When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

Once the boundary barrier of the icy continent was completely closed, Zhu Chongjiu regained his consciousness of the world before him!

Zhu Chongjiu looked at these mountains, rising and falling in a well-ordered manner, stretching into the distance like the spine of the earth.

Some peaks are low and gentle, like sleeping giants; while others are towering into the clouds, reaching the sky, with an astonishing height, roughly estimated to be at least tens of thousands of meters high!

They are magnificent and imposing, giving people an indescribable sense of awe.

As far as the eye could see, booming sounds like thunder could be heard from the mountains, large and small. Then, crimson magma could be seen gushing out from the mountain mouths, like fire dragons soaring into the sky. The scorching lava flowed down the mountainside, turning everything in its path into a sea of ​​fire.

Zhu Chongjiu looked up at the sky, only to find that there was no sign of the sun.

Instead, there were floating clouds, each with a different shape, but all radiating a dazzling light. From a distance, they looked like clusters of burning flames, illuminating the entire sky.

Standing in this scorching heat, the air itself was scalding hot. With each breath, a pungent, unpleasant odor filled the air.

Zhu Chongjiu thought to himself: If an ordinary person were to rashly enter this place, they would probably lose their life to the scorching temperature and poisonous gas in no time.

Zhu Chongjiu slowly extended his left hand, and a dazzling flame suddenly burst forth from his palm. The flame was like a ferocious beast, leaping and roaring with its claws outstretched.

Zhu Chongjiu gazed quietly at the flame in his hand, carefully sensing the power it contained.

He could clearly sense that the flame in his hand was significantly more powerful and violent than the one he had controlled on the icy continent.

Perhaps, as he thought, it was because of returning to his hometown that he developed a special resonance and connection with this land.

In fact, the moment Zhu Chongjiu stepped into the Flaming Mountain, he keenly sensed something unusual coming from behind him. The feeling was subtle, as if an invisible force was stirring within him. So, he used his inner vision to investigate.

When his consciousness delved into his own body, the scene before him astonished him—the flame tattoo on his back, which had been lying dormant, suddenly came alive as if it had been given life.

The raging flames danced wildly, releasing intense heat.

Recalling the various mysteries about the elements of heaven and earth that the Divine Void King had once told him, Zhu Chongjiu suddenly felt enlightened.

He realized that the enormous fireball hidden in that mysterious cave was the source of the element of fire in this world.

In particular, the Divine Void King emphasized that one must make the most of the source of the elements to improve one's own strength, but one must never be so greedy as to uproot and take it away.

Because if this is done, the land, deprived of the nourishment of the elemental source, will gradually wither and eventually die over many years.

Thinking of this, Zhu Chongjiu couldn't help but frown and think to himself: I forgot to ask the Divine Void King how to return this source of fire element!

It is true that even the wisest man can make mistakes!

there's always a solution to any problem.

Let's not worry about that for now. At least for the next few hundred years, there shouldn't be any problems with the Flaming Mountain Continent!

Thinking of this, Zhu Chongjiu summoned the grumpy-looking Xiao Hei from his storage ring!

Zhu Chongjiu said helplessly, "I've already released you, so stop putting on that big face all the time!"

After hearing Zhu Chongjiu's words, Xiao Hei turned around, and its huge butt almost hit Zhu Chongjiu's face. Then, Xiao Hei grumbled resentfully, "You always say you won't put me in your storage ring, but as soon as something happens, you lock me up. What's the difference between this and when I was in the Divine Void?"

No, the difference is huge. At least inside the Divine Void, there's the Divine Void King and other demonic beasts to play with. In your storage ring, it's pitch black, leaving me all alone inside. I'm still a child. Don't you know children are afraid of the dark?

Upon hearing Xiao Hei's words, Zhu Chongjiu suddenly felt extremely guilty.

When I brought Xiao Hei out of the Divine Void, one of my reasons was to give Xiao Hei freedom, but now, he's not really free.

Zhu Chongjiu had always wanted to keep a low profile, and riding an Emperor-level demon beast went against his principles. But now, looking back, when had he ever kept a low profile?

Besides, I'm basically invincible on this continent, so why am I being so low-key? I'm just asking for trouble!

Having figured things out, Zhu Chongjiu's face beamed with a bright smile as he walked briskly to Xiao Hei.

He gently raised his right hand, and a flash of light appeared, revealing a token meticulously crafted from gemstones in his palm.

This token emits a dazzling array of colors, as brilliant as the twinkling stars in the night sky. Its texture is crystal clear, as if one can see another world through it.

Zhu Chongjiu smiled and extended his hand to Xiao Hei, saying softly, "Here! This is for you. Consider it an apology for not taking good care of you before!"

The sorrowful expression on Xiao Hei's face vanished instantly, replaced by an undisguised look of surprise. It quickly extended its front paw and carefully took the token from Zhu Chongjiu.

