Soul Land V: Rebirth of Tang San

On one side of the cave, there was a path that was slightly elevated. Tang San disembarked from the boat and, led by Elder Huo Xing, proceeded forward. Turning into a fork in the road, they continued to travel downward.

Because the surrounding walls were all golden-red, there was no need for any other light source. As they descended, the air was not thin, but rather rich in oxygen.

After passing through two caves in succession, and descending about five hundred meters diagonally, Elder Huo Xing stopped at an exit.

Tang San came to its side and immediately witnessed an extraordinary sight.

Within his field of vision, to his surprise, everything was bathed in a peculiar golden-red hue.

This was a city situated at the bottom of the sea, and its scale was quite impressive. Although it couldn't compare with the main cities on the Demon Monster Land, it was at least about one-fourth the size of one. Next to the volcano and deep beneath the sea, constructing such a grand city was an extraordinary feat! Within the city, one could even see the existence of lakes, except these "lakes" contained not water, but scorching magma.

The buildings within the city were almost all made of stone, mostly dark-red, and the immense cave itself emitted a faint golden-red glow, providing ample light for the city interior.

"This is truly a magical place," Tang San couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Elder Huo Xing smiled and said, "This is our Fire God City. Please, esteemed guest." While speaking, it led the way, continuing to descend the staircase. There were hundreds of such caves that served as entrances to the Fire God City. Judging by the size of the city, the Huoli Clan must have at least a population of over a million.

Tang San was now fairly certain that the Huoli Clansmen were the true core of the Huoli Clan; they could survive on land, whereas those living within the Magma Red Sea were relatively lower-ranking among the Huoli Clan.

Within Fire God City, almost none other than fire elements existed. Without a doubt, this was the most suitable place for the Huoli Clan to live. In such an environment, it was inevitable for fire attribute abilities to be powerful. Without sufficient strength, one could not survive in this world of extreme temperatures.

Descending the stairs, Elder Huo Xing said, "Esteemed guest, I will have Huo Zhao take you to rest first. Our Fire God ceremony is about to begin. For our clan, this is the most significant festival. I must report to the patriarch first and will come back later to take you to attend our grand celebration."

Tang San nodded and replied, "Sure, please go ahead with your duties."

Elder Huo Xing swiftly departed, and Huo Zhao hurried forward, leading Tang San into the Fire God City.

Fire God City was vast. Upon entering, Tang San could see Huoli Clansmen everywhere who occasionally cast curious looks his way. However, they seemed quite bold and showed no signs of wariness, rejection, or fear due to him not being from their clan. Clearly, they had seen visitors from Foreign Races more than once.

Tang San asked Huo Zhao, "Do you often have visitors from Foreign Races here?"

Huo Zhao shook his head and replied, "Not often. But it happens occasionally. Only those races that we acknowledge can have the chance to visit our Fire God City. When the Elder welcomed you just now, your presence had already been accepted. Otherwise, you would not have been brought here and would have been asked to leave the Magma Red Sea."

Tang San asked with curiosity, "Then what are your standards for recognition?"

Huo Zhao answered, "One must not be rejected by the Fire God and must at least possess affinity with fire elements. This is the standard of our Huoli Clan. Only beings with affinity for fire elements can survive in the Magma Red Sea, and to come to our Fire God City, they need to have a certain level of strength; otherwise, it would be harming them."

Tang San nodded and said, "That makes sense." Indeed, without sufficient strength, it would be impossible to reach this place. To survive in this world full of fire elements, if one's Cultivation base was insufficient, they would be corroded by fire elements immediately—and the fire poison here was no laughing matter.

Huoli Clansmen are generally taller than Humans, and most have good-looking appearances. Their clothing tends to be revealing, with the males mostly wearing just shorts, their fair skin adorned with various strange patterns, the stark contrast of white skin and the red patterns making them appear quite extraordinary.

The females are slightly better dressed, though they only cover the essential parts. These Huoli Clan girls are all beautiful, with slender and upright figures. Most of them have pinkish eyes. Walking on the streets, the sounds of laughter that frequently can be heard are mostly from female Huoli Clansmen. It seems that they are all in high spirits due to the upcoming celebration.

By observing, Tang San found that Fire God City has many similarities with the cities in Demon Monster Land, including establishments similar to shops. However, there were no restaurants for dining or inns. Yet, there were shops that sold goods.

Although Tang San was interested in checking out these shops' offerings, being new to the place, he followed Huo Zhao deeper into the city.

The closer to the center of the city, the larger the buildings became. Huo Zhao brought Tang San to a tall building and said, "This is where our clan welcomes guests. All those who come are lodged here. Please wait here for a while."

Tang San nodded, "As the host desires, Captain Huo Zhao's arrangements will do."

The Guest Reception Building had three floors, all made of stone. Upon entering, two Huoli Clan women came forward to greet them, and Huo Zhao gave them a few instructions. The two Huoli women's gaze immediately fell on Tang San, their curiosity mixed with unmistakable laughter.

Huo Zhao came next to Tang San and smiled, "They are very curious about you. After all, you are the first Human to come here. Seeing you confirms that the Spirit Monsters from Rihchen Empire were right, Humans really do look a lot like us. If you changed your hair and eye color to red, there would hardly be a difference. They are saying you're handsome, and wonder if you are also here to participate in our Fire God Festival."

Tang San smiled, "Indeed, seeing you all feels quite familiar. After all, we do look quite similar in appearance."

The two Huoli Clan girls had already approached, gesturing for Tang San to follow them.

Tang San nodded to them and followed them up to the second floor.

The room arranged for Tang San was about forty square meters, without any facilities like a bathroom, leaving Tang San unsure how the Huoli Clansmen dealt with their physiological needs or if they even had such concerns at all.

The room had only a bed, not even a table, but it did have windows that allowed a view outside.

"Esteemed guest, please rest here," said one of the Huoli girls with a giggly smile, her gaze bold and not at all timid despite him being a Foreign Race.

Tang San smiled and nodded in acknowledgment, "Thank you for the trouble."

The two girls left, closing the door behind them.

Tang San approached the window and looked out. Without needing to use his divine consciousness, he could feel that the Huoli Clan was very lively. Fire God City was filled with a passionate atmosphere, all related to the upcoming celebration. He hadn't expected his timing to be so perfect.

This truly was a magical place, and he was curious about what the Fire God Festival would be like, an experience to look forward to.

Ever since arriving at Magma Red Sea, Tang San had been continuously enlightened. Here, all the Huoli Clansmen rely on fire elements for their existence. Their talents also stem from the pure fire elements. This is an exceptional situation, as the essence of fire elements is quite potent, enabling the Huoli Clansmen to form a Heart of Elements, which in turn strengthens their own being.

What Huo Zhao mentioned about a Foreign Race coming to Magma Red Sea being affinity and assimilated by the fire elements was likely the process of forming a Heart of Elements. With his Cultivation base, of course, Tang San wouldn't be affected, but if a weak member of the Sea Clan accidentally enters the Magma Red Sea, they would either have to return to the Endless Blue Ocean, or become assimilated by the fire elements here, becoming part of it and acquiring a Heart of Elements.