Chapter 144: Golden Flame

[Name: Molten Vein Hound]

[Level: 36]

[Life Tier: Second Tier]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Characteristics: Capable of sensing fire-element fluctuations within earth veins. Possesses powerful explosive speed and tracking abilities. Specializes in hunting within lava environments.]

Victor tightened his grip on the hilt of his Crimson Flame Fang.

It seemed this was the magical beast those two professionals had encountered earlier.

Standing at the other end of the passage, the Molten Vein Hound fixed its dark-red eyes on Victor. Its nostrils twitched repeatedly, as though assessing the strength of the prey before it.

Roar!

The next moment, the beast lowered its body and pushed off with tremendous force!

Boom!

Cracks spread across the hard rock beneath its paws as its enormous body shot forward, crossing more than ten meters almost in the blink of an eye!

Victor’s pupils contracted. This magical beast’s explosive speed clearly exceeded that of the Level 30 Molten-Armored Rock Scorpion he had encountered earlier!

However, he was already prepared.

As the beast lunged, Victor stepped to the right, using a protruding rock beside the wall to change direction.

Bang!

The Molten Vein Hound’s front paw slammed into the ground, sending fragments of stone flying and leaving a deep claw mark behind.

Victor made no attempt to counterattack.

He understood perfectly well that against a genuine Second Tier magical beast, recklessly closing the distance simply because he had avoided one attack could easily place him in danger.

Sure enough, before he could widen the gap any further, the Molten Vein Hound had already turned and opened its enormous mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth.

Whoosh!

A stream of blazing flames erupted!

Victor pushed off the ground and moved sideways along the rock wall, swinging Crimson Flame Fang to disperse part of the incoming flames.

But the Molten Vein Hound did not stop there.

Charging forward almost immediately behind the flames, it brought both front paws down simultaneously, completely blocking Victor’s intended retreat!

"Pretty smart."

The smile on Victor’s face faded slightly.

Unlike the fire lizards he had encountered earlier, which primarily relied on instinctive lunges, this magical beast clearly possessed well-developed hunting habits.

It first used flames to restrict its opponent’s movements, then relied on its physical strength to launch a rapid close-range attack.

Shadow Blink!

Buzz!

Victor’s figure abruptly disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was already beside the rock wall to the Molten Vein Hound’s left.

But something unexpected happened.

Rather than becoming confused when its target vanished, the beast immediately turned its head toward Victor’s new position and released another low growl.

"Can it track mana fluctuations?" Victor’s eyes flashed sharply.

Although Shadow Blink allowed him to change positions instantaneously, that did not necessarily mean he could escape a magical beast capable of sensing fire-element fluctuations.

Realizing this, he stopped wasting mana and headed toward the broken stone bridge ahead.

The Molten Vein Hound pursued relentlessly.

Within the narrow passage, the two raced forward, one chasing the other. Almost every time Victor changed direction, the sound of sharp claws tearing through stone followed close behind.

After several exchanges, however, Victor gradually noticed something.

Although the Molten Vein Hound could track his mana fluctuations, it seemed unable to control its body perfectly while moving at high speed.

When changing direction, it had to forcefully shift its center of gravity using all four limbs, while the heavy row of bone spikes along its back further restricted its flexibility.

The Molten Vein Hound was genuinely fast, but at full speed, its movements followed a relatively predictable trajectory.

"In that case..."

Victor glanced at the broken bridge ahead, then shifted his attention to the constantly flowing lava below.

He had originally intended to avoid unnecessary trouble, but now he changed his mind.

Since this magical beast could sense changes in the fire elements within the earth veins, perhaps it was even more familiar with the abnormalities in the surrounding area than he was.

Moreover, despite pursuing him relentlessly, the Molten Vein Hound had never willingly approached the black stone mound at the center of the basin.

Was it wary of something?

A thought flashed through Victor’s mind.

He deliberately slowed his pace, turned around, and swung his sword at the approaching beast!

Fwoosh! Swoosh!

Crimson fire elements instantly compressed along the blade. As Victor slashed diagonally, the concentrated edge struck precisely at the connection between the bone spikes on the Molten Vein Hound’s shoulder!

Clang!

A piercing collision rang out!

A powerful recoil traveled through Victor’s wrist. Although his sword successfully cut through part of the outer bone armor, it failed to truly injure the beast’s body.

The strike completely enraged the Molten Vein Hound.

Roar!

It opened its enormous mouth as fire-attribute mana rapidly gathered around its body, causing the dark-red pattern on its chest to light up.

The next instant, the Molten Vein Hound practically transformed into a crimson afterimage as it lunged viciously toward Victor!

And this was precisely what Victor had been waiting for.

Rather than confronting it directly, he sprinted toward a narrow rocky gap beside the broken bridge.

The gap happened to lie in the same direction as the stone mound at the center of the basin.

Just as the Molten Vein Hound was about to catch him, the mana within Victor’s body erupted once again.

Shadow Blink!

His figure vanished, and in the same instant, he crossed the fissure, which was less than three meters wide, landing on a relatively intact stone platform on the opposite side.

But just as the Molten Vein Hound prepared to leap after him, something unexpected happened!

Rumble!

A deep tremor came from the depths of the basin.

Afterward, the previously calm lava began churning violently, and an extremely dense surge of fire-element mana spread outward from beneath the black stone mound!

The Molten Vein Hound abruptly stopped.

Although it was only a few meters away from Victor, it seemed to have sensed some terrifying danger.

A low whimper escaped its throat before it retreated.

"So there really is something wrong here!" Victor frowned, his curiosity piqued.

Suddenly, a pillar of fire, far more intense than any previous eruption, burst from an earth vein fissure beside the black stone mound!

Boom!

Crimson lava surged high into the sky, carrying countless fragments of rock. Scorching heat spread rapidly across the basin, causing even the stone platform beneath Victor’s feet to tremble slightly.

He quickly retreated, avoiding the incoming heatwave.

But as the pillar of fire gradually dissipated, Victor witnessed an extraordinary sight.

At the center of the churning crimson lava, a faint golden flame had appeared!

The flame was not particularly dazzling. In fact, compared to the enormous mass of surrounding lava, it seemed remarkably faint.

Strangely, no matter how violently the lava churned, that wisp of pale-golden fire never dispersed. Instead, it remained at a fixed position somewhere beneath the black stone mound.

Furthermore, with its appearance, the previously violent fire-element fluctuations in the surrounding area actually calmed for a brief moment.

Standing on the rocky platform, Victor focused his attention on that faint golden light.

"That thing..."

He activated his fire affinity, attempting to sense the energy contained within it.

However, the instant his spiritual perception came into contact with the flame’s aura, it felt as though he had struck an intensely scorching barrier. The fire-element fluctuations he could previously distinguish with ease instantly became blurred.

At the same time, a system notification appeared before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Special natural flame reaction detected!]

[Current Flame Tier: High Tier Natural Flame!]

[The flame meets the flame requirement for the evolution of the Heaven Burning Sword Art!]

[Notice: The target is too far away. Unable to confirm the state of its flame origin.]

Victor’s breathing momentarily stopped when he read those words.

’A high tier natural flame?’

He had actually found one!