Chapter 1790: Burning Soul Fire Crystal

However, Zu An knew Zhao Hao best; given his cultivation level, there was no way he could die so easily here.

As expected, in an instant, the magma suddenly surged again, as if a fierce struggle was taking place within.

After a few more breaths, the magma parted completely, and a figure shot up into the sky. Who else could it be but Zhao Hao?

The massive Earth Fiend Demon, torn directly in half, then transformed back into magma and completely vanished.

This time, Zhao Hao didn't take any chances but flew straight back. He looked very disheveled; his topknot was undone, and his beard and hair had several burnt marks.

Even his clothes had several large burnt holes, clearly revealing the flesh underneath.

Faintly, the scent of burnt flesh lingered in the air...

How embarrassing!

Zhao Hao now had only two words in his mind. Throughout his illustrious life, he had never suffered such a significant setback, nor been so disgraced in front of these youngsters.

However, Zu An and the others were filled with admiration. Dragged directly into the magma by the Earth Fiend Demon, he not only survived but also managed to counter-kill his opponent. The only cost was a few burnt holes in his clothes; his garments were otherwise largely intact, clearly indicating that his protective vital energy had shielded him from the magma.

"Ahem!" Zhao Hao cleared his throat and looked gravely at the surging magma nearby.

The magma churned and boiled, quickly reforming into a gigantic monster. The Earth Fiend Demon had revived once more!

"Is this monster immortal?" Qiu Honglei exclaimed in alarm.

Zhao Hao also frowned deeply. Although he was stronger than this monster, it could still pose a threat to him. The key was its immortality; it could recover without any damage each time, while he would be depleted to some extent. With this constant drain on him and regeneration for it, he might eventually be worn down and killed.

Especially with the Ghost King lurking in the shadows, he also needed to conserve energy to deal with him.

Jing Teng suddenly clutched her head, seemingly having a headache.

Zu An was startled. "Did you remember something?" he asked.

Jing Teng hummed in acknowledgment, and looking at the monster, said, "As long as this magma doesn't dry up, the Earth Fiend Demon can recover indefinitely."

The others frowned slightly. This magma pool spanned hundreds of feet in every direction, and its depth was unknown. How could such a vast amount of magma possibly dry up?

At this moment, Jing Teng's gaze fell into the depths of the magma. "This magma formed because there's a special Soul-Burning Fire Crystal within it," she explained. "The reason this monster has remained here is likely because it covets the energy of the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal. By staying near it, it can continuously evolve and grow stronger."

Zhao Hao's eyes lit up. "The Soul-Burning Fire Crystal, a fire-element supreme treasure," he exclaimed, "and by the looks of it, it's of divine-tier quality!"

This item was a supreme treasure for fire-element cultivators; cultivating near it would yield twice the results with half the effort. The fact that even this formidable monster guarded and cultivated near it was testament to its power.

In addition to boosting cultivation speed, it could also be used to forge legendary elixirs and certain special magical artifacts.

Even though he was immensely wealthy, he had only obtained a very small piece many years ago. The current scale of the magma definitely indicated a much larger piece than his previous one.

A thought sparked in his mind, and he said, "Zu An, let's cooperate. You distract the Earth Fiend Demon, and I'll enter the magma to search for the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal. That's the only way to truly kill this monster."

Even he wouldn't mind having more of such a precious item, especially since the piece he had before was long used up.

Zu An shook his head. "This Earth Fiend Demon is too powerful," he said. "I can't possibly restrain it; I'd probably be killed with one blow. Your Majesty, it would be better if you distract it, and I'll go search."

Zhao Hao smiled faintly. "I know anyone would be tempted by such a supreme treasure," he said, "but one must act according to their abilities. Can you withstand the violent fire element in this dense magma? Don't end up disfigured and cause your lady friends nearby to grieve."

He knew that Zu An's combat power was somewhat unique. Although he might not be able to defeat the Earth Fiend Demon, he should be able to hold on for a while.

Perhaps he could also use this opportunity to learn more about Zu An's hidden abilities.

As expected, Qiu Honglei looked at Zu An with worry, and even Jing Teng was concerned for him. Few people in the world could likely enter such terrifying magma.

"It should be fine," Zu An said, looking relaxed. "If I can't go down, it won't be too late for Your Majesty to take over."

"Very well," Zhao Hao said, not trying to dissuade him further. He himself had almost been burned to death just now; how could this young man succeed?

Let him suffer a bit, and then he would step in.

At this moment, the Earth Fiend Demon roared furiously. Clearly, being killed twice was not a pleasant experience. Although it could revive after dying, the pain of death was undeniably real.

It once again wielded its long flaming whip, striking towards the people on the shore. Although it couldn't kill the one in yellow, it could at least kill the other humans and vent its frustration.

