The moment the Black Flame Lord broke through, terrifying pressure swept across the entire Flame Mountain like a tsunami, spreading outwards.The demons that were just fighting instantly fell silent; third- and fourth-tier demons seemed to have their bones extracted, slumping onto the scorching rocky ground, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, not even daring to raise their heads.Even those sixth-tier demons, usually so arrogant, now prostrated themselves on the ground, their heads pressed tightly against the earth, their scales violently opening and closing with fear, emitting a faint clattering sound—under the pressure of a seventh-tier Lord, their proud strength seemed like a joke; they didn't even dare to harbor a thought of resistance.Qin Tian stood inside the cave, feeling the crushing aura, his heart squeezed by an invisible large hand, even his breathing becoming labored.At such a close distance, he truly realized that the difference between the seventh and sixth tiers was not just a matter of energy intensity, but a leap in life-level.Human Spiritual Energy Users breaking through from the sixth to the seventh tier need to undergo the Three Heavenly Tribulations—the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, the Body Burning Tribulation, and the Inner Demon Tribulation. Spiritual plants and spiritual beasts also have to undergo their respective tribulations.Although the cultivation system of demons differs from that of humans, the Great Dao leads to the same destination, so they would likely face similar trials, after which they would complete a true life transformation.Just then, the Black Flame Lord at the center of Flame Mountain suddenly let out a roar, and its body underwent a strange transformation.Its massive body, dozens of meters tall, rapidly shrank in the dark golden light like compressed flames, bones cracking, scales overlapping layer by layer, finally settling at a height of about three meters.Yet, this seemingly “petite” body was even more unsettling than before.Its body was covered in dense, dark golden scales, each flowing with a dark, ethereal flame, no longer as chaotic as before, but condensed like ink, as if capable of devouring all light.The black wings on its back were largely retracted, but their edges shimmered with faint spatial ripples, and occasionally, when they flapped, tiny black sparks drifted down, turning into bottomless small pits upon landing.Most terrifying were its eyes; the dark golden flames that once burned had extinguished, replaced by two pure, ethereal lights, as deep as cosmic black holes, gazing into them felt as if one's soul would be sucked away.At this moment, the Black Flame Lord had shed the ferocity of a giant beast, gaining instead a demonic evilness and majesty befitting a Demon King. It hovered in mid-air, the black flames swirling around it burning quietly, yet possessing a [N O V E L I G H T] greater oppressive force than the hundred-mile-wide inferno from before—it was an extreme form of contained terror, as if it could unleash world-destroying power at any moment.It lowered its head and glanced at the prostrating demons below, its ethereal eyes showing no emotion, as if looking at a group of insignificant dust motes.Immediately after, it folded its black wings and returned to the center of Flame Mountain. Vast demonic energy once again emerged from the demon source, and the Black Flame Lord absorbed it, adapting to this brand new body.Qin Tian looked at the disappearing black shadow, a layer of cold sweat already on his back.“Seventh-tier.”Qin Tian's brows furrowed. If this Black Flame Lord were allowed to safely pass its post-breakthrough adaptation period, whether it led its demon army to sweep through the Infernal Demon Sea or burrowed into the second layer of the Demon Suppression Abyss, the military would suffer immense casualties—no one could say how many soldiers would perish under those black flames.“Notify your human experts,” Breiz’s voice sounded in his mind, with a hint of nonchalance, “It’s just a seventh-tier demon, it’s nothing to you.”Qin Tian’s eyes flickered. While that was true, let alone the entire empire, even in the Qingmu Star Region and within the Demon Suppression Abyss, there were quite a few experts capable of slaying seventh-tier demons.However, the Demon Suppression Abyss was currently short on troops, and experts above the seventh tier had already been transferred to the second and third layers to suppress even more terrifying demon tides. Drawing personnel from there to reinforce the first layer would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.Rely on himself?Facing a seventh-tier Black Flame Lord would be akin to throwing an egg against a rock.What to do?Qin Tian fell into deep thought, various trump cards and pieces of information flashing through his mind. Suddenly, a previously overlooked detail slammed into his thoughts, and his eyes widened slightly, as if he had grasped a glimmer of hope.“Breiz, do you still remember the location of that fire-element treasure you and Yan Song found?”“I remember.” Breiz’s voice paused, then he instantly reacted, “You’re thinking of…?”His tone became a bit more solemn, “You’d better think it through; if this goes wrong, you won’t even have bones left. I don’t want to be buried in this godforsaken place for another few hundred years.”