Beneath the molten lava, the ancient golden hall shattered into fragments, massive boulders collapsing one after another, and vast swathes of rubble plummeting into ruin. Shi Hao swiftly surged upward.
**The Kun Peng Treasure Technique—success!**
Shi Hao was overjoyed and exhilarated. This divine ability was unfathomably intricate and profound, something he had contemplated for a long time yet found nearly impossible to master. Never did he imagine that today, he would finally achieve complete comprehension. With just the slightest activation, he could feel a devastating power surging within him—**the treasure technique of one of the Ten Ancient Fierce Beasts had reappeared in the world!**
Testing its might, a vast and overwhelming aura instantly swept across the barren land. Lava surged in towering waves, painting the sky crimson, while plumes of white smoke billowed into the air. The earth cracked violently beneath him. His body trembled uncontrollably, forcing him to halt—not only because the destructive force was too terrifying, but also because the technique drained his energy at an alarming rate, nearly sucking his flesh dry.
*”It seems I must urgently raise my cultivation level. The higher my strength, the greater the power I can unleash with this treasure technique. Otherwise, it will severely limit the might of the Ten Ancient Fierce Beasts’ divine arts.”*
This was his ultimate trump card. He believed that with this supreme divine ability, he would one day dominate the world. As long as his cultivation was sufficient, he would fear no opponent.
After mastering the technique, Shi Hao felt it was time to focus on advancing his cultivation. Only then could his overall strength improve comprehensively. Fortunately, his time spent cultivating within the golden hall had been minimal—**a tremendous gift**—otherwise, months would have passed in the real world.
*”Did I really master it just like that?”*
Walking through the lava fields, Shi Hao murmured to himself, almost disbelieving. Upon reflection, he realized the meditation mat must have played a crucial role. A flash of light appeared between his brows, revealing an archaic rune brimming with the essence of the Great Dao—**the manifestation of his complete comprehension of the Kun Peng Treasure Technique**, the true meaning of this primordial rune now fully grasped.
*”No time to waste. I must cultivate and grow stronger.”*
—
### **Ancestral Land, Deeper Regions**
Amid rolling hills, flames erupted from the ground, the heat so intense the earth itself threatened to melt. This was the domain of powerful creatures.
**CRACK!**
A white pangolin shattered a massive boulder, snatching a crimson stone from within and swallowing it whole.
Not far away, a group of warriors appeared, eyes blazing with greed. Almost simultaneously, they lunged forward, weapons flashing as they struck at the white pangolin.
**CLANG!**
Sparks flew as the pangolin’s scales glowed, harder than steel. Runes flickered across its white armor, deflecting every attack.
**THUD!**
In the same instant, it spat a beam of white light, piercing two warriors through their chests. Their corpses collapsed instantly.
*”So strong!”* Some paled in fear.
*”Don’t panic! It just consumed divine material—its movements will slow. We must strike now!”* someone rallied.
Mention of divine material reignited their fervor. Such treasures were rare and immensely valuable—especially a chunk as large as the one the pangolin had just devoured. Normally, divine essence was hidden within lava or rocks, absorbed over time by the creatures dwelling here.
A treasure weapon soared through the air—only for the pangolin to leap up and shatter it mid-flight. Its eyes gleamed with mockery.
**WHOOSH!**
What happened next stunned everyone. The pangolin transformed into a white streak of lightning, darting through the air with terrifying speed.
**THUD! THUD! THUD!**
Though barely a meter long, it struck with lethal precision, impaling the remaining warriors one by one. None survived.
**PLOP.**
Once silence returned, the pangolin spat out the red stone—**it had never truly swallowed it.** The entire battle had been a ruse. Now, it cradled the stone, refining it rather than consuming it.
*”This thing is cunning.”*
From a distance, a big-eyed girl observed alongside several youths accompanying Shi Hao in their hunt for fierce beasts—**bait for catching Solar Fish.**
*”That’s the White Armor King. As vicious as they say.”* Shi Hao nodded.
Despite its small size, this creature was infamous for slaughtering everything in its path. Though not yet a true “king,” it had reached the late-stage Engraving Realm—**a behemoth compared to the others.**
Shi Hao, however, showed no fear. He stepped forward openly, immediately drawing the beast’s attention.
**HISS!**
The pangolin arched its back, then shot forth like a white spear.
**CLANG!**
Shi Hao stood unmoved, slapping it down with a single palm. The impact cracked its armor, blood seeping out as it writhed in pain.
Suddenly, its body erupted with light—**waves of razor-sharp energy surged toward Shi Hao.**
A golden halo enveloped Shi Hao, repelling every attack. Despite being at the mid-stage Engraving Realm—**lower than the pangolin**—his combat prowess surpassed it entirely.
**BOOM!**
The pangolin was sent flying, scales scattering, bones fracturing.
*”Incredible!”* The onlookers gasped.
The White Armor King, renowned for its ferocity, had been crippled in moments.
**ROAR!**
Enraged, the pangolin erupted in flames, its body covered in violent runes—**a desperate, all-out assault.**
Shi Hao strode forward, golden symbols flickering around him. A divine bird’s cry echoed faintly as he channeled a fraction of the Kun Peng’s power.
**SLAM!**
His palm shattered the pangolin’s technique and crushed its body, bones snapping like twigs.
Silence.
*”What kind of power was that?”* The others stared in awe.
Shi Hao lifted the pangolin by its tail—**another crucial prey secured.**
His spatial pouch already held several powerful beasts: **Crimson Mastiffs, Black Rhinoceros…** All essential ingredients for the bait described in the ancient scripture he had obtained.
Combining multiple creatures into a potent mixture would yield far better results than hunting them individually.
After days of relentless effort, he was nearly ready.
—
### **The Great Lava Lake**
An endless expanse of molten crimson stretched before them, heat distorting the air, the sky dyed red.
*”This is the place. Aside from the forbidden zone deep within the Ancestral Land, this is the largest lava lake.”*
Guided by the big-eyed girl and her companions—**who had paid dearly for this information**—Shi Hao carefully scattered a small portion of bait into the lake before retreating to observe.
Before long, golden ripples shimmered across the surface.
*”There are so many!”* The youths gaped.
The lake teemed with **Solar Fish**, their radiant bodies illuminating the waters like liquid gold.
Shi Hao’s heart raced. If he could capture them all, the divine essence extracted would be enough to **break through to the late-stage Engraving Realm!**
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