Chapter 98: Seeking the Abyssal Flame Demon

After eliminating the lizardmen, Song Qi returned to the area near the low volcano crater.

"This is the place. There’s a high probability the Abyssal Flame Demon is below."

Ying Zheng summoned seven Terracotta Warriors and approached the crater. Though steep, the volcano was not particularly tall, only about thirty meters high—roughly the height of a ten-story building. The Terracotta Warriors climbed to the top, paused briefly, and then jumped into the crater one after another!

Splash! Splash! Splash!...

The overflowing magma immediately splashed outward. With nearly two thousand points in constitution, the Terracotta Warriors were able to withstand the thousand-degree heat and move within the magma for a short time.

However, Song Qi did not have to wait long before Ying Zheng furrowed his brows.

"Sir, the area beneath the crater isn’t large—only about a hundred meters in length and width. My Terracotta Warriors have searched every corner inside, but found no signs of any monsters."

Song Qi was taken aback.

"Nothing?"

"So this volcano crater wasn’t actively created by the Flame Demon?"

"That can’t be right. How could a naturally formed volcano crater be so small?"

"So perhaps the Flame Demon only used this as a temporary residence and has now left?"

"Or... is this a trick to confuse its enemies?"

Song Qi carefully examined his surroundings.

The Magma Lizardmen, despite their name, lacked the ability to create such small volcano craters, nor would they bother with shaping the terrain this way.

Therefore, this crater could only have been made by the Flame Demon.

"Most monsters at level eighty already possess the ability to think."

"This Abyssal Flame Demon, brought here by a powerful human, would reasonably employ the cunning strategy of hiding in multiple dens to avoid capture."

"But I just ran for more than ten minutes and saw no other volcano craters nearby."

Song Qi frowned, pondering deeply. He sensed something was amiss, a faint abnormality, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

After a while...

Unable to figure it out, Song Qi decided to let it go for now.

"Forget it. I’ll check somewhere else instead."

"Maybe Li Zong found a crater elsewhere?"

With that, he mounted the sand steed and prepared to head back.

Just as he turned, he saw Li Zong soaring toward him, feet aflame, holding a compass in one hand, with an illusory sun behind him.

There were no monsters chasing Li Zong, and his demeanor was relaxed. Clearly, he too hadn’t encountered the Abyssal Flame Demon.

"What a coincidence, Brother Song."

Li Zong landed, smiling, and the compass vanished from his hand.

"According to the compass’s guidance, the Flame Demon should be in this direction."

"But it seems you haven’t met it either?"

"Perhaps we could travel together?"

Song Qi was about to agree, but paused as he opened his mouth.

"You say the compass divined the Flame Demon’s direction?"

Li Zong nodded.

"More precisely, the compass detected the presence of abyssal energy in this direction."

"Since all other high-level abyssal monsters in this tournament map have been cleared, it must be the Flame Demon."

"But that doesn’t make sense. I just came from that way and searched thoroughly—there’s no Flame Demon there..."

"Wait!"

His words seemed to trigger something in Song Qi. He suddenly turned back toward the crater they had searched without results.

"Come to think of it... As a pure elemental lifeform, the Flame Demon should be able to transform into corresponding materials, right?"

Li Zong, though unsure of Song Qi’s meaning, replied.

"I suppose that’s possible."

"Then it’s settled!"

Song Qi smiled confidently. A book suddenly appeared in his right hand, its pages rustling. He turned to Li Zong and said,

"Thank you, Brother Li, for providing the information. Otherwise, I would have spent much longer searching for the Abyssal Flame Demon."

"But now..."

"This boss is mine alone!"

Before Li Zong could react, Song Qi pointed at the crater.

Whoosh!

A spatial ripple flashed, and Song Qi, Ying Zheng, Lu Bu, along with all the magma in the crater, vanished instantly!

"Hm?"

Li Zong froze, then quickly realized what had happened.

"So that’s it—the magma inside the volcano is actually the Abyssal Flame Demon’s true form?"

"Brother Song wasn’t certain of its location at first, but after learning two key pieces of information from me, he immediately figured it out and focused on the crucial point."

Instead of being upset, Li Zong grew somewhat concerned, reaching forward.

Thud!

His palm seemed to touch an invisible wall, ripples of transparency spreading through the space.

"A teleportation skill?"

"And Brother Song seems... confident he can defeat a level eighty Abyssal Flame Demon on his own?"

...............

High above, several city lords watched the scene unfold, equally stunned.

"They vanished?"

"Teleport? Blink? Or spatial transfer?"

"Could this kid already have a rule-level skill?"

Elder Mu stepped forward to magnify the image in the bronze mirror, tapped it lightly, then nodded in understanding.

"It’s not a rule-level effect—just a rather advanced magical transfer skill."

"It’s quite easy to break."

He raised his hand, channeling a spiritual light into the bronze mirror.

The surface blurred, rippling like water, then gradually calmed under Elder Mu’s touch.

The image returned, but it was no longer the tournament field—it was a plain of grass and trees, part prairie, part forest.

It was the very map where Song Qi had first obtained the Seven Deadly Sins.

In this scene, Song Qi faced off against a massive mass of magma.

The city lords beside him couldn’t help but laugh.

"This youngster actually pulled the Abyssal Flame Demon into a private space just to claim the monster for himself."

"Did he not consider whether he could win?"

Lord Fu shook his head helplessly.

"He’s young, talented, and hasn’t faced many setbacks. He’s overly confident in his abilities."

"But it’s alright—he has a life talisman, so there’s no need to fear any mishap."

"Let this serve as a lesson for him."

A level eighty demon, and one as rare as the Flame Demon—a true elemental being!

If judged by summoned beast standards, the Flame Demon would be legendary class.

It not only possessed high intelligence but also a skill set matching its abilities.

What’s more, tainted by abyssal energy, its strength increased even further.

Song Qi’s summons were impressive—one mythic, one sacred, both with limitless potential.

But their current levels were still too low; defeating the Abyssal Flame Demon was an exceedingly difficult task.

None of the city lords present believed Song Qi could succeed in the challenge.