Obviously, I had no intention of changing my name. Neither did Myria, who had no idea what we were talking about.
"What's My Holy Weapon? Who the abyss are Chang Tian and Chu Qing Cheng?" She asked after we left the blacksmith couple's workshop.
"We'll binge watch the entire dongman series after we return home," I replied. Myria continued gaping at me, but she accepted that it wasn't important enough to waste time interrogating about. She contented herself with finding out about it when we got home and instead returned to the real topic.
"So what's the plan?"
"We investigate." I held up my smartphone. "Gan Jiang and Mo Ye sent me several documents on several places of interest. Particular volcanoes where spirit beasts have been seen to congregate. We should check them out, starting with the furthest."
I had to visit a volcano anyway, given the system's task for me to throw the Salamander Egg into lava. And not just any lava. The system had specified the lava of any of the volcanoes in the Huo Yan Valley. So I couldn't just dump it into the rivers of lava in Huo Yan Valley City. Couldn't make the mission too easy for me now, could they?
Not only that, the further away the volcano from Huo Yan Valley City, the likelier I would find powerful spirit beasts. I wasn't reckless enough to try and subjugate Earth ranked spirit beasts, but I should be able to capture a few Mystic-ranked spirit beasts. Not only would they be used to protect my dungeon, I could also summon them in battle as I did earlier against the army of spirit beasts that assaulted the fortress-city of the Armament Sect.
"Let's do this," I muttered. But first, rest. And I needed to read the documents that Gan Jiang and Mo Ye sent me in detail. There was quite a bit of stuff I needed to prepare before I went on an adventure. I had already procured the equipment, but I needed more information.
The next morning, after breakfast, Myria and I left the city. Following the trail from the gates, I consulted the map and plotted a route toward the furthest volcano in the region. A tall peak that towered over the rest, it seemed a little too perfect as a villain hideout. And a little too obvious. If there really were intelligent demons scheming something against us humans, they would realize how visible and eye-catching that particular volcano was as their base.
At the same time, it was necessary to investigate. Dismissing it would be gross negligence on my part.
Besides, I needed to find powerful spirit beasts anyway, and the intimidating volcano was the ideal place. furthermore, I felt that incubating the Salamander Egg in such a potent place would power up the Salamander within when it hatched. I looked forward to seeing what kind of spirit beast it would be. A Shiny Salamander? A mutated or enhanced version?
"Song Jun Wen?" Myria poked me, snapping me out of my stupor. Whoops, I should stop getting ahead of myself. As they say, don't count my Salamander Egg before it hatches.
"Sorry. I was just thinking of a plan." I scanned the volcanic range before tracing a route with my finger along the map. "Our goal is to investigate, so it's better to avoid conflict. We'll try to keep a low profile as we make our way here."
It was impractical for the two of us to exterminate every spirit beast in Huo Yan Valley, and besides, I wasn't keen on enacting genocide and wiping out entire species of spirit beasts. As I said before, I would only hunt spirit beasts that attacked humans first. Additionally, I was certain that as long as I located the root of the problem, whoever or whatever was driving these spirit beasts to attacking the Huo Yan Valley City unprovoked, I should be able to diminish their aggression and maintain the peaceful coexistence I had sought.
I still recalled the harmonious cohabitation between marine spirit beasts and the people of Atlantis during my time under the sea. That was a beautiful ideal that I will continue to strive for, no matter what.
Fortunately, as we made our way to the towering peak at the rear of the region, there didn't seem to be an invasion wave today. Perhaps it was because of the severe losses they had suffered yesterday, the spirit beasts appeared to be quiet. Crimson Leopards lurked sourly along ridges, snarling at any spirit beasts that drew near their territory. Volcanic Vipers hissed when creatures stumbled upon their pits. Ember Wolves prowled in packs, surly and hostile.
Yeah, this was more natural. You rarely saw different species of spirit beasts working together. It only reinforced the notion that the horde of mixed species yesterday was artificially engineered, as opposed to natural. It put in mind the undersea tribe's command over the myriad marine spirit beasts when they attacked Atlantis.
There was a strange absence of Magma Golems, though, to my surprise. I wondered where they all went. They were so prominent in the battle yesterday, and despite annihilating their detachment, there should still be a few remnants loitering around Huo Yan Valley. They couldn't possibly have gone extinct.
"Maybe they're hiding somewhere," Myria said with a shrug when I pointed their lack of presence to her. As someone from the ocean, she had no idea how surface creatures worked, and she wasn't familiar with Magma Golems at all.
"Maybe," I muttered, though I remained unconvinced. "We should remain alert and keep an eye out for them, though. Don't want to be caught by surprise."
We encountered a few stray packs of Ember Wolves, but between my azure arrows and Myria's water sword techniques, we silenced them almost instantly. I didn't bother summoning my spirit beasts. That would cause quite a commotion and attract attention to our presence. The fewer the people in our group, the easier it was for us to proceed undetected.
Even so, the journey took us several hours. By the time we reached the volcano, at the far end, we were exhausted. Perspiring profusely, Myria leaned against a rock before jumping.
"Ouch! That's hot!"
