Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 389: Sinking Deep

Arkenstals challenge was followed by silence. Then, the earth shook. The sky shuddered. Boulders tumbled down the volcano sides, and droplets of magma spouted from its top.

The shaking built up until it culminated into a roar so massive, so deafening, that the clouds were washed away and the earth splintered far below. For a moment, it felt like the world itself was vibrating.

Then the roar cut off and a giant head emerged from the volcano.

Everyone, Jack included, drew cold breaths. This was most certainly a dragon, exactly as pictured in medieval stories. It possessed a serpentine body covered with crimson scales, two horns on its head, and eyes twisted with dark, extreme intelligence.

Red Dragon, Level ??? (B-Grade)

Dragons are the darlings of the Dao. They are creatures that can stand at the top of the universe. Their bodies are large, durable, and powerful, while the Dao itself is carved on their flesh and bones. They do not need to eat to survive, as they can absorb the power of the world. Despite that, they often dominate a large area around them, relishing in the mortal pleasures.

Red Dragons are born of the Dao of Fire. They possess extreme understandings since birth, and their insights will keep accumulating naturally as they grow up. They are highly resistant to all temperature changes, as well as spatial or time distortions, and their fire is one of the hottest states of matter known to the cultivation world.

Its head alone was the size of a hill. Its eyes were larger than Jacks body. Standing before it, everyone was like specks of dust. And its aura It towered higher than the mountains, deeper than the ocean. It was an inextinguishable, endless vat of unadulterated power. The very air around the dragon was immolated by its wrath.

This dragon, by itself, was far more dangerous than the volcano it occupied.

You dare return? it growled in its deep, malevolent voice. Dark steam escaped its nostrils and the ends of its lips. With every movement of its jaw, teeth the size of trees appeared, glinting in this worlds sunlight.

I do, Arkenstal replied, fearlessly pointing his sword at the dragon. And I brought company.

More coal to the fire. The dragon growled oddly, as if laughing from deep inside its belly. More of its body was dragged outside the volcano. Jack saw a torso the size of a mountain. Wings that could hide the sky. Legs that stood on the earth like divine columns, and claws that could tear apart the heavens.

But those were not enough to make the dragon a B-Grade existence. Its body was only part of its power. The fire that shimmered inside it was so hot that Jack could feel it from a mile away, as if staring at an open oven. The Fire Dao of the world was swiftly gathering at this location, rushing over from hundreds of miles away. The dragons Dao understanding was in no way shallow.

All those together pushed this creature over the edge and let it take a solid step into the B-Grade.

The dragon rose out of the volcano completely, taking to the air. Every flap of its wings sent strong gales over the land, climbing down the volcano slopes, traveling across the ground, and razing the jungle ten miles away. Those draconic twigs that were not well rooted were sent flying, their screams echoing through the air.

Children! the dragon roared. Fight for me!

The twigs did not respond. Out of the volcano, however, came another twelve dragons. They were as red as their father, though smaller. If the large dragon was a mountain, they were large hills.

The twelve smaller dragons roared as one, shaking the fabric of space.

Red Dragon, Level 399 (Elite)

Their System description was the same as their fathers, though they were worlds apart in power. Still, even they were enough to stump the cultivators. Each was a peak C-Grade creature, and an Elite one, too. A normal peak C-Grade cultivator would lose easily.

However, these were not normal cultivators. They were the best of the best, dominating the gathering of genius that was the Cathedral. The Hand of God ones were equally qualified. Every nine-fruit cultivator present was stronger than the small dragons, and there were eleven of them. There were also another six eight-fruit cultivators that could assist, and finally there was Jack, Brock, and Min Ling.

For glory! Min Ling shouted, grasping her spear and charging at the large dragon.

For the Immortals! cried out Arkenstal, taking his sword and joining her. The two leaders crossed space, near-instantly arriving before the dragon. The world shook from their clash. Space ruptured for miles around. The sky lost its color, lightning descended, and fire erupted with such intensity that it instantly shattered all other energies. Jack saw even space and time evaporate.

YOU DARE CHALLENGE ME? the dragon roared, leaping into combat against the two cultivators.

