Three days later, the Extreme Southern Volcanic Belt, rolling and undulating like festering scars upon the earth, finally rose before Lin Xia and Lou Gao.
The air was scorching and distorted, saturated with a pungent stench of sulfur, as though every breath carried sparks of fire.
As far as the eye could see, more than a dozen active volcanoes either spewed billowing smoke or accumulated dark-red magma lakes at their peaks, casting an orange glow across the lead-gray sky.
The land was charred black, covered with solidified lava flows and fissures venting steaming heat. Only the hardiest, strange plants—whose leaves burned crimson like flames, clung sparsely to the scorching cracks between the rocks.
"Tsk… This damned place. After more than ten years, it's still just as… overwhelmingly magnificent."
Lou Gao wiped away the sweat streaming down his temples, which instantly evaporated in the intense heat. His labored breathing sounded heavy in the scorching air.
The specially made leather vest he wore—mixed with fire-resistant materials was already soaked through, clinging tightly to his burly frame.
Lin Xia felt even worse. His mouth was parched, and sweat flowed like rivulets from his forehead and neck, soaking into his inner clothes.
He tugged hard at his collar, trying to draw in even a trace of cool air, yet his gaze was firmly seized by the scene before him.
Shock—an incomparable shock!
This was the overwhelming might of terrestrial fire beyond human reach, the very edge of a forbidden zone of life.
What surprised him even more were the Soul Beasts active near the foot of the volcanoes and along the edges of the lava flows.
Groups of three to five Lava Lizards lay lazily atop blistering obsidian. Their crimson scales shimmered faintly under the intense heat. They merely rotated their amber vertical pupils, indifferently sweeping a glance at the intruders before closing their eyes again, as though enjoying a sunbath.
Several larger Soul Beasts, shaped somewhat like pangolins, but with shells as rough as cooled lava, dark-red light flowing through the cracks—were digging with sharp claws. They were equally indifferent to Lin Xia and the others, only occasionally slapping the ground with their thick tails, sending up a few sparks.
Near a steaming geothermal spring, Lin Xia even spotted a massive beast that looked as though it had been assembled from chunks of molten rock, magma flowing through its joints. Half its enormous body was submerged in roiling boiling water, emitting satisfied, grinding growls like stones rubbing together, completely ignoring the humans standing nearby.
"Teacher… aren't they a bit too 'friendly'?"
Lin Xia lowered his voice, his tone filled with disbelief and confusion.
This completely contradicted his understanding that Soul Beasts possessed strong territorial instincts and were highly vigilant or even hostile, toward humans.
Although most of these Soul Beasts didn't seem especially powerful, primarily around the thousand-year range, this collective "indifference" felt eerie instead.
Lou Gao gazed at the familiar yet alien scene before him, the sense of nostalgia deepening on his face.
"Heh. Didn't expect that after more than ten years, these fellows would still be the same. Back when we first came to prospect here, it was just like this—lazy, couldn't be bothered with us humans at all, as if we were just walking stones."
Lin Xia's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he pressed on, "Teacher, you mentioned that something changed later? That they started attacking you? Why?"
The smile on Lou Gao's face stiffened slightly. A trace of complicated emotion flashed through his eyes—lingering fear, confusion, and deep regret at not being able to explore further back then.
Lou Gao shook his head, his rough fingers unconsciously rubbing the heavy ammo pouch at his waist that held specially made Void Bullets.
"The exact reason? To be honest, even this old man has no clue."
His voice dropped, weighted with memory.
"That time, we were lucky. On the side of an inconspicuous volcanic crater, we dug out several high-quality veins of Earthfire Crystals and Scarlet Flame Copper. The harvest was excellent."
"We were just about to reach the deeper layers where a core mineral zone might exist. Everyone was excited. Just as we were preparing to concentrate our efforts and dig deeper in one direction…"
Lou Gao paused, as if he could still hear it.
"…a cry came from deep underground, without any warning. That sound… was very strange. It wasn't like the roar of ordinary Soul Beasts. It was more like… something that pierced the soul, carrying a certain rhythm—a command? Or a warning?"
"The moment that sound rang out, the entire volcanic region changed!"
A trace of lingering dread crept into Lou Gao's tone.
"Those fellows outside who had been lazily sunbathing and dozing off, like they'd been lashed hard by an invisible whip, their eyes instantly turned blood-red! Low, threatening roars poured from their throats! They no longer ignored us. Instead, they closed in from all directions, blocking the mine entrances and driving us away."
Lou Gao gestured as he spoke.
"They didn't truly try to kill us. It was more like… expulsion. Their claws slammed against the rocks in warning, small fireballs landed at our feet to block our path, and their massive bodies squeezed our space to move."
"That look in their eyes… it wasn't indifference anymore. It was filled with something like… 'guardianship.' As if we were coveting the most important thing they possessed. We tried to communicate and defend ourselves, but there were simply too many of them and they seemed intent only on forcing us out."
"With no other choice, we could only take the ores we had already mined and retreat in disgrace, amid increasingly dense roars and earth-shaking expulsions."
Lou Gao let out a sigh and patted a scorching-hot rock beside him.
"From that day on, this ancient mining area became a thorn in my heart. I can't let it go! I've always felt that deep beneath the earth, there are secrets and treasures far beyond our imagination."
After hearing this, Lin Xia's emotions surged.
Lou Gao's description instantly made him associate many possibilities—guardian beasts of a divine inheritance site?
Or perhaps a terrifying existence powerful enough to rule over all the volcanic Soul Beasts in this region?
But just as he knew, without seeing it with his own eyes, any speculation was meaningless.
Lin Xia suppressed his churning thoughts and returned to the practical matter at hand.
"Teacher, then where do we start this time? The same place as before?"
Hearing this, Lou Gao shot Lin Xia an annoyed glare, then burst into hearty laughter, the sound ringing loudly through the scorching air.
"You little brat! Has this damned heat cooked your brain? With such a 'living treasure-hunting radar' right beside us, you're still asking this old man?"
Lou Gao's fan-like hand slapped Lin Xia's shoulder hard, then pointed toward Larvitar, who was curiously pawing at the scorching black sand, its crimson eyes scanning the surroundings. Clearly, it too had been drawn into a state of excitement by the dense earthfire energy permeating the area.
"Let it handle it! This little monster's nose is a hundred times better than my tattered map and half-baked experience! This time, we'll follow its instincts! Wherever it thinks smells 'good,' that's where we dig!"
Lin Xia smacked his own forehead and laughed.
"Haha, my mistake! I've been following your lead for so long, Teacher, that I nearly forgot about our greatest asset."
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