Chapter 30: Underground Lava Lake

The stone steps were longer than imagined.

Aikesi followed in the middle of the group, his feet on ancient stone stairs where every step felt a slight tremor. The Magic Lamps on the walls on both sides lit up automatically; the light was dark red, making the entire passage look like it led deep into the earth's core.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the space ahead suddenly opened up.

Before their eyes lay a vast underground space, with a dome so high its top was invisible, and beneath their feet was a flat rocky ground. The air was thick with a strong sulfurous smell, and the temperature was much higher than on the First Layer; an ordinary person could not stay here long without suffering heatstroke.

Directly ahead was a Lava Lake.

Dark red magma flowed slowly in the lake, occasionally bubbling up; when the bubbles burst, they splashed tiny sparks. The surface of the Lava Lake was extremely vast, stretching beyond sight, with only a few black reefs faintly visible protruding from the lake in the distance.

"This is the Second Layer." Kalun stood by the edge of the Lava Lake, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. "Be careful; there should be guardians here."

Before his words had fully faded, a huge wave suddenly surged up from the center of the Lava Lake.

Magma shot skyward, and a massive creature emerged from the lake. It was a giant beast, its size comparable to a small building, its entire body composed of magma and rock. Its limbs were thick and sturdy, its head somewhat like a lizard's, but it breathed out roaring flames from its mouth.

Saint Domain.

Everyone present felt that oppressive pressure. It was a crushing force from a higher level of life, an instinctive fear of low-level cultivators towards high-level experts.

"Magma Beast." The voice of the blue-robed Array Breaker trembled slightly. "Saint Domain level..."

Kalun's expression did not change; he slowly drew the great sword from his waist.

"Badun, Bali, take the people and retreat." His voice remained steady. "I will deal with this thing. You watch the surroundings; do not let other things approach."

Everyone quickly withdrew, forming a formation in a relatively safe area by the edge of the Lava Lake. Aikesi stood beside Lao Chen, his gaze fixed tightly on the battlefield.

Kalun had already charged towards the Magma Beast.

The speed of a Saint Domain expert was extremely fast; Aikesi could only see a blur streaking across the lake surface. Immediately followed was a deafening boom—Kalun's great sword struck the beast, sending up countless sparks.

The beast, feeling pain, let out a roar. It swung its front claws at Kalun; the force of the wind raised by the claws made even Aikesi, who was far away, feel pressure.

Kalun's figure flashed, dodging the strike, and at the same time he swung his sword back, striking the beast's joint. That was a crack in the rock, where defense was relatively weak; one strike actually carved a deep crack.

"Good!" Badun couldn't help but praise.

But the battle was far from over.

Although the Magma Beast was less agile than Kalun, its defense was astonishing, and its Strength Profound Mystery was terrifying. Every swipe of its claws could shatter rock, and every breath of fire could cover a vast area. Although Kalun held the upper hand, he could not take it down in a short while.

The battle lasted for a quarter of an hour.

The lake surface was turned upside down, magma splashing everywhere; some splashed onto the shore, instantly burning holes in the rock. Everyone could only retreat again and again, hiding in a farther place.

Just then, Lao Chen's face suddenly changed.

"Something's wrong." He stared at the lake surface. "Look over there."

Aikesi looked in the direction he pointed. In the darkness at the edge of the Lava Lake, something was moving. It was a group of small magical beasts; their size was not large, but their numbers were many. They were drilling out from rock cracks, quietly approaching the group.

"Magma Hounds." Bali recognized those magical beasts. "Around Level 8, living in packs."

There were at least twenty-something Magma Hounds, flanking from both sides. Their movements were very methodical, clearly hunting.

"Deal with them separately." Badun tightened his grip on his great sword. "Bali, follow me to block the left; Mages deal with the right."

Without hesitation, everyone immediately threw themselves into the battle.

Aikesi activated the Falling Heart Flame, condensing a Fire Wall in front of him. The Magma Hounds' resistance to fire was much higher than the previous Fire Lizards; although they were burned while passing through the Fire Wall, they could still advance.

He immediately changed tactics.

The Falling Heart Flame split into dozens of tiny flame arrows, specifically targeting the eyes and noses of the Magma Hounds—these were the places with the weakest defense. One Magma Hound was shot in the eye, howling as it fell and rolled on the ground. Several others were hit in succession, and the offensive momentum paused.

Lao Chen's water-element magic worked wonders at this moment. Although his ice arrows could not hurt the Magma Hounds, they could lower the temperature around them, making these fire-element magical beasts feel uncomfortable and causing their movements to become sluggish.

