Meanwhile, Zhao Feng's flanking squad wasn't idle either. They continuously hurled specially made magical bombs at the behemoth. The bombs exploded, emitting intense flashes and a pungent odor, causing the behemoth to frequently turn its head and roar angrily. However, the behemoth was thick-skinned and tough, and these attacks only made it more ferocious. It swung its massive tail, sweeping towards the flanking squad. Seeing this, Zhao Feng shouted and swung his battle axe, slamming it hard into the behemoth's tail. The powerful impact made his hands go numb, and he flew backward several steps.
"Brothers, hold on! Keep harassing them!" Zhao Feng got up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rallied the troops once again.
On the front lines, seeing Zhang Shi injured, Ge Dalong rushed forward and cast a healing spell upon him. Wisps of white smoke rose from Zhang Shi's right arm, slightly easing his injury. Enduring the burning pain, he gritted his teeth and gripped his blade again: "Old Ge, let's go again!" Ge Dalong took a deep breath, his hands moving rapidly, causing the surrounding magical elements to converge wildly. In an instant, he summoned several enormous magical wolves composed of ice and water elements. The wolves roared and pounced on the giant beast, tearing at the magma armor with their sharp claws and teeth, attempting to create a better opportunity for Zhang Shi to attack.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Shi once again used the Shadow Step, his figure moving like a ghost between the demonic wolf and the giant beast. The sharp blade in his hand constantly changed angles, stabbing repeatedly at the giant beast's vital chest. Each attack caused the giant beast to roar in pain, and the faintly glowing spot on its chest grew dimmer and dimmer.
Behind the behemoth, the island's defensive towers unleashed their full firepower. Although most of the attacks were blocked by the behemoth's magma shield, a few beams of magic broke through the defenses and struck the behemoth, gradually slowing its movements.
Just as Zhang Shi was exerting all his strength, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the behemoth, the beast seemed to sense the deadly danger. It suddenly raised its head, opened its blood-red maw, and a huge magma ball burning with black flames rapidly condensed within it. Zhang Shi was shocked; if this hit, everyone around would be reduced to ashes.
"Get out of the way!" Zhang Shi shouted, simultaneously hurling his sharp blade at the magma ball in the giant beast's mouth with all his might. The blade collided with the magma ball in mid-air, triggering a violent explosion. Black flames and magma flew everywhere, and the powerful impact sent Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong flying.
Seeing this from the flank, Zhao Feng was frantic and ran towards Zhang Shi and the others without hesitation. At this moment, the giant beast was also seriously injured by the explosion. A large gash had been torn open in its vital area, and black blood was gushing out, but it still did not fall and was still struggling to prepare for a new round of attacks.
Zhang Shi struggled to his feet, his unsteady gait revealing his poor condition, yet his resolve only grew stronger. He picked up a runic scale from the ground and discovered that after being stained with the blood of a giant beast, ancient runes he had never seen before appeared on the scale, as if guiding him through something.
"Old Ge, Brother Feng, we still have a chance! There's something strange about these scales!" Zhang Shi shouted. Ge Dalong and Zhao Feng quickly gathered around. The three of them huddled together, staring at the runes on the scales, deep in thought. Just then, the scales suddenly emitted a beam of light, pointing directly at an ancient volcano deep within the island.
"Could it be... that the key to defeating it is hidden there?" Zhang Shi muttered to himself, a resolute glint in his eyes. Without time to think further, the three of them, along with the remaining warriors, rushed towards the ancient volcano, followed by the heavily wounded but still relentlessly pursuing behemoth.
The sea breeze howled, carrying the acrid smell of sulfur. The group ran frantically, the ground beneath their feet growing increasingly scorching. Fiery lava gushed from the cracks in the rocks, threatening to swallow their path at any moment. Zhao Feng led the way, wielding his battle axe, cleaving through the scorching rocks to clear a path for his comrades behind him. His clothes were already soaked with sweat, his back muscles taut, each swing carrying an unyielding momentum.
Ge Dalong followed closely behind, his hands constantly forming hand seals to cast ice-based protective magic on everyone. A thin layer of ice condensed on their bodies, barely resisting the intense heat. His face was pale, and the excessive consumption of magic power made his steps slightly unsteady, but his eyes remained resolute, and he would occasionally turn back to check on Zhang Shi's condition.
Zhang Shi endured the excruciating pain in his right arm, clutching the runic scale tightly in his hand, his eyes fixed on the shimmering light on the scale, afraid of losing sight of the guiding light. At this moment, his mind was filled with countless thoughts, fragments of information he had gleaned from ancient books flashing through his mind, trying to piece together clues about the secrets of this volcano and the lizardmen.
As they drew closer to the crater, the ground trembled more violently, and molten lava surged like a river, making their progress increasingly difficult. Suddenly, a massive lava arm burst forth from the nearby lava pool, sweeping towards them. Zhao Feng reacted swiftly, shouting and swinging his battle axe fiercely at the lava arm. The collision of metal and lava produced a piercing hiss, sending sparks flying, and the force of the impact sent Zhao Feng staggering backward.
"Watch out, everyone!" Zhang Shi shouted, his figure flashing as he used the Shadow Step to quickly appear in front of the group. He brandished his blade, unleashing a sharp sword aura that slashed away the oncoming lava fragments. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ge Dalong manipulated the surrounding water elements, creating a water curtain barrier in front of the group to block the impact of the lava.
Having finally overcome this crisis, the group arrived at the foot of the ancient volcano. At this moment, the light on the scales grew even brighter, pointing directly towards the crater. Zhang Shi looked up and saw violent magical power surging within the crater, black and red lights flashing and intertwining, like an entrance to hell.
"No matter what's inside, we have to try!" Zhang Shi said through gritted teeth. The three exchanged glances, their eyes filled with determination, and led the remaining soldiers up the steep mountain path towards the crater.
Along the way, the group encountered various bizarre monsters formed from the fusion of magma and magic. These creatures were twisted and spewed flames, launching frenzied attacks. The warriors worked closely together: Zhao Feng charged ahead, Ge Dalong provided magical support from the middle, and Zhang Shi used his agility to move and kill enemies. The group steadily advanced towards the summit.
As they approached the top of the crater, a deep roar emanated from within, making everyone's eardrums ache. Immediately afterward, a colossal lizard-like beast, its entire body engulfed in black flames and of even greater size, slowly rose up. Its eyes flashed with an eerie red light as it stared intently at the group, as if guarding some vital secret.
"This...could this be the lizardmen's ultimate trump card?" Zhang Shi's heart skipped a beat, but he gripped the blade in his hand even tighter. Zhao Feng roared, slung his battle axe over his shoulder, and prepared to charge again: "Whatever it is, let's fight!" Ge Dalong took a deep breath and began frantically gathering magic power, preparing to unleash his strongest spell.
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff, the runic scale in Zhang Shi's hand suddenly trembled violently, then detached from his palm and flew into the crater. Zhang Shi instinctively reached out to grab it, but found that the scale was extremely fast, disappearing into the depths of the crater in the blink of an eye.
Immediately afterwards, a strange sight occurred: the raging magic within the crater began to calm down rapidly, the black flames gradually died down, and the guardian beast seemed to be bound in some way, unable to move. Zhang Shi and the others exchanged bewildered glances, completely baffled.
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