A Strange Treasure Appears in the Stone Cavern

In the Monster Mountain Range, inside the Crimson Flame Tiger's lair.

Just as the two were rejoicing, a tiger's roar shook heaven and earth, and the entire cave began to tremble violently.

"Not good. Something even stronger is coming this way, and its pressure far surpasses mine," He Qingfeng shouted.

Liu Yun was startled. Elder He was already a Dou Ling expert; something whose pressure far exceeded his was undoubtedly stronger than a Dou Ling.

"A Fifth-tier Crimson Flame Tiger King?" The two looked at each other and spoke in unison.

"Quick! It has already blocked the cave entrance. We can only enter the secret realm now!" He Qingfeng said anxiously.

Both of them knew what entering a secret realm meant: unknown danger.

But with the cave entrance blocked, they had no other choice. They could only gamble that there might be a second exit inside the secret realm.

"I'm sorry, Elder He. I acted on my own and came looking for Crimson Flame Tigers despite knowing there was danger. Now we're in this situation, and I've dragged you into it!" Liu Yun said guiltily.

"Why are you saying such discouraging things now? This isn't the time to argue over right and wrong. Get in quickly. Maybe we can escape," He Qingfeng barked.

Liu Yun understood the urgency as well. Without the slightest hesitation, he dove headfirst into the hole, while Elder He followed behind to cover the rear.

The moment he entered the passage, Liu Yun was stunned. The hole before them was not the entrance to a secret realm at all, but merely a passage he had accidentally broken open.

"This...?" The two looked at each other, silently sighing.

"We can lure the Crimson Flame Tiger King to the other end of the passage," Liu Yun said, both delighted and anxious, because the Tiger King was about to enter at any moment.

He Qingfeng did not hesitate in the slightest. Dou Qi swirled around his feet as energy gathered in his soles, and he stomped several deep footprints into one side of the passage.

Then, he took off his clothes and tossed them into the passage on the side with the footprints.

Seeing He Qingfeng finish all this, Liu Yun immediately tried to run toward the other side of the passage. But He Qingfeng grabbed him and pulled him back. Before he could explain, he sprinted in the direction of the footprints at breakneck speed.

"Elder He, what are you doing?" Liu Yun cried anxiously as Elder He dragged him by the collar.

They had clearly already planted false traces, so why were they running in this direction? Wasn't that just asking for the enemy to catch up faster?

"Young Master, that is a Fifth-tier Magical Beast. It has lived for who knows how many years, and its intelligence is even more cunning than that of humans. We must do the opposite," He Qingfeng said.

Liu Yun heard this and realized it did make sense. If it had only been a Tier 1 Magical Beast, they would never have needed to consider such things. But a Fifth-tier Magical Beast... he had never seen one before, so he had no idea how cunning it might be.

Still, since Elder He had chosen this path, they could only see it through. Turning back now would be courting death, wouldn't it?

"Elder He, do you think that Crimson Flame Tiger King might also do the opposite?" Liu Yun asked weakly.

"Then we can only fight for our lives!" He Qingfeng said, silently adding in his heart, Though fighting for our lives would be useless too.

The passage was long. Liu Yun and He Qingfeng moved swiftly all the way, but they remained alert for danger ahead at every moment.

At last, the two saw light. What lay ahead was not a secret realm, but a stone cavern.

This place was extremely strange. One side of the cavern was scorching hot, while the other was bitterly cold. At its center, cold and heat alternated, making it bizarre beyond measure.

"Young Master, there must be something unusual at the center of this stone cavern. I'll go take a look first," He Qingfeng said.

"Be careful, Elder He," Liu Yun warned.

"Rest assured, Young Master. This old man's life is tough." He Qingfeng put on a show of thumping his chest and spoke confidently.

Then he approached the stone cavern. After hesitating several times, he stepped toward the frigid side.

However, before he had even made it halfway, He Qingfeng could no longer advance and could only retreat step by step.

When Liu Yun saw his condition clearly, he was frightened out of his wits. A thick layer of ice had formed over He Qingfeng's skin, his lips had frozen white, and they trembled slightly.

It took more than ten minutes before He Qingfeng fully recovered. Though his body was still shivering, he could speak without issue.

"Young Master, I saw it clearly. I've seen the strange treasure at the center in ancient records before. It is the Tears of Cold Flame! It must be!" He Qingfeng said, his face flushed with excitement.

"Tears of Cold Flame?" Liu Yun asked in confusion.

He had never heard of this thing, neither in the original novel nor during the fourteen years since his transmigration.

"The Tears of Cold Flame grows at the boundary between extreme cold and extreme heat. It possesses both ice and fire attributes. Once someone refines it, it can compress and purify Dou Qi," He Qingfeng said excitedly.

Liu Yun fell silent, inwardly complaining wildly. The Tears of Cold Flame was indeed a treasure, but if that was its only function, it was dispensable to him. After all, he had the Thousand Hammer Hundred Refinement Technique.

He Qingfeng noticed Liu Yun's hesitation and felt that he might have guessed the Young Master's concern. After all, the thing was located at the very center of the stone cavern, and neither of them could possibly take it away.

"Elder He, does the Tears of Cold Flame only have that one use?" Liu Yun asked, unwilling to give up.

"Young Master, you truly have keen eyes. The Tears of Cold Flame does indeed contain a treasure within it—a trace of life essence. Legend says it has a chance of reviving someone who has not been dead for long," He Qingfeng said.

The moment Liu Yun heard it had such an effect, his interest was immediately piqued.

"If Ya Fei auctions off the Tears of Cold Flame, with the Twentyfold Return, I'll definitely obtain an ultimate treasure."

Liu Yun grew excited, and his eyes as he looked at the stone cavern became brighter and brighter.

I have to get this thing, Liu Yun silently resolved.

"Young Master, it's impossible to approach the center. The cold side alone left me in such a miserable state. The scorching side must be even more terrifying!" He Qingfeng said with lingering fear.

Liu Yun fell into thought. It truly would not be easy to obtain, but the value of this Heart of Cold Flame could even rival Heavenly Flames. How could he not give it a try?

"Elder He, I'll try," Liu Yun said as he walked forward.

Arriving before the stone cavern, he carefully observed it but found nothing. Then he decisively headed toward the crimson-red side.

The instant he stepped into the stone cavern, Liu Yun felt the searing heat. Pain surged through him as though his body were being scorched by flames, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Silently circulating the Sky Burning Immortal Art, he converted all his Dou Qi into the Fire Attribute. The flames that had been damaging his body immediately became intimate, even showing signs of trying to burrow into him.

But Liu Yun had been suppressing his Dou Qi to prevent himself from breaking through to Dou Master. How could he let this energy have its way? Thus, the pressure on him doubled.

Besides resisting the scorching heat within the stone cavern, he also had to constantly suppress the liquefaction of the Dou Qi inside his body.

A few minutes later, Liu Yun had also reached the halfway point. From afar, he could see the Tears of Cold Flame, about the size of a pigeon's egg. It floated in the air, half crimson and half azure, appearing exceptionally divine.

"Can't I go any farther?" Liu Yun muttered.

He felt that he had already reached his limit. If he continued forward, the flames here would likely burn his body so badly that he would be seriously injured.