Searching for a Heavenly Flame

Early the next morning, Wei Yang set out with Ye Xian'er.

The vast desert was endlessly ravaged by wind and sand.

During the day, the Tagor Desert was forever accompanied by scorching sunlight and raging sandstorms.

But once night fell, the temperature plummeted sharply, with many places even dropping below freezing.

A black-red streak of light cut across the sky, heading east all the way.

Less than half an hour later, the streak finally slowed to a stop above a stretch of desert roughly a hundred li from Shimo City.

Wei Yang held Ye Xian'er in his arms, the black wings on his back gently flapping as he hovered high in the air and looked down at the terrain below.

This place looked no different from any other part of the desert, all of it uniformly monotonous.

He lowered his head to examine the map in his hand. It was drawn in great detail, with the distribution of cities, water sources, oases, and even the places where the Snake People Race frequently appeared all clearly marked.

Comparing it with the original story, Wei Yang recalled that Xiao Yan seemed to have discovered the underground passage about a hundred li east of the city.

But looking at the endless yellow sands below, finding a passage leading underground would be no easy task.

Wei Yang closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Fire Attribute energy in the surroundings.

Very quickly, he opened his eyes and said softly, "The Fire Attribute energy here is no different from elsewhere. It's about the same."

With a flap of his wings, Wei Yang left the area and changed locations to continue sensing.

Only after half a day did he slowly come to a stop to rest briefly.

He had investigated many areas, yet had not sensed a single place where the Fire Attribute energy was even slightly abnormal.

Ye Xian'er took out a waterskin from his arms and handed it to him. "Brother Yang, have some water first."

"Mm." Wei Yang smiled as he accepted the waterskin, tipped back his head, and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Brother Yang, I've looked carefully. We've more or less searched all the areas nearby." Holding a map in her hands, Xian'er stretched out a jade-like hand and pointed in one direction. "We haven't searched over there yet."

"Mm, Xian'er is amazing." Wei Yang put away the waterskin and kissed Xian'er on the forehead. With a flap of his wings, he flew in the direction she pointed.

At dusk, Wei Yang returned to Shimo City with Xian'er, having found nothing.

For the next three days, there were still no results.

It was not until the fifth day, near the afternoon, that Wei Yang finally made a discovery.

"The Fire Attribute energy here is somewhat abnormal. It's slightly denser than elsewhere, and a little more violent as well."

The moment he stepped into this area, Wei Yang did not even need to sense carefully. His powerful spiritual perception had already sharply detected a trace of difference.

"Xian'er, we may have found it," Wei Yang said with a smile.

"Mm." Ye Xian'er clung to Wei Yang, her entire body nestled in his embrace. Hearing this, she raised her head and gave a soft response.

Wei Yang held Xian'er as he dove downward. As they neared the ground, he gradually slowed, finally landing steadily atop a sand dune.

Putting away his black wings, Wei Yang closed his eyes and carefully sensed the area, confirming that there truly was a trace of abnormality here.

"Brother Yang, how did you know there would definitely be a Heavenly Flame near Shimo City?" Ye Xian'er still lingered in Wei Yang's arms, reluctant to come down as she asked curiously.

"Someone told me." Wei Yang smiled mysteriously without explaining further.

At once, Ye Xian'er pouted in dissatisfaction. Her little cheeks puffed up slightly, making her look like a bun.

"Stop clinging to me. Get down." Wei Yang found it rather amusing and kissed her puffed-up bun-like cheek, then patted her little backside as he spoke.

As time passed, the little girl had become increasingly dependent on him, especially after coming to this unfamiliar Tagor Desert.

After Ye Xian'er climbed down from him, Wei Yang rubbed her cheeks before tidying her slightly messy hair.

Ye Xian'er immediately narrowed her eyes, smiling happily as she enjoyed Wei Yang's careful movements.

Afterward, Wei Yang walked to the side alone. His eyes slowly closed, while his robes and long hair began to move despite the absence of wind.

A powerful surge of Soul Power erupted wildly from between his brows and spread outward.

At this moment, it was as though Wei Yang had opened a god's-eye view. Everywhere his Soul Power swept over, he could clearly "see" every scene around him.

