Whether it's impressive or not, Wang Zhan was on the verge of passing out from exhaustion.

The entire fight lasted less than twenty minutes, but even with Wang Zhan's stamina, he was now completely drained.

"Huang Fu, can your Storage Bangle fit this big guy? We can't waste the materials from a soldier-level beast," Wang Zhan asked after managing to get up.

"Yes, if you twist and fold this corpse, it will fit," Huang Fu replied.

After a beast died, without the energy supply from its beast core, the strength of its physical body would greatly decrease.

With the combined efforts of the three, a giant Cang Lei Ying was quickly contorted into a volume of less than two cubic meters and stuffed into the Storage Bangle.

"It's getting late. Let's find somewhere to rest first. The Flame Valley isn't too far from here, and the rest of the journey is smooth. We should be able to get there by tomorrow afternoon," Song Dongming suggested.

Wang Zhan and Huang Fu naturally had no objections.

After resting on the spot for half an hour, Wang Zhan consumed about two bottles of Grade-5 Mixed Essence Pills, restoring his physical strength to about seventy to eighty percent. Although he still felt extremely tired because his mental energy couldn't be quickly replenished, he had at least regained his mobility.

As the sun was about to set, the three of them still hadn't found a place to shelter, so they decided to camp in the Cang Lei Ying's territory.

With the lingering deterrence of a soldier-level beast, ordinary beasts didn't dare to enter this area.

...

The next day, Team of Wang Zhan and two others, having regained their energy, headed straight towards the Flame Valley at full speed.

Thanks to Wang Zhan using his mental energy for detection along the way, although they encountered two more soldier-level beasts, they managed to avoid them from a distance without causing any trouble.

Finally, around noon, they arrived outside the Flame Valley.

The so-called Flame Valley was a large area formed by a live volcano's continuous eruptions year after year. Due to the annual accumulation of volcanic rocks, it had formed an area resembling a valley. However, this area was much more complex than a typical valley, hence the name Flame Valley.

"The Flame Valley is divided into an outer valley and an Inner Valley. The outer valley isn't too dangerous. The main Beast Clan group there is the Molten Lions we saw last time, though there are other beasts. However, soldier-level beasts rarely appear there," Song Dongming explained. "As for the Inner Valley, it's much more dangerous."

"What about the distribution range of the Flame Flowers?" Wang Zhan asked.

Du Ming, Huang Pufeng's friend, had gone missing while looking for Flame Flowers. Following the entrance of the Flame Valley towards the direction of the Flame Flowers was definitely the right approach.

"The Flame Flowers are located at the border between the Inner Valley and the outer valley," Huang Pufeng replied. "The last time I had contact with Du Ming, he said he was getting close to the Flame Flower range. So, he must have gone missing somewhere not too far from the Inner Valley."

Now that they had reached their destination, there was no reason to hesitate.

The three quickly entered the Flame Valley.

Almost as soon as they set foot in the Flame Valley, a wave of heat, completely different from the outside, hit them in the face. The Flame Valley's environment and its surrounding volcanic rocks seemed to completely trap this heat within the valley. When they were outside, Team of Wang Zhan and two others hadn't felt this heat at all.

"The temperature here is at least around 40 degrees Celsius, and we're only on the outskirts," Wang Zhan said, slightly frowning.

The heat resistance of Martial Artists far exceeded that of ordinary people. Forty degrees was no big deal. Even in a sixty-degree environment, they could move freely.

However, the rapid stamina consumption caused by high heat was also unavoidable. Even though they were more resilient than ordinary people, they couldn't be entirely immune.

"The conditions are worse than we anticipated. Wang Zhan, detecting the surroundings will depend entirely on you. Try to avoid the beasts! Molten Lions in the outskirts are herd animals. Although their levels aren't high, provoking one means provoking a whole group, which would be very troublesome. Moreover, this is their home territory," Song Dongming said.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Wang Zhan promised with a solemn nod.

As for Huang Pufeng, he had been anxiously scanning the surroundings ever since he entered the Flame Valley.

The three slowly ventured deeper into the Flame Valley. About an hour later, the surrounding temperature had risen to around 45 degrees Celsius.

The air around them was starting to distort due to the high heat.

Not only that, but they also realized that the complexity of the Flame Valley's environment far exceeded their imagination.

Consider the ground beneath their feet. While the black rock and nearby magma presented a stark contrast at first glance, Wang Zhan realized the ground was soft when he stepped on it.

He quickly lifted his foot, realizing he had just stepped on magma. If he hadn't noticed in time and pressed down harder, his foot would have plunged right into it.

"We need to be careful where we step. Check each one thoroughly," Wang Zhan cautioned.

They proceeded cautiously, and before long, they encountered a pack of Molten Lions bathing in magma.

"The adults are about level 6, and the cubs look like they're only level 3 or 4," Wang Zhan said.

"Impressive heat resistance. It's hard to imagine that before their mutation, Molten Lions were just ordinary lions. The emergence of Spiritual Energy, coupled with environmental factors, can breed such a species," Song Dongming marveled.

