157: Upon first arriving in the Fire Domain, the Lava Lizard

At the end of the spatial passage, heat waves rushed forward like a physical wall. The air was filled with the strong smell of sulfur and scorching heat, causing a burning sensation when inhaled. The sight before them made the pupils of Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian, who were arriving for the first time, contract slightly.

This was a crimson world. The dark red sky seemed to have been scorched by flames year-round; there were no clouds, only constantly twisting and steaming heat waves. The earth was cracked and covered with spiderweb-like ravines, and hot lava bubbled up from many fissures, like the Bloodline of the earth. In the distance, active volcanoes continuously erupted thick smoke and flames, their roars echoing endlessly. The air was saturated with fire-attributed energy, violent and scorching, making this place a dead end for non-fire attribute Cultivators.

This was one of the continent's forbidden zones, located in the far west—the Endless Fire Territory!

"What violent fire energy..." Xiao Yi Xian's face turned slightly pale. She quickly circulated her Dou Qi to protect herself, but even so, the pervasive heat still made her uncomfortable. Her Calamity Poison Body leaned toward coldness, making the instinctive suppression she felt here the most obvious.

Seven-colored light flowed within Medusa's purple eyes, and a thin, seven-colored halo naturally appeared, isolating the scorching heat waves. However, her expression also became much more serious. This region was extremely unfriendly to her as well.

Nirvana Dou Qi slightly fluctuated around Li Ao, forming an invisible barrier. When the scorching fire energy approached him, it seemed to lose its activity and became docile. The Nirvana Origin, which ends all things, naturally included this violent fire-attributed energy. He looked at Elder Huo Yun: "Elder, where are we located in the Fire Territory right now?"

Elder Huo Yun took a deep breath of the scorching air, and a look of comfort appeared on his face instead. He unfolded an ancient map made of unknown Demonic Beast hide, which outlined the vague contours of the Endless Fire Territory and some danger markers.

"According to the spatial coordinates, we should currently be in the outer region of the Fire Territory, called the 'Lava Rift'." Elder Huo Yun pointed to an area on the map marked with many red crosses, saying, "This place is active with a group-dwelling Demonic Beast called the 'Lava Earth Lizard'. Most of them are at the fifth or sixth rank (Dou King/Dou Emperor level), but their Lizard King is rumored to reach the seventh rank Peak (Dou Zong Peak). Moreover, their numbers are large, making them quite troublesome. We need to cross this rift to reach the core area where the 'Flame Abyss' is marked on the map."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of huge bubbles suddenly 'gurgled' up in a large lava river ahead. Immediately after, dozens of crimson figures burst out of the lava and leaped onto the bank!

These creatures resembled giant lizards, several feet long, entirely covered in dark red, hard scales. Lava flowed between the scale crevices. Their limbs were thick, their sharp claws flashed with cold light, and they exhaled scorching white steam from their mouths. Their pairs of vertical pupils stared cruelly at Li Ao and his unwelcome party.

They were the Lava Earth Lizards! And judging by their number, there were over thirty of them, with several exceptionally large ones whose Aura had clearly reached the seventh rank level!

"Hiss—!"

The Lizard King leading them, the largest one with a crimson horn growing on his head, let out a piercing shriek. All the Lava Earth Lizards acted as if commanded, scraping the ground with their four limbs and charging violently toward the group with an earth-shaking Aura. Wherever they passed, the ground cracked and lava splattered!

"Be on guard!" Elder Huo Yun shouted in a low voice. The Yan Clan team instantly formed a formation. Four Dou Venerate Elders stood on the four sides, with twenty Dou Zong Disciples in the center. The crimson Dou Qi connected into a single mass, transforming into a flame barrier.

However, these Lava Earth Lizards lived in such harsh environments year-round, making them thick-skinned and highly resistant to flames. They actually ignored the flame barrier and slammed into it directly!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Muffled collision sounds rang out one after another. The flame barrier shook violently, and the faces of several slightly weaker Yan Clan Dou Zong Disciples turned pale, clearly under considerable pressure.

