I, disguised as a white dragon, was supported by the state.

Seeing his father secretly glaring at him, Xiao Pang straightened his chest and said, "My grandfather is a veteran. He even joined the Volunteer Army back then."

Lei Yao glanced at him in surprise, then realized that the father and son must be clean people since they had been brought here on a mission. He suddenly understood and asked, "How is the old man's health?"

“He didn’t make it through the pandemic a few years ago,” Lao Pang interjected. “Before he died, he was still talking about his old comrades, saying that he could finally reunite with them.”

"It's a pity I couldn't inherit my grandfather's glorious mission and come with my dad to dig the earth," Xiao Pang said regretfully.

“You’re all serving the country,” Lei Yao said with rare encouragement. “You are also invaluable talents for the country.”

Old Pang looked at the dashboard in front of him, his expression unchanged, but he was quite pleased with himself.

Xiao Pang nodded and said, "Team Leader Lei is right. Actually, I don't have such a grand ideal as serving the country. I just feel that I should do something spectacular. Wearing a military uniform and holding a submachine gun would be so cool. Unfortunately, my dad thinks that I am the only son in the Pang family and he won't let me go."

Old Pang coughed violently.

"Dad, why are you coughing? Captain Lei isn't an outsider," Xiao Pang said nonchalantly.

"This kid has no manners, Captain Lei, don't take it to heart," Old Pang said awkwardly.

Lei Yao smiled and said, "He has a pretty good personality."

He was somewhat envious of this guy's outgoing and friendly manner.

Seeing that he seemed genuinely unconcerned, Lao Pang's expression softened. Just as he was about to smile and say a few words in agreement, he suddenly heard a cracking sound.

He realized that the blades on the tunnel boring machine must have hit something hard. Just as he was about to make some adjustments, he suddenly heard a piercing alarm sound.

Old Pang's expression changed drastically.

He's been operating this machine for quite some time and knows that such an alarm only sounds when the cutter head is severely damaged—that would be a major accident!

Such accidents usually only occur when the driver is operating the vehicle improperly. But I was being very careful, so how could such a mistake have happened?

Amidst the blaring alarm, the clicking sound continued incessantly.

Upon hearing the sounds coming from ahead, Old Pang's expression turned strange again.

He was certain he had pressed the power off button, but the sound persisted. Could it be that the machine itself was malfunctioning?

He stood up, intending to go and take a look ahead.

The tunnel boring machine has a very unique shape, resembling a large worm.

At the very front is the cutterhead for quarrying and chiseling rocks, next to which is the slurry discharge pipeline. Behind it are components such as the segment assembly machine, trailer, and hoisting system, with the driver's cab located in the middle.

As soon as Lao Pang got up, the entire tunnel boring machine began to shake violently.

Before he could regain his balance, he heard a loud bang, and then he was horrified to see a blinding red light appear in front of him.

magma!

He recognized him instantly.

He knew that this was an extinct volcano when he first excavated the site.

There had been no activity for thousands of years, and experts came to check every day. Today they said there was no active magma movement within 100 meters. But before long, they actually dug up magma!

He had by then realized what the strange noise from earlier had been all about.

He turned around and saw that his son had also stood up.

Behind them were rows of appliance cabinets and rows of pipes, with a narrow pipe in the middle that could only accommodate one person bending over to pass through.

"Run!" Old Pang, his whole body numb, shouted at his son, barely suppressing his fear.

He could already feel the scorching heat wave rushing towards him.

Instead of running, he stared at the inspection door that had been smashed open by the lava, intending to run over and close it.

He didn't care that half of the door had already fallen under the lava, so he had no choice but to wade through the lava to get across!

After all, he had no other choice.

At that rate of lava spread, if I do nothing, everyone will die here!

Just as Lao Pang was about to step into the lava in front of him without hesitation, he suddenly felt his collar tighten.

He turned his head and saw that it was Lei Yao who had grabbed his clothes.

Unexpectedly, the other person showed no fear at all; instead, they grinned, their face full of excitement.

Old Pang almost thought he was seeing things.

“You all go!” Lei Yao said.

"you……"

Old Pang wanted to say something, but Lei Yao pulled him to the back, then strode forward, turned around abruptly, and stood there with his back bent.

The other party's unusual behavior made him forget to run away for a moment.

As Lei Yao gave a soft shout, a short sword flew out of his sleeve and stuck in the ground, causing Old Pang to widen his eyes.

What was even more unbelievable to him was that, without Lei Yao making any move, the sword grew larger and larger, and in an instant it plunged into the ground, cutting the tunnel boring machine in two and completely obscuring the entire cave.

"God... God!" Old Pang swallowed hard, almost kneeling down.

Xiao Pang was equally shocked, but managed to remain rational.

"Dad, let's go!" He grabbed Lao Pang's arm and turned to run towards the exit.

……

Lei Yao's sword was not originally this powerful.

Not long ago, Bai Lin refined it again, adding black dragon bone powder and dragon scales, which elevated the magic weapon to the level of a magic treasure.

