I walk sideways in the game world

Chapter 197: Desperate Battle, Artifacts Are Coming

Ren Xiaoyao lay on the scorching rocky ground, his vision blackening. The excruciating pain in his chest burned through his nerves like magma, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He struggled to get up, but found himself in vain, his body seemingly falling apart. Even moving a finger became incredibly difficult.

In his sight, the huge lava beast was approaching step by step. Every step seemed to step on his heart, making him feel suffocated and desperate. The beast's eyes flashed with a cold and ruthless light, as if looking at a prey that had no power to resist.

"Brother Xiaoyao, how are you? Hang in there!" Xia Lin's voice trembled, filled with worry and anxiety. She waved her staff, continuously transforming water spells into streams of cool energy, trying to ease Ren Xiaoyao's injuries.

However, the injuries caused by the volcanic beast were too severe. Even Charlene's treatment could only barely sustain Ren Xiaoyao's life and could not allow him to recover his ability to move in a short time.

"It's useless... cough cough... its power is too strong..." Ren Xiaoyao uttered with difficulty, his voice so hoarse that it was almost inaudible. He looked at the shadow of death approaching step by step, and a deep sense of powerlessness surged in his heart.

"No, Brother Xiaoyao, you can't give up! We must still have a chance!" Xia Lin's voice echoed in Ren Xiaoyao's ears, like a faint light, illuminating his heart that was about to fall into darkness.

"Opportunity... hehe..." Ren Xiaoyao smiled bitterly, the world before his eyes starting to blur. Was this the end for him? He was unwilling to accept this, unwilling to die like this! He still had many things to accomplish, many dreams to realize!

At this moment, he felt a warm touch on the back of his hand. He turned his head with difficulty and saw Xia Lin holding his hand tightly, her eyes firm and persistent.

"Brother Xiaoyao, look at me!" Xia Lin's voice seemed to hold some kind of magic, gradually restoring Ren Xiaoyao's clarity of mind. "Do you still remember our original promise? We were to travel to every corner of the world together, to see the most beautiful scenery, to challenge the strongest enemies! Have you forgotten how many dreams we still have yet to realize?"

Xia Lin's words were like a flash of lightning, instantly splitting the fog in Ren Xiaoyao's heart. Yes, he couldn't fall down yet! He still had promises and dreams! He still wanted to create their future together with Xia Lin!

A glimmer of hope gradually ignited in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. He tried hard to raise his hand, wanting to respond to Xia Lin's encouragement.

"I……"

Seeing Ren Xiaoyao's reaction, Xia Lin's eyes flashed with joy. She knew that Ren Xiaoyao had not given up yet and still wanted to fight!

However, at this moment, the volcanic beast let out a deafening roar, suddenly opened its bloody mouth, and pounced towards Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin...

"Be careful!" Xia Lin exclaimed, the staff in her hand blazing brightly...

"The earth is shaking!" The staff in Xia Lin's hand shone brightly. As she chanted, the ground shook violently. Countless cracks spread like spider webs, trying to stop the volcanic beast.

However, the beast only paused for a moment before crushing the rocks blocking its path with one foot and continuing to advance. Its body was so massive that every movement shook the earth, like a small, moving volcano.

"It's useless. Its power is too strong. We can't stop it at all." Ren Xiaoyao struggled to stand up, but fell to the ground again. He closed his eyes in despair, waiting for death to come.

"No, Brother Xiaoyao, there must be a way!" Xia Lin's voice was filled with determination. She helped Ren Xiaoyao up and scanned the surroundings. "Didn't you say that only those who know your opponent best can defeat it? We don't know enough about it yet!"

Xia Lin's words were like a hammer, hammering down on Ren Xiaoyao's heart. Yes, he'd been so focused on defeating the volcanic beast that he'd neglected to understand it. He struggled to open his eyes, the searing pain causing him to gasp, but he endured the pain and carefully observed the behemoth before him.

The beast's entire body was covered in thick lava armor, impervious to swords and spears, water and fire, with only a hint of dark red muscle visible at its joints. Though its movements seemed clumsy, each step contained immense power, and its speed was incredibly fast, making it impossible to defend against.

"Its weakness...weakness..." Ren Xiaoyao's brain was working rapidly. Suddenly, he noticed that there were obvious cracks on the volcanic rock wall behind the giant beast. These cracks seemed to be formed after the magma cooled.

"I know!" Ren Xiaoyao suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with excitement, "Xia Lin, cover me!"

He struggled to stand up and, ignoring the pain in his body, staggered towards the volcanic rock wall.

"Brother Xiaoyao, what are you going to do?" Xia Lin's heart was full of doubts, but she still chose to believe Ren Xiaoyao. She waved the staff in her hand, and a series of water curtains formed in front of her, blocking the attack of the volcanic beast.

Ren Xiaoyao didn't answer. He gritted his teeth, endured the excruciating pain, and ran towards his goal with all his might. His speed was getting faster and faster, and his figure appeared and disappeared in the volcanic ash and steam, like a black lightning.

"Roar!" The volcanic beast roared angrily. It seemed to have sensed Ren Xiaoyao's intention and took heavy steps to chase after him.

Ren Xiaoyao ran to the volcanic rock wall and turned around suddenly, his eyes flashing with madness. He opened his arms and shouted at the volcanic beast: "Come on, beast! Aren't you very powerful? Come and chase me!"

The volcanic beast was indeed enraged. It roared and rushed towards Ren Xiaoyao.

