Within the vast cavern, molten rock flowed gently, occasionally releasing massive bubbles that rose from the depths. Moments later, a soft sound echoed, followed by a sudden *pop*—the bubbles burst, spewing out scorching lava in a brilliant, fiery display, like a splendid burst of red fireworks. Standing at the end of a narrow passage, the three of them—Xiao Yin, Xiao Ding, and the others—gazed upon the endless expanse of molten rock, their breaths caught in awe. Without conscious effort, they all swallowed hard. There's no path left here anymore, and the cultivation technique I'm practicing is wood-based—perfectly counteracted by the fiery energy. If it weren't for my five-star battle master strength, I wouldn't have made it this far. Still... this is already my limit." Xiao Ding smiled gently at Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan nodded slightly. If his fundamental element weren't fire, he would have long since succumbed to the intense heat and retreated. Since arriving at this point, Xiao Yan had clearly noticed that the fire energy here was not only hotter but also more intense and turbulent than that within the corridor. "Hmph." Exhaling softly, Xiao Yan lowered his gaze to the green-scaled creature trailing behind him, somewhat astonished. Compared to Xiao Ding's visibly perspiring figure, the green-scaled creature seemed remarkably composed—after all, the green-scaled creature had no particular strength of its own. After settling down and focusing intently on Qinglin, Xiao Yan could sense that a somewhat cold energy was continuously flowing and radiating from within her body—this very energy was sustaining her, allowing her to keep pace with them all the way to the end of the corridor. "This girl truly has something unusual. Could it be due to her serpent-human bloodline? Yet even a genuine serpent-human arriving here would likely only wail and retreat, wouldn't they?" Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brow, feeling a touch of puzzlement. "What do you intend to do now?" Xiao Ding glanced at the swirling world of molten rock and asked, turning his head. "I'd like to go in and take a look..." Xiao Yan paused thoughtfully before speaking softly. "Go in? Into that molten rock? There's no path here at all. Do you really expect to swim across?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Ding's expression changed, and he gently chided. "Heh, of course not. The temperature here is sufficient to melt steel—let alone me." Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head, removing the Xuanzhong Chi from his back and storing it in his nianji. His body trembled slightly, and the Purple Cloud Wings suddenly shot out from behind him. "What?..." Seeing the dual wings suddenly emerge from behind Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding's eyes narrowed instantly, and then gasped in astonishment, "Qi transformed into wings? A Battle King? How is this possible!" Even though Xiao Ding had immense confidence in Xiao Yan's cultivation potential, he would absolutely not believe if someone claimed that Xiao Yan had become a Battle King before he turned twenty. After all, the total number of Battle Kings in the Jia Ma Empire did not exceed twenty. These elite warriors were all renowned figures who dominated their regions—yet no one had ever heard of anyone achieving such accomplishments before the age of twenty. Seeing Xiao Ding's stunned expression, Xiao Yin smiled gently and shook his head, lightly running his hand over the slightly purpleish Purple Cloud Wings. "This isn't a spirit-energy-powered wing at all—it's merely a rare flying technique. The flight speed is far behind that of true wings formed by condensed spirit energy. Still, at least it can fly." Hearing Xiao Yin's explanation, Xiao Ding finally exhaled in relief, his gaze filled with wonder as he stared at him. "You, this little fellow—how many secrets do you still hold?" With a light shake of his head, Xiao Yin changed the subject. "I'll go in alone shortly. Brother, take Qinglin and head back the way we came." "Wait a moment," Xiao Ding interjected, urgently holding out his hand. "Even with these wings, the temperature inside the underground chamber is extremely severe. With your current strength, how could you possibly endure for long?" "Relax," Xiao Yin smiled reassuringly. "I've got this." Frowning intently at Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding finally nodded with a sigh, saying, "Be careful. If anything happens, come out immediately." "Understood," Xiao Yan replied, smiling, and was about to turn and move when a suddenly cool little hand pulled him back. "Master, wait a moment... It seems something is hidden within the molten rock!" Qing Lin clung tightly to Xiao Yan, her emerald eyes fixed on the endless expanse of fiery lava, urgently speaking. "Hm?" Both Xiao Yan and Xiao Ding were momentarily startled by this, quickly scanning the lava, yet found nothing beyond scattered large stones. "Qing Lin, what did you sense?" Even with Yao Lao's protection, Xiao Yan couldn't afford to be overly confident in such a perilous