The strike was released as the ribbon of energy shot forward, cutting through
the air with precision. Its target was the largest lava lake below him.
Lin Mu had made his choice.
If the core was hidden down there... He would force it out.
SHUA
The energy struck the surface.
And then... Sothing unexpected happened.
There was no violent reaction, no explosive clash, and no violent steam eruption. Instead the ribbon entered the lava and held it in place without dispersing. It showed no sign of evaporation and managed to maintain its structure while boring through the molten mass like a drill of pure energy.
It kept on going deeper and deeper. For five full seconds, it continued its descent.
Then... It detonated.
The detonation did not happen in the way one would expect. There was no explosion of force or an outward blast. Instead... The lava changed from within.
The molten mass began to solidify rapidly.
The transformation spread outward from the point of impact, moving through the lake with incredible speed. The once fluid surface stiffened, its glow dimming as it hardened into solid rock.
Everyone watched as the effect continued, rising upward layer by layer. And within seconds, the surface lost its fluidity.
Within half a minute, most of the lake had solidified.
Within a minute the entire expanse had transford, and where there had
once been a churning lake of lava, there was now a vast rocky plain with craggy and uneven ground..
The battlefield stilled and the tentacles that had been rising from that
particular lake ceased entirely.
The heat in that area dropped noticeably as Lin Mu landed nearby, his breathing steady.
His gaze focused on the lake still.
"Now..." he said quietly. "If it exists here... It cannot hide anymore."
Lin Mu kept his eyes sharp as he observed his surroundings, his immortal sense extending deep into the now-cooled expanse of what had once been a boiling lava lake. The terrain had changed drastically after his attack, and while the imdiate threat had subsided, he did not allow himself to relax.
'Not here?' Lin Mu wondered silently. A full minute passed without any sign of movent or residual hostility. There were no tremors, no sudden eruptions, and no trace of the elental presence they had been battling just monts ago.
SHUA
Little Shrubby approached with the others at that mont, carrying them across the newly solidified terrain. They all stared at the transford lake, clearly impressed by the aftermath.
"Did you manage to kill it?" Daoist Chu asked, his eyes scanning the hardened surface.
"Maybe," Lin Mu replied honestly. He did not sound confident, nor did he appear fully convinced himself.
"Your new skill was incredibly strong, Master," ng Bai said with visible admiration. "I cannot even use a little bit of Water Qi here, yet you managed to release such a massive amount." His tone carried both awe and curiosity. Cattaleya tilted her head slightly. "How much did you use?" she asked, as she had not fully sensed the scale of the attack during the chaos.
"About five percent," Lin Mu replied calmly. "I did not want to overdo it and risk collapsing the entire area. I was not certain how Aqua Devastator would interact with this environnt." His explanation was simple, yet it revealed careful control and restraint.
"It is better to remain cautious," Elyon said thoughtfully. "Especially when dealing with unknown reactions. Using it on lava likely altered the outco compared to how it would behave in a normal environnt."
"Probably," Lin Mu agreed.
They waited for another five minutes, watching closely for any reaction. The hardened lake remained silent and still. No new tentacles erged, and no disturbances appeared.
Lin Mu exhaled slowly before stepping onto Little Shrubby's back.
"Let's continue. There is no point wasting ti here," he said.
"Okay, Master," Shrubby responded obediently as he leapt forward once more.
They resud their journey, leaving behind the ruined area, which now stood as nothing more than a field of cooled rock. The remnants of earlier structures had been completely destroyed by the intense clash.
After traveling for about an hour, they ca across more ruins. This ti, however, the condition was far worse. Most of the structures had collapsed entirely, leaving behind only fragnts of stone and faint traces of carvings. "This is still a good sign," Elyon said after briefly inspecting the area. "If we continue encountering ruins, it likely ans the dwarves are deeper within." "Let's hope so," ng Bai replied, though uncertainty lingered in his voice.
They pressed forward.
Half a day passed before they entered a new region.
The environnt shifted once again. The scattered lava lakes and rock formations disappeared entirely, replaced by an endless sea of molten lava. The surface stretched out as far as the eye could see, glowing intensely with
blinding brightness.
ng Bai squinted, clearly uncomfortable.
"Ugh... I need one of the light-filtering talismans," he muttered. He quickly retrieved one from his storage and attached it to his chest, allowing his vision
to stabilize.
They flew cautiously above the vast sea, maintaining a high level of alertness. This ti, there were no solid platforms to land on. If another ambush occurred, they would have no imdiate refuge. Falling into the lava was a risk they could not afford to take.
Even here, Fire Elentals continued to appear. However, there was a noticeable shift. Lesser Fire Elentals appeared more frequently than minor ones, indicating that the environnt had grown more intense and more
dangerous.
Lin Mu sensed the increase in Fire Qi imdiately. The density in the air had risen significantly, and while it posed a threat to others, it actually benefited
him.
He attempted to absorb so of the Fire Qi into his Fire Core.
But it did not work.
"There is plenty of Qi... but it lacks pure Fire essence, Lin Mu concluded
internally.
Three more days passed.
Then, finally, sothing different appeared.
This ti, the danger was visible from the start.
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