Tower of Heaven

BOOOOOOOM!

The fire and lava that spewed everywhere blended in well with the scenery of Alfros. It helped that the surrounding mountains were slowly being brought down, making the environment more monotone.

Atlas stood on the Hell Guardian's neck and looked out upon it.

BANG!

A huge hand slammed down, creating a great displacement that threatened to throw him back to the floor, but that was exactly the moment he'd been waiting for.

"Hup!"

He leapt onto the hand and started running.

[Astral Step]

Whoosh!

His straight-line speed reached an all-time high, allowing him to reach the wrist in just seconds. The instant he felt the guardian's hand hinging, he jumped once more.

His eyes looked directly forward. The line he followed led into the guardian's mouth, but he didn't falter.

If he wanted to do any kind of damage, he had to get inside of its body. This was the conclusion he came to.

Its defenses were simply too strong. If even its physical strength and massive impacts couldn't cause real damage, then what could he do?

'It's not that I can't break through, but I certainly can't do so in the midst of battle.'

In the end, there was only one option left. He had to find the source of this entity's life force and attack it directly.

The Hell Guardian didn't have time to react to his approach. He reached it before it could speak and throw him away. His body charged towards the yellowish-orange light within its mouth, and–

Bang!

His body slammed against an invisible wall.

"Tch!"

Without another thought, Atlas rapidly jumped out of the guardian's mouth cavity and rushed up its face.

[You are quick.]

RUMBLE!

He barely managed to avoid the rumbling voice. He scaled the guardian's face as if it were the side of a cliff, grabbing every ledge he could find.

It couldn't easily attack him in its current position. It no longer brought its hand to him nor did it use fire in any meaningful way. Its voice, however, continued to cause deep rumbling in the surroundings.

[You are finding your way.]

As it spoke, it raised its massive leg and took a step forward.

[However, it will not be so easy.]

BOOOOOOOM!

As its foot slammed into the ground, the entire world shook. In the very far distance, several Phoenixes were forced to divert their attention to the source of the massive sound.

Atlas swayed back and forth, keeping his footing only through the use of qi.

"Khhhh…!"

He kept his teeth clenched tightly and moved up. He climbed for several tens of meters before he reached the guardian's eyes.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

He expected to hit another invisible wall, but he didn't leave this one alone. He struck it multiple times and tried to break through, but to no avail.

XIU! XIU! XIU! XIU!

At that moment, several more rivers of lava flew out of its crown. They swerved through the air with Atlas as their only target, but they helped him more than they endangered him.

'The top is the only way.'

He planted his foot in the guardian's eye socket and shot into the air. [Astral Step] kept him there. One step after another, he turned into a blur in the sky.

XIU! XIU! XIU!

The lava rivers chased him, but what could they do? Unlike before, Atlas had a clear goal. He rushed through their onslaught and flew high into the air, high enough that he could see inside of the guardian's crown.

It was exactly as he expected.

The pool of lava it had been carrying when it was a volcano. It was bound to be hotter and deadlier than ordinary lava.

'However, that means nothing to me.'

That wasn't going to make him hesitate.

In that moment, Atlas removed all of the qi he was using to keep himself suspended in the air.

And, he plummeted directly into the lava lake.

BANG!

His body made a solid sound as it slammed into the liquid and then submerged within.

Flame qi invaded his body from every direction, burning him alive. At the same time, the water qi in his own body became colder and colder as it desperately fought back.

Atlas comprehended water and water alone, however, in response to the sudden influx of stimuli, his qi was automatically starting to transform into something else.

The cold qi that filled his veins was the only reason he was able to survive, even if he didn't directly plan its intervention.

His body and mind were disconnected from the force of the impact. His eyes rolled back in his head and his mind went blank as his body was forced to instinctively combat his surroundings.

Lava smothered him from every direction. He sank lower and lower into its surface as he tried his hardest to grasp his mind.

"—-!"

His voice refused to leave his throat.

He thrashed around mentally, but his body remained absolutely still.

It was as if he was watching himself drown from above. He watched as his body lit aflame before suddenly turning purple. His dantian responded, the sprout growing in its middle growing slightly. An icy aura started to decorate the space and with every passing second, the cold qi became stronger and stronger.

'Focus.'

He couldn't panic. He had to be calm.

'Cold qi.'

His voice still refused to leave his throat, but he pushed for it regardless. He focused on the cold qi alone, his mind concentrating until he could feel its icy aura.

And with it, he felt heat as well.

The two forces collided in his body, destroying and healing his systems in turn.

'I need control.'

He had to take control right now and calm the situation, otherwise, his body would break.

'Control.'

Control was what he strived for. He took every step of cultivation slowly and methodically in order to have complete control over his strength.

His mind and body were always acting as one. They had their own weaknesses, but those weaknesses could not interfere with the connection.

He saw himself falling towards the absolute depths of the lava pool. It was almost as if he could see the dark barrier that separated it from what was below.

He focused as hard as he could. He felt his own body, he felt his own pain, and–

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Atlas' voice broke free. He screamed in agony, but he placed so much qi into that agony that it blew away all of the lava around him.

His eyes opened wide. He took in the situation within a second. He pressed his hand to his chest and rapidly employed wood qi to heal himself. Your journey continues with empire

Cold, heat, and vitality intermingled inside of him, causing what should have been a chaotic scene, however, that was when it happened.

A stellar blue light leapt out of Atlas' body and enveloped him. The energies within him reached equilibrium, and from equilibrium, he already had the means to seize momentum.

He felt his body falling back into his control. The coldness in his bones finally balanced out all of the heat that had invaded his body, and he could once again move.

He pushed, breaking past the final barrier. He could see the lava pool above him as his body fell into a dark abyss within the Hell Guardian's body.

This was it. From within, he could actually do damage to the entity that seemed untouchable.

Atlas was not going to miss this chance.