situation, so he promptly asked seriously. "Within that molten rock, there seems to be something existing—something I can sense, faintly, like a subtle presence... It's powerful..." Qinglin's gaze was fixed intently on a particular spot within the churning magma, the emerald hue of her eyes shimmering with faint glimmers, as though piercing through the magma's turbulence to glimpse the mysterious entity hidden beneath. "Is there a living being?" Xiao Yan was taken aback. How could there be life in such scorching, nearly steel-melting magma? It was hard to believe. "Yes." "Could this be the same presence you sensed six months ago?" Xiao Ding frowned, his eyes on the bubbling flow of magma, and asked in a steady tone. "No—it's stronger than that. Stronger than what I felt before." Qinglin shook her head. "Its strength surpasses even that of Luo from the Sand Corps." "Qinglin gestured lightly with her small hand and softly said. Having lived her entire life in Shishemocity, the strongest being she had ever encountered was Luo, a Grand Battle Rank warrior. Thus, she could only compare her strength to him. 'A bit stronger than Luo...' Xiao Yan murmured, placing a slight emphasis on the word 'a bit.' From Qinglin's comparison, Xiao Yan could reasonably infer the approximate strength of the hidden power within the magma. The mysterious aura he had first sensed was at least above Battle Rank level. Therefore, Qinglin described her as being far stronger than even Luo. Based on this, Xiao Yan speculated that the creature dwelling within the magma might be at the level of Spirit Rank or above. Of course, this was merely Xiao Yan's own conjecture—whether it was accurate or not, he himself wasn't entirely certain. If indeed there existed a being capable of living within the magma, then the disturbance it caused in this situation would surely be no less than that of a Battle Rank warrior!" "Hmm..." Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan slightly narrowed his eyes, paused for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh, speaking firmly, "Regardless of whether there's anything hidden here, I must go in and have a look. Perhaps what I need is right within the molten lava. "Brother, you go ahead with Qinglin. I'll try!" Turning to Xiao Ding, Xiao Yan said, then without waiting for a response, leapt downward into the lava beneath the mountain wall. With a flap of his wings, his body gradually floated several meters above the lava. Xiao Yan flew steadily above the molten rock, his body completely enveloped by purple flame qi. His spiritual perception radiated through his entire being, carefully scanning the surroundings. It seemed that the hidden creatures mentioned by Qing Lin had also posed a significant challenge to him. Under such harsh conditions, he had to remain fully alert, constantly ready to respond to unforeseen emergencies. Yet even though Xiao Yan absorbed only minute amounts of air each time, he still felt a bit dizzy whenever the toxic gases entered his body. Had he not taken the antidote pills earlier, he would have surely collapsed and plunged into the molten lava long ago. Due to multiple obstacles, Xiao Yan dared not maintain a swift flight speed, instead gliding slowly and steadily over the lava, remaining utterly silent throughout, fearful that any sound might attract the mysterious creatures dwelling within the lava. While flying, Xiao Yan gradually became more aware of the immense scale of this underground cavern. The flowing lava had nearly pooled into vast lakes around him. Occasionally, a surge of hot air would ripple through, causing the lava lakes to erupt with towering plumes of fiery lava, each surge sending Xiao Yan jumping with astonishment and alarm. The world beneath the cavern, a realm of molten rock, was also a land of death. As Xiao Yan flew above the lakes of lava, he often felt his heart tremble with each stretch of flight. Should his qi falter at this moment—what then? He might very well be reduced to ashes. As he continued flying over the molten terrain, his skin had begun to take on a faint reddish hue, and the garments clinging to his body had grown remarkably dry. Now, even a slight spark would instantly set them ablaze. After flying a little further, Xiao Yan turned slightly and noticed that the entrance to the passage had grown increasingly narrow. Two small silhouettes were now firmly watching him. Gazing at the two figures, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation. As he reached out to wave at them to signal safety, Qinglin suddenly broke in with a sharp call: "Master, it's following you! Come back!" Hearing that sharp cry, Xiao Yan’s scalp instantly tingled, and his body instantly pivoted, his wings beating furiously as he shot straight toward the entrance. As soon as Xiao Yan moved, a deep boom erupted beneath the tranquil lava lake, and countless streams of scorching magma surged forth at once. Amidst the cascading waves of molten rock, a massive, mysterious creature suddenly surged upward from the lava, darting with lightning speed to seize and bite at Xiao Yan, who had turned to flee.