Advancing to Dou Zong

After sitting for what seemed like a long time, the White-clothed Elder opened his eyes and spoke.

"Sigh, how much time has passed? There's still no movement underground. I wonder how long we'll have to take turns keeping watch."

"What's the rush? Breaking through to the Dou Zong isn't so easy. It's normal for it to be in seclusion for a while. There's nothing wrong with staying here. The Fire Attribute Energy here is abundant, making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort," the Black-clothed Elder said, slowly opening his eyes.

"Haha, you're right. However, the Fire Attribute Energy here contains a lot of Violent Force, and it will take a long time to remove it. It's hard to imagine what the situation is like underground. Only Xiao Ming would dare to go down there to break through. I would never do that."

The two elders were chatting, their voices carrying underground through the cave entrance.

In the Underground Lava World, the elders' conversation had long since faded away.

This is a desolate world, possessing only scorching red magma and the black smoke released when the magma churns.

The environment here remains unchanged; time seems to lose its meaning here.

High up on the rock face where it meets the lava, a hidden cave entrance is faintly visible.

A White-clothed Youth sat upright within, his eyes closed.

After an unknown amount of time, the boy's aura suddenly surged, and a powerful aura emanated from the cave, spreading outwards to the Lava World outside the cave, causing that area to tremble.

The fiery red magma churned even more violently, with wisps of black smoke drifting everywhere. Suddenly, as if the energy within the magma was being drawn in, streams of magma, each half a meter in size, shot straight into the sky, then crashed against the top of the rocks and scattered, making this Lava World seem as if a rain of magma was falling.

Lava rain poured down from the top of the rock, enveloping the entire red world, with a constant crackling sound.

Seemingly because he heard the noise, Xiao Ming slowly opened his eyes, and a glint of light flashed in his dark pupils.

"I've finally broken through to the Dou Zong. I don't even know how much time has passed," Xiao Ming said, his voice a little hoarse as he opened his eyes.

Most people go through a relatively long period of adjustment before they can truly reach the One-star Dou Zong Dou Zong. The energy of the Fallen Heart Flame is more than enough to break through to the Dou Zong realm. However, in order to consolidate his realm and accelerate his adjustment to the Dou Zong realm, Xiao Ming stayed in this energy-rich world for a few more days.

Time is inherently difficult to discern in the Lava World, so Xiao Ming also had no idea how much time had passed.

However, Xiao Ming did not dwell on this matter. He slowly stood up, walked to the edge of the cave entrance, and walked straight into the void without stopping.

Xiao Ming did not have wings appear on his back, yet he walked in the void as if by magic, with faint ripples appearing under his feet as he took steps.

Walking in the Void! This is the hallmark of Dou Zong powerhouse!

The Dou Zong is the true watershed for the strong on the continent. Only those who successfully step into this level possess the basic conditions to thrive throughout the entire continent. Xiao Ming has reached this level at such a young age, and his achievements can be said to place him among the top group of people outside of the Ancient Clan.

In the Lava World, red magma rain continued to fall, but the rain curtain would automatically dissipate when it reached half a zhang around Xiao Ming, as if an invisible barrier existed around him.

Looking at the lava that was spewing up everywhere, drawn by his own aura, Xiao Ming frowned, and then another extremely powerful aura surged from his body, spreading outwards in all directions.

Soon, the Lava World returned to its former tranquility.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming nodded in satisfaction, and then stood still in mid-air.

If someone were standing nearby, they would definitely be curious about the special meaning behind Xiao Ming's behavior.

Xiao Ming's actions actually have two meanings.

First, he was observing the condition inside his body.

After carefully sensing his surroundings, Xiao Ming discovered that his body had undergone an almost Shedding Mortal Flesh and Exchanging Bones change.

Those meridians were not only more than ten times wider than before, but also had a faint Dou Qi Crystal Layer outside the meridians and even the bones, constantly emitting a faint glow.

He clenched his fist slightly, then threw a punch without any fancy moves. The space around his fist immediately distorted, and a deep, ear-piercing sonic boom, like muffled thunder, echoed in the Underground World. This simple and unremarkable punch was several times more powerful than when Xiao Ming used his full strength to Profound Tier Dou Technique!

Secondly, Xiao Ming was waiting for the Venerable Tian Huo in the Lava World to summon the Fallen Heart Flame that he had refined.

Now that he has refined the Fallen Heart Flame of the Jia Nan Academy, he needs to return a smaller Fallen Heart Flame as agreed.

This Heart Flame is naturally the seedling in the hands of Venerable Tian Huo; he couldn't possibly draw upon his own Heavenly Flame Origin, could he?

However, to try to find the Venerable Tian Huo in the endless Lava World without guidance is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Only when Venerable Tian Huo actively summons the Fallen Heart Flame can Xiao Ming accurately locate Venerable Tian Huo.

Fortunately, after Xiao Ming finished refining the Fallen Heart Flame, he was able to sense the inexplicable calling from the Depths of the Lava from time to time, so he didn't have to worry about the Venerable Tian Huo not guiding him.

After a moment of silence in the sky, not sensing any summons, Xiao Ming frowned. Just as he was about to return to the cave he had carved out to rest, he suddenly lowered his head, a smile appearing in his eyes, and stared intently at the surface of the magma, as if trying to see through it.

"Has it been summoned again?"

He took out a sword from his Na Ring, then flicked his sleeve, and the sword transformed into a black shadow that shot out and finally slammed into the mountain wall above. The powerful force caused the sword to penetrate several feet deep into the mountain wall, leaving only the hilt sticking out.

Xiao Ming imprinted a Soul Imprint onto the sword; this would serve as his guide. The bottom of the lava was shrouded in mist, its depth unknown, and the lava itself was incredibly viscous and vast. If one were to recklessly wander into it, who knew where one would end up to return to the surface?

This is not like the last time when I obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame; I had a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake as a guide.

If he wanders around aimlessly, he might end up getting further and further away from safety. But with a landmark sensor, even if he encounters something amiss, Xiao Ming can quickly and accurately find the right route and escape.

After doing all this, Xiao Ming let out a soft breath. Invisible flames slowly surged from his body, eventually enveloping his entire body. This magma was the birthplace of the Fallen Heart Flame, so it was best to use the Fallen Heart Flame as protection, which would also reduce his energy consumption.

"Thump!"

Once the flames completely enveloped his body, Xiao Ming no longer hesitated. He leaped into the viscous lava, and bubbles rose up before bursting open. The seemingly endless Lava World fell silent once more, with only the sword hilt on the mountain wall emitting a faint, almost imperceptible glow, like a guiding light.