432: A bountiful harvest

He flicked his finger, and a wisp of pure Pill Fire landed on the corpses of Han Bao and Simple Ruffian,

instantly incinerating them into ash, simultaneously erasing all traces of the battle.

Having finished all this, his figure once again transformed into a streak of crimson light, carrying Qiong Shuang, who was comfortably eating "sugar beans" on his shoulder,

and sped toward the deepest part of the Demon Skeleton Mountain Range, which was as scorching and ferocious as the entrance to Hell.

The dark red mountains rapidly receded beneath his feet. The sulfurous smell and scorching heat permeating the air grew increasingly intense,

as if even breathing carried sparks. The roars of beasts coming from the depths of the mountain range also became more violent and cautionary.

The true perilous territory had just begun.

The streak of crimson light that Yao Delong had transformed into did not slow down, but he became more cautious.

Along the way, there were no longer any traces of Cultivators. Those who dared to tread here were either true powerhouses,

or they had become withered bones nourishing this vicious land.

Replacing them were the increasingly frequent appearances of powerful Yao Beast auras.

Seventh Rank and Eighth Rank Yao Beasts (equivalent to the Nascent Soul Stage) began to become the norm.

They either coiled upon the rugged mountain rocks or lurked beside the scorching magma rivers, radiating ferocious and violent aura.

However, when Little White Flood Dragon Qiong Shuang, who seemed harmless on Yao Delong's shoulder,

occasionally leaked a trace of cold and majestic Dragon Might originating from the depths of its Bloodline,

most of these Vicious Beasts would let out low roars, filled with apprehension and reluctance,

slowly retreating into the shadows or the magma, choosing to avoid him.

The Dragon is the sovereign of all beasts!

Even if Qiong Shuang was only of the Flood Dragon lineage, that trace of True Dragon Pressure was enough to intimidate the vast majority of Yao Beasts.

Of course, there were exceptions.

When a beast, entirely crimson, shaped like a giant lizard, with savage bone spurs growing on its back,

whose aura reached Eighth Rank Peak (Nascent Soul Perfection), the "Lava Fire Lizard," erupted from a boiling magma pool,

pouncing with blazing flames that could incinerate everything, Yao Delong's eyes held only cold tranquility.

"Seeking death."

He didn't even draw his sword. With a slight thought, the Blazing Sun Origin Essence within his Dantian roared into operation,

and a grand, mighty, scorching Sword Intent capable of burning down the eight directions instantly condensed on his fingertip!

*Swoosh!*

He joined his fingers like a sword and pointed into the air!

A streak of crimson-gold Sword Light, condensed to the extreme, as if compressed from pure Great Sun True Fire,

arrived later but struck first, ignoring the distance in space, instantly piercing the head of the Lava Fire Lizard, which was covered in thick scales!

*Puff!*

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a slight muffled sound. The violent Lava Fire Lizard,

its massive body suddenly stiffened mid-air, and its ferocious vertical pupils instantly lost all vitality.

On its hard skull, a charred hole, transparent from front to back and with edges smooth as a mirror, conspicuously appeared.

The rampant Haoyang Sword Intent had completely incinerated all life force and Divine Soul within its skull!

The massive corpse heavily crashed down, splashing up large amounts of scorching magma.

"Collect!"

Yao Delong swept his sleeve, collecting the valuable Eighth Rank Peak Yao Beast corpse into his storage ring.

His movements were fluid and natural, as if he had merely plucked a leaf.

"Big Brother is mighty!"

Qiong Shuang excitedly wagged her tail on his shoulder, her ice-blue eyes filled with adoration.

Although she could have handled it too, Yao Delong's effortless, decisive, and overbearing one-hit kill felt much cooler to her.

Similar scenes had played out several times along the way. Yao Delong was like a reaper walking through his own backyard.

He didn't even bother using the chixiao sword, relying only on the Heart Sword Power and Haoyang Sword Intent to instantly kill all Eighth Rank Peak Yao Beasts that dared to block his path!

