Beneath the Lava

"The students in the Inner Academy probably don't know that the academy possesses Heavenly Flames, right?"

Jia Nan Academy does a good job of keeping things secret. Ordinary academies only know that the academy's Heavenly Flame Refining Pagoda is very useful, and they would never think of it as something other than Heavenly Flames.

Even Alchemist are no exception, since Heavenly Flames are extremely rare. Xiao Ming spent several years in Central Plains and never actually saw a legitimate Alchemist with Heavenly Flames.

In addition, there are quite a few special places on the Dou Qi Continent that can Accelerate Cultivation, so these inexperienced students naturally wouldn't think too much about it.

Even if they thought of it, they wouldn't dare steal the Heavenly Flames from the Jia Nan Academy.

Do you really think those few Dou Zong are pushovers?

Jia Nan Academy keeps records of students' hometowns when admitting them; this is the foundation for their education. If you dare to steal from them, they'll track you down to your home. What will you do then?

Can any force that comes to the Jia Nan Academy compare to the Jia Nan Academy? It's highly unlikely!

So who is so bold?

Xiao Ming coughed lightly, and a name flashed through his mind.

The next moment, Su Qian uttered the name.

Su Qian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Speaking of which, this person is somewhat related to you. His name is Xiao Yan, and he's a member of your clan."

Really.

Xiao Ming sighed softly.

The Flame Mantra is key to Xiao Yan's rise to power and the foundation for his rapid growth; he cannot afford to give it up.

Given how rare Heavenly Flames are, how could Xiao Yan be willing to give up the Heavenly Flames from the Jia Nan Academy? In addition, Xiao Yan has an adventurous spirit, so it's not surprising that he would do such a thing.

"How did you ultimately handle this matter?"

"Originally, we were going to cripple his cultivation, but in the end we released him. After all, he's one of your people, and he didn't even manage to steal the fire, so we simply kicked him out of the academy."

At this point, Su Qian sighed. In fact, letting Xiao Yan go was not only because of Xiao Ming's sake, but also because he had originally thought highly of Xiao Yan.

Putting aside the fact that he is a member of Xiao Ming's clan, Xiao Yan's talent is indeed outstanding, and his alchemy skills are almost unmatched in the Inner Academy.

He had intended to take him as a disciple from the beginning, so he arranged for the elders to take care of him a little.

Unexpectedly, the other party had been plotting against the Fallen Heart Flame ever since entering the Inner Academy.

Su Qian's care was one of the reasons why Xiao Yan almost stole the Heavenly Flames.

Thinking of this, Su Qian shook his head again, a hint of disappointment showing on his aged face.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ming gave an awkward smile.

No matter what, he and Xiao Yan were of the same clan, so he felt somewhat helpless about what had happened.

Su Qian didn't intend to blame Xiao Ming for what Xiao Yan Xiao Ming done. After all, the fire hadn't been stolen. He only spoke up because he felt Xiao Ming had the right to know since he was the one who brought the Heavenly Flames back.

"Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things anymore. Are you all ready?" Su Qian regained her composure and asked with a smile.

Xiao Ming chuckled softly, flicked his finger, and sent the Fallen Heart Flame flying from his palm, saying, "Everything was ready long ago. Just wait for us to return."

Zi Yan nodded slightly.

"Don't worry, I'm very strong now."

"Okay, be careful."

Xiao Ming smiled, no longer hesitating. With a flash, he transformed into a white light and directly entered the Lava World within the passage below. Zi Yan also transformed into a purple light, not wanting to be outdone.

Glug glug~

The scorching hot magma bubbled and sputtered like boiling water, and the air was slightly distorted by its heat.

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Gazing at the crimson lava, Zi Yan frowned slightly, stuck out her tongue, and said, somewhat disliking the scorching environment:

"By the way, Xiao Ming, you still haven't told me why you brought me here. It's so hot here!"

"When I was cultivating under the magma, I sensed a Space Barrier. I felt that it must hold a great secret. Your Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan has extraordinary spatial abilities, so I need Zi Yan to accompany me."

"A big secret~"

Zi Yan's purple eyes gleamed slightly, a strong sense of curiosity rising within her.

"Let's hurry up and see if we can bring any gifts for Sister Medusa."

Zi Yan has never forgotten her Medusa sister, and I wonder if Medusa would be moved if she knew.

Seeing Zi Yan's eagerness, Xiao Ming smiled and pulled her into his arms. Flames surged from her body, eventually forming a fire shield that covered the two of them. With a splash, they plunged into the lava, splashing up waves of lava.

This wasn't Xiao Ming's first time venturing into the magma, and Xiao Ming speed now was many times faster than before.

In less than a quarter of an hour, he gradually descended deeper into the magma. At the same time, his pace slowed considerably. With a calm expression, he gazed at the surrounding magma. He could sense that many hidden Aura were rapidly approaching him.

Is anyone there?

In Xiao Ming's arms, Zi Yan, who had been eagerly anticipating the moment, was slightly taken aback.

"They're just some strange creatures that live Depths of the Lava, nothing special."

After her initial surprise, Zi Yan lost interest; she could sense that the creatures surrounding her were very weak.

Xiao Ming stomped his foot, and instantly, a vast Soul Fluctuation surged forth from between his brows.

In an instant, the surrounding lava exploded, and figures hidden within the lava let out shrill screams.

"Hiss!"

As these screams appeared, the surrounding magma suddenly rippled violently. Then, the two saw countless crimson figures surging in from all directions, eventually surrounding them completely.

Xiao Ming's gaze swept over the lizard-like magma creatures, finally settling on something not far away.

There stood two Lizardmen, their bodies entirely milky white, who appeared to be much older than the other Lizardmen.

What's most astonishing is that these two Lizardmen are actually at the level of Half-Saint!

"Human, this is the God's Tomb, not a place for you. Leave immediately, or you will awaken the guardians and be buried here forever!"

One of the two white Lizardmen actually spoke human language, though somewhat haltingly, the fragmented words still reached Xiao Ming's ears.

"The God's Tomb? Guardians?"

Upon hearing those two words, Xiao Ming's eyes flashed.

He knew that these two referred to the Tushe Ancient Tomb and Zhu Kun.

However, he was here to see Zhu Kun, so what was he afraid of? Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zi Yan say disdainfully:

"What 'God's Tomb'? And a tomb keeper? A mere gatekeeper dares to brag like that? If he dares to block our way, we'll teach him a lesson. You'd better get out of our way, or I won't be so polite."

Xiao Ming:...