Chapter 830: Huo Xing

"The elder has arrived,"

Huo Zhao said to Tang San.

Tang San smiled and nodded, stepping forward to the front of the boat.

A burst of flame descended from the sky and a bright light flashed, prompting a faint smile to appear on Tang San's face.

A figure had appeared on the boat in that instant, yet the vessel continued forward without swaying in the slightest. The newcomer appeared to be a middle-aged man with strikingly handsome features. His eyes gleamed with golden-red light, and he was carefully observing Tang San.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tang San nodded slightly, greeting him while transmitting his thoughts through his divine consciousness.

"Greetings, elder of the Firedawn clan. I am Tang San, from the human race."

The elder of the Firedawn clan carefully sensed Tang San's aura, and a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

"Greetings, honored guest. Your aura feels very unusual to me. I cannot fully discern your strength."

No shit, I am an "honored guest" because you can't tell how strong I am,

Tang San thought with an inward chuckle. Outwardly, he kept a calm smile as he responded,

"Perhaps that's because my abilities are different from your clan's. I was merely traveling through the Vast Blue Sea when I happened upon this marvelous place."

The elder introduced himself,

"My name is Huo Xing. You are welcome to visit our territory."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the boat was instantly enveloped by dense fire energy, causing the surroundings to blur as the boat accelerated significantly.

"Thank you for honoring us with your presence. Our clan is currently celebrating the Flame God Festival. Welcome to the Magma Red Sea."

As he spoke, he bowed slightly to Tang San, showing his respect.

Tang San quickly returned the gesture and smiled,

"The honor is mine. I have traveled for many days now, but it was worth it even if just to witness the wonders of the Magma Red Sea. If you don't mind, could you please tell me a few things about this place?"

Huo Xing replied without hesitation,

"Of course. The Magma Red Sea has always welcomed new friends. This is a unique place, even on the scale of the entire Falan Planet. You say you're human, which surprises me. I've heard of humans—an ordinary race living on the Daemon Continent. I didn't expect they would produce someone of your caliber."

Tang San's thoughts stirred.

"Elder Huo Xing, you're familiar with the Daemon Continent?"

He realized that Huo Xing was being polite by calling humans an "ordinary race"; no one knew the situation of humanity better than Tang San, and the word "ordinary" was a gross overestimation.

Huo Xing nodded and said,

"We are relatively close to the Solstice Empire, so we do interact with them, exchanging goods occasionally. Naturally, we are aware of the Daemon Continent."

Tang San nodded in understanding.

"I see."

From Huo Xing's words, he had gained some understanding of his location. He had traveled eastward from the Daemon Continent, and after a solid week of flying, he had circled around the northern hemisphere of Falan Planet. It seemed that he wasn't far from the western side of the Daemon Continent—in other words, he was not far from the Solstice Empire! If he had continued flying according to his original plan, he would have probably seen the Daemon Continent again within two or three days.

What surprised him was that the Solstice Empire had ventured out to sea and even interacted with the Firedawn clan. This was something worth investigating.

Elder Huo Xing said,

"The Magma Red Sea exists because of the Fire God Mountain. Our Firedawn clan has a long history, and I cannot elaborate much on our origins. At any rate, we have always guarded the Fire God Mountain and lived near it. The mountain continuously ejects lava, which originates in the magma present underground, helping to relieve the planet's pressure. Our clan exists thanks to this, and by absorbing the fire energy and releasing life energy, we stabilize the ecosystem in this area, allowing everything to thrive. Within the Fire God Mountain, we built a city, Fire God City, and that is where our people live."

Tang San asked in surprise,

"Is Fire God City below the sea?"

Huo Xing smiled slightly.

"To be precise, it's in the crater of Fire God Mountain. For our clan, nothing is more important than the sacred mountain, so naturally, it should be as close as possible. I suppose it does sound unbelievable to you, doesn't it? But worry not; you'll see it soon enough. With your strength, you should have no problems there."

Tang San was shocked. Building a city within the crater of an active volcano that was constantly erupting—this was beyond anything he had ever heard of. The Firedawn clan was truly formidable.

Huo Xing continued,

"The Firedawn clan is what we call our own species, but in reality, all the creatures living in the Magma Red Sea can be considered part of a greater Firedawn race. Everyone coexists peacefully here, and we, the Firedawn people, act as the protectors of the whole group. We found out about humans because apparently we resemble you in appearance, yet from what we've heard, there doesn't seem to be any connection between us. Now that I see you, I believe that to be the truth. How curious!"

Tang San nodded.

"The world is vast and full of wonders. I'd say this is a kind of fate!"

"It does seem like that indeed! Ah, we're here."

There was no need for Huo Xing to say it; Tang San had already sensed it. The temperature around them had risen so much that the air no longer even rippled. Above them, scalding steam filled the sky, while the seawater ahead had shifted from dark red to a golden-red hue and was boiling like a pressure pot. At the center, immense heat surged from below. Undoubtedly, this was the very core of the Magma Red Sea, and beneath the water was the volcano's crater.

The boat sailed directly toward the mist-covered sea ahead, and just as they were about to reach the area, the space ahead suddenly opened up. The bow of the boat abruptly dipped downward, and a golden-red glow enveloped all the Firedawns. The boat plunged straight down at a ninety-degree angle, as if the sea had parted, forming a waterfall cascading below.

Tang San remained unmoved, his feet seemingly anchored to the boat's deck as it plummeted downward.

The surrounding scenery gradually became clearer.

What Tang San saw was an immense volume of water pouring in from all directions, cascading into a gaping volcanic crater. The water clashed with the lava below, creating thick clouds of mist that billowed upward.

Surrounding the waterfall-like torrents of seawater, ripples of golden-red light continuously flowed inward. It seemed that this golden-red light was a manifestation of the energy that caused this waterfall phenomenon.

Just as the boat was about to make contact with the lava, leveling out once more. A golden-red light guided the boat through the waterfall. The light naturally repelled the seawater, and in the next moment, Tang San found himself entering a golden-red world, carried by the boat.

It was a cave—a golden-red cave, with the surrounding rock walls entirely glowing with a golden-red hue.

By the heavens, the entire wall is made of ores of rare metals!

Tang San thought to himself. It had to be some kind of top-tier fire-attribute metal, maybe even several different metals. Even Tang San couldn't immediately identify these metals, but the dense fire energy they contained was nothing short of astonishing.

The current carried the boat further into the cave, traveling about a hundred meters before the water below began to recede and the boat came to a stop.

Huo Xing gestured to Tang San.

"Please, follow me, honored guest."

As he spoke, he disembarked from the boat and headed in.