Absolute Beast Dominion

Chapter 522: Last Day In The Secret Realm

"Wait! She actually reached the mid levels of Low 4-star!" Leo exclaimed when he sensed Naelith’s strength again. It had truly risen to around the mid-stage of Low 4-star. That meant her Intelligence had crossed the 1500 stat point mark.

"No wonder she’s releasing the excess increase in mana like this." It was a similar case to Lily’s.

Lyswenna understood what was happening and relaxed.

It seemed that the previous treasures, combined with feeding her the Infernoheart Mango Heart, had helped her immensely in the advancement.

Leo also noticed that many small pieces of Emberstone Resin embedded throughout the surrounding ground were rapidly sublimating. Since it was a catalyst for fire cultivators, it worked wonders in Naelith’s advancement.

By now, the fire tornado had reached a height of nearly 50 meters and had remained active for more than 5 minutes.

Leo sensed that Naelith’s mana reserves were almost depleted, and the next moment, the tornado began to die down.

When everything settled, Lyswenna immediately sprinted toward Naelith to support her since she was feeling slightly dizzy.

After that, they rested a little longer before continuing their journey toward the center of the Secret Realm.

But now, time was running short. So Leo ignored all the treasures along the way. The notable ones he sensed were all guarded by beasts nearing High 4-star and even Peak 4-star in strength. It would take too much time, and he barely had more than 1 day left inside the Secret Realm.

Another reason he ignored them was because most of them served the same purpose as treasures he had already acquired.

They were almost 150 kilometers deep into the Secret Realm, leaving only around 50 to 75 kilometers before reaching the absolute center of the realm.

Which also meant that the volcanic peak stood directly in front of them. Leo could clearly see the top of the mountain, which rose nearly 7 kilometers into the sky.

And it was from his position that it was 7-kilometers into the sky, In reality, the peak was higher. Ever since entering the Secret Realm, he had been climbing the mountain. As a matter of fact, the starting point itself had been part of the mountain’s elevated terrain, and he had been ascending ever since.

At this point, they searched for a safe and relatively cool place to rest for the night before continuing their journey in the morning.

This territory already marked the roaming grounds of large salamander beasts. Though their strength was no greater than the Mid 3-star realm, they were numerous and fed directly on lava, minerals, mosses, and occasional natural treasures.

Leo suspected these were the salamanders the Wyverns used as livestock. Their unusually large body sizes despite their low strength suggested as much. Not to mention, their primary diet consisted of the Secret Realm’s waste products.

After a good night’s rest, Leo resumed his journey toward the center of the Secret Realm. However, he soon realized something when he noticed that even the wandering salamanders had reached Peak 3-star as their minimum rank.

If it came to battle, Lyswenna and even Naelith wouldn’t be able to handle what lay ahead.

"Naelith, Lyswenna, from here onward, both of you will retreat and remain in a safe place unless I return," Leo instructed.

"Huh? My Lord, why? Did we make some sort of mistake?" Lyswenna asked anxiously.

"No. Your strengths are simply not enough to accompany me beyond this point," Leo replied matter-of-factly.

"B-but we can still support you..." Lyswenna said in a low voice.

Even she didn’t sound confident saying it. She was already exerting herself just to endure the extremely hot environment.

Even Naelith, despite her fire affinity, was beginning to struggle because of how absurdly hot the surroundings had become and added to the fact that they had wood affinity too, and wood was naturally weak to fire. Another thing was they weren’t habituated for such environment, making things increasingly difficult for them.

In the end, Leo sent both elves away on Shyra’s back so they could remain stealthy and safe during the return journey.

When Leo turned around to proceed further, he suddenly recalled something that needed to be done and contacted Lyswenna through the Jade Slip.

’My Lord?’

’Do either of you recall the way to the salamander water lake that old Lizardman mentioned?’

’Yes, we both remember it clearly,’ Lyswenna responded.

’Good. Then I want both of you to go there and investigate the Red-Scaled Lizardman they spoke about.’

’And...’ Leo paused as if weighing his options, though there was little choice in the matter.

’And I want both of you to forcibly capture the Red-Scaled Lizardman and his family. Make sure that under no circumstances does he or any member of his family die. If that happens, any possibility of making the Lizardman loyal will be lost.’

’Yes!’

Lyswenna responded immediately, and Leo closed the communication.

Leo unsummoned Nyxa and proceeded the rest of the distance on foot under stealth.

The terrain had become increasingly difficult to traverse. Lava flowed through random sections of the landscape, while the rocky ground was riddled with cracks that revealed molten lava beneath.

"If only I could grow wings like those dragons..." Leo muttered, already exhausted by the thought of having to travel more than 50 kilometers through such unforgiving terrain.

And so his journey continued.

As he traveled, he continuously used [Spiritual Sense] and [Geo Resonance Sense] at regular intervals to avoid missing any underground hideouts while remaining alert to approaching dangers.

The last thing he wanted was for a Mid 5-star Wyvern to suddenly descend from the sky and burn him to ashes.

While moving under stealth, he suddenly felt his foot brush against something.

Not even a moment later, Leo’s danger sense screamed at him.

He looked up and saw a meteor descending straight toward him.

He immediately leaped out of the way as the massive rock smashed into the ground, instantly blasting the area apart and smothering the surroundings in flames and debris.

BOP! BOP! BOP!

WRAAHHHHHH!

A beastly roar suddenly hammered against Leo’s ears.

Following that came countless chattering cries and hoots that echoed through the surroundings, rapidly drawing closer from the distance at astonishing speed.

Ooo-ooo-aaa-aaa!

Within moments, it felt as though Leo had been surrounded by numerous monkeys.