Chapter 674: Exploring the Magma World Beneath
"You can't protect them, Mo Yu! When the full Soul Clan army arrives, you will all die!" Soul You spat with venom in his final moments.
"More reinforcements?"
Hearing this, Su Qian and the others were immediately alarmed.
At that moment, just after the invading enemies had been completely wiped out, several figures appeared in the sky above the academy, catching the attention of Su Qian and his companions. As these figures appeared, a terrifying aura quietly spread through the area.
"Dou Shengs?"
Sensing this bone-chilling power, Su Qian and Elders Bai and Qian were instantly on edge. The newcomers were all legendary Dou Sheng experts?
"Haha, Su Qian, it seems you're quite suited to running the academy..."
As Su Qian and the others wiped cold sweat from their foreheads, a voice full of laughter echoed from the sky. Then, an old figure slowly descended, appearing before everyone.
"Headmaster?"
Seeing the smiling elder who was walking through the air, Su Qian and the others froze in shock, before exclaiming in disbelief.
"Hehe."
The newcomer was none other than Mang Tian Chi, the headmaster of Jia Nan Academy. He smiled warmly at Su Qian and the others, his eyes scanning the academy as he nodded in satisfaction. The academy had grown far beyond what it had been when he had left many years ago.
"Let's talk down below," Mang Tian Chi said, waving his hand casually. He then looked up at the sky and smiled. "Elder Mo Yu, Xiao Yan, why don't you come down as well?"
After the Battle of Burial Sky, in recognition of Mo Yu's contributions, the Thunder Clan leader Lei Ying had awarded him the position of Enforcement Elder in the clan. Given his new rank, Mang Tian Chi could no longer treat Mo Yu the way he had in the past.
Hearing this, Mo Yu and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance. With a nod, they descended from the sky along with Xun'er and several other Dou Sheng experts from the alliance, landing amidst the crowd. With a bow, Mo Yu greeted Su Qian with a smile, "Great Elder, long time no see. I hope you've been well."
"You two! You've been gone for so many years without a word. We thought something bad had happened to you," Su Qian laughed, looking at Mo Yu and Xiao Yan, who had both matured greatly over the years.
"Great Elder."
Behind Mo Yu and Xiao Yan, Xun'er smiled gently. Her elegant and graceful demeanor caught the attention of many students, leaving them awestruck. A girl of her caliber was practically unmatched in the academy.
"Xun'er..." Su Qian smiled warmly at her as well.
"Greetings to the Lord!"
Nearby, the Yao brothers suddenly stepped forward, their faces full of excitement as they bowed deeply to Mo Yu.
"Oh, it's you three—the Yao brothers." Mo Yu smiled at his former subordinates, then chuckled, "You've done well maintaining order in the Black-Corner Region over the years. There's been no trouble. Good job."
"It's our failure that we couldn't protect Jia Nan Academy better," the eldest Yao brother said, his face glowing with emotion as he realized Mo Yu still remembered him.
In the Yuan Sect, Mo Yu was nothing short of a legend. The Yao brothers had assumed that someone like him would have long forgotten their names.
"It's not your fault. These enemies were beyond what the Black-Corner Region branch could handle. After this crisis passes, you should all go to the headquarters in Zhongzhou for some training. With hard work, breaking through to Dou Zun isn't out of reach," Mo Yu said with a light smile.
For his loyal subordinates, Mo Yu was always willing to provide opportunities for growth when possible.
"Thank you, my lord!"
The Yao brothers were overjoyed at this. Going to the Yuan Sect headquarters had been their dream for years, and now, with Mo Yu's promise that they could break through to Dou Zun, they could hardly contain their excitement. Even Su Qian was impressed by Mo Yu's generosity.
As the Yao brothers expressed their gratitude, Mo Yu waved his hand casually, about to speak when several figures flew over from the distance and landed beside him. It was Cai Lin and the others.
