I didn't wait for the Lava Drake to attack the retreating Ember Wolves. While both parties were occupied with each other, I broke into a run, rushing out of my cover and sprinting across the valley. Zigzagging across the rocks that were scattered throughout the Di Yu Mountain range, I made full use of the sulfurous fumes to blanket my figure while covering as much distance as I could.
Sounds of battle echoed violently behind me, the howls of the Ember Wolves mixed with the furious cry of the Lava Drake. The blazing whooshes of torrents of fire and the explosive sparks of embers clashing against each other. Even though fire type spirit beasts had a naturally high resistance to fire-based attacks, that didn't mean they were completely immune to elemental damage. Fire attacks were simply not very effective against them.
Put into game terms, the damage of fire attacks was halved against fire type spirit beasts. Obviously, reality was a lot more complex than that, and quite frankly, the strength and abilities of the individual parties involved played a huge role on how much damage would be dealt or receive, but generally it was safe to make that assumption.
That meant that the Lava Drake wouldn't outright massacre the Ember Wolves despite being two whole ranks higher. I had time to make my escape before either of them noticed me. Even as I sprinted, I could feel the searing hit on my back, passing through my bag and almost singeing my clothes.
"Huff…"
I could almost feel the moisture on my face, the humid steam of boiling hot springs just ahead. If I could just reach the place and dive in, I might just be able to…!
How naïve. I had to be more cautious. There might be more spirit beasts waiting ahead, having made the hot springs their lair. Just because the Lava Drake arrived didn't necessarily mean they had all fled. Also, I should find hot springs deeper inside the valley because I didn't want to be so close to the Lava Drake and any surviving Ember Wolves.
Furthermore, any fleeing Ember Wolves might come across me right when I was dipping in a hot spring. That would be…awkward, to say the least.
Whatever. For now, I should focus on getting to the hot springs. Once I reached there, I could worry about everything else later. I could wait out the battle and for the victor to leave before soaking myself. Or I could…
Whatever plans I was scheming for the future were shattered immediately when an even greater shadow passed through the valley, drowning everything in darkness. Day momentarily became night, the already dim setting because of the sulfurous fumes blackening almost totally. A creature much bigger than the Lava Drake descended with a grace that belied its enormous size, spreading its wings majestically.
"That's…!"
It was an Earth ranked spirit beast, the Volcanic Dragon. Just my bloody luck.
Running through my knowledge in my mind, I recalled the five ranks of spirit beasts, which were also applicable to human cultivators. Ordinary rank spirit beasts, such as the numerous Ember Wolves. Yellow ranked spirit beasts, such as the Volcanic Viper. Mystic ranked spirit beasts such as the Blazing Lion and the Lava Drake. And the Volcanic Dragon was above even those fearsome monsters, being of Earth ranked.
What was worse was that the legendary dragon species that were Earth ranked weren't even among the highest ranked. That belonged to the dragon monarchs and other tyrannous spirit beasts that reigned supreme over all others. The Heaven ranked spirit beasts and demonic monsters that were rulers in their own right.
Not that it mattered. I was going to get squashed by an Earth ranked Volcanic Dragon either way. Even back when I still had my cultivation, I was a Yellow ranked at best. That was why my classmates and I were having so much trouble against a single Mystic ranked Lava Drake.
The Ember Wolves were retreating. Even though they were already no match for a single Lava Drake, the newly arrived Volcanic Dragon in their midst only guaranteed their defeat. If they didn't withdraw, they would be annihilated.
And they were.
With a single bellow, the Volcanic Dragon unleashed a torrent of flames that incinerated the entire pack of Ember Wolves. Despite their elemental affinity with fire and high resistance to heat, the Ember Wolves disintegrated instantly, leaving naught but ashes.
The Lava Drake abased itself before the triumphant Volcanic Dragon, lowering its head and laying its wings on the ground. The higher ranked spirit beast didn't even pay it much notice. Snorting derisively, it spread its own behemoth wings and took off into the air.
"What did it even come here for?"
I glanced at the Ember Wolves in dismay. If the Volcanic Dragon was hunting them for food, there was no need to utterly destroy them like this. There wasn't even a single scrap of roasted meat left for it to consume. I guess the only reason was that it was angered by the pack's intrusion into its territory, and it grew too impatient for its subordinate Lava Drake to finish the job. That was why it personally took action.
Honestly, the actions and thought processes of spirit beasts continued to baffle me and other more knowledgeable researchers to this day. Demonic monsters were one thing – while they were far more dangerous and hostile, their single-minded obsession to exterminate every living thing in their path made them predictable and easy to read. Spirit beasts, on the other hand, had their own quirks and personalities.
"Fortunately, it chose to leave. Otherwise, I would be screwed…eh?"
I had spoken too soon. Even though the Volcanic Dragon took off, the Lava Drake had chosen to stay. Not only that, I caught sight of a swarm of Lava Drakes approaching. To my relief, they cartwheeled away to join the soaring Volcanic Dragon, forming an escort of sorts. Adrift atop the thermals that rose from the Di Yu Mountain range, they cast an impressive shadow across the canyon, resembling those fighter jets in formation during a parade.
