Chapter 115: Peril at Every Turn


    Facing the Ember Lion, Han Ming felt an unprecedented level of strain.


    This was a place where flames burned everywhere—in the air, underfoot, and all around. The overwhelming presence of fire elements weakened Han Ming while significantly boosting the strength of fire-attributed magical beasts.


    Han Ming gasped for breath, feeling the air he exhaled turn scorching hot.


    "This lion is really troublesome."


    Fortunately, the Ember Lion was a common magical beast, not an abnormal entity like Red Moon. Its strength couldn’t compare to Red Moon’s.


    At the peak of its power, Han Ming had to slash over a dozen times to severely injure the lion. This was only possible thanks to Han Ming’s precise and unconventional attack angles.


    The fatigue from days of travel and the side effects of excessive blood loss were now fully taking their toll on Han Ming.


    He felt dizzy, his muscles aching unbearably.


    The lion, facing Han Ming’s relentless assault, launched its final attack.


    It curled its body into a massive fireball, the heat so intense that Han Ming’s ice shield, even five meters away, began to melt rapidly.


    "The lion’s going all out!" Han Ming tightened his grip on his sword, cutting another shallow wound on his body to coat the Cyan Rainbow Sword with blood. He charged at the rolling fireball.


    With one strike, Han Ming decapitated the lion, but he was also severely burned by the intense heat of the lion’s final explosion.


    The already fragile ice shield barely held, and Han Ming’s body was now covered in blisters of varying sizes.


    Just then, Han Ming felt a sudden sense of danger.


    "Dammit!" Han Ming growled in frustration, casting a reluctant glance at the Ember Lion’s corpse. He gritted his teeth and turned to flee in another direction.


    Meanwhile, a thin figure leaped through the burning forest and arrived at the scene, just in time to see Han Ming disappear into the flames.


    The man, about to give chase, noticed the dead Ember Lion on the ground.


    "A fourth-tier magical beast?" The man’s voice was hoarse and aged—it was the wind-attributed elder.


    His sharp eyes flicked between Han Ming’s escape route and the valuable prize at his feet. Ultimately, he chose to let Han Ming go for now.


    Fourth-tier magical beasts, especially fire-attributed ones, had a high chance of producing a beast core. Such beasts were rare outside the Five Perilous Lands of the Desolate Forest. The value of a fourth-tier beast core was enough to make someone wealthy overnight.


    If the lion had still been alive, it would have been a different story. But with it lying dead beside him, even a fourth-tier War Soul expert couldn’t resist the temptation.


    The elder bent down, extracting a round beast core from the lion’s body. A faint smile crept onto his lips.


    "In terms of speed, you’re no match for me," the elder sneered, tucking the core into his belt. His body transformed into a gust of wind as he pursued Han Ming.


    "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Bastard!!"


    Han Ming was fuming. He had sacrificed so much to kill the lion, only for someone else to steal his prize. Anyone would be furious in his shoes.


    He darted through the sea of flames, constantly changing direction to throw off any pursuers.


    "Don’t be angry. You can’t expect to have all the good things in the world. Sometimes you have to take a loss."


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The demon soul’s voice echoed in Han Ming’s mind, offering some comfort.


    Han Ming nodded reluctantly. Deep down, he understood. He had already collected four fire-attributed beast cores. If the Ember Lion had had one, he would have had the full set of five.


    The Desolate Flame Prison’s fearsome reputation was well-earned.


    The deeper one ventured, the higher the temperature of the flames, making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to endure.


    After a full day of chasing Han Ming, even the wind-attributed elder began to feel the strain.


    "What’s going on with that kid? How can he go so deep? Did I take the wrong path?" The elder wiped sweat from his brow, gazing at the increasingly pale flames in the distance. The paler the flames, the hotter they were.


    Two hours after the elder resumed his pursuit, the fire-attributed middle-aged man and the first city’s lord arrived at the same spot.


    "Dammit! This Desolate Flame Prison is no place for humans," the city lord muttered, constantly wiping sweat from his face.


    The fire-attributed man, however, remained calm. "We’ve encountered quite a few magical beasts along the way, but they’re all in groups. We can only watch them from afar, unable to act."


    The city lord sighed. "Let’s keep chasing!"


    Han Ming ran tirelessly, constantly reinforcing his ice shield. At this depth, he had to continuously channel magic energy into the shield, which was now melting at an alarming rate.


