Originally, all we needed to do was prevent the volcano from erupting, now I understand... What! How can something like this be easily done?

The speed at which Little Angel changed her expression caught Aya and Tiran by surprise.

"Little Feizi, you also show signs of becoming a commentary role, be careful, don't end up like Aya, who can only make sarcastic comments without providing constructive feedback."

"I only sarcastically commented because you proposed a plan with too many drawbacks! Don't twist the truth! And Aya is clearly a respected elder, you can't speak of him like that!"

"Aya also mentioned the proposal of preventing the volcano from erupting."

Tiran raised an eyebrow, and just then, the cracked ground below erupted again, with lava splashing within five meters of where the four stood, startling them all. Little Chirp even hid behind Aya.

"It seems we don't have much time left. Aya, come lend a hand."

"On my way."

Tiran stretched his body, with Frost Chi slowly spreading around him, forming a misty aura.

"Hey, even though your ice Chi can lower the temperature, trying to freeze magma is still too difficult."

"Oh, Little Feizi is worried about me, how touching!" Tiran delightedly turned back, hands over her heart.

"Not at all! I'm just concerned that if you fail, the whole area will suffer!"

"Well, that's better than when you first arrived and immediately threw Angel's Holy Sword at a residential area without hesitation."

Tiran shrugged, while Little Angel remained silent.

That was indeed the truth. Before coming to the lower realm, as a top genius of the Angel race's new generation, arrogance was almost engraved in Little Feizi's soul. Apart from Miss Elder Sister, even peers of the same Angel rank were on equal terms with her, let alone others of the same race.

As for other races... humans? What are they?

It wasn't until that day in the lower realm when two creatures from below jointly struck.

Thinking back, wasn't Miss Elder Sister's decision to let her stay in the lower realm also a way to temper her?

Miss Elder Sister was indeed worthy!

"Any-anyway, I just feel that it is such a waste to ruin this rare vacation spot due to my mistake, it's not like I'm worried about those ordinary people... Huh?"

Little Angel tried to continue being tsundere, but before she finished, Tiran and Aya had already jumped down to the depression.

"Wait for me to finish!"

Without a response, Little Angel silently picked up the somewhat uneasy Chirp next to her and came to the edge of the depression, ready to run away with the child at any moment.

On the other side, Aya and Tiran hovered above the brewing magma, fully feeling the heat coming from deep within the earth.

"Ah, it sure is hot, relying solely on Chi to freeze it is indeed difficult."

The sudden heat instantly dispersed most of the cold aura that Tiran had prepared for protection, requiring an increase in Chi output to maintain a normal body temperature.

As a reptilian creature, Aya was even closer to death, despite having transformed into a human form with residual dragon traits. Without Tiran's Frost Chi support, the sudden change in body temperature alone could have caused a system failure.

"Magic is a bit challenging."

Aya experimented, finding that the ice cones formed from water spells condensed slower than they melted under high temperatures. Moreover, with the increased volcanic activity, various toxic gases were continuously emitted, making the environment at the volcanic vent even more hostile.

Although theoretically using ice spells to create a large-scale impact from above was possible, considering their location on the volcanic vent, provoking strong aftershocks might exacerbate the underground magma's instability.

On the other side, Tiran had already taken action. Frost Chi gathered around the still unaffected area, forming into flowing glaciers that pressed down into the vent.

A volcanic eruption stemmed from the convection of magma in the mantle due to pressure and density imbalances, which, upon reaching weak spots near the earth's surface, melted and erupted.

Generally, such an event wouldn't easily occur under a dormant volcano, but thanks to a direct channel pierced by Little Angel, the weakened layers at the volcano's surface provided a path for the pressurized magma to surge upward.

To resolve the situation, as Tiran suggested, closing off the manually opened lava channel by Little Angel would restore balance to the pressure.

But achieving this was rather tricky.

"The temperature is indeed too high."

Even with Tiran exerting full effort, the extent of Frost Chi's freezing was astounding. If not for the imminent eruption, the surrounding area would have been enveloped in ice for kilometers.

Yet, even with this progress, only the surface of the lava underfoot was frozen.

Standing on the freshly solidified volcanic rock, Tiran knelt down, pressing his hands firmly on the surface to channel Frost Chi deeper. Yet, progress slowed significantly after sinking only a dozen meters.

Although the frozen layer seemed thick, it was insufficient considering the high pressures from the depths.

Hence, what might have triggered a volcanic eruption turned into a prolonged battle of attrition...

After reinforcing Tiran with a few enhancement auras, Aya began to slack off.

"Don't slack off! You said you'd help, remember?"

"I'm assisting with my eyes."

"But you're not even looking!"

Tiran glared at him.

While aware that using ice magic in conjunction with his Chi might cause conflicts and break the already frozen surface, watching Aya do nothing while he struggled was frustrating.

"How about strengthening it with your Rule Magic? Can't you control that... atomic vibration to decrease the temperature?"

"I've tried, but it didn't help much."

Tiran sighed in resignation, "Forget it, let's see this through. Blocking the lava channel opened by Little Feizi should suffice; we'll just have to wait a little longer."

Crack.

"How about you step back first, and I'll use my spell?"

Crack.

"No, if it loosens and breaks the frozen surface, all our efforts will be in vain."

Click...

"Is there a strange sound?"

Aya raised an eyebrow.

"I was just thinking the same; it wasn't a hallucination."

Tiran also froze.

Bang!

A not-so-loud eruption sound startled both of them, but after a careful check, they realized it wasn't an exploding lava crevice, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

But if that wasn't the source of the sound, then what was it?

Aya suddenly felt something off beneath his feet.

Water?