At that moment, there was no longer around a hundred people gathered at the entrance of the volcano, but only about seventy to eighty. Their faces were pale, and most had injuries on their bodies.
The purple-robed man, Yue Hong Bang, was standing at the edge of the ring. His face was pale as well, and his coughs would occasionally travel into the air, as if he had blood in his mouth. There were only four left of the seven behind him, the thin old man being one of them.
The old man from around three months ago was the one speaking. There were only ten people left behind him. All of them were carrying corpses over their shoulders. Some of these corpses were their friends, and some of them strangers.
As the old man"s voice resounded in the air, a roar came from within the volcano. The gigantic ferocious beast with the phoenix head that was a hundred feet in breadth looked at the cultivators around it coldly.
Once the old man threw out the corpse respectfully, the ferocious beast with the phoenix head rammed into it as usual and caused the corpse to disintegrate before sucking in the light green aura and spitting out a crystal.
When nearly forty something corpses were thrown out in succession, the slightly smaller creature with the beast head flew out with a roar and also started ramming its body against the corpses before devouring them.
Once it devoured about twenty something corpses, it stopped eating the light green aura and lowered its head to look into the mouth of the volcano, which was right under it. The gigantic ferocious beast beside it also looked at the volcano and let out a roar.
There was no ill-will within that roar. It instead sounded like an urging for someone to come forward.
This scene stunned all the people around the ring, and the cultivators that were about to throw out the corpses froze in their movements for a moment.
Then, before the expectant gazes of the two ferocious beasts and the seventy-eighty people around the mouth of the volcano, Su Ming rose slowly into the air. His face was calm and his movements were not quick, but once he appeared, intense shouts that could not be contained immediately came from the mouths of the seventy-eighty people.
"Wh-who is that?!"
"Someone actually managed to live in the volcano where the Crimson Python Phoenix lives? This person is…"
"The Crimson Python Phoenixes are usually very averse to strangers. They"re incredibly fierce, so could they let a person live in their cave abode?!"
The loud voices reverberated in the air. The seventy-eighty people sucked in a breath and moved back without any hesitation. Yue Hong Bang looked at Su Ming flying out of the volcano, and his eyes went wide. Su Ming"s body might have been changed from an illusion formed from the aura of death to one possessing flesh and blood, but his appearance was still as before, and Yue Hong Bang could recognize with just one glance that he was the person he had picked up three months ago.
At that moment, his shock could be said to be the greatest among all those present. Disbelief appeared on his face, and once he staggered several dozens of steps backwards, he looked at the thin old man beside him.
Three months ago, it was this old man that had personally taken this person who had still not died to this place and thrown him into the volcano. At that moment, the thin old man"s eyes had almost popped out of his eye sockets. Shock and disbelief was on his face, and even his breathing had stopped for an instant.
As the crowd retreated in shock, the gigantic ferocious beast with the phoenix head opened its mouth wide and let out a terrifying roar, causing all the people"s footsteps to stop, but the shock on their faces could not be hidden no matter how much they tried.
This sort of thing surpa.s.sed their imagination.
Su Ming"s expression was calm. Once he rose into the air, he walked towards the gigantic Crimson Python Phoenix. He landed on its head and looked at the crowd beneath him coldly.
The large creature did not avoid him, simply allowing him to stand on its head. To it, Su Ming"s presence was the familiar one of its child.
"Throw the corpses," Su Ming said flatly.
Once he spoke, the seventy-eighty people in the area immediately fell silent. Their eyes shone as they looked at Su Ming, but their gazes were filled with terror.
This scene was simply too far-fetched for them, something they could have never imagined. The only explanation for this was one, and a single, almost uniform thought rose in most of the people"s heads at that moment.
However, none of them took the initiative to voice it. The cultivator that had been about to throw his corpse gritted his teeth and took a step forward, finis.h.i.+ng his action.
The corpse sliced through the air in a long arc, going straight for Su Ming. At the instant it came close, a glint appeared in Su Ming"s eyes, and he clenched his right fist before punching the corpse.
At the instant his fist connected, understanding appeared in Su Ming"s eyes. A loud bang resounded, but there was no blood, and neither did the corpse fall into pieces. Instead, it disintegrated and turned into ashes before disappearing.
Wisps of light green aura spread out, but Su Ming did not absorb it. The smaller Crimson Python Phoenix beside him blinked and opened its mouth, inhaling the light green aura.
Su Ming lowered his head and looked at his fist. Previously, he could clearly sense a strange power of law that came from his body, and it was a bizarre power that could perfectly disa.s.semble all materials.
"What is this place in the Barren Lands of Divine Essence?" Su Ming coldly asked from the Crimson Python Phoenix"s head once he lifted his own up. There was not a single hint of emotion contained within his words. The chilling tone made it seem as if the temperature around the area had fallen by quite a large margin.
This aloof voice immediately terrified the people around the mouth of the volcano even more. At that moment, they became even more certain of the a.s.sumption they"d made in their heads.
Yue Hong Bang"s heart trembled. He remembered that this person had not died three months ago even when aura of death had entered his body. In fact, his consciousness had been very clear, and that aloof gaze instantly filled his heart with bitterness.
"Since he was able to not die when aura of death entered his body and had the capability to subdue a powerful creature such as the Crimson Python Phoenix, this can only mean that he is not from this place, especially based on what he said. The mercilessness and aloof tone of his words that seem to come from his soul, too… Could this person really be from…"
The thin old man started s.h.i.+vering lightly. Clearly, he had thought of some sort of frightening thing.
"Only those who were ma.s.s murderers can have absolutely no emotion in their words and speak with a tone that is as cold as ice. Only those who are indifferent towards human lives can be completely fearless despite having crossed into a different galaxy… and only these people can subdue these Crimson Python Phoenixes!"
The white-haired old man in the lead felt his heart tremble. He might have been doubtful at first, but this doubt disappeared swiftly under the Crimson Python Phoenix"s gaze. He sucked in a deep breath and wrapped his fist in his palm before bowing to Su Ming.
"This is Crimson Flame Planet. It is located at the edge of the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, and if a mighty person in the Third Step traveled from here to the True World"s galaxy, it would take about thirty years for them to reach that place. About two hundred years would be needed to reach Black Ink Planet, which is located beyond the Barren Lands of Divine Essence.
"Sir, did you… come from the world outside?"
The old man"s expression was incredibly respectful. There was even a hint of respect when he said his final sentence. Su Ming might not seem powerful, but to not waste power by having it spread around the Barren Lands of Divine Essence, many people usually sealed it up to prevent too much depletion.
Su Ming fell into a moment of pensive silence, then asked languidly, "Does Crimson Flame Planet have anything that grows here in abundance?"
"Nothing grows here in abundance except for the Crimson Flame Gra.s.s that lives in the Region of Flames…" the old man quickly answered.
"How many powerful warriors of the Third Step are here?" Su Ming suddenly asked.