Chapter 720: Jungle Chase

Chapter 720: Chapter 713: Jungle Chase

Seeing this, Shen Haoran flickered and vanished from Shen Cheng’s sight. The two ancient Tokens followed suit, disappearing into his body.

Shen Cheng snapped back to his senses. He stared at the traces of gold and yellow Energy in his palm, his expression turning grim. ‘Those two seemingly ordinary Tokens actually managed to injure me,’ he thought. ‘And the Demonic Qi in my body seems terrified of them. Now, my wounds won’t even heal on their own.’

“Damn you, Shen Haoran!” Gazing at the spot where Shen Haoran had vanished without a trace, Shen Cheng snorted coldly. His face dark, he stood up, hastily staunched his wounds, and resumed the chase.

By now, Shen Haoran had reached the summit of a crimson volcano. Gazing down at the churning lava below, he was stunned. He never would have imagined that a massive, active volcano like this existed on the cold, gloomy Wanshe Mountain.

“Are you sure you want to go down?” Changmao asked in a low voice, perched on Shen Haoran’s shoulder. “I can sense unimaginable danger below. You could very well die in there.”

Shen Haoran nodded without the slightest hesitation. “For my own sake and for Xue Ling’s, I have to go down,” he said. With that, he glanced at the rapidly approaching Shen Cheng. His lips moved slightly, and then, to Shen Cheng’s utter shock, he leaped into the volcano.

“Damn it!” Shen Cheng reached the edge of the crater. He glared down to where Shen Haoran had already disappeared without a trace, his expression turning exceptionally grim. Just before jumping, Shen Haoran had mouthed a sentence at him, and Shen Cheng had read his lips perfectly.

“If I don’t die, your end will come. This time, I’ll kill you with my own two hands.” Shen Cheng practically spat the words out through gritted teeth. He stared deep into the roiling, scorching lava below but didn’t dare take a single step further.

The whole reason Shen Cheng had abducted Xue Ling was to force her to retrieve something for him, and that something was located beneath this very volcano. Due to his own nature, Shen Cheng couldn’t enter it himself. The moment he set foot inside, the Demonic Qi in his body would begin to burn away at an alarming rate. It seemed someone had set up an Array within the volcano, leaving him powerless to proceed.

But the item inside the volcano was of the utmost importance to him. Shen Cheng only had the power he did today because he had sold his soul to a Demon. The item was something his master required. If he failed to obtain it, he would face the punishment of the Ten Thousand Demons Soul-devouring. This was why he had been willing to stay in this place for years.

Yesterday, Shen Cheng had taken control of Xue Ling’s mind and thrown her directly into the volcano. Since she wouldn’t help willingly, he had to force her. However, the moment he threw her in, he discovered that his connection to her had been severed. He had no idea what was happening inside the volcano, but he had faintly heard a strange beast’s roar. Though faint, the sound had made his heart pound with fear.

“Hmph. Let’s see you make it out of there alive first,” Shen Cheng sneered. The memory of the previous day’s roar brought a flicker of fear to his eyes. He could only turn and leave in frustration. Since he couldn’t enter the volcano, he would just have to find another way.

…

Inside the volcano, a world of crimson stretched out as far as the eye could see. Shen Haoran plummeted downward like a kite with a severed string. Waves of scorching heat battered him, sending him tumbling through the air. With nothing to push off of, he could only watch helplessly as he fell.

Shen Haoran stared at the rapidly approaching ocean of lava, his brow furrowed. The searing temperature felt like it was about to ignite his clothes, and his skin stung with sharp pain. His powerful fire resistance seemed to be useless here. He still had no way to stop his descent.

‘Come on, come on!’ Shen Haoran’s eyes were locked on the lava sea, now just inches away. He ignored the sweat stinging his eyes. Inside him, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian pulsed faster and faster. Suddenly, a massive surge of Spiritual Power erupted from it, flooding toward his back. At the last possible second, the Vermilion Bird Wings finally unfurled. With a powerful flap, they abruptly halted his fall. He was now just a hair’s breadth from the ocean of lava. A second later, and he would have been incinerated into nothing.

