Leaving

A month later.

The silent world of magma.

On a platform by the shore of the Magma Lake.

Wei Yang sat cross-legged at the edge of the platform, extending a fair, slender hand.

In his palm, a dark crimson flame danced and burned mischievously.

This was the source Beast Flame of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake—or rather, a Sub-Flame it had separated from within its body.

By now, Wei Yang had refined this flame into his body, making it a flame under his own control. Its color had also changed from deep red to dark crimson.

Wei Yang called this flame the Lava Core Flame.

"Go!" Wei Yang waved his hand.

Whoosh, whoosh~

The dark crimson flame in his hand instantly surged, sweeping outward in a fan-shaped wave. As it spread, even the air ahead was scorched into distortion.

Driven by his own Dou Qi, the flame's power seemed even hotter and more violent than when wielded by the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

Beside him, Ye Xian'er was also waving her little hands. In her palms swirled a deep red flame tinged with a hint of grayish white.

She played with the fire with great enthusiasm, enjoying herself immensely.

A few days ago, Wei Yang had finally helped her successfully refine and absorb three Green Lotus Seeds.

After nearly a month, her realm had soared all the way from a one-star Da Dou Shi to a nine-star Da Dou Shi.

Then yesterday, Wei Yang had acted again and helped her refine that Beast Flame into her body.

In truth, with her Fire Poison Attribute constitution and the strength of a nine-star Da Dou Shi, she could have refined an ownerless peak fourth-tier Beast Flame on her own.

It would merely have been troublesome, painful, and time-consuming.

Since Wei Yang saw this, he simply helped her refine it directly.

The current Ye Xian'er not only possessed the Fire Poison Attribute, but also contained a strand of rich, pure Wood Attribute within her.

This strand of attribute was even denser than that of most alchemists who were born with a trace of Wood Attribute.

Using this pure Wood Attribute to assist in driving flames made their power even more violent and formidable.

"Actually, you're better suited to making Poison Pills. You'd get a bonus effect from it."

Wei Yang looked at Ye Xian'er and smiled. "Your Dou Qi has the Fire Poison Attribute. When you use it to drive flames, the flames also carry Fire Poison. When making ordinary pills, you'll have to spend effort controlling the Fire Poison so it doesn't contaminate the medicinal properties. It'll be a bit troublesome."

"I'm not afraid of trouble. I'll make Poison Pills, but I'll make normal pills too." Ye Xian'er shook her head, speaking unconcernedly.

Becoming an alchemist was her dream, and now she was naturally completely satisfied.

A little trouble? She was not afraid of that.

Wei Yang did not say anything more.

If she liked it, then he would let her make them. At worst, she would waste a few more herbs.

The next day.

It was about time to leave.

"We've been in the Tagor Desert for nearly three months. It's time for us to go," Wei Yang said.

"Ah? We're leaving now?" Ye Xian'er glanced around the magma world, looking somewhat reluctant. "I think the cultivation environment here is quite good. Why don't we stay a while longer?"

She had always been gentle and quiet by nature, and she did not care much for liveliness.

So she did not mind staying in such a deathly silent environment for long periods.

Compared to the outside, she even preferred remaining here and did not really want to leave.

After all, the cultivation environment here was simply too good. Fire Poison was an excellent tonic for her.

Although outside, she could still strengthen her Fire Poison and raise her strength by absorbing Fire Attribute energy from heaven and earth, she could also rapidly increase her strength by directly consuming poison. But the results certainly would not be as good as staying here.

The pure Fire Poison here was practically inexhaustible.

"The cultivation environment here really is good for us." Wei Yang nodded as he looked over the magma world.

But then he shook his head. "Unfortunately, this place is in the Tagor Desert."

"We need to return to the heartland of the Empire. After all, we can't stay here if we want to become alchemists."

"We need a large amount of low-grade herbs. We have to start learning from Grade 1 Pills and improve step by step."

"Mm." Ye Xian'er nodded.

