"Huaxia person?"
Hearing Bai Qisheng's name, the black cat's brow twitched as he asked. Seeing his rude remark, Diana next to him quickly tried to mend the situation. Fortunately, Bai Qisheng was not angry at the black cat's words, or perhaps he was used to it.
"That's right, I am indeed a Huaxia person. And you two?"
"Diana Laurel Lance."
"Ted Grant."
The three of them briefly introduced themselves and thus got acquainted.
Just as the two of them were harboring doubts about the existence of the Volcanic Manor, the ground beneath their feet suddenly vibrated violently. The earth cracked open, and the temperature soared, as if they had been thrown into boiling water.
Everything happened quickly and passed just as fast. When it all subsided, the three of them saw a giant snake head imprint appear beneath their feet.
"Is it coming?"
Bai Qisheng thought to himself as he felt the magical fluctuations from underground.
Before the black cat and Diana could react, the snake head emitted a crimson glow. Enveloped by the light, the three of them vanished from their spot.
When they reappeared, they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place.
"Where is this?"
Bai Qisheng looked around, feigning ignorance and asking.
Compared to Bai Qisheng's panic, the other two were much calmer. Diana squatted down, touched the ground with her hand, picked up some dust, and rubbed it between her fingers. She then said, "We should be on or near a volcano. The sulfur content here is very high."
The black cat nodded beside her, agreeing with Diana's assessment. Just as he was about to say something, Bai Qisheng interrupted him.
"You two, instead of observing the terrain, I think you should look at that."
Following Bai Qisheng'sæ directions, they saw a magnificent building on a nearby mountain peak.
"I think that's the Volcanic Manor mentioned in the letter. Let's go."
With their target confirmed, things became much easier. The three immediately set off towards the Volcanic Manor.
However, the journey was not smooth. Not long after, at a fork in the road, they saw something that caused them extreme discomfort: a human-shaped signpost. A withered body was nailed to a wooden plank, head bowed, one hand raised and pointing to the left path, looking incredibly eerie.
The three exchanged a glance. Though displeased by such an act, they had no intention of taking the body down.
After the three had walked away, the finger of the seemingly dead corpse suddenly moved. The bowed head slowly rotated, looking in the direction the three had gone. A black beetle crawled in and out of its hollow eye sockets.
However, the three were unaware of any of this and continued on their way to the Volcanic Manor.
Of course, they were not idle on the way; they chatted and exchanged information.
"So, you're a mage?"
Hearing Bai Qisheng say he knew magic, Diana became instantly interested.
After all, magic was gradually flourishing in this era, and as a member of the Justice League, she had encountered many magic-users. Seeing those people conjure fire and water with mere words, Diana felt a pang of envy. Unfortunately, she had consulted Zatara, who told her she had no aptitude for learning magic, and that she had passed the golden age for it. Forcing herself to learn would yield no results.
"No, no." Bai Qisheng sheepishly touched his head and said, "My aptitude isn't great either. I studied for four years at the magic academy but couldn't stay on as faculty, so I came here to try my luck."
"Can you show me? For example, cast a spell or something?"
"This..."
Before Bai Qisheng could finish, the black cat interrupted him with a grave tone, "I think you'll have a chance to show your strength very soon."
Following the black cat's gaze, they saw three corpses lying scattered on the ground not far away, with three dogs gnawing at the bodies around each of them.
Of course, calling them dogs was just an observation of their appearance. These creatures were definitely not ordinary dogs.
These dog-like creatures were quite large, about the size of an adult wolf, with coarse brown fur, sharp teeth, blood-red eyes, and formidable claws. Coupled with their mouths full of blood and scraps of flesh, all signs indicated that these creatures were extremely aggressive.
"What are these things?"
"I don't know, but they're definitely not good. I think it's best we don't provoke them."
Although the three did not wish to engage in conflict with these creatures, the creatures themselves thought otherwise. Compared to the not-so-fresh corpses, they preferred fresh meat and blood, and Bai Qisheng and the other two could satisfy that craving.
Therefore, upon spotting the trio, the creatures did not hesitate. They abandoned the half-eaten corpses and lunged at them.
Facing the relentless onslaught, the three had no choice but to fight.
Fortunately, both Diana and the black cat were seasoned fighters. Even against these physically powerful creatures, they could take them down with skillful maneuvers. Bai Qisheng, on the other hand, had it easier, chanting spells and unleashing beams of magical energy that pierced the charging creatures.
Just as the three were about to clear the surrounding creatures, the ground suddenly vibrated slightly. A colossal dog, easily three meters tall, emerged from behind the mountain.
It was less like a dog and more like a furry Tyrannosaurus Rex, supported by two powerful hind legs, with shriveled forelimbs and a head disproportionately large for its body. Sudan Novel Network.
This giant creature was ferocious. It gave the three no time to react. Locking onto them, it sprinted and slammed its massive head horizontally onto the ground, opening its gaping maw and charging at them like a bulldozer.
The three reacted swiftly, quickly dodging to the sides and narrowly avoiding the giant creature's attack.
Missing its target, the giant creature bit into the mountain behind them. With a sound of cracking rocks, a large chunk of the hard stone was torn away.
"What terrifying biting force."
Looking at the shattered rocks, all three were stunned. They realized that if they had been bitten, they would have been instantly crushed.
"Let's go!"
Seeing the giant creature rise to attack again, Bai Qisheng immediately cast a spell to bind it in place, then urged the other two to flee.
Knowing they were no match for it, the two did not linger and quickly followed Bai Qisheng as they fled.
Little did they know, this was just an appetizer; the main course was yet to come.
On their continued journey, the three encountered rock spiders that could release poisonous gas, living corpses with withered bodies as hard as steel, and grotesque birds that were rotten and emanated a foul stench. Even more terrifying was that all three types of monsters appeared in swarms.