Chapter 7: Deeper into the Earth (Part 1)

The three of them remained silent, continuing to fly downward. As they went deeper, waves of heat surged upward. Guo Shier thought to himself: Could we be entering a magma layer?
The air grew thinner. Without the protection of the altar, ordinary people would die of suffocation even if they weren’t killed by the heat, and even lower-ranked professionals would find it hard to survive.
Nan You seemed a bit nervous. As they went deeper, despite the altar’s protection, he felt uncertain, sensing a threat below. He knew it was because of his own insufficient strength. Ancestor Nan Qiang and Guo Shier both appeared calm, seemingly unaffected by the environment.
Guo Shier turned and said, “Nan You, be careful. You take care of the rear.”
Nan You was secretly grateful and slowed down slightly. The so-called “covering the rear” was just an excuse to create some distance and avoid falling into danger immediately.
Ancestor Nan Qiang nodded and said, “I’ll be at the front, you in the middle, and Nan You at the back.” He then sped up again.
The cave walls glowed with a metallic light, mixed with hints of red. Hot air currents rose along the walls, carrying gusts of heat. Above Guo Shier’s head, the altar rotated, blocking the heat from reaching him.
He also lit a talisman lamp on the altar, illuminating the surroundings brightly.
A moment later, the three of them rushed into a vast cave chamber. Below was a magma lake covering tens of thousands of square meters. The crimson magma churned constantly, producing bubbles that made popping sounds and releasing streams of red mist. Above the space hung countless crimson spikes, resembling stalactites, suspended from the cave ceiling.
Guo Shier stared in terror at the magma below. Though the altar protected him, he knew the magma couldn’t harm him. However, his experiences from his past life filled him with fear of magma, especially in this almost completely enclosed space, making him feel that he would die if the magma erupted.
The old man with the handsome appearance poked his head out, and soon the entire altar expanded. Guo Shier naturally flew up onto it, and an instant later, a protective barrier appeared around the altar. This time, the tentacles of Gu Xi Bi didn’t appear either—those things couldn’t withstand the intense heat of the magma. Though they wouldn’t be burned, their shape would be ruined by the heat, unless natural runes like ice or water were used to reinforce them.
Nan You also felt uneasy. As a formless altar, he faced even greater pressure.
Guo Shier said, “Look at the cave walls!”

There were numerous signs of excavation on the cave walls, leaving the surface uneven. Ancestor Nan Qiang said, “This place is rich in various precious metals and some rare materials. In the ancient Jin family, only professionals at the ancestor level can enter here to mine. Hehe, go and search separately. Whatever you find belongs to you.”

Elder Shuai said, “Be careful. I sense a dangerous aura here.”

Guo Shier nodded. “I feel it too. Huh, what’s that?” A flash of colored light appeared in the distance and vanished instantly. Without hesitation, he flew over.

Elder Shuai said, “Fire Gold Crystal!”

It was a basin-sized piece of metal that resembled a crystal. Elder Shuai said, “Let me handle it. Stay on guard.” He waved his hand, conjuring a series of virtual talismans that formed a chain, which then pierced into the cave wall. With a crack, the wall shattered as the virtual talismans extended further in. Elder Shuai shouted, “Come out!”

With a rush, the Fire Gold Crystal was pulled out of the cave wall. It was a regularly shaped piece of metal, two meters long and as thick as a small jar, emitting a faint glow as it landed on the altar. A scorching flow of fire moved within the crystal. Guo Shier didn’t dare touch it and asked, “How do we store this? With a sealing spell?”

Elder Shuai smiled. “I have special runes for sealing it. It’s fine.” He cast hundreds of spells in succession, and countless virtual talismans wrapped around and compressed the crystal. Moments later, a Fire Gold Crystal, about an arm thick and an elbow long, lay quietly on top of the altar. Elder Shuai said, “You can pick it up and take a look.”

Guo Shier reached out and picked it up. It was very heavy, probably over a thousand kilograms, or more than a ton. Without reaching the level of an altar expert, it would have been impossible to lift this Fire Gold Crystal. A faint warmth radiated from it. After playing with it for a while, he said, “Let’s store it and continue searching.”

Elder Shuai said, “The materials here are compatible with your altar and can enhance it. Search carefully; you might find something good. Although Fire Gold Crystals are rare, they can still be found, so they’re not particularly uncommon.”

Soon, seven or eight more Fire Gold Crystals were found, and the altar had already flown to the other end.

