They hadn’t noticed anything when they were chatting before, but now that Zu An reminded them, they all clearly felt that something wasn’t right. After all, this tomb rarely had any sunlight enter, so it should have been as cold as winter even if it was the middle of summer. Now, however, it was clearly getting hot. Furthermore, they keenly sensed that even the path ahead was becoming bright red. There was no need to use Qiu Honglei’s lantern for light anymore.

“The fire element is especially dense up ahead. There’s even some kind of berserk energy,” Zhao Han said as he looked ahead, but his tone was extremely calm.

Perhaps this great tomb fraught with dangers was a place where most died, but with his strength, it was nothing more than a leisurely tour. Of course, that was assuming they didn’t run into that Ghost King freak…

Jing Teng frowned. As a vine, she felt an innate dislike for fire.

The group continued for a while longer. It grew hotter and hotter, and a wave of heat filled the air. They couldn't sense any moisture anymore. If not for the fact that they were all powerful cultivators, the temperature would have already been enough to roast them alive.

“Miss Jing, is this the only path?” Qiu Honglei couldn't help but ask. The hellish environment really wasn’t the best experience. Furthermore, such places with such a high concentration of an element often contained terrifying creatures. She was already starting to feel a bit anxious.

Jing Teng wiped away the sweat from her temples and said, “That’s right.”

Suddenly, the group rounded a turn, and the view opened up. They finally understood where the source of all of the heat was. Before them was a massive pool of lava; it was full of bubbles, as if it were boiling over. Quite a bit of the lava splashed ashore. The ground around it seemed as if it couldn't even stand the heat, erupting into flames. The terrain was already filled with holes and cracks, and the lava seemed as if it would spill out further and further.

“This great tomb was actually hiding a pool of lava of such a scale?” Zu An exclaimed in surprise.

The smell of sulfur hitting them in the face was a bit hard to withstand. If not for their cultivation making it so they didn’t need to breathe very often, perhaps they would even have been poisoned to death by the strong smell.

Jing Teng looked confused as she said, “I don’t know either. This seems to have been put in place to protect the immortal ruler’s remains.”

Zu An looked around. The lava pool was just like a volcano. It had a range of several hundred zhang and completely cut off the road up ahead. It was completely impossible to go around. The great tomb already looked large enough from the outside, but the inside seemed even larger; it could even contain such a giant pool of lava without a single problem.

If they wanted to cross the pool, they had to fly over it. However, the temperature was so high, and there were bubbles that exploded from time to time, sending lava into the air. The temperature in midair would definitely be even harder to endure. It was difficult for there to not be any issues within a thousand meters.

More importantly, what if there was something inside the lava…

Suddenly, Zhao Han said clearly, “Since my cultivation is the highest, I’ll take the lead in exploring this place.” Then, he kicked off the ground and into the air.

The scorching hot air above the lava was hot enough to burn away all clothes. However, there seemed to be an invisible barrier around Zhao Han’s body that repelled all of the raging heat. Meanwhile, he seemed to be practically clairvoyant, always able to avoid the incoming lava that suddenly flew up ahead of time.

Qiu Honglei had a strange expression. She secretly asked Zu An, “Ah Zu, why did the emperor suddenly become so enthusiastic? It just feels strange somehow.”

“Excessive flattery without reason is either deceit or theft,” Zu An replied. “He wants to express his sincerity through these small things, but it’s more for Jing Teng to see. After all, he believes that Jing Teng might know about the immortal opportunity he cares about.”

“Jing Teng always talks in riddles, and it’s getting really annoying. Do you think she really did lose her memories?” Qiu Honglei asked.

“Whether she’s acting or not, I believe she bears no malice towards us, so why do we need to trouble her?” Zu An replied.

“Hmph, it’s only because she’s pretty.” Qiu Honglei harrumphed, but she didn’t really get angry. if Jing Teng hadn’t helped them several times before, perhaps they would have already died.

Suddenly, something strange happened. The lava pool began to flare up. It was almost as if it were upset that there was someone flying above it without even letting a drop of lava touch his body. The lava pool quickly spun, forming a giant whirlpool. Then, a long whip of flames lashed out, wrapping itself around Zhao Han’s feet and pulling him downward fiercely.

Zu An’s group was shocked. There was a monster inside the lava pool after all!

Zhao Han released a cold snort. He raised his leg, and not only was he not pulled down, the creature in the lava pool was actually dragged out.

