197: Lava Town, on the edge of the Fire Domain

After passing through the Crimson Flame Gorge and traveling for several more days, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

The sky was no longer azure, but obscured by a layer of faint reddish-brown haze, and the air was filled with a dense sulfurous smell; inhaling it brought a burning, stinging sensation to the nose and mouth.

The earth was cracked and dry, vegetation was sparse, and only some strange drought-resistant, heat-tolerant shrubs and cactus-like Immortal plants stubbornly grew.

On the distant horizon, thick black smoke plumes soared into the sky like giant beasts; these were active volcanoes erupting with fury and dust.

The temperature had already soared to a level unbearable for ordinary people; the heat emanating from the earth's core could be felt through the soles of their shoes.

This place was the southwestern region of the Central Plains, the borderlands of the Hundred Thousand Volcanoes.

"The fire-attribute energy here is several times more violent than in the Crimson Flame Gorge." Medusa frowned slightly; even with her strength, she needed to circulate Battle Qi to completely isolate herself from the pervasive heat and fire poison.

A faint, multicolored halo naturally emanated around her, silently dissolving the encroaching heatwaves and poisonous Qi.

Li Ao's experience, however, was completely different.

The nirvana star core inside him felt as if it had returned to its home ground, spinning more vigorously, actively drawing in the violent fire-attribute energy from the air, which, after transformation, became pure Nirvana Power to replenish him.

He could even clearly "hear" the deep rumble of magma flowing and earth fire roaring beneath his feet; that immense power of destruction and rebirth made his heart surge with emotion.

"Destruction and creation are often separated by only a single line. This Earth Fire power is violent and blazing, containing the ultimate meaning of 'burning' and 'incineration,' which shares a remarkable similarity with the 'annihilation' within Nirvana."

Li Ao gained some insight, developing further ideas for the [Return to the Ruins] technique.

The two continued forward, and half a day later, a town nestled at the foot of a massive extinct volcano appeared in their view.

The town's architecture was rough and practical, mostly constructed from dark red volcanic rock, with flat roofs and narrow windows designed to withstand sandstorms and intense heat.

The town was small, but its population was considerable; many figures dressed in various styles and exuding powerful auras could be seen entering and exiting.

A weathered boulder stood at the town entrance, bearing three large characters carved with sharp knife strokes—Lava Town.

This was an outpost for exploring the depths of the Hundred Thousand Volcanoes, hunting fire-attributed Demonic Beast, and collecting fire-attribute medicinal herbs and Ore, as well as a gathering place for all sorts of people.

Li Ao and Medusa restrained most of their auras and entered Lava Town like two ordinary adventurers.

The streets inside the town were not wide, and the ground was compacted red earth, hard underfoot.

The goods sold in the shops on both sides were highly characteristic of the region: various Materials, bones, and demon cores from fire-attributed Demonic Beast; scarlet or dark red Ore and crystals; fire-attribute medicinal herbs stored in specialized jade bottles to prevent potency loss; and various weapons and armor clearly forged to suit the volcanic environment.

The air was mixed with the strange odors of sweat, blood, sulfur, and various medicinal herbs and Ore.

All sorts of people moved through the streets: mercenaries with bulging muscles carrying huge Demonic Beast skeletons; ragged but sharp-eyed herb gatherers; lone figures with chilling auras sitting in corners polishing poisoned daggers; and even some young Disciple wearing unified attire, clearly out for experience from certain Sect or Family.

The arrival of Li Ao and Medusa still drew some attention.

This was mainly because Medusa's appearance and temperament were too outstanding; even when she deliberately restrained herself, that cold beauty and nobility could not be completely hidden.

Many gazes lingered on her, carrying admiration, greed, or apprehension.

However, when these gazes swept over Li Ao, who seemed ordinary beside her yet subtly made people uneasy, they were wisely and swiftly withdrawn.

Those who mingled in Lava Town had good judgment, knowing well which people could be provoked and which absolutely could not be touched.

Li Ao ignored those stares; his Soul Power quietly spread out, collecting information from the surrounding clamorous discussions.

"...I heard that the Black Volcano erupted a few days ago, and it seems something good came out; several teams have rushed over there..."

"...Heh, something good? You need to be alive to take it! Didn't you hear that the entire 'Fire Wolf Mercenary Group' squad perished inside, leaving no corpses behind..."

"...The earth fire has been unstable recently, and those fellows in the depths are moving around more frequently. It's safer to stick to the periphery..."

"...The Yan Clan? Don't even mention them. Those masters are elusive; someone recently claimed to have spotted a flash of fire far away in Jinyan Valley, which vanished in the blink of an eye. Who knows if it's true or false..."

"...Want something from the Yan Clan? Unless you can offer them goods that move their hearts, or... get lucky and run into one of their envoys out purchasing..."

Piecing together the fragmented information, Li Ao gained a rough understanding of the current situation.

The Yan Clan rarely showed themselves, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to actively seek them out.

