Translator: AnubisTL
The entire cavern was instantly filled with the thunderous roar of explosions and the agonized wails of the lava giants.
Flames and streams of magic intertwined, and surrounded by the Great Light Phase, Jieming moved like an invincible demon god.
His floating cannons continuously cleared away the lower-tier obstacles, while he focused his main efforts on the second-tier lava giants, directing the Great Light Phase's firepower primarily at these elite targets.
The battle raged for nearly half an hour.
The lava giants, empowered by the extreme heat, displayed astonishing resilience, their physical strength and regenerative capabilities greatly enhanced. Even with his full offensive power and the Great Light Phase activated, Jieming expended considerable energy before finally securing victory.
When the last lava giant crashed to the ground, the cavern fell into deathly silence once more, leaving only the dull, oppressive sound of magma being compressed under immense pressure.
Jieming's breathing was slightly labored. Though the physical drain on his body was minimal, his mental power felt fatigued after the sustained high-intensity combat.
He casually put away the floating cannons and the small rune-imbued magical artifacts that had surrounded him, his gaze sweeping coldly across the battlefield.
All the lava giants, including the second-tier peak, nearly third-tier Lava Giant Chieftain, had been successfully slain.
"Hiss... Cough, cough!"
He instinctively tried to take a deep breath, but the toxic fumes from the underground choked him into a series of coughs.
Shaking his head, Jieming pulled out a soul-search spell artifact and stepped forward.
From the Lava Giant Chieftain's soul, he obtained far more complete and detailed intelligence than before.
Amidst the fragmented memories, he found the precise location and entry method to a higher-tier, more secretive stronghold of the Lava Giant Tribe.
Without a moment's hesitation, Jieming suppressed all unnecessary aura, moving like a ghost toward his target.
On the desolate, scorched earth of the Blazing Sun Realm, Jieming darted between rivers of lava and jagged rock formations.
He eschewed flight magic, instead relying on his physical prowess to race across the land at extraordinary speed. His steps were light and swift, each landing precisely avoiding the bubbling lava fissures that dotted the ground.
Just as he was nearing his target area, his scouting guide suddenly registered a disturbance. Jieming paused, studying the information, then continued toward the disturbance.
Before long, intense energy fluctuations and the roars of lava giants echoed from the distance. Jieming immediately halted, his form flickering as he concealed himself behind a rock.
He deactivated his scouting eye and activated the more discreet Glimmering Eye, cautiously scanning the area.
In his vision, three wizards were locked in fierce combat with a group of lava giants. This was a hunting squad composed of one second-tier wizard and two first-tier wizards, struggling against over a dozen second-tier lava giants.
Although wizards could leverage energy manipulation to rival large numbers of creatures of their own tier, second-tier lava giants were still elite individuals.
The numerical advantage, coupled with the Blazing Sun Realm's scorching environment, which amplified the lava giants' power, left the three wizards struggling. Their mental power fluctuations grew increasingly erratic.
Jieming didn't rashly intervene.
His goal wasn't to kill, but to infiltrate deeper.
Moreover, although the three wizards appeared to be fighting with great difficulty, this was largely due to their desire to secure more living trophies.
Exposing himself during the height of battle would easily lead to misunderstandings.
He waited patiently.
After significant expenditure of energy, the three wizards finally defeated all the second-tier lava giants, numbering over a dozen.
Only when the wizards began assessing their spoils and sealing the remaining living trophies did Jieming deliberately release a faint but clear energy pulse as a signal.
The three wizards froze, immediately adopting defensive formations and wary of potential enemies.
When they saw a first-tier wizard emerge from behind the lava flow, they finally relaxed.
"Are you here to complete a mission as well?" the second-tier wizard asked cautiously, his eyes quickly scanning Jieming for any dangerous items.
He soon noticed the several intricately runed floating cannons hovering behind Jieming and the softly glowing rune-imbued magical artifact on his wrist. Even without knowing what these specific items were, it was clear they were not to be trifled with.
"I was originally heading to a lava giant gathering point. I sensed unusual activity here and came to investigate. I didn't expect to run into you all," Jieming replied in a gentle tone.
"A gathering point?" The lead second-tier wizard raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Jieming quickly noticed his reaction. "What's wrong?"
The wizard didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to consult with the other two wizards. After a long discussion, he nodded at Jieming.
"To be honest, we were also planning to head to a gathering point nearby."
Jieming was momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered. "Then... shall we exchange information?"
"Agreed!"
