Free Web NovelChapter 801: Chapter 388: Dominance Suppression (Part 2)
Meimei recalled, "I was involved in that battle against her, witnessing her power firsthand. Back then, no one relied on a Demon Summoned Beast to fight her. Looking back, perhaps it was her power that destroyed all the Sky Knights, who mainly relied on Demons, but it happened too early. For many elders, it was common knowledge, so they never specifically told me."
"You’ve fought many Star Souls, never encountered the Molten Mountain Star Soul?"
"Nope."
Meimei rolled her eyes at Li Ang, "If I did, would I not tell you?"
"What about others we know? Seen them?"
"That Feathered Serpent seems familiar. To be specific, Sister Shu... Diana did, but there was no interaction back then, nor any knowledge of Star Souls. It was just my deep connection with Mengze Island that made me notice her."
In the worst scenario, in Meimei’s world line, the Star Souls might have been enslaved by the Empire or eliminated by them.
The Imperial Armor from Mengze Island is evident that the Empire, or the Eye of God, has long been targeting the Star Souls.
Thunderstorm Star Soul Baal, he knows a lot of things, has a bit of an old cunning vibe, perhaps that’s why he survived till later.
During the conversation, the Salamander left the River of Lava, returning to the hard, black, crusted land, but ahead loomed another towering dome.
Beneath the dome lay a deep, dark cave, clearly not naturally formed, but a mountain created by extremely powerful Magic Power uplifting lava, sculpting it into a wave-like shape. Subsequent island Demons dug and enlarged the cave, turning it into a profound cavern.
The Fire Feathered Lizard reached the entrance, and everyone could see that the dome spanned a wide area but wasn’t enclosed, allowing a direct view to the other side.
Under the black dome supported by lava pillars lay a vast city ruin.
"What to do? Brother, the city is covered under this lava dome." Alulu turned back to ask.
Li Ang held up a map to take a closer look, confirming that the front was also a suspected location.
"Going around would be a long journey. The city ahead is worth inspecting; we’re going in."
He reminded, "There might be Demons; prepare for battle."
Based on past experiences, this island doesn’t have overly powerful Demons—except for the Molten Mountain Star Soul.
The young girls gripped their weapon handles, and the Salamander entered the towering cavern.
The surrounding environment suddenly changed dramatically; the usual hard dry lava layer turned into a softer layer below with flowing magma. Some places frequently exploded splattering, while others had crystals where strong Fire Elements gathered.
Li Ang flew to the crystal clusters, collecting them, as they were excellent Fire Attribute Material.
Among them were also Array Stones.
The Fire Attribute Array Stones, the lowest tier called Spark Stone, followed by Blazing Stone, and here they were mostly the latter, which was a substantial harvest for preparing Array Equipment.
In the cluster, Li Ang even discovered a Third Level, Tier Seven Array Stone "Disaster Flame Stone."
Yet they saw no Demons along the way.
"Wasn’t there supposed to be a battle?" Zoe looked disinterested, continually tossing her four swords.
With the Floating Sword Rack, she often treated the Hand-cutting Sword Swapping as a game, playing with dazzling skill.
"Looks like my assumption is correct, the ecosystem on this island is peculiar."
As an island for the Ancient Country’s proliferation, there shouldn’t be too many overly powerful Demons. Plus, adding the Molten Mountain Star Soul, which causes a massive disaster, aligns with a case where an extremely powerful Demon disrupted regional balance.
Just as they were speaking, the ground beside the advancing party suddenly swelled, and an insect-like Demon emerged, carrying magma from beneath the rock layers.
[Prison Flame Ball Armor]
[Shell is hard, containing Fire and Earth Elements, a kind of insect Demon that likes to bury itself deep in volcanic areas, feeding on rich minerals and Fire Elements]
[Species: Mutated Insect Species]
[Combat Wisdom: 4]
[Servant: None]
[Energy Source: Swallowing Surging Lava [Temporary], Tier 3]
[Physical Strength: Hardened Fire Crystal Insect Shell, Tier 5. Rock-Breaking Scorching Claws, Tier 5]
[Special Attack: Prison Flame Rolling]
[Skills: Earth and Fire Fusion, Swallowing Flames]
[Combat Power Amplification: 15%]
This thing was quite large, seemingly exceeding the size of the Salamander, but Li Ang knew this type of Demon was one with limited abilities.
