The scorching gale rushed towards him, and at this critical moment, Xiao Yan also displayed a rather terrifying reaction capability. A faint silver glow flashed beneath his feet, and his body twisted into a bizarre arc. The gale grazed past his shoulder, leaving behind a fiery sting. Dodging the attack, Xiao Yan’s figure trembled and he rapidly retreated. Turning to face the source of the gale, he was once again dumbfounded.
Under Xiao Yan’s gaze, about ten meters away in the midst of the intense magma, a red figure drifted, its entire body a deep crimson matching the surrounding lava. If not scrutinized carefully, it would be hard to spot. Moreover, the red figure’s body was covered with red scales, and a half-zhang-long crimson-scaled tail swayed slightly. The red figure stood on two unusually wide feet, its head round and similarly covered with tiny scales. Its small, sharp eyes exuded a vicious light, and its large mouth, when slightly opened, revealed a dense row of fangs. The creature’s appearance was like that of an upright-lizard.
From the outward appearance, it was clear that this mysterious red figure was not human but some sort of unknown creature. As for exactly what type of creature, Xiao Yan had no idea, as he had never before seen such peculiar beings living in molten lava.
Discovering that the other was not human, Xiao Yan let out a slight sigh of relief, but still did not relax his vigilance. Throughout the journey, he had not sensed any hint of energy, and this mysterious creature had launched an attack without his notice, indicating considerable strength. With the latter’s home-field advantage, one misstep could spell disaster.
“Chirp!”
As Xiao Yan fixed his gaze upon the magma beast, the latter stared back fiercely. After a brief standoff, the eyes of the magma beast suddenly glowed with hostility, and it emitted a piercing sound. Then, its tail whipped, and sharp claws cut through the magma, charging straight at Xiao Yan.
“Seeking death!” Seeing the magma beast charge again, Xiao Yan’s eyes flashed with a cold light. He swung his sleeve, and a greenish-blue stream of battle qi shot from his palm, slamming into the magma beast and sending it flying back several meters, chirping as it steadied itself. Yet, after this initial lesson, the eyes of the magma beast filled with a furious red, and its large mouth opened, allowing magma to rush in, forming a one-foot-sized magma ball, which shot towards Xiao Yan like a cannonball.
“Hmph!”
Seeing the persistent attacks, a murderous intent arose in Xiao Yan’s heart. He opened his hand and then firmly clenched it. The high-speed magma fireball slowed, and before it could reach Xiao Yan, burst into a shower of magma and merged with the surrounding ocean.
Seeing Xiao Yan neutralize another attack, the mysterious magma beast grew angry. It continued to emit its chirping sounds, and more magma fireballs, the size of heads, shot out one after another towards Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan’s figure flickered like a ghost, dodging the fireballs. When he noticed the continuous and powerful fireballs, his brows furrowed. Silver light flashed beneath his feet, and he appeared behind the magma beast, his fingers curled like a blade, plunging into its chest.
Despite the tough scales, under Xiao Yan’s battle qi, the hand-blade was sharper than any blade, easily piercing the chest.
Receiving such a fatal blow, the magma beast struggled violently, its eyes flickering with savagery. Sharp, chirping sounds echoed and spread rapidly through the lava.
After a brief moment, the chirping weakened, and the life in the magma beast’s eyes faded. Xiao Yan looked coldly at the rapidly stiffening creature and slowly withdrew his hand. Just as he was about to pull his hand out, a thought struck him, and he began to fumble inside. When he pulled out his hand, it held a red pearl.
Pulled from the magma beast, the pearl was not bloody but coated in a slippery, greasy substance, within which a red pearl shimmered with a faint, scorching light.
Curious, Xiao Yan pinched the pearl, and his eyes flashed with surprise. Inside the pearl was a dense, ferocious fire energy, purer and more abundant than the energy he had absorbed from the magma world. At least two days of cultivation were required to absorb the equivalent energy.
“This should be something similar to a magical beast’s core, a rare supplement for those who cultivate fire energy. But unfortunately, the energy is too fierce to be ingested directly, or it would rival high-grade medicinal pills.”
His eyes filled with astonishment, but with the help of a heterocycle, absorption wouldn’t be much of a problem. However, he was disappointed that there was only one red pearl, and the effect was minimal, saving only a few days of cultivation.
Sighing in regret, Xiao Yan was about to resume his scan when his expression changed. His gaze turned westward, where the magma showed signs of violent agitation.
Fixing his eyes on the turbulence, Xiao Yan’s battle qi stirred, and his face darkened. Indeed, the lava was fraught with danger…
The scarlet magma rippled, and Xiao Yan’s pupils contracted. Behind the magma, a large group of red figures, like a school of fish, surged forward. Their fierce gazes and sharp teeth made Xiao Yan’s scalp tingle. There were indeed many of these fire lizard-men…
Raising his hand, Xiao Yan retracted the Falling Heart Flame above his head. A torrent of rich, bluish-green flames erupted from his body. With the speed of the fire lizard-men, Xiao Yan couldn’t escape, so he prepared to meet them head-on.
In a blink, over a hundred red figures surrounded Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with savagery, fixating on the red pearl in his hand. Realizing the creatures were lured by the cries of the dying lizard-man, Xiao Yan quickly stowed the pearl. It seemed that a vast number of such creatures inhabited this magma, all unnoticed by Xiao Yan until now.
Scanning the lizard-men guardedly, the bluish-green flames around Xiao Yan grew denser. The lizard-men seemed wary of the Vermillion Lotus Heart Flame, keeping their distance but not immediately attacking.
This stalemate didn’t last long. Red-eyed, the lizard-men charged, cutting through the lava and rushing towards Xiao Yan like bolts of lightning.
Facing the overwhelming assault, Xiao Yan’s expression shifted. His fists blazed, and each punch triggered violent magma ripples, striking the red figures with pinpoint accuracy.
Although the lizard-men were numerous and skilled in controlling magma, they were no match for Xiao Yan. Within a few minutes, nearly twenty lizard-men lay dead at his hands.
“Chirp.”
As more fire lizard-men fell, the remaining ones realized the strength of their opponent but didn’t retreat. Instead, they emitted sharp, ear-piercing sounds that rapidly spread.
Realizing their intent, Xiao Yan’s expression darkened. He knew they were calling for reinforcements. Handling a hundred or so lizard-men wasn’t an issue, but a thousand or more would be a different story.
Biting his lip, Xiao Yan abandoned the transparent shield and fled towards the surface. Just as he covered a few dozen meters, a violent disturbance erupted above, and countless red figures appeared in his vision…
Worse, leading them was a particularly massive lizard-man, emanating a oppressive force. Clearly, this giant was far stronger than its kin.
“This is troublesome…”
Gazing at the incoming horde of fire lizard-men, Xiao Yan halted, took a deep breath, and muttered.
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