"Why can't you join your brethren?" I complained when I saw that the solitary Lava Drake hadn't left. At least it wasn't prostrate on the ground anymore, but it continued to prowl. I wasn't sure what exactly it was looking for. It didn't notice my presence and was hunting me down, was it?
Nah, that was unlikely. A Mystic-ranked spirit beast wouldn't bother with a crippled cultivator like me. As frustrated as I was with my current condition, at least I was beneath the notice of such powerful monsters.
Then the Lava Drake roared, sparks igniting around it. Was it angry that it was humiliated by the superior Volcanic Dragon earlier? I wasn't sure. I sort of felt sorry for it, but honestly, its problems were none of my business.
Not unless I could capture it and make it a summoned spirit beast. I waved at the air, trying to conjure the so-called super summoning system, but nothing happened.
"Um, can you please respond, Mr. System? Are you there? Do you mind answering a few of my questions?"
Silence. Despite my polite request, it refused to appear. I felt stupid talking to thin air. I had heard protagonists complaining about their systems being unfair or trash systems, but mine was giving me the silent treatment. I wondered if there was any point to having a system in the first place when it wasn't going to behave like one.
Or maybe I needed to complete the quest before it would deign to show itself.
Sighing, I trudged away from the Lava Drake. It had found new prey, this time Magma Golems that had risen out of the ground. Yellow-ranked spirit beasts, they were a lot tougher than the Ember Wolves and sported incredible defense, which was why none of them budged when the Lava Drake smacked them about with its claws. They were slow too, which allowed the Lava Drake to pull back and out of range of their retaliation without much difficulty.
"Looks like I'll have to do this the hard way."
I noted that more spirit beasts were being drawn to the area. Ember Wolves, Crimson Leopards and Fire Foxes. All of them being ordinary ranked. Now that the Volcanic Dragon had left the area, they were coming out in force. Though their individual swarms were no match for the Lava Drake, if they worked together with the Yellow-ranked Magma Golems, they might just bring it down.
Realizing the danger, the Lava Drake flapped its wings and took off grudgingly, glaring at the usurpers. It let out a low bellow and glanced at the heavens, as if half-expecting the Volcanic Dragon to return. Thankfully, it didn't.
Unfortunately, given how crowded the region had become, I realized that my journey had become a lot more perilous.
"I'll need an alternative route."
Groaning in exasperation, I glanced around before catching sight of an entrance to a cave. Hurrying to the mouth, I stepped inside and followed the dark, winding tunnel. Despite the darkness, I saw that the surroundings were illuminated, allowing me to take stock of my surroundings. Above, water dripped from stalactites that hung from the ceiling like crystals, the rock glowing red.
"A subterranean cave? And these are…fire crystals?"
It wasn't just above. Encrusted gems were growing from the ground as well, accumulating in mounds of stalagmites. I took a step toward them, recalling how elemental crystals were highly prized in the cultivators' world as resources. No, I don't think cultivators absorbed qi from them, but they were used to construct talismans, weapons, equipment and tools. Some were even used as energy sources for vehicles and generators.
However, I hadn't gotten more than a couple of steps closer when I noticed something emerging from behind the crystals, hissing angrily at me.
Tiny spirit beasts that resembled lizards, but were black and red. They were about the size of my hand, with crimson eyes and bodies that emanated heat despite supposedly being cold blooded reptiles. I recognized them as ordinary-ranked spirit beasts.
Salamanders.
They weren't too dangerous, but despite their small size, they could pack quite the firepower. They snarled at me, embers igniting around them and causing the air to combust. The good news, though, was that they maintained a distance. I recalled that Salamanders weren't overly aggressive. They only attacked people who trespassed into their territory, but they weren't the types to claim huge swathes of area. That made sense. Usually, the territories of spirit beasts were proportionate to their sizes. That was most likely why it looked like the Volcanic Dragon believed that the whole Di Yu Mountain range was its territory. Even though the other spirit beasts showed up later, it had probably flown to another part of the region to show another batch of creatures who's boss.
Apparently, the Salamander's territory only extended to the areas around the fire crystals. That was fortunate. Otherwise, they would have attacked me the moment I stepped into the cave.
"Oh, well."
Even if I had my cultivation powers and could easily defeat them, I wouldn't pick a fight unnecessarily. Yeah, the fire crystals were great and all, but I wasn't greedy. There was no reason to disturb and attack beasts that were minding their own business and not harming anyone just for a profit. Live and let live.
"Relax, fellas. I'll go my way then."
When I took a detour, the Salamanders calmed down. They still crawled over the crystals guardedly, but they no longer displayed open hostility.
Keeping a wide berth, I then made my way through the dimly lit subterranean cavern. Judging from the heat, I shouldn't be too far from my destination now. Getting to the hot springs was much more important than filling my pockets with fire crystals, and I doubted I needed the latter anyway. Leave the little guys alone.
With that in mind, I continued forward while keeping an eye out for any hidden threats. As my footsteps echoed loudly across the vast, hollow space, I hoped that a window would show up, the system notifying me that I could capture one of the Salamanders.
No such luck.
Cursing the useless system under my breath, I hastened my pace.