Two hours later, Golden Peng landed in a group of volcanoes.
This time, Andrew wants to use the power of heaven and earth to comprehend 'momentum'.
"What I'm pursuing is probably the 'explosion' technique within the Mysteries of fire. This is already High-level Profound Mystery of Fire Element Mysteries, possessing the strongest explosive power and attack force. In nature, the most direct manifestation of the explosion of fire elements is probably a volcano."
Andrew had made some guesses about his path. Based on the information he had, he was 70% certain that what he was currently touching was the "explosion" within the Mysteries of Fire Element.
This volcanic cluster stretches for hundreds of miles, containing volcanoes of all sizes. Some have already gone dormant and are unlikely to erupt anytime soon. Others, however, are belching thick black smoke and have different colors, suggesting they will likely erupt soon.
These are the things Andrew wants.
" Golden Peng, follow this route to find Ling'er and Han Yue, and protect them."
Upon arriving at their destination, Andrew sent Golden Peng away. For him, cultivation was important, but so was his family. He believed Golden Peng would find them soon. Besides, with Golden Peng protecting him, Andrew had nothing to worry about.
After Golden Peng left, Andrew looked around and finally climbed the largest volcano in the volcanic group. This volcano was cone-shaped, several hundred meters high, and barren of vegetation.
Walking on the volcano, Andrew was somewhat excited. He had only ever seen volcanic eruptions in movies in his previous life; he never imagined that he would be able to experience it firsthand today. Moreover, this experience was quite daring—going to the crater alone to observe it.
"With the strength of my Battle-qi shield, resisting lava shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I'm Fire Element archmage; even a volcanic eruption can't harm me."
Andrew was confident because the volcanic eruption was not as powerful as a forbidden spell. Below the level of a forbidden spell, he was not afraid of any magic.
The temperature on the mountain was very high; Andrew could feel the ground heating up rapidly, reaching about 70 or 80 degrees Celsius. The higher he went, the higher the temperature became, and even the stones changed color.
"The magma underground is surging; this power is truly peculiar..."
Andrew was completely absorbed in it, feeling as if he had become one with the volcano, and he could sense all of its activities.
Magma surges and rises, pressure accumulates, and the mountain heats up...
"No wonder the Daoist principle is based on nature; I understand it now!"
Having gained some insight, Andrew sat down cross-legged, unconcerned about the high temperature of the mountain and the thick smoke from the crater. A blue light shield protected him, keeping everything else out.
Inside his body, Andrew's red Battle-qi began to reorganize and change. The Fire Element Battle-qi, which had liquefied when he broke through to level seven, became more solid and flowed faster. Previously, Battle-qi red and purple Battle-qi were evenly matched, but now the red Battle-qi had overshadowed the purple Battle-qi.
His Fire Element Battle-qi is improving at a visible rate.
A full day later, Andrew finally came to his senses. His face showed an expression of great anticipation.
"I can already sense the 'momentum.' I'm just one step away from unveiling its secrets. Let's begin this final step with a volcanic eruption."
Andrew lingered at the crater, intently sensing the volcano's signals.
"The volcano is going to erupt in two days. I can't miss this." Andrew muttered to himself, then sat down again. This time, he wasn't cultivating Fire Element Battle-qi, but rather deducing the "momentum" of Lightning Element. For his Fusion Battle-qi to unleash its maximum power, he needed to balance the lightning and fire Battle-qi. Now, his Fire Element had made a slight breakthrough, breaking the balance.
Because of the Fusion Battle-qi qi, Andrew was able to connect lightning and fire. He could deduce Fire Element from Lightning Element and vice versa. Therefore, after breaking through in Fire Element, breaking through in Lightning Element became much easier for Andrew.
After two days, his Lightning Element Battle-qi finally reached a balance with his Fire Element Battle-qi.
"Call!"
The weather has changed drastically in the past two days. What was once clear and sunny has turned into a storm with strong winds and dark clouds overhead. It looks like a heavy rain is coming. Above the volcano, the strong winds are howling, and even protruding rocks are being swept away by them.
Andrew deactivated his Battle-qi shield and faced the strong wind with a look of enjoyment on his face. The wind made his robes flutter, but it did nothing to harm him.
After the storm, the clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, as if the area was shrouded in a black curtain. And the clouds were that black curtain. Above the volcano, there was almost no light; it was dark and oppressive.
