At this time, one surviving Fiend after another was gathering in this vertical tunnel, coming out from their own narrow corridors. The group of them just floated there within the vertical tunnel.
“Delia?” Linley frantically looked for her towards each corridor.
The vast majority of the Fiends who had survived to come out of the tunnel were Highgods, while a few Gods were amongst them. The sudden attack just now had caused many Gods to lose their lives.
“Boss!” A voice suddenly rang out.
Linley immediately turned!
He saw Delia and Bebe emerge from within a distant corridor.
“Delia, Bebe.” Overjoyed, Linley immediately went over. Bebe and Delia’s eyes were filled with joy as well. Linley carefully looked at Delia, his heart delighted.
“It was all thanks to Bebe just now.” Delia sighed emotionally. “That attack came too suddenly, and there were many of those giant boulders. Fortunately, I was able to use the Deathgod Golem to take one of them head on. Afterwards, it was only thanks to Bebe’s help that I was able to safely pass through those terrifying waves of attacks.”
Bebe quirked his lips. “I just stood there. When the metallic creature was shattered, I was only a few meters away from Delia, so it was easy for me to help out.” Although he spoke casually, within Bebe’s eyes, there was still a hint of urgency.
Linley understood that Bebe was worried about Nisse.
“Where’s Nisse? Wasn’t she with you at the time?” Linley suddenly asked.
Bebe squeezed out a smile. “At that time, Ninny went to her brother’s place. Salomon is a Highgod. He should have been able to protect Ninny.”
“Bebe.” A voice rang out from afar.
Bebe immediately turned his head, and a look of delight appeared on his face. “Ninny.” Nisse and Salomon immediately flew over. After suffering this attack but not dying, everyone was finally able to smile.
Suddenly…
“Everyone, let’s break open the mountain walls and go out,” someone called out suddenly.
“BANG!”
An explosion immediately followed. By the time Linley and the others turned their heads, all they saw was a shattered corpse falling downwards.
“What’s going on?” Linley’s group was somewhat mystified.
“Everyone, what should we do right now?” a voice rang out suddenly.
Everyone, including Linley, turned to look. The speaker was a Highgod. Linley had heard of his name before; his name was Sperry. He had a rather high reputation amongst the group of Fiends who had been hired from Yilan City, and his strength was most likely that of a Four Star Fiend or a Five Star Fiend.
This Sperry had long, slightly wavy brown hair.
With a flip of his hand, a black blade shadow suddenly appeared. Space shuddered as the blade shadow flashed past the mountain wall, carving out a half-meter-deep hole, but the rocks carved out from the hole all shot out at high speed towards Sperry.
Countless blade shadows flashed, and those shattered rocks transformed into dust.
The strange thing was, the powdered rocks actually reformed, flying back to the half-meter-deep hole in the mountain walls, completely filling it up. And then, the stone powder moved about, transforming to a very polished state without any hint of a blade scar.
“Everyone saw that, right?” Sperry swept everyone with his gaze.
Many of the Fiends present were highly experienced. Seeing this, they were able to hypothesize what the situation was.
“This should be a Volcano Titan!” someone said immediately. “The most important part of a Volcano Titan is their energy nucleus. As long as the nucleus doesn’t shatter, they are able to control countless amounts of rocks to once more reform their enormous bodies. Most likely, this entire volcano range is just part of the enormous body of the Volcano Titan.”
“Volcano Titan?” Linley was shocked, and he couldn’t help but exchange glances with Bebe.
Linley thought of a type of creature. The strange thing he had encountered on the sixth floor of the Necropolis of the Gods… the Flame Tyrant!
At that time, that creature was also a mountain-sized giant. The first time, they had managed to destroy it, but a semi-translucent stone had formed as the center for the recreation of its body. Afterwards, Linley had relied on the Throbbing Pulse of the World to shake the energy nucleus to pieces, killing the creature.
