The crimson magma churned violently. In Xiao Bai and Little Golden Dragon's sights, a towering figure surged forward.
Its appearance resembled the four fire salamanders from before, but it was far more robust, its body clad in darker, denser scales. Its narrow eyes swept over the lifeless bodies of its kin floating in the magma, and a furious, crimson glow erupted as it let out an enraged hiss.
"My lord, this is their backup?" Little Golden Dragon, arms crossed, perched on Xiao Bai's shoulder. It glanced at the nearby fire salamander and turned to Xiao Bai, puzzled.
Xiao Bai scanned their surroundings, his eyes wary. "Sense the area carefully," he said gravely.
Little Golden Dragon closed its eyes, puzzled. Moments later, they snapped open, a flash of shock in its pupils. "Damn! Did we stumble into these things' nest?"
"Nest?" Xiao Bai scoffed, shaking his head. "That's giving these fire salamanders too much credit."
In the brief moments they spoke, the surrounding magma teemed with crimson figures, swarming like a school of fish in the sea. Hundreds of ferocious, red-gleaming eyes locked onto them, their jagged teeth glinting menacingly in the firelight.
"And this isn't even all of them?" Little Golden Dragon gaped at the hundreds of fire salamanders encircling them. The weakest were Da Dou Shi, with several exuding Dou Huang auras. "This ugly mob could sweep the Jia Ma Empire up there!"
"My lord, we're not going to fall here, are we?" The dragon shuddered under the weight of hundreds of stares, its scalp tingling.
"Transform into the spear," Xiao Bai said, eyeing the restless salamanders. His gaze was deep, his expression calm. "My current strength won't last much longer."
"Got it!" Little Golden Dragon nodded, dropping its usual antics. It knew now wasn't the time for jest.
Golden light flared, and the dazzling electric glow faded. A ten-foot-long spear materialized before Xiao Bai.
"Hisss!!"
A sharp, furious wail erupted from the robust salamander that had appeared first. As if on command, the restless swarm surged toward Xiao Bai.
Facing the countless figures—eyes blazing crimson, shrieking piercingly, and charging like lightning—Xiao Bai took a deep breath. His right hand shot out, grasping the floating golden spear.
"Kill!"
With a thunderous shout, he swung the spear, its sharp arcs slashing toward the nearest salamanders.
Rip!
The sound of tearing fabric cut through the chaotic din, jarringly distinct. Several figures were bisected by the crescent-shaped spear arcs, spraying dark green blood that sizzled on the magma, releasing acrid smoke.
The swarming salamanders halted briefly, but under the robust salamander's relentless hissing, they snapped back, their crimson eyes blazing brighter, as if spurred into greater frenzy.
"Kill!"
Seeing the salamanders undeterred, charging fearlessly, Xiao Bai realized his plan to intimidate them had failed. His eyes gleamed with resolve, gripping the spear tightly. With another roar, he plunged into the swarm.
Instantly, spear arcs laced with thunderous booms swept out, severing limbs and spilling dark green blood. The sizzling liquid dyed patches of magma black.
The salamanders attacked like relentless waves—one layer fell, another surged forward. Those close enough engaged in melee, while others manipulated the magma, hurling endless magma balls to drown the lone figure in the center.
Xiao Bai's appearance grew ragged, his black robe scorched with holes. Though the salamanders' cultivation couldn't match his, their sheer numbers overwhelmed him. The few with Dou Huang auras hadn't joined the fray, lurking in the swarm, watching like predators.
Trying to wear me down?
Xiao Bai grasped their intent, his gaze subtly shifting to the robust salamander at the swarm's edge. Its eyes flickered with cunning and cruelty.
So cautious and ruthless. A peak Dou Huang, yet it lets its kin die without stepping in.
"I can't wait any longer!" Sensing his boosted cultivation ebbing like a receding tide, urgency gripped him.
"Hisss!"
As Xiao Bai's aura weakened, the robust salamander hissed again. The three Dou Huang salamanders, as if signaled, sprang into action.
"Perfect timing!" Xiao Bai's eyes lit up. These three had stayed back, and the swarm had kept him too busy to target them. Now, they'd come to him.
A sweeping spear arc forced back the nearest salamanders. Five-colored lightning flared at his feet, and he flashed toward the closest Dou Huang salamander.
Like a bolt of lightning, he appeared behind it. Before it could react, he seized its tail and flung it upward.
"Up you go!"
The salamander, dazed, felt itself hurled through the searing magma. Xiao Bai tossed the spear aside, five-colored light surging in his hand. An illusory three-foot blade materialized. Without hesitation, he slashed the salamander three times.
The Dou Huang salamander, initially terrified by the blade, grew puzzled when no pain followed.
What's this human doing?
Suddenly, a strange weakness gripped it, as if it had been drained dry for days. Before it could process, a massive fist smashed into its head, and darkness claimed it.
Xiao Bai discarded the headless corpse, feeling his cultivation stabilize slightly, no longer plummeting. Shaking his head, he flashed behind another charging salamander.
The same routine, executed with practiced ease.
Then the third!
After tossing aside the third Dou Huang corpse, Xiao Bai's aura reached five-star Dou Huang.
Facing the cowering swarm, he stretched out his hand and bellowed, "Spear, come!"
A golden streak shot from the nearby magma, landing in his grip.
Clutching the spear, Xiao Bai's icy gaze locked onto the robust salamander, still seemingly stunned. "Your turn," he said coldly.
He knew escaping this magma depth would be near impossible without dealing with this creature. His only option was a swift battle—wound or kill it before it called more allies, then flee.
