Chapter 70: Section 71: Convergence


    The black rocks twisted and overlapped.


    This was what volcanic magma looked like after it cooled.


    Amidst the billowing heat, an acrid sulfur smell pervaded the area.


    On the vast expanse of the black landscape, two people were traveling together.


    One was a young girl, wearing a tattered apprentice’s magic robe. The hood did not cover her head, revealing a delicate and pretty yet haggard face. What was most captivating were the girl’s eyes, dazzling and clear like the finest purple crystals. At this moment, her eyes were filled with worry.


    The other was an old man. His white and gray beard hung down to his chest and was filthy, like a rag that had been used for a long time without cleaning. He wore a pair of broken glasses on his nose bridge. He stumbled along with a thin frame and a face full of wrinkles that made the hardships he was suffering seem all the more profound.


    ...


    The old and the young were none other than Cang Xu and Zi Di.


    Following Lord Zhenjin’s plan, when he was the first to break out, drawing away all the gun scorpions, the two of them took the opportunity to escape from the cave.


    At this moment, they were retracing their steps, trying to leave the fire-formed rock area and return to the desert.


    Boom, boom, boom.


    Suddenly, a sound like distant thunder came from afar.


    Zi Di and Cang Xu stopped in their tracks and turned to look back.


    They saw the distant volcano spewing out an enormous amount of red magma.


    The magma shot up high, at least eight hundred meters into the air by a simple estimate.


    The pitch-black smoke obscured half the sky. The bright red magma surged to its peak and then began to splash and fall.


    Zi Di and Cang Xu were both shaken, body and soul.


    “Thank goodness we’re still on the perimeter, let’s get moving,” Cang Xu urged.


    But Zi Di moved slower and slower, occasionally turning her head to look back.


    Cang Xu knew what the girl was anticipating and immediately spoke to reassure her, “Lord Zhenjin will meet up with us. We must have faith in him! Our escape was all thanks to his risking danger to draw away all the gun scorpions. We were lucky to make it this far, and we can’t let down Lord Zhenjin’s efforts and sacrifices!”


    Zi Di clenched her teeth, looking at the volcanic ash scattering across the sky, “Although I’ve left traces of pink potions along the way, the volcanic ash will soon cover these marks! Just wait a little longer…”


    Ssss, sss.


    Zi Di’s words had barely finished when dozens of pale yellow streams of gas suddenly erupted from the ground nearby.


    The outbursts were very abrupt, and the sulfur smell in the air quickly became much more concentrated.


    Bang.


    The ground shook violently, and Zi Di and Cang Xu couldn’t help but sway as if standing in a small boat being rammed by a great white shark.


    “What’s happening?!” Between shock and doubt, Zi Di and Cang Xu watched as the stream of gas spewing forth swiftly grew thicker.


    The gaps between the black volcanic rocks expanded rapidly, and then red magma started gushing out of these vents.


    In an instant, the temperature in the air skyrocketed!


    Zi Di and Cang Xu hurriedly ran, leaving behind the dangerous area to reach the relatively stable volcanic rock hundreds of meters away.


    The spot where they had stood moments earlier now had cracks in the volcanic rock expanding to several tens of meters.


    An immense amount of magma poured out, covering and destroying everything in its path.


    In its place, a two-hundred-meter radius was wiped out, replaced by a glowing red magma pool.


    A massive creature slowly rose from the magma.


    It had an enormous shell, which was not smooth but studded with many holes.


    The head of the giant turtle was red as clay, and from the sides of its jaw, two robust tusks protruded.


    The molten lava, with a temperature exceeding one thousand degrees Celsius, did not harm the giant turtle.


    It climbed comfortably out of the lava, its demeanor leisurely. Its weight was clearly excessive; its thick legs pressed into the fire-formed rock, sinking deeply with each step. As it lifted its legs, a bit of glowing red magma oozed out of the deep footprints it left behind.


    Streams of semi-liquid red molten lava also seeped from the holes in the giant turtle’s shell.


    The immense Life Breath of a Golden Level being overwhelmed the spirits of Zi Di and Cang Xu.


    However, what shook them even more was that there wasn’t just one Molten Giant Turtle.


    Following the first one, a second, third, and fourth head emerged from the magma pool.


    The four Molten Giant Turtles climbed ashore, wandering around and emitting calls similar to those of elephants.


    “It seems this is their home. The one I saw in the rainforest before must have been transported out,” Zi Di thought to herself.


    “Could it be, these are Molten Giant Turtles?” Cang Xu’s voice trembled a bit.


    This was his first time seeing a Molten Giant Turtle.


    However, he had exchanged detailed intelligence with Lord Zhenjin beforehand.


    Cang Xu’s eyes shone brightly, his trembling voice not from fear but from excitement.


    “Golden Level Magic Beasts, with flesh and blood bodies, yet they can swim through magma. They are not elemental lives. Fascinating, truly fascinating!”


    “Let’s go,” this time it was Zi Di who spoke up to urge their departure.


    The place was far too dangerous.


    The two had no choice but to flee, as the Molten Giant Turtles seemed to be of a gentle disposition and did not pursue them.


    “We should be safe at this distance.”


    After retreating over a kilometer, Zi Di stopped, looking back at the distance again. Sear?h the N?velFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Cang Xu heaved a sigh, not fleeing alone, and stood by Zi Di’s side.


    “Now he still hasn’t appeared, I fear Lord Zhenjin may have met with more misfortune than fortune.”


