I long to return home!

The group continued towards the volcano, and within a few hours they emerged from the maple forest. After leaving the forest, the temperature suddenly became even hotter. The ground along the path to the volcano was cracked and barren, with no vegetation growing on it, and a desolate landscape where faint heat waves could be seen.

To resist this scorching climate, one must constantly surround oneself with true qi, but it is unknown when this ever-consuming true qi will end.

"The closer we get to this volcano, the hotter it gets." Gu Qingcheng was sweating profusely and only managed to cool down by controlling the white silk in her hand.

Everyone was panting heavily from the heat. Xu Tao simply pressed his face against the cool blade of the sword to find some relief. Lei Mengying relied on her vast reserves of true energy to withstand the intense heat. Some of the Luoyun Sect disciples who couldn't keep up nearly fainted from the heat and eventually had to leave. Only Xue Wu and Jin Ling, who were delicate and didn't even pant, felt a little hotter than before.

...

As they approached the foot of the volcano, the temperature rose again, and the remaining people, apart from the royal soldiers, were Xue Wu and his few companions, who had returned to being the disciples of the Luoyun Sect.

Up to the foot of the volcano, they encountered no fire beast attacks along the way, not even a glimpse of their faces, which was quite unusual. The deaths of the Luoyun Sect cultivators in the maple forest at Han Sen's hands were also puzzling. What was Han Sen, a wood-elemental cultivator, doing in the Fire Domain? Besides, the weather was so hot and the area so remote, quickly dispelling this suspicion.

Looking up at the volcano from below, although it is much smaller than Leishan, the awe it evokes is in no way inferior.

The entire mountain is a wrinkled, sloping mountain with some lava slowly flowing down from top to bottom. Looking up, there is billowing smoke and flashes of sparks.

“This mountain is sloping, and there’s no road to walk on. The only way up is to slowly climb it,” Gu Qingcheng said, panting as she looked around the mountain.

"Boy, do you really have to look for a spiritual artifact here? It's questionable whether we can even climb this mountain." Mo Kun stepped onto the rock, and puffs of smoke immediately rose up. He then looked at Lei Mengying respectfully and said, "Your Highness, this mountain is too treacherous. In my opinion, we should return the way we came and find a fire-type spiritual artifact instead."

These words undoubtedly angered Xu Tao and his men. They had risked their lives and survived the Leishan expedition, suffering serious injuries, only to be betrayed now.

"That's enough, Mo Kun."

"We will definitely keep our promise to them. Our royal family is a family of its word. If you are unwilling, then wait here." Lei Mengying shouted angrily, and then took the lead in climbing the mountain, covering the soles of her feet with true energy and climbing the slope step by step.

Seeing this, Mo Kun sighed helplessly and followed Lei Mengying up the slope. Xu Tao and the others exchanged glances but said nothing and climbed up the slope together.

...

As you approach the halfway point, the mountainside becomes difficult to climb. You not only have to watch your step, but also be wary of the lava trails, which consumes a tremendous amount of your inner energy.

While crawling, Xue Wu vaguely saw green plants growing from the rock wall. He gently rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, the green plants were gone.

Is it an illusion? Green plants growing on a volcano? What kind of international joke is that? It must be because you were too tired from climbing and it's just an illusion.

At this very moment, inside a cave, a man dressed in a magnificent green robe revealed a wicked smile.

"Zhao Daniu, prepare to welcome the guests."

This person is Han Sen, but now he has completely mastered the "Jianmu" technique, and his whole body is covered with decorations formed by wood elements.

After further enlightenment, he gained the ability to sense everything that was where green plants were. The whereabouts of Xue Wu and the others were all detected by his sense of green plants.

He walked out from the side and came to the altar in the center of the cave. On the altar was a blood-red halberd bound by several iron chains. The murderous aura it emitted was visible to the naked eye and could not be dispelled.

Around the altar were countless broken weapons, forming an array that suppressed the blood halberd on the altar.

Han Sen was about to reach out and touch it when he was instantly corrupted by the malevolent energy, his entire palm turning black and red. If it weren't for the immense life force brought by the Jianmu tree, he probably would have had to cut off his arm to save his life.

He clutched his hand, which was being corrupted by malevolent energy, his face grim. Even he couldn't touch the Blood Halberd. When Xue Wu and the others arrived, they would surely be corrupted by the malevolent energy and buried here.

...

After a difficult trek, Xue Wu and his companions finally reached the summit. All they could see was molten lava; there were no divine weapons to be found.

"How come there's not even a single hair? This is ridiculous!" Xue Wu said unwillingly, his tone tinged with displeasure.

"Wait a minute, isn't there a road over there?" Jin Lingjiao shouted, pointing to the other side of the lava field.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and, upon closer inspection, there was indeed a staircase on the opposite bank. Xue Wu's mood immediately improved. He walked along the rock wall to the other side and shouted to everyone, "There's a staircase leading down here!" Before anyone could react, he went down the staircase alone.

The group followed the rock wall to the other side, where a bottomless stone staircase appeared before them. Xue Wu paid no attention to what a stone staircase in a volcano meant. Something was definitely amiss, but Xue Wu had already gone down. Xu Tao sighed helplessly and walked down the stone staircase.

They reached about halfway up the mountain when the stone steps ended, revealing scorching lava in the center. Looking down the rock face, a sizable opening came into Xue Wu's view. He didn't act rashly but waited for the others.

Soon after, Xu Tao and the others arrived on the ground. They were about to reprimand Xue Wu for his impulsiveness, but stopped themselves the moment they saw the cave entrance.

"Could there be some peerless divine weapon in here?" Xue Wu asked excitedly.

"Be careful, I have a bad feeling." Lei Mengying said seriously. The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade was reacting in her heart, and the reaction was even stronger towards the cave entrance.

Xu Tao shared the same feeling. The Reverse Cold Sword between his brows flashed with a cold light, then appeared in his hand and trembled incessantly. Gu Qingcheng's white silk shrank into a ball in fear, and all the spiritual weapons obtained in Hundred Weapons Valley reacted with fear.

Suddenly, Jin Lingjiao's Phoenix Fire Feather flickered with fire, and the spirit of the fire phoenix flew out, speaking to Jin Lingjiao in fear.

"There are fierce soldiers inside the cave, escape quickly..." Jin Lingjiao explained clearly, following the meaning of the Fire Phoenix.

Suddenly, a chilling aura emanated from the cave, forcing the fire phoenix back into its phoenix feathers. The others were also intimidated by this menacing aura. Just as they were about to call Xue Wu back to leave, they were surprised to find Xue Wu walking into the cave with a dark expression.

"Junior brother, hurry up! There are ferocious weapons inside the cave, which are beyond our control." Xu Tao reached out to pull Xue Wu back, but was repelled by a surge of black energy just as he was about to touch his wrist.

Everyone was taken aback. Black energy kept emerging from Xue Wu's body, just like the black energy emitted when he fought against the Purple Winged Thunder Eagle.

Before anyone could react, Xue Wu had already entered the cave. Seeing this, Lei Mengying pursed her lips and followed Xue Wu into the cave. She really wanted to know what that black mist was.

The group looked at each other in bewilderment, and then followed them into the cave.