Chapter 1048: Terrifying Lava (Part 1)

Looking up, he saw Luo Ruoxi's beautiful face flushed red, seething with anger.

Everyone else was pondering how to find the entrance, yet this guy was intently staring at her, scrutinizing her from head to toe. It was obvious he wasn't thinking anything appropriate.

"Ahem!" Caught off guard while contemplating such a crucial matter, Zhang Xuan choked on his saliva. His expression turned serious, and he raised an eyebrow. "I was thinking that since the magma is so dangerous, it can't be meant for people to simply dive into. It must be a test!"

"A test?" Luo Ruoxi felt embarrassed, realizing she had misunderstood his earnest thoughts.

"Exactly!" Zhang Xuan stood in the air, gazing forward and gesturing with his hand, as if guiding the world. "If the person who left these ruins didn't want future generations to enter, they would never have allowed the formation to have periodic loopholes for people to come in. Since they did, it means the ruins are intended for future generations. This magma is very likely the first test; only by overcoming it can one venture deeper!"

"This..." Luo Ruoxi paused, then nodded. He was right; if the ruins could be entered simply by rushing in, they would have been visited by countless people over the years and would no longer exist.

"What good is knowing all this?" Luo Ruoxi asked, looking at him. "Have you guessed the purpose of this lava, or can you find the true entrance to the ruins?"

"I'm still pondering..." Zhang Xuan turned his head, breathing a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly; if she had known his true thoughts, she would have wanted to strangle him.

"Alright, I'll stop thinking about that for now..." Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan dismissed the jumbled thoughts in his mind and looked down.

The lava below constantly churned like boiling water, exuding an unbearable heat that felt as if one would be scorched at any moment, even from a distance.

Activating his Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan observed carefully. The entire volcanic crater was shrouded in heat, resembling a steam-filled sauna, making visibility extremely poor.

He scanned the area but found no trace of formations, nor could he discern any spiritual energy.

"Perhaps there's a folded space..." He frowned, just as he was about to contact the Thousand-Ant Queen Bee to investigate, a voice spoke up.

"This doesn't seem like ordinary lava..." He turned to see Master Wu and President Han standing together, the latter looking surprised.

Everyone looked puzzled.

"Watch this!" President Han flicked his wrist, and a mid-tier spirit weapon appeared in his palm. Infusing it with true qi, he sent it shooting straight downwards.

*Plop!* The weapon merged with the magma, immediately emitting a sizzling sound. In moments, it melted into liquid and vanished.

"A mid-tier spirit item... it melted?" Everyone was shocked. They had previously thought the temperature below was high, but believed their combat strength as Saint realm cultivators would allow them to withstand it for a long time without harm. Seeing this, however, they instantly realized the lava below was far more terrifying than they had imagined.

"It's... core lava!" Dean Wu Tianqiong of Yunxu Academy hesitated before speaking.

"Core lava?" Puzzled, everyone looked at him.

"I've read about this," Wu Tianqiong explained. "It's said that the deeper the lava, the higher its temperature. The most potent is core lava, where even a single drop can melt spirit artifacts or even Saint artifacts! While this might not be that extreme, it has already surpassed ordinary magma. Therefore... it's highly possible that what lies below is not the ruins, but the earth's core!"

"This..." Everyone frowned.

"Whether it is or not, we'll find out by looking!" Master Wu raised an eyebrow. "Alright, you all wait here. I'll go down and take a look..."

"This lava is so hot; the temperature below must be even higher. Even with your strong cultivation, it must be difficult to go down, right?" President Han couldn't help but ask.

"I just analyzed the situation. With my current strength, I should be able to dive about a hundred meters. I'll come out immediately if I encounter danger, so don't worry," Master Wu nodded, his gaze solemn. "If we don't go in and just wait here, I fear we won't be able to hold on for long either!"

Although they were flying in the air, still some distance from the lava below, the seal above them meant the temperature here had already reached a horrifying level. For a short time, they could resist using their true qi, but with prolonged exposure, their true qi would be depleted, and they would likely be burned alive, unable to withstand the heat.

"That's true. You must be careful..." Hearing his words, President Han knew he spoke the truth and couldn't help but nod, offering a caution.

"Yes, don't worry! I'll come out immediately if I encounter danger!" Master Wu smiled, then said no more. His expression turned exceptionally solemn as his true qi surged within him. Like a colossal dragon gliding through the cosmos, he twisted his body and plunged straight down.

*Whoosh!* His true qi pushed the lava aside, and he plunged straight into it.

"Uh..." Zhang Xuan was surprised by his swift action. He hesitated, then swallowed the words of protest. To be honest, he hadn't yet figured out what was truly going on, and perhaps Master Wu's descent would uncover new clues.