“Don’t worry.” Qin Tian’s tone carried an undeniable confidence, “I wouldn’t dare boast about other abilities, but when it comes to escaping, I am absolutely a professional.” “Alright then.” Breiz was silent for a moment, but eventually agreed. He was also curious to see what kind of treasure was guarded by a seventh-tier Lava Demon King.“Let’s go, hurry up.”Qin Tian no longer hesitated and quickly withdrew from Flame Mountain.Guided by Breiz, he sped north, spatial gates constantly opening and closing, covering hundreds of kilometers in an instant.When he stopped, the sight before him greatly shook his heart: having just escaped the inferno of Flame Mountain, he had stumbled into an even vaster sea of lava.As far as the eye could see, countless large lava pools, like shattered mirrors, spread continuously across the reddish mountain plains, connected by scorching lava flows, stretching endlessly.Viscous lava churned and boiled in the pools, shimmering with a golden-red glow. Each bubble burst into a shower of sparks, and the rising heat distorted the air, making even vision waver slightly, as if even one's soul would be scorched to ash.And at the very center of this sea of lava was a gigantic lava lake covering nearly a hundred miles. The surface of the lake was like molten gold, huge waves crashing against the black rock walls, splashing lava tens of meters high, which then rained down as countless fiery drops.Occasionally, huge shadows would pass beneath the lake, followed by ferocious demons emerging from the lava—some with giant alligator-like jaws, some with spiraling bone spikes on their backs, and even giant worms burning with flames, stirring up monstrous waves on the lake surface.They were all high-tier demons of the fifth and sixth tiers, yet they appeared so tiny here.And in the deepest part of that lava lake, a powerful aura could vaguely be felt, comparable to, or even more domineering than, that of the Black Flame Lord, like an ancient beast in slumber, making the entire sea of lava silently submit.“The aura of a seventh-tier Lava Demon King—”Qin Tian held his breath, his spiritual perception slowly expanding, “That fire-element treasure, it’s at the bottom of this lake?”“Mm.” Breiz’s voice carried a trace of undetectable excitement, “It’s directly below.”Qin Tian looked at the churning lava lake, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He took a deep breath, and the scales all over his body suddenly surged, the reddish color rapidly fading, transforming into an inky black texture. The black flames that burst from the gaps were more condensed than before, and even the ghost fire in his eye sockets turned dark golden.In just a moment, he had transformed into a demon indistinguishable from the Black Flame Lord, only slightly slenderer in build—this was the most realistic disguise he could achieve.The moment he leaped into the lava lake, the scorching waves swallowed him.Unlike the red flames of Flame Mountain, the lava here was viscous like molten metal, carrying sulfur and intense energy, seeping into his body through the gaps in his scales. Fortunately, Qin Tian had the Devouring Soul Flame protecting him, so he was not afraid. He simulated the Black Flame Lord's aura and slowly sank to the bottom of the lake.Having descended less than a hundred meters, a fifth-tier lava beast with alligator-like jaws swam past from his oblique rear, its tooth-filled mouth opening and closing, spitting bubbles.It spotted Qin Tian's figure, its golden pupils suddenly contracting, and it abruptly thrashed its tail and fled like a startled school of fish, not even daring to approach.Further down, the color of the lava gradually deepened, changing from golden-red to dark brown.A sixth-tier Infernal Demon with spiraling bone spikes on its back was lying asleep on a piece of obsidian. When Qin Tian swam past, it suddenly awoke, and upon seeing the black flames around him, it immediately became vigilant, baring its teeth and growling at him.Qin Tian ignored it and continued to descend.The lava in the deepest part was almost solid, as viscous as black syrup. Qin Tian could feel that some colossal creature was sleeping even further down; that domineering aura was even more condensed than the Black Flame Lord's, each breath causing subtle ripples in the lava—it must be that seventh-tier Lava Demon King.He held his breath and slowly descended along the rock wall. Just as he was about to reach the bottom of the lake, the lava beneath his feet suddenly thinned, as if he had fallen into an invisible passage.The sensation of weightlessness lasted only an instant before the scene before him suddenly opened up.This was actually an underground lava cave.Without the turbulence of the lake surface, the heat underground was even more astonishing. The rock walls were covered with flowing lava streams, like golden blood vessels pulsing.Countless lava stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, dripping not water, but scorching fire oil, which ignited into ethereal blue flames upon landing, illuminating the entire cave as if it were daytime.Even more alarming was the demonic energy here—it was even denser than at the center of Flame Mountain, so viscous it almost turned into liquid, flowing down the cracks in the rock walls and collecting in black puddles on the ground. Clearly, this was also a place of demon origin.Qin Tian released his spiritual perception. The