Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 70 Could it be... that they will only act upon hearing a signal?
Lin Xia bent down, meeting the gaze of Young Gilas's scarlet eyes, which were filled with curiosity, and solemnly said:
"Youngkiras, it's up to you! Start digging a tunnel from here! Whether you find anything good to eat depends on you!"

Lin Xia paused, her tone becoming serious.

"But remember! If you feel the temperature getting too high to make you uncomfortable, or if the rock under your claws becomes unusually hot and molten, stop immediately! Safety first! Never dig through the magma layer! Understand?"

Lin Xia's tone carried an undeniable concern.

In the Douluo Continent, where even a Title Douluo can fall to their death, why would someone dig directly into a lava pool?
Lin Xia had no confidence that she could escape unscathed.

Although Young Gilas is exceptionally gifted, it is clearly not yet at the level to swim in lava.

"Yoji—!"

Young Gilas understood the concern and warning in Lin Xia's words, nodding its little head vigorously and responding with enthusiasm and confidence. Its body, covered in rocky carapace, lowered slightly, its scarlet pupils locking onto the earth beneath its feet, which exuded a strong "fragrance," before its short hind legs slammed into the ground!

"Clang! Crack! Boom—!!!"

Accompanied by the familiar, teeth-grinding sound of rocks tearing and boulders exploding, Eurythmus instantly transforms into a highly efficient tunnel boring machine.

Its sharp claws, covered in rocky armor, danced like the wind, easily cutting and peeling away hard obsidian and tuff as if they were soft soil.

It deftly shoveled away a large amount of gravel behind it, and a neat, downward-sloping passage, about two meters in diameter, quickly took shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lin Xia and Lou Gao exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Although the young Kylas were clearing the way, they did not let their guard down.

Lou Gao quickly took out two gleaming AK-47s from his storage soul tool, handed one to Lin Xia, and at the same time, neatly loaded a bullet and released the safety.

The two stood with their backs to the mine entrance, forming a triangular formation, their dark gun barrels warily scanning the seemingly lazy volcanic spirit beasts around them.

Time passed by minute by minute.

More and more rubble piled up at the entrance of the mine, and the mine tunnel continued to extend underground.

However, to Lin Xia's slight surprise, those soul beasts remained in their original state.

The lava lizard rolled over and continued sunbathing, while the lava earth dragon continued to dig intently at the moss by the geothermal spring. In the distance, the volcanic rock giant was leisurely blowing lava bubbles in the boiling water.

They seemed genuinely... unconcerned about the enormous commotion caused by the young Gilas and the presence of the two humans.

"Teacher, they... don't seem to be reacting?"

Lin Xia lowered his voice and frowned slightly, which was completely different from the commotion he had expected.

Lou Gao squinted and observed carefully, lowering the muzzle of his gun slightly, but his finger remained on the trigger guard.

"That's really strange. This reaction is exactly the same as when we first arrived more than a decade ago. Could it be... that they only act when they hear a signal?"

Lou Gao pondered for a moment and then offered another guess.

"Or... do they mistake Young Kilas for some kind of newly emerged volcanic spirit beast cub that excels at digging?"

"After all, the rocky shell on the little guy and that earth vein aura really do have a local flavor in this environment."

Lin Xia nodded; Lou Gao's guess was not without merit.

Young Gilas's appearance and abilities do not seem so out of place in the volcanic region.

As long as that eerie "chirping" doesn't occur, perhaps they are safe for the time being?
But this calm only intensified his unease.

"Regardless, stay alert. Let's go in!"

Lou Gao made a decisive move. By this time, Young Kylas had already gone more than thirty meters deep, and the cave entrance was dark and deep.

Lin Xia wanted to light the torch, but Lou Gao stopped her with a smile.

"There's no need for that. The rock strata beneath this volcano naturally contain a mineral called fluorite. Although the light isn't strong, it's enough for illumination and it's safer."

Lou Gao pointed to the cave wall.

Sure enough, as the young Gilas dug deeper, some tiny crystals embedded in the rock walls, emitting a soft orange-red light, began to appear, like sparks of light, illuminating the interior of the passage in a dim way, enough to make out objects, creating a mysterious atmosphere of an underground lava world.

Lin Xia put away the flint, tightened his grip on the AK in his hand, and followed Lou Gao, carefully stepping into the mine.

The air inside the cave was hotter and more stifling than outside, filled with a strong smell of earth, rocks, and sulfur.

Underfoot was a slightly slippery gravel path cleared by Eurydice.

The two men stood one behind the other, their minds highly focused, adjusting the muzzles of their guns as their gazes moved, their ears picking up any unusual sounds from inside or outside the cave.

The cracking sound of the young kyras digging was amplified and echoed inside the cave, becoming the only dominant melody.

After walking along the sloping downward passage for about ten minutes, we estimated that the depth was close to 100 meters.

The passage is winding, but its general direction extends towards the core area of ​​the volcanic cluster.

The glow of the fluorite on the cave wall became increasingly dense and brighter, and the orange-red halo reflected the uneven texture of the cave wall, making it look like a relief of hell.

However, as they went deeper, Lin Xia's brows furrowed more and more.

too hot!
This heat is completely different from the dry, scorching heat of a surface volcano.

It was a stifling heat that seeped from all directions, from the rocks beneath our feet, and from the rock layers above us, as if we were inside a giant steamer!

Sweat was no longer flowing, but gushing out like a floodgate had been opened, instantly soaking through all my clothes and clinging tightly to my skin, bringing a sticky and uncomfortable feeling.

With each breath, I felt the scorching air burning my throat and trachea, bringing a burning stinging pain, as if a red-hot iron had been inserted into my lungs.

The high temperature also slightly distorted my vision, and the sweat that got into my eyes stung and blurred my vision.

Lin Xia could even feel the slight pain from the heat waves emanating from her exposed skin, such as the back of her hands and cheeks.

"Huh...huh..."

Lin Xia gasped for breath, feeling as if the oxygen in her lungs had been evaporated by the high temperature, her voice sounding noticeably dry and tired.

"Teacher... this... isn't something wrong? The temperature is rising too fast! Was the temperature this terrifying deep inside when you were mining?"

Lou Gao's condition wasn't much better; his face was covered in deep wrinkles and sweat, and his shiny bald head was glistening with oil, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.

Lou Gao stopped and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, but the sweat immediately poured out again.

He was also breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with surprise, uncertainty, and an unprecedented solemnity.

"Something's wrong! Something's very wrong!"

Lou Gao's voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief, confusion, and a barely perceptible tension.

“Back then, we dug much deeper than this! It was hot too, but nothing like this! We were just drenched in sweat, but we could still keep going. But now…”

(End of this chapter)