The scorching heat wave surged forward. Even though he was mentally prepared, Wang Zhong was still shocked by the scene and the furnace-like temperature as soon as he stepped in.
This was a massive pit, filled with rolling, viscous, golden magma. Huge bubbles rose from within, then burst, their searing heat constantly sweeping outwards.
Above the magma, a stone corridor, in the form of a steep slope, circled the edge and extended to the very center. It stopped directly above the magma, leaving a circular stone platform large enough for several people to cultivate.
After casting a glance at the circular stone platform from a distance, Wang Zhong, drenched in sweat and with his clothes soaked, instinctively swallowed.
The circular stone platform was only about a meter from the magma below, close enough to be touched. Wang Zhong, already sweating profusely at the edge, couldn't even imagine how terrifying the heat was at the center.
"The ring-shaped stone corridor must have a formation array, protecting it from the surging magma."
A bubble burst, splashing a large amount of magma onto the stone corridor. Contrary to what he expected, it didn't melt. A thin, shimmering curtain appeared on the surface of the corridor, blocking the magma, which was capable of melting iron and stone.
Moreover, as the curtain of light lit up, Wang Zhong noticed that the direction of the corridor seemed to be intentionally channeling the heat from the entire pit towards the end of the corridor, which was the circular stone platform.
"It seems the heat at that spot far exceeds my imagination. It's already extremely close to the magma, and with the formation array concentrating it, the heat there can definitely melt refined iron."
Seeing this, Wang Zhong pondered.
As Wang Zhong was lost in thought, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shake violently. The intense tremor seemed to have ignited the magma that had been flowing calmly in the deep pit.
Giant bubbles erupted one after another, churning like boiling water.
This sudden turn of events made Wang Zhong's face turn a little pale.
"Hey, don't tell me this is a volcano, and I'm super unlucky to have run into it during its eruption period!"
The shaking beneath him grew stronger, making it difficult for Wang Zhong to stand still. The air became hotter, and the magma churned faster and faster.
Wang Zhong spread his hands, his expression one of resignation.
"Alright, my luck is indeed the worst."
"And I guessed it right!"
He tapped his forehead in frustration, feeling like he had been encountering bad luck lately. First, it was Pope Bibi Dong, then Qian Renxue, and now an erupting volcano. This was truly the pits.
"Run!"
Noticing the magma already surging upwards, Wang Zhong turned and fled, even activating the Violent Foot technique from the Eight Extremes Heaven.
Within ten breaths, he was far enough away that the boiling magma finally reached its eruptive limit.
With a deafening roar, a magma fountain hundreds of meters in diameter shot skyward.
Scorching magma rained down from high above, scattering like a celestial maiden scattering flowers across the entire visible sky. If not for the intense, violent heat, the scene should have been a rare spectacle of nature.
But Wang Zhong couldn't appreciate such beauty. He ran forward with all his might, while simultaneously dodging the fiery rain falling from the sky, making for a truly pathetic sight.
The surging magma chased closely behind him. If the surrounding forest hadn't been formed from cooled magma, it would have been engulfed in flames by now.
But thanks to this, they shielded him from most of the magma rain falling from the sky.
Just as Wang Zhong was desperately fleeing through the forest, a sense of extreme danger suddenly washed over him.
In that very instant, a black shadow shot out from a nearby tree trunk with such speed that Wang Zhong had no chance to evade.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, taking the blow head-on. Wang Zhong was sent flying backward, leaving a long gash on the ground.
It was then that Wang Zhong saw his attacker.
It was a massive snake, as thick as a bucket, coiled around a tree that felt scorching hot to the touch. Its crimson eyes stared at him, its forked tongue hissing.
Its body was covered in large, dense scales, black and hard. At the tip of its tail were nine half-meter-long, blood-red, fang-like bone spikes.
Blood dripped slowly from the spikes.
"Spike Flame Snake! And a nine-hundred-year-old one."
Glancing at its tail, Wang Zhong gritted his teeth and lowered his arms from his chest. Several bloody holes had appeared on his arms; the black shadow that had attacked him was the Spike Flame Snake's tail.
"That makes sense. Unlike other snakes that prefer cool and damp places, these creatures naturally crave hot environments, even hotter the better."
"Also, Spike Flame Snakes need extremely high temperatures from magma to shed their skins. Otherwise, they can't shed that layer of skin, which is as hard as refined iron."
"One spike per hundred years. I never expected to encounter a nine-hundred-year-old Spike Flame Snake at this time."
"I knew it, my luck has been terrible lately!"
Wang Zhong grumbled resentfully and then turned to run.
The Spike Flame Snake could roll in boiling magma, but he couldn't. The surging magma behind him was relentless, and he couldn't waste time with this creature.
Wang Zhong wanted to leave, but the Spike Flame Snake, having finally found prey, wouldn't let him escape so easily.
Despite its thick body, the Spike Flame Snake was incredibly agile and fast. Even with Wang Zhong running at his current maximum speed, the snake kept pace behind him, even appearing to be closing in.
After about ten breaths, the Spike Flame Snake actually caught up to Wang Zhong again.
Seeing the Spike Flame Snake blocking his path, Wang Zhong clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Seriously, why are you chasing me relentlessly!"
He glanced back. Although the magma in the distance was still erupting, its intensity had clearly lessened. The magma tide that had been chasing him had also slowed down considerably.
"Fine, I don't mind playing with you for a bit!"
Wang Zhong's tone was also filled with ferocity.
"First Soul Skill, Pierce!"
A yellow soul ring rose from his feet, and a thin, sharp spike shot out from the ground, aiming for the Spike Flame Snake's jaw.
A screeching sound of metal clashing against metal echoed as they collided. The Spike Flame Snake's body was knocked back by the powerful force, but it remained completely unharmed.
Shaking its slightly dizzy head, the Spike Flame Snake opened its huge mouth and hissed loudly at Wang Zhong.
It was angry!
Within its massive maw, intensely hot energy condensed, and a fireball-like sphere rapidly formed.
"Whoa, isn't this Feng Yuan Sheng's first soul skill, Blazing Flame Bullet!"
"So, his first soul ring was obtained from a Spike Flame Snake."
This thought flashed through Wang Zhong's mind. He suddenly lunged forward, reaching out and grabbing the fireball in the snake's mouth.
He intended to do the same as before, to shove the projectile back into its mouth, just as he had done to Feng Yuan Sheng.
However, a Spike Flame Snake was not Feng Yuan Sheng. Although the former had no limbs, it possessed a tail with destructive power.
Just as Wang Zhong gripped the fireball in the snake's mouth, the Spike Flame Snake's tail whipped out with a whistling sound, slamming towards Wang Zhong.
"This snake is so smart! With both the fireball in its mouth and the sweeping tail attack, it ensures that no matter how the enemy chooses, they have to face one of its attacks head-on."
"But I'm not that foolish either!"
He quickly retracted his hand and extended both hands simultaneously, gripping the bone spikes on the incoming tail. With a forceful swing, he sent the Spike Flame Snake's massive body flying through the air.
After spinning several times, it was then slammed fiercely into the surrounding magma trees.