The moment the token landed in its palm, Xiao Hei's eyes lit up. It gripped the token tightly as if it had found a treasure, examining it carefully.

The token was engraved with exquisite patterns and text on both sides.

The front has a line of small characters at the top that reads "Kingdom of Auspicious Snow," and two more eye-catching characters below that read "Ninth Brother."

The other side only has one big character: "beast"!

These characters are vigorous and powerful, like dragons and phoenixes dancing, clearly the work of a master.

The patterns are incredibly lifelike, depicting all sorts of auspicious symbols that inspire awe in those who see them.

While admiring the beautiful token with his eyes wide open, Xiao Hei muttered to himself, "Actually, I'm not really angry with you. I was just playing a little joke on you!"

"I never expected you would give me such a precious gift..." As it spoke, it rubbed its head against Zhu Chongjiu's leg to express its affection and gratitude.

This token was given to Zhu Chongjiu by King Lai Xun before he left. There were two tokens in total, and the other one belonged to Zhu Chongjiu.

The inscription on one side of Zhu Chongjiu's token reads "King of the Kingdom of Ruixue, Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Him"!

On the other side are the two big characters "Ninth Brother"!

When Zhu Chongjiu first saw the words "King of the Same Side," he didn't want it. However, he couldn't resist King Lai Xun's enthusiasm. King Lai Xun also emphasized that having a legitimate identity would save him a lot of trouble during his travels around the God-Forsaken Continent. Upon hearing this, Zhu Chongjiu could only accept it gladly.

After the man and the beast calmed down, Zhu Chongjiu flipped over and landed on Xiao Hei's back. He waved his hand and said, "Let's go, Xiao Hei. Let's go see what's going on at Flaming Mountain. Maybe they have the Banana Leaf Fan?"

After a grueling five-day trek through the Flaming Mountains, the journey was filled with thrills and excitement.

The man and his beast encountered all sorts of strange and wonderful monsters.

Some of these monsters travel in large groups, calling out to each other, creating quite a lively scene; others, however, are eccentric, going their own way and acting mysteriously.

Among them, the enormous ones are as majestic and magnificent as mountains. They either lie lazily sleeping in the mountains or survey their territory with awe-inspiring presence.

Those with small and delicate figures are as agile and nimble as raccoons, their movements as swift as lightning and their figures as fleeting as phantoms.

What's even more astonishing is that there are countless Emperor-level demonic beasts here, and one could easily fall into an abyss of no return if one is not careful.

Zhu Chongjiu knew that this place was extremely dangerous, so he always maintained a high level of vigilance and never easily provoked any monster.

Even if they bump into each other on the street, he will not hesitate to take a detour to avoid unnecessary trouble.

It's always better to be cautious in unknown territory, so they proceeded cautiously.

Suddenly, Little Black, who had been leading the way, stopped. It turned to look at Zhu Chongjiu on its back and asked curiously, "Brother Jiu, look ahead! What is that dark, towering thing that's reaching into the clouds?"

In fact, Zhu Chongjiu had already noticed the behemoth that Xiao Hei had mentioned long before—that building whose scale was beyond imagination.

Zhu Chongjiu stared at the huge black shadow in the distance, pondered for a moment, and then replied, "In my opinion, if my senses are correct, it should be a mountain."

Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Hei's eyes widened in astonishment. It replied incredulously, "Ninth Brother, people often say 'looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death,' but this mountain looks so far away. Just how tall and big must it be!"

Zhu Chongjiu took another close look at the giant mountain with its jet-black surface, and then said thoughtfully, "Based on our current distance from that mountain, it must be at least 20,000 to 30,000 meters high!"

Such majestic and magnificent mountains are truly rare in the world!

Looking at the churning crimson lava in the crater beneath his feet, and then at the mountain peak tens of thousands of meters high, Zhu Chongjiu thought to himself: If that mountain were also a volcano, then if it were to erupt one day when its anger level was at its peak, wouldn't the entire area within tens of thousands of miles be submerged by the rolling lava?

After ten days of arduous journey over mountains and valleys, Zhu Chongjiu and Xiao Hei finally arrived at the foot of this awe-inspiring giant volcano!

What puzzled Zhu Chongjiu was that there wasn't a single demonic beast in the entire area of ​​this giant mountain, which spanned thousands of miles!

After the two of them stood at the foot of the mountain for a while, Xiao Hei said, "Ninth Brother, why don't we go up and take a look?"

Zhu Chongjiu looked up at the top of the giant volcano, while also using his divine sense to sense the volcano. To Zhu Chongjiu's surprise, his divine sense could not penetrate the mountain!

Driven by intense curiosity, Zhu Chongjiu replied to Xiao Hei with a single word: "Go!"

