This time, the indigenous people, akin to parasites clinging to the bone, did not reappear. Yet Lu Changsheng couldn’t shake the feeling that the volcano at the center of the desert carried an air of familiarity, leaving him puzzled.
The others, finding themselves unable to escape for the moment—and knowing that exiting might result in pursuit by the indigenous tribe—decided it was better to follow Lu Changsheng to investigate the truth.
Their understanding of this Ancient Star was incredibly limited.
Everyone began to ride their Flying Swords and approached the volcano.
As the distance to the volcano grew closer, the temperature also escalated dramatically. Even the Guanghan Palace Ancestor, a cultivator in the Divine King Realm, began to struggle.
“Could there be something within this volcano? Otherwise, why would an ordinary volcano emit such extreme heat to this degree?”
The Guanghan Palace Ancestors felt that it was far from ordinary.
Though they cultivated Extreme Cold True Energy to resist heat, they were utterly powerless in the face of this peculiar volcano.
Unless there was something exceptionally unusual about this volcano.
They landed on the edge of the crater, gazing at the molten lava bubbling within.
This went beyond what one could describe as an ordinary volcanic crater; it was instead a terrifying sea of magma, boundless and infinite, as if it were an entire world of molten rock.
The magma bubbled occasionally, releasing toxic gases.
“From the surface, it doesn’t appear much different from an ordinary volcano—only larger in scale. But why is its heat so extraordinarily intense, multiplied by more than a hundredfold?”
“Could it be that the indigenous people stopped chasing us because of this volcano?”
“Such a strange matter—after all, it’s just a volcano. Why would one fear it?”
The Ancestors speculated aloud but failed to discern the volcano’s peculiarities.
Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow tightly.
Familiar, far too familiar.
The fire-sea of molten lava from this volcano gave Lu Changsheng an intensely familiar feeling—though he couldn’t immediately pinpoint where he had felt it before.
Lu Changsheng was certain he had never been to this Ancient Star, let alone this specific location. So why did he feel such familiarity?
Lu Changsheng was at a loss.
The Elder Ancestor of Lin Clan stretched out his palm, and a Compass materialized in his hand.
Using the Compass, he observed the layout of the surrounding mountains, the terrain, and the stellar feng shui.
The Jiang Family Ancestor noticed that Lin Clan’s Elder Ancestor had likely discovered something. “Have you figured out the mysteries of this place?”
Lin Clan’s Elder Ancestor paced back and forth, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
“Would you just say something? You’re driving me mad with suspense!”
The Jiang Family Ancestor urged, annoyed.
The Lin Clan Elder pointed consecutively at nine towering mountain ridges. “The arrangement of these nine mountain ridges is quite deliberate. They form the layout of ‘Nine Dragons Locking the Prison.’ Such intricate design is unlikely to be naturally formed. It must have been man-made.”
Jiang Family Ancestor’s face changed drastically: “Do you mean that some supreme being used unimaginable power to move these nine mountain ridges here, creating a Great Formation to suppress something within the volcano?”
The Lin Clan Elder inhaled deeply. “It’s highly possible. That may well be the truth.”
Already drenched in sweat, the surrounding Ancestors felt their blood run cold upon hearing the exchange between the Lin Clan Elder and Jiang Family Ancestor.
No wonder the indigenous tribe didn’t pursue. Turns out the volcano sealed something truly terrifying.
Wait—does that mean the situation they were in was exceedingly dangerous?
“Could it be…”
Lu Changsheng’s mind raced to a revelation.
Back in the Lower Realm, he had acquired a Magical Treasure—the Mysterious Fire Mirror.
Though the Mysterious Fire Mirror seemed less impressive now, back in the Lower Realm, it had been one of Lu Changsheng’s most relied-upon treasures.
The Mysterious Fire Mirror could tear open spatial rifts and summon a projection of the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon’s world.
Even the projection, a mere fraction of the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon’s true power, was formidable enough to deal with Lu Changsheng’s enemies at the time.
Lu Changsheng had once locked eyes with the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon. It was only after ascending to the Immortal Realm that he learned the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon was one of the Ancient Dragon Kings, renowned for battling alongside Candle Dragon and World-Ending Black Dragon against the Master.
Eventually, the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon was defeated by the Primordial Goddess of the Human Race—a Great Expert who founded the Primordial Sacred Land—and cast into the Void.
Certain Magical Treasures could still harness small fragments of its power through secret techniques left by the Primordial Goddess, and the Mysterious Fire Mirror was one such artifact.