The clash in the high skies was the signal to start the battle. Eighteen cultivators and twelve dragons charged at each other, all extremely powerful. There was havoc. The world shattered. All vegetation disappeared for a hundred miles around, leaving only the draconic twigs alive, and even they were flung away from the shockwave.

For a time, all sorts of Daos danced in the air. The world couldnt handle such an intense collision, instantly disintegrating below them. Space and time ran wild. The battlefield became chaos, completely filling the world.

Thankfully, they were many miles into the air, so the volcano itself could barely take the pressure.

Jack was lost. He and Brock remained side by side, warring against all enemies. With the distortion of spacetime, the world had become a blur. Energies were everywhere. They could barely tell friend from foe, and the chaos was so prevalent that they almost lost each other, let alone survey the state of the battle.

In such a line-up, Jack was amongst the weakest people present, and there was no need to talk about Brock.

Now! Jack screamed in his mind. Brock rushed over, grabbing Jacks arm with enough strength to almost rip it out, and Jack used everything he had to teleport.

Their location changed wildly over the battlefield. With such an intense warping of space, they could not teleport where they wanted, only keep trying until they left the area. For a few moments, they were like ghosts flickering everywhere.

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Suddenly, Jack felt something change. Space had solidified a tiny bit, so he used that opportunity to punch it with his full strength and forcefully straighten it. The world rang like a glass bell.

And then, stability. Jack and Brock appeared inside a large hole. Black stone surrounded them in all directions, and the sky was only visible through a circular opening far above. Currently, that sky was completely distorted by energy flows. The entire volcano was shaking, boulders falling everywhere.

Jack and Brock realized they were standing on a flat stone. Below and all around them, magma bubbled, rising in mighty waves due to the shockwaves raining from above. Brock raised his hand, forming a golden shield which blocked the magma.

Bros! he shouted. Show me the path!

Only now did Jack realize they were surrounded by draconic twigs. Across the miles of dark stone around them, every crevice was occupied by fern-like plantsdraconic twigs in disguise. There had to be thousands of them, maybe tens of thousands. They were everywhere. If they attacked, even Jack would be hard-pressed to defend himself.

However, though the twigs had clearly detected their presence, they did not attack. One uprooted itself, raising a claw to point in a certain direction.

Jack and Brock were at the bottom of the volcano. All around them, various cave openings stood against the wall, some half-flooded by magma. It was one such opening the twig had indicated.

Thanks! Brock exclaimed. He and Jack dashed into the tunnel, forming shields around themselves to keep away the magma. They were chest-deep. The tunnel made odd twists and turns, and the magma level kept rising. It was also raging from the shockwaves outside. Waves crashed against Jacks face, threatening to burn him if he didnt protect himself with his Dao.

However, even to people like him and Brock, swimming in magical magma was not easy. Their energy consumption was significant. Jack pulled Brock closer, changing tactics. His pure Dao shield fell, replaced by another. He warped their surroundings to create a bubble of space, isolating them from the surrounding space which contained the magma.

This was not easy, either. All Daos could interact with each other. The heat of the magma crashed against Jacks space bubble, trying to melt it, and Jack had to constantly supply it with energy.

At the end of the day, his comprehension was just not enough. This space bubble hed created was a basic, imperfect variation. But it worked.

His energy expenditure was lessened. Brock was also safe beside him. The two of them swam through miles of underground tunnels, following twists and turns as they headed ever deeper. The magma covered all tunnels completely by now. They were diving through the openings that let it rise to the surface.

Finally, they reached a massive underground cavern. It was completely filled with magma, so visibility was non-existent. Even Jacks Dao perception could only reach a hundred feet out. They swam directly into the cave until all walls had left Jacks perception range. No matter how he searched, there was lava all around them.

For a moment, he was struck by the realization that he was buried in miles of lava, deep underground, protected only by a space bubble which rapidly ate away at his energy.

Brock grabbed onto his shoulder. Be strong, bro, he said, and Jack returned to his senses.

Thanks, he muttered, accelerating.

In this large chamber of magma, they had no way of knowing which direction to take. Where was the twigs mother?

After wandering for a few seconds, they realized this chamber was larger than they had assumed. It took up a terrible amount of spacemeasured in cubic miles. Searching for something here with no visibility was pointless.

Damn! Jack exclaimed. He could last some time here, but not infinitely. If they took too long, they might need to retreat empty-handed. Moreover, the other cultivators would realize they were only missing.

