This magical spatial pendant was not the first time Qingyan had seen it. When she first met Dugu Xiaoxuan, she had used this magical tool to subdue that third-level fierce leopard. At that time, however, she did not wear it around her neck, so Qingyan had no idea what it was. Seeing it again now as a pendant left Qingyan somewhat stunned, and she was momentarily at a loss.
"Hey, Miss Dugu, that fierce leopard you tamed back then is not exactly a harmless creature. It's the pet of these special forces in front of us. You better be careful..."
Qingyan recalled her earlier concerns and kindly reminded her, though her tone wasn't particularly friendly due to some tension between them.
"Idiot! If I waited for you to remind me, I wouldn't be alive now!"
Dugu Xiaoxuan's face was cold, but her brow involuntarily furrowed, and a strangely sweet feeling flashed through her, making her extremely uncomfortable.
Qingyan was speechless and cautiously climbed along the volcanic ridge. The waves of intense heat coming from the mountain surface made her very uncomfortable.
In front of them, as the last soldier climbed down, the entire team of special forces had already descended from the volcano mouth and truly entered the volcano's interior. Qingyan and her group followed closely behind, climbing along the volcanic ridge toward the crater.
Since they had already reached a height above the volcano's midpoint, it only took about twenty minutes for Qingyan and her party to descend from the crater and stand on a semi-circular internal platform about three meters in diameter.
Inside the volcano, it was extremely spacious, covering at least a thousand square meters. At this moment, the plants that had grown on the volcanic surface for years had all been burned into thick ash by the strange fires erupting from the underground soil layers. After a volcanic eruption, these ashes would form new volcanic soil, serving as fertilizer for the next generation of trees, until hundreds of years later, when the next fire puppet would trigger another volcanic eruption.
Standing at the edge of the soil layer, they could clearly see the strange fires occasionally surging up from the cracks in the soil. The scorching heat continuously attacked them.
Although they made a great effort to channel their mystical power to block much of the incoming heat, Qingyan and the four others were still drenched in sweat, their eyes filled with signs of wavering!
And this was only the volcano's mouth, yet the temperature was already extremely high.If an ordinary person were standing here, they would be completely roasted in no time! Let alone inside a volcano, where the boiling strange fire now is extremely terrifying! Right now, they had no way to determine whether they could withstand the high temperatures below, let alone forcibly take a Fire Spirit Crystal.\ Uncle Tian was somewhat hesitant. After thinking for a few seconds, he seemed to make a decision, turned to face Du Gu Xiaoxuan, and was about to say something.\ “Here, take this.”\ Before Uncle Tian could speak, Du Gu Xiaoxuan quickly took several pure white pills out of the spatial pendant, ate one herself, and then distributed one to each of the other five people.\ The pills melted upon entering the mouth, and a cold, refreshing sensation instantly spread throughout the body, permeating the bones and muscles. This icy chill completely counteracted the heat brought by the volcano, and even brought a slight sense of cold.\ At this moment, Du Gu Xiaoxuan softly said, “Uncle Tian, I know you are worried about everyone's safety. But since I have a mission, naturally... I am well-prepared!”\ She did not explain the so-called “mission,” but there was naturally a reason for her concealment. Qing Yan and Uncle Tian naturally did not press the matter, but at least, Du Gu Xiaoxuan had no reason to harm them, and they trusted that she would consider their safety.\ After thinking for a moment, the five nodded, and the glint in their eyes as they looked at the interior of the volcano now carried a faint desire once again.\ When safety is assured, a natural desire for temptation emerges. This is normal, because humans are creatures with very strong desires. Even so-called saints cannot claim to be completely without desire.\ “These pills are made from thousand-year Snow Plum, and can maintain our coldness for one hour. We must obtain the Fire Spirit Crystal and return to this platform within one hour, or we will be incinerated by the strange fire at any moment!”\ At this moment, Du Gu Xiaoxuan's face was full of seriousness, completely devoid of the usual mischievous and capricious little princess demeanor. As soon as her words fell, she was the first to jump off the platform and stand on the scorching surface of the volcano!\ Qing Yan took a deep breath and also leapt down. The four men naturally followed closely behind.“Hoo……”
Suddenly, a strange fire surged up violently from where the Azure Flame had fallen! But Azure Flame was suspended in midair, unable to gain leverage, and could only watch as he suddenly stepped onto the strange fire!
“Hmm?” Azure Flame murmured in surprise, looking at the faint mist-like light that had instantly appeared around his body. A sensation that penetrated to the heart abruptly filled his mind. The strange fire, however, was completely suppressed by this light and vanished instantly.
Another miraculous pill!
Azure Flame was astonished in his heart, not expecting Du Gu Xiaoxuan to be able to produce another such miraculous pill. After all, the Heavenly Strange Fire is difficult even for those at the Immortal Venerable stage to tame, which shows just how astonishing its power is. This pill, surprisingly, could resist the heat of the strange fire. Though time-limited, it was still an extraordinarily miraculous pill.
Could it be… this time it's cat food?
This thought suddenly popped into Azure Flame's mind, making him somewhat amused yet helpless.
But anyway, possessing such a pill made things much easier. Seeing Azure Flame deal with the strange fire in such a miraculous way, the four men secretly breathed a sigh of relief, their lingering worries about safety almost entirely gone.
Thick layers of volcanic ash covered the surface of the volcano. All over it were the footprints left by the special soldiers, still clearly visible. The path they had taken led straight to a corner of the volcano's surface, without any hesitation. It was evident that the special soldiers were very familiar with the terrain here and didn't need to explore, knowing perfectly well how to enter the volcano's interior.
These footprints were of great convenience to Azure Flame and his group. Following the footprints, they continued toward the corner of the volcanic surface. Finally, at a distance of about ten meters, they discovered a fissure in the ground!
Getting closer, the fissure was not very large, only about half a cubic meter, barely allowing two people to pass at once. The thick layer of ash also made the fissure somewhat concealed. It was no wonder Azure Flame and the others hadn't noticed it on the platform at all. Without the guidance of the special soldiers, they would likely have wasted some time searching for it.
“Shh……”
Suddenly, Du Gu Xiaoxuan turned around, pressing her index finger to her lips.
Azure Flame and the four men quietly approached, cautiously peering down into the fissure.The blazing molten lava kept rolling inside the volcano, with bubbles bursting from time to time, harboring an intense heat. On the stone platform at the edge of the inner volcano, about fifty special soldiers were pouring some gray-white powder into the lava, though it was unclear what purpose it served.