"I know, right?" I grimaced, having made the same mistake before. The stone was warm here, having been heated by the molten lava underneath. It felt as if we were walking through a furnace. I fanned myself as I peered into the colossal cavernous entrance that sat at the foot of the volcano, half shrouded by semi withered plants and moss that fed off the warmth.
Personally, I found the ecosystem fascinating. There were fire ants crawling over the rock, obscured by the blazing red leaves of the plants hardy enough to grow in such a harsh climate. Flaming scorpions preyed on them, their carapace scorched black from the heat, yet also showing splotches of fiery red. The plants too had adapted, taking on a fiery tinge, their leaves crimson instead of green, and the bark of desiccated trees charred black with a layer of soot that served more as protection than signs of wilting.
Truly interesting.
I could also see Salamanders crawling inside the cave, as well as Blazing Bats. Trying our best not to disturb them, Myria and I entered the cavern and treaded the warm bedrock cautiously. The Salamanders scrambled away, choosing flight over fight when confronted with trespassers.
There were no fire spirit stones here like when I was underground in the Di Yu Mountain Range, but that was fine. If I could find the spirit diamonds that Long Wang told me to look out for, that would be great, but I wasn't naïve enough to think I would conveniently stumble upon them so soon.
"Anything?" I asked Myria, but she shook her head.
"Just spirit beasts here." She winced. "And it's freaking hot!"
"Sorry. You might want to wait outside instead because it's only going to get hotter from here on."
"Nah, I'll follow you. Don't mind my complaints. I might not like the heat, but I will watch your back no matter what." She grabbed my arm and giggled. "You're not getting away from me that easily!"
"All right then." I shrugged her off with a sigh. "I'm counting on you. Let me know if you notice any anomaly."
Even though I said that, I wasn't sure if Myria had enough experience or knowledge of the surface world to distinguish what was normal and what was anomalous. Well, she could tell apart what was a threat and what wasn't, so I supposed that was enough.
"Huh. There's nothing here."
To my surprise, we didn't encounter any significant threats this deep in the cave. The Salamanders scattered, and a myriad of strange, glittering insects with red exoskeletons scuttled out of our way. The cave itself turned out to be pretty small, and we reached a dead end soon enough.
There was no sign of any subterfuge, or that any demons or whatever were using this as a base to organize spirit beasts into armies and launch attacks on the city. I guess that made sense. It was a bit too far out.
Still, it was a little disappointing. Sighing heavily, I nodded to Myria and pointed toward the exit.
"Let's get out of here. There's nothing inside."
"Where are we going next?" Myria asked eagerly, delighted to leave the boiling confines of the cave. She looked around, seeming slightly claustrophobic. I didn't blame her. Having lived her life in the vast ocean, she probably never had the chance to explore a cave before. "The next volcano?"
"No. We're climbing this one."
"Huh? What's on top?" Myria stared at me quizzically, trying to hide her dismay. Even she could sense that it was going to be hotter up there.
"Molten lava," I replied, checking if the Salamander Egg was still in my storage space. Of course it was.
"Why do you need molten lava?" Myria stared at me, uncomprehending. I grinned at her.
"You'll see."
We scaled the volcano relatively quickly. Despite the steep slopes and hot rock, our cultivator physique allowed us to climb without difficulty. It took an expenditure of qi, but it was worth it.
Unfortunately, the ascent was not without obstacles. Halfway up the volcano, we were ambushed by a Blazing Lion.
"An old friend, huh?" I smirked when I saw the Mystic ranked spirit beast pounce on us. Without missing a beat, I drew my bow and shot it in the chest, causing it to bellow in pain and drop onto the ground. It rolled about and sprang back to its feet, only for boiling water to slam into its face.
"That thing looks ugly," Myria remarked, raising her Frozen Divine Sword and unleashing a second torrent of water that knocked the Blazing Lion off its feet. While it scrambled back up, I shot it in the chest once more, the azure arrow pinning it to the ground. While it writhed, Myria beheaded it with a single swipe of her legendary sword.
Despite being a peak Yellow ranked cultivator, Myria could actually decapitate the Blazing Lion. Sure, I had weakened it tremendously with two fatal shots, but for the sword to slice through the Mystic ranked spirit beast's tough skin, it must be really powerful. Of course, I wasn't taking away Myria's own skills and talent.
"Thanks," Myria said as she dropped back down beside me. "I would have a much harder time dealing with that spirit beast if it wasn't for you shooting it down first."
"I should be the one grateful to you for your assistance. I wouldn't have defeated it so quickly if you weren't here to help."
"Let's just call it quits then, huh?" Myria chuckled. I smiled wryly and glanced at the Blazing Lion's corpse. Perhaps I should have stopped her and forged a spirit contract, but I wasn't very fond of a Blazing Lion. They wouldn't make good guards for my dungeon because of the immense pride they possessed. I needed a more dependable spirit beast.
In any event, there was no point thinking about it because I didn't have any spirit contracts right now. Staring upward at the gigantic gouts of smoke belched by the volcano we were on, I steeled my resolve.
Once I threw the Salamander Egg into the molten lava, the system might reward me with a few spirit contracts. And if it did, I had to use them wisely instead of immediately contracting the first few spirit beasts I encountered.
Why does the system have to make things so complicated? I wondered wearily as I resumed the hike with Myria by my side.