Sensing an endless stream of Lava Giants converging, some deliberately stomping to release shockwaves to probe the cave, Jie Ming knew he couldn’t stay hidden long. He activated a Level 4 defensive artifact to shield himself, then decisively burst out from his concealed burrow.
As he leapt from the ground into the flame-filled battlefield, the acrid stench of sulfur and scorched rock assaulted his senses.
He saw the Level 2 wizard struggling desperately against a Level 3 Lava Giant, supported by over a dozen Level 2 giants providing firepower.
The Level 1 wizard was also being relentlessly pursued, retreating step by step.
Yet, despite charging into the fray, Jie Ming remained calm.
He had already analyzed the situation before emerging.
A hidden Level 3 Lava Giant was clashing with the Level 2 wizard, compounded by swarms of Level 2 giants and the extreme heat amplifying their strength.
Continuing the fight here would be an agonizing, inefficient slog, even if he joined and they won.
“This will get messy if we keep fighting. And this place is too confined—definitely not the place for a battle!” Jie Ming decided instantly.
In this deep underground cavern, the Lava Giants could draw on geothermal energy, greatly enhancing their strength.Dragging the fight to the surface, where they’d lose the heat’s boost, would weaken them significantly.
Moreover, his strongest escape trump card—the “Light Transformation” of the Five Aggregates Rainbow Mirror—would be useless against the thick crust here.
He needed to escape this dangerous cavern and shift the battlefield to the open scorched plains.
“Focus and retreat outside!” Jie Ming, no longer concerned with stealth, sent a forceful mental pulse directly into the minds of the two struggling wizards. “Move the fight to the surface! This environment is against us!”
“Got it! Withdraw!” the Level 2 wizard roared, swinging his staff to unleash an Ice Spike Technique, temporarily forcing back the Level 3 Lava Giant.
Simultaneously, the Level 1 wizard silently hurled a high-explosive rune bomb to repel the advancing enemies.
Seizing the moment, both pulled their opponents along, struggling toward the lava lake entrance they’d come through.
Jie Ming led the charge, facing significant pressure.
His six Autonomous Floating Cannons traced graceful arcs in the air, raining dense energy beams that engulfed the Lava Giants trying to intercept him.
Level 1 and 2 giants were swept aside like leaves in a storm, some blasted apart by the overwhelming firepower.
While casually blasting away approaching giants, Jie Ming focused most of his attention on communicating and monitoring the other two wizards’ retreat paths.
He used his firepower to clear a path, drawing enemy attention to cover their withdrawal.
The rune artifact on his wrist continuously emitted high-frequency sonic waves, suppressing the Lava Giants en masse.
Amid a rain of molten fire, Jie Ming moved like lightning, wrapped in a small elemental storm, charging straight for the lava lake entrance.
To the three wizards, the boiling lava lake was their only lifeline.
He sensed the other two wizards closing in, his heart easing slightly.
But just as he neared the lake, a sudden, terrifying energy surge forced him to halt, his face taut with alertness!
His scalp tingled as a soul-deep sense of crisis surged within him!
At the same moment, the two wizards nearing the lake behind him froze, their faces pale with horror, pupils contracting as they turned toward the searing lava lake.
From the boiling depths, a massive, grotesque molten head erupted!
Its surface was riddled with irregular cracks, crimson energy fluctuations nearly solidifying, its enormous molten eyes radiating bloodthirsty, frenzied light!
Then, a colossal molten body rose earth-shakingly from the lake!
Standing five meters tall, wrapped in viscous lava, each step sent tremors through the ground.
The terrifying energy radiating from it marked it as another Level 3 Lava Giant!
“There… are two Level 3s…” the Level 2 wizard stared at the monstrous figure, his face drained of color.
What sent Jie Ming and the others into despair was the charred, unrecognizable head clutched in the new giant’s hand!
Burned beyond recognition by extreme heat, its face was a blur of twisted bone and scorched flesh.
Faint mental energy fluctuations revealed it was the Level 1 wizard who had left to contact the camp!
He’d clearly met his end while trying to relay intel, obliterated by this ambush predator!
“Intruders, die!”
The Level 3 Lava Giant wasted no words. Its cold gaze swept the battlefield, locking onto Jie Ming, the closest target!
Its massive arm, formed of pure molten rock, swung up with mountain-crushing force, unleashing a torrent of searing lava straight at him!
BOOM!
A deafening roar, like a thousand tons of explosives detonating, shook the air!
Jie Ming’s vision blurred as he was engulfed by a storm of raging fire elements.
The air-shattering strike hit him like a speeding train, hurling him backward!
His body carved a long arc through the air, trailing flames and rock debris, crashing like a meteor into a rock wall hundreds of meters away!
BOOM!
Another earth-shaking impact created a several-meter-deep human-shaped crater, rubble collapsing in a cloud of dust!
Jie Ming’s figure was swallowed by the debris.
For a moment, the cavern fell into dead silence.
The two wizards on the other side sank into despair.
“It’s over!” the Level 2 wizard cried, his face contorted with fear.
He stared at the collapsed wall, then at the Level 3 Lava Giant blocking the exit, holding the charred head, overwhelmed by helplessness.
Lava Giants were born for battle, their traits thriving in the high-heat underground.
The Level 2 wizard was confident in his combat ability, unafraid of a Level 3 giant in a one-on-one fight.
He’d even mastered the downgraded targeted destructive witchcraft “Lava Annihilation,” which could kill a Level 3 giant with a single hit.
The problem was, this wasn’t a one-on-one.
Besides the Level 3 giant he was already entangled with, a swarm of Level 2 giants provided support.
As a combat wizard, he didn’t fully grasp the spell’s mechanics, merely replicating its model in his mental sea.
While its power was undiminished, its casting speed and control were lacking.
With the Level 2 giants’ interference, even using the downgraded Level 2 Lava Annihilation, he could only maintain the status quo, unable to break the stalemate or turn the tide.
And now, a second Level 3 giant had appeared!
Worse, it blocked the only exit—a checkmate!
If this dragged on until his mental energy and potion reserves ran dry, death was certain!
Meanwhile, Jie Ming, blasted into the crater, was contemplating another issue.
The immense force had struck him, but beyond the initial shock and ringing in his ears, he was unharmed.
The Level 4 shield’s effect was extraordinary, ensuring his safety for now.
Being thrown back was partly his choice—he needed space to prepare.
“Two Level 3s, plus this many Level 2s…” Jie Ming shook his head in the crater’s depths.
The blow kept the giants’ attention off him briefly, giving him time to think.
Rationally, continuing the fight here would be extremely difficult.
Though he had multiple trump cards, fighting to the death in this confined, restrictive environment was foolish.
With the entrance blocked and the only exit guarded, charging out was suicide.
If he couldn’t escape “directly,” he’d have to find another way—an unexpected route out of this cavern!
Jie Ming sighed. “Looks like I have to use this method.”
With a pained expression, he swiftly retrieved a seemingly ordinary metal plate from his robes.