Duncan felt his insides experiencing a burning sensation the more he traveled through the terrain.
He hadn't noticed it earlier, but the heat that was being generated by the magma rocks and the overflowing lava in the region was causing some noxious fumes to be emitted into the air. Inhaling these fumes might not have affected his health immediately, but constant exposure to it was making his breathing hard.
Moreover, the very air that he inhaled also contained some fire qi mixed in it. The region was dominated by heat and fire so much that it would have been a paradise for a fire cultivator.
Unfortunately, Duncan wasn't one.
Thus, the fire qi he had breathed inside his body was making him feel mightily uncomfortable. It was clashing with the slaughter qi in his body. While the slaughter qi in his body remained dominant, these clashes within his body were making him very uncomfortable.
Furthermore, it was also making it hard for him to circulate his qi internally. This caused his qi to become slightly stagnant. Duncan didn't think he would be able to walk through this region without the protection of his qi. If not, a mortal could have walked through this region.
The scorching heat emanating from the rocks almost burned of his skin when it came in direct contact. Even the soles of his footwear were showing signs of becoming unusable as time passed.
If the first region he entered tested his heart and mental strength, then this region tested his body and physical strength the most. Duncan felt sweaty all over as he climbed over the crest of a small mound and looked into the distance.
Flicking away the sweat that was forming on his forehead, Duncan looked into the distance and found the region empty, except for the magma-covered terrain. He frowned slightly and looked around to see if this region contained any other mysteries or interesting sights.
Duncan didn't believe that the region covered in such fiery fire qi would be devoid of rare materials. There are some special treasures that require this kind of environment to grow. So, Duncan wanted to see if he could come across anything of such a nature.
Picking a random direction after confirming that there were no traces of any valuable treasure, Duncan began walking amidst the scorching heat.
*****
"Really, fire pearls!? Just these pitiful things, eh!?" Duncan exclaimed in irritation and surprise.
A couple of hours earlier, he had come across some signs of rare treasures being in the region and had headed towards the area where the fire qi was the richest. Who knew he would only find fire pearls here?
As the name implies, fire pearls are common items that can be found in places that are rich in fire qi. When the fire qi in the atmosphere constantly invades the stones in the region, a kind of metamorphosis happens causing the structure of the stone to alter internally causing such pearls to be produced.
While this was not a common item that could be found everywhere, Duncan had high hopes for this region. Seeing that only these fire pearls were available, he couldn't help but get disappointed.
Even though he was disappointed that there was no rare treasure for him to collect, Duncan didn't let go off the fire pearls either. He started collecting them as he knew that they would fetch a pretty good price in the black market.
Suddenly, Duncan's eyes narrowed as he found his latest cracked open a covered crevice and showed him a path to the underground region of the area.
"Huh? What is this?"
Duncan's curiosity was piqued as he found the path that led deep underground. The path was mostly covered and wasn't visible from his angle at all. However, when he picked out the fire pearl from the rock on top, the surrounding regions crumbled slightly to reveal a hidden path behind the rock.
"This path looks as if it is leading underground. Even though I will have to squeeze in through the gap here, I can see it becoming wider as it travels further. Should I go for it?" Duncan mumbled examining the crevice carefully.
From his vantage point, he could see the path widening and heading deeper into the ground. He didn't know what awaited him inside, but Duncan wanted to see it for himself. Traversing this barren landscape became tiring after a while with nothing else for him to see. So, Duncan decided to head inside and take a look.
Duncan used his fist to widen the gap in the crevice and entered the path carefully. Unlike above ground, he could feel the heat inside wasn't that unbearable. There was still heat in the path, but the obnoxious fumes weren't present causing it to become more bearable for him.
He hadn't even traveled a few steps, but Duncan already liked it more than the terrain above ground. The path he traveled wound down after a few meters and turned sharply. Duncan looked around carefully before walking through it.
Within a few meters after the turn, the path began to head even deeper inside causing Duncan to take a wary look at the surroundings. He could feel the heat emanating from the rocks even after using his qi for protection. So, he was pretty sure that if he got buried in here, he would be in for a hard time.
Still, his curiosity to explore the path won him over and he headed inside.
The downward trajectory of the path didn't end quickly. Duncan traveled at least several miles inside before the path ultimately evened down. What took Duncan by surprise was that the path widened more and more as it headed deeper below ground.
There were also signs of creatures passing through in the path causing him to become more vigilant. While he didn't know the strength of the creatures inhabiting this land, he didn't think they would be tame considering the environment they lived in.
The first two regions he stepped into were inhospitable for anyone to live in. But, this region didn't look to be so. If there were indeed creatures residing in this region, then they would be the first type of living beings he would come across after entering the Ancient Battlefield. And their relative strength will let Duncan know the possibility of him tangling with them in the future.
As Duncan's thoughts raced, he reached a fork in the path he was following so far. One route led deeper underground. There was only the slight glow of the lava flowing through the rocks to illuminate it. The path looked eerie in Duncan's eyes.
The other had creature tracks all over it. It looked as if it was frequented by the creatures in the region. Duncan's face became serious as he realized that even the creatures that resided in this area were avoiding the path that headed deeper underground.
Taking a deep breath, Duncan decided to abandon the path that was heading deeper inside and chose to explore the path that was frequented by the creatures present in the area. He first wanted to see the strength of the creatures before deciding on his future plans.
Heading deeper on the new path, Duncan began to see signs of the creatures more frequently. There were remains of what appeared to be Fire Rats littered on the path causing Duncan to breathe a sigh of relief.
Fire Rats are only dangerous when someone gets caught in the middle of a swarm. The strength of the typical Fire Rat was in the Spirit Sea realm, with only the Fire Rat King reaching the Violet Palace realm.
Seeing such creatures inhabiting this place, Duncan let go of the concern in his heart a bit. If these Fire Rats could roam this region, then this area in particular was pretty safe for someone with his strength. If there were any powerful creatures to be found, he would naturally need to be a bit more careful. But, with his strength, he could typically handle them normally.
So, Duncan's confidence in exploring the new path grew a little bit and his steps became more surer. Duncan traveled through the path for some time before coming across an opening that directly led to a cavern that was located below,
Duncan slowly inched his way and checked out the cavern below.
The moment his eyes landed on the cavern below, he couldn't help but become elated. From the location where he was peeping out, the path entered a sharp drop and headed towards a large cavern in the underground area.
The dim red glow of the lava was the only illumination in the region causing the entire cavern to be bathed in a glowing red light. In that red light, Duncan could vaguely see a few figures scurrying along below.
But, what caused Duncan's eyes to shine were the glistening red threads that ran through the region in varying shapes and lengths. The moment his eyes landed on them, Duncan's eyes couldn't help but shine greedily.
Even at this distance, Duncan was clear about the nature of those threads. In fact, they weren't threads at all. They were silk that was spun by the Red Spotted Spiders that typically resided in such regions.
The Red Spotted Silk that could be obtained from these spiders were known for their durability under extreme temperature. Due to the nature of their habitat, the silk that was spun by these spiders contained innate resistance to extreme temperatures.
This silk was highly soft after for making robes and dresses by wealthy cultivators. This silk was practically a rare commodity in the outside world. Seeing such a large amount of silk lying around, caused the greed in Duncan's heart to arise.
With a small smile, Duncan excitedly made his way towards the silk strands in a hurry, throwing caution to the wind.
