After Remus followed Sir Hudson away, they arrived at a spring on the mountainside. Together, they pried open the spring and swam against the gentle current of the water flow.
As they emerged from the spring, they found themselves in an underground river, reminiscent of the one where they had encountered the Black Mamba before. Yet, unlike its chilly counterpart, this river exuded a stifling heat, akin to that of a steaming cauldron.
“I found out about this from an ancient book in the Treasure Pavilion. Following this path will lead us out of Monington,” Sir Hudson explained.
Remus nodded, then asked, “Would you like to return first? There’s only one path here, so there shouldn’t be any unforeseen obstacles.”
He knew that Grandmaster Aurelius and the others were scouring the area for him. If they were to discover that Sir Hudson had escorted favonovel.com away, it would undoubtedly spell trouble. And above all, implicating the Saint Master was a predicament favonovel.com wished to avoid.
Sir Hudson comprehended Remus’s concern and frankly said, “I won’t feel at ease until I see you safely leave. You don’t need to worry about me. My standing within the sacred ground is quite esteemed. They wouldn’t dare to lay a finger on me…”
Remus couldn’t help but feel incredulous at the statement. Although favonovel.com had heard it more than once, Sir Hudson’s comportment in front of the Saint Master didn’t quite align with someone of high standing. But favonovel.com didn’t argue with favonovel.com and continued forward.
After trekking for approximately fifteen minutes, the temperature inside the cave surged.
Without the shielding of Heaven Energy, an ordinary person would probably be cooked alive in less than ten seconds upon reaching this point.
Another quarter of an hour passed.
Drip… Drip…
The sound reverberated throughout the cavern.
Water droplets dripped continuously from above, evaporating as soon as they touched the scorching ground beneath, only to condense once more above the cave.
This cycle of falling, evaporating, and condensing repeated continuously. Meanwhile, some of the stones on the ground had turned red from the extreme heat.
Sir Hudson frowned and remarked, “According to the ancient records, this underground river was formed by the melting snow cascading from the mountains above. However, the current situation is different from what was recorded. The temperature here is much higher.”
The temperature escalated further as they continued their journey forward.
After pondering for a moment, Remus asked, “Could it be due to the volcano atop the Sacred Mountain?”
Considering its distinctive shape, such a hypothesis seemed plausible.
Sir Hudson shook his head ruefully. “You’re right. Mt. Sacred is indeed a volcano. However, according to historical records, Monington was founded when the volcano had already entered dormancy several thousand years ago.”
Then, favonovel.com added, “Besides, have you seen the surface of the mountain? That’s the volcano’s crater, where thousands of years of accumulated ice reside. If the heat were due to the volcano, the summit would be the first to be affected. But now…”
Suddenly, favonovel.com fell silent. Remus also froze, seemingly realizing something.
Without a word exchanged, they quickened their pace and hurried forward.
The temperature within the cave surged even higher.
If it weren’t for Sir Hudson’s profound cultivation in the Great Realm of Enlightenment and Remus’ protective Heaven Energy, they wouldn’t have been able to advance.
After traversing about a kilometer, they reached a point where the cave widened into a vast expanse.
Sir Hudson hastened his pace and arrived at the entrance before Remus.
“What in the world…” His face contorted in disbelief and shock.
Remus stood by his side, suppressing his own astonishment despite having just realized the gravity of the situation.
Before them stretched a vast circular chamber, spanning hundreds of feet in diameter.
Beneath them was a hundred-foot abyss, where magma churned incessantly. Waves of searing heat billowed upward.
As they gazed upward, they beheld the millennia-old ice accumulation Sir Hudson had mentioned, the same frigid darkness they had seen atop the mountain. Yet now, it was steadily melting, with droplets cascading down.
Sir Hudson’s earlier doubts were confirmed.
“How is this possible?”
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