Queen Medusa in Pursuit

Rabbit Wanes, Crow Sinks. A new day began.

Qing Lin had already awakened from her deep sleep, full of energy, with all her depleted strength restored. She was currently playing with the new "toy" she had gotten last night, thoroughly enjoying herself.

The shrunken Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had completely lost the majesty of a Fourth-Tier Magical Beast. With its injuries not yet healed, it chose to lie flat completely, allowing the girl to twist it into all sorts of shapes without any ability to resist.

"Young Master, help it pick a name."

"Ahem, names aren't important. Besides, you're its Master now. Something this meaningful should be decided by you. Or you can wait until it evolves in the future, when its intelligence greatly improves, and let it name itself."

Chen Guan refused without even thinking.

He knew himself well. No more pretending—he was terrible at naming things.

Feeling that his words made some sense, the girl stopped pressing him and pondered it quietly to herself.

"All right, Qing Lin. There's no rush to name it. Communicate with the Fire Spirit Snake first and have it take me to the Green Lotus Core Flame."

The little girl had recovered, so it was time to handle proper business.

While Qing Lin communicated with the Fire Spirit Snake, Chen Guan had the few soldiers guarding this place return to Shimo City first and thank Old General Huang on his behalf.

After obtaining the Green Lotus Core Flame, he would definitely need to find somewhere to devour it. He had no time to return to the City Lord's Mansion.

After seeing the soldiers off, the four of them entered the underground world once more.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's body rapidly expanded. Bathed in the magma, even its injuries healed a little faster. It was somewhat resistant to the young man approaching, but it could not defy Qing Lin's orders.

"Young Master, be careful."

Seeing the young man step onto the Fire Spirit Snake's head in preparation to depart, the little girl stepped forward and called out, her voice filled with concern.

Diving into the magma looked incredibly dangerous.

Wang Yan and His Brother were worried as well, though nowhere near as much as Qing Lin. They understood the young man's strength and temperament well. If things went wrong, he would retreat, so his safety should be guaranteed.

Of course, that was also because Chen Guan had not clearly explained the danger of Heavenly Flames to them.

"Don't worry. Just wait here at ease. I'll act according to the situation. Whatever happens, don't come down looking for me."

With a confident smile, Chen Guan covered his entire body in Dou Qi Armor Transformation, lightly stepped on the Fire Spirit Snake's head, and dove into the magma with it.

Dou Qi Armor Transformation was not all-powerful. The damage it could withstand was extremely limited. As the Fire Spirit Snake dove deeper, the Dou Qi armor became increasingly precarious, at risk of shattering at any moment.

Chen Guan silently circulated Dou Qi across the surface of his body, isolating the scorching magma's assault. This was extremely draining. If he had not switched to a Di Tier cultivation method, he would not have dared descend so casually. Once his reserves were exhausted, the consequences would be unimaginable.

They dove deeper and deeper, and the consumption grew ever greater. Even the color of the magma began to change, carrying a striking hint of green.

At this depth, even the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, which lived by devouring magma, felt the pressure, let alone an ordinary human.

Chen Guan continuously maintained his Dou Qi, and the consumption became increasingly terrifying. His current state was no less taxing than constantly using the Profound Tier Dou Technique, Fleeting Beauty.

"Fortunately, I prepared enough pills."

Taking pills while pouring out Dou Qi, he dove for several more minutes. At last, a dense mass of green light entered his view, hanging there like an inverted jade bowl.

Chen Guan released his Spiritual Power to investigate. A green lotus flower swayed within it, and the terrifying heat prevented even his spiritual senses from approaching in fine detail.

The Green Lotus Core Flame! Born deep within the earth, it underwent countless refinements, fusions, compressions, and carvings by the earth's flames. Ten years for spirit, a hundred years for form, a thousand years for a lotus. Upon reaching maturity, its color leaned toward green, and a cluster of green flame would grow within its lotus heart. It was called the Green Lotus Flame, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame! Chen Guan's gaze involuntarily burned with heat, but it was soon drawn to the Fire Spirit Snake trembling slightly beneath his feet. It feared the Heavenly Flame.

"Wait here for me."

With Qing Lin present, there was absolutely no possibility of the Fire Spirit Snake taking the chance to flee. Chen Guan was very assured about that.

After swallowing another two pills, Chen Guan increased his Dou Qi output and entered the green barrier of light.

He had thought the temperature inside would be even higher, but to his surprise, within the green light, the temperature was lower rather than higher, roughly equivalent to how it had felt when he first entered the magma.

Paying it no mind, Chen Guan slowly approached the green "lotus flower." It was crystalline and Natural and Seamless, like the most flawless work of art in the world.

Beneath this "lotus flower" was a Lotus Platform two or three feet in size, densely covered in many tiny holes. Within every hole was a lotus seed.

Below the Lotus Platform were roots and tendrils. It was by crazily absorbing the surrounding Fire Attribute Dou Qi Energy year after year that it had formed the Green Lotus Core Flame.

After admiring it for a moment, Chen Guan reluctantly withdrew his gaze. Taking out a Jade Ruler, he lightly sliced along the bottom of the Lotus Platform, removing it together with the Green Lotus Core Flame, leaving behind only the roots and tendrils.

When taking such a spiritual treasure, one had to leave it a chance at life. He understood the rules of the Dou Qi Continent.

Bound by the Lotus Platform, the Green Lotus Core Flame did not erupt and remained quiet.

Still, Chen Guan did not dare risk storing it in his storage ring. He simply held the Lotus Platform in one hand as he left.

"Two-Headed Snake, let's go." Chen Guan jumped onto the Fire Spirit Snake's head, in excellent spirits.

The journey back was countless times easier than the descent. Perhaps because he carried some of the Green Lotus Core Flame, the surrounding magma could not approach him at all, and the previous terrifying consumption was gone.

Outside, Qing Lin and the Wang Brothers had grown anxious from waiting. Fortunately, the little girl could sense that nothing had happened to the Fire Spirit Snake, allowing her to indirectly confirm that the young man should be fine as well. She had not rashly gone down to search for him.

"Young Master is back!"

Suddenly, Qing Lin cried out in delight, making the two brothers somewhat doubtful.

Before they could ask, accompanied by the Fire Spirit Snake's hiss, man and snake burst out of the magma.

"Young Master!" x3 The three of them hurried forward. The boulder weighing on their hearts finally fell away, and their gazes were quickly drawn to the Lotus Platform Chen Guan held in his hand.

Was this the Green Lotus Core Flame?

The Heavenly Flame was already in hand, and Chen Guan desperately wanted to devour it. For now, he had no time to explain.

"You two take Qing Lin and stay in Qingshan Town for a while. Once I've devoured the Heavenly Flame, I'll come find you."

The two brothers nodded in agreement.

"Young Master."

The little girl was reluctant to part with him. She did not want to be separated from him, but she also sensibly understood that she could not follow along and cause trouble. She was a little dejected.

"Be good. Once I deal with the Heavenly Flame, I'll come find you."

After giving the three of them his instructions, Chen Guan did not linger. He was the first to leave the underground, took out the First Divine General under his command, and hurried onward at full speed.

His destination: the Magical Beast Mountain Range! In the entire Jia Ma Empire, was there anywhere safer than his teacher's place? Fortunately, it was daytime, so Chen Guan holding up the Lotus Platform did not stand out. If he had traveled at night, he would have looked like a walking electrocardiogram.

Just as Chen Guan left the desert, a bewitching graceful figure appeared in the underground world.

"Was I beaten to it?"