A surge of scorching wind burst forth suddenly, and at this critical moment, Xiao Yan displayed an exceptionally remarkable reflex. His feet flashed with a subtle silver glow, and his body twisted into an odd, curved shape, allowing the powerful wind to skim past his shoulder, leaving a burning, sharp pain there. After evading the attack, Xiao Yan's form trembled and he swiftly retreated. As he retreated, he turned around, his gaze fixed on the point where the wind had originated. Upon doing so, his face fell once again into sheer astonishment. Under Xiao Yan's gaze, at a distance of about ten meters, a red figure drifted through the molten rock. The figure's body was entirely red, matching the color of the surrounding lava—so subtle that it might go unnoticed without close inspection. Across its red form, numerous red scales covered it, with a red tail of about half a zhang length gently swaying. The figure stood upright on both feet, though those feet were unusually broad. Its head was round, adorned with fine scales, and its eyes—slightly small—glowed with a hint of fierce intensity. Its large mouth was slightly open, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth. Overall, it resembled a lizard capable of standing upright. In terms of appearance, this enigmatic red figure clearly wasn't human—it was some mysterious creature that Xiao Yan had never encountered before. In fact, he had no idea what kind of being it was, as he had never seen such a creature living within molten rock in the past. Once he confirmed the figure wasn't human, Xiao Yan felt a slight relief, yet he still remained cautious. Throughout their journey, he had sensed absolutely no presence from the other—yet this mysterious being had launched an attack on him without him even noticing. Clearly, the creature was strong, and with its home-field advantage, if he weren't careful, he might indeed face a sudden collapse in a minor setback. "Chirp!" As Xiao Yan's eyes remained locked onto the molten rock creature, the latter likewise stared at him with fierce determination. After a brief standoff, a sudden surge of fierce intensity erupted in the creature's eyes, and it emitted a sharp, piercing cry. Then, with a powerful flick of its tail, its sharp claws sliced cleanly through the molten rock, and it charged straight at Xiao Yan. "You're dead!" Upon seeing the creature charge again, Xiao Yan's expression grew slightly colder. He swept his sleeve outward, and a ribbon of vibrant emerald qi erupted from his palm, striking the creature with tremendous force. The impact sent the creature staggering back over fifteen meters before it steadied itself with a series of chirping sounds. However, having suffered its first defeat, the creature's eyes now glowed with crimson fury and wildness. With its sharp teeth fully opened, molten rock surged rapidly around it, coalescing into a sphere about a foot in diameter, which then surged forward like a cannonball toward Xiao Yan. "Hmph!" Still persisting in its relentless pursuit, a surge of killing intent stirred within Xiao Yan's heart. He opened his palm and then suddenly clenched it, causing the rapidly jetting lava fire balls to slow down immediately. Eventually, at a distance of several meters from Xiao Yan, they burst into fragments of molten lava, dissolving into the surrounding lava sea. Seeing Xiao Yan successfully deflect his attack once more, the enigmatic lava creature grew furious, its constant chirping growing louder. It opened and closed its massive mouth repeatedly, launching lava fire balls the size of heads at rapid succession, continuously targeting Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan's figure flickered like a ghost, dodging one fiery magma sphere after another. When he saw the magma creature continuously spewing out powerful magma balls, his brows furrowed slightly. Then, a flash of silver light erupted beneath his feet, and with a surge of speed, he materialized behind the creature, his five fingers curled into a palm strike, delivering a thunderous thrust that pierced straight through the creature's chest. Though the creature's scales were notably tough, under the force of Xiao Yan's aura, the palm strike proved sharper than a blade, easily penetrating the chest in just an instant. Upon receiving this fatal blow, the magma creature writhed violently, its eyes flashing with fierce rage. A sharp, incessant chirping sound emerged from its mouth, gradually spreading like ripples across the molten surface. The chirping sound persisted for a moment before gradually fading, and the vitality in the molten creature's eyes swiftly dissipated. Xiao Yan stared coldly at the molten creature growing increasingly rigid, then slowly withdrew his hand. As his hand was about to exit