The lava was no longer nourished by the millennium earthcore fire, but it was still extremely hot. That was understandable, as it was impossible for the extreme heat to fully dissipate in a month. Ordinary Kings would never be able to enter the lava pool. As for Long Hui, he was an exception as his bravery was backed by actual strength.
He was already a powerful King with his cultivation level of sixth-stage Skysoar Realm. On top of that, he cultivated the power of flame and had a king-grade armor. All these factors combined allowed him to remain unharmed in the lava for a short amount of time. He had a large amount of kingly presence protecting him, but the moment he sank into the lava pool, his protection quickly withered under the extreme temperature.
Long Hui then activated his cultivation method and started absorbing the flame power in the lava to strengthen and help himself become accustomed to the temperature. The king-grade armor he wore came into effect as it started blocking the lava outside his body, stopping him from being completely burned.
Even with the multiple layers of protection, Long Hui was still not having an easy time. He was already sweating profusely.
I need to locate the millennium earthcore fire as soon as possible. I won't be able to last longer than an hour here, Long Hui told himself.
He started circulating his cultivation method at full power as he searched for the millennium earthcore fire. Because he couldn't see anything in the lava, he wasn't swimming around and searching with his eyes. Instead, he had to rely on his other senses.
He spread his fingers and sent out strands of energy from his fingers. The strands of energy started spreading out and searched the surroundings for him like feelers. He was trying to search for a spot where the power of flame was particularly intense, which would most likely be where the millennium earthcore fire was hiding. His search method was decent, but unfortunately for him, the millennium earthcore fire was no longer present. All his efforts were futile.
Xiang Shaoyun could sense clearly everything Long Hui was doing. He noiselessly avoided the latter's senses, careful as to not reveal himself while moving around.
This fellow is definitely no pushover. I need to deal with him carefully, Xiang Shaoyun thought to himself. He completely withdrew his aura and blended into his surroundings to the point he was hardly noticeable within the lava.
Long Hui searched everywhere relentlessly to no avail, and he started growing anxious.
Has the millennium earthcore fire really left? Long Hui was indignant, and the indignation nearly drove him mad.
In his madness, Long Hui roared to his surroundings, "I refuse to believe you are not here. Show yourself!"
Bang! Bang!
At the same time, he sent numerous palm attacks everywhere, creating massive waves in the lava pool. It made it much harder for Xiang Shaoyun to remain still. He quickly moved aside to avoid being hit. And the instant he moved, Long Hui noticed the traces of movement.
"There!" Long Hui cried out in exultation and charged over. When Xiang Shaoyun sensed Long Hui heading toward him, he knew his position had been exposed.
Damn it, this old man sure is quick, Xiang Shaoyun cursed inwardly before pushing the lava around him forward in an attempt to slow the old man down. He then quickly moved away, withdrew his aura, and stopped moving again.
He was contemplating on whether it would be better for him to take this chance to leave. But that thought was immediately suppressed. He remained still, waiting for an even better opportunity before acting.
"Millennium earthcore fire, you won't escape me! You belong to me, Long Hui!" Long Hui howled. As he said that, he formed a claw and sent it flying toward a spot near Xiang Shaoyun.
"You want the millennium earthcore fire? Sure, I'll give you a taste of the millennium earthcore fire's power! Flame, light this place up again!" Xiang Shaoyun said as a look of madness surfaced in his eyes.
He fully activated his third star and started blasting the lava around him with palm attacks. Strands of terrifying flame power streamed out, increasing the intensity of the flame power within the lava. Instantly, the temperature of the lava was pushed to extreme levels.
Long Hui was still randomly attacking his surroundings when it all happened. He hadn't been able to immediately locate Xiang Shaoyun. After all, he was unable to sense the presence of a human within the lava, and he had also not expected that a person with a weaker cultivation level would be in the lava anyway. Right as he was about to unleash a new round of attacks, he noticed the change of temperature in his surroundings.
What's going on? Is the millennium earthcore fire finally deciding to show its power? Long Hui questioned inwardly. Without any hesitation, he clawed at where Xiang Shaoyun was with his full power.
More than 10 claw attacks were sent out in a row. Each claw was incredibly powerful, and the range his claws reached expanded as well. This time, Xiang Shaoyun no longer had anywhere to run. He clenched his teeth and braced himself.
Fortunately, the lava had resisted a part of Long Hui's attacks, reducing the might of the attacks that actually reached Xiang Shaoyun. Even so, the weakened claws were still enough to give him a hard time.
"Gotcha!" Long Hui was a veteran in combat and was able to immediately detect the millennium earthcore fire's power emanating from Xiang Shaoyun. The claw gripped Xiang Shaoyun and dragged him over against his wishes.
Xiang Shaoyun no longer had any hope of remaining hidden. He thus unleashed all his power, causing his combat prowess to instantly soar. At the same time, Yun Flame's power was also pushed to the extremes.
"You want the millennium earthcore fire? Take it then!" Xiang Shaoyun roared.
Right as Xiang Shaoyun was about to be dragged over to Long Hui, Yun Flame completely erupted in power and filled the area with an intense flame power.
Bang! Bang!
The natural flame power in their surroundings was instantly replaced with the millennium earthcore fire's own flame power. In the blink of an eye, the temperature reached a point that not even King Realm experts could resist. The kingly presence protecting Long Hui started crumbling apart. Even his king-grade armor was showing signs of disintegration as cracks had started to appear on it.
Long Hui's face fell as he shouted, "Impossible! The millennium earthcore fire is not capable of speech! Who! Who is it to have harvested the millennium earthcore fire!"
He did not want to stay in the lava any second longer. He had to leave immediately. Or else, he would be burned to death. Even so, he wanted to claw at Xiang Shaoyun one last time before leaving, as he was still unwilling to give up on the millennium earthcore fire. Unfortunately, the flame power released by Yun Flame was too intense. He couldn't afford to stay an extra second longer and was forced to abandon the thought.
"Since you're already here, stay," Xiang Shaoyun said. With a ruthless glint in his eyes, he activated his Nether Dragon Soul Headband.
And to activate the Nether Dragon Soul Headband, he naturally had to first chant the mantra of the Nether Dragon Soul Curse. An ancient and peculiar incantation that was incomprehensible started coming out of Xiang Shaoyun's mouth.
At the same time, one odd symbol after another floated out of his mouth. Following that, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband in his head suddenly flew out and headed straight toward Long Hui.