"Hiss hiss hiss..."
Deep within the Flowing Fire Plain, before the entrance to the Fire Banyan Ruins, countless powerful figures stood in the air, their gazes fixed on the terrifyingly hot magma rising below.
As time slowly passed, the magma below the crater gradually sank. At this rate, the magma inside the crater would completely dry up in less than half a day. At that time, it would be the best time for the powerful figures present to enter the ruins.
Everyone is waiting for that moment to arrive, but...
As more than half the time passed, the lava slowly sinking below the crater gradually stopped, as if it had reached its lowest point. Judging from the height of the volcano, the lava was still at least a hundred feet away from the dried-up bottom. This scene surprised many of the powerful figures present.
Based on past experience, this magma should dry up and disappear completely within half a day at most, revealing a spatial entrance to the ruins below. Any powerful individual holding the Fire Banyan Token can use this entrance to lead their people in. However, time has gradually exceeded expectations, yet the churning magma shows no sign of sinking.
"It seems the lava won't recede any further. Gentlemen, is anyone willing to give it a try? If we can get in to the ruins first, our chances of obtaining the treasures will increase considerably."
Somewhere, an old man dressed in a hemp robe looked around at everyone present, stroked his beard with one hand, and said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone present scoffed at the idea. As many as he did, they understood what was inside the magma. Without complete certainty, who would dare to attempt it? If things went wrong, they might not even have a chance to escape, let alone gain the upper hand.
But then, a truly courageous man emerged from the crowd. As the assembled experts exchanged bewildered glances and sneered, a middle-aged man with the strength of Seven-Star Yuan Zong stepped forward. Looking down at the scorching lava below, he let out a cold snort and scoffed:
"A bunch of old fogies! This is just a layer of lava. If we really wanted to, there's nothing difficult about charging down!"
As soon as the shout fell, the burly man suddenly soared into the air amidst countless mocking gazes, standing high above the crater. The Power of the Great Dao rapidly condensed, then transformed into a huge iron ball, enveloping his body with an impenetrable wall of copper and iron, before crashing heavily down into the lava below!
"Bang!"
With a dull thud, the iron ball sank rapidly into the lava, disappearing in a shadow. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the spot where the iron ball had fallen, as if waiting for something. However, nearly ten minutes later, seeing that the surface of the lava remained calm, some of those who coveted the treasure finally couldn't wait any longer and began to move forward. After a slight hesitation, they each used their abilities to rush towards the lava below.
High in the sky, only those from powerful forces remained standing quietly, their gazes fixed on the still magma below, patiently waiting. Compared to lone wolves or smaller factions, their actions were more opportune.
"Puff puff puff puff!"
However, the next moment, just as the bodies of those powerful beings rushing towards the magma approached the surface, the calm magma suddenly began to churn, and a series of sounds like waves breaking rose into the sky. Immediately, huge pillars of magma fire shot into the sky, and within those pillars of fire were countless Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast!
"Ah!"
What followed was a series of shrill screams, like the wailing of ghosts and howls of wolves. Almost at the same time, the remaining forces in the sky seized the opportunity and waved their hands. With streaks of light shooting out, these forces took advantage of the gap in the air when the Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast collided with the other powerful figures, and successfully passed through them, plunging headlong into the magma below.
"Chirp chirp chirp..."
Immediately afterward, countless Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast surged from within the magma. Among the several groups, the leading Yuan Zun experts also made their move at this moment, easily repelling the charging beasts. They even used their powerful Power of the Great Dao to create a space around the groups, preventing the magma from penetrating them.
Under these circumstances, most of the powerful individuals who broke into the entrance of the Fire Banyan Ruins were forcibly killed here. As for the rest, they either used their formidable strength to force their way through, or, through a stroke of luck, successfully reached the bottom of the magma. There, a thick energy barrier separated the two worlds, and only by using the tokens in their hands could they pass through this barrier and enter the ruins.
Meanwhile, deep within the Fire Banyan Ruins, in the Stone Rock Valley, inside a stone cave.
On the giant Fire Banyan Locust Tree, most of the enormous energy that had enveloped the Huo Rong siblings had disappeared. Only a fist-sized energy cluster remained, hovering leisurely above their lower abdomens. As the two cultivated with almost synchronized breathing, the immense energy contained within transformed into streams of pure Origin Qi, flowing into their bodies.
Beneath the tree, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in the center, surrounded by four Heavenly Flames. Most of his body was buried under the crimson, scorching lava, with hot magma slowly flowing through the cracks. Upon closer inspection, one could discover that the frequency of the magma's flow was gradually synchronizing with Xiao Yan's breathing. The moment the two were completely in sync, the flames' engulfment would come to an end.
More than ten days later.
Inside the Fire Banyan Ruins, Bai Zijing led the three behind him and finally arrived at a huge valley. Looking at the mysterious area hidden in the darkness, a smile slowly appeared on Bai Zijing's lips. He made a clenching motion in the air, and a slightly wrinkled old map fell into his hand.
Unfold it, and you'll see a very conspicuous red dot deep in the valley depicted on the map. It's not hard to imagine that this item must be a treasure!
"Walk!"
After taking a deep look at the map in his hand, Bai Zijing out a soft sigh, and with a swift movement, led his team straight towards the depths of the valley.
A moment later, as the group of four approached the overwhelming black mist, Bai Zijing casually produced a map, his hands forming hand seals as he shot a beam of light onto the map. Immediately afterward, with a slight tremor, the black mist covering the valley quietly dissipated.
As the black mist dissipated, the valley before them became completely clear, and the surrounding danger vanished. Directly ahead, a massive stone cave came into view, along with a huge withered tree and two points of light on it, and...
Bai Zijing's gaze slowly moved downwards, but when he saw the figure sitting cross-legged under the withered tree, his smiling eyes instantly turned into murderous intent, and his deep, hoarse voice suddenly resounded throughout the valley.
" Xiao Yan?"