Raising his head, Zhang Xuan saw Lozosy's face reddening, and she was so furious that she could explode.
While others were busy thinking about how to find the entrance, this fellow was staring at him intently. With just a look, it was clear that he was up to no good.
"Cough cough!"
Zhang Xuan choked on his saliva, not expecting the other party to notice him while he was deep in thought. He straightened his face, and his eyebrows shot up. "I was thinking that given how dangerous the lava is, it can't possibly be a trial."
"A trial?" Seeing that she had misunderstood Zhang Xuan's intentions, Lozosy felt a little embarrassed.
"That's right!"
Standing in the air, Zhang Xuan gazed ahead as he gestured with his hands. "If the person who left behind the ancient domain didn't intend for the later generations to enter, he wouldn't have allowed a gap in the formation to appear. Since he did so, it means that the ancient domain was left behind for the later generations, and this lava is likely to be the first trial. Only by clearing this trial will one be able to proceed deeper and deeper!"
"This …" Lozosy was taken aback for a moment before nodding in agreement.
The other party was right. If one could barge into the ancient domain as one pleased, it would have long since ceased to exist.
"What's the point of knowing all of this? Have you guessed the reason why the other party left behind this lava? Or perhaps … find the true entrance to the ancient domain? "
Lozosy looked at Zhang Xuan.
"I'm still trying to figure it out …"
Turning around, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that he had reacted quickly. Otherwise, if the other party were to learn of his thoughts, she would surely strangle him to death.
"Forget it, let's not think about this for the time being …"
Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan tossed aside the thoughts in his mind and lowered his head to look at the lava below.
The lava below was bubbling non-stop, reminiscent of boiling water. Even before entering the lava, one could already feel the searing heat, as if they would be scorched at any moment.
Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan took a closer look.
The entire mouth of the volcano was shrouded in heat, reminiscent of a sauna filled with steam, making it difficult for one to see clearly.
Sweeping his gaze across the area, Zhang Xuan was unable to find the slightest trace of a formation. In fact, he could not even see the slightest trace of spiritual energy.
"Perhaps there is a folded space …"
Frowning, Zhang Xuan was just about to communicate with the Myriad Anthive Queen to have it investigate when a voice suddenly sounded.
"This doesn't look like ordinary lava …"
He turned around and saw Wu Shi, President Han, and the others standing together. The latter had a surprised look on his face.
Everyone was puzzled.
"Look!"
President Han flicked his wrist and a Spirit Grade Intermediate Stage weapon appeared in his palm. He infused his True Qi into it and shot it straight down.
Thump!
As the weapon fused with the lava, a sizzling sound could be heard. Not long after, the weapon melted into liquid and disappeared.
"A mid-stage spirit rank … can melt it?"
Everyone was startled.
Previously, they had only felt that the temperature below was very high, but with their Saint domain experts' battle prowess, they should have been able to withstand it for a long time without suffering any injuries. However, upon seeing this scene, they immediately understood that the lava below was much more terrifying than they had imagined.
"It's... Earth Core Lava!"
Wu Tianqiong, the dean of Yunxu College, hesitated for a moment and said.
"Earth Core Lava?" Perplexed, the crowd turned to look at Zhang Xuan.
"I have read some books on it, and it's said that the temperature of lava increases the deeper one goes. The most formidable ones are the Earth Core Lava. A single droplet of it can melt a Spirit or even a Saint artifact! While the lava before us isn't that hot, its temperature has already exceeded that of ordinary lava. Thus … there's a good chance that what's below isn't the ancient domain but the earth's core! "
Wu Tianqiong analyzed.
"This …"
The crowd frowned.
"Regardless of whether that's the case or not, we'll know once we take a look!" Wu Shi's eyebrows shot up. "Why don't you wait here while I head down to take a look?"
"Given how hot the lava is, the temperature down there must be even higher. No matter how powerful you are, it should be difficult for you to head down, right?"
President Han asked.
"I have analyzed the situation just now, and with my current strength, I should only be able to dive a hundred meters down. If I encounter any danger, I'll immediately come out. Don't worry …"
Wu Shi nodded grimly. "If I don't go in and wait here, I fear that I won't be able to hold on for too long either!"
Even though they were flying through the air and there was still some distance between them and the lava down below, there was still a seal above them. The temperature had already reached a frightening level. For a short period of time, they could still withstand the heat by relying on their zhenqi, but as time went on, their zhenqi would be completely exhausted, and they would be burned to death.
"That's true. You must be careful …"
Hearing those words, Guild Leader Han knew that Zhang Xuan was speaking the truth, so he nodded in agreement.
"Un, don't worry. If I encounter any danger, I'll surely come out! "
Wu shi chuckled softly before falling silent. With a grim look on his face, he drove his zhenqi, and as if a massive dragon soaring through the starry sky, he turned around and dived downward.
Huala!
Driving his zhenqi aside, Zhang Xuan dived right into the lava.
"Ah …"
Not expecting Zhang Xuan to move so quickly, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before swallowing his words.
To be honest, he still hadn't figured out what was going on. Perhaps, Wu Shi might be able to uncover some new clues once he dived down.
Gugugugu!
The area where Wu Shi dived into was bubbling nonstop, and the lava gathered once more. It was as if no one had gone down at all.
"Will he … be fine?"
Looking at the situation below and feeling the searing heat in the air, a combat master couldn't help but ask.
