Chapter 968: Flame Cave

Shui Yanyu looked soft on the outside, but was tough on the inside.

She looked as lovely as water, but once she had made her decision, she would definitely be determined and would not be swayed.

Since Shui Yanyu wanted to go with Ling Han into the Flame Cave, Hu Feiyun would naturally not dare to stay outside alone. So, in the end, it was still the three of them going in together, and they headed towards the cave.

Hong, a surge of flames would occasionally burst out of the ground, exuding a frightening wave of heat.

This occurred without any semblance of regularity, so it was impossible to predict and avoid ahead of time. Furthermore, if one was unfortunate enough to take a step right when the flames burst out, they could only evade. If they could not, they would have to depend on their own abilities to bear the flames head on.

The might of the flames was extraordinary. For example, if Shui Yanyu was. .h.i.t, her beautiful face would turn pale. Hu Feiyun, on the other hand, had extremely fast reaction speed. The moment that there was unusual movement underground, she would have already quickly shot up; even Ling Han considered his own reaction speed slower than hers.

They entered into the cave. They could hear deep growls of beasts occasionally ring out inside the cave, but it was very difficult to tell which direction they had originated from.

“Upon a closer look, there could be Mountain River Stones in every corner here. However, they may not be of the Fire Element; those can only be found in the innermost depths of the cave,” Shui Yanyu said. Although she had come here once, her cultivation level 10 years ago was really too low, so she had not entered into the Flame Cave.

“It would be fine as long as they were Mountain River Stones.” Ling Han had already had a taste of them—they could really make the cultivation level of a cultivator soar. Even if he had to spend several years to stabilize his cultivation level in return, he would still be able to save a very, very great amount of time.

“You think they’re something that can be picked up anywhere?” Shui Yanyu rolled her eyes. She seemed to have found enjoyment in bickering with Ling Han.

Ling Han smiled faintly, but did not start bickering with her. Firstly, because they were in a dangerous situation, after all, and secondly, he was more willing to use his mouth rather than words to shut her up.

This cave was very big. Its height reached more than 30 meters, and walking inside would give one a feeling of emptiness. There were stalagmites protruding from the ground—each was bright red, and there were some that were still dripping lava.

They were a very magnificent sight.

There were paths stretching out in all directions, with innumerable forks along them. These forked paths were slightly smaller, but they were still six to nine meters tall, and were still very amazing.

Because the dangers of this place were not at such a controllable level as the Crimson Lake, there were obviously fewer cultivators who had made their way here— at least the trio had walked for quite a while, but had yet to spot any person. Another reason was because this place was too big. Even if several hundred people came here at the same time, the moment they separated, it would be very difficult to reunite.

One had to know that the total number that had entered the Mystery Realm was no more than 2000 people.

Pa, pa, pa. A strange sound was heard coming from up ahead. Ling Han and his companions became alert; Hu Feiyun even gripped onto the corner of Shui Yanyu’s sleeve, her expression saying ‘if there’s danger, you’ll help me block it’.

Very soon, a red shadow appeared in front of them.

It was a very large Demonic Beast, its height close to three meters. It was completely crimson, and its skin was like lava. This monster was incredibly hideous: it did not have any neck at all, and merely had a squarish body from which there was a head sticking out. Its four legs were thick and short, making it look a little like a tortoise, but it did not have a tail.

It looked at Ling Han and his companions, and its large mouth split open. Drool dripped from its mouth, but its saliva was actually bright red lava. The moment the drops of saliva dropped onto the ground, a sizzling sound was heard. “This is a Lava Beast?” Ling Han asked.

“Probably.” Shui Yanyu nodded. In truth, she had not seen one herself, either, but there were no other types of Demonic Beasts here.

“So ugly,’ Hu Feiyun said quietly as if she was afraid that the Demonic Beast would hear her.

“It’s fine. The Demonic Beasts here do not seem to have awakened their intelligence, so they can’t understand human words at all,” Ling Han said, smiling. Even if its intelligence had awakened, it would have to learn human language first before it could decipher the words of humans.

Of course, if it used divine sense to transfer a message, then it could skip over the language barrier.