I got this, Brock shouted. His aura erupted. A golden book appeared in his hand, flipping to a page that showed a brorilla and a human swimming through lava and rejoicing as they saw something that hid beyond the border of the page.

As soon as that image appeared, the golden aura of the book flared. It shot out like a sonar wave, bypassing Jacks space bubble and diving into the lava, spreading in all directions. Jack was stunned. Brock kept his eyes closed, until finally he snapped them open.

There, he said, pointing in a direction. He then frowned. Dragon bro mother is therebut this place is very deep. Very, very deep.

Jack directed his space bubble to fly over, crossing through endless lava. Eventually, his perception met a wall. And on it was something that seemed like a plant, yet was not.

This time, it wasnt just Jack who was stunned. Brocks jaw hung to his shoulders, and his brorilla eyes were wide in disbelief.

Here, buried under miles of lava, in temperatures that could evaporate anything but the hardest stone, was a single tree.

It was not too large, barely reaching Jacks height. Its roots dug into the wall of the cavern. Its trunk was made of gray wood, and its branches were transparent, as if made of jade, showcasing the delicate green veins inside.

That a tree could exist here was unthinkable. The System was also at a loss. All it displayed was question marks.

Wow, Jack muttered breathlessly. For a single moment, despite the danger and rush they were in, he deeply appreciated the beauty of the universe. Everything was possible. Such a magical world Perhaps Edgar, with his Dao of magic and wonder, was right all along.

Jack shook himself awake. There was no time to think. They had to get the crystals and return to the surface before anyone discovered they were missing.

On the tree branches, hanging like fruits, were twelve crystals. One was half-eaten, exposing its green core. These crystals emitted unbelievable amounts of power. Their outer layer was made of pure Dao so dense it had crystallized. Using it to cultivate would be a hundred times better than using a Dao stone. Beneath that skin, the half-eaten fruit revealed a green core containing such a terrifying quantity of life energy that it made even Jack scared. Besides the Life Drop, these were by far the greatest life treasures he had ever experienced.

Hurry! Brock exclaimed. Jack was planning to. His space bubble collapsed, exposing their pure Dao shields to lava and shooting up their energy consumption. They reached the tree near-instantly. Jack grabbed for a fruit, and to his surprise, taking it away was as easy as plucking an apple.

Six fruits found their way into Jacks space ring. Five remained. The plan was simple: Jack, Brock, and their other partner would share these six fruits, while everyone else would get the remaining five. By leaving a few fruits on the tree, they would not raise any suspicionsprovided that they managed to return to the battle before it was over.

It was a risky plan, of course, but how could one advance without risk? And, as for stealing from the other cultivators Jack couldnt give a single damn. Anybody else would also cheat if given the chance. Amongst cultivators, there was no justice, only strength.

The only one he cared about was Min Ling, but hed make it up to her later.

Jack quickly reinstated the space bubble, hiding them both himself and Brock inside. He took a final glance at the tree.

After half its fruits had been taken, the trees aura had declined greatly. Jack had no doubt that everything on this tree, from its roots to its branches, was a treasure. However, the fruits were by far the greatest prize.

In the cultivation world, there were greedy people who would uproot this tree completely and take it with them. Such an action, however, would be extremely wasteful. Brock had promised to protect the mother, and that was also in line with Jacks values. Always take the fruitnever the root. Like this, the tree would live, new fruits could grow in the future, and the cultivators who came next would have one more treasure to pursue. The cycle of life could continue.

Moreover, once the battle outside was over, Brock would claim he knew the treasures position and lead them all here directly so they had no need to kill the draconic twigs. Both they and the tree would be safe.

Jack and Brock bowed to the tree in deep gratitude. Facing such a marvel of nature, even they felt small.

Then, they turned and shot back towards the cave entrance. There was no time to waste. The winding tunnels so far had made their current location unclear, so the only way out was to retrace their steps.

Fortunately, Jack had excellent memory, so he could track down the entrance of the cavern. Otherwise, they would be lost forever.

Magma floated by them. They reached the entrance, rushing at full speed, then came to a skidding halt.

Another space bubble blocked the cavern entrance. And inside it, with his hands crossed and a cold smile on his face, was Baron Longform.