The vast cavern echoed with the deafening sounds of explosions and the anguished roars of Lava Giants.
Flames and the radiant streams of witchcraft intertwined, Jie Ming’s figure, encircled by the Great Radiance array, cutting through the chaos like an unstoppable demon god.
His floating cannons relentlessly cleared low-level obstacles, while he focused most of his energy on the Level 2 Lava Giants, directing the Great Radiance’s firepower toward these elite targets.
The battle raged for nearly half an hour.
The Lava Giants, bolstered by the high-temperature environment, gained remarkable enhancements in resilience and regeneration. Even with Jie Ming unleashing full firepower and deploying the Great Radiance stance, it took considerable effort to secure victory.
When the last Lava Giant fell with a thunderous crash, the underground cavern returned to dead silence, broken only by the dull grinding of pressurized lava.
Jie Ming’s breathing was slightly labored. Though his physical energy consumption was minimal, the sustained high-intensity combat left his mental energy faintly strained.
He casually recalled his floating cannons and the small rune artifacts orbiting him, his cold gaze sweeping the battlefield.
Every Lava Giant, including the peak Level 2 leader nearing Level 3, had been successfully eliminated.
“Hiss… cough, cough!”Instinctively trying to take a deep breath, he choked on the toxic underground air.
Jie Ming shook his head, retrieving a soul-searching artifact and stepping forward.
From the Lava Giant leader’s soul, he extracted far more complete and detailed intelligence than before.
In the fragmented memories, he pinpointed the location and entry method for a higher-tier, more secretive Lava Giant stronghold.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jie Ming suppressed all excess aura and sped toward the target like a phantom.
…
…
In the desolate scorched wastes of the Flame Realm, Jie Ming darted between molten lava and jagged rocks.
Instead of using Flight Technique, he relied on his extraordinary physical strength, racing across the ground at astonishing speed.
His steps were light and swift, each landing precisely avoiding the bubbling lava fissures in the earth.
Just before reaching the target area, his detection artifact pinged with a fluctuation alert.
Jie Ming glanced at the incoming data, hesitated briefly, then continued toward the source.
Soon, the distant sounds of intense energy fluctuations and Lava Giant roars reached him.
Jie Ming halted instantly, slipping behind a rock to conceal himself.
He retracted his All-Purpose Eye, switching to the subtler Micro-Light Eye for cautious reconnaissance.
In his field of vision, three wizards were locked in fierce combat with a group of Lava Giants.
The group consisted of one Level 2 wizard and two Level 1 wizards, forming a hunting team.
They were struggling against over a dozen Level 2 Lava Giants.
Though wizards could leverage energy manipulation to overpower many same-level beings, the elite Lava Giants, amplified by the Flame Realm’s high temperatures, held a numerical advantage, leaving the three wizards strained, their mental energy fluctuations growing erratic.
Jie Ming didn’t act immediately.
His goal wasn’t to kill but to infiltrate deeper.
Moreover, though the three wizards appeared hard-pressed, their struggle was deliberate, aimed at capturing more live specimens.
Revealing himself during the heat of battle could cause misunderstandings.
He waited patiently.
After expending considerable effort, the three wizards finally defeated the dozen Level 2 Lava Giants.
As they began tallying their spoils and sealing the surviving specimens, Jie Ming released a faint but clear energy fluctuation as a signal.
The three wizards froze, instantly adopting defensive stances against potential threats.
When they saw a Level 1 wizard emerge from behind a lava flow, they relaxed.
“Fellow colleague, why are you here?” the Level 2 wizard asked cautiously.
As he spoke, he quickly scanned Jie Ming for dangerous items.
His eyes soon locked onto the intricately runed floating cannons hovering behind Jie Ming and the faintly glowing rune artifact on his wrist.
Even without knowing their specifics, these items screamed danger.
“I was heading to a Lava Giant stronghold when I sensed activity here and came to check it out. Didn’t expect to run into you all,” Jie Ming replied amicably.
“A stronghold?” The Level 2 wizard raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Jie Ming caught the shift in his demeanor. “What’s up?”
