Chapter 544 - 544: Molten Beast

Chu Qingyun's Spiritual Sense was very strong.

With such intense concentration, he should have been able to detect some faint traces, even if someone was using a Secret Technique like the Hidden Qi Technique.

Yet at that very moment, two more streams of fiery, scorching lava shot out without warning, aiming precisely for Chu Qingyun.

BANG!

BANG!

Chu Qingyun unleashed two more blasts of Primordial Power, easily shattering the streams of lava.

Although the attacks were strange, injuring him with something of this level was practically impossible.

The two attacks failed.

Ripples began to spread across the surface of the lava pit.

Then, to Chu Qingyun's slight surprise, two bizarre-looking things slowly emerged from the pit.

They were Demon Beasts, roughly humanoid in shape, with their backs bent at a nearly ninety-degree angle and long tails dragging behind them.

After the two Demon Beasts surfaced from the lava pit, they faced forward, snarling at Chu Qingyun and revealing mouths full of fine, sharp teeth.

As the lava dripped off their bodies...

Chu Qingyun could see that they had sharp claws on their fore- and hindlimbs. Their bodies were covered in a rugged, grooved surface that looked very tough.

"This is... a Molten Beast!"

'So that's what it is,' Chu Qingyun realized.

'No wonder I couldn't sense their auras before. These two Molten Beasts were hidden in the lava pit, their energy fluctuations completely blending in with the scorching heat.'

'It was impossible to detect anything from the outside.'

After a moment of silence, the two Molten Beasts were the first to strike. They suddenly opened their mouths wide, and WHOOSH—two streams of lava shot toward Chu Qingyun.

Then, the two Molten Beasts charged forward, leaping into the air and slashing at Chu Qingyun with their sharp claws.

'Good, come at me. I wasn't afraid of your attacks, just that you wouldn't come out...'

"Thunder Light Sword Qi!"

Chu Qingyun waved his hand, deflecting the two streams of lava. Then, his Thunder Shock Sword left its sheath. A five-meter-long, pale purple Sword Qi manifested, and he slashed down at one of the Molten Beasts.

According to Chu Qingyun's senses, these two Molten Beasts were only at the Earth Spirit Realm.

POW!

The incredibly sharp Sword Qi struck the Molten Beast squarely on the head.

To Chu Qingyun's surprise, however, the strike didn't cleave it in two. It only created numerous cracks on its head, from which some dark red blood flowed.

"ROAR!..."

The Molten Beast with the cracked head slammed to the ground with a thud. After roaring twice in pain, it spun around and scurried back into the lava pit. With a flick of its massive tail, it plunged in and vanished instantly.

In the lava, its speed was much faster than on land!

The other Molten Beast, its attack dodged by Chu Qingyun, shrieked and also turned to flee back into the lava pit.

After clashing, they realized that this human was not someone they could handle.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Chu Qingyun shouted, activating his Profound Celestial Divine Pattern. He stepped forward quickly and slashed his sword at the Molten Beast's waist.

This time, however, Chu Qingyun condensed the Thunder Light Sword Qi into a thin layer around his Thunder Shock Sword, making it even sharper and more focused.

SQUELCH.

The Molten Beast was sliced in two at the waist. Dark red blood sprayed out as it howled and struggled on the ground.

Chu Qingyun then delivered another strike, severing its neck and finishing it off for good.

After killing the Molten Beast, Chu Qingyun finally noticed something.

The actual Molten Beast was much smaller than it appeared. It had wrapped itself in a layer of solidified lava, like a suit of armor.

'No wonder a single strike couldn't split its head open. This solidified lava is incredibly tough...'

Chu Qingyun gave it a couple of kicks, unable to help but shake his head.

The solidified lava on these Molten Beasts was likely not formed from ordinary molten rock.

After killing the Molten Beast, Chu Qingyun used his Thunder Light Sword Qi to split open its head. From inside, he found a walnut-sized, dark red Demon Core.

Even after being removed, the Demon Core continuously radiated waves of scorching heat.

This was one of the benefits of training in the Molten Rock District.

He'd heard that someone in the Outer Sect specifically collected Molten Beast Demon Cores, and at a rather high price, though he didn't know what for.

Chu Qingyun took some water from his Storage Ring and washed the Demon Core.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from behind him. "Getting a Molten Beast's Demon Core right after entering the Molten Rock District... your luck is pretty good."

Chu Qingyun put away the Demon Core and turned around to see a group of more than ten people walking toward him with sneers on their faces.

Moreover, every one of them had a fiery, covetous look in their eyes.

It was as if Chu Qingyun himself were a great treasure.

The leader of the group was a Level 9 Martial Spirit. He was flanked by two Level 8 Martial Spirits, and the rest were all Level 7 Martial Spirits.

'Oh? So they've finally caught up...'

Chu Qingyun put away the Demon Core and turned around, his face showing no fear.

This group was, of course, Zheng Tianrong and his men.

After receiving the news, Zheng Tianrong had immediately gathered his subordinates and followed Chu Qingyun to the Molten Rock District.

"Hmph. From the sound of it, you knew we were coming."

"And knowing that, you still dared to leave the sect? For a mere Level 6 Martial Spirit, you've got some serious nerve..."

As Zheng Tianrong spoke, he gave a look to his men on either side.

The dozen or so men quickly fanned out, subtly surrounding Chu Qingyun by the edge of the lava pit.

"The Saint Extreme Sect's rules strictly forbid disciples from harming one another. You want to kill me? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the sect?"

Chu Qingyun said in a low voice, but his face remained completely devoid of fear.

"Punished by the sect? Hehe, what a joke. It's perfectly normal for a few people to die during training expeditions. Once you're dead, who's going to report us?"

Zheng Tianrong chuckled sinisterly.

Having said his piece, he was already preparing to make his move.

His dozen or so subordinates, led by the two Level 8 Martial Spirits, had already surrounded Chu Qingyun.

This time, there was no escape for him!

But Chu Qingyun's gaze, as he looked at Zheng Tianrong, began to gleam with a hint of battle intent.

A Level 9 Martial Spirit. Chu Qingyun had never fought such an opponent before.

'Although I know I'm probably not his match right now, I still want to see for myself just how strong a Level 9 Martial Spirit can be!'

But at that exact moment, three more figures shot over.

Seeing these three, the expressions on Zheng Tianrong and his men changed drastically.

Three more Level 9 Martial Spirits!

And what's more, Zheng Tianrong recognized these three Level 9 Martial Spirits.

Chen Yi, Anfu, and Shao Hua Yang—every single one of them was stronger than he was!

"Heh, Zheng Tianrong. To think you'd set your sights on this Chu Qingyun too."

"Your strength is nothing special, but your appetite sure is big. Aren't you afraid you'll bite off more than you can chew and choke?"