"Now!" A gleam of light flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes, and he suddenly flashed to the side, avoiding the attack of the giant beast.

The volcanic beast's massive body had no time to turn and crashed headfirst into the rock wall...

"Rumble..."

A violent explosion sounded, and the entire volcano seemed to tremble...

"You think..." Ren Xiaoyao looked at the volcanic monster buried by the falling rocks, a sneer on his face, but before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a strong heat wave coming from behind him...

The earth shook, and boulders crumbled. A volcanic beast, buried beneath the falling rocks, emerged unscathed from the rubble, its magma-like fury blazing from its crimson eyes. Clearly, Ren Xiaoyao's provocative tactics had infuriated it, yet also sent it into a frenzy.

"Damn it! How come it's not hurt at all!" Ren Xiaoyao's face was pale. The violent explosion made his already injured body worse. The running just now almost exhausted all his strength.

"Roar!" The volcanic monster roared and spewed a stream of hot lava towards Ren Xiaoyao.

"Brother Xiaoyao, be careful!" Xia Lin exclaimed, and waved the staff in her hand. A huge water curtain appeared out of thin air, blocking Ren Xiaoyao.

"Fuck-"

Water and fire collided, instantly transforming into a cloud of steam. Xia Lin groaned, her delicate body thrown back several steps by the immense force.

The volcanic beast ignored Xia Lin. Its scarlet eyes were fixed on Ren Xiaoyao, as if it had determined that he was the real threat. It took heavy steps, advancing towards Ren Xiaoyao, each step causing the ground to tremble violently.

"Brother Xiaoyao, hurry up! I'll stop it!" Xia Lin stood in front of Ren Xiaoyao, the staff in her hand shining brightly, ready to do her best to stop the volcanic beast.

"No! You are no match for it!" Ren Xiaoyao reached out and grabbed Xia Lin, trying to take her away from the danger zone.

"Don't worry about me! Go away! This is our only hope!" Xia Lin shook off Ren Xiaoyao's hand and rushed towards the volcanic monster resolutely.

"Xia Lin!" Ren Xiaoyao's eyes were bloodshot. He knew that Xia Lin was using her life to buy time for him.

Xia Lin's petite figure seemed insignificant in front of the massive volcanic beast, but she showed no fear. The staff in her hand turned into a series of afterimages, and the water elements gathered around her to form waterspouts, attacking the volcanic beast frantically.

The volcanic monster was enraged by Charlene's attack. It roared continuously and waved its huge magma arms to dissolve Charlene's attacks one by one.

"Xia Lin, come back!" Ren Xiaoyao was extremely anxious. He knew that if this continued, Xia Lin would surely die.

"Brother Xiaoyao, you must survive..." Xia Lin's voice came intermittently, and her figure had been swallowed by the magma flames of the volcanic beast.

"No!" Ren Xiaoyao let out a heart-wrenching roar, his eyes turned blood red in an instant, and a powerful force awakened in his body.

"Roar--"

In response, the volcanic beast roared in triumph. It slowly retracted its massive lava arms, leaving only scorched marks on the ground. Where was Charlene?

Ren Xiaoyao stood there blankly, letting the sadness and anger overwhelm him.

"No, I can't give up. I still have to look for..."

He forced himself to calm down. Xia Lin's sacrifice was to buy him time, and he must not let her down. Ren Xiaoyao took a deep breath, endured the excruciating pain, and took a determined step towards the depths of the volcano, where the artifact might be...

The volcanic behemoth seemed to have lost interest in the tiny human in front of it. It glanced arrogantly in the direction where Charlene disappeared, then turned around, took heavy steps, and slowly left, returning to its nest in the lava.

Ren Xiaoyao finally had a chance to catch his breath. He stumbled a few steps, holding onto a boulder, gasping for air. His vision was blurry, his ears were buzzing, but he still held on, knowing that now was not the time to collapse.

He stared at the direction the volcanic beast had left, his eyes filled with hatred and sadness, but more so with a sense of determination. He clenched his fists, convinced that Charlene's sacrifice couldn't be in vain. He had to find the artifact to live up to her.

He looked around. The scene inside the volcano was like hell, with scorching lava flowing beneath his feet and the air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur. But he could no longer care about that. Using the map he had obtained, he confirmed the direction where the artifact might be located and then walked in without hesitation.

The road ahead was even more difficult to navigate. The ground was covered with cracks of varying sizes, and from time to time, lava would erupt from the ground. The air was also getting increasingly hot, as if it was scorching people.

With his unwavering willpower, Ren Xiaoyao overcame unimaginable difficulties and continued to move forward. He didn't know how long he had been walking, nor where he was, but he knew he had to find the artifact.

Suddenly, he felt a powerful energy wave coming from the front. This energy wave made him feel palpitations, but also filled him with hope. He knew that he was getting closer and closer to the artifact.

He quickened his pace, passed through a long and narrow passage, and the view in front of him suddenly opened up.

It was a vast lava lake, scorching magma swirling on its surface, emitting suffocating heat waves. In the center of the lava lake stood a towering altar, and above the altar, a ball of light emitting dazzling light hovered.

That ball of light was exactly the artifact that Ren Xiaoyao had been searching for!

Ren Xiaoyao was ecstatic, he finally found it!

But at this moment, he suddenly felt that the air around him became a little strange, and an inexplicable sense of oppression came from all directions.

He suddenly raised his head, glanced around, and then his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Who is it?!" he shouted in a low voice, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

All that responded to him was dead silence, with only the sound of magma roiling, echoing in the empty cave...