Hence, without any hesitation, Xu Qing suppressed all thoughts, plunged his body into the magma, and swiftly began to dive forward, rapidly distancing himself from the area.
At the same time, he kept the red crystals that had appeared on his body after the life lantern was formed.
This time, more than 20 crystals appeared at once.
As he left, the 10,000 feet long vortex gradually slowed down.
Six hours after Xu Qing left, the vortex completely dissipated. Not long later, a group of Mirror Image Race cultivators rushed over from afar.
Even though the vortex had dissipated, the leftover energy here was still astonishing. As soon as those Mirror Image Race cultivators got close, someone immediately exclaimed.
"There's something wrong here!"
As he spoke, the person who exclaimed retreated rapidly. His possessed body actually withered at a speed visible to the naked eye. It wasn't merely life force being drained away, but life itself slipping away!
This person's expression changed drastically.
The other Mirror Image Race cultivators also gasped.
"Either an expert has descended here or some mysterious magic treasures have appeared under the Heavenly Fire Sea. It's related to time. This matter is too big!"
"Besides, the compass sensed more than 20 high-grade heavenly fire crystals at once. This number… can be used for battle!"
After everyone looked at each other, their eyes revealed wariness and greed.
"The state preceptor is on his way here. Let's investigate first!"
"Inform all the clansmen in the Heavenly Fire Sea to come here immediately!"
These Mirror Image Race cultivators immediately spread out and searched separately after transmitting their voices.
It wasn't just the Mirror Image Race cultivators who arrived. There were also many cultivators in the distance. After sensing the changes in the compass, all of them panted in greed and headed straight here.
Some were alone, and some were in groups. Among them, the Heavenly Mask Race had the largest number. They were heading straight for this place from another direction.
The area within 5,000 kilometers was like an invisible vortex that gathered all the cultivators from all directions.
At that moment, Xu Qing's Heavenly Dao warning was incomparably intense. Ling'er's voice also trembled as she hurriedly spoke.
"Brother Xu Qing, there are too many people here. Also, I feel that there are two very strong existences rushing over from further away."
Xu Qing frowned. The first thing he thought of was the vortex formed by his life lantern that attracted the attention of all directions. However, this couldn't explain the many Heavenly Dao warnings from before.
"Could it be the red crystals?"
Xu Qing remained silent. However, in an instant, he suddenly paused and pushed his hand above the magma.
Almost at the instant he pushed up, a huge force descended into the sea of fire, forming a huge mask. It sank into the magma and came into contact with Xu Qing's palm.
Amidst the resounding boom, a vast area of magma sank by ten feet, and as flames scattered, the figure of Xu Qing became visible once more.
With the pressure coming from both the inside and outside, the sea of fire was like a balloon that was squeezed and showed signs of eruption.
At the next instant, Xu Qing sped into the air. A sea of magma rose behind him and a huge flower bloomed.
When the flames rained down, Xu Qing saw the person who attacked him.
It was a cultivator from the Heavenly Mask Race. His tall body that was almost 70 feet tall made him look like a mighty being, especially with his golden armor that shone with a piercing light in the fire.
His cultivation base was also extraordinary. The seven nascent souls in his body sat cross-legged and transformed into seven huge masks outside his body. They each had their eyes closed and were at the peak of the Second Tribulation. They didn't seem to be far from the Third Tribulation.
What attacked Xu Qing earlier was one of them.
"Sneaking around in the magma. You lowly human, are you trying to avoid being searched?"
The Heavenly Mask Race cultivator coldly looked at Xu Qing. The mask on his face was formed by a large number of colorful lines. At that moment, the lines in his eye sockets circulated, forming two vortexes that transformed into eyes.
These eyes possessed a special power which was why he could see Xu Qing under the magma.
"The Mirror Image Race is sealing off the surroundings. Are they looking for you?"
The Heavenly Mask Race cultivator stared at Xu Qing and walked over step by step as he calmly spoke.
"In that case, you were the one who took the heavenly fire crystals?"
"I only want five. Give them to me and I'll pretend I didn't see you. You can think about it, but don't take too long. There are many cultivators here and they are all searching."
No matter who it was, in the face of such words and in such an environment, unless one's cultivation was high enough to crush the opposition, it was inevitable that they would weigh the pros and cons. Hence, the instant these words were spoken, the body of the Heavenly Mask Race member suddenly swayed.
His speed erupted, stirring up a shocking aura as he headed straight for Xu Qing.
He was so fast that he instantly got close. What he used was the moment Xu Qing weighed the pros and cons. However, his plan failed. Xu Qing didn't weigh the pros and cons and attacked at the same time.
To Xu Qing, such a method wasn't worth mentioning. He could see the other party's thoughts very clearly.
In an instant, this place rumbled and the Heavenly Mask Race member was forced back. His expression changed, revealing a look of surprise and greed.
"13 nascent souls, five life lanterns!!"
"No wonder I felt that something was amiss. You're not from the Moon Worship Region!"
The Heavenly Mask Race cultivator licked his lips excitedly.
"You actually have five life lanterns! Looks like you're a great heaven's chosen of the human race from another region who barged into our Moon Worship… I wonder what you will taste like."
As he spoke, the Heavenly Mask Race cultivator performed a series of hand seals with both hands. Immediately, the seven nascent soul masks behind him opened their eyes and stared at Xu Qing in unison. A shrill sound rang out.
