"You."

His voice echoed coldly, carrying natural authority.

"What are you doing here?"

But that was not merely a normal question.

At that same instant, Kyrian felt the spiritual senses of the four leaders strike his body simultaneously. It was not a subtle probe, it was a complete, deep, invasive examination, sweeping through every inch of him.

In addition, a faint spiritual pressure descended upon him.

It was a silent display of superiority. A form of intimidation.

A clear message. We are stronger. Do not lie to us.

But Kyrian did not even react.

The pressure practically had no effect on him. His eyes, apparently, possessed natural protections against this type of pressure and coercion.

And he simply ignored the spiritual senses analyzing his body. There was nothing to hide.

After a few seconds of silence, Kyrian answered calmly, his voice as neutral as his expression.

"I was part of one of the groups sent to explore the Intermediate Area."

"Hm?" Another leader narrowed his eyes, dissatisfied with the vague answer.

"Which group?"

"And why are you alone here?"

Kyrian did not hesitate.

"We were attacked by a Five-Horned Lava Lizard." The words came out naturally, as if he were recounting something trivial.

"During the escape, I ended up separated from the rest of the group. I spent the last few days recovering inside this cave."

Before the leaders could question further, Pan Zheng quickly stepped forward.

"Honored leaders," he said, bowing respectfully.

"He truly was part of our group. I personally hired him in Red Smoke City to assist us with the exploration."

The leaders gave slight nods.

That explained his presence there. A hired cultivator. Someone from outside, not belonging to any of the major forces.

Then one of them questioned him again, eyes narrowed with a penetrating gaze.

"Did you see who fought the lizard?"

"Did you see what happened in this region?"

Kyrian answered immediately without changing his expression.

"No."

"But I heard the explosions of the battle from a distance."

He lightly pointed toward the cave behind him.

"I ended up being struck by part of the battle’s fire, probably a remnant of the draconic breath, and I needed to hide here to survive. I only came out now, a few minutes ago, when I sensed the danger had passed."

His lie came out naturally. Without hesitation. Without any change in the rhythm of his speech.

The leaders silently observed Kyrian for a few seconds, their eyes fixed on his face, searching for any sign of deception.

None of them noticed anything.

In their eyes, Kyrian was merely an extremely lucky young man. A low-cultivation hired hand who had been grazed by an attack and survived through pure luck.

A survivor.

Nothing more. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Fine." One of the leaders said, looking away.

"You may return to your group."

Kyrian calmly nodded.

The four leaders then moved several meters away to speak among themselves through spiritual transmission, a silent method of communication only Spiritual Awakening Realm cultivators possessed.

Naturally, the disciples could not hear the contents of the conversation.

But everyone understood the subject.

The Five-Horned Lava Lizard.

Someone had killed the beast and taken the body.

After several minutes of silent discussion, during which the leaders gestured, frowned, and exchanged meaningful glances, they finally reached a conclusion.

Continuing to search for the beast was pointless.

It had probably already been killed and taken away by some unknown cultivator. Someone powerful enough to face it alone, perhaps a traveling expert, or a secluded elder from some distant force.

It was frustrating. Extremely frustrating.

But there was nothing they could do.

The focus needed to return to the true mission.

Ming Hai’s inheritance.

Then one of the leaders turned toward the gathered groups. His voice echoed throughout the region, amplified by Qi.

"All of you will return to Red Smoke City."

Several disciples immediately sighed in relief. Some even smiled.

"You would not survive in the Inner Area of the Great Volcano."

No one disagreed.

Even the strongest elders at the peak of the Core Formation Realm, those only one step away from Spiritual Awakening, remained silent at those words.

Because they knew it was true.

The Inner Area, the heart of the volcano, was a deadly territory. The heat was so intense it burned meridians. The beasts were so powerful they killed elders. The environment itself was hostile, random flames, natural traps, spiritual instability.

Only existences of the Spiritual Awakening Realm possessed the qualifications to explore it.

Without delay, the groups began organizing for the descent.

The four leaders, however, remained in place for a few more moments, discussing among themselves. They would decide who would enter first. Who would stay in the rear. How they would protect themselves.

Kyrian naturally rejoined Pan Zheng’s group for the moment.

Upon seeing the young man’s deplorable state, burned and torn clothes, they whispered among themselves.

"He survived?"

"Lucky."

"If he had been directly hit... he wouldn’t have stood a chance."

Pan Zheng quickly approached him. His eyes were still wide, his face pale.

"You’re alive..." he said, still sounding incredulous. His voice came out almost as a whisper.

"How? Kyrian, how did you manage it?"

Kyrian merely gave a slight nod.

"I survived."

He did not explain. He did not need to.

Pan Zheng hesitated, clearly wanting to ask more, how he had escaped the lizard, where he had hidden, what he had seen. But something in Kyrian’s eyes stopped him.

A silent warning.

He nodded, saving the questions for later.

Meanwhile, the four leaders began advancing together farther up the mountain. None of them dared enter the Inner Area alone. Even for them, that place was extremely dangerous.

Kyrian silently watched.

His eyes followed the four figures until they disappeared from everyone’s sight among the streams of volcanic smoke.

He waited a little longer.

Until he was certain their spiritual senses no longer reached that region.

Until the echo of their footsteps completely faded away.

Until only the hot wind and the sound of lava filled the space.

Then, finally, Kyrian stopped walking.

"Kyrian?" Pan Zheng looked at him in confusion. The rest of the group also stopped, looking back.

Kyrian calmly turned around.

His blue eyes met Pan Zheng’s for a moment.

"I still have a few things to do in the Great Volcano."

Pan Zheng’s eyes widened.

"You’re going to stay here alone?" His voice rose slightly, a mix of surprise and concern.

"Kyrian, the Intermediate Area is far too dangerous. Even for a large group..."

But Kyrian had already begun walking.

Not in the direction of the descent, but in the opposite direction. Upward.

His back faced the group.

"Don’t worry so much." He said without looking back.

And without waiting for a response...

He disappeared among the volcanic mountains.

Alone.

Climbing the Great Volcano along a completely different path from the one followed by the four leaders.

Pan Zheng remained standing there for a long moment, watching the place where Kyrian had vanished.

"He barely survived, and already wants to try dying again... But who am I to stop him." Said Pan Zheng.

"Let’s go." Said the elder of the group, his voice tired.

"He’s not our problem. If he wants to kill himself, let him."

The group continued descending.

High upon the mountain, Kyrian walked onward.

The heat increased with every step. The ash fell thicker. The smoke grew denser.

His blue eyes glowed in the darkness.

’Inner Area.’ He thought. If Ming Hai’s tomb is anywhere, it’s there.

He continued climbing, eager to find the so-called Fire Spirit that might exist within the tomb.