*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!* Bubbles continuously rose from where Master Wu had entered, and the lava converged once more, as if no one had gone down at all.

"He... he'll be alright, won't he?" A combat master couldn't help but ask, seeing the scene below and feeling the scorching heat in the air.

"Master Wu's cultivation has already reached the Saint Realm Fourth Layer, and as a master teacher, he possesses many life-saving techniques, so there shouldn't be a major issue!" President Han said after a pause. Though he spoke with certainty, a hint of worry involuntarily flickered in his eyes. Clearly, even he wasn't entirely confident.

"Don't worry," Master Mu said with a smile from the side. "While Master Wu's strength isn't the greatest in the Qingyuan Empire's Master Teacher Pavilion, his escape techniques are absolutely the most ingenious. That's precisely why he was sent to these ruins this time!"

"Escape techniques?" Everyone was taken aback.

"Exactly. Master Wu possesses a unique cultivation art called the 'Silkworm Star Step.' Once activated, his speed can rival that of a Saint Realm Fifth Layer Primordial Spirit realm expert. While it consumes a vast amount of true qi, it is an unparalleled ultimate life-saving technique!" Master Mu nodded. "Even though the lava below is scorching, with his strength and various techniques, survival will certainly not be an issue! Furthermore, since the seal left an opening for life, it's impossible for it to become a death trap the moment one enters!"

"That's true..." Everyone's eyes lit up, and they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, if a venerable peak seven-star master teacher were to be burned to death simply by entering the lava, then these ruins would be far too difficult! If that were the case, how did You Xu manage to emerge alive? And what would be the purpose for the senior who left these ruins to design such obstacles?

Zhang Xuan nodded. This aligned closely with his earlier thoughts. Since these ruins were intended for people to enter, the trials might be challenging, but they would never completely block access.

After waiting seven or eight minutes, just as everyone was growing anxious, the lava below suddenly roared, and a figure shot straight up.

"Master Wu..." Everyone quickly looked, and after just one glance, their eyebrows twitched.

Master Wu at this moment looked completely different from before. His clothes were almost entirely burned away, leaving him completely naked; had he not used true qi to form a colossal dragon to shield himself, he would have been utterly humiliated. Of course, burned clothes were minor; the main thing was that he was gasping for breath, his face deathly pale, as if he had lost half his life. Some exposed parts of his body even bore large, terrifyingly dark burns.

"What happened?" President Han quickly came forward.

Quickly swallowing a pill to restore his true qi, Master Wu took out a set of clothes and changed into them, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"The temperature inside the lava was even higher than I imagined..." Master Wu explained with a wry smile. "After I entered, I kept descending, assuming that with my physical strength and true qi, going down a hundred meters would be no issue. Who knew... at thirty meters, I felt the temperature rapidly increasing, becoming almost unbearable, and my true qi was depleting at more than twice the previous rate!" He continued, "I barely managed to reach forty meters when I realized that most of my true qi had already been consumed. Knowing I couldn't go any deeper, I flew straight back up... but I still nearly exhausted all my true qi and almost died down there!"

"You only went forty meters?" Wu Tianqiong was utterly shocked. Master Wu's strength was the greatest among them, yet he only managed to go so shallow, revealing just how terrifying the lava was.

"Did you discover anything?" He couldn't help but press on.

Master Wu shook his head. "It's all lava below; I couldn't see anything, and the pressure was immense. Even my divine sense could only cover about ten meters; any more than that, and it became insufficient... Below forty meters, the temperature was even higher, and from what I observed, there's no telling how much deeper it goes to the end..."

"Your divine sense... it can only extend a dozen meters?" "And the depth is unknown?" Everyone's expressions changed. Although Master Wu's cultivation level wasn't the highest among them, his combat power was undeniably the strongest; President Han certainly wasn't his match. For such a powerful expert to be able to observe only a ten-meter radius... how could they possibly explore a volcanic crater over ten li in diameter? Even if there truly was an entrance to the ruins below, they wouldn't be able to reach it, would they?

"Yes, when my divine sense was above, it could extend for several hundred meters, but the deeper I went, the tighter the restriction became. Forty meters was my limit; I couldn't endure any deeper..." Master Wu shook his head.

"You can only endure forty meters, and there's no telling how much deeper it goes... What should we do?" Everyone exchanged glances. If Master Wu, with all his strength, could only go forty meters, the others certainly couldn't enter... Could it be that the seal had finally opened, only for them to be trapped here, unable to do anything?

"Oh no... the seal has closed..." Just as everyone was reeling from the news, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. Everyone looked back in unison and saw that the shimmering membrane they had just passed through had reverted to its previous hazy white, and the rainbow bridge had vanished, as if the entrance had completely closed.