Ice Lotus Seed

She drifted down gracefully, like Nine Heavens maiden descending to earth. Lu Yuling's beauty was ethereal and elegant, so captivating that one dared not look directly at her.

A quick glance revealed the corpses scattered throughout the Volcano. Lu Yuling's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly surprised that there were people inside the Volcano. However, when she saw Lu Yuling Zhuge Xiang, she paused for a moment.

Both Liu Rufang and Lin Tian were stunned as they watched Lu Yuling descend from the sky. Not to mention Lin Tian, even Liu Rufang, who was also a woman, was amazed by Lu Yuling's beauty. Back when she was a young girl, even with the immaturity of a girl, Lu Yuling was already incredibly beautiful. Now, she was even more beautiful than anyone else in the mortal world.

"Is your surname Zhuge?" Lu Yuling asked after sizing up Zhuge Xiang.

Although her intuition told Lu Yuling that the person in front of her should be Zhuge Xiang, she couldn't believe it when she sensed his cultivation level of the Spell Control Stage. In less than half a month, even if Lu Yuling Zhuge Xiang hadn't died, he couldn't possibly have reached the Spell Control Stage level.

"Didn't you see Su Huayu next to you? Don't ask, it's me," Zhuge Xiang said with a wry smile in response to Lu Yuling's question, pointing to Su Huayu beside him.

Su Huayu was also there, and only then did Lu Yuling confirm that the person in front of her was indeed Zhuge Xiang. Although she was pleased, she didn't show much emotion on her face and said, "You really are still alive. Truly, a scourge lives on for a thousand years."

"Hehe, what? Did you think I was dead? Were you especially sad back then? Have you missed me lately?" Zhuge Xiang didn't take Lu Yuling's cold words to heart, and instead teased her with a grin.

"I wasn't sad then. I'm sad now." Looking coldly at Zhuge Xiang, Lu Yuling's words were even colder.

"You heartless girl, you've known and loved each other for so many years, we're practically childhood sweethearts..." Zhuge Xiang said, feigning sadness.

"I didn't expect Brother Zhuge to be so shameless. The other party was clearly so cold to him, yet he didn't back down," Lin Tian said, looking at Zhuge Xiang's appearance, though his words carried a strong hint of sourness.

Even so, he envied Zhuge Xiang for being able to talk to a beauty like Lu Yuling. Lu Yuling's subtle aloofness made Lin Tian dare not be presumptuous.

"Their relationship is still as good as ever," Lin Tian thought, feeling envious of Zhuge Xiang. But Su Huayu felt envious of Lu Yuling. At least Su Huayu had never seen Zhuge Xiang so freely and casually chatting with any woman.

"You're not wrong? This is what you call a good relationship?" Su Huayu's remark made Lin Tian's eyes widen in surprise.

"By the way, how did you end up inside this Volcano?" After exchanging a few jokes with Lu Yuling, Zhuge Xiang, who hadn't seen her for a long time, got down to business and asked.

"At the very bottom of the Volcano lava, there is an Ice Lotus Seed, which may have already sprouted. I've come to retrieve it," Lu Yuling said frankly, without any intention of hiding anything.

"Ice Lotus Seed? How is that possible? Ice Lotus need to grow in cold, shady places. This Volcano is full of scorching lava. How can Ice Lotus Seed grow here?" Lin Tian exclaimed upon hearing Lu Yuling's words. Ice Lotus growing in lava? How is that possible?

"Yin arises from Yang. At the very bottom of this Volcano, there is a palm-sized area of extremely Yin, which is most suitable for the growth of Ice Lotus Seed. Back then, my senior sister Ice Maiden of the Asura Sect planted a lotus seed there. Counting the days, a hundred years have passed, and that lotus seed should have taken root and sprouted by now," Lu Yuling said calmly, glancing at Lin Tian with her beautiful eyes.

"Yin arises from Yang? This Volcano actually has a universe within it?" Lin Tian's eyes were filled with surprise as he stared at the scalding Magma. As Cultivator from Divine Machine Valley, the unique materials and environment naturally held great allure for him.

"Did she plant those lotus seeds herself?" Others might not know, but Zhuge Xiang knew Lu Yuling's identity. Senior Sister Ice Maiden was herself an Ice Lotus Flower from Changbai Mountain. The lotus seeds she planted should have been her own. In that case, the significance of those lotus seeds to Lu Yuling was self-evident.

"Since you say there are Ice Lotus Seed inside, then there must be. But how are you going to get into this molten lava?" Zhuge Xiang did not doubt Lu Yuling's words, but even using water Spell would not be enough to sustain him for long in this scalding Magma.

"This is the Fire-Repelling Green Lotus. I can use it to open a safe passage to the underworld, but the Fire-Repelling Green Lotus can only last for the time it takes to brew One Incense Stick of tea. There are countless monsters hidden in this lava, and the chance of returning is only 60%. Now that you happen to be here, there is no reason for me to let you go," Lu Yuling said to Zhuge Xiang with a smile, raising the elegant lotus in her hand.

Originally, Lu Yuling planned to try going in alone, but now that she has encountered Zhuge Xiang, who possesses the cultivation of the Spell Control Stage, her chances of success are naturally much greater with his help.