“Can it be that this is also a Flame Tyrant? Or, to be precise, the Highgod variant of a Flame Tyrant?” Linley wondered to himself. This ‘Volcano Titan’ was definitely a Highgod. If it was only a God, how could it have so easily killed so many Gods?
“I didn’t expect that we would end up inside the body of a creature! And that the creature would be a volcano range,” Bebe muttered.
“Everyone knows the situation. Now, what should we do?” Sperry said, and then he looked towards the white-horned elder. “What thoughts do you have? You have hired us for this mission, after all.”
The white-horned elder said sincerely, “How could I have any thoughts on this? Everyone, you decide.”
“We only have seven Highgod Fiends here,” another person said clearly. “That ambush attack was dangerous to Gods, but not to most Highgods. Also… neither the Edwards brothers nor Learmonth are here. I refuse to believe that they would die! Thus, I imagine that the surviving Fiends have most likely been divided into two or three segments.”
Everyone nodded slightly.
The three Edwards brothers and Learmonth were all extremely powerful experts in this mission. No one believed that the attack just now was capable of killing them.
However, Learmonth and the others weren’t here.
“Perhaps they are in another part of the Volcano Titan’s body,” Sperry said calmly. “However, this Volcano Titan truly is bold, to allow us to enter his body. As long as we can find his energy nucleus and shatter it, he will die for certain. Come. We have no other choices. Let’s go downwards.”
Perry led them in flying downwards, and immediately, all the other Fiends immediately followed.
Linley and the others flew downwards as well.
Soon afterwards, they landed on the ground. This place was covered with boiling rivers of lava, which had passageways and corridors to each side.
Within a palace that was hidden away deep within the volcano range, Elquin was seated on a chair, dressed in a black robe, holding that little golden kitten in his arms. Inigo, appearing rather respectful, was standing next to him.
“Phusro, how goes it?” Elquin gently petted the little golden kitten in his arms, smiling as he spoke.
“Meow. Master, I’ve already separated the Fiends apart, and the more powerful Fiends are now in a different area! That powerful Fiend named ‘Learmonth’ that Inigo described has been placed in a separate area, blocked off from everyone else. For now, he won’t be able to interfere with our plans. Meow.” The little golden kitten spoke in human tongues.
Elquin nodded slightly.
“Meow. Master, that white-horned elder and that man whom Inigo said is probably a member of the Boyd clan have been placed by me in the same location. Right now, they have reached the Goldflame Pool. Meow,” the little golden kitten said silkily.
Elquin smiled in satisfaction. “It’s about time. Let’s move!”
“Drip, drip…”
In the center of this cave, there was a pool of golden lava that was constantly boiling and hurtling about. The air on top of the magma pool was twisted and distorted from the high temperature.
By the time Linley and the other Fiends arrived here, some of the Fiends, upon seeing the pool of magma, had changed looks on their faces. They unconsciously backed away slightly from that golden magma. As for Linley and Bebe, who were rather inexperienced, they didn’t know how terrifying that golden magma was.
“Liquefied Goldflame?” Salomon said softly.
“What’s a Goldflame?” Linley, Bebe, and Delia didn’t understand.
Salomon said in a low voice, “This is a very monstrous toy. Its corrosiveness and temperature is extremely high. Forget about you; even a Highgod that falls in will be in trouble. Don’t go too close to it.”
“Liquefied Goldflame?” Although Linley was over ten meters away from that golden magma pool, he could still sense those waves of heat assaulting his body. If a Saint from a material plane was to come here, most likely within just a few meters of this golden magma pool, the Saint would immediately combust and burn to nothingness due to the temperature.
The group of Fiends all intentionally stayed a distance away from the golden magma pool, not daring to draw too near.
“Rumble…” Quite bizarrely, the stone floor around the magma pool began to move like waves of water. All of the Fiends were caught off guard and immediately flew into the air.
“Swish!” “Swish!” “Swish!”
