The Scorching Breath of Sulfur and the Eternal Howling of Elemental Chaos
The scorching breath of sulfur and the piercing shrieks of elemental chaos formed the eternal background symphony of Starfall Abyss. Fa and her companions followed closely behind Rhea Medusa as they ventured deeper into this fractured and perilous domain, each step treading the razor edge of twisted spatial laws. At the rear of the group, Lin Ya focused intently on treating Kayla's father, Kael, and the other five severely ravaged survivors. Their injuries were horrifying—not only the visible scars left by long-term starvation and hellish conditions, but deeper wounds born from violent elemental corruption and insidious soul erosion, as though the very essence of their life had been defiled by this chaotic realm.
Lin Ya pressed both hands steadily against Kael's withered chest. Pure, emerald natural life-force flowed like warm spring water from his palms. The gentle yet resilient glow pierced through the oppressive haze like the first fine rain of spring, transforming into countless crystalline green motes that eagerly merged into the survivors' broken bodies. These vibrant green lights tenderly mended fractured tendons and bones, healed suppurating wounds, and—acting like the finest sandpaper—slowly ground away and purified the violent elemental residues deeply embedded in their flesh and blood. As the treatment progressed, a faint, long-lost flush of life gradually returned to the survivors' ashen, death-like faces; the dim flames of life were rekindled.
"Hold on, elders," Lin Ya murmured softly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead and streaming down. Here, the violent elemental currents acted like invisible giant hands, constantly tearing and interfering with the natural life-force he released. Every moment of healing demanded immense concentration. Yet the newly fused, wondrous stellar core essence within him displayed astonishing resilience under this pressure—not only stabilizing his life-force output but amplifying the healing effect several times over.
Kael's skeletal, cracked hand trembled slightly as he gently placed it on Lin Ya's bark-textured shoulder. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping stone:
"Thank… thank you, little tree-man. I never thought… this old bag of bones would live… live to see my daughter again, and to meet you young, promising successors…"
His words carried the vicissitude of one who had survived utter catastrophe, along with inexpressible gratitude. The other five survivors struggled to nod as well; tears shimmered in their turbid eyes—gratitude toward these strangers who had come to their aid, and a faint spark of hope rekindled for a future that had nearly been extinguished.
Up ahead, leading the way, Rhea Medusa's crimson ponytail whipped wildly in the chaotic gales like dancing flames. She occasionally glanced back at Lin Ya and the staggering survivors, a familiar unruly grin curling her lips:
"Hey, little ones, pick up the pace! This damn place's space is less reliable than a drunkard's brain—it could throw you a 'surprise' appetizer at any moment!"
As if to prove her jinx, the moment her words fell, the already bizarre surroundings underwent a sudden, violent transformation!
Bzzz——!
A low yet ear-piercing spatial tremor rang out. The hard black crystal platform beneath their feet twisted, stretched, and deformed like dough kneaded by an invisible giant hand! The world spun violently in an instant; overwhelming vertigo and the sensation of spatial tearing crashed over them. Before they could even cry out, the irresistible chaotic current hurled them outward, plunging them into a brand-new elemental purgatory brimming with annihilating energy!
The Blazing Inferno of the Lava Volcanic Zone
Crimson! An overwhelming, sky-covering crimson!
Scorching heat waves slammed into their faces like solid fists. The ground beneath them was no longer solid earth but a roaring, bubbling lava lake! Molten gold-red magma surged like the blood of titanic beasts, occasionally erupting into meter-high pillars of fire and searing lava bombs that traced deadly arcs through the air before crashing down in showers of molten rain. The air reeked of pungent sulfur and charred flesh; the temperature was terrifying—metal armor edges began to glow faintly red, and sweat evaporated the instant it touched skin. Towering volcanic rims spilled viscous lava waterfalls; in the distance, several active volcanoes rumbled with muffled booms, belching sky-obscuring black smoke and scorching volcanic ash. Most lethally, spatial distortions caused erratic gravity—sometimes crushingly heavy, making movement nearly impossible; other times abruptly lightening, threatening to suck them toward the churning lake of death!
"Damn it! Brace yourselves!" TISK roared. His stocky dwarf frame fought against the shifting gravity as he slammed his Earthshaker Warhammer into the ground, sending up a ring of fire waves.
The group had barely stabilized when the first wave of assault erupted ferociously from the lava lake!
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
More than twenty lava elementals rose from the boiling magma. They resembled diminutive humanoid figures formed of flowing flame and obsidian shards, wielding crackling, ultra-high-temperature flame whips. Incredibly fast—like leaping sparks—they instantly fanned out and encircled the group from all directions. Their flame whips tore through the air, leaving trails of searing heat as they sought to bind and incinerate!
"Enemy attack! Dodge!" Fa's star eyes blazed. She locked onto the elementals' trajectories in an instant; icy blue light swirled deep in her right eye. Her hands swiftly formed seals as freezing energy erupted:
"Ice Sealing Wall!"
BOOM!
