The tunnel connected the seabed to an immense underground area filled with magma. The ocean's water mixed with the scorching liquid and formed large rocky platforms where it managed to lower the temperature.
The crimson light radiated by the magma shone on Noah's face and revealed the metallic properties of his skin. The "Breath" around his body prevented him from breathing the air there, but he was sure that it was scorching.
Tremors still swept the areas above him. It seemed that the rank 6 lizard was unleashing chaos now that it had lost its prey. The rocky ceiling in that immense underground chamber threatened to fall every time it shook.
Noah didn't want to remain there. He wasn't afraid that the lizard could catch up with him since it would have to dig through hundreds of meters of sturdy rocks. A rank 6 creature could do it if it put enough effort, but he would be far gone by the time it reached the magma.
The real issue was the stability of the ceiling. The water and magma were in a fragile harmony, and an earthquake could generate an eruption or worse.
Noah had already accepted that he would have to find another way back to the surface when he decided to return. Still, he didn't want even that area to change completely.
Noah knew where he would resurface with that route, but he couldn't say the same if he changed location.
'Now what?' Noah thought as he spread his consciousness to analyze the area. His plan ended there, after founding the tunnel. He didn't know what to expect from that point onward.
Another series of tremors swept the rocky ceiling, and a few large boulders fell through the waters to enter the layers of magma. Trails of bubbles expanded in every direction as soon as the harmony between the two liquids broke, and large black platforms formed everywhere.
It was as if a large patch of the red sea was solidifying right in front of Noah's eyes, creating instabilities that altered that already unstable environment.
Some pillars rose from the magma and swam through the water to move toward the ceiling, creating cracks that tried to reach the seabed. It was only a matter of time before the entire area crumbled.
Noah couldn't help but curse the lizard in his mind as he dived toward the magma. He couldn't let that his only way downward became another layer of rocks. His journey would be over before even starting otherwise.
The dark matter came out of his body to protect him from the magma. Noah dived toward the crimson depths, ignoring the chaos that was spreading around him.
Noah eventually managed to leave the chaotic area behind, and the crimson sea around him returned to a peaceful state. The magma became denser though, which made him feel like he was moving through a scorching jelly.
Nevertheless, his mind was calm. That environment would be deadly for any human cultivator and even from many experts in the fourth rank. Yet, it was nothing worth considering for him. His instincts didn't even react at the dangerousness of the magma.
They did react at some point. Noah was descending slowly now that the lizard's threat was gone, so he didn't fail to notice the signals sent by his consciousness.
Noah stopped and released his aura. The fierce pride of a hybrid in the upper tier of the fifth rank spread through the crimson sea.
Generally speaking, his aura was enough to scare away most magical beasts. However, the beings sensed by his mind didn't seem to mind it and continued their march toward his position.
Noah could see those creatures with his mental waves once they entered in their range. They appeared as large fishes with a black skin that carried metallic properties.
They swam through the magma quickly, and their mouths drank that scorching liquid as if it was nothing more than water. They had sharp fins, which Noah identified as their main offensive method.
That simple inspection made him recognize their species. They were Fire-eater Carps, and there were five of them converging in his direction.
Their level varied among the fifth rank, and two of them were near the peak of the upper tier. Still, it seemed that the Carps had dull senses since they often readjusted their trajectory as they became closer to Noah.
'They probably didn't see prey in centuries,' Noah guessed in his mind as the dark matter around him expanded to take Snore's form.
He didn't want to go all out in that unstable environment. There was a chance that he could cause intense currents that would drive him back on the seabed.
Still, battling against those beasts without unleashing some intense shockwave was impossible. After all, that was a fight among creatures in the fifth rank.
Corrosive smoke came out of Snore's massive body as the Carps neared Noah. The Blood Companion released a wave of black flames before eating one of the weaker creatures with a quick bite.
The snake had formed too quickly for that beast to change direction in time to dodge the attack. Noah had exploited their weak senses as soon as he had the chance.
The black flames burned the magma and spread toward the other Carps. Even that scorching liquid couldn't do anything against the destruction radiated by Noah's attack.
Large patches of empty areas appeared in the red sea, but more magma quickly refilled them. The movement of that immense mass of dense liquid made the environment unstable and spread its effects toward the surface.
Only the two Carps in the upper tier had resisted the black flames, but their metallic skin showed cracks in some spots.
Noah's destruction had reached insane levels of power as his connection with the world of the laws became tighter. His flames had become able to hurt even living beings that lived among magma!
Snore, Noah, and the remaining two Carps exchanged a couple of attacks, but the latter eventually died under his fierce offensive. They didn't manage to land even one attack on him.
The area around him kept on trembling for a while due to the shockwaves still lingering in the area. They reverberated through the red sea before shooting upward, toward the surface.
Noah noticed something strange in their movements. It seemed that the shockwaves vanished when they went downward.
His curiosity peaked at that point, and he resumed his descent at full speed. It didn't take much before his consciousness found a metallic surface that locked the magma in that area.
Its fabric appeared incredibly sturdy, and the material that made it was something that Noah had never seen before. Further inspections revealed that it was more resilient than anything used by the organizations.
Moreover, that black, metallic layer spread for countless kilometers in every direction. It was a proper membrane that isolated the red sea in the area under the seabed.
'Amazing,' Noah thought before exploring the area. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he felt intrigued when he found deep holes in that metallic layer.