Indeed, the two of them could not become alchemists simply by staying in this magma world.

There were many things they needed to prepare if they wanted to learn alchemy.

Large quantities of low-grade herbs, Pill Formulas, medicinal cauldrons, alchemist inheritances, and so on...

Wei Yang rose to his feet.

The plot will officially begin in another three or four months at most. It's time to go back and take a look, he thought.

After looking around once more, Wei Yang withdrew his gaze. "Let's go."

Ye Xian'er walked over and threw herself into his arms, skillfully clinging to Wei Yang.

Wei Yang patted her little bottom and teased, "You're already a nine-star Da Dou Shi. Can't you run up through the passage yourself? You need me to carry you for such a short distance, you little lazybug."

"I can't fly. Besides, you'll still have to carry me once we get outside, so wouldn't it be better if you just carried me out now?" Xian'er twisted her body, wrapping her jade-like arms around Wei Yang's neck. She comfortably rubbed her little head against his chest, breathing in his pleasant scent. Narrowing her eyes, she said with sweet innocence.

Wei Yang teased her, "So once you become a Dou Wang, you won't need me to carry you anymore?"

"You'll still have to carry me. I can't fly as fast as you," Ye Xian'er said coquettishly.

"You little thing." Wei Yang found it amusing. He lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips. Lazy was lazy—she sure had plenty of excuses.

Holding Xian'er, Wei Yang moved and arrived at the entrance to the passage, then slipped inside.

As they traveled through the passage, the wind howled past their ears as they hurried toward the exit to the surface.

Soon, a few minutes later, they reached the exit to the outside world.

As his Soul Power swept out, the yellow sand burying the passage entrance churned and retreated. Sunlight from outside immediately streamed in.

Wei Yang narrowed his eyes and adjusted slightly to the outside light before carrying Xian'er out of the passage.

Whoosh!

Black Wings spread from his back as he hovered in the sky.

Looking down at the passage beneath the sand dune, Wei Yang raised his hand, intending to destroy it.

But after some thought, he merely waved his hand. Vast Dou Qi mixed with a fierce gust swept up the surrounding yellow sand and buried the entrance.

After all, they might return here in the future, so it was better to leave the passage intact.

In any case, once it was buried beneath the yellow sand, outsiders would have difficulty finding the entrance without knowing about it.

After determining the direction.

Wei Yang flapped his Black Wings, turning into a streak of black-red light as he swiftly left the place.

Before long, under the ravaging winds and sand of the desert, the rolling yellow sands would surely erase every trace of human activity.

After more than a month apart, they returned to the desert once again.

Wei Yang flew through the air, breathing in the scorching outside air. At this moment, it somehow felt so fresh.

The desert was still the same desert. Nothing had changed.

The azure sky, the blistering heat, the blazing sun, the raging wind and sand.

But after spending nearly two months in the Underground Lava World, the outside air instead felt exceptionally fresh to them.

Before long, they could see the outline of Shimo City in the distance.

Wei Yang slowed down slightly and took out a map from his Storage Ring. After identifying the direction, he flapped his Black Wings, changed course, and chose to fly around Shimo City from afar.

"Brother Yang, aren't we going back to Shimo City?" Ye Xian'er asked upon seeing this.

"We're not going back. We're heading straight to the heartland of the Empire and making a trip to Black Rock City," Wei Yang said with a smile.

At the same time, he glanced back at Shimo City, which was gradually receding into the distance.

Thinking of Qing Lin, who was still living in some unknown corner of Shimo City, Wei Yang gently shook his head.

Since they were not fated to meet, then so be it. There was no need to force it.

They had lived in Shimo City for about a month before this, going in and out every day, yet they had never encountered that pitiful little girl.

Although that was partly because Wei Yang had not deliberately searched for her, the fact that they had stayed there for a month and still never met meant they simply were not fated.

Thus, he could not be bothered to seek her out deliberately. He had only ever regarded it as something that could happen or not.