A several-foot-thick, crystal-clear ice wall rose abruptly, blocking the path of the flaming whips. **Sizzle——!** A piercing evaporation sound rang out as the whips lashed viciously against the ice, sending up thick clouds of white steam. The wall's surface rapidly melted, but it successfully withstood the ferocious encirclement.
"ROAR! Annoying fire scum! Shatter for me!" Kayla unleashed a deafening roar; her beast blood boiled. Her Fourth Stage Transformation: Thunder-Frost Cataclysm Beast activated instantly! Her body swelled rapidly, muscles bulging, fur turning into blue-white lightning patterns. Her claws wreathed in bone-chilling frost and leaping thunder arcs. Like a bolt of lightning, she charged out from behind the ice wall; her massive thunder-frost claws tore through space with destructive momentum and smashed into the nearest lava elemental!
CRASH!
Extreme frost power and raging lightning flooded the elemental's body. It didn't even have time to scream—its flaming form froze instantly into a crimson ice statue, then shattered explosively under the thunderous shockwave, scattering into flying molten fragments!
"Taste dwarven fury! Ice-Fire Detonation!" TISK seized the opening. His muscular arms flexed; the Earthshaker Warhammer descended with mountain-splitting force! **BOOM!** At the impact point, ice-blue freezing qi and crimson blazing flames formed two opposing yet strangely fused energy shockwaves that exploded outward in a ring!
BOOM! BOOM BOOM!
Several lava elementals caught in the blast were frozen, torn apart, then pulverized by the following fiery surge; their remains rained into the lava lake.
Zhamisi slithered nimbly across the scorching ground, dodging splashing magma. Her venom-fang scimitars carved two lethal emerald trails:
"Venomous Erosion Mist!"
Thick, strongly corrosive ink-green poison fog spewed from her mouth, instantly enveloping several lava elementals. The fog reacted violently with their flaming bodies—hissing sounds filled the air as flames rapidly dimmed and extinguished; the obsidian fragments composing their forms grew brittle and crumbled under the deadly poison.
"Hiss!" One lava elemental tried to break free of the fog but was precisely sliced through its core by Zhamisi's scimitar, dissipating with a wail.
The battle was fierce but brief. In less than five minutes, all twenty-plus lava elementals were annihilated, leaving only lingering sulfur and charred odors in the air. After catching their breath, they advanced less than a hundred meters before the ground beneath them groaned ominously once more!
**Bzzz——!**
The familiar spatial distortion struck again; their vision was brutally torn and reassembled for the second time!
The Suffocating Stealth of the Poison Mist Swamp
Sticky! Putrid! Asphyxiating!
Beneath their feet lay a bottomless, churning mire of viscous sludge bubbling with ink-green gas, reeking of nauseating decay and lethal poison. Thick, impenetrable sickly green toxic fog hung in the air, visibility less than ten meters. Every breath felt like countless tiny poison needles stabbing into nostrils, throat, and lungs—bringing burning pain and intense dizziness. In the distance, twisted, withered giant venomous vines coiled like the skeletons of monsters. Scattered throughout the swamp were eerie phosphorescent toxin crystals glowing like devil's eyes. Worse still was the erratic gravity—sometimes so heavy that feet sank deep into the mire, impossible to pull free; other times a sudden upward rebound hurled people into the air, dropping them into even deeper, deadlier poison pools.
"Hold your breath! Watch your step! This mire is unnatural!" Yuyuer brandished her dragon-bone gem staff; a thin water membrane covered her mouth and nose, muffling her voice. She warily scanned the churning sludge around them.
Almost the moment they began adapting to the hellish environment, the second wave of assault rose silently from the depths of the mire!
Gurgle… gurgle…
Fifteen venom-spine magic spiders the size of calves emerged slowly from the foul sludge. Their bodies were semi-transparent ink-green; eight compound eyes gleamed with cruel malice. Their mouthparts opened and closed with bone-chilling low hisses. **Puff! Puff! Puff!** Without hesitation, they sprayed massive streams of ink-green, strongly acidic corrosive fluid that reeked of sour rot! The acid rain fell like a downpour, hissing corrosively through the very air as it advanced toward the group!
"Rex!" Fa commanded calmly, eyes fixed on the curtain of acid rain.
"Understood. Nano-Swarm • Ice Burst!" Rex's mechanical eyes flashed red as he responded coolly. His metallic arms instantly transformed and unfolded, revealing dense launch ports. **Bzzz——!** Hundreds of ice-blue-glowing micro-drones swarmed out like an enraged hive, precisely intercepting the incoming acid rain!
Sizzle sizzle sizzle——BOOM!
The moment the swarm contacted the acid, compressed frost energy inside detonated! A chain of violent ice explosions erupted; extreme cold instantly froze vast swathes of acid into ink-green ice shards. Nearby venom-spine spiders were also assaulted by the freezing qi—movements stiffened and slowed, bodies coated in thick white frost.
"Eye Gouge!" Salsa's figure flickered in and out of the poison fog. She formed seals and whispered. Several pure shadow-energy hunting hawks shrieked forth from behind her, ignoring physical barriers like black lightning piercing the fog to viciously peck at the slowed spiders' heads—specifically targeting their fragile soul cores!
