was instantly filled with the sound of people gasping in shock.

It was a massive underground cavern, with a lava lake a hundred yards wide in the center.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The viscous lava bubbled continuously, splashing sparks of fire every time a bubble burst.

And right in the center of that churning lava lake, a pitch-black, circular stone was floating.

Sitting cross-legged on the stone was a bald, burly man wearing a crimson robe.

Xie Yue's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "How is that possible! That person is actually sitting in the lava!"

"He hasn't even activated his spirit, nor does he have spirit rings protecting his body?" Hu Liena was also full of shock, her small mouth slightly agape, as if she were looking at some monster that defied all logic.

Even the usually composed Bibi Dong had her expression change drastically at this moment.

An incredulous light flickered in her beautiful eyes.

As a level ninety-nine peak powerhouse, Bibi Dong knew the horror of subterranean lava better than anyone.

That temperature was enough to melt tempered steel in an instant.

Even she, without using a hundred-thousand-year spirit skill for protection, would never dare to sit defenseless in the middle of churning lava like that burly man.

What made one's scalp tingle most was that with every breath the bald man took, the violent lava around him would turn into wisps of red mist, drilling directly into his body through his nostrils!

What kind of monster is that bald man, and what is his cultivation level? A stormy sea surged in Bibi Dong's heart; she even began to doubt what her own peak strength, which she took such pride in, actually amounted to in that Renegade Immortal World.

Heaven Dou Empire, the central square of the Blazing Fire Academy.

A massive flame statue stood in the center of the square, surrounded by hundreds of teachers and students in red uniforms.

Huo Wushuang, captain of the Blazing Fire Academy team, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes fixed on the Sky Screen in mid-air.

His short, fiery-red hair fluttered slightly in the wind, but the expression on his face was extremely grave.

"What a terrifying fire-attribute element." Huo Wushuang swallowed, his voice sounding somewhat parched.

"Judging by the color and viscosity of the magma in the image, this is definitely the deepest form of terrestrial fire."

"Any ordinary spirit master who gets within ten meters of the edge would have their clothes spontaneously combust, and their lungs would be scorched dry in an instant."

Huo Wu, standing beside him, was equally stunned.

Her fiery figure was wrapped in a tight-fitting school uniform, but at this moment, she had no mood to care about the gazes of the male students around her.

"Brother, did you notice? The fire elements in that cavern have become so dense they've materialized." Huo Wu extended a slender finger, pointing at the red mist generated by the burly man's breathing in the image.

"That bald man hasn't released any spirit avatar, yet he can directly inhale those violent fire toxins into his body."

"This completely defies the common logic of how we spirit masters absorb external energy!"

The dean of Blazing Fire Academy, an elderly man of over level seventy, was stroking his beard and sighing repeatedly.

"I have studied fire-attribute spirits for most of my life, and I consider myself someone few in the Heaven Dou Empire can rival when it comes to playing with fire." The dean shook his head, his eyes filled with awe.

"But if I were to sit in the center of that magma lake for the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, even if I exhausted all my trump cards, I fear I would end up with nothing left but bones."

Hearing the dean say this, the surrounding students all gasped in unison.

Huo Wu gritted her teeth, saying with some unwillingness, "Could it be that the people of the Renegade Immortal World are made of some special material?"

"Why aren't they afraid of the fire toxins attacking their hearts?"

"No, look closely." Huo Wushuang narrowed his eyes, pointing at the red bead hovering above the bald man's head.

"That person has a bead floating above his head, emitting a red glow."

"I suspect the only reason he can sit in the magma unscathed is entirely due to that glowing treasure protecting his body."

"If he lost that bead, he would surely be burned to ashes."

Huo Wushuang's deduction made the members of Blazing Fire Academy feel a little better.

If it was just relying on an external object, then it meant the opponent himself wasn't actually that terrifying.

In the Fasno Province, on the playground of Shrek Academy.

Ma Hongjun, who had just been standing up for Cui Hua, was now also drawn in by the perspective of Yan on the Sky Screen.

As a spirit master possessing the top-tier fire-attribute spirit, the Evil Fire Phoenix, the fatty's perception of flames was sharper than that of ordinary people.

"Goodness, this is a great place." Ma Hongjun wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, his eyes shining as he watched that lake of magma.

"If I could cultivate there for ten days or half a month, my evil fire would definitely be purified by several grades."

"This kid named Yan from Spirit Hall really has good luck."

Dai Mubai, standing to the side, sneered, "Fatty, look closer."

"The temperature in that place is no joke. If your little bit of evil fire fell into that magma lake, I doubt it would even stir up a splash."

Tang San also nodded, purple light flickering in his eyes.

"Boss Dai is right." Tang San analyzed calmly.

"The terrain here is completely enclosed, preventing the fire toxins from dissipating. Accumulated over years and months, that temperature is enough to melt hidden weapons instantly."

"However, what makes me most curious is that bald man sitting in the middle of the magma."

Hearing Tang San's words, everyone turned their gaze toward Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, maintaining his usual inscrutable demeanor.

He cleared his throat, a glimmer of confidence flashing in his eyes.

"San, there is no need for you to be surprised; this is actually quite easy to explain."

Yu Xiaogang paced back and forth, beginning his theoretical analysis.

"First, we must clarify one point: the human body is absolutely incapable of withstanding the high temperatures of magma. This is an ironclad rule on the Douluo Continent, and indeed, in all worlds."

"The reason that bald, burly man can sit there is not because his own strength is particularly high."

Yu Xiaogang reached out and pointed at the red bead in the Sky Screen image.

"The key lies in that bead. It is definitely a top-grade defensive spirit tool, perhaps even a treasure of divine artifact level."

"The red light it emits isolates the high temperature and fire toxins of the magma."

"Moreover, the bald man's breathing and exhaling, which looks like he is absorbing fire elements, is actually just a smoke screen he is using while relying on this treasure."

Yu Xiaogang turned around, looking at the students before him, and said with a firm tone, "Look at that bald man's physique; although he is burly, he lacks solid muscle and appears somewhat bloated."

"In the Douluo Continent, such a person would be nothing more than a blacksmith with a bit more strength."

"Yan is a level fifty-two spirit king, possessing the top-tier beast spirit, Flame Lord."

"As long as Yan launches an attack and breaks the defense of that bead, that bald man will be swallowed by the magma in an instant."

Hearing the Grandmaster's detailed dissection, the members of Shrek Academy nodded one after another, feeling that the Grandmaster's theory was simply impeccable.

Ma Hongjun even patted his chest and said, "The Grandmaster is right!"

"That bald guy is just a fraud using some treasure to play god. Watch how Yan deals with him!"

Renegade Immortal World, bottom of the volcanic crater.

Yan wiped the hot sweat from his forehead, his gaze burning as he stared at the red bead atop the bald, burly man's head.

He had also witnessed the scene of the man inhaling and exhaling the magma mist, and his heart had skipped a beat.

However, he quickly arrived at the same conclusion as Huo Wushuang and Yu Xiaogang.

"I knew it. How could any ordinary person bathe in magma?"

"It turns out he's relying on that glowing bead to protect his body."

In Yan's eyes, there wasn't even a shred of spirit power fluctuation coming from the bald man; he was entirely propped up by that treasure.

If he could snatch that bead and bring it back to Spirit Hall, it would definitely be a great achievement, and Nana would surely look at him with new eyes.

Thinking of this, Yan's courage grew.