    Only someone as unique as Han Ming could endure the Desolate Flame Prison for so long. His water-attributed magic talent and his reliance on physical attacks allowed him to conserve magic energy for his ice shield.


    Others, who relied solely on battle energy or magic for both offense and defense, would have exhausted themselves long ago.


    Buzz... buzz...


    A humming sound filled the air.


    "Magical beasts!" Han Ming stopped in his tracks, looking toward a nearby mountain.


    What he saw turned his face pale.


    A swarm of over forty giant red bees, each the size of a human head, was flying toward him. All of them were fourth-tier low-level magical beasts.


    "Dammit, dammit!" Han Ming cursed, turning to flee in another direction. The bees, however, were relentless in their pursuit.


    Flying magical beasts were far more troublesome than land-based ones. Their speed and mobility made them nearly impossible to shake off. What’s worse, they were cunning. If they realized they were outmatched, they could simply fly away, leaving their prey helpless on the ground.


    "Demon soul, do something about those bees! They’re too fast. If they catch up, we’re done for!"


    Han Ming’s voice was frantic. The constant heat was fraying his nerves, making him increasingly irritable.


    The demon soul emerged from Han Ming’s body, glanced at the pursuing bees, and said indifferently, "Can’t fight them."


    Then she retreated back inside.


    The bees closed in, and to make matters worse, several figures appeared ahead.


    Crap! People!


    Han Ming realized he had finally run into his pursuers in the Desolate Flame Prison.


    Seven high-tier War Maniacs spotted Han Ming, their spirits lifting despite the oppressive heat.


    "There he is! Kill him!"


    The seven War Maniacs cheered, charging toward Han Ming.


    At least they’re not fourth-tier experts, Han Ming thought, relieved. Though outnumbered, none of them were overwhelmingly strong.


    "Friends, let me go, and I’ll repay you someday!"


    Han Ming shouted as he ran.


    A tall War Maniac lunged at Han Ming, swinging his sword. Han Ming dodged just in time.


    "Let you go? Hand over your head first! Do you know what we’ve risked coming to this hellhole!?"


    As Han Ming avoided the first attack, the other six closed in.


    Buzz... buzz...


    The humming grew louder.


    "What’s that?" one of the War Maniacs looked up, spotting the swarm of giant bees.


    "Have fun with them!"


    Han Ming grinned, refusing to engage. Taking advantage of their distraction, he dashed into the dense forest. Behind him, screams echoed as the bees descended on the unfortunate group.


    Thanks to the seven unlucky pursuers, the bees’ attention was diverted, giving Han Ming a chance to catch his breath.


    "Finally, I’ve shaken off those damned bees!" Han Ming slowed his pace slightly, pulling a water pouch from his storage bag. He took a few gulps of scalding water, using his water magic to cool it just enough to avoid burning his throat.


    Roar!!


    A deafening roar erupted ahead of Han Ming. A massive figure rose from the underbrush.


    "Good heavens! Will this ever end? Why are there so many magical beasts here?" Han Ming felt his vision darken, nearly fainting from frustration.


    It was a giant fire bear, standing five meters tall. It swung its massive arm at Han Ming, its sharp claws leaving trails of fire in the air.


    Han Ming rolled under the bear’s legs, drawing his sword to strike at its flank. But before he could act, he heard movement to his side. Without thinking, he rolled three more times, dodging behind a flaming tree and sprinting away. Glancing back, he saw the fire bear locked in combat with two leopards.


    For three days, Han Ming encountered one magical beast after another. Most traveled in groups, making it impossible for him to fight or even escape easily.


    The temperature of the flames continued to rise, and Han Ming’s mood grew darker.


    "If I’d known most beasts here travel in groups, I would’ve risked checking the Ember Lion’s body earlier. It’s been three days, and I haven’t seen a single solitary beast. What am I supposed to do now?"


    Since entering the Desolate Flame Prison, Han Ming hadn’t stopped for even half a minute. This place was a deathtrap, with danger lurking at every turn.


    "What’s that?"


    As Han Ming approached a small hill, he spotted something familiar on a cliff face.


    "Blazing Grass! It’s Blazing Grass!"


    The discovery filled Han Ming with joy. After four grueling days, he had finally found something valuable!