Virus King - Chapter 337

Chapter 337: Flame Core! Sea of Lava!

TL: YYang

Previously, when Zepar was killed, a special equipment blueprint had dropped.

Equipment ranked S and above was considered significant even in the myriad worlds, enough to catch the attention of even True Gods.

For beings of Zepar’s level, such items were undeniably precious.

Moreover, this blueprint was for an exceptionally rare type of equipment—wings.

Even Chen Bai couldn’t ignore it. Although he now possessed the Golden Hand, an authority born from Greed with immeasurable potential, and could foresee never lacking rare treasures in the future, the thought of having already gathered a full hundred Phoenix Feathers made not crafting this item feel like an unforgivable waste.

As for the Flame Core, a particularly unique fire-attribute material, Chen Bai’s first thought was of the hands of Ragnaros, the Flame Demon King.

Sure enough, when approached, the Flame Demon King paused for a moment before nodding slightly.

“Flame Core? I do indeed have quite a few,” Ragnaros said. “But, Great Overlord, what price are you prepared to offer?”

“What do you want?” Chen Bai asked, his expression calm.

Flame Cores were the life cores of fire-element beings. While common in the myriad worlds, they were scarce in the hands of those who had no use for them.

In the Abyss, no one possessed a fire attribute, so naturally, there were no collections of such items.

Ragnaros slowly revealed an item, lifting it with a sea of molten lava until it hovered before Chen Bai’s eyes.

It was a bead the size of a fist, appearing as though it was eternally ablaze with flames that would never extinguish.

It boiled intensely, radiating unbearable heat.

This was the Flame Core.

“Great Overlord,” Ragnaros began, his voice deep and resonant, “in the myriad worlds, there are countless types of flames. This Sea of Lava is the most suitable dwelling for Balor Flame Demons. While the eternal flames of the Abyss are mighty, I’ve grown weary of them! If the Great Overlord can bring me some unique flames from the myriad worlds, I won’t just part with these Flame Cores without hesitation. If you need my help or the assistance of my subordinates, I’d be happy to oblige.”

The fiery Abyssal horns atop Ragnaros’s enormous, flame-crowned head gleamed as he spoke.

Chen Bai smiled in response.

Fire seeds were the source of flames, unlike ordinary fire that could be wielded by others. The condition Ragnaros proposed was demanding but not insurmountable.

For both Ragnaros and Chen Bai, this was a mutually fair trade.

With this in mind, Chen Bai nodded in agreement.

“Deal.”

Just as he was about to leave, the sea of molten lava erupted, propelling the Flame Core directly into Chen Bai’s arms.

“This is my down payment! At the same time, I hope the Great Overlord recognizes my sincerity. Let the rest of the Abyss undergo whatever changes it may, but the Sea of Lava requires no modification. Balor Flame Demons can only survive here!”

The 143rd Layer of the Abyss: Sea of Lava.

Listening to Ragnaros, Chen Bai immediately understood the Flame Demon King’s intent.

The Abyss, though isolated, was a vast collection of layers, each a unique world and domain.

However, for a being of Ragnaros’s demigod-level power, some things were always within reach of his knowledge.

The recent developments in the upper layers of the Abyss were clearly no secret to him.

In such a situation, it was only natural that Ragnaros wanted to secure the future of his Sea of Lava. If, one day, this Abyssal Overlord standing before him impulsively decided to drastically alter the Sea of Lava, it would undoubtedly spell doom—not only for Ragnaros but for the other Balor Flame Demons residing there.

Even without Ragnaros mentioning it, Chen Bai had no intention of doing such a thing.

The Authority of the Abyss granted him the power to alter the layers he conquered to a certain extent, but he would not make unnecessary changes to their natural essence.

The Sea of Lava was entirely composed of volcanoes and oceans of molten lava. Why on earth would he waste his time and energy altering such a world?

How much power would that require? Not to mention, even if Chen Bai ascended to True Godhood, completely erasing the Sea of Lava and transforming it into a human-friendly, habitable environment would still be extraordinarily troublesome.

Moreover, the diversity of the Abyss was crucial to maintain. Unless he had utterly lost his mind, there was no reason to engage in such an exhausting and thankless task.

He took the Flame Core directly, smiled faintly, and said, “Rest assured! The Sea of Lava will never change. This is the domain of the Balor Flame Demons, and that fact will never change. I swear upon the Abyssal Will!”

Ragnaros’s enormous head nodded slightly, and then he grinned.

“Great Overlord, I look forward to the day when you return to the Sea of Lava with conquest in mind. At that time, I’ll eagerly await the opportunity to face you in battle!”

Looking at Ragnaros’s towering figure, Chen Bai nodded.

Though the pressure Ragnaros exerted was unparalleled, if that day ever came, Chen Bai would face him without fear.

Speaking of the Sea of Lava, another matter suddenly came to Chen Bai’s mind, prompting him to ask the Flame Demon King a question.

“Lord Ragnaros, was the Sea of Lava always like this from the beginning?”

Ragnaros paused briefly, then shook his head.

“My birth and existence have shaped the Sea of Lava over countless millennia, transforming it into what it is today—a territory perfectly suited for the Balor Flame Demons!”

Chen Bai nodded, bid farewell to Ragnaros, and left with the Flame Core.

He didn’t immediately begin crafting the Wings of Netherflame.

Instead, he returned to the Abyssal Well to continue contemplating his plans.

He had not forgotten the matter of utmost importance to him.

He needed to create a world within the Abyss specifically for plague creatures, a place governed by the power of the plague.

This would allow him to further amplify the capabilities of Scourge of the Living.

However, every layer of the Abyss capable of supporting demonic life, even harsh environments like the Sea of Lava, was already home to millions of lesser Flame Demons.

The other layers were no different.

Executing a mass migration to vacate a layer and establish a Plague Kingdom would be an incredibly resource-intensive endeavor.

But what if there were desolate layers in the Abyss? Places so barren that not even demons could survive? Could those planes be transformed into a world suitable for plague creatures and future followers of the Cult of the Plague?