Like a black lightning bolt, Xiao Hei carried Zhu Chongjiu at breakneck speed towards the mountaintop.

Before this, they hadn't detected the presence of a single demonic beast along the way, which allowed Xiao Hei to confidently increase their travel speed several times over.

Time passed quietly, and three hours flew by. Finally, the man and the beast successfully reached the summit of the giant volcano.

Zhu Chongjiu stood steadily on the top of the volcano, gazing into the distance as he began to carefully examine his surroundings.

The summit of this giant volcano is about 5,000 meters in diameter and looks no different from an ordinary volcano.

Then, Zhu Chongjiu walked to the edge of the crater and cautiously peered down.

However, to his great surprise, the scene he had envisioned—a torrent of thick smoke and molten lava churning wildly—did not materialize.

Below the mountain pass was a chilling darkness, like a bottomless black hole, and there was not a trace of heat coming from within.

Moreover, even his powerful divine sense and internal strength would vanish without a trace, as if he had disappeared into the sea, whenever he tried to delve deeper into the mountain.

Zhu Chongjiu was filled with suspicion, secretly wondering, "Could this be a completely dormant dead volcano?"

But when he looked into the distance, he saw volcanoes of all sizes scattered in all directions. Some of these volcanoes were violently erupting molten lava, while others were only intermittently spewing smoke and flames.

In such a vibrant and dynamic terrain, it is hard to believe that this giant volcano is a lifeless, extinct volcano.

When Zhu Chongjiu, refusing to believe in superstition, increased his spiritual power to investigate the giant volcano, the mountain suddenly trembled slightly. Zhu Chongjiu's expression changed, and he quickly said to Xiao Hei beneath him, "Xiao Hei, hurry down the mountain, let's go!"

Xiao Hei also keenly sensed the sudden and unusually violent tremor of the mountain, and realized that things might have changed. So without hesitation, it sped down the mountain at lightning speed!

Just as Xiao Hei ran out of the mountain pass, it and its owner on its back felt a sudden increase in the intensity of the mountain's tremors.

At this moment, the mountain resembled an enraged giant, with jagged cracks appearing in certain areas, and these cracks were expanding and spreading at an alarming rate!

Seeing this, Xiao Hei was extremely anxious and increased his speed by two points. His figure was like a black lightning bolt, plunging straight down the mountain!

However, fate had other plans. At this critical moment, huge boulders rolled down from the mountain one after another, adding another layer of difficulty and danger to Xiao Hei's escape.

Sitting on Xiao Hei's broad and sturdy back, Zhu Chongjiu was extremely anxious.

The situation was becoming increasingly critical, and he couldn't help but shout at the top of his lungs, "Xiao Hei, stop running down the mountain! Hurry up and use the flying vehicle! We have to get out of here as soon as possible!"

However, what happened next left Zhu Chongjiu speechless and his heart suddenly racing.

Little Black turned around, its face full of anxiety and helplessness. It urgently replied, "Ninth Brother, it's not that I don't want to fly, it's just that the situation is too bad! At this moment, there is a mysterious and powerful invisible aura, like an unseen giant hand, that is suppressing me."

No matter how desperately I struggled, I couldn't break free from this force, let alone take flight!

Upon hearing Xiao Hei's words, Zhu Chongjiu was startled and puzzled. How could there be a force restricting Xiao Hei's flight? After all, Xiao Hei was a high-level Emperor-rank demon beast, and an ancient species that was specially used to pull carts!

"Hmm~ It doesn't sound like the term 'specialized cart puller' is impressive, but it's still an ancient and unique species!"

Most importantly, Zhu Chongjiu did not sense this power at all.

After exchanging words with Xiao Hei at lightning speed, Zhu Chongjiu nimbly turned and landed lightly on the solid ground.

The moment he leaped off Xiao Hei's broad back, Xiao Hei's body shrank to the size of a raccoon.

Zhu Chongjiu, with quick eyes and hands, steadily caught the shrunken Xiao Hei in his arms, his movements smooth and natural, without the slightest hesitation.

However, just as Zhu Chongjiu was about to unleash his exquisite magic and soar into the air like a bird, a sudden change occurred! A deafening sound came from the enormous volcanic fissure, followed by countless black shadows surging out like a tidal wave.

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be hordes of terrifying monsters, so numerous they were impossible to count!

Zhu Chongjiu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly focused his gaze.

These monsters were all as tall as a human, with four large and powerful wings on each side. Their bodies were covered with hard, fiery red shells that shimmered with a dazzling light, like burning flames.

Each of the monsters had a pair of long red tentacles on its head, and its ferocious and terrifying face was covered with sharp fangs. At the same time, it emitted a piercing cry that made people feel dizzy!

These demonic beasts darted through the air at breakneck speed, their movements so rapid that they resembled blurry afterimages, charging straight towards Zhu Chongjiu with a fierce aura!