Perhaps, just as Medusa said, they needed to wait for an opportunity, or create one.

The two found a tavern that looked reasonably clean and walked in.

The tavern was extremely noisy, filled with vulgar laughter, curses, and the clinking of glasses.

The strong smell of alcohol mixed with sweat created a unique atmosphere.

Li Ao ordered two cups of the local specialty, "Blazing Flame Wine," brewed from the roots of a certain fire-attributed plant, and sat down with Medusa in a relatively quiet corner.

The wine felt like swallowing a thread of fire, the burning sensation spreading from the throat all the way to the stomach, before dissipating into a stream of pure fire-attribute energy. This was highly beneficial for those who Cultivate fire-attribute Cultivation Technique, but quite uncomfortable for others.

Medusa merely took a small sip before putting down her cup; she had no interest in such crude liquor.

Li Ao, however, felt fine; the fiery potency of the wine was easily dissolved and absorbed by the nirvana star core inside him.

Just then, the tavern door was violently pushed open, and a blast of heat carrying sand rushed in.

An old man, dressed in tattered leather armor, his face weathered but his eyes exceptionally sharp, stumbled in, supporting a young mercenary who was charred black and barely breathing.

"Doctor! Is there a doctor?! Save my brother!" the old man cried out hoarsely and anxiously, his gaze sweeping over the people inside the tavern with desperate pleading.

The noise in the tavern quieted instantly. Many people looked over, but most merely glanced indifferently before returning to their own affairs.

In Lava Town, injury and death were commonplace; no one bothered to interfere.

The old man watched the increasingly faint breathing of the brother in his arms, his eyes filled with despair.

Li Ao's gaze fell upon the heavily injured mercenary. A brief sweep of his Soul Power detected a bizarre, extremely overbearing fire poison entrenched within him, like a maggot in the bone, frantically eroding his vitality.

The quality of this fire poison far surpassed the Crimson Flame Poison Scorpion he encountered in the Crimson Flame Gorge, carrying an older and purer essence of scorching intent.

"The fire poison he contracted is unusual," Li Ao transmitted to Medusa.

Medusa's purple eyes swept over the man, and she said lightly, "It contains a trace of Law aura. It's not ordinary earth fire; it resembles the residual embers of some powerful flame."

Li Ao's heart stirred. He stood up and walked toward the old man.

"Let me take a look."

The old man looked at Li Ao warily, but sensing the unfathomable aura of the other party, and seeing his dying brother in his arms, he gritted his teeth and stepped aside.

Li Ao crouched down and gently tapped the mercenary's glabella with his finger.

A minuscule thread of Nirvana Power followed his fingertip, probing into the man's body.

The entrenched fire poison seemed to sense a threat and immediately became agitated, transforming into a small fire snake that lunged toward Li Ao's thread of Nirvana Power!

However, the moment it contacted the Nirvana Power, the arrogant fire snake instantly stiffened as if meeting its nemesis, letting out a silent wail, and was then ruthlessly enveloped, decomposed, and annihilated by the thread of gray-gold energy!

In just a few breaths, the bizarre fire poison that had stumped all the doctors in Lava Town was completely purged by Li Ao!

The charred black color on the mercenary's face quickly faded; although he was still weak, his life was no longer in danger.

The old man watched this scene dumbfounded, then wild joy surged into his heart, and he was about to kneel and kowtow: "Thank you, Senior! Thank you, Senior, for saving his life!"

Li Ao raised his hand in a gentle gesture, and a soft force stopped him.

"It was nothing. The fire poison in his body has been cleared; a few days of rest and he will be fine."

The tavern fell silent once more, everyone staring at Li Ao in shock.

To resolve such terrifying fire poison so easily, this person was definitely an incredible expert!

Li Ao ignored the crowd's gazes, looked at the old man, and asked casually, "Where did you contract this kind of fire poison?"

Hearing this, the old man showed a lingering fear on his face and lowered his voice, "Reporting to Senior, we... we were trying to collect an earth core fire lotus deep inside Jinyan Valley a few days ago, but we accidentally disturbed a guardian Demonic Beast. The flames spat out by that creature were terrifying, igniting upon contact. My brother was hit by the residual flame shockwave..."

Jinyan Valley? That place again.

Li Ao memorized the name.

"What kind of guardian Demonic Beast was it?" Li Ao pressed.

The old man struggled to recall, his eyes filled with fear: "I... I couldn't see clearly. It hid in the magma and was extremely fast. It looked like a... strange snake burning with white flames all over!"

A strange snake with white flames?

Li Ao and Medusa exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of surprise in the other's eyes.

White flames—this was definitely not something an ordinary Demonic Beast could possess.

"How interesting." Li Ao's lips curved slightly.

It seemed necessary to investigate this Jinyan Valley.

Perhaps what was hidden there was not just an earth core fire lotus, but might also have some connection to the mysterious Yan Clan.