scorching heat of the lava lake affected his heat-sensing to some extent, but fortunately, he could still determine the number and location of demons using their magnetic fields.The number of demons in the underground cave was far greater than in the upper lava lake, but to his surprise, the seventh-tier Lava Demon King was not in the central area of the demon source.Qin Tian immediately reined in his aura, a faint, almost imperceptible glow appearing around him, making him blend into the shadows like a drop of water, entering a state of invisibility and concealed presence.He lightly tapped his toes on the scorching rock wall, making almost no sound, silently moving towards the Lava Demon King's location.The heat in the depths of the cave became increasingly scorching. Lava seeped from the rock walls, flowing along the crevices, weaving a golden fiery net on the ground.Although there were many demons along the way, none detected him. Turning a corner, the scene before him suddenly widened.A colossal beast, comparable to a small mountain, came into view—it was the seventh-tier Lava Demon King.It was prostrate on the ground in the deepest part of the cave, its body covered in layers of gray-black armor, each plate seemingly cast from solidified lava, its surface riddled with grooves, flowing with a dark red sheen. Occasionally, sparks would shoot from the crevices, igniting a faint blue flame upon hitting the ground.Its head was buried between its forelimbs, its breathing long and heavy. Each inhale caused the fiery airflow in the cave to surge violently, while each exhale expelled scorching white mist with a sulfurous scent, even distorting the air slightly.Beside the Lava Demon King, a black stone platform, about a zhang (3.3 meters) tall, stood abruptly. Scorching lava constantly washed against the grooves on the platform's walls, emitting sizzling sounds, yet it could never submerge the platform's surface.In the center of the stone platform, a black-red stone stood quietly, unmoving and as stable as a rock despite the lava's assault.Qin Tian’s gaze was instantly drawn to this stone.He clearly felt that the fire power and earth energy of the entire lava cave were continuously converging towards the stone—the lava streams seeping from the rock walls, the scorching energy rising from deep underground, and even the sulfurous scent pervading the air, all were transformed into invisible threads and absorbed into its body.And as it absorbed, a wisp of orange airflow would slowly emanate from the top of the stone, light as molten gold, carrying an indescribable warmth and profoundness, drifting precisely towards the sleeping Lava Demon King.The Demon King's nostrils twitched slightly, and those orange airflows entered its body with its breath, making its aura even more condensed.Within that aura, there was both the violent heat of fire and the profound stability of earth; two distinct forces perfectly merged within its body, forming a terrifying balance.“That’s it.” Qin Tian's heart stirred, his gaze fixed on the black-red stone.The energy fluctuations emanating from the stone were far more astonishing than expected, no wonder it could make a seventh-tier Lava Demon King willingly leave the center of the demon source to guard it for so long—this was definitely not an ordinary fire-element treasure, but more like a core condensed from the essence of fire and earth, each energy circulation affecting the entire lava cave's aura.“Hmm, I think I’ve seen this kind of stone somewhere before.”Breiz’s slightly surprised voice suddenly echoed in Qin Tian’s mind.“You’ve seen it?” Qin Tian’s heart tightened, and he asked in a low voice.“That’s not right. How could it appear here, and in this state?” Breiz’s voice was full of confusion, as if he had encountered something incredible.“Stop beating around the bush, what exactly is it?”Breiz was silent for a moment, then finally spoke: “It’s called a Monolith. Six hundred years ago, when the Central Star Region was invaded by the Void, your human empire used a Monolith the size of a city to block the Void passage. Logically, there was only ever one such Monolith, so I didn’t expect to see one here. From the looks of it, it’s more like a fragment.”Monolith! Void Invasion!Qin Tian’s eyes suddenly narrowed. He had seen records of this battle in historical texts—the ferocity of that war against the Void Invasion ranked among the top five in the empire’s war history, with dozens of eighth- and ninth-tier powerhouses perishing.And for a Monolith to be able to forcefully seal a Void passage, the primordial power it contained was unimaginable.Thus, it was not difficult to understand why this fragment was regarded as a precious treasure by the seventh-tier Lava Demon King.The orange airflow it emitted after absorbing fire and earth energy was undoubtedly a supreme treasure for tempering the primordial essence of demons, enough to drive high-tier demons mad.“Be careful, an consciousness seems to have awakened within this Monolith. It won’t be that simple to take it away,” Breiz warned.“Mm, I sensed it too.”Qin Tian’s eyes were deep. Regardless, he absolutely had to take this Monolith, and he would use it as a lure—to drive away one danger by introducing another! (literally, drive away wolves and swallow tigers)It would be best to destroy both demon sources.

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