The lead wizard didn’t answer immediately. He turned to confer with the other two wizards, then nodded at Jie Ming after a moment.
“To be honest, we’re also heading to a nearby stronghold.”
Jie Ming was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on. “Then… shall we share intel?”
“Deal!”
After exchanging information, it was no surprise that both parties were targeting the same stronghold.
“We’re here for the same reason!” the Level 2 wizard said. “Our detection spells recently picked up abnormal energy fluctuations here, suggesting a significant Lava Giant stronghold.”
Jie Ming wasn’t surprised by the overlap. The Lava Giants’ wartime strategy of splitting and multiplying forces was effective against other creatures but practically handed intelligence to wizards.
He shared his findings without hesitation. “Based on my soul-search intel, that stronghold likely houses Level 3 Lava Giants—an unconventional threat.”
His gaze swept over the two Level 1 wizards, his tone formal. “So, shall we team up?”
“I’m in. What about you two?” the Level 2 wizard asked his companions.
Though wizards weren’t adept at large-scale army combat, they excelled in small-team synergy.
On the battlefield, if conditions aligned, even strangers could quickly form teams.
The two Level 1 wizards had no objections.
Though Jie Ming didn’t specify how he obtained his intel, the others could infer he’d at least taken down a Level 2 Lava Giant.
Given the Lava Giants’ patterns, a Level 2 would be accompanied by a large group of Level 1s as a reconnaissance team.
Knowing Jie Ming had infiltrated this deep and single-handedly dispatched an entire reconnaissance team, they recognized his formidable strength.
On the battlefield, a strong teammate meant a higher chance of survival. They had no reason to refuse.
The Level 2 wizard made the call, nodding at Jie Ming. “Since we’re all on board, let’s work together.”
Thus, the four formed a temporary alliance.
As they traveled, they exchanged details about their combat styles to ensure smooth cooperation.
Guided by one of the Level 1 wizards skilled in reconnaissance, they soon reached the indicated location.
It was an unassuming cave, its entrance veiled by dense volcanic vines.
Without keen energy perception, it would be nearly impossible to spot.
The cave’s interior was pitch-black, but a searing heat emanated from within.
“This place is more concealed than typical Lava Giant strongholds,” the Level 2 wizard whispered. “Stay sharp—there could be sentries.”
Jie Ming nodded slightly.
They cautiously entered the winding cave.
Before long, they reached a massive underground lava lake, its surface glowing faintly red, bubbling and hissing.
According to the soul-search memories, this was the entrance.
The four activated their protective witchcrafts and plunged into the scalding lava lake.
Jie Ming felt the lava’s embrace, its familiar heat like warm water to him.
But since the other three wizards had raised energy shields, he followed suit to blend in.
They sank along the rugged channels at the lake’s bottom, navigating kilometers through twisting, interconnected lava veins.
After countless ascents, the flowing lava thinned, and an open space appeared ahead.
Their eyes lit up as they emerged from the viscous lava lake into a vast, hemispherical underground chamber.
The space was immense, with a towering ceiling and flat ground.
To their surprise, it wasn’t the expected barracks or mining cave.
The entire area exuded dense moisture and the fragrance of plants, starkly contrasting the arid Flame Realm outside.
They crept forward cautiously and soon discovered that this was a massive “plantation”!
At the cavern’s center, vast patches of greenery thrived on the scorching earth.
The plants varied in form, with thick, water-laden leaves emitting strange glows.
They were clearly specialized flora adapted to extreme heat, capable of synthesizing moisture from the dry air.
Even more astonishing, the cavern’s ceiling housed a hundreds-meter-wide artificial energy orb, emitting soft, stable light.
It mimicked sunlight, providing constant illumination for the plants below.
According to prior soul-search intel, these plants served as fodder for livestock.
The three wizards were incredulous.
Jie Ming, however, recalled his research: Lava Giants had unique digestive systems capable of processing animal flesh, so hunting for food wasn’t surprising.
But he never imagined these elemental beings would engage in farming.