Read Novel Full Chapter 349: Great Volcano
Chapter 349: Great Volcano
The group did not waste time.
Pan Zheng and the others walked at a fast pace through the city streets, which were already beginning to fill with morning activity. Kyrian followed them effortlessly, his ice eyes scanning the surroundings out of habit.
They exited through the main gates of the City of Red Smoke without standing in line. Pan Zheng showed a metal badge to the guards, and they immediately allowed them through.
Outside, near the gates, the rest of the group was already waiting.
As Kyrian had expected, there were approximately ten people gathered, all wearing robes similar to those of Pan Zheng and his companions. They were, apparently, disciples of the Mountain Flame Sect and allied forces.
And most of them did not seem pleased with the delay.
An older man, appearing to be around fifty years old and wearing a more elaborate scarlet robe than the younger ones, stood firmly at the center of the group, arms crossed and expression tense. His energy was stronger than the others.
Kyrian evaluated quickly, he was at the 4° stage of the Core Formation Realm. Not impressive by the standards of an elder, but respectable.
"You took too long." He said sharply, looking at Pan Zheng and the others.
"Let’s go, or by the time we arrive someone will have already found the tomb. The other groups left hours ago."
His eyes then fell on Kyrian.
He examined the newcomer from head to toe, the ice-blue robe, the snowflake-shaped eyes, and the cold energy that contrasted violently with the heat of the environment. For a moment, he seemed surprised. Then his eyes narrowed.
"First stage of the Core Formation Realm?" the elder asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"You really brought a first-stage cultivator as if he were the great help we needed. What’s the use of his ice Qi if he’s weak?"
The faint arrogance in his tone was evident. He looked at Kyrian as if he were a lost child they had brought by mistake.
Kyrian remained impassive.
He did not care about the elder’s opinion. His strength was not measured by stages, and he knew that better than anyone. But there was no need to prove anything. He was not there to impress anyone, nor to gain validation from a mediocre elder of a sect he did not even know.
Pan Zheng felt embarrassed by his superior’s attitude but did not dare to argue. He simply lowered his head.
"I believe he is special, elder." Pan Zheng said, his voice low.
"His ice energy may be useful in the exploration."
"Useful?" the elder laughed, a dry sound.
"We’ll see."
The other members of the group also seemed impatient. Some looked at Kyrian with curiosity, others with indifference. Most, however, were clearly bothered by the delay.
They were the last group to depart. The other groups, from the other three great forces, had already left the city before dawn.
The pressure of starting the exploration later than the competitors was palpable.
Even so, no one dared to confront Kyrian openly. The cold energy he emanated was intimidating, and his strange eyes, with white snowflake-shaped pupils, unsettled them more than they would like to admit.
Some, however, seemed relieved. Low murmurs circulated among the younger disciples.
"Ice... that might help us against fire beasts..."
"He can protect us from the extreme heat."
"The other groups don’t have anyone like this. It could be our advantage."
Kyrian did not introduce himself to the larger group. There was no need. He remained beside Pan Zheng in silence, waiting.
The elder leading the group, whose name Kyrian still did not know and did not care to know, cast a few more suspicious glances in Kyrian’s direction but said nothing more. He had probably already decided that the ice cultivator would be Pan Zheng’s problem.
"Let’s go." The elder ordered at last, turning toward the south.
The entire group began to move.
...
Nineteen people, including Kyrian, departed from the gates of the City of Red Smoke at high speed.
They did not use mounts. The terrain beyond the gates was too rugged for large beasts, and mounts would only be useful further ahead, where the landscape opened up. For now, running was the best option.
The hot wind struck their faces as they advanced south. The Great Volcano dominated the horizon, an imposing silhouette of black stone and smoke that seemed to grow with every step. It was impossible to ignore its presence.
The landscape changed quickly.
First, low hills covered in twisted vegetation, dwarf trees with dark trunks and ash-colored leaves, adapted to constant heat and lack of water. Then, more arid terrain, with dark rocks and fissures in the ground from which hot steam escaped.
Kyrian ran with ease, keeping pace with the group without effort. His physical conditioning was excellent, and his ice energy protected him from the heat that made the others sweat profusely.
Pan Zheng ran beside him, taking the opportunity to talk.
"The Great Volcano is divided into three main areas." He explained between controlled breaths.
"The Outer Area, farther from the crater. There the heat is intense but still bearable. The ground is unstable, full of caves and tunnels formed by ancient lava flows. Many low-level fire beasts live there."
Kyrian listened attentively as Pan Zheng spoke.
"The intermediate area is much more dangerous. The temperature increases drastically, the fire Qi in the air is so dense that even cultivators trained in fire Qi have difficulty breathing. The beasts are stronger, more aggressive. And there are traps formed by the volcanic environment itself."
"And the inner area?" Kyrian asked.
Pan Zheng lowered his voice slightly.
"No one has entered the inner area and returned to tell the story in the last hundred years. They say that even elders at the peak of Core Formation hesitate to approach it. The temperature there is so high that metal melts. Only cultivators of the Spiritual Awakening Realm can survive there, and not for long."
Kyrian processed the information.
"And Ming Hai?" he asked.
"What do you know about him?"
Pan Zheng seemed pleased by the interest.
"Ming Hai was a legendary cultivator who lived in this region more than eight hundred years ago." He said, his eyes shining.
"They say he reached the Spiritual Fusion Realm and completely mastered volcanic fire Qi, not like ordinary fire cultivators who use external flames. He could absorb the energy of magma directly, using it to strengthen his own body and his techniques."
Spiritual Fusion Realm, the same realm as Dong Zhen. Kyrian stored the information.
"Confirmed rumors say that he created a hidden tomb within the volcanic mountain range." Pan Zheng continued.
"A place where fire reigns supreme. His tomb, if it is truly there, must contain incredible techniques and treasures capable of changing the fate of an entire sect."