Chapter Seventy-Seven: Arrival at the Battlefield

The severed limbs of the lava behemoth sank into the molten magma, gradually falling silent and melting into a pool of black sludge. Yet within moments, a surge of heat ignited at the center of the sludge; the lava began to coalesce once more, and the beast slowly rose to its feet again.

“Tch,” Lei Jue muttered, his face showing clear displeasure.

“If the lava behemoth were so easily dealt with, we wouldn’t need to muster such a formidable force,” said Old Dragon Mother, leaning on her staff. She stared ahead with worried eyes, never once glancing up at Lei Jue above her.

“Is there any way to finish it off?” Lei Jue asked irritably. He longed to wrap up this business and return to the Divine Realm.

“There’s a magic core within the lava behemoth,” Yi Sheng explained. “We’ve already depleted most of its strength. All that remains is to wait for the arrival of an ice sorcerer to freeze its core.”

“It’s a pity the Ice Queen refuses to cooperate,” Old Dragon Mother said.

“I’ve already sent someone to the Holy City to inquire,” Yi Sheng replied, turning to a nearby member of the Guard. “Any news of the ice sorcerers?”

“Well... word just came in that Dean Yun Lan from the Magic Academy will come in person.”

“Yun Lan? That’s wonderful!” Yi Sheng exclaimed, visibly excited. He and Yun Lan were old acquaintances.

“But he’s bringing only a student of the ice element, who’s merely at the intermediate mage level...”

Yi Sheng hesitated briefly, then said, “I trust Yun Lan’s judgment. He never chooses wrongly.” He then waved his hand and shouted to the warriors ahead, “Hold the line! Defend the Great Wall! Endure until Yun Lan arrives!”

Time ticked away. At first, the arrival of the various leaders did stabilize the situation; they swept away the demons that had breached the wall and invaded the border, pushing the front line east of the Great Wall. But as the hours dragged on, fatigue began to take its toll.

The lava behemoth seemed tireless. Whenever it was destroyed, it would immediately reassemble itself, launching endless attacks on the wall. As the city lord Yi Sheng, Lin Ao Hun, Old Dragon Mother, and the Queen of the Light Elves, Ling Ge, began to show signs of exhaustion, the demons launched their counterattack.

Shen Mu, who guarded the breach in the wall, had exhausted his magical strength. He released his dragon transformation and retreated to the high ground, standing beside Old Dragon Mother, while other warriors of the Divine Dragon Clan rushed forward to block the gap.

“At this rate, we really can’t hold out much longer!” Lin Ao Hun said. His arms were numb, muscles and veins torn and bleeding, his hands devoid of sensation, yet he kept swinging his giant hammer without pause.

“Are the ice mages still not here?” Yi Sheng roared. The guards behind him dared not utter a word.

The sky was darkening, dusk approaching. Many on the battlefield had been fighting for a day and a night without rest.

In the distant shadowed forest, Yun Lan activated the Wind Riding Flight spell, bringing Bai Sheng Ye and Black Feather along at the greatest speed toward the battlefield.

From high above, the billowing smoke of the battlefield came into view. Lava had ravaged the earth, leaving it riddled with scars. Beneath the shattered Great Wall, chaos reigned; flames and lightning intertwined, giant lava behemoths moved slowly on the other side of the wall.

“That must be the lava behemoth. Take me to it,” Bai Sheng Ye said to Yun Lan.

The wind dispersed in all directions. The two descended gently at the rear of the battlefield.

Bai Sheng Ye observed Lin Ao Hun struggling against a lava behemoth attacking the wall. “Let’s start with that one.”

Lin Ao Hun, locked in fierce battle, drenched in sweat, suddenly felt a cool breeze at his side.

A man with silver hair walked past him; Bai Sheng Ye had already unleashed his frost power, magic coursing freely within him. At the same time, he tossed a vial of stamina potion each to Lin Ao Hun and Yi Sheng.

“Commander Lin, you’ve done well. Let me take over.”

“Oh...” Lin Ao Hun stared at him, momentarily stunned.

Yi Sheng, the lord of Red Flame City, took the potion and looked at Bai Sheng Ye. “So this is the student recommended by Yun Lan...”

He drank the potion in one gulp. A faint blue light radiated from him; instantly, he felt refreshed, all fatigue swept away, and a boundless stream of magic surged forth.

Shen Mu, observing this scene, swallowed quietly. He was parched and exhausted, deeply envious of those with an alchemist’s support.

“Remember to settle the bill when we return,” Bai Sheng Ye said, passing by Lin Ao Hun and heading toward the lava behemoth. In his hand, an ice staff materialized, chilling frost seeping from between his fingers.

“What? You charge for these?” Lin Ao Hun wiped his mouth after downing the potion.

“Lord Yi Sheng, it’s been a long time,” Yun Lan drifted in like a breeze, landing beside Yi Sheng.

“Dean Yun Lan, you’re finally here.”

Black Feather followed closely behind Yun Lan, standing beside Yi Sheng. “Father, I’ve come with them.” He looked around the battlefield. “I recall Yi Xin came here days ago with Captain Lin. Where is he?”

“That boy charged straight to the front lines. I’ve lost sight of him as well.”

The breach in the wall had grown to three times its original size. The Light Elf clan joined forces to create a transparent barrier of light, blocking the demons ahead. The Red Flame family and other magic clans leapt over the barrier to attack with spells.

Bai Sheng Ye stared at the enormous creature towering far above the wall. “So this is the legendary beast, the lava behemoth.”

Though their attacks were fearsome, their weakness lay in their extreme slowness. Their bodies were composed of burning, searing stone blocks.

Bai Sheng Ye studied the beast, pinpointing the crucial targets: the “neck,” “waist,” and “knees”—the joints connecting its massive body.

After a brief exchange between Yun Lan and Yi Sheng, they joined Bai Sheng Ye to support him. Bai Sheng Ye asked, “If we can cool the lava behemoth, weaken and halt its attacks, and finally freeze its magic core, will it fall into dormancy?”

“Yes,” Yun Lan replied. “Follow your plan. I’ll assist you.”

“Very well.”

Bai Sheng Ye blew frost from his ice staff. “Frostblade Snow!”

Whirling snowflakes spun like blades, striking the lava behemoth and gradually gathering at its joints. Soon, the ground beneath the beast froze, its body coated in a thin layer of frost, joints thick with white snow, the fire within flickering uncertainly.

“Now, freeze it!” Bai Sheng Ye called.

Yun Lan joined his attack, adding a timely blast of cold wind. The power of ice and snow surged, swiftly cooling the lava behemoth.

Suddenly, a smaller behemoth charged from afar to assist, pursued by Yi Xin who attacked it relentlessly with fire, yet was unable to stop it. Lin Ao Hun tried to block it with his hammer, but exhaustion had weakened him; his hammer was knocked aside, and the beast lunged towards Bai Sheng Ye and Yun Lan.