As for Yao Tian Huo, that would have to wait.
The spear's gleaming tip, radiating chilling menace, snapped the robust salamander back to focus.
"Hisss!!"
A sharp, grating cry erupted from its maw, rippling through the magma like water waves. The swarm echoed the call, sending layered ripples spreading outward.
"Damn it!" Xiao Bai recognized the signal. Without hesitation, he turned to flee, cursing furiously, "Did you train under Senior Brother Gou? So damn cowardly! A peak Dou Huang, yet you've got no shame, no pride as a powerhouse?"
Seeing Xiao Bai escape, the robust salamander hesitated briefly before vanishing, chasing the lightning-swift human.
Initially, it had sensed danger despite the human's mere mid-sixth-tier strength, prompting its earlier caution. But now, after killing three of its sixth-tier kin, this human thought he could leave? Not a chance.
With the signal sent, it only needed to stall briefly for the clan's stronger members to handle him.
"My lord, it's catching up!" Little Golden Dragon's voice came from the spear.
"Hm." Xiao Bai, racing at full speed, nodded faintly. Though his soul force was diminished for reasons unknown, he could still sense the formidable presence behind him.
As they spoke, a sharp whoosh sounded from behind. Xiao Bai's expression shifted. He spun, slashing the spear to shatter a massive magma fireball.
"It's not trying to fight—it's stalling me!" Xiao Bai frowned, eyeing the robust salamander trailing at a distance.
"My lord, what now?" The spear vibrated slightly.
Xiao Bai's expression flickered with indecision. Seeing the mocking glint in the salamander's eyes, he gritted his teeth. "Remember Thunder Dragon Rift?"
"I know it, but you haven't mastered it! Why bring it up?" The spear quivered, apprehensive. "You're not thinking of practicing it now, are you? Even with my origin, there's no time!"
"No need to practice. We'll pour all our Dou Qi into you, combine it with your dragon aura, and unleash it together."
"Let's take this bastard down!"
Xiao Bai flicked his sleeve, exhaling sharply as if venting his frustration. Since his debut, he'd never felt so stifled.
"Alright, let's do it! If it works, we'll crush it!" Little Golden Dragon, equally aggrieved, roared with fervor. The spear snapped taut with a hum.
Xiao Bai's lips curled, but his eyes held no warmth, only icy resolve.
His aura surged violently, five-element thunder Dou Qi coursing through his meridians like a tidal wave, channeling through his arm into the spear.
Instantly, the spear, already gleaming with golden lightning arcs, shimmered with a five-colored halo, elevating its majestic form to divine radiance.
"Feels good!" Little Golden Dragon reveled in the thick, wondrous thunder-attribute Dou Qi flooding its form, especially the subtle cycle of five elements within. It felt almost corporeal, as if on the verge of becoming a true flesh-and-blood being.
As energy poured in, the surrounding hundreds of meters of magma seemed cowed by the aura, forming a vast, empty spherical space woven with five-colored lightning.
Faint thunder rumbled, growing louder until it deafened.
"Get ready. Infuse your dragon aura into the five-element thunder Dou Qi as the technique dictates, shaping it into a dragon. Then, we'll launch it with this energy!" Xiao Bai commanded, gripping the heavy, vibrating spear.
The robust salamander, seeing the radiant spear, lost its mocking air. A chill of dread gripped it.
Before it could react, the spear's gleaming tip, carrying a faint dragon's roar and thunderous majesty, locked onto it. Its body stiffened, a seed of fear sprouting within.
A strained voice, barely audible amid the booming thunder, rang out.
"Thunder… Dragon… Rift!"
Roar!
A hundred-meter-long five-colored thunder dragon erupted from the spear, warping space as if it couldn't bear the creature's emergence. Coiling upward, it let out a sky-shattering roar, fracturing space like glass.
Black spatial rifts appeared, a maw devouring the heavens, as crimson magma poured into them.
"Go!" Xiao Bai's pale, weakened voice sounded.
The thunder dragon, as if commanded, fixed its massive pupils on the robust salamander's reflection.
Locked by the colossal figure, the salamander trembled. Without time to think, it summoned layers of fiery red energy to shield itself. Its instincts screamed that fleeing would mean faster death.
Roar!
The dragon roared again. Despite its size, it moved with agile grace, its radiant body slicing through space to appear above the salamander. Its maw opened, ready to swallow its prey.
"Hisss!!"
A deep, ancient hiss echoed from afar.
Xiao Bai's face twisted. He sensed a terrifying aura racing toward them—strong, impossibly strong!
"My lord, run!" Little Golden Dragon, drained from aiding Xiao Bai, had reverted to its dragon form. Its usual playfulness was gone, replaced by grim urgency.
Xiao Bai didn't hesitate, pulling an ancient jade token from his sleeve. Crystal-clear, it glowed with milky light. Ignoring the pang of loss, he crushed it.
At that moment, a heaven-shrouding energy claw, vast as the sky, lunged toward them. The surrounding magma parted like tides before it.
The once-majestic thunder dragon sagged under the claw's pressure, its five-colored glow fading as it let out an angry, unwilling roar.
"Hurry!" Little Golden Dragon urged, sensing the sluggish ripple of spatial energy around them.
Xiao Bai looked up. The crimson above had dimmed. He stared at the nearing claw, his body creaking under unbearable strain. Ignoring the pressure, he stood tall, though a thin line of blood trickled from his lips.
Such overwhelming might surpassed Dou Zong-level attacks. It was his first encounter with such a formidable force.
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