After a moment of silence, President Han said, "Wu Shi's cultivation has already reached Saint 4-dan, and as a master teacher, he has many life-saving means up his sleeves. He shouldn't face much of a problem!"
Even though he was confident in his words, there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.
Clearly, even he didn't have absolute confidence that he would be able to survive.
"Don't worry. While Wu Shi isn't the strongest of the Qingyuan Empire's Mingshi Tang Faction, his means of escape are definitely the best. It's for this reason that he was sent here to explore the ancient domain!"
Mu shi said with a smile.
"Means of escape?"
Everyone was taken aback.
"Indeed. Wu Shi has a unique cultivation technique known as the 'Star Silkworm Steps'. Once executed, his speed is comparable to that of a Saint 5-dan Primordial Spirit realm expert. Even though it consumes a lot of zhenqi, it's still an invaluable life-saving technique!"
Mu shi nodded. "Even though the lava below is scorching hot, given his strength and means, it shouldn't be a problem for him to survive. Besides, since there's a Life Gate on the seal, he can't possibly die the moment he enters! "
"That's true …" The eyes of the combat masters lit up, and they heaved a sigh of relief.
If a Seven Star pinnacle master teacher were to be burned to death just by entering the lava, this ancient domain was simply too difficult!
If that was the case, how did Xu manage to come out alive?
What was the point of the elder who left behind the ancient domain doing all this?
Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.
In truth, it wasn't too far off from what he had been thinking.
Since the ancient domain was meant for humans to enter, it was possible for the trial to be a little more difficult. However, it was impossible for the trial to be completely shut out.
Hu!
After waiting for eight minutes, just as everyone was starting to get anxious, a loud rumble suddenly sounded from the lava below, and a figure darted up from the ground.
"Wu Shi …"
Everyone hurriedly turned their gazes over, and with just a single glance, their eyebrows shot up.
At this moment, Wu Shi's appearance was completely different from before. His clothes had been burnt to a crisp, leaving him completely naked. If not for the massive dragon formed from his zhenqi, he would have died from embarrassment.
Of course, the fact that his clothes had been burnt didn't mean much to him. What was more important was that he was panting heavily, and his face was ghastly pale, as if he had lost his life.
In fact, there were even some parts of his body that were exposed that were charred black. It was a horrifying sight to behold.
"What happened?"
President Han hurriedly rushed up to Zhang Xuan.
Wu Shi quickly swallowed a pill to recover his zhenqi before changing into a fresh set of clothes. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief.
"The temperature in the lava is much higher than I thought …"
With a bitter smile, Wu Shi explained, "After I entered the lava, I immediately headed down. I thought that with my stamina and zhenqi, it wouldn't be a problem for me to reach a hundred meters in. Who could have known that … when I was thirty meters in, I suddenly felt the temperature rising, and I couldn't hold on any longer. The rate at which my zhenqi was being depleted also increased by more than twofold!
"By the time I reached forty meters in, I realized that I had already depleted more than half of my zhenqi. Knowing that I wouldn't dare to venture any deeper, I decided to head back up … but in the end, I still nearly ran out of zhenqi and died in there!"
"You only managed to reach forty meters in?"
Wu Tianqiong was astonished.
Despite Wu Shi's strength, he had only managed to reach such a shallow depth. From this, it could be imagined just how fearsome the lava was.
"Did you notice anything?"
Zhang Xuan asked.
Wu Shi shook his head. "It's all lava down there, so I can't see anything at all. Furthermore, the pressure is extremely high, such that even my Spiritual Perception can only cover a radius of ten meters or so. Any further than that and I'll fall short … Forty meters down, the temperature is even higher, and based on my observation, I can't tell how deep the end is …"
"Your Spiritual Perception … can only cover a radius of ten meters or so?"
"How deep is it?"
Everyone's face warped in astonishment.
While Wu Shi's cultivation wasn't the highest among them, his fighting prowess was definitely the strongest among them. Even President Han wouldn't be a match for him.
Yet, even an expert of his caliber was only able to reach a radius of ten meters … How in the world was he supposed to explore a volcanic crater with a diameter of ten li?
Even if there was an entrance to the ancient domain below, surely they wouldn't be able to enter it?
"Indeed. When my Spiritual Perception was at the surface, it could only cover a radius of several hundred meters. The deeper I go, the tighter the restraints on my Spiritual Perception. Forty meters is my limit, and I won't be able to go any deeper …"
Wu Shi shook his head.
"You can only reach forty meters, and there's still a long way to go … What should we do?"
The crowd glanced at one another.
Despite Wu shi's incredible fighting prowess, he was only able to advance forty meters into the formation. Given so, it was unlikely that the others would be able to advance any further … Could it be that the seal had finally been broken, and they were all trapped here?
"Not good … The seal has closed …"
Just as everyone was shocked by the news, a voice suddenly sounded amidst the crowd. Everyone turned their gazes over, only to see that the light barrier that they had just passed through had reverted back to its original white color. The rainbow bridge had also disappeared, as though the entrance had been sealed shut.
(It's almost the Lunar New Year. Do you all know why Valentine's Day is on the 29th this year? That's because if you don't handle Valentine's Day well, you can forget about celebrating the Lunar New Year! Haha, I implore everyone to pay attention to this official account. I've created a Beauty List for the ladies in this book. You can all take a look at it. Just search for 'Sweeping the Horizon' on WeChat and add me as your follower!)
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