"Finally... finally... we found it!"
Lu Fanchen and the other two stared at the interior beyond the doorway as it gradually came into focus, unable to contain their excitement.
After spending an entire night without food or sleep, the Ultra-High Level Map had finally beckoned to them.
Beyond the gate lay a passage less than a hundred meters long. It had clearly been artificially constructed, with layers of steps and walls on both sides forged from some unknown metal.
At the end of the passage, a faint glow could be seen. Beyond it was a vast space littered with broken stones, carrying an indescribable heat that made one's blood boil.
As Lu Fanchen and the other two reached the end of the passage, the entire underground space came into view.
The space was as large as more than a dozen stadiums. At its center stood a towering human man three meters tall, holding a greatsword. His eyes were closed as he stood there silently, like a statue.
On the opposite side of the space stood a twenty-meter-tall metal gate, similar to the one they had entered through. However, this gate was clearly locked, with horizontal and vertical metal bars sealing it shut. Unless those metal bars were destroyed, the gate obviously could not be opened.
"What does this map mean? Do we have to defeat that man before we're allowed to continue?" Lin Xinyao swept her gaze across the entire space before it settled on the statue-like man in the center.
"Probably." Lu Fanchen glanced at the statue-like man, then looked toward the ground around them. "But our mission is to collect Molten Fire Crystals. Those pale-red crystals on the ground should be Molten Fire Crystals. Let's leave the statue alone for now. We'll gather the crystals first, then investigate