"Hiss hiss hiss..."
Accompanied by an unsettling hissing sound, countless withered trees in the vast Fire Banyan Forest began to twist and turn strangely, as if they were about to come back to life.
Drawn by the withered tree, scalding magma spread upwards from its roots, flowing into the trunk through cracks. Crimson energy overflowed, its astonishing power causing Xiao Yan and his companions, who were standing in the void above, to slightly tighten their gazes.
"Gentlemen, the time has come. The best moment to obtain the Fire Banyan Branch will be when the lava power of these Fire Banyan Tree is exhausted. However, in the meantime, Brother Xiao Yan will inevitably have to work hard for a while."
Looking down at the rapidly rising lava in the forest below, Tang Ye smiled faintly. As soon as he finished speaking, the withered trees seemed to respond, and the earth covered by the lava suddenly cracked open, spewing out a torrent of lava that enveloped the tree trunks and then shot into the sky, forming an astonishing pillar of fire.
Countless pillars of fire stretched from the sky to the ground, followed by scorching lava that rained down like a storm, washing over the world. There was nowhere to hide; this Fire Banyan Forest was like a living hell.
Faced with this situation, even someone like Tang Ye couldn't help but feel terrified. Even though he had mingled in this place many times before, he still felt lingering fear in the face of the Fire Banyan Clan's remaining power.
"Brother Xiao Yan, I'm begging you."
Tang Ye said with a solemn expression.
Leave it to me.
Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan stood in front of the two, his palm surging with Origin Qi. Facing the molten lava falling towards him, he roared and unleashed a palm strike. The huge palm print collided with the ball of fire, and then both exploded.
The flames surged, and with the residual force of the palm strike, a barrier stood between heaven and earth, blocking the rain of fire for several breaths.
"Haha, Brother Xiao Yan's methods are truly extraordinary. With your help, we can rest assured."
Tang Ye raised an eyebrow at the extremely exaggerated scene in the sky, couldn't help but grin, and then turned to Bai Zijing.
"In that case, we should get going."
Upon hearing this, the latter smiled slightly, said nothing more, and slowly swept his gaze over the black shirt in front of him. A sharp glint flashed deep in his eyes, and with a light touch of his toes, his figure instantly pierced through the magma below like a sharp sword.
Seeing Bai Zijing's anxious appearance, Tang Ye's smile widened. He transformed into a streak of light and chased after him. At the same time, a blue banner, about ten inches in size, appeared in his hand.
Above, Xiao Yan watched the two people rush into the magma one after the other. After a moment's thought, he sat cross-legged in the void and waited patiently. No matter how the magma pounded in the sky, it was all something Xiao Yan could not avoid.
With his Heavenly Flames, the magma was no match for him. His earlier attack was merely to ease Tang Ye and the other man's mind. However, judging from Bai Zijing, from the first moment he saw him, this guy had other intentions towards him, so he had to be cautious.
"That guy knew he was no match for Bai Zijing, yet he still dared to leave me here. He must have been certain he had a way to deal with him."
Gazing at the churning magma below, Xiao Yan murmured to himself. Then, a thought arose in his mind, and his Spiritual Strength immediately spread out, probing towards the magma below, attempting to delve deeper into it and find out what was going on.
"Laugh..."
However, the instant Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength touched the surface of the magma, the scalding magma directly attacked his Soul Power, forcing him to withdraw instantly.
"How bizarre is this magma! It can even incinerate Soul Power!"
Xiao Yan frowned slightly, feeling somewhat surprised. With his current Spiritual Strength, he was confident he could defeat even an ordinary Yuan Zong. Where could he not go? Yet, he was unexpectedly burned by this mere magma.
"I'm becoming increasingly curious about just how powerful the Fire Banyan Clan was back then."
With his Spiritual Strength burned, Xiao Yan showed no fear. The fact that the magma could produce such a miraculous effect must be attributed to the Fire Banyan Clan. After this incident, he became even more impressed with this race that existed a thousand years ago.
Since he couldn't investigate what lay beneath the magma, Xiao Yan had no choice but to withdraw his thoughts and wait patiently.
Tang Ye and Bai Zijing have entered the magma together, while only Xiao Yan remains outside. The brief partnership between the three is about to break down. With interests at stake, a battle between Tang Ye and Bai Zijing is likely inevitable. It remains to be seen who will ultimately stand before him.
Time passed slowly, and two hours had gone by in the blink of an eye.
The Fire Banyan Tree that were originally on land have all been submerged under the lava. The scalding lava continues to rise like a tide, towering pillars of fire stand tall between heaven and earth, and the lava falling from the sky is like a torrential downpour, covering the entire sky.
The space within a hundred feet of Xiao Yan was completely empty. Unless there was something else going on, even the magma that the Yuan Zong experts feared could only keep its distance.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Xiao Yan abruptly opened his tightly closed eyes, his gaze shooting in a certain direction like a falcon's.
In that brief moment, an unusual aura flashed past the magma there, or rather, within it. Despite the magma's obstruction, Xiao Yan could still clearly see a pair of eyes in that fleeting glance.
A pair of small, scarlet eyes!
The Heavy Xuan Ruler almost instinctively fell into Xiao Yan's hand. He immediately stood up, his sharp gaze fixed on a certain spot in the magma. Even he couldn't see the figure clearly, so this mysterious guy's strength was at least no less than his own.
As his thoughts raced, his body suddenly twisted, the heavy ruler blade shattering the void, its light shooting out and disappearing into the magma behind him, creating a surge of energy.
"Is there more than one?"
Xiao Yan frowned, his gaze rapidly scanning his surroundings. The magma, originally a hundred feet away, was constantly approaching under the control of the mysterious creature, and within the magma, pairs of eerie eyes gradually became clear.
"This... this is..."
After seeing the appearance of those mysterious creatures clearly, Xiao Yan's expression faltered slightly. Just then, the surface of the lava sea below suddenly broke open, and a figure reappeared in front of Xiao Yan.
"Haha, I didn't expect these guys to make their move against you now. It seems Brother Xiao Yan really does have some skills."
Xiao Yan looked over and was immediately surprised to see that the person who rushed out first was Tang Ye.
"I think it's you, Brother Tang, who truly has an iron fist. With Bai Zijing's strength, it's unbelievable that he would die at your hands."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ye's face showed a hint of surprise.
"I didn't expect you to be able to see through that kid's true strength. I really underestimated you. But that's all for now."
Glancing at the rapidly approaching lava around them, Tang Ye's lips curled into a disdainful sneer. He slightly twisted his neck, his eyes turning coldly as he looked at Xiao Yan again, and said:
"Did you know that this Fire Banyan Forest is the home ground of the Fire-Scaled Lizard? Anyone who dares to lay a finger on Fire Banyan Branch will be relentlessly pursued until they die. Even Eight-Star Yuan Zong wouldn't dare to provoke them lightly. Although you possess great cultivation, your stupidity lies in your greed!"
The moment he finished speaking, Tang Ye suddenly flicked his sleeve, and an object wrapped in a blue light shot toward Xiao Yan at lightning speed. When it was a few feet away from the latter, it exploded under Tang Ye's control, revealing a small section of red plant root.
It was none other than the so-called Fire Banyan Branch!
In an instant, countless scarlet gazes fell upon Xiao Yan from within the magma covering the world.