"The remaining Soul Clan remnants in other areas have been dealt with," Cai Lin said as she landed, a cold smile on her face.
Su Qian and the others were awestruck as they looked at the group surrounding Mo Yu. They quickly realized that each of them was a Dou Sheng. The sheer power gathered here was enough to leave anyone speechless. After a moment of stunned silence, Su Qian and the others could only manage a wry smile as they asked, "What exactly is going on?"
"There's been some trouble," Xiao Yan said, exchanging a serious look with Mo Yu. "In the coming days, we'll need to evacuate the students from the academy. Something big is going to happen in the Black-Corner Region…"
Hearing this, Su Qian's face changed slightly, and he hesitated before asking, "Where could we evacuate so many students? We don't have enough people to ensure their safety during the journey."
Mang Tian Chi also frowned at the question.
"The students aren't a problem. We can temporarily hide them in the Death Realm," Mo Yu said with a wave of his hand. "As for the details of what's happening, let's discuss it inside."
"Alright."
Though Su Qian didn't know what the Death Realm was, he nodded in agreement. After ordering some elders to calm the students, he led the group toward the academy's council hall, with Mo Yu, Xiao Yan, and the others following closely behind, leaving a crowd of admiring gazes in their wake.
Inside the council hall, after brief introductions, everyone took their seats.
"Several forces in the Black-Corner Region have already been wiped out by the Soul Hall, but the enemies we encountered have been eliminated," Mo Yu said, glancing at the group before speaking.
Hearing this, Su Qian and the others couldn't help but shudder. With such terrifying power, it wasn't impossible for them to wipe out the entire Black-Corner Region.
"You've really come a long way, reaching such heights in just a few short years," Su Qian remarked, looking at Mo Yu and Xiao Yan with a mixture of awe and admiration. Even though Mang Tian Chi had only briefly mentioned some of the events that had transpired in Zhongzhou, Su Qian could still sense the gravity of what had happened.
Elders Bai and Qian, along with the other academy elders, also nodded in amazement. When Mo Yu and Xiao Yan had left the academy years ago, they had only been at the Dou Huang level. Now, it seemed there were few in the world who could rival them.
It was truly astonishing.
"So, according to the headmaster, the reason for all this trouble in the Black-Corner Region is the magma world beneath our academy?" Elders Bai and Qian exchanged surprised looks.
"At the bottom of that magma, there's something the Soul Clan desperately needs, something they're willing to pay any price for," Mang Tian Chi said gravely.
"What we faced earlier was just the vanguard. Soon, the Soul Clan's main force will arrive. When that happens, there's bound to be a massive battle here. The students can't stay in this place for long," Mo Yu added.
Su Qian and the others exchanged wry smiles. This was indeed a disaster that had come out of nowhere. Who could have predicted that teaching students would lead to being caught up in such a massive conflict, and with the most powerful force on the continent no less?
"If you hadn't arrived in time today, there would have been rivers of blood flowing through the Black-Corner Region," Su Qian sighed. He had witnessed the cruel methods of the Soul Clan earlier. If Xiao Yan hadn't shown up, the place would have already been a sea of corpses.
"Don't worry, Great Elder. While the Soul Clan may be strong, our alliance doesn't fear them. We won't let them destroy Jia Nan Academy so easily," Mo Yu said confidently, exchanging a determined look with Xiao Yan.
Hearing this, Su Qian couldn't help but marvel at the academy's good fortune in producing such extraordinary students.
"Heh, this kid is now on equal footing with clan leaders. As headmaster here, I should be the one outranking them," Mang Tian Chi joked with a mischievous smile.
Both Mo Yu and Xiao Yan had long since earned his respect. He had come to view them as something more than just talented individuals—they were in a league of their own.
Xiao Yan smiled helplessly at Mang Tian Chi's remark, but soon his expression turned serious. "Elder Mang, during this time, be on high alert. If any Soul Clan experts are spotted, send out a warning immediately. Our alliance reinforcements will be arriving gradually."