The monster looked like a giant goat, but it was exceedingly ugly. It was just like the Damascus goats Zu An had seen in videos from his previous world. There was a pair of coiled horns on its head, and lava covered its entire body. The fiery substance formed its coat. With that, Zu An finally understood why the West loved to associate goats with the devil. Such an appearance really was reminiscent of a sinister devil.

“This goat is so ugly,” Qiu Honglei said with a look of disgust. She didn’t even want to give it a second look.

“This isn’t a goat, but an Earthflame Devil,” Jing Teng said, clutching her head as if she had just remembered something.

“Earth?” Zu An repeated, stunned. “It has earth element power?”

“That’s right. Lava contains both the earth and fire element to begin with,” Jing Teng replied.

Zu An thought to himself that in many of his previous world’s games, the earth element often summoned meteors for its attacks. Those meteors often resembled fireballs. Just like that, the monster’s power reached the extremes of both earth and fire. No wonder it was so strong.

He could sense the terrifying aura coming from the monster’s body. It far exceeded the level of a grandmaster. Comparing the Death Reaper to this thing was like comparing a child and a robust man. If he encountered that monster himself, perhaps it would really a bit dangerous. But now that they had Zhao Han, clinging onto a nice and strong backer really felt great…

He suddenly felt strange. In the past, he had always mooched off girls. Now, he could even mooch off of men?

…

The Earthflame Devil had wanted to drag its prey into the lava, and yet it was pulled out by its prey instead. At that instant, it was briefly stunned.

However, its surprise was quickly replaced by anger. It roared furiously, making the whole place quake and tremble. The lava erupted like a volcano, and a giant fist formed around the flames, launching toward Zhao Han in midair.

Zhao Han’s expression was ice-cold as he remarked, “Are you treating a tiger as some sickly cat just because it hasn’t shown its might? Even an animal like you dares to bully this emperor?”

He had remained invincible for so many years, and yet he had been left in such a sorry state after encountering the Ghost King. There was already a lot of rage built up within him, and he could no longer hold it back and went all out. He didn’t dodge or evade, and just sent a fist straight at the monster.

With a huge explosion, sparks flew in all directions. The Earthflame Devil’s massive body paused briefly, and the flames around its body visibly dimmed.

Zhao Han’s gaze carried killing intent as he yelled, “Die!”

Golden light surged all around him. In that instant, a giant golden projection appeared behind him and mimicked him, sending its own fist at the Earthflame Devil’s head.

Boom!

With a muffled noise, the air itself seemed to distort. Then, the Earthflame Devil staggered back a few steps. A moment later, its entire body broke down inch by inch before finally turning into endless lava and sinking back into the pool.

Zu An and the others’ eyes widened. That terrifying Earthflame Devil had been destroyed just like that? Even though they knew Zhao Han was strong, they hadn’t expected him to actually be powerful to such an extent! They hadn’t been able to help but look down on him a bit when he lost to the Ghost King earlier. However, at that instant, they woke up and realized that this was the same invincible figure who had subdued the experts of both the human and Fiend races for many, many years.

Zu An’s expression became even more grave. Zhao Han’s strength seemed to be quite a bit greater than that of the split soul in the Westhound Tomb secret dungeon. He was even a bit stronger than he had been in the battle on Violet Mountain.

Zhao Han was a bit regretful. He had gotten so worked up in that instant that he used all his strength, possibly making that brat Zu An a bit more vigilant. However, he quickly dismissed that thought, because he knew that no matter what, before absolute strength, all schemes were just laughable.

“Alright, the monster has already been eliminated. You can come over now,” he said, waving his hand toward them.

Jing Teng’s expression suddenly changed and she exclaimed, “No, it’s still alive!”

As soon as she spoke, two flame whips suddenly shot out from the pool, instantly binding Zhao Han’s legs. Perhaps because the monster had already learned its lesson, it used two whips this time. The strength it used was greater too.

Zhao Han thought he had already defeated his opponent, so he was caught off guard and dragged straight into the boiling lava. He tried to struggle free, but a second later, endless lava crashed down on him like an ocean, completely submerging him within.

The chaotic lava became still once more, regaining the appearance the group had first seen upon arrival. It was as if nothing had happened.

When they saw that Zhao Han didn’t come back out, Zu An’s party looked at each other in dismay. They had been shocked at Zhao Han’s power a moment ago, yet now, he had croaked just like that?