Even though its legs are sharp, they’re primarily for digging rock layers and swimming in magma. They’re short and cannot extend far from under the shell, posing no threat to agile Sky Knights. The only genuinely damaging ability is rolling into a ball with flames to impact, but it can’t make turns, making it easy to dodge.
"Take it down, its shell material is quite decent."
"Alright!"
Zoe immediately transformed into Celestial Maiden Form, floating toward the Ball Armor.
The insect Demon saw the enemy, its first reaction was to coil into a ball.
Zoe raised the Mechanical Dragon Sea Song Sword, striking down, as water formed the Dragon Claw Blade, directly splitting the Prison Flame Ball Armor’s hardest shell, almost cutting its body in half.
"Squeak—!"
The Demon made a desperate struggle, rolling forward toward the Salamander.
Alulu raised her Giant Sword, ready to hit the incoming ball like a baseball.
However, the three Fire Feathered Lizards engaged immediately, responding together.
They elevated their upper bodies to a height that wouldn’t shake off their riders, accumulating flames in their chests and bellies, unleashing a series of intense fireballs.
The brilliant Fire Bullets instantly illuminated the surroundings, the barrage from the three Sub-dragons engulfing the attacking enemy virtually consumed it despite their same attributes. The series of impacts and explosions left it beyond dead.
"Wow! Amazing!" Dorothy smiled, extending her hand, petting the head of the big lizard under her, called Flame.
This situation, where she doesn’t have to exert herself, and solely relies on her mount, is her ideal circumstance.
But Li Ang didn’t make a fuss about it, as taming Demons was for this purpose too.
After gathering the materials, he saw the earth in the distance shift, seemingly with more Prison Flame Ball Armors.
After eliminating several Demons, different types of Demons appeared, this time it was a kind akin to crabs yet also resembling lobsters, the [Scorchshell Crabs].
"Have you noticed the commonality among the Demons here?"
After seeing the third and fourth types of Demons, Li Ang could basically confirm the cave’s ecosystem.
"Do they all dig?" Andasu guessed.
"Yes, but that’s not the whole picture."
"They are all Fire Attribute." Zoe said.
"Stop stating the obvious."
"Curses."
"Are they all very tough?" Alulu ventured again.
"Yes, that’s mostly correct."
Li Ang showed them various Demons’ shell materials, saying, "Only these types of Demons can survive here, evidently for a reason. They aren’t very aggressive, all excel in defense, especially resisting lava."
"Are you saying the Star Soul here is particularly prone to anger and causing disasters?" Meimei concluded.
"Indeed, perhaps we arrived at the island just during its resting period."
Just as Li Ang finished speaking, the ground began to rumble, the concentration of Fire Elements in the air sharply increased, and anyone capable of wielding Magic Power could sense a force emerging from deep underground.
"It can’t be such a coincidence, right?!" Dorothy exclaimed, "Should we run back to the Eternal Summer?!"
"Start running first, don’t stay in this cave."
Li Ang cast Spiritual Enhancement on the Salamanders, increasing their speed. The soft ground of the cave erupted violently. He drew on the power of the Ocean Bubble to create a Water Shield over the group, preventing lava splashes.
Around them, lava continuously emerged, even forming eruptions, jetting out from some hollow depths.
The lava rapidly pooled, directly forming a river. The Great Salamanders twisted and swam forward while some of the same species of Demons clung tightly to the rock layers, burying themselves in crevices, letting lava flow over them.
"We’re almost at the exit!" Meimei wielded her sword, slicing through some encroaching lava.
They were about to leave the cavern, but suddenly, the lava beside them came to life, erupting into long tendrils.
The scorching lava tendrils multiplied, reaching out from all sides toward the Star Flower Travel Corps.
In the distance, amidst the ever-boiling Inner Sea, a water column erupted into the sky, rapidly evaporating, revealing the creature within.
It was the entire head of a giant Demon. Its skin cracked, with flowing magma resembling its blood, sprouting tendrils of flesh and lava-mixed protrusions around wounds similar to those attacking. Its appearance alone revealed its deep madness.
And in the air, there was a small figure confronting it.
"Ah, it looks like that girl we’ve seen before!" Zoe shouted.