Zhao Hao snorted coldly. "With Us here, how dare you act so brazenly?"

He still needed these people's help, so naturally he wouldn't let anything happen to them. A golden giant rose above his head, reaching out to grab the flaming whip. Then, the two sides naturally began to wrestle.

Seizing this opportunity, Zu An's figure flickered, and he leaped directly into the magma.

Qiu Honglei and Jing Teng's hearts instantly leaped into their throats. They didn't dare to blink, ready to intervene and save him at any moment.

The Earth Fiend Demon saw his action but paid no mind. "What ignorant humans," it thought. "The terrifying high temperature in the magma can instantly melt your flesh and blood, leaving not even a speck of bone, turning it all into nourishment for the magma."

Zhao Hao also quietly observed the situation. On one hand, he hated Zu An to the core, but on the other, he didn't want him to die so soon, as he still needed his help to deal with the Ghost King.

After Zu An entered the magma, the terrifying magma around him surged in, and he found that his protective vital energy was completely unable to resist it.

However, he was well prepared. The flame pendant around his neck emitted a gentle power, neutralizing the terrifying essence of the surrounding magma.

This had been given to him by Da Manman earlier. Worried that he might be harmed by her special black flames, she had given him this personal treasure. It not only granted immunity to the damage of black flames but also provided high resistance to other fires in the world.

However, since this surrounding magma wasn't Pei Mianman's black flames, the flame pendant couldn't grant complete immunity.

But this was already sufficient. A special flame suddenly erupted from his body, faintly resembling a phoenix.

Phoenix Flame was inherently the king of all flames. Now, with the surrounding magma's power greatly reduced, it naturally couldn't harm him.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He originally had another backup plan: the White Lotus Sacred Flame he had acquired earlier. With these three layers of protection, he naturally had little fear of the terrifying magma.

On the shore, Qiu Honglei saw no movement from Zu An for a long time after he entered. She paced back and forth anxiously like an ant on a hot pan. "Miss Jing," she asked, "do you think Ah Zu will be alright?"

"Young Master Zu is always steady and reliable," Jing Teng said. "He would never do anything he's not confident about. Don't worry." Although she said this, Jing Teng's palms were covered in sweat.

After another period of time, the Earth Fiend Demon, repeatedly struck by Zhao Hao, roared furiously, its molten body turning into a fiery rain that splattered everywhere.

But the two women paid no attention to these dangers, instead staring intently at the magma pool.

Various boiling bubbles continuously emerged and burst, looking no different from the magma pool before. There was no sign of anyone emerging!

Now even Zhao Hao began to wonder, "Did that boy overestimate himself and get burned to death inside?"

That young man's life was still useful; he couldn't die here.

He extended a large hand, preparing to search the magma.

Just then, a figure suddenly burst out from within. With a mischievous smile on his face, who else could it be but Zu An?

"Ah Zu (Young Master)!" Qiu Honglei and Jing Teng exclaimed in unison. Seeing him emerge safely, their faces were filled with smiles.

Zhao Hao was startled. "Not a single hair on that boy was burnt!" he thought. "Even I might not be able to do that. How did he manage it?"

Then his gaze fell upon Zu An's hand, where he saw him grasping a fiery red, oval-shaped crystal, completely transparent and lustrous, with a faint divine glow circulating on its surface.

The Soul-Burning Fire Crystal!

As it was taken out, the entire magma pool no longer seethed as it had just moments before. It visibly began to cool down.

The Earth Fiend Demon also noticed this, letting out a massive roar. Disregarding its fight with Zhao Hao, it directly pounced towards Zu An.

How could this be? Was this fellow really human?

Rage points from Earth Fiend Demon +555 +555 +555...

Zhao Hao let out a laugh. Why would he give it another chance? He hadn't delivered a killing blow before because he knew it would revive anyway, but now...

Several golden figures continuously pierced through its body. The Earth Fiend Demon's body stiffened. It looked down at its body, which already had several enormous holes.

Just then, another golden light directly smashed its head, and its entire body, unable to support itself further, collapsed with a crash.

It crashed onto the now-cooled lava, but unlike before, it didn't revive. Instead, it disintegrated into countless flames, all of which were absorbed into the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal in Zu An's hand.

Zhao Hao's figure flickered, and he was already in front of Zu An, staring intently at the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal. "So the Earth Fiend Demon was actually nurtured by this Soul-Burning Fire Crystal," he thought. "Then the value of this fire crystal is immeasurable."

Zu An quickly put away the Soul-Burning Fire Crystal. "Your Majesty is rich beyond compare," he said, "you wouldn't try to snatch this stone from me, would you?"