This passage truly deserves the nickname “Underground Labyrinth,” as the deeper one goes, the broader the overall tendency becomes, with some places reaching nearly a hundred meters high.
There are also endless fissures in the passageway, various complex intersecting side paths, various types of hallucinogenic toxic smoke, and only the faint glow emitted by fungi and algae around. Once stepped into, it is very easy to get lost here.
“Swamp ant, find a place to bury them.”
“Okay.”
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Ivan came to a spot and handed over a Divine Power Short Spear he had seized earlier to the swamp ant. Without a word, the swamp ant took it and buried the spear deep into the earth using its abilities.
“Sorcerer Ivan, why do we need to bury it?” asked the Flame Scorpion curiously.
“It has special powers, and carrying it can easily attract attention,” Ivan responded casually.
“Then why not throw it away?”
“It has significant research value; once we return from underground, we can dig it out for further study.”
“Oh, I see.”
Hearing his answer, the Flame Scorpion nodded his head in realization, then took a long look at the burial site as if committing it to memory.
The Flame Scorpion is naturally active; having been born not long ago, its energy was abundant, and it was at a stage of curiosity about everything.
Seeing that Ivan was rarely stingy in answering questions, the Flame Scorpion gradually became livelier. Fortunately, the swamp ant had taught it when it was and wasn’t appropriate to ask questions.
The overall tendency of the Underground Labyrinth is a continuous descent.
Along the way, one could occasionally see dazzling luminous stones, though these could also potentially be luring beasts in various forms, offering an eye-opening experience.
“Sorcerer Ivan, we’re not going to get lost, are we?” After a while, the Flame Scorpion could not distinguish north from south.
“What are you trying to say?” Ivan sensed an ulterior motive in its words.
“Hehe, what I’m trying to say is that I can sense where the lava converges. Let me lead the way; I guarantee to get us there the fastest,” the Flame Scorpion declared confidently.
“Not a bad idea, but I have other methods that are currently the safest routes,” Ivan rejected without a second thought.
If the Flame Scorpion led the way, it knew nothing; who knew what sort of creature’s lair it would stumble into? Just the thought was a disaster.
“Alright then,” the Flame Scorpion said, slightly disappointed that it couldn’t show off its skills.
Following Ivan’s lead, the trio continued downward along the passage until Ivan suddenly stopped, stomped on the ground, and a small section of root emerged from deep within the rocks.
“What is this?”
“Jenny left a marker.”
This small section of root was neither wood nor stone but was undoubtedly left intentionally by Jenny.
With Jenny’s ability to manipulate the earth’s power, leaving something unconsciously deep underground without being detected by fellow Dark Elves was all too easy.
Other creatures could not easily detect the marker’s presence, but Ivan was different; he and Jenny were “One Body Three Manifestations.” Anything left by Jenny was as if he had left it himself.
For a sorcerer, retrieving something he left was effortless.
It was precisely because of Jenny’s markers guiding him that he dared to call it the safest path, after all, the Dark Elves had traversed it once. If they had followed the map provided by Kolebas, they might have ended up in the Molten Lord’s habitat.
“Don’t we have to cover it back up?” the Flame Scorpion couldn’t help but ask.
“No need; I’ve memorized it after one walk-through.”
“Quite impressive.”
“Sorcerers are like that; they possess exceptional memory.”
“Then—then can I, Flame Scorpion, become a sorcerer?”
Hearing this, Ivan stopped in his tracks and looked the Flame Scorpion up and down.
“Is there a problem?” The Flame Scorpion straightened its body, trying to show off its extraordinariness.
“I can teach you, but can you endure the patience required for learning? Let me remind you, a sorcerer’s study is quite cumbersome; it needs relentless learning and research,” Ivan thought of the “Witchcraft Civilization Studies” on his panel, not minding teaching the Flame Scorpion.
“Uh-huh, it’s exceptionally cumbersome, cumbersome to the extent that most of the time, it requires staying inside the laboratory,” the swamp ant said firmly as the Flame Scorpion looked towards it.
“Then—then can I not learn?” The Flame Scorpion’s burning heart immediately cooled down.
“As you wish,” Ivan knew this guy was just momentarily enthusiastic; then he looked at the swamp ant, “Swamp ant, want to give it a try?”
Hearing his inquiry, the swamp ant seemed shocked, shaking its head immediately like a rattle-drum.
It had chosen to follow Sorcerer Ivan precisely to avoid the hassle, having someone else think and arrange everything for it, certainly not to trouble itself.
Moreover, Sorcerer Ivan had not fully mastered the Insect Breathing Method, let alone the Meditation Method, which was dozens of times more complex.
“Look how scared you are, you have no backbone,” Ivan chuckled, though not disappointed.
