Versatile Mage

translated by xephiz

edited by aelryinth

the mist slowly faded away. the underground cave of brown crystals with complicated maze-like tunnels was bigger than the team had imagined. they would arrive at another indistinguishable junction after traveling every fifty to sixty meters. there were both narrow and spacious interconnected paths. trying to find the wall of sarkinite was like trying to scoop up a needle from an ocean!

the fiery poison continued to drain away dongfang linlin’s vitality. her face was like a golden sheet of paper, but her lips were pale as snow. she was even struggling to walk properly, let alone using her magic. it looked like she would collapse in any second.

qi shan offered to carry her on his back, but dongfang linlin shook her head, saying that it was the only way she could keep herself awake.

dongfang linlin clenched her teeth and endured the pain. about ten minutes later, she fell to the ground feebly, like a shirt from its hanger. her breath was hot enough to burn a person.

“the fiery poison has spread across her entire back. if the fiery poison reaches her heart and spreads through her body via her blood, she will die.” mui guangqing helped dongfang linlin to her feet, but she had already lost consciousness. it was unlikely that she would wake up again.

the spiritual pillar supporting the rest of the team collapsed as she fell to the ground.

it was impossible to turn around and go back the same way. the mist was formed by the heavier substances in the volcanic pool that had accumulated over a long period. the explosions of the black lava had propelled these substances deeper into the volcanic pool though the pits they had created.

it basically meant it was easy for them to jump into the hole, but if they tried to fly up and out, the overwhelming force of the explosions would be pressing down on them!

mui guangqing already made it clear; breaking the sarkinite was the only way out!

“there’s nothing we can do but sit here and wait for our deaths,” dongfang xifeng sat on the ground. he could no longer be bothered.

“even though i might have trouble finding the exact location of the sarkinite, i know the rough direction that will lead us to the white lava. the oxygen level should be higher there. i’ve been observing mui qing’s condition. she seems to be unconscious because of the lack of oxygen, since her respiratory tract was severely injured. if we can make it to the white lava, she might have a chance to wake up once she has enough oxygen. if she wakes up, she might be able to save dongfang linlin’s life too!” mui guangqing said seriously.

“what if she doesn’t wake up? what if dongfang linlin is already dead before we reach the white lava? what if we can’t even find a way to cross the white lava? didn’t you say the white lava is the hardest to cross…” dongfang xifeng said.

“anything is better than waiting to die here! let’s go!” mu bai grunted. he was displeased with dongfang xifeng’s pessimistic attitude.

“yeah, stop grumbling like a pathetic woman, we are mages!”

the team’s will to survive was still very strong. they began searching for paths that would bring them deeper into the cave after hearing mui guangqing’s suggestion.

the white lava was located deeper into the cave, so it was not difficult to find. the problem was the white lava’s terrifying temperature; even a ruler-level creature could not endure its heat.

however, they did not have a better idea. they had no choice but to go forward while dragging their injured teammates with them.

—

“brother guangqing, don’t tell me you are having trouble finding the white lava now?” zhao manyan could not help but ask.

it was not like zhao manyan did not have confidence in mui guangqing, but somehow, he felt like they had walked the same meandering path multiple times. the guy might be knowledgeable, but he seemed to have no sense of direction, just like mo fan!

“well… don’t you worry, i’m going to find it,” mui guangqing replied awkwardly.

“the cave, paths, and tunnels are refined by the high-temperature lava. when the meteorite slammed into the mountain, its flames spread wildly inside it…” lingling said.

“little girl, what are you trying to say? we aren’t on an excursion for a geography class,” mui zhuocheng said.

“kunlun mountain mainly consists of four different substances. the one with the lowest melting point is the orange soil, followed by the brown rock, the black iron rock, and the blue rock. the area we were at previously was made of dark brown crystals that were formed after the brown rock was refined at a high temperature. some of the crystals are mixed with blue rock, indicating that the flames that burned the area had a relatively low temperature, hence the rocks still retained their brown color…” lingling said.

lingling’s speech was full of theories. the others had no idea what she was talking about, but mui guangqing was a researcher, and immediately realized her point.

“exactly, she’s right!” mui guangqing blurted out excitedly.

“right about what? just say it!” mui zhuocheng snapped.