The Zhou-surnamed wind mage's Wind Blades, combined with the ice arrows, cut at the flanks of the Magma Hounds. The three people's magic formed a combination; although temporary, the effect was good.

On the left, the siblings Badun and Bali had already slain several Magma Hounds. The two siblings coordinated perfectly, their great swords swinging like the wind; every strike took the life of a magical beast.

But the number of Magma Hounds was too great.

Kill one batch, and a second batch surged out from the darkness. They seemed endless, impossible to finish killing.

"Damn it!" Bali cursed, swinging her sword to split a Magma Hound that lunged at her. "How many of these things are there!"

While fighting, Aikesi observed the surroundings. He discovered that these Magma Hounds were not coming from the same direction, but were drilling out from various rock cracks around the lake. That meant there might be a nest here, or multiple passages.

"Lord Kalun!" he shouted. "We need time here!"

Kalun was in a fierce battle with the Magma Beast. Hearing the shout, he frowned slightly. He forced the beast back with one sword strike, then suddenly rose in height, leaping into mid-air.

"Move!"

With a low shout, the Saint Domain expert's pressure was fully released.

Aikesi felt a terrifying pressure descend from the sky, almost crushing him flat. He gritted his teeth and held on; from the corner of his eye, he saw that those Magma Hounds, just like him, were suppressed by this pressure, their movements all halting simultaneously.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Kalun acted.

One sword strike came down; the sword light transformed into a crescent-shaped arc, sweeping across the entire lakeshore. Wherever the arc passed, Magma Hounds fell; some were directly cut in two, others had their internal organs shattered, dying on the spot.

Twenty-something Magma Hounds, annihilated in one strike.

Aikesi sucked in a cold breath.

This was the Saint Domain.

But he had no time to think further, because that Magma Beast was also enraged. It let out a earth-shaking roar, and the entire Lava Lake began to boil. Magma churned, waves towered, and countless fireballs formed of magma erupted from the lake, smashing down like a rainstorm in all directions.

"Defend!" Lao Chen roared, instantly condensing a water curtain over everyone's heads.

The fireballs smashed onto the water curtain, making hissing sounds; water vapor rose, filling the entire space in the blink of an eye. Aikesi felt the temperature around him rise sharply, making even breathing difficult.

He immediately activated True Essence to protect his body; a golden light shield appeared around him, blocking part of the heat.

The others also used their own methods. Badun and Bali stood back-to-back, projecting battle qi to form a shield. The Zhou-surnamed wind mage activated a Wind Wall, blowing the fireballs off course. Two Array Breakers hid behind a huge rock; that rock's material was special, and it could actually withstand the bombardment of the fireballs.

But someone was too slow.

That Archer, who had been injured earlier, was not as agile as before. A fireball smashed towards him; he barely dodged, but was splashed by magma on his leg.

"Ah—"

A scream rang out; his lower leg was instantly burned through, revealing blackened bones. The Thief nearby rushed over to pull him out, but another fireball smashed down, hitting both of them.

Aikesi wanted to rush over, but the distance was too great; he wouldn't make it in time.

Another wave of fire rain fell, and the two figures were swallowed by the lava, their voices silenced forever.

"Damn it!" Bali gritted her teeth, her eyes turning red.

The battle continued.

Kalun finally went all out.

His sword Momentum suddenly shifted; no longer tentative attacks, but fierce killing moves. Every strike carried the Strength Profound Mystery of destroying heaven and earth, and when it struck the lava beast, the sparks flew ten times larger than before.

The beast's defense began to crumble.

Rocks shattered, lava gushed forth, and the beast let out a painful roar. Its left forelimb was severed by a single sword strike from Kalun; the severed limb fell into the Lava Lake, splashing up a towering wave. Immediately after, the right hindlimb was cut, and its body began to tilt.

With the final strike, Kalun slashed the beast's neck.

That massive head fell with a thud, plunging into the Lava Lake and sinking deep into the magma.

The beast's body crashed down, smashing onto the lakeshore, shaking the entire underground space.

The battle ended.

Kalun sheathed his sword, his figure swaying as he returned to the shore. He had several burns, but none were serious. The defensive power of a Saint Domain expert truly far exceeded ordinary imagination.

"Count the survivors," he said, his voice somewhat weary.

Everyone silently counted.

Twelve entered; now only ten remained. That Archer and Thief had not survived.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Aikesi looked at the two corpses, their faces unrecognizable after being burned by the lava, and said nothing. This was the first time he had witnessed a companion die before his eyes. Although he had known the ruin was dangerous, knowing and seeing it with his own eyes were two different things.

"Bury them," Kalun spoke up. "Right here."

