Chapter 145: Magma Monitor Lizard

Chapter 145: Lava Gila

A sudden burst of flame erupted from a cave halfway up the mountain, drawing countless eyes.

People rushed toward the cave from all directions.

In the spectator stands, Gu Ze watched mages gather from every corner of the land, their faces alight with anticipation.

"That armored man is truly formidable—surely at least a second-tier mage."

"But now that so many have been drawn here, he may not be the one laughing in the end."

Whispers rippled through the audience.

From afar, none had noticed Li Wei’s instantaneous spellcasting.

The phantom image of Li Wei gazed down upon the island below, transmitting every detail to his true body.

Li Wei’s expression darkened slightly.

He stepped deep into the cave, where the rear wall had collapsed, revealing a fiery cavern beyond.

Approaching the shattered stone, he peered inside.

Molten lava flowed within, thick with sulfurous fumes that burned the eyes and choked the breath. Bubbles burst violently, spattering searing liquid in all directions.

It was peril incarnate.

"Hm? Flame lotus!"

Li Wei’s gaze pierced the depths of the lava cavern, spotting a flame lotus blooming atop the river of magma—a flower that burned like living fire.

The flame lotus was one of the rare ingredients required for advancing the Fire Spirit Ritual.

It only grew in places saturated with intense fire element energy.

A precious treasure of nature, exceedingly rare.

Without hesitation, Li Wei cast a telekinesis spell and soared into the blazing cavern, racing toward the flower.

Boom!

A bubble in the lava exploded. Scalding droplets sprayed outward.

His invisible armor deflected the molten splashes and blocked the suffocating stench of sulfur.

But time was short. Once sealed, the armor cut off all airflow—shielding him from poison, yet also denying him fresh breath.

He pressed forward, swift and determined.

Gurgle, gurgle!

The lava river bubbled. A jet of molten rock shot toward him.

Li Wei dodged, but still took the hit.

One layer of his invisible armor shattered, barely absorbing the blow.

He glanced down—the lava concealed a monstrous beast.

At first glance, it resembled nothing more than a stone in the river.

"Lava gila!"

Li Wei recognized the creature instantly.

After its attack, the lava gila slowly surfaced from the magma, its body like jagged rock, crisscrossed with glowing fissures, streams of molten fire running down its hide.

Born of lava, it endured temperatures exceeding a thousand degrees.

And it wielded the molten river as its weapon.

The beast raised its head and spat a stream of lava.

Li Wei leapt back, retreating beyond its range, then hurled a fireball.

Boom!

The fireball detonated against the gila’s body, flinging lava in all directions—only to engulf Li Wei himself in the backlash.

He retreated further, eyes narrowing.

The fireball had no effect.

Unharmed, the lava gila sank slowly beneath the surface, gliding toward him through the magma.

"The lava gila has immense fire resistance. Ordinary fire spells won’t work."

Li Wei thought swiftly.

As the beast advanced, he could only fall back again and again, feeling helpless.

Yet in truth, he *could* kill it.

Even with high fire resistance, the creature wasn’t immune. And explosive damage carried physical force.

With enough power, even a lava gila could be blown apart.

But was it worth it?

Killing it would drain half his mana.

Not to mention—was this the only gila in the cavern?

More pressing—other mages were closing in.

He couldn’t afford to exhaust his strength now.

If he did, someone else would swoop in and claim the prize.

All his efforts would amount to nothing.

After careful consideration, Li Wei chose retreat.

He withdrew swiftly, activated his cloak of invisibility, and vanished before the gila’s eyes.

The beast, sensing its enemy gone, turned and swam back into the depths.

Thud, thud, thud!

Footsteps echoed. Hunter and his team appeared at the entrance of the lava cavern.

Sara spotted the flame lotus first. She gasped, “Flame lotus!”

The others turned, following her gaze to the flower blooming upstream on the river of fire.

Hunter’s eyes gleamed with longing.

The Flame Lotus held irresistible allure for every fire mage.

The group stared down at the seething river of molten lava beneath their feet, exchanging uncertain glances.

“How do we cross?”

“Where’s the armored man?”

They looked around, but Li Wei was nowhere to be seen.

“That’s strange. I clearly saw him enter—where did he go?”

Meanwhile, Li Wei moved in the opposite direction.

Using invisibility, he followed the lava river downstream and discovered a vast lake of molten magma.

Just as he prepared to enter—

Boom!

He was blocked by an invisible wall of air.

Li Wei froze for a moment, then quickly realized—

Ahead lay the arena for the third trial. Entry was temporarily forbidden.

“Is this already the end?”

He peered forward, straining to see into the depths of the molten lake.

A barrier obscured his vision, blurring everything beyond.

Only the vague outline of a massive magma lake could be made out.

Suddenly, several sparks appeared in midair.

Flickering flames slowly descended toward the lake, vanishing at a certain height.

“What is that?”

Li Wei’s expression turned thoughtful.

Even through the barrier, he could feel the dense concentration of fire element ahead.

Those floating sparks were crystallized fire essence—tiny particles so condensed they had solidified.

And yet, something was devouring them.

Li Wei suspected a rare fire-element treasure lay hidden within the lake.

Magma giants didn’t consume crystallized fire essence—they fed on molten flow.

Could it be some mysterious fire-type magical beast?

Curiosity burned fiercely within him.

Gurgle, gurgle!

The lava beneath his feet suddenly bubbled.

Li Wei shot upward instantly.

Two magma giant lizards emerged from the molten depths, swimming upstream.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Dull impacts echoed from upstream.

Seeing this, Li Wei knew someone had already clashed with the lizards.

He hurried forward, eager to seize the chaos for his own gain.

Though fighting magma lizards wasn’t easy, with his invisibility cloak and telekinetic flight, the odds of snatching the Flame Lotus unnoticed were still high.

As he passed the entrance of a magma cavern, a familiar figure caught his eye.

“Lilith? Why is she with Verdi?”

Li Wei frowned. The two had nothing in common—why were they together?

Verdi waved his hand. Stone pillars extended from the cavern walls, forming a narrow stone bridge across the lava.

Li Wei’s eyes widened in surprise. Could Earth Spike be used like this?

Witnessing Verdi’s skill, Li Wei realized he was no ordinary ring mage—one who abandoned spell cultivation entirely.

To wield such precise control meant Verdi’s Earth Spike had reached at least minor mastery.

For a ring mage, that was exceedingly rare.

Verdi gestured politely. “Ladies first.”

Lilith didn’t even glance at him. Shadows enveloped her body as she transformed into a dark wisp, darting swiftly along the walls.

Verdi’s lips twitched. Inside, irritation flared.

She was young, beautiful, and strong—he’d hoped for something more between them.

But Lilith remained icy and aloof, not sparing him a single word.

“Hmph!”

Verdi stepped onto the stone bridge and marched forward.

Li Wei quietly flew past.

Instinctively, Verdi glanced back—something had just brushed past.

(End of Chapter)