Mo Yu nodded in agreement. "Yes, Elder Mang, stay here with Xun'er. Xiao Yan and I will head down to the magma world."
If Mo Yu's memory served him right, the ancient dragon king of the Taixu Ancient Dragon Tribe was trapped in the magma world. This would be the perfect opportunity to investigate.
Hearing that Mo Yu was heading into the magma world, Su Qian and the others were initially surprised. However, remembering Mo Yu's current terrifying strength, they quickly relaxed. Even though the magma world was shrouded in mystery, with Mo Yu and Xiao Yan's power, they were confident the two could return safely.
"I agree with Mo Yu," Xiao Yan said decisively. "Let's not waste any time. We should move out now."
Seeing Xiao Yan's resolve, Su Qian and the others exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
…
Inside the Inner Academy, at the bottom of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
After bidding farewell to Xun'er, Xiao Yan turned to Mo Yu. "Let's go, brother."
"Alright," Mo Yu replied, gazing at the seemingly endless magma below.
The two exchanged a glance, then without hesitation, their figures blurred into two streaks of light as they plunged into the magma world below.
Years had passed, but the magma world remained a vast, fiery red landscape with no visible end in sight.
"Sizzle!"
As soon as they entered the magma, Mo Yu and Xiao Yan rapidly dove deeper. The surrounding magma evaporated within half a meter of their bodies, unable to approach due to the combined power of Mo Yu's Divine Wood Thunder and Xiao Yan's Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
Within just ten minutes, they had reached the depths of the magma, though their pace slowed significantly.
Mo Yu and Xiao Yan exchanged looks. They could sense several concealed auras rapidly converging on their position.
"Lava creatures. Leave them to me," Xiao Yan said with a light smile. He suddenly stomped his foot, and a powerful wave of soul energy surged from his brow, causing the surrounding magma to explode. Several figures hidden within the magma let out shrill screams.
"Screech!"
As the screams echoed through the magma, violent waves surged around them. Mo Yu could see countless red figures rushing toward them from all directions, surrounding Xiao Yan.
Among the swarming lizard-like magma creatures were two that were entirely white, looking far older than the others. What was surprising, however, was that these two white lizards had reached the strength of half-saints.
"Humans, this is the Grave of the Gods. You do not belong here. Leave now, or if you awaken the Guardian, you will be buried here forever!"
One of the white lizard creatures spoke in a rough, halting voice, but its words were clear enough to reach Xiao Yan's ears.
"The Grave of the Gods? A Guardian?"
Hearing these terms, Mo Yu and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance, a strange light flashing in their eyes.
"So there is something unusual at the bottom of this magma. Looks like we're in the right place," Xiao Yan said excitedly.
"Yes, time is short. Let's continue deeper. If the Soul Clan has found this place, they'll be arriving soon as well," Mo Yu said, his eyes narrowing.
Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. He glanced at the strange creatures surrounding them and smiled, "If there's a Guardian, I wonder what exactly they're guarding?"
"Leave now, humans, or face death!"
The two white flame lizards glared coldly at Mo Yu and Xiao Yan, their words filled with hostility. As they spoke, the other lizards around them grew even more ferocious, their scales darkening ominously.
Mo Yu snorted coldly. Without moving, he released a wave of powerful soul energy that shot from his brow and spread out like lightning.
"Buzz!"
As the soul energy spread, the magma around them surged violently, accompanied by a low buzzing sound.
In an instant, the surrounding flame lizards trembled violently as a divine soul pressure bore down on them, causing their souls to quiver in fear. Their formation instantly fell into disarray.
The two white flame lizards' faces changed drastically. But before they could shout in anger, a thunderous explosion of lightning erupted in front of them. The overwhelming power hit them directly, leaving them on the brink of death.
After effortlessly dealing with the creatures, Mo Yu nodded to Xiao Yan. The two figures then transformed into streaks of light and shot deeper into the magma...
(End of Chapter)
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