Everyone got to work, finding a relatively flat spot on the shore and piling rocks to form two simple graves. There were no tombstones, no inscriptions, only two stones pressed atop the mounds as markers.

"Continue forward," Kalun stood up. "The Third Layer is across the lake."

Everyone advanced along the lakeshore. The magma in the Lava Lake still flowed slowly; those fireballs had stopped, with only occasional bubbles breaking the calm.

After walking for an hour, they finally saw the opposite shore.

There lay a patch of black reefs, and behind the reefs stood a stone door, similar to the one in the First Layer, also carved with complex runes.

"The entrance to the Third Layer," said the Blue-Robed Array Breaker.

Everyone quickened their pace and stepped onto the reefs.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

The reef beneath their feet suddenly trembled, and a massive claw emerged from a crack in the rock, reaching for Bali, who was walking at the very front.

Bali reacted extremely quickly, her figure retreating just in time to dodge the strike. However, the wind force generated by the claw swept across her lower abdomen, tearing her clothes and revealing a bloody mark beneath.

"More?" Badun rushed forward and slashed at that claw with his sword.

The claw retracted into the rock crack and vanished.

Everyone circled up warily, staring at every rock beneath their feet.

Boom—

The entire reef area began to tremble as countless cracks appeared, and claws emerged from the fissures. It was a group of smaller lava beasts, but there were at least a dozen of them, each at Level 9.

"A trap," Kalun's expression darkened. "This is their nest."

There was no time to hesitate; the battle erupted once more.

Kalun alone held off the three strongest, while Badun and Bali cooperated to deal with two others; the rest fought individually. Aikesi faced a medium-sized lava beast, roughly mid-Level 9.

He did not retreat.

He fully activated the Fallen Heart Flame, condensing a Huoyan Changqiang before him. The spear flew from his hand, heading straight for the beast's eye. The beast instinctively closed its eyes, and the Huoyan Changqiang struck the eyelid, burning out a charred pit.

The beast, in pain, roared and lunged at Aikesi.

Aikesi advanced instead of retreating; his figure flashed, and Teleportation activated, instantly placing him behind the beast. This was his first use of Teleportation in actual combat; although the distance was short, the effect was surprisingly good.

The beast lunged into empty air, and before it could react, Aikesi's second spear had already arrived.

This time, he aimed for the back of the neck, the beast's weak point where the scales were thinner. The Huoyan Changqiang pierced in, and the beast let out a piercing roar as its body began to sway.

Aikesi gave it no chance to catch its breath. Third spear, fourth spear, fifth spear—he fired five consecutive strikes, all hitting the same spot.

The beast's back neck was completely pierced through, and its massive body crashed to the ground.

Aikesi panted heavily, his Magic nearly exhausted. He quickly took out a Gathering Qi Pill and swallowed it, feeling his Magic slowly recover.

Looking around, the battle was still ongoing.

Kalun had already slain those three strongest beasts and was now helping Badun and his sister deal with the rest. Lao Chen's Water Magic had also been heavily consumed; his face was pale, but he persisted.

Finally, the last beast fell.

The battle ended, and the survivors were too exhausted to stand.

Aikesi leaned against a reef, gasping for air. He had multiple burns, all from being splashed while dodging during the fight; though not fatal, they burned fiercely.

Lao Chen walked over and handed him a bottle of ointment: "Apply this; it will stop the pain."

Aikesi took it and thanked him.

Bali was bandaging the wound on her lower abdomen while Badun guarded her. The two Array Breakers hid in a corner, their faces deathly pale, clearly terrified. Although they understood arrays, their combat power was nearly zero; the previous battle had relied entirely on others for protection.

Kalun stood at the edge of the reef, gazing at that stone door.

"Rest here; enter the Third Layer in four hours," he said. His voice remained steady, but Aikesi noticed his breathing was slightly more rapid than usual.

Even a Saint Domain was tired.

Leaning against the reef, Aikesi closed his eyes and circulated his cultivation technique to recover his Magic. The Fallen Heart Flame flowed slowly within his body, absorbing the thin Fire Element around him. The concentration of Fire Element here was far higher than outside, making his recovery speed double that of normal.

Four hours passed quickly.

Everyone rose and walked toward that stone door.

The runes on the stone door were similar to those of the First Layer, but more complex. Two Array Breakers stepped forward to study them for a quarter-hour and found the method to open it—this time no key was needed, only enough Magic to be input simultaneously.

Kalun nodded, looked at the crowd, and said, "Let us act together."

Twelve people—no, now only ten remained—simultaneously placed their hands on the stone door, and Magic surged in.

The stone door slowly opened.