After becoming a magical artifact, it became even sharper and gained more power to transform.

Lei Yao used his sword to block the gushing lava, sealing himself inside the lava.

His legs, waist, and even head were quickly submerged by the surging lava.

But he didn't feel uncomfortable at all; on the contrary, he felt a sense of exhilaration, like a dragon entering the sea.

Lei Yao took a deep breath, inhaled a large mouthful of magma, and then quickly spat it out.

He raised his hand and looked at the black token in his palm.

The ancient red character in the center of the token seemed to come alive, its redness even somewhat eerie.

It doesn't feel hot to the touch; instead, it feels slightly cool.

Lei Yao felt as if this thing had come to life.

He gripped the token, and an impulse naturally surfaced in his mind, as if there was something very tempting ahead of him.

He followed this temptation and swam forward in the lava like a fish.

He quickly passed through the tunnel boring machine and saw the crack.

Lava is seeping out from the cracks.

Lei Yao easily passed through it and found that behind him was a boiling sea of ​​lava.

He suddenly looked behind him and realized that the crack had disappeared, as if it had never existed.

He had a vague guess.

The power of the tunnel boring machine is probably secondary; what truly revealed this sea of ​​magma was likely the effect of the token in his hand.

Those who don't have a token probably can't even get in here.

This made him curious.

He had heard Bai Lin say that this was the Fire Dragon Mountain Token, and he had also heard that there was a Green Dragon Mountain Token. So, could there also be a White Dragon Mountain Token?

Are these dragons being supported by those who hold the tokens?

While Lei Yao was lost in thought, he had unknowingly swum several hundred meters.

The attraction grew stronger and stronger until, eventually, the token began to drag him forward, leaving him as a blur underwater.

A few minutes later, a huge statue came into Lei Yao's view.

It was a colossal dragon statue located in the middle of a sea of ​​lava.

With just one glance, Lei Yao felt an terrifying pressure that made his soul explode.

He was quite certain that if it weren't for his identity as a Dragon Guard, he would already be dead by now.

He subconsciously released the token in his hand, and it instantly transformed into a stream of light, flying into the dragon statue's mouth.

After losing the token, he was surprised to find that he did not feel any pain.

It was as if the magma itself was perfectly suited to him.

Could it be that the comfort I felt in the lava earlier wasn't because of the token?

He was secretly amazed when he suddenly saw the dragon's mouth move. Then he discovered that the surrounding magma was rapidly contracting and was actually sinking into the dragon's mouth.

His body also began to sink.

In just a few breaths, the boundless lava flowed into the dragon statue's mouth, and Lei Yao's feet landed on the ground.

He looked around in astonishment and realized that he was in a large hall.

In the center of the main hall stands the statue of the deity, surrounded by rows of fiery red pillars.

The ground was so vast that he could only see the pillars extending into the distance, but he couldn't make out exactly how far away they were.

This made Lei Yao secretly curious.

Just as he was wondering whether he should take the opportunity to look around, he suddenly felt a terrifying pressure coming towards him.

He subconsciously looked up and saw that the dragon statue, which had been facing him from the side, had turned around at some point, and a pair of terrifying eyes were now fixed on him.

Before he could react, the dragon's mouth suddenly opened, and a blazing flame, red to the point of being almost black, shot out and shot towards him.

His intuition told him that even the slightest contact with it would mean certain death, but to his despair, he had nowhere to hide.

In that instant, only one thought remained in Lei Yao's mind.

Finished!

In a daze, he saw a white shadow flash past him.

……

[Image for reference only - after all that work, this is the only one that's usable]

Chapter 164 The state is supporting a group of cultivators!

The loud rumbling noises inside the pit had already attracted the attention of personnel on the ground, who dispatched a rescue team early on.

With everyone's help, Pang Bofeng and his son finally escaped.

Before the two could even rest, they were taken to an office inside a temporary prefabricated building.

The construction team leader wanted to get closer, but was stopped by someone, which made him nervous but also full of curiosity.

He remembered that there was a man called Captain Lei who went in with the two of them. Even the local top official treated him with utmost respect. Why didn't he come out with them?

Judging from the way those two people looked, it seemed that the commotion below was quite significant, possibly a landslide or similar accident. But why didn't they show any sign of worry?

Old Pang and his son were surrounded by Lei Yao's subordinates.

Under questioning from several people, the two recounted what had happened below.

Seeing that the men remained calm, the father and son immediately realized that these men might be quite extraordinary as well.

Xiao Pang's gaze was exceptionally intense.

He thought of a possibility.

Could these people be the legendary cultivators?

He had seen the news before and knew about the Shenlong Academy. He had even debated those strange courses online, but at the time he assumed they were just flashy gimmicks.

Looking back now, it's clear that he was just ignorant.

The state is supporting a group of immortal cultivators!

The Divine Dragon Kingdom Academy must be a cultivation academy!

The practice of cultivating immortality was likely initially promoted within the military; otherwise, how could Captain Lei's superhuman strength be explained?