The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 702 - 726 : Submerge

Chapter 702: 726 Chapter: Submerge

The Array Plate was incredibly large, and even with a massive Barlow Flame Demon occupying some space, there was more than enough room for the four companions to sit comfortably.

Unlike the situation on the Iron Ice Plains, the volcano that appeared out of nowhere in front of the Glacial Fortress contained an extremely rich concentration of nature’s spiritual energy (to be precise, ‘Abyssal Flavor’ spiritual energy). Merely coming into contact with the erupting lava could transform a Frost Giant into a demon. That’s why Lancelot was able to proceed with the Body Infusion. However, the spiritual energy here, though equally pure, was hardly sufficient for another Body Infusion, although it was enough to maintain his Flame Demon Form.

The Array Plate carried everyone to the center of the Lava Lake, then slowly began to sink into the churning lava. Everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats, but Lancelot’s Protective Aura suddenly brightened, keeping all the lava at bay, outside the Array Plate.

The lava near the ‘surface’ of the lake was very turbid, but as the Array Plate continued to descend, visibility slightly improved. For safety reasons, Lancelot did not descend too quickly. He continuously used his Spirit Perception to sense the surroundings, on the lookout for any anomalies.

“Damn, can’t see anything clear here,” Bruto swiveled his head back and forth, grumbling discontentedly, “Big brother, do you know where Visuvius’s treasure chamber is?”

“I’m just wandering blindly, trying to sense something special,” Lancelot admitted honestly, “By the way, isn’t your intuition for treasures remarkably accurate? Where do you think we should go?”

“Uh…” The Dwarf puffed out his cheeks, looked around again, then randomly pointed, “Over there!”

Lancelot did not question him and immediately tilted the Array Plate towards the direction Bruto pointed. He hadn’t sensed anything either, so trusting the Dwarf’s intuition seemed like a better choice than aimlessly chancing upon something.

“Hey, hey, hey? There really is something there!”

In less than a minute of flying, the mischievous monkey girl, perching on the edge of the Array Plate, let out a cry of surprise. Everyone fixed their gaze ahead, seeing a vague circle of shadows that gradually became more defined as they got closer. It turned out to be a ring of black stones floating in the lava, carved into some sort of mysterious Runes, undoubtedly the protective array of the Volcano Fortress.

“Haha, told you my intuition is spot-on!” Bruto struck a proud pose, “If not for me, who knows how long we’d have to wander around this damned place…”

Just as Lancelot was about to praise him, a sudden sense of weightlessness changed his expression drastically. The Array Plate, like a boat swept over a waterfall, began to plummet rapidly. The companions, who had been relatively calm, now cried out in alarm, immediately grabbing onto Lancelot’s legs to avoid being flung into the surging lava outside.

“What’s happening? What’s happening?” The Dwarf’s voice even had a hint of whining, “Big brother! Do something!”

“Hold on tight to me!!!”

Lancelot managed to shout, while he exerted all his strength to stimulate the True Yuan within his body, attempting to counteract the sudden suction force. His efforts had some effect; at least the Array Plate was no longer in freefall, but they were still descending rapidly. The circle of black stones soon flew over their heads.

Suddenly, a noise like shattering glass came from below. The Array Plate seemed to have smashed through the roof of some structure, and after a few breaths, they crashed heavily onto the ground, tumbling everyone over. But at last, they had come to a stop.

However, as they picked themselves up, each person let out a cry of surprise, because the sight around them was utterly unexpected—a vision filled with shiny Gold Coins, gems reflecting dazzling light, and giant weapons glowing with Magic Aura. Compared to the ancient White Dragon’s Lair they had visited before, the Lord of the Volcano Fortress’s hoard was certainly no less impressive. Clearly, Visuvius was not a General obsessed solely with bloody battles.

“Great Father God…” Bruto slapped his own face, “I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“Does it hurt?” Alamir asked calmly beside him.

“It doesn’t.”

“Then try harder, it’ll only prove you’re not dreaming if it hurts.”

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“… Elves, do you think I’m stupid?”

“It seems this is Visuvius’s treasury,” Lancelot began, “Interesting, we haven’t even started looking, and it has forcibly pulled us in.”

“This is too strange…” Bruto turned his head, his face suddenly showing a look of surprise and doubt, “Hey, when did you change back?”

“There is some kind of force field here that isolates the energy of the volcano itself,” Lancelot raised his hand and pointed upward, “Fortunately, that force also keeps the lava out, so I no longer have to forcibly maintain the Flame Demon form.”

Everyone looked up and saw a large, round hole in the ceiling dozens of feet above them, clearly the result of their collision. A transparent force field prevented the lava from flowing in, otherwise, all the treasured collections of the Lord of the Volcano Fortress from several centuries would have perished in an instant.

“But what exactly drew us here?” Tanya looked around in confusion, “I don’t like entering a Demon Lord’s storeroom in this manner…”

“It must be that.”

Lancelot raised his arm, pointing to a corner of the treasury. Following the direction of his hand, they saw a white jade pedestal shaped like a small hill with several broken yet majestic columns at the top, surrounding four cylindrical Holy Thrones. A blue-green Treasured Sword that emitted a faint glow was planted in the Thrones, the majority of its blade buried within, and everyone could immediately feel the sacred aura it radiated.

“There seem to be some characters on the base…” Bruto squinted, examining the mysterious sword, “Twisted and turned, it looks a bit like your Elven script.”

“That’s Celestial script,” Alamir shook his head lightly, “That sentence means: He who unites with this sword, exists shall also vanish…”

The words of the Elf Priest seemed to trigger some Spell, and the sword suddenly emitted a burst of bright energy waves, quickly filling the room with a white light that blinded everyone. The light dissipated after a few breaths, but the scenery around them had completely changed.

“How did we… where is this?”

Bruto muttered the question on everyone’s minds: the shiny Gold Coins and beautiful gemstones had all disappeared, replaced by burning Flames, pungent gunpowder smoke, and the screams of terror. They found themselves on the edge of a small village under attack, everywhere ablaze with burning houses, trees, and fields. Villagers dressed as farmers ran wildly through the flaming streets, fleeing from the cackling Demons and hyena-like creatures pursuing them.