However, after the disturbance caused by the flaming scorpion, he reevaluated the creatures around him, starting with the figure of the Scented Butterfly that emerged in his mind, followed by the Wind Moth and the Silkworm Queen, and discovered that the three rapid wood silkworms had the potential to embark on the path of the sorcerer.
When they returned from the underground world, perhaps he could ask about their intentions.
After this small interlude, one man and two insects continued deeper into the underground labyrinth.
As it turned out, Ivan’s choice was the right one.
Following the path of the Dark Elf tribe, they encountered some creatures with peculiar abilities that gave the volunteering flaming scorpion a bit of a setback but faced no formidable monsters.
The journey was smooth.
In the sensation of the Flaming Scorpion, they were getting ever closer to the molten substance.
Soon, the air temperature around them began to climb, and wisps of black smoke could be seen blowing past. About ten minutes later, a brightly colored Molten River appeared in front of them.
Under the cover of the Molten River, the path ahead was completely blocked.
“Hehe, we’ve arrived,” said the flaming scorpion, seemingly elated.
“Listen closely, I don’t care how active you are elsewhere, but once we enter the molten substance, you must follow instructions,” Ivan emphasized, seeing its demeanor.
After all, the flaming scorpion had been born too recently and hadn’t had time to learn many things.
And with the power of the flaming scorpion being quite strong, such a creature was most likely to cause trouble.
“That’s right, flaming scorpion, you can’t mess around down there. If you stir up trouble, I won’t let you off,” the swamp ant said sternly, a rare harshness in its tone.
“Mmm, I’m listening carefully and won’t cause any chaos,” both men said seriously, and seeing this, the flaming scorpion solemnly promised.
Then, the flaming scorpion used its innate ability, transforming into a magma boat that matched the color of the molten substance perfectly.
The boat was only three and a half meters long, a little over one meter at its widest, and less than two meters high, with numerous fin-like structures and appeared like a strange fish.
The magma boat settled on the Molten River, immediately blending with the molten substance beneath, much to Ivan’s satisfaction.
“Please board, Sorcerer Ivan, Elder Swamp Ant,” a side of the magma boat opened automatically, and the voice of the flaming scorpion came from inside.
“What’s the rush,” muttered the swamp ant, quickly shrinking in size until it was only half a meter long. Although it had become a Fake Lord and its ability to change size had improved, this was the limit of its abilities.
The swamp ant did not rush to board the magma boat and waited for Sorcerer Ivan to board first.
“Wait, wait, old me!”
Just as Ivan was stepping down, a figure on the left side of the Molten River hurriedly approached, using both hands and feet to climb across the rocky wall with incredible speed.
“I finally caught up.”
The figure transformed into an ancient tree person upon landing.
The old tree person was thin and scrawny with a dry beard, wearing a dirty floral crown on its head and wrapped in a leaf skirt scorched with burn marks, looking as though it had fled here.
“I mean no harm,” facing the swamp ant, now back to its larger size, the old tree person quickly waved its hands, which were actually made from several vines. “I am Meg, as you can see, an old tree person.”
“What do you want from us?” Ivan’s heart stirred, recalling that Jenny had mentioned this tree elder.
Jenny had said that the elder had been eager to explore the underground world but was stuck inside the underground labyrinth.
“Human sorcerer, I implore you to let me hitch a ride.”
Meg pleaded, knowing his words carried little conviction, he quickly added, “I have used my foresight ability, predicting that these next few days were when I was most likely to reach the underground world. I tried forcing my way a few times, ending up in quite the disarray. I thought my prediction was wrong until I saw you.”
“You can predict the future?” Ivan asked in surprise, sensing the ability was not common; he possessed it too but had to use the Book of Enlightenment.
“Once each decade, and only related to my own affairs, but it’s usually not very accurate. This time it finally paid off,” Meg confessed, yet his eyes remained fixed on the magma boat.
With the old tree person’s keen vision, it was clear that the magma boat was extraordinary, seemingly crafted to traverse the underground molten substance.
“What are you looking at, you rude old man,” the flaming scorpion was displeased by his intense gaze.
“My apologies, my apologies. It’s just my first time seeing such an extraordinary boat, I got carried away,” Meg quickly apologized.
“Humph! At least you have good taste,” the flaming scorpion grunted.
After pacifying the flaming scorpion, Meg then anxiously looked at Ivan, knowing that this human sorcerer was the decision-maker.
Ivan was also sizing up the old tree person. Although the tree person appeared weak, standing by him Ivan could feel some pressure, estimating its strength might match that of the swamp ant.
It wasn’t hard to understand; the tree people were a long-lived species, and their aged appearance meant they had lived for a very long time.
Moreover, being from the underground labyrinth, surrounded by dense particles and various fierce beasts, any that were weak would have long become nourishment for others and wouldn’t have survived to old age.