Lin Lei and the others were outside the city of Yilan, and roughly a hundred million li to the east of Yilan City, there lay a massive volcanic mountain range.
The vast volcanic range stretched across a full thousand li, and the entire thousand-li region was dyed a dark, ominous red.
"Hiss, hiss~~" White steam rose sporadically from between the peaks, and the thick stench of sulfur could be smelled from far away. Scattered everywhere throughout the mountains were corpses and bleached bones — of humans and beasts alike. Nothing grew here. It was one of Hell's most notorious danger zones —
The Bies Volcanic Mountain Range!
Several dozen figures were flying above the Bies Volcanic Range, and by the look of them, they were somewhat bedraggled.
"This Hell really is chaotic — you can't even live a peaceful day," the man at their head cursed bitterly.
"Big brother, we should find a place to settle down first," a burly man behind him said in a low voice. "Try to find somewhere inconspicuous. At the very least, let's improve our strength. We can think about the rest later. There are too many dangers in this Hell."
"Mm." The leader nodded.
But just at that moment —
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" …
The surface of the Bies Volcanic Range suddenly erupted with thousands of blazing rocks hurtling skyward at terrifying speed. The several dozen figures scrambled to dodge, but the thousands of rocks actually turned in midair, tracking them on their own.
"Phut!" "Phut!" …
In the blink of an eye, the heads of dozens of god-level powerhouses were smashed to pulp. Their divine cores floated free, their souls obliterated. One after another, they plummeted from the sky.
Their corpses struck the volcanic surface.
"Hiss, hiss~~" The volcanic range seemed alive, swallowing their spatial rings, divine cores, and divine artifacts without a trace.
The Bies Volcanic Range was tranquil once more — the only change was a scattering of fresh corpses on its surface.
The Bies Volcanic Range was a place of great peril, but those who had never read the books, or who lacked experience, how would they know it was dangerous? Lin Lei and his group had only learned about these danger zones after purchasing geographical reference books.
Moreover …
There were many danger zones in Hell that had only recently formed, not yet recorded in any books.
Dangers were everywhere — such was Hell!
A metal lifeform soared toward the Bies Volcanic Range at great speed, landing on the ground when it was still several dozen li away. Three figures stepped out — Inigo and his two subordinates.
"Young master, we're stopping here? Why not fly right up to the volcanic range?" one of the Highgod servants asked, confused.
Inigo cast him a cold glance. "Hmph, fly up to the range? That's asking for death. The Bies Volcanic Range is one of Hell's great danger zones — do you think it's as simple as you imagine? Follow me." With that, Inigo strode toward the volcanic range.
"Just how dangerous is this Bies Volcanic Range?" the two Highgods muttered behind him.
They were Highgods — there were very few places that could actually threaten them.
"If you don't want to die, don't do anything foolish," Inigo snorted. "I can't protect you here."
Though Inigo walked on the ground, the several dozen li were covered in mere moments. He led his two subordinates to the outer edge of the Bies Volcanic Range. Gazing at the white plumes of smoke, the barren, lifeless terrain reeking of sulfur, Inigo involuntarily swallowed hard.
"Lord Asquern, I am Inigo, second young master of the Beifield Family from Liangan Prefecture. I humbly ask for an audience with Lord Asquern!" Inigo said with a respectful bow.
After speaking, Inigo remained bowed in silence, awaiting a reply.
"Someone lives inside this volcanic range?" The two Highgod servants behind him were astonished.
They had heard the Bies Volcanic Range was dangerous, but they had never heard that someone actually lived within it.
"The Beifield Family?" A deep, resonant voice emanated from within the range, and the entire volcano trembled slightly. "Come in."
As the words fell, the volcanic surface suddenly split open, revealing a passage.
Inigo took a deep breath and walked toward the opening. The two Highgod servants behind him exchanged looks of shock.
"Hurry up and follow," Inigo ordered in a low voice.
"Yes, young master." The two hurried after Inigo and stepped into the passage.
According to Hell's rules, once one reached Seven-Star Demon, one was qualified to challenge an Asura. If one defeated an Asura, one could inherit that Asura's title. The previous Asura would either have perished in battle or stepped down of their own accord. Through cycles of challenge and conflict, Hell naturally harbored many hidden experts.
These hidden experts had once been Asuras, or were Seven-Star Demons, or possessed overwhelming strength yet had no interest in vying for the Asura position.
But without exception, their power was absolutely terrifying.
Ordinary people in Hell had no idea of their existence, but some ancient families knew that certain hidden powerhouses must never be provoked.
The two subordinates understood: "There must be a peerless powerhouse hidden inside this Bies Volcanic Range."
In the dim passage, the three ventured deeper and deeper.
Suddenly —
"Hiss, hiss~~" The stone walls beside the passage shattered into countless fragments and exploded outward!
"Aah!" "Aah!"
The two Highgods were riddled by the stone shards like sieves. Their divine cores were pierced multiple times, and their souls were instantly annihilated on the spot!
Inigo, however, remained composed. He thought to himself: "I didn't expect that after all these years, Lord Asquern's pet is still exactly as Father described. Hmph, these two just happened to serve as food for Lord Asquern's pet!"
A brief moment later —