Chapter 132 - 103: Attack and Secrets of the Divine Artifact

Chapter 132: Chapter 103: Attack and Secrets of the Divine Artifact

Ella threw the little toy bear. It expanded against the wind, and within a few breaths, a giant bear towered over the ground. It stood in front of several young blacksmiths, using its massive body to absorb the impact of an incoming spirit.

"Thank you, our esteemed guest!" the blacksmiths called out, looking over in gratitude.

Twilight acted decisively, unleashing her Black Fog. It spread to the edges of the tribe, trapping the spirits attempting to flank them in their tracks.

The battle raged on for a quarter of an hour. The Fire Elemental Spirits were few in number, but they were individually powerful and fought with no fear of death.

It was only after the Sunshine Race Leader personally slew two Tier Three individuals that the remaining spirits retreated back into the Molten Lava Lake.

The lake’s surface settled back into a calm stillness, though a charred stench and an uneasy atmosphere lingered in the air. The Iliets gathered around the injured young blacksmiths, using currents of hot wind to apply medicinal powder to their wounds.

Chen Shang walked up to the nearest young blacksmith who had been attacked. "I can help heal him."

"Thank you for the trouble!" they replied, deeply respectful of his status as a Wizard Apprentice.

Chen Shang crouched down and activated his Eye of True Sight, immediately noticing something peculiar.

A cyan flame pattern writhed slowly beneath the blacksmith’s skin like a startled snake. When Chen Shang probed it with a sliver of Spiritual Power, the mark twitched violently before retreating deeper into the flesh.

After healing the youth, Chen Shang used his medical assistance as an excuse to observe the other injured blacksmiths. He discovered that every single one of them bore this same cyan flame.

Through his Eye of True Sight, he deduced that this flame was not of a pure Fire Attribute; it also contained traces of a Wind Attribute. It seemed to lie dormant in an Iliet’s bloodline for years, only activating once they reached adulthood.

Once activated, it likely functioned as a unique coordinate to guide the Fire Elemental Spirits. The attack had been directly targeting these newly matured individuals.

It appeared to be some sort of curse. Chen Shang would need to conduct deeper research and gather more data before he could make a concrete conclusion.

The Sunshine Race Leader soon arrived. Seeing Chen Shang treating the wounded, he expressed deep gratitude. "Thank you for lending a hand."

"It was nothing, just a minor effort," Chen Shang said, waving his hand dismissively.

The Sunshine Race Leader sighed heavily. "It’s truly unfortunate that this has happened yet again. I apologize that you had to witness such a shameful display."

Chen Shang’s curiosity was piqued. "Does your tribe encounter this situation often?"

"Never in the past," the Sunshine Race Leader said, shaking his head. "It’s only been within the last era or two that these fiery beasts started harassing our settlement for some unknown reason."

"Has no one investigated the cause?"

"We have, but we found nothing." The Sunshine Race Leader shook his head again, offering his own theory. "I suspect some drastic change occurred beneath the Molten Lava Lake, but no one is capable of diving down to investigate. Since it is our Holy Land, we’ve had no choice but to endure it."

Chen Shang nodded and took the opportunity to make a request. "Would you allow me to enter the Molten Lava Lake and take a look?"

"Ah... please do as you wish. However, it is extremely dangerous down there. Even our own people wouldn’t dare enter it lightly." The Sunshine Race Leader didn’t refuse, simply cautioning him to be careful.

The forging assembly was forced to end prematurely. The fires in the five Melting Furnaces were extinguished, and the craftsmen packed up their tools. The young blacksmiths were escorted to a stone house in the center of the tribe, closely guarded by several elder Iliets.

Chen Shang stood by the edge of the lake, using his Eye of True Sight to gaze into its depths.

The Molten Lava Lake was far deeper than he had anticipated. Beneath the layer of magma lay a complex, sprawling network of tunnels that extended deep underground. The Fire Elemental Spirits had emerged from this very system.

He probed downward for about three hundred meters, but the scorching heat waves nearly burned through the thermal insulation layer of his Frost Mage Robe.

If he ventured any further, his Defensive Witch Artifact wouldn’t hold, putting his life in imminent danger. Evelyn and the others fared no better, being forced to retreat after descending only a few hundred meters.

Surtr, on the other hand, was capable of diving deeper. However, fearing that it might be ambushed by the Fire Elemental Spirits, Chen Shang rejected its eager volunteering.

The Sunshine Race Leader stood at the entrance of the stone house, speaking in hushed tones with the Flame Hammer Race Leader as they arranged internal affairs. Seeing Chen Shang and his group return, he paused his conversation and walked over. "Did our guests find anything?"

"There is a network of tunnels beneath the Molten Lava Lake that leads deep underground," Chen Shang replied. "I can confirm that something is down there, but my defenses couldn’t withstand the heat, so I had to stop."

The Sunshine Race Leader fell silent for a moment. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"The Fire Elemental Eye. It’s an object that allows one to see the very essence of the Fire Element. It should exist in your legends, though it might go by a different name." Chen Shang described it in the simplest terms possible. "I need it. It is crucial to my research."

The Sunshine Race Leader scratched his head. "This item... I think I’ve heard my uncle mention something similar. Would you like me to fetch him so you can ask?"

Chen Shang was delighted. "That would be fantastic!"

The clan leader turned and entered a stone house. A moment later, he emerged, supporting an elderly Iliet who had pale gray scales and a sparse mane of flames.

The old man leaned heavily on a forging hammer, his vertical pupils clouded with age. After listening to Chen Shang’s description, he searched his memories for a moment before speaking. "What you’re describing sounds very much like the Heart of Molten Fire. It isn’t located within the Molten Lava Lake; it should be in the Fallen Land."

Chen Shang’s brow twitched. The Fallen Land. It was the fourth area he had marked on his map, known for its extremely high danger level.

"Could you elaborate?"

The old man hesitated for a moment. "It’s quite a long story."

"We have plenty of time to listen."

With that, the old man slowly began his tale. "Three hundred years ago, the Iliets produced a genius blacksmith named Hephaeston. He sought to forge a Divine Artifact—a sword capable of severing the Fire Element itself.

"One of the essential materials for this sword was the Heart of Molten Fire. Because of its unique ability to perceive the very veins of the Fire Element, it was the only thing that could fulfill Hephaeston’s requirements."