    This was the thought in Cang Xu’s mind.


    But he didn’t voice it.


    “Lord Zhenjin’s physical condition is very poor, he has continually gone without food, and his physical strength is lacking.”


    “Facing the pursuit and siege of the scorpion swarm, physical energy consumption will be fierce. The longer it goes on, the dimmer his life’s breath becomes.”


    “Sigh…”


    Cang Xu sighed inwardly.


    He fervently hoped that Zhenjin could survive; with Zhenjin’s protection, his chances of survival would greatly increase.


    Cang Xu was very clear: relying solely on him and Zi Di, escaping from this sea island was simply wishful thinking.


    However, after waiting a while, Zhenjin’s figure still did not appear.


    Cang Xu’s heart sank to the bottom, the disappointment growing inside him finally turned into despair.


    He looked at the girl’s slender figure, and as he was contemplating how to persuade Zi Di to retreat, Zi Di suddenly cried out with surprise.


    Then, Cang Xu saw Zhenjin’s figure too.


    Large amounts of volcanic ash were scattered between the heavens and earth, a youth carrying another on his back, his steps steady, his speed not slow, and his posture exuded a stubborn and strong spirit.


    “Lord, it’s Lord Zhenjin!” Cang Xu also shouted, filled with joy.


    “He brought Bai Ya back as well,” Zi Di remarked with mixed emotions.


    “This is what it means to be a Holy Temple Knight!” Cang Xu exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.


    Moments later, the four of them successfully regrouped.


    Zhenjin distributed some weapons to Zi Di and Cang Xu. These were what he had gathered after cleaning up the battleground in the cave. These weapons had belonged to other members of the exploration team, all of whom had sacrificed their lives.


    “Lord, you’re injured! Let me take a look!” Zi Di saw the wound on Zhenjin’s shoulder, her eyes quickly reddening.


    The wound on Zhenjin’s shoulder blade had been caused by a Silver Spear Scorpion.


    The wound had already been bandaged on site.


    Although Zhenjin had killed the gun scorpion and controlled the Demon Core, he couldn’t use it to heal his injuries.


    On the way here, after confirming that Bai Ya had fallen into a deep coma, Zhenjin stimulated the Demon Core within him to mutate his injury.


    When he mutated the scorpion shell, it would cover the wound.


    Turning into lamb, lizard meat, the wound was still damaged.


    Turning into the fluff of a Fire Poison Bee, the fluff covered the skin’s surface, but without the skin, the wound couldn’t mutate new fluff.


    Zi Di carefully unwrapped the cloth strips and exposed the wound.


    After examining it, the girl exhaled a heavy breath, “Lord, this wound must have been pierced by a scorpion tail. The injury is severe, but it is stabilized now. Lord, your recovery power is truly extraordinary!”


    Zi Di began to concoct a new potion on the spot.


    She took out several bottles of potions from a small pouch on her waist, poured out some medicine powder or liquid from each, and then mixed them together in an empty bottle, shaking it vigorously.


    Finally, she carefully poured the freshly mixed potion on Zhenjin’s wound.


    Zhenjin immediately felt waves of coolness, and the occasional pain from the injury quickly lessened.


    Having a Pharmacist nearby really makes a difference.


    “We can’t stay here for long; let’s get moving quickly,” Zhenjin urged after hastily treating the wound, “The scorpion swarm has been shaken off by me, and I would rather not have them catch up again.”


    Zhenjin concealed the death of the Silver Spear Scorpion.


    Although he controlled the Heart Core, he did not intend to reveal this secret.


    He was a Holy Temple Knight, and yet the Heart Core allowed him to mutate into a Magic Beast. The former is honorable and upright, while the latter is eerily fierce; the two styles differed greatly and could not be directly linked. If anyone were to see Zhenjin mutating, the most likely suspicion would be that Zhenjin had been tempted and corrupted by the Devil.


    Moreover, the volcanic eruption had also given Zhenjin a small favor.


    The volcanic ash covering the ground would conceal all traces of the battleground. If molten lava erupted and rolled over there, then that would be even better—completely destroying the evidence.


    “Yes, we’d better leave as soon as possible,” Cang Xu agreed.


    When leaving, Zhenjin took a deep look at the four Molten Giant Turtles.


    “I wonder if my Heart Core could absorb a Gold Level life?”


    This question crossed the young man’s mind.


    Molten Lava would dissolve the scorpion shells, and the red light emitted by the Heart Core also required contact with the target.


    There was a significant risk for Zhenjin to take on the Molten Giant Turtles.


    Besides, he had to keep it hidden from Zi Di and Cang Xu.


    Ultimately, he also had to take care of Zi Di, Cang Xu, and the comatose Bai Ya.


    So, Zhenjin wisely gave up on the idea of going after the Molten Giant Turtles.


    Zi Di was unaware that Zhenjin had even contemplated taking on the Molten Giant Turtles. On the way, the girl expressed her worries, “Our food has run out, and we have very little water left.”


    And that wasn’t all.


    There were only four people left in the entire exploration team: Zhenjin, Zi Di, Cang Xu, and Bai Ya.


    Cang Xu then said, “Lord, I suggest we return the way we came, back to the vicinity of the Acid Liquid Green Lizard’s nest. Lizard meat is edible, and the existence of a large lizard population suggests there must be a significant water source nearby. There is a high possibility of an Oasis.”


    “Then let’s head back,” Zhenjin nodded, “and aim to reach the gold mica stone group by tonight.”