Nan You didn’t dare go deeper and only searched near the entrance where they had just come out. This was Ancestor Nan Qiang’s orders. With his strength, if he encountered danger, it would be difficult even to escape, so he could only search near the entrance. However, the materials near the entrance had almost been completely mined.

Ancestor Nan Qiang flew to the other end. He and Guo Shier didn’t interfere with each other and searched for the materials they needed separately.

The handsome old man said, “Kid, fly to the middle of the magma lake. Hehe, Fire Fiend is a great treasure—how could we let it go? I didn’t realize it just now, but the best thing here must be Fire Fiend… perhaps even one of the best. Hehe, luckily no experts from the seventh-tier altar have been here; otherwise, the Fire Fiend here would definitely have been taken away.”

Guo Shier asked, “What exactly is Fire Fiend?” As he spoke, he flew toward the center of the magma lake.

The handsome old man explained, “You don’t need it yet. No, with me around, you can use a little. This thing can only be used in large quantities after reaching the sixth tier of the altar, and even more so above the seventh tier… That’s when it becomes a true treasure. Besides Fire Fiend, there are also Earth Fiend, Wood Fiend, Metal Fiend, Water Fiend, Yin Fiend, Qi Fiend, Thunder Fiend, Gang Fiend, and many others. They’re all hard to find, as they each correspond to different altars.”

“There are also special ones like Blood Fiend, Soul Fiend, and Death Qi Fiend…”

Guo Shier suddenly remembered his experience in the Secret Realm of Tranquility. Perhaps that wave of death energy contained Death Qi Fiend. He thought he could show it to the handsome old man someday. He asked, “Hmm, is Fire Fiend really that rare?”

The handsome old man replied, “Fire Fiend is the most common and easiest to find. Next are Earth Fiend and Metal Fiend. But even many professionals, even if they see it, don’t realize it’s a treasure. And even if they did, without the right spells, they wouldn’t collect it.”

Guo Shier said cheerfully, “Then let’s collect as much as possible!”

The handsome old man chuckled. “Dream on! How much Fire Fiend can there be in such a small place? It’s already good if we can get a little. Luckily, this place is sealed, so the energy can’t escape. It takes hundreds of thousands, maybe even tens of millions of years to form Fire Fiend. Do you think it’s that easy to find?”

Guo Shier didn’t dare argue, as doing so would invite the old man’s scolding. He said, “We’re here!”

The handsome old man smiled happily and said, “I once found seven types of Fiends. The most were Fire Fiend. Unfortunately… after I died, all of them disappeared, with only a trace left in the sacrificial treasures.” His tone was somewhat depressed, but he quickly regained his spirits and smiled. “I was quite lucky. If not for you… I might have been completely ruined.”

Countless virtual talismans shot out from the old man’s fingertips, falling like a light rain.

Guo Shier sat down and observed carefully. Those virtual talismans floated like dust in the heat currents, with strands of crimson Fire Fiend gradually attaching to them. The originally nearly transparent talismans gradually turned red. As the old man chanted his spells, more and more talismans were emitted, spreading throughout the air.

He didn’t know how many virtual talismans the old man had produced. Guo Shier estimated that at least a million of them were floating in the air. Each virtual talisman was only the size of a grain of rice. Gradually, the entire area around the altar was covered by them.

Then the old man shouted softly, “Rotate!” The virtual talismans stopped drifting with the air currents and began to spin. Their speed wasn’t fast, but they formed a small vortex, like a miniature tornado, moving around under the old man’s command.

The old man said, “It’s a pity… too few.”

Guo Shier replied, “I think it’s quite a lot. Even if we collect many, it would be a waste if we can’t use them.” He had intended to comfort the disappointed old man, but the old man didn’t appreciate it.

The old man cursed, “Idiot! No one can get too much of these. The more, the better. If we can’t collect them now, you’ll have a lot of work to do later. You definitely won’t find such good things unless you explore hundreds of secret realms.”

Guo Shier could now ignore his insults and said, “I think there are similar places nearby, just undiscovered yet.”

The old man replied, “Even if there are, you won’t be able to find them. Do you think everyone in the Gujin family is an idiot?”

Guo Shier said, “How can we know if we don’t look?”

The old man looked down at the magma lake and muttered to himself, “Hmm, if I stir the magma, will fire demons emerge?”

Guo Shier was shocked and said, “Aren’t you afraid of an explosion?”

The old man replied, “What explosion? It won’t explode. I’m just afraid there’s something powerful hidden in the magma. Otherwise, I would have already taken action.”