A large number of boulders from the cave walls suddenly fell down, while at the same time shooting towards Linley’s group of Fiends at astonishing speed. The densely clustered boulders shot over, and Linley and the others were forced to use their strength to block. Linley, Delia, Bebe, Nisse, and Salomon were all together.
“Bang!” A boulder slammed into him. Although his defense was powerful, Linley was still knocked flying by dozens of meters, and moved all the way over to the air above the golden magma.
“Drip, drip…”
The ‘magma’ in the golden magma pool suddenly transformed into an enormous golden liquid hand, reaching out to grasp Linley.
“Swish!” Linley immediately activated the Profound Truths of Velocity, using it to maximum effect. He transformed into a surge of blue smoke, twisting strangely in the air and avoiding that clutch, then flying back to Delia and Bebe’s side.
“Ahhhhhh!”
Linley had managed to avoid disaster, but another person had also been knocked to the air above the magma pool and had been grabbed by that golden liquid hand, then dragged into the golden magma pool. Upon being dragged in… he never came out again. Only a few bubbles could be seen.
“Everyone, be careful. Don’t let yourself be knocked into that golden magma pool.” Linley could still taste his fear.
“Linley, you be careful too.” Salomon had the easiest time of their group. Whenever boulders drew near, a black light would flash in his hands and those boulders would immediately transform into smithereens.
Delia was prepared now, and the Deathgod Golem was constantly smashing apart one boulder after another in front of her. Deathgod Golems were incomparably tough, far tougher than these boulders, and it sheared through them now.
“Ahhhh!”
Yet another person was knocked into the air above the golden magma pool, and two enormous liquid golden hands reached out, dragging him down. He, too, never appeared again. This sight caused those experts who were suffering the attacks of those many boulders to be terrified.
“Not only is this golden magma pool itself terrifying, the main issue is that this blazing titan is secretly using techniques against us. Even a Highgod who falls in that place will find it hard to survive,” Salomon sent mentally to Linley and the others. “Everyone, be careful. Don’t fall in.”
Linley, Delia, and Bebe were all on maximum vigilance, smashing one boulder after another aside.
Most of those who fell into the golden magma pool and died were Gods.
As for their employer, that white-horned elder, he had a fairly easy time of it. He was wielding a staff in his hands, which danced and whirled like a viper, deflecting the boulders that attacked him towards each side, with the boulders being unable to harm him at all.
But right at this moment…
From another corridor that also led to this cave, three figures walked out. It was the three Edwards brothers. When they had been in the metallic lifeform, they had shared a single room. After the metallic lifeform had exploded and shattered and those boulders had sought to crush them, the three brothers had still been together.
“There’s actually liquefied Goldflame here!” The three Edwards brothers carefully inspected the scene.
“Ah, that Learmonth isn’t present!” The eyes of the third Edwards brother shone. “Big brother, second brother, this is a good chance. That white-horned old man is right there.”
The three Edwards brothers were beginning to grow rather excited.
They didn’t consider how this opportunity had suddenly came. Learmonth wasn’t here; what did the three of them have to be afraid of?
Upon killing that white-horned elder, they would receive the astonishing wealth accumulated over countless years by the Boyd clan!
48
The Fight Over the Priceless Treasure
“Drip, drip…” The golden magma pool was continuing to bubble and boil. The many fiery boulders shooting at them finally came to a halt.
Only now did Linley and the others let out sighs of relief.
Suddenly, the shattered stones that had been broken into dozens of pieces on the ground floated into the air. Everyone grew cautious, prepared to block at any moment. But these levitating stones just flew back towards the walls on each side, merging into those deep holes. After a vibration, the walls of the cave once more returned to normal.
It was as though those attacking boulders had been nothing more than a dream.
“Whew.” Linley’s group let out sighs of relief.
“The survivors are fewer in number again,” Delia said softly. Everyone in the cave sensed a sort of pressure. Just now, those shooting boulders had been nothing more than an appetizer. The main course hadn’t arrived yet. However, less than ten Gods were surviving.