Back then, when summoning the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon, the dragon appeared amidst blazing flames and molten lava.
“That scene—it’s eerily similar to the current molten magma fire-sea. Could it be…”
Lu Changsheng was startled by the very thought.
If it were true, this was disastrous.
Outside the desert, more than a thousand indigenous warriors had arrived. They hovered uncertainly, debating whether to enter.
Eventually, these indigenous fighters forced their way into the desert.
“Not good—the indigenous tribe is chasing us again!”
At that moment, still preoccupied with investigating the volcano’s abnormality, the group detected the indigenous warriors rapidly closing in.
“These indigenous people are like endless ghosts! At this rate, forget rescuing Su Family Ancestor—even meeting up with Lin Shiyu and Li Lingfei seems unlikely!”
Lu Changsheng was thoroughly exasperated by the tribe’s persistence.
The indigenous people were original inhabitants of this Ancient Star, intimately familiar with its terrain and features, giving them a natural advantage.
If this relentless chase continued, not only was their own survival threatened, but rescuing Su Family Ancestor became utterly hopeless.
“You cannot escape. The only path before you is death.”
This time, over a thousand indigenous warriors were well-prepared. Before Lu Changsheng’s group could get away, they materialized from every direction, enclosing them completely.
The leader of these indigenous warriors held a colossal stone cauldron, whose overwhelming pressure locked the space around them, preventing Lu Changsheng’s group from using any Spatial Talismans to escape.
“This isn’t good. We’re left with no choice but to fight for our lives.”
“Who are you people? We’re only here to rescue someone. Why must you hunt us to death?”
The Ancestors, seeing no way out, stepped forward, attempting to negotiate with the indigenous tribe and avert outright conflict.
The odds were hopelessly stacked against Lu Changsheng’s group.
With over a thousand indigenous warriors, led by an Immortal Realm Great Expert boasting an incomparably powerful physique, the pressure was suffocating.
These indigenous warriors were born Tempered Body Experts, possessing terrifying bloodline power.
“I’ve already said—death is your only path.”
The Immortal Realm leader wielded a stone axe. The stone axe radiated a dreadful aura that was clearly no Mortal-grade weapon.
The Immortal Realm warrior’s figure vanished into thin air.
“Ah!!”
A Guanghan Palace Ancestor in the Divine King Realm let out an anguished scream as his body was cleaved in half by the stone axe, dying on the spot!
Incredibly strong!
The Ancestors from Guanghan Palace and Mount Taihua were shaken to the core.
This indigenous warrior’s power was terrifyingly overwhelming.
And he wasn’t even the chief of the tribe.
It seemed likely their entire group would perish here!
Rumble…
Just as everyone was at a loss, the volcano began to quake, the earth trembling beneath their feet, massive amounts of magma erupting outward. Thick black smoke blanketed the skies as meteoric fire rained down—a breathtaking yet catastrophic spectacle.
The indigenous warriors encircling Lu Changsheng’s group turned pale, clearly frightened of whatever lay within the volcano.
A resounding dragon’s cry pierced the Nine Heavens, shaking everyone—indigenous warriors and Lu Changsheng’s group alike.
“Could there be a dragon within?”
The seasoned Ancestors from Guanghan Palace and Mount Taihua, well-acquainted with the Dragon Clan, quickly speculated that a dragon might lie within the volcano.
Lu Changsheng laid out an even more astonishing hypothesis: “What if the dragon within this volcano is the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon banished by the Primordial Goddess?”
“What?!”
“Are you saying the Eight Desolation Fire Dragon, cast into the depths of the Void, resides here?!”
The Ancestors were dumbfounded.
The Eight Desolation Fire Dragon—one of the most powerful members of the Ancient Dragon Clan, rivaling Candle Dragon and World-Ending Black Dragon—had claimed countless lives of Ancient Human Race great warriors.
Never in their wildest dreams did they expect to find the fabled banishment ground of the notorious Eight Desolation Fire Dragon here!
The magma began boiling and roiling on an unprecedented scale, manifesting apocalyptic scenes of destruction and chaos.
Out of the scalding magma emerged an unimaginably enormous head. Fiery red dragon scales gleamed like flawless works of art, ablaze with intensity. The crimson Dragon Horns resembled two imposing Longswords forged from red steel.
The Eight Desolation Fire Dragon’s true form was revealed!
In the midst of this majestic spectacle, amidst the tiny human cultivators surrounding it, the mighty Eight Desolation Fire Dragon caught sight of a familiar figure amongst them. Its golden dragon eyes constricted sharply.