As they exchanged information, they confirmed that both parties were targeting the same gathering point.
"We're here for the same reason!" the second-tier wizard stated. "Our detection spells recently detected anomalous energy fluctuations here, suggesting a major Lava Giant stronghold."
Jieming wasn't surprised by this outcome. While the Lava Giants' wartime strategy of constantly splitting their forces and reinforcing them might work against other creatures, it was a completely futile tactic when facing wizards, as it only served to give away their positions.
He generously shared the intelligence he had gathered: "Based on my research, the gathering point ahead likely contains a third-tier lava giant—an extraordinary combat unit."
His gaze swept over the two first-tier wizards, his tone becoming formal. "What do you say? Shall we team up?"
"I'm in! What about you guys?" the second-tier wizard asked, turning to the two first-tier wizards beside him.
Though wizards weren't adept at large-scale army operations, they excelled at small-team coordination.
On the battlefield, under the right circumstances, even strangers could quickly form a team.
The two first-tier wizards had no objections.
Although Jieming didn't explain exactly how he obtained the intelligence, the others could basically guess—this first-tier wizard had at least taken down a second-tier lava giant.
However, based on the lava giants' usual tactics, a second-tier lava giant would invariably be accompanied by a large group of first-tier lava giants acting as a scouting party.
Knowing that Jieming could venture this deep and single-handedly eliminate an entire lava giant scouting party, they recognized his formidable strength.
In battle, having a powerful teammate significantly increases one's chances of survival, so they naturally couldn't refuse.
The second-tier wizard immediately made the decision, nodding at Jieming. "Since no one objects, please guide us."
Thus, the four reached a consensus and formed a new temporary cooperative team.
As they traveled, the group also took the opportunity to discuss their combat styles, ensuring seamless coordination during future operations.
Guided by a first-tier wizard skilled in scouting, they quickly arrived at the location described in the information.
It was an inconspicuous, primitive cave, its entrance concealed by dense volcanic vines.
Without extremely sensitive energy perception, it would be difficult to detect its presence.
The cave mouth was pitch-black, but a scorching heat emanated from within.
"This environment is even more hidden than a typical lava giant stronghold," the second-tier wizard at the front whispered. "Be careful, there might be sentries."
Jieming nodded slightly.
They cautiously infiltrated the cave, its interior winding and twisting.
After walking a short distance, they spotted a massive underground lava lake. The surface glowed with a faint red light, bubbling and gurgling.
According to the memories obtained through soul search, this was the entrance.
The four activated their body protection spells and jumped into the scalding lava lake one after another.
As Jieming felt the lava enveloping him, the familiar heat felt like warm water to him.
Since the other three wizards had conjured energy shields, he naturally wouldn't be the odd one out.
They descended through rugged tunnels at the bottom of the lava lake, then traveled for several kilometers through a labyrinth of twisting, branching lava earth meridians.
Finally, after countless ascents, the flowing lava ahead grew "thinner," and a vast open space appeared.
Their eyes lit up as they emerged from the viscous lava lake into a massive, hemispherical underground chamber with a soaring ceiling and a flat floor.
To their surprise, this place bore no resemblance to the barracks or mines they had imagined.
The entire space was filled with thick, humid air and the fragrance of plants, utterly alien to the scorching, arid environment of the Blazing Sun Realm.
Moving cautiously, they soon discovered that this was actually a colossal "plantation"!
In the center of the cavern, vast patches of greenery thrived on the scorching earth.
The plants varied in shape, their thick, fleshy leaves plump with moisture and emitting an eerie glow.
Clearly, these were special vegetation adapted to extreme heat, capable of synthesizing water from the arid air.
Even more astonishing was the massive energy sphere, hundreds of meters in diameter, installed at the cavern's ceiling. It radiated a soft, steady artificial light, simulating sunlight to provide continuous illumination for the plants below.
According to information previously obtained from the lava giant's soul, these specialized plants were used to feed livestock.
This left the three wizards in the squad utterly bewildered.
However, Jieming clearly recalled his research into the lava giants' unique digestive systems, which could process animal flesh. Thus, hunting other creatures for food wasn't surprising.
What he never expected was that these beings, who appeared as elemental creatures, would also engage in animal husbandry.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------------------------------------
Continue Reading (𝙒𝙄𝙕𝘼𝙍𝘿) on CinderTL• ⓒⓞⓜ
Read Ahead to Ch299 • 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 • No Login
🎉 10,000 Chapter Discount is Live. Ends June 2.
---------------------------------------------------------