“Roar!” The Lava Beast growled deeply, its eyes as large as copper bells glowing fiercely. Peng, peng, peng. It moved on its four legs to charge towards Ling Han and his companions. Even though its legs were short, it was really not that slow in an all-out dash.

“Let me!” Shui Yanyu stepped out, sword in hand. She was the type to want to be the first; previously, Ling Han was the one shouldering all the dangers they had faced, so she’d felt quite suffocated. Now, this Lava Beast was merely in the late stage of the low extreme, so she was naturally eager to give it a try.

Pu. The Lava Beast’s mouth spat out fierce flames, which instantly raised the surroundings’ temperature considerably.

Shui Yanyu did not take the attack head on. Instead, she made use of her nimbleness to twist around to the side, and brandished her sword, unleas.h.i.+ng a swift stab.

The Lava Beast’s reaction was somewhat slow. It was suddenly pierced by the sword, but its defenses were quite amazing—the sword could only pierce into it for about an inch or so. In view of its colossal body, this was still very far from hitting its vital points.

Feeling the pain, the Demonic Beast was enraged. It continued roaring, and endlessly charged towards Shui Yanyu.

The Demonic Beasts here were indeed a little stupid. They were battling completely based on instinct. Thus, even with the thick and tough skin, along with the might of flames, it did not manage to get an upper hand at all. Instead, Shui Yanyu managed to take advantage of it multiple times with a strike here and there, and its blood continuously gushed out like fierce flames.

“Good strike! Good strike!” Meanwhile, Hu Feiyun was cheering on Shui Yanyu from the sidelines, but did not forget to hide behind Ling Han. She poked her head out, waving her arms around in excitement.

“Ang!” Just at this moment, they saw yet another Lava Beast appear, this time behind the trio. After releasing a roar, it proceeded to bite at Hu Feiyun. Who asked her to be the nearest?

Hu Feiyun’s reaction was something to worry about. She actually stood there dumbly without any reaction. However, Ling Han was not her. His right hand clenched into a fist and shot out; he did not bother to use any kind of technique, and merely used his brute strength to emerge victorious.

Peng, his present strength was really too powerful. One punch, and the Lava Beast could not bear it at all even despite its powerful physique. It directly exploded from the impact.

“Ah!” Only now did Hu Feiyun exclaim in surprise, and patted her chest repeatedly as she said, “Scared me to death! Really scared me to death!”

Ling Han looked around for a while. All Demonic Beasts had Spiritual Meat, and this Lava Beast was no exception. The Spiritual Meat was merely about the size of a segment of the little finger. It was slightly red, but its main part was still white. It was like a beautiful piece of jade that had merely been dyed with a red blush.

“Big Sister Shui, go!” Hu Feiyun began cheering for Shui Yanyu again. The enemies were both Lava Beasts, and while Ling Han managed to turn one into pieces with just a punch, Shui Yanyu was in a drawn out battle. The difference was really huge.

Ling Han did not step in, though. Instead, he stood on the side. This was his form of respect for Shui Yanyu.

After a long time, Shui Yanyu finally finished off this Demonic Beast, and dug out a piece of Spiritual Meat.

She shook her head, and said, “I’ll just leave the Demonic Beasts later to you.”

“Why?” Ling Han asked, smiling.

“I am just wasting your time,’ she said with a sigh. “You don’t have to comfort me; I know my own abilities!”

Ling Han smiled. This beauty was eager to perform, but was not the type to cling blindly to her pride, which was something that he admired very much. “Then let’s continue!”

The trio continued their advance, and searched around in the cave for more than four hours. They dealt with over a dozen Lava Beasts, and obtained a great amount of Spiritual Meat. Furthermore, Shui Yanyu had a burst of good fortune, and actually found a Mountain River Stone in a crack in the wall.

“The lair of that Lava Beast should be right up ahead. There vaguely seems to be a frightening aura of intimidation spreading out from within.” Shui Yanyu pointed ahead with a finger, and asked, “Are you really going to take the risk?”

Ling Han nodded, and said, “I will not force myself. However, going in to steal the Mountain River Stone would probably startle the huge monster. It is not safe for the two of you to be here; go out immediately.

Shui Yanyu pondered for a moment, and then said, “All right. You have to be careful!”