Chapter 155: The Finale, Volcanic Eruption

Chapter 155: The Endgame, Volcanic Eruption

Li Wei gazed down upon the battlefield.

The so-called trap everyone spoke of—was also an opportunity.

He soared toward the crater.

The lava giant pressed forward relentlessly against the trio, smashing fire elemental spirits one after another.

The spirits’ regeneration had slowed considerably.

Russell and his companions were already considering retreat.

Stalemate served no purpose now.

Better to abandon this fight, seek weaker magical beasts elsewhere.

Accumulate points.

Choosing to hunt the lava giant had already set them behind.

They needed to return to the right path quickly, or risk falling too far behind.

Suddenly, the lava giant twisted its head sharply toward the heart of the volcano.

Without hesitation, it abandoned its pursuit and turned, trudging back into the depths of the caldera.

By then, Li Wei had already flown into the crater, arriving at the lake of molten magma.

He had come in search of what he’d glimpsed before.

During the second round, he had reached the edge of this molten lake—and seen a mysterious treasure within.

Now, with the lava giant lured away, he seized the chance to slip into the lake.

There, suspended in midair above the seething magma, floated a glowing orb of flame.

Tiny fragments of fire-elemental crystals rained down from above it like falling embers.

Like sparks drifting through darkness.

Li Wei’s eyes widened. “What is this?”

His spiritual sense detected astonishing concentrations of fire energy within the orb.

This was the source—the origin of all crystallized fire elements in the air.

He tried to approach, but waves of unbearable heat repelled him.

Even beneath his invisibility armor, he could not endure it.

The armor couldn’t block all the scorching intensity.

“This must be a rare fire-elemental treasure!”

“But how do I take it?”

His mind raced.

He scanned the surroundings, spotting chunks of volcanic rock floating in the magma—rock that refused to melt.

An idea sparked.

With careful precision, he used telekinesis to lift several pieces of the unmeltable stone from the molten flow.

Under his control, the stones drifted upward, encasing the flaming orb.

As the rocks surrounded the sphere, the ambient heat dropped instantly.

Yet the indestructible stones began to emit wisps of greenish smoke,

their surfaces scorched by the relentless blaze, burning through the mana Li Wei poured into them.

Li Wei strained, pouring more power into his spell.

Lifting the stone-encased orb, he dragged it slowly from the crater.

Then—a heavy rush of wind tore through the air behind him.

A massive meteor of molten rock hurtled toward him.

Li Wei, still controlling the stone-wrapped orb, couldn’t dodge in time.

*Boom!*

Five layers of his invisibility armor shattered at once.

He was flung backward over twenty meters, dazed, consciousness reeling.

His grip on the stones faltered.

They fell, scattering apart—and from between the gaps blazed searing light,

like a buried sun reborn.

In an instant, Li Wei fought through the pain, forcing himself upward.

He reached out with his will, seizing the orb midair, and shot skyward.

The lava giant roared in fury.

*Lava Fire Rain!*

Flames erupted from its body in torrents.

Countless streaks of fire spread like a vast net, ensnaring the skies, trying to bind him in flame.

Beneath Li Wei’s feet, a small fireball ignited.

*Bang!*

It exploded—propelling him upward in a burst of speed.

He shot higher, narrowly escaping the rising storm of fire.

The rain couldn’t reach him now.

The lava giant could only watch, helpless, as the intruder carried away its most sacred treasure.

“Aaaargh!” The giant raged in the lake of magma, sending waves of fire crashing outward.

*Gurgle, gurgle!*

Suddenly, bubbles surged from deep within the molten lake.

Then came thick plumes of smoke—black, churning fumes that roared into the heavens.

Li Wei fled swiftly from the crater’s rim, desperate to escape the suffocating fumes.

As the fiery orb moved farther from the volcano, its temperature began to fall.

Li Wei noticed—the orb’s heat correlated directly with the density of fire elements in the air.

Where fire energy thinned, the orb cooled.

When he reached the edge of the volcanic slope, the orb had cooled enough to touch—no longer needing the stone shell.

The flames vanished, revealing the true form of the fiery orb.

Before the translucent, radiant red sphere, Lian Wei’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Fire Spirit Pearl?”

“It’s actually the Fire Spirit Pearl!”

His heart surged with overwhelming joy.

For a fire-elemental mage, the value of the Fire Spirit Pearl was likely no less than that of the Elven Spring.

Just as Lian Wei stood trembling with delight at his discovery,

the audience seats outside the arena erupted into chaos.

“Damn! There’s actually a Fire Spirit Pearl too!”

“For fire mages below third tier, the Fire Spirit Pearl might even surpass the Elven Spring in worth!”

“Who is that armored figure? I must buy the Fire Spirit Pearl from him!”

“Was the Fire Spirit Pearl an extra reward placed by the Mage Association?”

“I doubt it. Though slightly less valuable overall than the Elven Spring, the Fire Spirit Pearl is still exceedingly rare—no one would leave it inside a secret realm as mere prize.”

“Then there’s only one possibility—the Fire Spirit Pearl formed naturally within this secret realm!”

“That’s quite plausible. Such pearls usually emerge where fire essence is dense.”

“The secret realm is a sealed space, yet filled with vast concentrations of fire element. Over time, the trapped energy could coalesce into the legendary Fire Spirit Pearl.”

“Damn it! Why don’t I ever have such luck?”

“Armored man!” Nick’s face turned dark with fury.

Lian Wei glanced up at the sky and swiftly stashed the pearl into his spatial ring.

“This is bad. Now everyone knows I’ve obtained the Fire Spirit Pearl.”

“Still, I’m fortunate my identity remains hidden.”

“As for Torasta… he should be fine.”

Though the Fire Spirit Pearl was precious to fire mages,

to a Grand Mage like Torasta, it was merely ordinary.

Especially since Torasta was master of an entire mage tower.

Lian Wei instinctively considered the worst-case scenario.

He wasn’t pessimistic—just cautious.

Having secured the pearl, he suddenly noticed something strange about the volcano behind him.

Smoke billowed thicker and darker from its crater.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, he saw countless fire-elemental beasts already fleeing the slopes.

Even the fire beasts sensed the danger.

They reacted before disaster struck.

Beasts possessed innate awareness of peril, guided by primal instincts to seek safety and avoid harm.

They often perceived looming catastrophe far sooner than humans.

Boom! Crash!

A deep, thunderous roar echoed as flames burst violently from the crater.

Thick smoke and ash surged into the sky, raining down like black snow.

The heavens darkened beneath a shroud of soot.

Molten lava gushed forth, hurling flaming meteors in all directions.

Its power and scale dwarfed anything a lava giant could produce—

they were not even on the same level.

Lian Wei looked up. The entire sky had turned pitch black with ash.

Amidst the inky clouds, fire burned fiercely.

Countless fire meteors streaked downward like falling stars.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Boom! Boom!

Each meteor carried the force of a first-tier fireball spell.

Now, hundreds—thousands—rained from the sky.

A scene of apocalyptic ruin unfolded before his eyes.

(End of Chapter)