Danger in the Depths
Deep within the gateway, a powerful suction force instantly swallowed everyone.
Their bodies felt as though they were being dragged by an invisible giant hand, plummeting uncontrollably into the unknown, dark depths.
Lu Yao tightly grasped Ma Lin's hand, feeling as if that force was about to tear their hands apart.
Everything around them became blurred, leaving only indistinct figures in the midst of darkness.
Finally, the group was hurled out by a mighty force, crashing heavily into a scorching space.
"So hot!" Lu Yao felt her skin burning with pain. Enduring the agony, she vigilantly scanned her surroundings.
This was a massive magma cavern, where the magma boiled and churned like a sea of lava, casting concentric rings of blazing light.
The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur, making it almost difficult to breathe.
"Where is this place?" Lin Yue's voice trembled slightly in the intense heat. Supporting the injured Suyi, she looked around anxiously.
A stern expression flashed across Ma Lin's chilling face. He clenched his fists, trying to sense the surrounding spiritual field.
However, he discovered that the space here was sealed by a mysterious power, like an invisible barrier trapping them firmly inside.
"This place is sealed," Ma Lin said in a deep voice, a hint of worry showing in his eyes.
Xuanjizi frowned and began chanting spells in an attempt to crack the barrier.
Suyi and Lin Yue stood nearby, tending to the wounded Suyi, their faces filled with anxiety and unease.
Instead of waiting as she usually did, Lu Yao took a deep breath, her gaze resolute as she walked toward the depths of the magma.
Her action took everyone by surprise, drawing puzzled looks from all around.
"Lu Yao, where are you going?" Lin Yue shouted anxiously.
"I feel like there are clues over there," Lu Yao replied, turning back with a firm look and an unprecedented determination in her voice.
She walked step by step toward the depths of the magma, the scorching air seemingly about to swallow her whole.
Suddenly, her gaze was caught by a colossal figure.
At the far end of the magma, a massive figure slowly rose, flames blazing fiercely within its eyes.
"Flame Demon!" Lu Yao's heart tightened, and she instinctively took a step back.
Upon seeing her, the Flame Demon let out a deafening roar, its massive, flaming arm smashing down toward her.
Lu Yao quickly dodged, but the Flame Demon immediately spewed fire, surrounding her on all sides.
"Yaoyao!" Seeing this, Ma Lin rushed recklessly toward the Flame Demon, trying to draw its attention away.
He swung his longsword, engaging the Flame Demon in a fierce battle.
Molten rock splashed everywhere, and the entire space seemed to be burning.
"Ma Lin, watch out!" Lu Yao shouted amidst the flames, her voice nearly drowned out by the roar of the fire.
Yet, the Flame Demon's strength far exceeded their imagination.
Ma Lin gradually began to lose the upper hand, his sword strokes slowing down.
A heavy blow from the Flame Demon blasted him back several meters, his body crashing hard against the rock wall as blood trickled down his cheek.
"Ma Lin!" Lu Yao knew that the upcoming battle would decide their life or death.
At that moment, Ma Lin slowly stood up, a resolute gleam in his eyes and a cold smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"We won't lose," he said in a low voice, imbued with unwavering conviction, as if speaking to Lu Yao and to himself as well.
Inside the magma cavern, heatwaves rolled relentlessly, making the air feel as though it had been ignited.
Every roar of the Flame Demon carried the vibration of fire, making everyone's eardrums ache.
Ma Lin wielded his longsword, the sword shadows resembling cold starlight, yet they struggled to pierce the Flame Demon's defense.
That massive fist, carrying the searing heat of molten lava, made Ma Lin's arm go numb with every collision.
Bang!
The Flame Demon landed a fierce punch squarely on Ma Lin's chest. He flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, slamming into the scorching rock wall. A mouthful of blood spewed out, instantly vaporized by the high temperature with a sizzling sound.
Watching Ma Lin get blasted away, Lu Yao felt her heart constrict as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, the pain so sharp it made her stop breathing.
She wanted to rush forward, but was blocked by the flames spewed by the Flame Demon, which burned like walls of fire, trapping her firmly within.
She could only watch helplessly as Ma Lin struggled amidst the blazing light, his stern face etched with pain like frost being scorched by raging fire.
Lu Yao's heart felt as though it were being torn apart, and a wave of grief and fury surged within her.
An aura of despair hung over everyone like a thick fog.
Just as Lu Yao was on the verge of collapsing, Suyi and Lin Yue forced themselves up, supporting each other. Suyi let out a roar: "We can't go on like this!" A faint cyan glow ignited around his body, and Lin Yue followed closely behind, surrounded by a pink halo. Together, the two launched a joint attack on the Flame Demon.
Lu Yao quickly pulled herself together. Closing her eyes, she sensed the flow of the air around her and murmured in her heart: "Where is it? Where is the weakness?" Her perception awakened once more. Amidst the churning magma, she caught sight of an unusual ripple of energy.
She abruptly opened her eyes, pointed at the Flame Demon's chest, and shouted, "There! Attack its chest!"
Suyi and Lin Yue caught on instantly, and their attacks converged precisely on the Flame Demon's chest.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The trio's attacks struck the Flame Demon's weakness with pinpoint accuracy. The Flame Demon let out an agonized roar as its flames began to wane and its massive body started to sway.
A light of hope flashed amidst the desperate plight.
Lu Yao rushed over to lift the injured Ma Lin, channeling a gentle surge of energy from her palm into his body to heal the burns caused by the flames.
Ma Lin looked at Lu Yao, while Suyi and Lin Yue walked over as well, everyone supporting and relying on one another.
In that instant, the power of friendship swept away the surrounding chill like a warm current.
Just as the group paused for a brief breath, the Flame Demon suddenly erupted with a powerful dark energy. This power formed a massive black vortex, instantly engulfing Lu Yao and the others.
The dark energy wrapped around their bodies like invisible tentacles, bringing an unprecedented sense of oppression.
Lu Yao's face turned pale instantly as she felt the spiritual power within her draining away rapidly, while Lin Yue's terrified voice rang in her ears: "My... my spiritual power..."