Chapter 1442 - Volcanic Pond
being a mage did not necessarily mean they were good at drinking. mo fan’s mind was still spinning when he heard lingling urging him to get ready.
mo fan took a shower to freshen up himself. he no longer looked as miserable as he was last night after being outdrank by two hookers.
zhao manyan soon came out too. he muttered under his breath, “damn it, how dare that sister li look down on me? not only did she say that i’m worse at drinking than her, she even said that i’m worse than her in bed too! damn it, if only i didn’t drink that much last night, or i would have taught her why nuwa patched up the sky!”
“enough boasting; you might not even be alive to walk out of your room,” mo fan shot back.
——
everyone else had already gathered at the relay station. the team 9included more than twenty people, but only nine were going into the fire vein, including mo fan, zhao manyan, mu bai, qi shan, mui zhuocheng, dongfang xifeng, dongfang linlin, and the others.
the rest of the team would be on standby close to the fire vein. they included dongfang mo, mui guangqing, dongfang ming, lingling, and some other people.
their destination was quite a journey away. mui guangqing summoned his mount, a mountain beast, to carry the team across the mountains of sun ridge. the team gradually approached the location of the fire vein.
“see that scorching rock peak? that’s the highest peak of this mountain. it’s where the ruler of sun ridge resides. after observing it for a long time, we’ve discovered that the scorching rock peak is shrouded by an orange mist of volcanic ashes almost all the time, and it has never completely gone away. the mist is our perfect cover. the beast won’t be able to see us, no matter what we’re going to do,” mui guangqing informed everyone, pointing at one of the peaks.
the peak soared up beyond a huge mist and cluster of gray clouds. the clouds were orange, with tongues of fire sprouting out at times. it was most likely a spiraling airflow that continuously absorbed the volcanic ashes and particles from the volcano, forming a spectacular volcanic mist after a certain period of time!
the clouds did not look misty, but felt heavy instead. together with the mountains nearby, it felt like the spacious land had been compressed into a ravine. it was somewhat gloomy and restrained!
“isn’t the ruler interested in the fire vein?” mo fan had to ask.
“from what i can tell, it’s more interested in the volcanic mist instead, but i heard from the locals around here that it isn’t the friendliest beast. brother mo, please be careful,” mui guangqing warned him.
no one could guarantee that the ruler was actually asleep in its own territory. if it happened to be taking a stroll, the whole team was going to be done for!
mo fan’s demon element was still in hibernation. if a great ruler suddenly showed up, mo fan was going to die for sure too!
“it’s one of the greatest threats to us; brother mo and his men are going to keep an eye on the creature. they will alert us if anything happens… the rest of you will be coming with me,” mui guangqing said.
the terrain began to rise after the team crossed a few valleys. the slopes were heading toward the sky, extending beyond the volcanic mist. it felt like they were about to enter a different world above the clouds.
mo fan could not help but marvel at the sight of it. they were only on one of the ridges of kunlun mountain that was not particularly well-known, yet the sight on it was already this spectacular. how astonishing would it be if he was standing at the top of kunlun mountain?
kunlun was occupied by a kingdom of demon creatures. the demon creatures residing in the qinling mountains used to be from kunlun; they were just a side branch of kunlun’s kingdom!
if a little side branch was enough to dominate the qinling mountains, how powerful were the demon creatures that were dominating kunlun mountain!?
—
the terrain kept going higher. just as the team thought they were about to reach the clouds, their vision ahead suddenly cleared up as they crossed a section of the ridge. it was outside mo fan’s expectations…
“this mountain was once the tallest peak, but it ended up like this after it was hit by the meteorite,” mui guangqing explained. he already knew the team was going to be shocked by the sight.
he also had not expected he would reach the highest point of the ridge while he was still climbing a steep slope the first time he came here. the truth was, it was not the highest point of the mountain. the mountain used to be around a thousand meters tall three centuries ago, but a meteorite had smashed its peak to pieces, giving the mountain its current appearance. the top of the mountain had been turned into a plateau big enough to build a large city on!
“we call it the roulette wheel summit; its widest point is seven kilometers, the smallest is five. the fire vein is right at its center, a volcanic pool around four kilometers wide that was created by the meteorite. just take a few more steps forward, and you’ll be able to see the hole!” mui guangqing said.
—
the team continued ahead. they had indeed noticed a steep crack on the flat terrain ahead. they could already see the edge of the hole, but to their surprise, they still could not see what was inside. they had to move closer…
they were finally able to look into the hole after they went further ahead. its depth and size alone were already raising some hackles. the people were already struggling to find the courage to keep going!
“such an eye-opener!” zhao manyan could not help but exclaim.
it was truly a fire vein; its appearance alone was enough to intimidate them, but they had yet to see any fire from it yet…
—
the team continued forward. they suddenly saw a blinding red that directly struck their souls!
it felt as if just the sight of the redness was enough to set them on fire. it continued to make them feel tinier as they moved forward!
the imperious flames had completely filled up their vision. a few of them had already halted in their tracks. they had totally lost their minds after witnessing the spectacular sight.
“this…this is unbelievable!” it was dongfang mo’s first time coming here, too.
mui guangqing smiled proudly. it was he that had discovered the place, and today would be the day they began excavating this elemental vein that had existed for three hundred years! it was going to change the fate of the two renowned clans!
“mo fan, you can just give guan xixi a call and tell her about the girl who helped return my car!” zhao manyan almost wet his pants after looking into the hole.
my heavens, how were they supposed to make it out alive after jumping into the fire inside that!?
“can you get a hold of yourself? you already came all the way here,” mo fan retorted.
the other volunteers were thinking of giving up, too. they had no idea how dangerous the fire vein was before coming here. they had already lost the courage to get closer, let alone jump into the hole. they had only seen a small part of the volcano’s caldera. they had not even reached the edge of it!
the air only felt a little heavy when they were climbing up the mountain, and the temperature was still normal. when they reached the roulette wheel summit and drew closer to the volcanic pool, it felt like they had entered a world of flames!