514: Chapter 514 Creatures of the Crater

Their eyes widened in shock, hardly able to believe what they were seeing.

"This... what is this!"

They looked at the crater above; a massive claw had reached out and gripped the rock.

The claw was incredibly large, covered in Fire Crystals, looking like flowing magma.

The temperature was extremely high.

Sizzle, sizzle...

As the claw gripped the rock, it began to melt it.

"Captain, did you see that! What is that thing!"

A guard looked at the creature, feeling a chill rise from his feet to the top of his head; he had never seen such a terrifying exotic beast before—it was truly horrifying.

It was too massive, and the heat was intense.

Just moments ago, they were saying it was impossible for any exotic beast to live in magma at such temperatures.

But now it seemed they were wrong, and their mistake was catastrophic.

An exotic beast really did live in the magma, and it seemed to have used it to reach a terrifying level of strength.

Everyone turned to look at the captain, whose heart went numb under their gaze.

Good grief, you don't know what this is, you haven't seen this kind of beast... well, my strength isn't much greater than yours, and neither is my experience. I haven't seen such a beast either! If you ask me now, I can't give you an answer!

"Go! Get back and report immediately!"

"Light the signal smoke!"

The captain's words seemed to snap everyone out of it; they immediately took out the signal smoke and lit it.

"Go! Let's get out of here!"

At the captain's command, everyone started running. For now, it seemed the exotic beast was still absorbing energy and had no intention of coming out yet. They had to use this window of time to report back to everyone, to report to King Ming.

Based on its size and Aura, the captain thought this might be a King-level Exotic Beast!

A King-level... Exotic Beast...

At the thought of this, the captain's heart trembled violently.

He quickened his pace even more.

Meanwhile.

The team that had left earlier had reached the Outpost. The people there saw them return and were about to ask about the situation ahead—how far the eruption had progressed and if there were any anomalies.

Then, they saw them return panting heavily.

This caused their expressions to turn cold. What had happened?

Looking at their numbers, the faces of those at the Outpost grew even grimmer, looking as if they were about to drip with gloom. After all, they knew that when this team set out, their numbers were high, but now only half had returned. Where were the rest?

Dead?

What had happened?

"What happened to you? Why are only a few of you back? Where is your captain?"

"Speak up, now!"

...

A shout rang out as the Outpost Commander spoke in a heavy voice.

"We just headed toward the crater. Before we even reached it, while we were still at the foot of the mountain, we saw many exotic beasts fleeing downward. Then, we heard a Screeching Cry!"

Hmm?!

His words left them all stunned. A Screeching Cry?

What did that mean?

"What Screeching Cry?"

"That Screeching Cry came from within the crater, as if some kind of exotic beast exists inside it."

This... impossible!

"How is that possible? The temperature inside a crater is incredibly high. How could any living creature survive such heat?"

"We really heard it. And judging by the sound, it seems to be a very powerful exotic beast. So the captain ordered our team to split into two groups. One group came back to report so everyone could prepare, while the captain led the rest toward the crater to see what's really going on."

He explained.

The Commander and the others looked toward the distance.

But the erupting volcano was hidden behind the mountain ranges, making it impossible to see the situation at the crater.

The next moment.

A guard beside the Commander pointed into the distance. "Commander, look! That... that looks like our signal smoke!"

Following the direction of the guard's finger, everyone saw the rising signal smoke.

This...

Seeing the signal, their hearts sank.

signal smoke...

Unless there was an emergency, they would not release signal smoke. Something major must have happened—something they could not handle at all!

"It seems things are just as you said. Something has indeed happened. I'll go back first to report to King Ming and the High-ranking Officials. You all stay here and hold the line. If anything happens, stop them no matter the cost."

The Commander said this and fell silent as he looked at them. Then, he signaled two young men. "You two, take my exotic beast and ride back to report!"

With those words, everyone understood. The Commander was leaving the chance of survival to the young men while he prepared to fight to the death.

Just as the selected young men were about to speak, the Commander glared at them. "Go, now! If you're delayed, it could lead to a massacre. Can you afford to hesitate in such a crisis?"

The two quickly mounted the exotic beast and headed toward the rear.

"Since the signal smoke has been lit, there must be a dire emergency. Let's all get ready. If something really happens later, don't any of you be cowards."

"Don't worry, Commander. We are all battle-hardened."

"We've brushed with death countless times. Every extra day we live is a bonus. Why should we be afraid?"

...

As they spoke, their faces were filled with expressions of grim determination.

A short while later.

The news reached the High-ranking Officials and King Ming.

Hearing this, King Ming felt his scalp tingle. What kind of exotic beast could survive in a crater? And it chose this specific time, when King Yu and the elders were away, and Ye Xuan was also gone. The defensive power of the Imperial Capital Barrier had been significantly weakened.

But there was no choice. At a time like this, he had to step up.

Furthermore, it wasn't even certain if it was an exotic beast or what kind it might be.

Thinking this, he led the High-ranking Officials at full speed toward the front lines.

A short while later.

The captain led the group to a nearby hilltop. They looked back and could still see that claw.

But then...

A massive figure began to crawl out from within...