Undead Mage: I Have a Skeleton Clone-Chapter 512 - 368: Devouring Death Lava, Power Surges!

Inside the cave, darkness and silence wove an invisible net, making it seem as if time itself had stagnated. As they ventured deeper, about five hundred meters in, an unprecedented underground wonder gradually revealed itself.

It was a vast underground cavern that resembled a reborn ancient furnace. The cave’s ceiling towered high, and its walls were rough, as if they were nature’s most primitive works of art. In the center of this cavern, surging magma spat fiery flames like an enraged Fire Dragon, casting a crimson glow over the entire space. Yet the surrounding Death Energy, like a calm sage, tamed the wildness of the magma, cooling it into pieces of hard, black volcanic rock. These rocks were layered on top of each other, piling up into mountains. Pungent, toxic gases rose into the air, adding an eerie and dangerous aura to the hellish scene.

Particularly striking was the golden-red lake of magma in the center of the volcano’s crater. It boiled without end like a beating heart, emitting a suffocating heat. This heat was intense enough to distort the air, seeming to roast even the dust motes and turn them a scorched yellow as they floated about.

Bruce let out a series of excited screeches, its voice filled with boundless pride and longing. It conveyed a clear message to Fang Zhou: this was the location of the valuable resource it had once devoured and now craved again.

A glimmer of surprise and curiosity flashed through Fang Zhou’s eyes. Could it be that beneath these Corpse Hills lay such strange magma? Could this be yet another unseen rare resource in the Undead Realm? He took a deep breath, feeling the collision between the atmosphere thick with death and the scorching heat. A surge of inexplicable excitement rose within him.

Under Bruce’s guidance, Fang Zhou cautiously flew toward the crater. This magma, which did not cool even in the Undead Realm, was naturally special. The surrounding high temperature was such that even a being like Bruce, strengthened by mutation, dared not approach, observing only from a distance. However, for the Corpse Clone, whose Energy Attribute, flesh, and bone had been evolved and enhanced several times, this seemed to pose no threat.

His Death Energy was extraordinarily active here, as if it had found its rightful place, resonating with the land with every breath. Standing before the sea of magma, Fang Zhou felt waves of invisible energy flooding into his body.

Within the Corpse Clone’s body, this energy was cleverly divided into two parts. One part was assimilated by his Death energy and transformed into power that would enhance his racial Combat Power Coefficient. The other part nurtured every cell of his body, causing his Four-dimensional Attributes to grow slowly but steadily. He could almost feel his bones growing harder, his muscles stronger, and his soul deeper.

After circling the perimeter of the scorching magma a few times to ensure there were no lurking threats, Fang Zhou finally turned his gaze to Bruce, motioning for it to point out the location of the resource it had devoured. Bruce screeched, flapped its wings, and its fragile bone-wings carved a graceful arc through the air as it lunged toward the volcanic wall on the magma’s right side.

Fang Zhou looked up and saw a small tree growing on the rocky wall of the volcano. It was over five meters tall, and its blood-red, crystalline roots plunged deep into the iron-hard rock like dragon whiskers. The trunk, which resembled red crystal or some kind of mineral, had a surface covered in scale-like patterns. Its branches spread out, and tiny, flame-shaped leaves slowly absorbed nutrients from the surrounding magma.

Hanging from the tips of its nine branches were seven translucent red fruits. Four of these fruits were the size of a fist and contained a substance that flowed like liquid fire. The other three fruits were much smaller, their insides murky and immature.

As he perceived the Magma Fire Fruits, Fang Zhou felt an impulse to devour them well up from within him, and the blue light enveloping his body flared brightly.

According to the thoughts transmitted by Bruce the Skeleton Bat, the fruits were extremely tough while they were on the tree. With its strength, it was impossible to cut or harvest them. They had to detach naturally upon maturity. Only in the fleeting moment of their fall could Bruce intercept and catch them in mid-air. It had once eaten the first fruit to fall, which had resulted in a massive boost to its Four-dimensional Attributes and Combat Power Coefficient. Eating a second fruit, however, had a much less significant effect, merely increasing its flight speed and evasion rate.

Understanding this, Fang Zhou was naturally not going to risk climbing the rock wall and falling into the magma. He simply raised his Corpse Long Spear, aimed at one of the strange, blazing red fruits, and unleashed a Battle Qi Slash. No matter how tough the branches of this miraculous tree were, they couldn’t withstand Fang Zhou’s fully enhanced Battle Qi Slash. With a soft *swish*, a brilliant fire fruit was cut loose and fell into the air, where it was effortlessly retrieved by the waiting Bruce. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Bruce landed on Fang Zhou’s outstretched hand and placed the Magma Fire Fruit, which was brimming with abundant heat, into his palm. Fang Zhou swallowed it in one gulp. Instantly, an infinite, searing power exploded within him, as if a torrent of flame was rushing through his veins.

Peak Yang gives birth to Yin!

Wherever this strange energy passed, his flesh and blood showed faint signs of transparent crystallization and emitted an even colder aura.

BOOM!

Endless, ghostly blue Undead Light Flames erupted from Fang Zhou’s body, shooting out several meters and dyeing the surrounding air a ghostly blue. The firelight and the Undead Light Flames intertwined, creating a stunning visual.

The effect is so powerful! A hint of surprise appeared in Fang Zhou’s eyes. This single Magma Fire Fruit had caused the might of his Undead Energy to skyrocket. Not only had its purity greatly increased, but the total sum of energy within his body had also surged. This surge was on top of the growth he had already experienced from devouring the white motes of light. In other words, the Undead Energy within him was now several times greater than it had been right after he evolved.

Hungry. So hungry...

After swallowing one Magma Fire Fruit, Fang Zhou felt no satisfaction. He sensed the energy within him still craving more sustenance, as if this new power had not yet been fully unleashed.

Thus, he acted as before, directing Bruce to knock down the remaining seven fruits for him to eat. Fang Zhou consecutively swallowed the second, third... and finally the seventh Magma Fire Fruit.

Although the potency and effect of each fruit gradually diminished, he could feel a subtle increase in his energy with each one he consumed. The cumulative effect of these seven fruits, while not as dramatic as the first, still had a positive impact on Fang Zhou’s overall strength.

Most crucially, with the energy provided by these seven Magma Fire Fruits, the Power Attribute of Fang Zhou’s Corpse Clone officially broke the 80-point threshold. This also signified that the Corpse Clone had formally entered the strength realm of the Upper Black Iron rank.