Underground

The afternoon proved even more productive than the morning—Xiao Yan refined a Fifth Grade Pill.

This Fifth Grade Pill was the next stage of the Body Tempering Pill. Unlike the previous eight, which could be consumed regardless of one's attribute, Fifth Grade Pills onward branched into six types according to one's Dou Qi attribute: fire, wood, earth, water, wind, and lightning.

Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, and Xiao Lan were all fire-attributed, so Xiao Yan had gathered more than twenty sets of Medicinal Herbs according to the fire-attribute Pill Recipe while in the Beast Mountain Range.

This fire-attribute Body Tempering Pill was not particularly difficult to refine, ranking only around the middle among Fifth Grade Pills. However, it consumed a great deal of Medicinal Herbs, so Xiao Yan spent the entire afternoon refining just one.

As night fell, Xiao Yan quietly slipped back into the room.

To his surprise, Qing Lin was still there. Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin seemed to be chatting about something.

"This is the Second Grade Pill Foundation Building Spirit Liquid. Add a few drops to water when you soak in it, and it can increase your cultivation speed." Xiao Yan took out a Jade Bottle and handed it to Qing Lin.

"Thank you for your reward, Young Master." Qing Lin timidly tucked the Jade Bottle into her bosom and hid it away, her eyes full of longing.

Xiao Yan patted Qing Lin on the head. "Go cultivate!"

"Yes, Young Master."

Qing Lin tiptoed away and even closed the door behind her, leaving only Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian in the room.

Late at night, alone in a room, a man and a woman with feelings for each other—the atmosphere instantly turned intimate.

"Don't worry. I'll just hold you while we sleep. I won't do anything improper."

"Mm..." (〃ω)

And so, Xiao Yan got into bed and fell asleep.

"..."

Since Xiao Yan had arrived before Medusa, Qing Lin had yet to notice any trace of Medusa. Therefore, there was no need for her help in finding the Heavenly Flames.

Precisely because of this, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group spent a full two weeks locating the underground passage—though it was only a circle on the map, the actual area it covered was quite vast.

They had only managed to find it within two weeks because Xiao Ding had a sudden idea: he had the mercenaries investigate places where fire-attributed World Energy was active at night. Desert nights were very cold, making areas with active fire-attributed World Energy exceptionally conspicuous.

Over those two weeks, Xiao Yan also used his daily pill refining to convert most of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's assets into easily portable pills.

With such a distinguished Alchemist as Xiao Yan present, when Xiao Ding and Xiao Li proposed leaving Stone Desert City for Wutan City, almost none of the mercenaries chose to leave the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

Thus, a mercenary force numbering several hundred followed the two Da Dou Shi out of Stone Desert City. Meanwhile, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin rode Xiao Lan through the skies, watching over the group.

After seeing off the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, Xiao Yan no longer had anything to worry about. Carrying the Heavy Black Ruler on his back, he entered the excavated passage.

"Teacher, can you sense any Heavenly Flames here?" Xiao Yan cautiously explored the passage as he asked Old Yao.

"There's a direction with an intense scorching aura. It should be magma. If there are Heavenly Flames here, they're most likely within the magma." Old Yao offered a reminder, then pointed out the direction of the magma.

Xiao Yan headed in the direction Old Yao indicated. He had not forgotten that there was also a Fourth Rank Magical Beast, the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake, here.

Although the Jade Snake Three-flower Pupils had an extremely strong restraining effect on snake-type Magical Beasts, Qing Lin's strength was far too low. Moreover, the method of awakening it seemed to involve a fair amount of luck, so Xiao Yan had not brought Qing Lin along.

After all, Xiao Yan was now a Dou Ling. With a large supply of pills and quite a few high-rank Magical Cores in hand, he was not worried about failing to entice the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake.

After advancing through the underground passage for several minutes, the Dou Qi within Xiao Yan's body grew increasingly active. The Flame Mantra even began circulating on its own without being activated, displaying the extraordinary nature of this place.

Xiao Yan slowed his breathing and quickened his pace, arriving at the end of the passage.

Before him lay a vast cavern. Crimson magma flowed ceaselessly through it, illuminating this Underground World.

"An environment like this could indeed give birth to a Heavenly Flame."

Old Yao's voice sounded in his mind. Perhaps because the Bone Spirit Cold Flame had reacted slightly, Old Yao became even more certain that a Heavenly Flame existed here.

With a thought from Xiao Yan, the Purple Crystal Wings sprang from his back. As his Dou Qi circulated, a thin layer of purple crystal covered his entire body, shielding him from the violent fire-attributed World Energy and the waves of heat rushing toward him.

Xiao Yan released his Soul Perception Power, but found nothing. He could only ask for help. "Teacher, can you sense any living creatures here?"

"Why not use something fire-attributed as bait and find out?" Old Yao's voice carried a hint of amusement, clearly having noticed something.

Xiao Yan considered this, then took out a Third Grade Pill, the Ancestral Return Pill. It was a pill recorded in that Magical Beast Rearing Manual, capable of allowing a Magical Beast to awaken a trace of its ancestors' top-tier bloodline.

Xiao Yan opened the Jade Bottle and flicked his finger. The Third Grade Pill traced an arc through the air before falling toward the magma.

Just as the Ancestral Return Pill was about to be incinerated by the magma, a massive figure flashed past, swallowed the pill, and sank back into the magma.

"So there really is something here..."

Xiao Yan smiled and directly took out the Magical Core of that Fifth Rank Fire Attribute Snake Magical Beast. He refined it slightly with Beast Flame, causing it to emit its proper Energy Fluctuation.

"I came here to search for the Heavenly Flames. With your intelligence, I believe you know what Heavenly Flames are. As long as you are willing to lead me to them, this Magical Core will be yours."

Xiao Yan held the Magical Core in his hand, prepared for a fight—he was a human, and he had made it obvious that he possessed plenty of valuable things. If he were weak, he would be nothing more than a fat sheep delivered to the door.

Only by proving that he possessed formidable strength, while the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake desired the Magical Core in his hand, could the two possibly establish a partnership.

Sure enough, the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake did not emerge at all. It directly sprayed a massive pillar of magma from within the lava at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan sensed it briefly and found that the magma was not particularly powerful. He remained where he stood and took the attack head-on.

The magma pillar struck Xiao Yan solidly. The purple crystal layer formed by the Purple Crystal Wings continuously thinned beneath the impact of the magma, only to be continuously reinforced by Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.

However, the magma pillar had no follow-up. In the end, Xiao Yan blocked it without suffering any injury.

"Even with the help of the environment, you are no match for me. At most, you can use your familiarity with the terrain to escape from me," Xiao Yan said flatly.

After Xiao Yan waited a few more breaths, a massive figure emerged from the magma.

The figure was at least four or five zhang long, its body covered in palm-sized crimson scales. At the fork in this Magical Beast's long neck grew two ferocious heads, both currently glaring at him with enormous diamond-shaped pupils filled with killing intent and wariness.