“where are your manners?” mui guangqing glared at mui zhuocheng before explaining with an excited look, “the little girl is a genius. basically, the white lava’s temperature is extremely high, thus only the blue rock with the highest melting point can endure its heat. look at the crystals around us. instead of a pure color, they are mixed with hints of black and blue! we just need to follow the crystals with hints of blue to find the white lava!”

the orange soil, brown rock, and black iron rock along the path would be melted by the white lava as it flowed past, leaving only stone with a higher composition of blue rock behind. they just needed to follow that path to find the white lava!

“it’s indeed helpful to read a lot of books!” zhao manyan raised his thumb at lingling.

there were only three things that lingling normally spent her time on: reading books, completing jobs, and drinking milk tea. she was extremely smart; not just because her iq was high, but because she had read a lot of things!

——

the path was clearly leading them deeper into the cave after the team followed lingling’s instructions, proving the validity of her speculation.

the brown crystals were no longer visible as they proceeded further. even the black iron rocks were nowhere to be seen. all that was left were blue rocks that resembled the palace of an emperor, illuminated by the light of the flames.

“found it! it’s here, look!” mui guangqing blurted out excitedly.

he pointed at the end of the path, where a white curtain of flames was falling. it looked just like a pure piece of silk cloth from afar.

they walked closer to it and discovered that the narrow tunnel was actually leading them to a bigger pool!

the pool was huge, with a diameter of over three hundred meters, with countless tunnels along the walls. it was plain that the scorching lava scattered across the cave would all end up here in the pool eventually, like streams flowing to a larger lake!

the curtain of white lava not only sealed up the tunnel; it was like a huge dome encapsulating a hundred meter circle at the center of the pool!

the dome of white lava seemed to be protecting something inside it.

“the white lava won’t hurt us as long as we don’t touch it,” mui guangqing informed them.

the others were dumbfounded by the spectacular sight in the underground cave.

—

the white lava resembled a curtain at first, but as they looked up, it was more like a waterfall covering a full circle inside the pond. the dome extended from the blue crystalline ground they were standing on to the top of the cave. the spectacular white lava kept flowing up against gravity, but not a single spark or tongue of fire was extending from it.

most kinds of flames were wild and restless, so it was common to have spark, bursts, and flames leaping off from areas where the density of flames was higher. even the slightest splash of burning lava could set the air on fire, but the white lava was surprisingly calm and self-restrained. it was quietly protecting whatever was inside it, arousing everyone’s curiosity towards the mysterious treasure within it!

it was mo fan’s first time seeing anything like that too. little flame belle had already snuck out of the contracted space. she curiously drew closer to the fiery curtain while blinking her eyes.

mo fan did not let little flame belle touch the white lava waterfall. it was obviously going to react to any intruder aggressively.

“this thing can burn even a ruler-level creature to death. what can we do, apart from praying to it?” dongfang xifeng said.

“isn’t now the perfect time for someone to show us what he has? he has to contribute if he’s thinking of getting a share of the action!” mui zhuocheng stared at mo fan.

mui guangqing glanced at mo fan before looking at the little fire spirit floating beside him. mui guangqing asked, “what do you think? can your flame belle enter the white lava waterfall?”

“i’m not sure,” mo fan replied.

“what do you mean you’re not sure? dongfang linlin is about to die!” dongfang xifeng exclaimed.

mo fan glanced at dongfang linlin. her other body parts were blistering now. she was beyond recognition, especially compared to her glamorous appearance from before. even the parthenon temple would have no chance of saving her once the fiery poison reached her heart!

“ling~”

little flame belle floated in front of the curtain of white lava. she reached her finger out to touch the white lava. however, a strong force immediately burst out of the white lava and landed on little flame belle.

little flame belle went flying and slammed heavily into the wall of blue rock nearby, leaving an outline of her petite figure on it.

“ling!”

little flame belle climbed out from the wall and returned to the white lava furiously. she squeaked and grumbled at the white lava.

“flame belle is a blessed creature born in flames. the white lava isn’t too hostile to her. it only knocked her flying, but it’s going to burn us into ashes if we try that,” mui guangqing commented.

“what should we do then!?” dongfang xifeng said.

“mo fan, look over there,” lingling pointed at a tunnel in the opening.

the tunnel had lava pouring out of it like the throat of a fire dragon. the lava was flowing out of it at a constant rate, as if it was being expelled by an enormous dragon!

“what’s that?” mo fan asked.

“a primitive soul-grade fire! i’m afraid you and little flame belle will have to subdue a powerful flame nurtured in this place if you are thinking of entering the dome of white lava. that way, the white lava will not reject you and little flame belle’s presence!” lingling stated.