Magma Ocean

Magma Ocean

At the end of the rope was a dimly lit slope descending downward.

The walls of the cave were made of some unknown material, smooth as mirrors and completely devoid of friction. Everyone could only carefully control their balance as they slowly slid down the steep slope into the depths underground.

"Watch your footing, everyone!"

Xiao Ding's steady voice echoed through the pitch-black passage. He walked at the front of the group, his Dou Qi spreading outward as he remained alert for any danger that might appear.

Qing Lin followed closely behind him, tightly clutching a bright Moonlight Stone in her small hand. Its gentle glow dispelled the surrounding darkness and illuminated the unfathomable depths ahead.

The passage was far longer than they had imagined.

No one knew how long they had been sliding when a flat stretch of ground finally appeared ahead, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

Yet when they found their footing and saw the sight before them, their hearts leaped into their throats once more.

More than a dozen intricate branching paths lay before them, forming a massive underground maze. Every tunnel entrance was pitch-black and emitted a chilling aura; there was no way to tell which was the correct route.

"This..." One of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's elites could not help swallowing. "If we take the wrong path, we may never get out for the rest of our lives."

Xiao Ding's expression also turned grave. He knew that getting lost in a place like this would bring unthinkable consequences.

Just as everyone ran out of ideas, Xiao Yan slowly stepped forward.

He said nothing and merely extended his left hand.

An ancient black ring on his finger grew faintly warm.

A wisp of bone-white flame rose from the ring. Within this pitch-black underground world, that tiny flame seemed especially conspicuous. It flickered violently like an eager guide, its tip unwaveringly pointing toward the most inconspicuous branch on the far left.

"This way," Xiao Yan said in an unquestionable tone.

However, Xiao Ding had always been cautious and did not rashly advance.

He glanced at the shadowy side passage, then turned to a gaunt mercenary behind him with bright, keen eyes and said gravely, "Ham, scout the way first."

"Yes, Commander!"

The mercenary named Ham stepped forward in response. The technique he cultivated was extremely unusual: a rare mutated sand-attributed Dou Qi that allowed him to form a faint resonance with the earth and sense subtle changes in the terrain ahead. He was the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's finest scout.

Ham pressed his palm to the ground and closed his eyes. A stream of earth-yellow Dou Qi slowly seeped underground, spreading deep into the side passage like an invisible tendril.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his face filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Commander, there are no traps within five hundred meters ahead, nor is there any trace of magical beasts."

"But..." He paused, his tone becoming utterly bewildered. "Beyond five hundred meters, the earth-attributed energy underground has... has completely vanished! In its place is an incomparably scorching, incomparably pure fire-attributed energy! The instant my probing force entered that area, it was evaporated. I cannot extend it even an inch farther!"

The moment those words fell, all the Desert Iron Mercenary Group mercenaries erupted in an uproar.

Beneath the desert, earth energy should have been the densest energy in this place, yet it had been completely suppressed and driven away by another kind of energy?

There was only one explanation for such a bizarre phenomenon.

Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock and wild delight in the other's eyes.

After hearing this, Xiao Yan became even more certain.

There was no mistake!

The Green Lotus Core Flame was at the end of this passage!

"Everyone, get ready. We move out!"

Xiao Ding no longer hesitated and immediately gave the order.

Ever meticulous, he added, "Leave a Moonlight Stone as a marker every fifty meters. We must make sure we can find the way back at any time!"

"Yes!"

Everyone answered in unison, their morale soaring.

The group set off again, advancing down that dark side passage.

The deeper they went, the chilly dampness around them gradually faded, replaced by a heat that piled up in wave after wave.

The air became increasingly dry. With every breath, it felt as though they were inhaling fire.

That dense, violent fire-attributed energy had completely suppressed every trace of earth-attributed aura in the area, baking the tunnel like an enormous furnace.

"I can't... Commander, I... I can't hold on much longer!"

After they traveled several hundred more meters, a Dou Master mercenary of somewhat weaker strength was the first to succumb to the terrifying heat. His face was flushed red, and his entire body seemed about to ignite. His protective Dou Qi was being rapidly consumed by the scorching air, on the verge of collapse.

"Go back!" Xiao Ding decided at once. "Follow the markers and return the way you came! Do not force yourselves!"

Once there was a first, there came a second and a third.

As they continued deeper, the heat increased geometrically. In the end, even the ten Dou Master elites successively reached their limits and could only turn back unwillingly.

By the end, only Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding, Qing Lin, Tian Xin, and Xun'er remained in the tunnel, still pressing onward.

As a Dou Wang, Tian Xin naturally feared no such heat. Xun'er also had her own trump cards and could still manage. Only Qing Lin had the weakest cultivation; her little face had been baked bright red. Had Tian Xin not continuously shielded her with Dou Qi, she would likely have fainted long ago.

Xiao Yan, however, was the most unusual of them all.

The heat, enough to melt even steel, did not make him feel the slightest discomfort. Instead, it caused the Dou Qi within him to circulate madly at an unprecedented speed!

He did not even need to deliberately activate his technique. Under the stimulation of this supremely pure fire-attributed energy, the method called Flame Mantra began to greedily devour the surrounding energy on its own, like a starving beast that had gone hungry for a thousand years!

This was an anomaly he had never experienced since beginning his cultivation!

Almost there... I'm almost there!

Xiao Yan was ecstatic. He could clearly feel the longing arising from deep within his bloodline and cultivation technique reaching its peak!

He took a deep breath, then turned to Xiao Ding and Qing Lin beside him and warned, "Big Brother, Qing Lin, tell me immediately if you feel unwell!"

With that, he could no longer restrain himself. He suddenly pushed off with his feet, his speed sharply increasing as he transformed into a black blur and rushed toward the deepest part of the passage!

Seeing this, Xiao Ding and the others hurriedly followed.

They rounded a bend.

A dazzling scarlet radiance suddenly pierced the darkness ahead and entered everyone's sight!

The light was so blazing that it seemed as though a sun were hidden at the end of the passage!

"We're here!"

Xiao Yan let out a low roar of suppressed excitement. His speed surged again, and like a cannonball leaving its barrel, he shot out of the narrow passage!

Immediately afterward, Xiao Ding, Tian Xin, Xun'er, and Qing Lin emerged one after another.

Yet when they clearly saw the sight before them, everyone was utterly stunned.

Their footsteps stopped in unison.

Everyone stood frozen in horror.

Because before them lay a scarlet underground world!

At the end of their sight stretched a rolling magma ocean with no visible boundary. Viscous magma flowed slowly like blood, while enormous bubbles occasionally rose from beneath its surface and burst, scattering fiery rain across the air.

The sky was dark red. Countless massive stalactites hung upside down, burning with flames that would never be extinguished.

The entire world contained no color but red.