The harvested high-grade Yao Beast Materials piled up like mountains, their value far exceeding tens of thousands of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

Coupled with Qiong Shuang's almost instinctive acute perception for Heaven And Earth Treasure,

they also collected many rare fire-attribute Spiritual Plant and Ore along the way, yielding a bountiful harvest.

After half a day, a colossal volcano, towering, entirely dark red, with smoke and sparks continuously erupting from its Peak,

appeared before Yao Delong, like a furnace supporting the heavens and the earth.

The pressure and heat permeating the air suddenly increased by several magnitudes; even the space was subtly warping.

This was the destination jointly pointed to by the map and the parchment—the location of the Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire!

At the foot of the mountain, Yao Delong found a relatively concealed cave formed by cooled lava.

The man and the Flood Dragon sat cross-legged. The dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and pure Fire Elemental Power were frantically absorbed,

replenishing their consumption and adjusting their state to the absolute Peak.

Half an hour later, Yao Delong opened his eyes, the sharp light in his pupils like electricity.

His aura was perfectly smooth and full, subtly resonating with the surrounding violent Fire Elemental Power.

Qiong Shuang was also refreshed, her ice-blue scales flowing with a lustrous sheen in the dim cave.

"Let's go!" Yao Delong shouted softly, the flames of determination burning in his eyes.

The Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire was close at hand!

He restrained his entire aura, becoming like a rock merged into the environment, and brought Qiong Shuang,

silently sneaking toward the volcanic crater.

The closer they got to the summit, the more piles of white bones accumulated. There were human bones,

and bones of gigantic Yao Beasts, all charred black and deformed by the high temperature, silently narrating the peril and cruelty of this place.

A heavy, scorching, terrifying pressure, seemingly originating from the deep earth,

descended with increasing clarity, like invisible shackles.

This pressure not only affected the Physical Body but also carried a deterrence that pierced directly into the spirit!

The Nine Yang Heaven Burning Art Cultivation Technique within Yao Delong's body operated automatically.

The Blazing Sun Origin Essence surged through his Meridians, forcefully suppressing the discomfort caused by the pressure.

However, the ice-attribute Qiong Shuang was clearly much more uncomfortable. Her small face was crumpled up,

a thin layer of Ice Mist spontaneously spread around her body in resistance, and her ice-blue vertical pupils vigilantly stared toward the direction of the crater.

"Big Brother, under that magma... there's a huge fellow!"

Qiong Shuang's voice carried unprecedented gravity. Her small claw tightly gripped Yao Delong's collar.

"Its aura... is terrifying! It has reached at least Ninth Rank Peak!

Even... I feel it might have touched the threshold of the Tenth Rank!"

"Tenth Rank?!"

Yao Delong's heart sank abruptly.

Ninth Rank Peak was equivalent to the Late Stage Soul Transformation among humans. With his current strength plus Qiong Shuang, they could still fight.

But if it truly was a Tenth Rank Great Yao comparable to the Void Refining Stage among humans... then the danger of this trip would skyrocket!

He silently prayed in his heart, hoping Qiong Shuang's perception was inaccurate.

Finally, they sneaked to the edge of the volcanic crater.

Below was an immensely huge magma lake. The crimson-gold magma was like viscous blood,

slowly tumbling and boiling, emitting high temperatures capable of melting metal. A strong sulfurous smell and destructive heat waves rushed toward them.

Yao Delong's gaze was instantly and firmly attracted to the center of the magma lake!

There, a peculiar mass of "flame" was bobbing up and down!

It was not the form of an ordinary flame; it was more like a mass of constantly tumbling and burning dark red or amber-colored magma!

Its surface was covered by a hot, rocky shell that continuously formed and shattered. Incandescent light, causing heart palpitations, shone through the cracks,

as if a sun about to explode was contained within!

Its form was extremely unstable, sometimes like surging waves crashing against the Void Realm,

and sometimes like a huge beating heart. Every "throb" caused the entire magma lake below to undulate,

emitting an even stronger gravitational pressure and spiritual deterrence!