Skimming just above the lava’s surface, Shen Haoran shot upward. After searching for some time, he finally found a large boulder in the vast Lava World to use as a foothold, and he let out a sigh of relief. He had expended too much Spiritual Power during the chase through the jungle, and the dregs that remained hadn’t been enough to activate his Vermilion Bird Wings. Luckily, the Fire Attribute Spiritual Power here was incredibly dense. The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian had helped him gather a massive amount of it, allowing him to manifest his wings in the nick of time.

The Fire Spirit Black Obsidian manifested, enveloping Shen Haoran and insulating him from the scorching ambient temperature. He looked around, carefully surveying the subterranean sea of fire.

Everywhere he looked was a sea of crimson. Searing lava constantly gave off steam, and the heat waves distorted the very air. Bubbles continually burst on the surface of the Lava World, sending droplets of magma flying into the air before falling back into the fiery ocean like blooming flowers.

This wasn’t the first Lava World Shen Haoran had seen; he had practiced his Nine Heavens Shocking Cloud Step in one before. But comparing that place to this was like comparing a lake to an ocean. Here, both the temperature and the violent Fire Attribute Spiritual Power were far beyond that of any ordinary lava. Even with the Refinement of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, Shen Haoran was finding it difficult to bear.

‘Where is Xue Ling?’ Shen Haoran scanned his surroundings, but besides the roiling lava, there was nothing—not a single sign of life.

“The lava ocean. The center,” Changmao said, pointing toward the heart of the fiery expanse. As he looked, however, his eyes were filled with dread.

Seeing the dread in Changmao’s eyes, Shen Haoran frowned slightly. ‘Changmao is the leader of the Ancient Ten Great Fierce Beasts. What could possibly make even him afraid?’

Shen Haoran took a deep breath and sat cross-legged on the boulder. No matter what lay ahead, if Xue Ling was there, he had to go. But first, he needed to recover his Spiritual Power. His injuries hadn’t healed yet, and he didn’t have enough energy to fly across this entire lava ocean. Besides, with an unknown threat seemingly lurking in the distance, he had to be fully prepared.

Fortunately, the surrounding Fire Attribute Spiritual Power was exceptionally rich. With the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian frantically processing it, Shen Haoran’s Spiritual Power reserves recovered at a rapid pace. The Wood Spirit Cyan Profound also began to work its magic, slowly mending his damaged meridians. After some time had passed, his injuries were mostly healed.

“Let’s go.” Shen Haoran glanced toward the depths of the lava ocean. With a beat of the Vermilion Bird Wings on his back, he took off with Changmao, streaking toward the center.

The entire way, Shen Haoran couldn’t find a single place to land; there was nothing but lava below. Thankfully, his Spiritual Power reserves were enough to sustain him. It would have been a tragedy to run out of energy and fall midway.

There were no landmarks to navigate by in the Lava World, but with Changmao guiding him, Shen Haoran didn’t get lost. After a long time, he finally sensed a faint life-force—Xue Ling’s aura.

Upon sensing Xue Ling’s aura, Shen Haoran sped up. He soon arrived at a high platform. There, Xue Ling was suspended between two Stone Pillars, her hands bound by ropes condensed from lava. Her aura was incredibly faint, as if she had suffered grievous internal injuries.

“Xue Ling!” Seeing her wretched state, Shen Haoran let out a furious roar. But just as he was about to charge forward, Elder Yan and Changmao instantly appeared in front of him, blocking his path.

“Shh! Be quiet! Look below the platform!” Elder Yan quickly covered Shen Haoran’s mouth, hissing in a low voice as he pointed downward.

Shen Haoran followed Elder Yan’s gaze. One look was all it took for the hair on his arms to stand on end. He couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, not daring to make a single sound.