The Highgod Fiend, Sperry, said brightly, “Everyone, we…”
“BANG!”
Very suddenly, three thick electric serpents suddenly snaked across from the distant tunnel entrance, rapidly striking towards the white-horned elder. The strange thing was, the heads of the three electric serpents were flashing with saber light.
“Hrm!” Salomon’s forehead creased slightly.
The white-horned elder immediately grew solemn. His body swayed, and suddenly, one doppelganger after another filled the cave, floating in the air above it. There was an awe-inspiring sight of over three hundred doppelgangers, each one emitting the same soul aura. For the moment, there was no way to tell which one was the real one.
“Haha…” With loud, while laughter, the three electric serpents coiled and twisted, transforming into three people. It was the three Edward brothers.
“The Edward brothers. What are you doing?!” The white-horned elder’s angry shout simultaneously came out from the mouths of the three-hundred-plus doppelgangers, reverberating throughout the cave, “What are you doing!” “What are you doing!” The angry sound continued to cascade and echo throughout the cave, carrying with it a hint of an unusual vibration.
Linley and the other Gods couldn’t help but feel their heads grow slightly dizzy.
“Profound Mysteries of Music?” Linley couldn’t help but be startled.
The three Edward brothers had separated long ago. They were standing in front of the three exits from the cave, preventing the white-horned elder from fleeing.
“What are we doing?” The eldest of the three Edward brothers laughed coldly, then opened his mouth wide. “Roaaaaaaar!” With this furious, earth-shaking roar, countless bolts of electric light spread out, covering the entire cave. And then, the electric bolts suddenly split apart, heading to two different ends.
The electric light condensed around the two ends, then shot out electricity in each direction.
“Crackle…”
Between each end was a strange electric radiation area, with the three hundred plus doppelgangers caught within the field. But it wasn’t just the three hundred doppelgangers that were caught here; Linley and the others were also caught within it, causing them to suffer as well.
“Linley, Bebe, this is a sort of material attack of the Laws of Lightning. However, it
is a rather unique type of material attack. Protect yourselves,” Salomon shouted to them through divine sense.
At the same time, Salomon’s hands spread out, and two rays of black light flashed out, ensconcing Delia and Nisse.
A material attack!
Bebe’s body was unbelievably tough. Naturally, he wouldn’t fear it.
“Thank you,” Linley said towards Salomon through divine sense. It was already very good of him to be willing to protect Delia.
“Ahhh!” In the next instant, Linley sensed an astonishing, unique electric force trying to break through his Pulseguard Armor. Not only did it attack from in front, it also attacked from behind. However, the Pulseguard Armor’s defensive power was quite astonishing indeed.
Linley was able to take it head on.
“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!”
One doppelganger after another exploded, while at the same time, of those God-level Fiends, aside from Linley and his group, only two managed to survive. The other Gods all perished.
“Second brother, third brother, you help out as well.” The other two Edward brothers all opened their mouths as well.
With two angry roars erupting, even more electricity spewed forth into the air. Countless flashes of electricity condensed around those two ends, and instantly the penetrative power of the electric field multiplied. Those two luckily surviving God-level Fiends let out miserable cries, and then were burnt by the electricity to ash, leaving behind only their divine sparks.
“Haaargh!” Salomon let out a low growl, and the black light surrounding Nisse and Delia also intensified, with his own expression becoming fiercer.
“Motherfucker, those three bastards have gone crazy,” Salomon growled in a low voice.
Bebe’s body was extremely durable. Even though the penetrative power of the electric bolts had increased, he was still able to take it head on. As for Linley, however, the ‘Pulseguard Armor’ around his body was beginning to shudder.
“Not good.” Linley could clearly sense how innumerable tiny needle-like electric sparks were piercing through his Pulseguard Armor. The Pulseguard Armor shook violently, and at this point, Linley no longer hid anything. He immediately switched to his original form.
The Infernal Plane: Book 5 of the Coiling Dragon Saga Page 37