Since they already had a plan, the three of them didn't engage the Molten Lions, which weren't particularly strong. Instead, they carefully bypassed them and continued deeper.

The Flame Valley was enveloped day and night in a red glow reflected by the magma. Compared to the outside world, the environment and the distribution of beasts here were less complex, so the distinction between day and night was irrelevant.

It was now afternoon, and the three had agreed that if there were still no results by the next morning, they would leave the Flame Valley.

...

About two hours after they entered the Flame Valley, Huang Pufeng suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Hold on, Du Ming responded to me! He's still alive!"

The three of them quickly halted.

Huang Pufeng, impatient, immediately initiated a video call.

Soon, the video call connected, but the picture was extremely blurry. Within the video window, Du Ming was almost unrecognizable, and only his voice came through intermittently.

The moment the call connected, Du Ming's voice sounded out.

"Huang... Huang Fu, I don't think... I can make it. Please help me take care of... my family."

"Du Ming, where are you right now?" Huang Pufeng's tone was extremely anxious. "I'm currently in the Flame Valley! Tell me where you are, and I'll come pick you up! I'll take you home!"

"You... you're in the Flame Valley?" Du Ming's tone changed significantly.

If moments ago he sounded like a man on his deathbed, now a spark of hope ignited in his voice.

"I'm at the entrance to the Inner Valley. There's a small Rock Crevice here; I'm hiding in it," Du Ming said. "There aren't any beasts around here, but my injuries are too severe. I can't walk out on my own."

"Wait there, I'm coming for you!" Huang Pufeng immediately assured him.

After hanging up the video call, all three of them heaved a sigh of relief.

"That's great, he's still alive!" Huang Pufeng said excitedly. "Let's go, let's find him."

"Calm down!" Wang Zhan promptly threw cold water on Huang Pufeng's excitement. "Your friend is at the entrance of the Inner Valley. If you rush in recklessly like this and stir up some big guy we can't handle, then what?"

"That's right. Since Du Ming could answer the call, he should be okay for now. Don't be impatient," Song Dongming also hurriedly advised.

Huang Pufeng nodded, much of the excitement fading from his face.

"I'll listen to you."

After briefly getting their bearings, they headed straight towards the inner valley of the Flame Valley.

About an hour later, they could see the so-called entrance to the Inner Valley.

It was a passage formed of volcanic rock. Looking through it, the colors beyond were even more intensely fiery red than the Sea of Fire in the outer valley.

On both sides of the entrance, several Flame Flowers swayed, their petals appearing to flow like burning fire, a rather mystical sight.

"I see the Flame Flowers. This should be the Inner Valley. Let's go in," Wang Zhan said, taking the lead to scout.

Du Ming's information was accurate. Upon entering the Inner Valley, Wang Zhan indeed detected no beast auras.

However, right beside the entrance of the Inner Valley was a Magma Lake about a hundred meters in diameter. From time to time, Fire Light would leap up from its surface, and the scorching heat made one frown involuntarily.

"The temperature here is already close to 60 degrees Celsius," Song Dongming couldn't help but remark.

But just then, Huang Fu suddenly said in a low voice, "Over there! The Rock Crevice Du Ming mentioned is over there!"

Wang Zhan and Song Dongming followed Huang Pufeng's pointing finger. Sure enough, not far from the side of the Magma Lake, a Rock Crevice about one meter wide split a hundred-meter-high cliff face.

The three of them hurried over.

Although the crevice was narrow, it was wide enough for Human Martial Artists to pass through.

Such small fissures were precisely the kind of places beasts couldn't reach.

"I have to say, your friend is quite lucky to have found such a hiding spot," Wang Zhan commented.

Huang Pufeng was in no mood to speak at this point. He took the lead, his pace extremely fast.

After advancing a few tens of meters, faint breathing sounds suddenly came from ahead.

"Huang Fu?" Du Ming's weak voice called out.

"It's me!"

Huang Pufeng abruptly quickened his pace and soon saw Du Ming lying flat on the ground.

The moment Huang Pufeng saw his old friend, his eyes instantly reddened.

At that moment, Du Ming was in a miserable state. His body was covered in blood. One eye socket was a bloody hole, and his right arm was missing from the forearm down, the sleeve torn away.

Seeing Huang Pufeng appear, a faint smile touched Du Ming's lips.

"Having a friend like you... even if I die, it's worth it," Du Ming managed a couple of laughs, but then immediately started coughing.

"Nonsense! I was just afraid you wouldn't pay back your debts! Once I get you back this time, you'll work for me. Don't even think about being a Martial Artist again in this lifetime!" Huang Pufeng said in a gruff voice.

Du Ming chuckled again. He knew, of course, that Huang Pufeng was trying to secure a future for him.

Song Dongming, however, suddenly frowned. "Your voice doesn't sound right. Are your lungs injured too?"

"Friend, you... you should be asking where I'm *not* injured," Du Ming said, forcing a smile.

While Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming were talking with Du Ming, they didn't notice Wang Zhan, who was at the rear, frowning deeply.

Something...seems a bit off.

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