It was completely different from the world seen with the naked eye.

As this perspective opened, it was as though he had "seen" another entirely different world.

Above the ground, the air was filled with omnipresent fiery-red Fire Attribute energy.

Beneath the ground, however, lay earth-yellow Earth Attribute energy, vast and boundless, like this endless sea of sand itself, inexhaustible and limitless!

Magnificent and grand!

This place could be called a paradise for cultivators of the fire and earth attributes.

The energy was inexhaustible and endless.

Next, Wei Yang mobilized his Soul Power, compressing and condensing it as he sent it drilling beneath the yellow sands under his feet.

As his Soul Power, condensed into a thread, penetrated underground, Wei Yang immediately "saw" an earth-yellow world.

Within this world, his Soul Power was clearly being suppressed.

And as his Soul Power continued to descend deeper, the suppression from this earth-yellow world grew increasingly severe.

His Soul Power was rapidly being depleted.

Deeper, ten meters, twenty meters... fifty meters, a hundred meters...

A moment later, Wei Yang withdrew his extended Soul Power and rubbed the space between his brows in exhaustion.

His Soul Power had penetrated more than two hundred meters underground, yet all he had seen was an earth-yellow world, with no gains whatsoever.

And that depth had already reached the limit of how far Wei Yang's current Soul Power could penetrate.

"Looks like it isn't here." Wei Yang shook his head.

"Brother Yang." Ye Xian'er walked over, her face filled with concern.

"I'm fine." Wei Yang smiled and rubbed her hair.

"Come, let's change locations." After resting for a while, Wei Yang took her little hand and led her forward.

The Green Lotus Core Flame was a flame that existed within underground magma.

Born in the depths of magma, it underwent countless temperings, fusions, compressions, and carvings by the fire of the earth...

It gained spirit in ten years, took form in a hundred years, and became a lotus in a thousand years. Once it reached maturity, its color leaned toward green, and a cluster of green flame would grow within the lotus core. It was called the Green Lotus Flame, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Therefore, the place Wei Yang wanted to find was underground magma filled with Fire Attribute energy.

Just now, his Soul Power had reached more than two hundred meters underground, but all he had seen was a world filled with earth-yellow energy, without any large concentration of Fire Attribute energy.

Such a place clearly did not match what he was looking for.

After leading Ye Xian'er to another location, Wei Yang once more used his Soul Power to probe underground.

By this point, he had already determined a general area. What remained was to truly begin searching inch by inch, just as he was doing now.

Time passed little by little.

Dusk approached.

When Wei Yang once again withdrew his Soul Power from deep underground, waves of dizziness continuously flooded his mind.

His body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing and fell.

Seeing this, Ye Xian'er, who had been watching beside him, immediately panicked. She hurried forward to support Wei Yang and asked anxiously, "Brother Yang, are you alright?"

Wei Yang shook his head, then closed his eyes and rested for a while before opening them again.

The exhaustion in his eyes was impossible to hide. One hand rested on Xian'er's shoulder while the other pinched the space between his brows. His voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, "I'm fine. I've just overused my Soul Power, so I'm a little tired."

At the same time, he sighed inwardly. It seemed that even if one knew the plot and knew the target, finding it was not so easy.

Then another thought suddenly occurred to him.

With his current Soul Power, he should not be much weaker than Medusa, right?

Even with knowledge of the plot and specific targets and clues to guide his search, it was still this difficult.

So how had Medusa found this place?

After all, this was only about a hundred li from Shimo City. It was within the Jia Ma Empire's sphere of influence, and also considered a buffer zone between the Snake People Race and humans.

Could it be that Medusa had searched the entire desert inch by inch?

If that were truly the case...

That crazy woman!

Thinking that Medusa might be wandering all over the desert at this very moment, just like him, constantly sensing changes in Fire Attribute energy and occasionally probing deep underground with her Soul Power, left him speechless.

Of course, it was also possible that she had clues in her possession.

After all, even Hai Bodong had a trace of information regarding the Green Lotus Core Flame. It would not be strange for Medusa to have some as well.