The red lava churned continuously, waves of heat sweeping outward, yet like an ocean, it held an unfathomable power.
At the very center of the red lava lake, there was even a patch of golden light, like a lake within a lake, shimmering with magnificent colors, yet causing the Wizards to shrink back in awe.
Above the lava lake, a massive passage stretched, from which faint, intermittent sounds occasionally emerged. The surrounding crystals were incredibly hard, their destination unknown.
Whoosh!
A black shadow appeared at the edge of the lava lake. As the light faded, the figure of a very young
This was none other than Lei Lin, though at the moment, he was somewhat covered in dust. His extensive travels over such a short period had consumed a great deal of his energy.
"Master!" A middle-aged Wizard with bronze skin immediately came forward to bow.
"Is it done?" Lei Lin asked casually.
"It is complete! Please, follow me!"
Gubler led Lei Lin to a temporary cave that had been excavated near the lava lake.
At the center of the cave sat a huge sphere.
The sphere’s exterior was black, emitting a deep, dull luster. It appeared to be forged from rock, incredibly solid and weighty.
On its right side was a small door, suggesting it was hollow.
"As per your instructions and the blueprints, the materials used are the hardest layer of lava rock, capable of withstanding the temperature of the golden magma. At the joints, rune treatment and reinforcement have been applied…"
Gubler stood to the side like a loyal servant, reporting to Lei Lin.
He made no mention of the arduous effort required to mine this rock, nor the difficulties involved in forging and constructing the sphere.
"You did well," Lei Lin nodded, his gaze turning more surprised as he looked at the runes inside the black rock sphere.
This Manxter Giant Snake Warlock named Gubler possessed an understanding of alchemy that far exceeded his predictions, surpassing all expectations.
"It is nothing. It is my honor to serve my Master; there is no hardship to speak of!"
Gubler placed his fist over his chest and bowed deeply, adopting a posture of utmost deference.
In truth, this was the obligatory respect that a low-level warlock owed to a high-bloodline warlock — something Gubler had long since drilled into himself within the Ouroboros Ring.
"Furthermore, according to my observations, the activity of this magma lake has been growing increasingly intense and frequent. I fear that a violent eruption — a catastrophic surge — is imminent!"
When that happened, everything here would be swallowed by magma. Even the passageways would be completely blocked off.
Gubler had deliberately chosen to descend during this lull in magma activity, and he had still ended up covered in burns. The sheer terror of molten rock was seared deep into his heart.
Though he had been involved in part of Lei Lin's plan, he still felt a measure of worry. Unfortunately, as a servant, his role was limited to offering suggestions and carrying out tasks — he had no final say.
"Mm! I know. The major eruption will begin in one hour and twenty-three minutes. We can start making preparations!"
Lei Lin, who had been using the Chip to predict and monitor the magma activity, naturally had a far clearer understanding than Gubler.
Moreover, his plan had been repeatedly calculated by the Chip, with a success rate exceeding ninety percent. Otherwise, how could he possibly risk his own life on this?
……
Over an hour later.
Within the glowing red magma, a black sphere tumbled and rolled, bobbing like flotsam on water.
Inside the sphere, Gubler's face was deathly pale. He peered out at the surrounding magma through the warlock-sight screen. "M-Master… this plan is still far too dangerous!"
If the sphere shattered, they would be directly swallowed by tens of thousands of tons of magma!
Just thinking about that horrific way to die sent a faint tremor through Gubler's body — warlock though he was.
"Relax!" Lei Lin's expression remained unchanged as he carefully observed the magma outside.
Gurgle! Gurgle! At that very moment, the magma began to boil violently, and the entire cavern started to rumble and shake, raining down torrents of gravel and dust.
"Beep! Estimated time until major eruption: ten seconds! Nine seconds! Eight seconds!"
The Chip's alert tone rang out immediately.
"Now!" A sharp glint flashed through Lei Lin's eyes as the formidable power of a Third-Rank Wizard erupted from within him.
"Freeze!!!" He pressed both hands against the surface of the rock sphere. A layer of blue frost, visible to the naked eye, spread outward from beneath his palms.
Crack! Crack!
The blue ice layer quickly spread outward, encasing the entire rock sphere.
This ice seemed to possess terrifyingly low temperatures — even magma couldn't melt it. Vast quantities of white vapor billowed from every point where the sphere touched the molten rock.
"This should buy us a little time!" Lei Lin said with a grin, then immediately turned his gaze to the Chip's holographic display.
"Three seconds! Two seconds! One second! Critical threshold reached!!!"
BOOM!!!
Accompanied by the Chip's countdown, Lei Lin and Gubeler's bodies jolted violently. They both felt it — as though they were sitting atop an ancient, nightmarish beast, and at that very moment, the beast had awakened, unleashing a heaven-shaking roar!!!
"AHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Gubeler screamed, frantically grabbing at anything within reach.
Then he felt it — an overwhelming force, almost like the explosion of a universe itself. Tremendous kinetic energy erupted from beneath the rock sphere as countless streams of magma converged, propelling the sphere upward like a fire dragon driving it skyward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Magma immediately flooded the entire chamber, rushing upward through the passage, and at the very top soared the rock sphere carrying Lei Lin and Gubeler. The massive impacts and violent shaking kept coming, but what tormented Gubeler even more was the crushing gravity!!!
The rocket surged upward — and with it came extraordinarily terrifying gravitational pull!
Threads of immense pulling force gnawed at every inch of Gubeler's skin, bones, and flesh like swarms of ants, pinning him to the ground like a toad. He could only think that if he hadn't been a warlock whose body had undergone extensive reinforcement, he would have collapsed long ago.
Rumble!!!
Tremors! Eruption!
The terrifying power of nature left Gubeler with an overwhelming sense of his own insignificance — like an ant before the wrath of the earth.
The only thing he could do now was pray! Pray that they would get out quickly. Pray even harder that this rock sphere wouldn't break apart before they made it to the surface!
……
Boom!
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
This was a colossal volcanic mountain range, and today, the central volcano had finally gathered enough strength to roar into eruption.
Whoosh! Vast plumes of black smoke were blasted into the sky, even forming an immense gray cloud that plunged the surrounding region into darkness.
Countless tiny tributaries of lava flowed ceaselessly across the mountain's surface like springs and streams, resembling layer upon layer of intricate red veins.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
And at this very moment, accompanied by a tremendous earthquake, the enormous crater finally began to erupt!
It was as if the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart, like the end of the world.
Countless streams of red-veined-gold lava transformed into innumerable fire dragons, roaring and screaming as they flew toward every corner of the horizon.
Flames! Explosions! Earthquakes! Everything seemed to herald the imminent arrival of doomsday.
Embedded within the lava were also vast quantities of rock; boulders as large as small hills plummeted to the ground with tremendous kinetic energy, splashing magma and scorching debris that ravaged and utterly annihilated everything in their vicinity!
Crack!
Amid the countless falling stones in the sky, one was remarkably regular, almost perfectly spherical.
This rock sphere slammed into the ground, dragging a long, scorched trail across the earth, the surrounding area charred black.
On the surface of the rock sphere, a scorching red glow pulsed; it seemed as though the very stone was about to melt.
Crack! Crack!
Fine cracks began to spread densely across the surface. Bang! A layer of stone wall was blasted away, revealing the space within.
"Is this the Central Domain?"
Lei Lin emerged from the rock sphere, exhaling a breath of air that carried searing heat.
Even the apocalyptic scene not far away failed to stir any change in his expression. Instead, a faint hint of joy surfaced in his eyes.
"Central Domain! I've arrived!" Lei Lin thought to himself.
"Cough, cough..."
After Lei Lin waited a while longer, Gu Bole finally staggered out of the rock sphere. His body was an utter mess, covered in scorch marks.
Lei Lin's initial ice defense had been completely evaporated within a dozen seconds of the volcanic eruption, and the blistering heat had flooded the interior of the rock sphere.
If not for the fact that they were both Wizards, they would have been roasted alive long ago.
"That was too intense! Way too intense!" Gu Bole dry-heaved for a moment before wiping the cold sweat from his face, his expression full of lingering fear.
"Relax! We made it out safely in the end, didn't we?" Lei Lin turned back with a smile.
"Compressing a full day's journey into a dozen minutes — paying a small price is only to be expected!"
"Yes, Master!" Gu Bole could only smile bitterly.
"Are we in the Central Domain already?" Once he saw that Gu Bole had recovered somewhat, Lei Lin immediately sought final confirmation.
"That's right!" Gu Bole's face bore a very complicated expression. "This is the Great Asura Volcano of the Central Continent... We're standing on Central Continent soil now."
......
Three days later.
In a small city.
Huge glass revolving doors swayed gently, radiating a crystalline luster.
Many horse-drawn carriages and people in strange attire passed along the streets, and from time to time, a few formal Wizards could be spotted among them.
Lei Lin sat in a private room at a hotel. Pudding and fruit juice sat before him, mostly untouched, as he gazed at the scene outside with a somewhat dazed expression.
Snap!
Just then, the door was pulled open, revealing Gu Bole's figure.
"Master! I've already purchased airship tickets to the Black River Basin — departure is tomorrow morning! In four days at most, we'll arrive at the headquarters of the Ouroboros Ring!"
Gu Bole's voice was faintly tinged with excitement.