"Click!"
A serpentine bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, illuminating the volcanic cluster. The lightning stretched for miles, resembling a living creature. It arrived quickly and disappeared just as fast.
Upon seeing the lightning, Andrew's eyes lit up; the intensity of this lightning was approaching that of a forbidden spell.
"How rare! How truly rare! Could it be that even the heavens are on my side today?"
Andrew was extremely excited; today was the day the volcano was about to erupt. Lava was being squeezed within the volcano, while lightning raged through the dark clouds. The two elements of thunder and fire were converging and erupting at the same time—wasn't this the best teacher he could learn from?
Andrew watched intently, not daring to relax for even a second.
Lightning kept disappearing and reappearing, and the volcanic area was sometimes dark and sometimes bright. Light and darkness seemed like two separate worlds. Apart from the thunder and the wind, there seemed to be no other sound in the world.
"It's about to begin!"
Sensing the powerful energy beneath his feet, Andrew knew this was a precursor to a volcanic eruption. The energy was so immense that the volcano could no longer withstand it.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The thunderclouds hovering directly above the volcano, whether drawn by some unknown force or simply by coincidence, unleashed a bolt of lightning over ten zhang thick from their center, striking the volcano's eye. The violent power of the lightning seemed capable of shattering the heavens and earth. Its intensity was absolutely no less than the forbidden Descent of Wild Thunder" cast by Saint-level Magus.
"Boom!"
"Click!"
After being struck by the lightning bolt, the molten lava inside the volcano seemed to accelerate dramatically, like a plane being fully fueled. This increased the pressure within, and once it erupted, the power far exceeded Andrew's expectations.
"Boom!"
Finally, the volcano erupted!
At the crater, a thick plume of black smoke shot upwards, directly dispersing the dark clouds in the sky. Subsequently, the black smoke replaced the clouds, covering the entire area.
Immediately afterward, crimson lava erupted, like a vast red flood, rushing to the ground and sweeping everything away. After the eruption, even more lava flowed from the crater like a spring, surging majestically down the mountain.
Because of the lava, the surrounding air was also boiling, and the humid air, carrying dust, made the place extremely murky.
Andrew, on the other hand, was standing motionless in front of the lava.
"Is this what 'heavenly thunder and earthly fire' looks like? Heavenly thunder roars, earthly fire erupts, destroying the world..."
Unconsciously, Andrew's Battle-qi aura glowed, blocking the surrounding lava. In a fiery red ocean, he was like a reef, unmoved by the wind and waves.
He was still immersed in the scene he had just witnessed.
"The 'momentum' of heavenly thunder and the 'momentum' of earthly fire both erupt in that instant. The Explosive Steps and attack methods I've grasped are all manifestations of this 'momentum.' However, in terms of profundity, they are far from sufficient. It can be said that I've only grasped the superficial aspects of this 'momentum.'"
Andrew grew increasingly excited. He felt that the celestial phenomenon he had just witnessed had opened a door for him, a door to glimpse the Laws of the World. If he could just push that door open, perhaps he could become a god!
" Laws the fundamental components of heaven and earth, while 'momentum' is merely the surface of Laws. Just now, this world seemed to present me with two kinds of Laws, which are far more profound than 'momentum'."
Andrew's soul was powerful; he had captured the fluctuations of heaven and earth in that instant and imprinted them deeply into his mind. At this moment, profound changes were also taking place within his body. As his understanding of the power of lightning and fire deepened, these two Battle-qi also increased. Not only that, but their degree of fusion also deepened.
Battle-qi fusion is a process. Only when the Mysteries of two attributes are fused can the two elements be perfectly integrated. Andrew has not yet come into contact with these Mysteries, so there is still much room for improvement in his Fusion Battle-qi.
Andrew stood quietly in the middle of the sea of lava, forgetting everything, only simulating the moment the lightning struck the volcano in his mind. Because of the volcanic eruption, the surrounding magical beasts had all left, so no one or magical beast came to disturb him.
One day, two days...
It took Andrew a full twelve days to have this epiphany!
Twelve days later, as the first rays of sunlight shone, Andrew opened his eyes. The enlightenment he gained during those twelve days was unimaginable to ordinary people. If anyone were here, they would surely notice that Andrew's temperament had changed a lot; compared to before, his aura was much more restrained.
This shows that he has reached a level of complete control over his Battle-qi!