303: Chapter 303 Land of Blazing Fire

Seven days and seven nights of trekking without rest.

They crossed several mountain ranges and bypassed several cities guarded by heavy troops.

They were getting closer and closer to the "Land of Flowing Fire" mentioned by Venerable Jiehuo.

The temperature in the air gradually rose, and the night wind carried a sense of dryness.

Vegetation became sparse, and the exposed rocks turned from earthy colors to orange-red.

At dusk on the eighth day, they climbed onto a bare, crimson mountain ridge.

Looking out, the scene ahead was shocking.

It was a vast, boundless red wasteland!

The surface was crisscrossed with gullies and filled with red cracks. In some cracks, flowing magma could be seen below, scorching the air above until it distorted.

Volcanic craters spewing black smoke were scattered across the wasteland.

This was the Land of Flowing Fire!

One of the famous dangerous forbidden lands in the Northern Region of the True Spirit Continent, where geofire ran rampant and fire poison filled the air; ordinary Cultivators rarely came here.

But at the same time, it also nurtured some fire-attribute Heaven And Earth Treasures that were rare in the outside world.

"So hot... Is this the Land of Flowing Fire?"

Hou Xiaojie wiped away his sweat, looking at the scene ahead with some fear.

"Yes, this is the place. Follow me closely, and be careful of the cracks and erupting vents under your feet," Ye Tian said with a solemn expression.

He felt that the violent fire energy contained beneath this land was much hotter than any high-temperature place he had ever encountered before.

In particular, the fire poison permeating the air was also harmful to those Cultivators with lower cultivation bases.

He circulated his True Yuan, placing a barrier around Hou Xiaojie, and also increased his own vigilance.

They chose an area with fewer cracks and entered the Land of Flowing Fire.

Heat waves rushed toward them. While the True Yuan protection could resist the fire poison, it could not block the dryness, and Ye Tian soon felt his mouth and tongue go dry.

The ground was scorching hot, and his boot soles made a sizzling sound as he stepped on it. There was also a distracting, restless Aura mixed in—that was the fire poison miasma.

Ye Tian did not dare to be careless. Following some scattered information left by Venerable Jiehuo before he fell asleep, he tried his best to avoid areas where energy fluctuations were abnormally violent or where geofire might erupt or powerful fire beasts might be hidden.

His goal was to find "fire spirit marrow liquid." According to what Venerable Jiehuo said, this substance was mostly nurtured near lava lakes or underground fire veins.

They traveled with difficulty in the wasteland for most of the day. Aside from the heat and desolation, they found no trace of "fire spirit marrow liquid," though they did encounter several waves of low-rank fire-system Yao Beasts, which Ye Tian easily dealt with.

The monster cores of these Yao Beasts contained fire energy. Although they weren't of much use to Ye Tian, they could be kept.

Just as they were passing through a stone forest formed by cooled lava, the sound of flames bursting suddenly came from ahead.

Ye Tian immediately signaled Hou Xiaojie to hide behind a piece of black lava, while he himself climbed a tall stone pillar to look toward the source of the sound.

He saw that about a hundred yards ahead, by a bubbling lava lake, three Cultivators were besieging a massive, crocodile-like Yao Beast covered in crystal armor.

Ye Tian recognized this Yao Beast at a glance; it was a Lava Crystal-Armored Crocodile. Judging by its Aura, this Crystal-Armored Crocodile had reached at least the 3rd rank Late Stage, equivalent to the True Martial Seventh to Ninth Stage for humans.

The three Cultivators—two men and one woman—were wearing red martial attire with gold trim, and a flame-entwined Pill Furnace emblem was embroidered on their chests.

Their cultivation was not weak; the two men were at the True Martial Eighth Stage, and the woman was at the True Martial Seventh Stage.

The three of them cooperated in an orderly manner, and the Martial Skills and weapons they used all carried fire-attribute spiritual power. Clearly, they practiced fire-system Cultivation Techniques.

Based on their attire and emblem, Ye Tian recognized them as Disciples of the Yanding Sect, a medium-sized Sect in the Northern Region known for Alchemy and fire-system Cultivation Techniques.

The Yanding Sect's mountain gate was not far from the outskirts of the Land of Flowing Fire, and its Disciples often came here to train and collect fire-attribute spiritual materials.

It seemed there might be something they needed near this lava lake, perhaps some kind of fire-attribute Spirit Medicine, which led them to fight this Yao Beast.