"Screee——!" Spiders struck by the shadow hawks emitted piercing shrieks; soul cores heavily damaged, their acid-spitting halted abruptly as they fell into brief paralysis.
"Water-Mirror Protection!" Yuyuer raised her staff high. Clear water currents converged and shaped around her. Smooth, rune-flowing azure water-mirror barriers rapidly deployed around the group. **Sizzle sizzle sizzle!** Remaining acid struck the mirrors—most was cleverly refracted and deflected into the mire or empty air; the rest was swiftly neutralized and dissolved by the purifying power within the mirrors.
Zhamisi glided effortlessly along the swamp's edge; the poison fog barely affected her.
"Fight poison with poison!" she cried. Her twin blades danced; emerald venomous magic coiled around the edges like living things. She darted nimbly into the spider cluster—each slash of her venom-fang scimitars left not only physical wounds but injected potent neurotoxins. These toxins strangely resonated with the spiders' own venom, suppressing their corrosive ability and thinning their acid to near impotence.
"Purification Vines!" Lin Ya pressed both hands to the relatively dry ground. Rich life energy poured in. Dozens of thick vines sparkling with soft green light and dew-like purification droplets burst from the earth like spirit serpents, coiling around the spiders already weakened by ice bursts, shadows, and toxins. The vines not only restrained movement but released powerful purifying force at contact points—like pumps rapidly draining the deadly toxins accumulated in the spiders' bodies, hastening their collapse.
With the group's seamless coordination, the fifteen venom-spine magic spiders were quickly strangled to death. Their ink-green bodily fluids seeped into the mire, becoming fresh nourishment for this land of death. Yet Starfall Abyss's malice never ceased. The farther they pressed, the louder the spatial hum grew—until the familiar distortion struck for the third time!
The Razor Baptism of the Gale Canyon
Howling! Rending! Chaos!
Before them stretched an endless deep canyon; the sky was completely shrouded by roiling black clouds. Here, wind became the cruelest executioner. Countless visible cyan wind blades—compressed wind-element constructs—danced madly like out-of-control razor storms throughout the canyon, emitting ghostly, wailing shrieks as they sliced the air! The ground had long been planed flat; shattered stone and unknown energy fragments were swept up by the gales, forming lethal stray-bullet windstorms. Gravity here was utterly disordered—sometimes crushingly heavy, immobilizing; other times vanishing entirely, flinging people like fallen leaves into the air and straight into the merciless slaughter of countless wind blades!
"Grab the nearby rocks! Steady your center!" Arya shouted. She drove her Storm Bow deep into a ground fissure as an anchor, anchoring herself while her long hair whipped wildly in the gale.
The third wave of assault arrived immediately with the environmental upheaval! **Wooo wooo wooo——!** Piercing wind howls approached from afar—more than thirty wind-blade elementals shrieked out from the storm vortex deep in the canyon!They resemble fierce birds formed by countless high-speed rotating wind blades. razor-sharp wingspans sent dozens of lethal wind blades raining down with every flap! Their speed was lightning-fast; in the chaotic gales, their trajectories were nearly impossible to track!
"Leave it to me!" Celestia's cool voice rang out. Her six wings snapped open; purple-white lightning danced at their tips! "Wind-Thunder Dance!" She transformed into a streak of purple-white lightning and charged proactively into the wind-blade flock! The Spear of True Sight in her hand became a lethal thunder ray—each thrust precisely piercing a wind-blade elemental's core. At the same time, the powerful electromagnetic field radiating from her body disrupted wind-element flow, noticeably slowing the surrounding elementals' movements as though they were trapped in invisible quicksand.
"You're not getting away!" Kayla roared. Relying on her beast-form's immense strength to resist the disordered gravity, she leaped high! Her thunder-frost-wreathed giant claws descended with annihilating force onto a diving wind-blade elemental!
**BOOM!**
Thunder claws collided head-on with dense wind blades—frost froze them solid; lightning shattered them! The violent energy explosion shook several nearby wind-blade elementals off-balance.
"Lock them down!" Arya's gaze burned like fire. She drew her Storm Bow to full moon! "Rain of Light Arrows!" **Bzzz!** Countless arrows of pure light element poured down like golden rain across a wide airspace. Although it cannot directly kill the high-speed wind blade elements, it greatly interferes with and blocks their flight paths, forcing them to slow down or change direction.
"Wind Bind!" Immediately after, she loosed another shot. A special arrow wrapped in a miniature tornado streaked forth! It detonated in the densest cluster of wind-blade elementals, forming a powerful storm vortex! **Wooo——!** Several wind-blade elementals were caught in the ferocious suction, dragged into the center, It was torn apart by countless high-speed spinning wind blades until it dissipated into ethereal wind essence.
The battle raged amid howling gales and thunder. The shrieks of wind blades intertwined with the roars of energy clashes into a symphony of death. Thanks to Celestia's containment, Kayla's brutal assaults, and Arya's precise battlefield control, the thirty-plus wind-blade elementals were eventually destroyed one by one. The violent wind-blade storm seemed to weaken slightly as a result. Yet the spatial anomaly clung like a maggot to bone—the fourth, and most violent, distortion descended!