Shen Che had not expected her reaction to be so intense. He coughed dryly and took the initiative to change the subject.
"Let's go. To the Earth Fire Cavern."
Gu Qingyue lowered her head, gave a vague reply, and quickly walked ahead to lead the way.
The two passed through a charred forest behind the sect and arrived at the crater of an extinct volcano.
A man-made stone stairway spiraled downward, vanishing into unfathomable depths as scorching waves of air surged up from below.
"Hong Yi went down from here."
Gu Qingyue's voice was still somewhat muffled.
Shen Che gave a grunt and took the lead down the stone steps.
The farther down they went, the hotter the air became, until even the stone walls were scorching to the touch.
After descending roughly a thousand meters, the view suddenly opened up.
An enormous underground cavern appeared before them.
At the heart of the cave lay a vast lake of magma. Crimson lava rolled with bubbling froth, radiating heat hot enough to melt gold and iron.
Gu Qingyue was stunned by the sight before her.
Her attention was soon drawn to something at the center of the lake.
It was a raised stone platform, upon which a peculiar flower grew in silence.
The flower was no bigger than a palm, with three petals. Its entire body was crimson, its surface flowing with a flame-like glow.
"Earth Fire Spirit Flower!"
Gu Qingyue cried out in shock.
"This is a natural treasure that grows only in places of extreme heat. Rumor has it that it can cleanse and temper a martial artist's constitution. To those who cultivate fire-attribute techniques, it is an unrivaled divine treasure!"
She had never imagined that such a treasure would be nurtured in the deepest reaches of the sect's