the creature's body, a sudden thought struck him. He gently manipulated it within the body, and upon withdrawing, a crimson orb now rested on his palm. Though the orb was drawn out from the creature's interior, Xiao Yan's hand bore no trace of blood—only a smooth, slick oil. Within this oil, the crimson orb shimmered with a faint, warm glow. With a slight curiosity, he picked up the crimson orb. At once, a look of surprise flashed across Xiao Yan's eyes. He noticed that within the orb lay a remarkably robust and turbulent fire-energy—more refined than the energy he had directly absorbed from the molten world, and in a significantly greater quantity. This single orb would require Xiao Yan at least two days of cultivation to fully absorb its energy. "This should be something akin to the magical core within a Warcraft, though for practitioners of fire-based cultivation, it's a rare and precious supplement. Unfortunately, the energy within it is exceptionally turbulent—direct consumption isn't possible. Otherwise, it would be comparable to some high-tier pills...". Xiang Yan's eyes were filled with admiration. While others would need other substances to stabilize its turbulent energy, for him, who possessed the unique fire of the异fire, this wasn't an issue at all. Thus, he could directly consume and absorb it. Yet, he felt a slight regret—there was only a single crimson orb, and its effect was modest, merely saving a few days of cultivation time. With a brief sigh of disappointment, Xiang Yan held the crimson orb in his hands. As he was about to shift his gaze back to the transparent light circle, his expression suddenly changed, and his eyes turned toward the western region of the molten rock—there, the molten rock had suddenly begun to stir violently. His eyes were fixed intently on the spot where the magma was rippling, and the qi within Xiao Yan stirred restlessly. His face grew serious—indeed, the magma was fraught with danger. The crimson magma surged rapidly. Suddenly, Xiao Yan's pupils narrowed sharply. Before him, a vast group of red figures surged forth like a school of fish, converging with great momentum. Their fierce, predatory gazes and sharp, pointed teeth sent a slight tingle of unease down his scalp. Indeed, the fiery lizard people were no longer a single one. With a hand motion, he summoned the fallen heart flame floating above his head and absorbed it into his body. A powerful, emerald flame surged forth from within him. Given the swift pace of the lizard people, Xiao Yan now found himself unable to escape and had to meet them head-on with all his strength. In the span of just a few fleeting moments, hundreds of red figures surged forward, ultimately encircling Xiao Yan. Their eyes, blazing with fierce intensity and hostility, fixed unwaveringly on the crimson orb clutched in Xiao Yan's hands. Under the watchful gaze of these many flame lizard people, Xiao Yan swiftly slipped the orb into his storage relic. It appeared these creatures had been summoned by the dying lizard person earlier—something he hadn't anticipated at all. He had never realized that beneath this molten rock lay such a vast and thriving population of beings. With a steady, cautious scan of the lizard people, Xiao Yan's surface flames grew ever more vibrant. The lizard people, evidently wary of the glass lily heart fire, remained encircling him without immediately launching forward to tear him apart. This stalemate did not last long, as the fiery lizard warriors, growing restless, broke it with a surge of fierce energy. Their eyes blazing crimson, their mouths emitting sharp, piercing cries, they surged through the molten rock, launching lightning-fast attacks straight toward Xiao Yan. "As more and more flame lizard people fell at Xiao Yan's hands, the remaining ones finally came to realize the strength of the man before them, yet they did not retreat. Instead, sharp, piercing sound waves began to surge rapidly from their mouths. Observing this behavior, Xiao Yan's expression slightly tightened. Having witnessed the earlier scene, he naturally understood that these creatures were calling out to their companions. With his current strength, he could easily handle a hundred or so lizard people—indeed, he had no problem at all. But should the number grow to a thousand, or even more, it would likely be him who ended up in trouble." A thought flashed through his mind, and Xiao Yan bit down hard on his teeth, no longer bothering with the transparent light shield. With a sudden movement, he launched himself toward the molten lava, aiming to escape. However, just as his body had traveled a few dozen meters, intense ripples surged from the upper lava surface. Instantly, he saw a dense cluster of red figures appear before him in the vision.