201: Lava Lion King

At the end of the corridor, the view suddenly opened up.

Before them was a natural cave of unimaginable size. The ceiling hung high, with countless dark red, solidified lava stalactites dangling from it. The bottom of the cave was not solid ground, but a slowly flowing, dark red lava river winding like blood vessels, casting brilliant light and distorted heat waves onto the surrounding rock walls.

On the opposite bank of the cave, the terrain was higher, forming a broad lava platform. Most eye-catching in the center of the platform was a giant beast that seemed to have been formed from flowing lava instantly solidified—

It was shaped like a crouching lion but stood three zhang tall, its entire body covered in a black-red lava shell as thick as armor and flowing with dark gold patterns. Its massive head rested on its front paws, its eyes tightly closed. With every long breath, a foot-long stream of blazing white fire spewed from its nostrils, and its body radiated a heart-palpitating, terrifying pressure that far exceeded the Mid-stage Martial King level. It was at the Late Stage Martial King level, perhaps even approaching the Peak!

Around this "Lava Stone Lion," dozens of smaller but similarly lava-armored ordinary Lava Beasts crouched scattered about. Most were sleeping, while a few crawled slowly, guarding their king like a loyal escort.

Not far behind the Lava Stone Lion on the rock wall, a dazzling dark red crystalline light almost blinded the eyes—it was an extremely rich, high-quality fire Yao stone vein. In the cracks of the vein, several dark red crystals with a liquid luster, looking like solidified flames, were faintly visible. They were precisely the goal of this trip: earth core flame marrow!

Qin Feng and the other three lurked in the shadows of the corridor exit, keeping their breathing as light as possible. The Fire Scale Pendant grew slightly hot, working hard to regulate the high temperature that could almost roast an ordinary person.

"We cannot face it head-on," Qin Feng's voice condensed into a line and entered the ears of the other three. "That Stone Lion Beast's aura is too strong, far exceeding the Fire Chicken Snake Beast. We have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation."

Ji Ruxue nodded slightly. Her aura became increasingly restrained as she quietly circulated the Moon Shadow Divine Art. A layer of faint, indistinct light and shadow rippled out like water, gently enveloping the small area where the four were located. This was not an attack or defense, but the ultimate technique of "Hidden Shadow Breath Concealment," doing its best to erase their presence and traces, merging them into the scorching, fluctuating environment.

Xia Ya gripped the hilt of the giant tooth sword, her expression solemn. Xiao Chun held Xiao Bai tightly, and the Treasure-seeking Mouse also curled into a ball obediently, not daring to make the slightest sound.

They were like four stone statues, quietly observing and searching for that slim sliver of opportunity.

Time passed slowly amidst the suffocating silence and heat waves.

Just as Qin Feng's mind was rapidly calculating how to use the fire Yao stone to lure away some of the ordinary Lava Beasts and then find a way to quietly approach the vein—

Boom! Bang!

On the other side of the cave, at a smaller entrance they hadn't noticed, violent explosions and shouts suddenly rang out! Immediately after, over a dozen disheveled figures rushed in—it was actually that Loose Cultivator team that had tried to strike up a conversation and form a group outside the swamp!

However, they were in a miserable state now, everyone injured and their numbers reduced. Clearly, they had only broken through to this place after a hard battle. Although the leading Red-Faced Big Man and the Gloomy Man were still there, their auras were chaotic and their clothes were torn.

Their intrusion was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a boiling pot of oil!

"Roar—!!!"

In the center of the platform, that sleeping Lava Stone Lion suddenly opened its eyes! They were a pair of vertical pupils made entirely of molten gold—cold, violent, and containing a rage that could incinerate everything! It didn't even fully stand up; it merely lifted its massive head and let out a roar that shook the entire cave!

Roar!!!

The sound waves mixed with a physical heat wave, sweeping out like a tsunami! The rock walls trembled, and the surface of the lava river exploded with waves of fire!

The dozen or so people who had rushed in bore the brunt of it. Several Grand Martial Masters with weaker cultivation had blood erupt from their ears and noses on the spot, collapsing to the ground. The Red-Faced Big Man and the Gloomy Man's expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly used their skills to resist, their eyes already filled with horror.

