The space before him was an expanse of absolute emptiness.
From the outside, there was no way to detect the anomaly within, not even a trace.
But once inside...
It was a space at least a thousand zhang in length, width, and height.
The abundant fire element within caused every cell in Bai Zihe's body to boil and sing with joy.
Even.
As Bai Zihe simply stepped inside, he felt his true essence grow more potent!
But this was not the main source of Bai Zihe's shock.
The real focus was.
In the vast expanse at the very center, there was a colossal beast!
A beast, comparable to an aircraft carrier.
It was slumbering.
And the sounds Bai Zihe had heard from outside were none other than its snores!
"Snore..."
Bai Zihe was in a daze.
The creature suddenly let out another snore.
It shook the heavens and earth, like summer thunder, like lightning cracking the sky!
In that instant.
Bai Zihe felt his scalp tingle, his eardrums were already ruptured, and trickles of scarlet blood flowed from both ears.
A tremor from his very soul left Bai Zihe frozen in place, unable to move his legs!
"What in the world is this thing?"
A tempest raged within Bai Zihe's heart.
Lava Beast!
A thought flashed through his mind.
Bai Zihe had never seen a true Lava Beast, nor did he know what it looked like.
But this thing before him...
It was bathed in lava, its golden lava a spectacle of unparalleled visual impact!
The title "Colossal Beast" was indeed fitting!
This creature was vastly larger than the little cub Bai Zihe had encountered in the Life and Death Path of the War Department; the two were worlds apart, with no room for comparison.
"Run!"
This was the only thought that surfaced in Bai Zihe's mind.
Such a colossal beast...
Bai Zihe had no doubt that even with his full strength, even if he were utterly exhausted and unleashed that world-splitting axe strike one more time, he might not be able to inflict even the slightest harm!
However...
Bai Zihe's legs felt as if they were filled with lead, completely unresponsive.
This filled him with immense urgency.
"Move..."
Finally, Bai Zihe gathered all the true essence in his body and poured it into his legs, and only then did he feel a slight improvement.
"Swish..."
Without a second thought, Bai Zihe turned and fled.
"Bang..."
However, in the next second, Bai Zihe collided with a light barrier and was flung back.
The light barrier, though seemingly harmless, inexplicably allowed entry but prevented exit, trapping Bai Zihe inside.
Moreover.
The impact from earlier, at such high speed, caused the rebound to be equally rapid.
Bai Zihe landed directly at the toe of the Lava Beast.
When I say toe...
But the Lava Beast was too immense.
Its head was comparable to a small mountain, its limbs like pillars supporting the sky, and even a tiny toe was as large as a house.
Bai Zihe yelped in surprise and quickly scrambled off its toe.
"Splash..."
The next moment, a strange sound echoed.
Bai Zihe instinctively looked over and his soul nearly fled his body!
The sound of a joint cracking was the Lava Beast opening its eyes!
At this moment.
The colossal creature was staring with its massive orbs, gazing down at Bai Zihe on the ground, with a hint of confusion that Bai Zihe could comprehend.
"That..."
"An accident, a complete accident!"
Bai Zihe knew this creature possessed sentience. Seeing he was discovered and realizing he was no match for it, he decided to explain.
"I came here unintentionally..."
"You don't need to explain."
Before Bai Zihe could elaborate, a thunderous voice boomed through the space, deafening.
It was the Lava Beast speaking!
Bai Zihe froze, unsure of what to say.
"Your presence here is no accident."
The Lava Beast looked at Bai Zihe, its massive head clearing, its eyes shining brightly: "This is your destiny, and also, my destiny!"
Destiny?
What was that?
Bai Zihe was bewildered.
How did they suddenly jump to such a profound topic?
"I have been here for ten thousand years!"
The Lava Beast seemed to perceive Bai Zihe's confusion, but offered no explanation, instead speaking slowly: "For ten thousand years, I have been waiting for someone to enter my territory."
Territory?
Bai Zihe glanced at the light barrier.
This place indeed resembled a territory, with the Lava Beast as its sovereign.
"Now that you have arrived, it signifies that the great change has begun."
The Lava Beast murmured to itself: "Once the great change begins, it cannot be reversed. Where it will lead, success or failure..."
"No one knows."
"But..."
The Lava Beast's gaze returned to Bai Zihe: "You must be the key person carrying the crucial item!"
Bai Zihe listened, utterly dumbfounded.
But he dared not interrupt.
He harbored a guess.
Perhaps.
The crucial item the Lava Beast spoke of was the decahedron.
"Yes."
To Bai Zihe's surprise, the Lava Beast suddenly uttered a seemingly unrelated sentence, and what followed made Bai Zihe's blood run cold.
"It is the decahedron."
Heavens!
Did this Lava Beast have mind-reading abilities, to know his inner thoughts?
Bai Zihe instinctively looked at the Lava Beast, his eyes filled with terror.
"No, not mind-reading."
The Lava Beast's mouth curled into what seemed like a smile: "When your strength is sufficient, seeing through the thoughts of the weak is a simple matter."
Bai Zihe was speechless.
Did it have to be so blunt about him being weak?
The Lava Beast, naturally, saw this thought as well. A glint flashed in its massive eyes, but it didn't dwell on it, continuing its narrative.
"However..."
"The name of that item is not the decahedron."
"In the distant past, it had a resounding name, a name that echoed through the heavens and earth."
"The Chaotic Treasure Box!"
Upon hearing this name, Bai Zihe couldn't help but gasp.
Chaos...
Anything bearing these two words was incredibly significant.
For instance, that nameless scroll containing Pangu's creation of the world began with Chaos!
It was simply that the decahedron was related to Chaos, which surprised Bai Zihe somewhat, making it hard to believe.
"Shing!"
Bai Zihe's mind moved, and the decahedron appeared in his hand.
"Whoosh—"
Before Bai Zihe could steady it, the decahedron flew into the Lava Beast's hand.
Moreover.
As it flew, the decahedron continuously expanded and grew, eventually reaching the size of the Lava Beast's palm.
This was the first time Bai Zihe had let go of the decahedron since he obtained it.
But Bai Zihe was not panicked.
He could sense that this Lava Beast bore him no ill will.
Even if it did, with the Lava Beast's power, killing him would be as simple as crushing an ant.
"Now..."
The Lava Beast glanced at Bai Zihe and rumbled, "Let me help it recover its former glory!"