The melting point of Planet King Kongâs stone was very high, so the lava itself was incredibly hot.
Han Sen was wearing his Galactic Lobster armor and had his Jadeskin firing on all cylinders. But even so, he still felt like his skin was being singed.
Fortunately, he could withstand the heat. With hesitating, he dove deep into the lava.
The lava wasnât transparent like water, so his eyes were useless once he was under the surface. Instead, he had to use his Dongxuan Aura to examine his surroundings.
The stream of lava was far vaster than he had expected from the surface. After swimming down for a while, Han Sen still hadnât located the injured blue metal wolf. He couldnât see the far reaches of the lava, either. It was like he was lost in the middle of an endless sea.
Han Sen frowned, but after a minute, the Dongxuan Aura detected a creature swimming through the lava nearby.
No, it wasnât just one. Han Sen quickly realized that there were many xenogeneics swimming through the lava.
He was surrounded by rock dragons that were at least one hundred meters long. They were all playing together in the lava.
Han Sen could feel their presences in frightening detail. They were all King class, at least, and there were many of them. Han Sen sensed at least a dozen.
Fortunately, the rock dragons didnât seem interested in Han Sen. Perhaps he was too small, and he was thus unable to snare their attention.
A thousand-meter-long rock dragon swam smoothly past Han Sen, and he decided to jump onto that stone body like a little lizard. He latched onto the rock dragonâs skin and let it carry him forward.
In that endless lava sea, finding an injured blue metal wolf no longer seemed like a realistic goal. However, if the rock dragon horde wasnât hostile, then using a rock dragon to look around seemed like a good idea.
The rock dragon swam through the lava for a while, and eventually it dove deeper into the sea of lava.
The temperature rose around them, and Han Sen felt as if his skin was burning. Fortunately, the scales of the rock dragon were cool. They werenât changing in accordance with the temperature of the lava, and pressing himself against them made Han Sen feel a whole lot better.
There were many xenogeneics in that lava sea. They were all either fire or rock elementals, but when they encountered the dragon horde, they all moved aside. None of the creatures wanted to start a fight with the dragons.
But still, there seemed to be no sign of the blue metal wolf anywhere. It made Han Sen wonder. âThis place isnât suitable for the blue metal wolf. Why would he come here?â
As Han Sen mulled over the question, he suddenly felt a wave of pressure sweep over him. And then, that burning sensation quickly disappeared.
Han Sen noticed that all the lava was gone. He opened his eyes and what he saw shocked him.
The burning lava was being held aloft by some invisible power. It created a sky of lava, and below the lava sky was a dreamy-looking island. There were pools, mountains, flowers, and trees there. White clouds hung all around it. It looked like a slice of heaven.
A lake lay in the middle of that island, steaming like a giant hot spring. The blue metal wolf was having a bath inside the lake. It looked very tired, as if coming to the island had been a much-needed vacation.
The rock dragons were now flying around the island. They wanted to enter the lake as well, but they appeared to be too afraid. Instead, they kept roaring at the metal wolf.
The blue metal wolf continued its bath contentedly, ignoring the noisy dragons.
Han Sen could see that the wounds of the blue metal wolf were almost healed. After the days it had spent in the lake, it seemed almost completely restored to health.
âCan the water of that lake heal things?â Han Sen looked at that lake.
The lake looked very clear, and he could see the spring water bubbling up at its center. The steamy air was rising, but he couldnât detect anything particularly special about it.
The lake was surrounded by mountains, trees, and vines. Some flowers were opening between the clouds. If it wasnât for the lava sky, it would have looked like some sort of holiday resort.
Perhaps the rock dragons finally succeeded in annoying the wolf, because the creature stood up from the lake and roared back at them.
The rock dragons looked all shocked, and they surged back up toward the lava sky. They left the weird island below the lava.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As Han Sen considered the island, he concluded that the island might have been where the rock dragons lived. The blue metal wolf seemed to have taken it away from them. Perhaps that was why they were forced to leave.
And the blue metal wolf might have just been using the lake on the island to heal itself.
Han Sen was disappointed. The blue metal wolfâs wounds had almost healed. Even the King class rock dragons were now scared of the beast, so Han Sen stood no chance.
Han Sen released his hold on the rock dragonâs body and dived out of the lava sea. He wanted to return to the valley so he could go back to slaying xenogeneics.
Han Sen followed the winding path of the valley. After walking a thousand miles, he found a few more Rock Demons. He killed them and obtained their xenogeneic genes, but he still hadnât received one of their beast souls.
Suddenly, he saw a shadow drop from the sky. It broke the atmosphere, heading straight for Han Sen.
Upon seeing the shadow, Han Senâs face paled. He turned around with the intent to leave immediately, but that shadow was far too quick. It landed directly in front of Han Sen to bar his way.
âWhat? You are leaving so soon after seeing me? Do you not like me?â That shadow was a beautiful female guard. She smiled at Han Sen.
âGuard Red Sleeve, I have only met you once. I simply didnât recognize you. How could I possibly not like you? Iâm just in a hurry to hunt xenogeneics. If there is nothing else you desire, then I must go.â Han Sen turned around and started to leave.
Red Sleeve smiled and said, âMy good little brother, in the Kingâs Garden, I believe you recognized your big sister, correct? Why would you say that?â
Han Sen shivered and forced a wry smile. He knew he couldnât hide anymore. He turned around to face Red Sleeve, and her body had already changed. She had snow-white ears and a foxâs tail. Her face had transformed into one that Han Sen knew very well. It was Fox Queen.
âI see that my sisterâs face looks the same as ever. You still look so pretty. I am so happy to see you.â Han Sen smiled, but his mind was in a rush about how to escape.
Fox Queen was bold enough to disguise herself as one of the Extreme King and get close to Prince Fourteen in the process. She must have planned something big. Now that Han Sen had learned that she was among them, there was no way she would be willing to leave him alive.
Han Sen hadnât shown that he recognized her before, hoping that she wouldnât realize he had recognized her. He thought it would take a while for her to find out that he had discovered her secret, and so he hadnât expected her to come for him so soon.