"Not good! It's the Lava Lion King! Quick..." The Red-Faced Big Man's exclamation wasn't even finished.

The Lava Stone Lion moved! Its seemingly massive body was terrifyingly agile. With a kick of its limbs, its huge frame turned into a black-red afterimage, instantly crossing dozens of zhang. A giant claw, covered in thick lava and surrounded by terrifying high temperatures, swiped down toward the Red-Faced Big Man! Simple, crude, and carrying a power that crushed everything!

The Red-Faced Big Man roared as the Red Copper Great Saber on his back violently unsheathed. The blade erupted with a piercing red light as he slashed upward with all his might! The Gloomy Man also gave a sharp shout, and two pitch-black iron balls flew from his hands, whistling through the air toward the Lion King's pupils to force it to defend.

However, the chasm in strength was revealed unmistakably at this moment.

"Clang—Crack!"

The Red Copper Great Saber collided with the giant lava claw, producing a thunderous bang followed by the tooth-aching sound of shattering! That high-grade Red Copper Great Saber was actually snapped in half! The claw's momentum remained, slamming heavily into the Protective Aura the Red-Faced Big Man had hastily condensed.

“Pfft—!”

The Red-Faced Big Man flew backward like a broken sack, his chest collapsed and blood spraying wildly. His aura withered to the extreme while he was still in the air, and he crashed heavily against the rock wall, his life or death unknown.

Almost simultaneously, the Lion King merely tilted its head slightly. The two iron balls, infused with the Gloomy Man's full True Qi, struck the lava armor on the side of its neck, leaving only two shallow pits before being bounced away. The Lion King didn't even look as its whip-like giant lava tail swept out!

"Slap!"

The Gloomy Man tried to retreat in horror but was too late. He was struck in the waist by the tip of the tail, his Protective Aura shattering instantly. He was sent flying, his body snapping two lava stalactites before slumping into the rubble, clearly also heavily injured and on the verge of death.

Two Martial Kings—in a single encounter, both were heavily injured and dying!

The remaining Grand Martial Master and Martial Master level team members had already suffered Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. With a shout, they turned and fled for their lives toward the entrance they had come from.

"Roar!!!"

How could the Lava Stone Lion allow the offenders to escape so easily? It roared again, not giving chase but instead looking up to let out an even longer, more majestic roar.

Following this command-like roar, the dozens of ordinary Lava Beasts on the platform, which had been somewhat dazed, instantly had violent flames ignite in their eyes! They hissed and roared in unison, as if receiving a supreme order. They launched forward with a boom, turning into dozens of crimson torrents that frantically lunged toward the fleeing figures! Screams, sounds of combat, and the crashing of rocks immediately rang out throughout the cave as the smell of blood began to spread.

The Lava Stone Lion that had issued the order, however, slowly turned its massive head. Its pair of molten gold vertical pupils were like two searchlights, coldly scanning the entire cave, eventually... faintly fixing on the direction of the corridor exit where Qin Feng's group was lurking!

Its terrifyingly sharp perception seemed to have captured that slight, uncoordinated "blank space" under the cover of the Moon Shadow. Or rather, the brief but intense conflict just now had put it into a state of high alert, and it began to scrutinize every inch of its territory!

"Have we been discovered?" Xia Ya's heart tightened, her muscles tensing. She could feel a pressure as heavy as a mountain faintly looming over them.

Although dozens of Lava Beasts had gone to hunt the fleeing enemies, many still remained in the cave. At this moment, they also seemed to sense their king's will and began to faintly close in from this direction, forming a loose encirclement.

The atmosphere instantly became explosive!

A Late Stage Martial King Lava Lion King plus dozens of fearless Lava Beasts with at least Grand Martial Master combat power... this lineup was many times more terrifying than the Fire Chicken Snake Beast of the Boiling Mud Swamp!

Qin Feng's hand pressed steadily on the hilt of the ink plum sword, his eyes sharp as an eagle's. He rapidly weighed his options: although the Four Symbols Battle Array was strong, they had just gone through a hard battle and hadn't fully recovered. Facing a perfectly healthy, even stronger Lava Lion King and its pack, even a pyrrhic victory would surely result in a great loss of Origin Qi, and they might not be able to complete the collection task.

Could it be... they could only fight head-on?