The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 884 - 486: Wu Chi’er Mountain (Part 2)

In the mountain, there is likely flowing lava, and Ning Xiaoxian would never send inexperienced folks inside.

After about an hour, these folks finally emerged from the rocks under the eager eyes of the crowd, but their expressions were somewhat odd.

One pangolin didn’t even revert to human form, shaking off the mud while reporting: "The mountain’s wall is very thin, and it’s hollow inside. We initially thought the mountain contained either mud and rocks or ice and snow, but who knew... who knew the space inside was vast and empty, and—" it glanced at Ning Xiaoxian’s face, cautiously added, "there’s a huge lake inside." The leader doesn’t like surprises, it knew.

A lake? A massive lake hidden within the volcano’s ice-sealed belly? The Hidden Guards exchanged glances, but Ning Xiaoxian had long prepared for the worst, her expression remaining unchanged: "Go on."

"Above this expansive space should be the ice layer at the mountain’s peak. The lake water is clear, but bubbles often appear, seemingly without living creatures inside. We tested the lake water’s temperature, it’s very hot to the touch. Standing here for a while makes one feel hot, the air is also quite pungent, and a brother accidentally inhaled a breath, feeling a sharp pain in the head and discomfort in the chest."

They’ve all entered the volcano’s belly, the concentration of toxic gases must be high, even the sturdy bodies of demons couldn’t endure. "How deep is the lake water?"

"It seems quite deep." the pangolin hesitated, then said, "We’re not adept at water, so we came out to let you decide, my lord."

While speaking, the ground beneath them subtly trembled. Though this tremor was minor, mortals likely wouldn’t notice, but to all the cultivators, this slight quake bore the unmistakable, unavoidable presence of daunting majesty.

Moreover, for all members of the Hidden Stream, because the master of Ba Snake Mountain Range could flip over at any time, everyone was extremely sensitive to any ground tremor.

Qi Zai exclaimed: "Can’t be this coincidental, we happen to catch a volcano about to erupt?" The Chongming Bird family resides in the North. The North is mountainous, he’s familiar with volcanoes, knowing that before eruption, volcanoes often accompany varying degrees of seismic activity.

Ning Xiaoxian only felt a heaviness inside, furrowing her brows: "We must quicken our pace." She knew the eruption time of a volcano couldn’t be predicted; perhaps it would remain calm for years to come, or perhaps burst with fury in the next second.

She waved her hand to give orders: "Send out the Earth Yin Messenger, instruct Dou Er to evacuate the Pu Clan Tribe immediately. They’re too close to the volcano; even if the lava doesn’t stream through their village, the toxic gases and volcanic ash would claim their lives." The lives of several thousand from the Pu Clan couldn’t be buried here for no reason, she hadn’t forgotten the lively eyes of the children when she first arrived at the village.

"Also send a message to Qingluan, instruct them to redirect here at once. If there’s indeed an inner lake within the mountain’s belly, we need a lot of manpower to search for the Nanming Lihuo Sword!" The Hidden Guards responded and started executing orders.

She contemplated and suddenly added: "No, that’s not right. Send Qingluan another message, instruct her to send three people to stick to the original plan and go to the Pu Clan Tribe, obey Dou Er’s command—humph, his cultivation level is too low—the rest to dispatch here."

"How thick is the ice layer at the mountain top, does anyone who has been inside know?" she asked the earth-controlling demons.

As a result, these folks looked at each other, somewhat ashamed. The pangolin murmured: "We, we only focused on looking down, didn’t glance up..."

Seeing Ning Xiaoxian sigh, he suddenly had an epiphany, hurriedly added: "However, some light still penetrated from above, faintly illuminating the lake surface. If that’s the case, it seems the ice layer at the mountain top isn’t that thick."

Several tens of thousands of years ago, due to frequent eruptions, Wu Chi’er Mountain had its mountain top concave, and even its belly was hollowed out by the lava. But after the owner of the Nanming Lihuo Sword threw it into the volcano, the heat was continuously absorbed into the sword, turning Wu Chi’er Mountain into an extinct volcano, ceasing eruptions, and even the surface temperature decreased significantly, causing snow to gather at the mountain’s crater, melting and refreezing into ice. After tens of thousands of years, the crater was covered by thick and solid ice.

But according to the pangolin, a massive inner lake emerged within the mountain’s belly, suggesting the volcano’s heat is regrouping, slowly melting the thick ice of the mountain peak. A large amount of ice water couldn’t flow out, accumulating in the funnel-shaped crater, forming a volcanic lake. Since the ice has melted into water, space naturally opens up. Such examples are not rare in Huaxia; the Heavenly Pool of Changbai Mountain and the Five Connected Pools in Heilong River are the most typical volcanic lakes.

She slightly furrowed her brows, her mind racing, quickly clarifying the pros and cons: since the pangolin could see light inside the mountain belly, it indicates the ice layer above is indeed not thick. Moreover, with the formation of lake water inside, entering from the top shouldn’t directly trigger a volcanic eruption. Thinking this far, she casually selected a few Hidden Guards to step forward: "I want you to go to the mountain peak and use True Fire to carve a passage through the solid ice downward, at least wide enough for three people to walk side by side."

Regarding the ability to manipulate fire, the Fire Lion who bravely protected Dou Er’s Caravan days ago was the best among the Hidden Guards. Ning Xiaoxian sympathized with his serious injuries, letting him rest in the Bo Yu Carriage. Yet this demon, upon hearing the news, limped over, greeted her, saying: "Being crippled in hands and feet doesn’t prevent me from deploying Divine Skills, Lord Ning’s matter mustn’t be delayed." (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read at m.qidian.com.)