Ye Tian had neither good nor bad feelings toward the Yanding Sect. He originally intended to watch quietly and wait for them to finish fighting or leave before investigating the lava lake.

However, just as the Lava Crystal-Armored Crocodile was about to be defeated by the three's joint efforts, the center of the lava lake suddenly churned violently, and a scorching Aura erupted!

Following that, a thick, crimson magma pillar carrying a golden glow shot into the sky!

Inside the fire pillar, an even more massive shadow could be seen!

"Not good! It's a big one! There's another one under the lava lake! Retreat quickly!"

The True Martial Eighth Stage young man from the Yanding Sect turned pale and shouted urgently.

But it was already too late!

From the fire pillar, a One-Horned Lava Crystal-Armored Crocodile King, nearly twice the size of the previous one and with an Aura that had reached the 4th rank Early Stage—equivalent to the Sea Transformation Realm Early Stage—pounced out with a roar!

As soon as it appeared, it opened its massive maw and swept a stream of fire with a terrifyingly high temperature toward the three Yanding Sect Disciples!

"Form the array! Yanding Body Protection!"

The three were terrified and hurriedly joined forces to summon the phantom of a crimson great cauldron to protect themselves.

"Boom!"

The dark-gold fire stream slammed into the flame cauldron, causing the phantom to vibrate violently as cracks appeared upon it!

The three Yanding Sect Disciples simultaneously spat blood and were sent flying, their Auras instantly withering as they suffered significant injuries.

A fierce light flashed in the eyes of that One-Horned Crocodile King, intending to tear apart these three humans who dared to intrude upon its territory.

Seeing that the three were about to die in the crocodile's mouth, Ye Tian's heart suddenly stirred.

Venerable Jiehuo had mentioned that treasures like fire spirit marrow liquid were often accompanied by powerful fire-system Yao Beasts or special geofire environments.

Since this lava lake could nurture a 4th rank Yao Beast, there might be something special hidden beneath it.

Moreover, saving them might earn him some useful information about this place.

"Thunderbreak Strike!"

Ye Tian shouted lowly, and sword erupted with brilliant lightning. Man and sword became one, turning into a purple electric flash that instantly crossed dozens of yards to pierce toward the One-Horned Crocodile King's eyes!

He did not choose a head-on clash, but instead attacked where the beast was forced to defend!

Although the One-Horned Crocodile King was powerful, its intelligence was not high, and its attention had been drawn by the three Yanding Sect Disciples. By the time it sensed the threat from the side, the tip of Ye Tian's sword was already close!

It subconsciously tilted its head and closed its eyes, its thick crystal-armored eyelid just barely blocking the sword tip!

"Clang!"

sword left a scorch mark on the Crocodile King's hard crystal-armored eyelid, the electricity causing its eyelid to twitch and letting out a painful roar.

Taking this opportunity, Ye Tian had already blocked the way in front of the three heavily injured Yanding Sect Disciples. Holding the jingji sword across his chest with purple electricity jumping, he coldly stared at the enraged One-Horned Crocodile King.

"Thank you... Fellow Daoist for saving us!"

The young man from the Yanding Sect struggled to stand up. Looking at Ye Tian's back and that extraordinary lightning sword, a flash of gratitude and shock appeared in his eyes.

He felt that although this suddenly appearing youth in green robes only had a cultivation of the True Martial Ninth Stage, the power of that sword strike just now was already close to a strike from some Sea Transformation Realm Early Stage Cultivators!

"Roar!"

The One-Horned Crocodile King, injured by Ye Tian and then blocked by him, was completely enraged. It abandoned the Yanding Sect Disciples and directed all its fury at Ye Tian!

It stood up on its hind legs, and its single horn began to emit destructive, scorching fluctuations, clearly brewing a terrifying attack.

"Fellow Daoist, be careful! This beast's 'Lava One-Horned Cannon' has power comparable to a Sea Transformation Realm strike!" the Yanding Sect woman warned anxiously.

Ye Tian's gaze was solemn. This One-Horned Crocodile King was indeed difficult to deal with; it was thick-skinned, powerful, and possessed innate fire Divine Abilities.

If he fought it head-on, even if he could win, the consumption would be enormous and the loss would outweigh the gain.

Furthermore, he had to distract himself to protect Hou Xiaojie and the three Yanding Sect Disciples.

He had to settle this quickly!