"So you've come here to conscript Lu Yuling?" Zhuge Xiang said with a smile, shaking his head. Although he said that, Zhuge Xiang wouldn't stand idly by if he could help.

"Then please wait here for the time it takes to drink Half a Tea Interval of tea. She and I will be right back," Zhuge Xiang said to Su Huayu and the others, turning around.

"Okay, be careful," Su Huayu and Liu Rufang said, nodding.

The Fire-Repelling Green Lotus emitted bursts of cool air, transforming into a circular protective shield. The shield wasn't very large, originally only able to accommodate one person, but now, with Zhuge Xiang added, it naturally felt crowded.

Zhuge Xiang's body was even gently pressed against Lu Yuling's body, and he could feel her soft, delicate body and incredibly smooth skin.

"Go!" Zhuge Xiang could feel Lu Yuling's soft body tremble slightly, but then her expression returned to normal. With a soft shout, she jumped into the scalding lava. The cool protective shield completely separated the lava, forming a constant-temperature sphere. Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling stayed close together as they dived down into the lava.

Lu Yuling was already breathtakingly beautiful, and Zhuge Xiang was a normal man. So close together, they could feel each other's heartbeats. The atmosphere was naturally ambiguous. Lu Yuling's face turned particularly red, whether from the reflection of the lava or something else.

"By the way, let me ask you something. Senior Sister Ice Maiden, did you have a boyfriend back then?" The atmosphere was so quiet it was almost unsettling. Zhuge Xiang spoke up, breaking the silence.

"No..." Zhuge Xiang's question made Lu Yuling silent for a moment before she answered.

"No? Hehe, does that mean you haven't experienced love in either of your two lives?" Zhuge Xiang turned around and teased Lu Yuling upon hearing her answer.

"So what if you haven't experienced it? That's lucky. Someone like you, with Qin Qing, still fools around outside. What a philandering man," Lu Yuling said, tilting her head slightly and feigning disdain. The two started bickering, which dispelled the ambiguous atmosphere between them.

Seeing Lu Yuling's deliberately arrogant demeanor, and with the two of them now close together, Zhuge Xiang suddenly felt an urge to pull Lu Yuling into his arms. However, at that moment, Zhuge Xiang's Divine Sense suddenly detected an approaching danger.

With a Sword Formula his wrist, Zhuge Xiang unleashed the Mad Dragon Sword, which shot out and plunged into the lava. Immediately, a scream rang out as a crimson serpent, over a meter long, was shredded into seven or eight pieces by the Mad Dragon Sword.

"Ding! Slayed One-Star Mid-Grade Fairy, Fire Rock Python, gaining 100,000 experience points."

The system notification made Zhuge Xiang realize that the monster that had just tried to ambush him was no match for him. With the power of Zhuge Xiang's Sword Control Technique, he could easily defeat even One-Star Fairy, let alone a Two-Star one.

For Zhuge Xiang, the attack by a Fairy was just a minor incident. However, thinking about the impulse that had just surged within him, Zhuge Xiang was secretly glad that the Fairy attack had interrupted him. Otherwise, if he had actually taken action, his friendship with Lu Yuling might have been soured.

Lu Yuling is an unparalleled beauty. Zhuge Xiang has seen many beauties, even those as beautiful as plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums, each with their own merits. Qin Qing is gentle, Su Huayu is willful, Leng Ningxiang is wild, and so on. But no matter what, these beauties would pale in comparison to Lu Yuling. Zhuge Xiang is also a normal man, and naturally he also has some impulses towards Lu Yuling.

However, one cannot act solely on impulse. Lu Yuling's goal is to reach the pinnacle of the Cultivation World. Apart from that, she will not care about things like love that might hold her back. Zhuge Xiang is the same way. If he acts impulsively, he will lose a friend like Lu Yuling Zhuge Xiang, and he will regret it later.

From the first time he met her, Zhuge Xiang understood that Lu Yuling had very few friends, especially no male friends. Why was that? Because Lu Yuling knew that all the men who got close to her had feelings for her. To avoid romantic entanglements hindering her growth, Lu Yuling deliberately kept her distance from them.

Zhuge Xiang was fortunate enough to become Lu Yuling's only male friend. Although there was some chance involved, the main reason was that Zhuge Xiang knew how to control himself and was regarded by Lu Yuling as a fellow traveler on the path of cultivation.

Knowing that Zhuge Xiang wouldn't let romantic love become an obstacle to her growth, Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling became friends.

Zhuge Xiang was secretly relieved that he had almost ruined his friendship with Lu Yuling because of a moment of impulsiveness. He calmed down a lot and used his Sword Control Technique one after another. The brilliant Sword Light kept cutting through the lava. Countless monsters hidden in the lava were killed by Zhuge Xiang's Sword Control Technique. Soon, the two of them arrived at the bottom of the lava.

After descending to the ground, the temperature inside the lava actually dropped significantly. Within the crimson lava, there was a patch of deep blue land, where a palm-sized plant, already rooted and sprouting, with a green Lotus Leaf, came into view of Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling. (To be continued...)

P. S.: Today is both the Lantern Festival and Valentine's Day, but I remember seeing a picture saying it's not auspicious for sex today? I'll just enjoy the Lantern Festival, hehe~~