"Hmph, you beast!" A Yan Clan Dou Venerate Elder snorted angrily and struck out with a palm. The crimson palm print transformed into a giant flaming lion, sending a seventh-rank Earth Lizard tumbling away, its scales shattered, letting out a painful howl. But more lizards fearlessly surged forward, spitting out lava fireballs that rained down on the Yan Clan team like a meteor shower.

The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment. Although the Yan Clan members were powerful, their attributes were somewhat restrained, and the large number of lizards, relying on the terrain advantage, managed to temporarily tie them down.

Li Ao's gaze turned cold. He said to Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian: "You two provide support here; I will go deal with that Lizard King."

Before he finished speaking, his figure shot out like a phantom, crossing the chaotic battlefield directly, heading straight for the Horned Lizard King that was hiding in the back and constantly issuing commands!

Seeing Li Ao charging, cruelty flashed in the Lizard King's vertical pupils. Its thick tail, like a steel whip, swept violently toward Li Ao with a shriek that tore the air! Before the tail even arrived, the terrifying wind pressure had already crushed all the loose stones on the ground!

Facing this strike powerful enough to shatter mountains, Li Ao neither dodged nor retreated. He extended his right index finger, and a gray-white airflow rapidly condensed on his fingertip. He lightly tapped the whistling giant tail.

"Nirvana Finger."

There was no earth-shattering collision. The Lizard King's giant tail, which contained terrifying power, instantly dissolved and annihilated at a visible speed—scales, muscles, bones... everything—starting from the point of contact, as if it had been thrown into strong acid!

"Awooo—!!!"

The Lizard King let out an extremely mournful shriek. Its thick tail was instantly erased right at the base! The cross-section was smooth as a mirror, devoid of blood, leaving only a stretch of dead gray-white.

This strange and terrifying sight not only plunged the Lizard King into immense fear but also caused the surrounding Lava Earth Lizards, who were attacking frantically, to pause, instinctively trembling!

Li Ao's eyes were cold; he intended to take advantage of its injury and kill it! His figure moved again, appearing above the Lizard King's head as if teleporting. He joined his fingers like a knife, and the gray-white Nirvana Dou Qi condensed into a blade, which he ruthlessly slashed down onto its skull!

"Shhh!"

Like a hot knife slicing through butter, the Lizard King's hard skull, along with the Demonic Core inside, was effortlessly split into two by the Nirvana Blade! Its massive body stiffened for a moment, then crashed heavily to the ground, completely devoid of Aura.

With their leader instantly killed, the remaining Lava Earth Lizards immediately became leaderless, letting out terrified shrieks. They no longer cared about attacking, fleeing in panic and diving back into the lava river, disappearing from sight.

The battle started and ended quickly, in the blink of an eye.

The Yan Clan members looked at Li Ao, who stood with his hands behind his back and a stable Aura, their eyes filled with shock. The lizard group, which they struggled to handle even when working together, was solved so effortlessly by Li Ao? Especially that bizarre gray power, which could directly annihilate matter—it was simply unheard of!

Elder Huo Yun glanced deeply at Li Ao, his evaluation of the young man rising once again. He put away the map and said in a deep voice: "Clear the battlefield and continue forward! This is only the periphery; the real danger lies ahead!"

The team set off again, crossing this area filled with lava and rifts. After this battle, the Yan Clan members' attitude toward Li Ao was noticeably more respectful, even carrying a hint of awe.

Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian came to Li Ao's side.

"Your power seems to have advanced again." Medusa's purple eyes shone with brilliance.

Li Ao smiled slightly, holding her hand: "I had a small realization. The special environment here is also beneficial for my Nirvana Origin Cultivation." He then looked at Xiao Yi Xian, seeing that her face was still somewhat pale, and asked concernedly: "Xian'er, how do you feel? If you can't hold on, don't force yourself."

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, stubbornly saying: "I'm fine, I can still hold on." She did not want to be a burden.

Li Ao felt pity in his heart and transferred a trace of gentle Nirvana Dou Qi to help her dispel the fire poison that had invaded her body. Xiao Yi Xian immediately felt a cool sensation flow throughout her body, greatly reducing her discomfort. She looked at Li Ao gratefully.

The three followed the team, steadily advancing toward the scorching Hell deeper within the Fire Territory. The journey to find the Eight Desolations Destruction Flame had just begun.