Dusk devoured the horizon, and the Earth Vein Volcano cast off the silence of daylight, revealing its scorching true face.
The night sky was baked hot by the volcanoes. The canopy that should have been ink-black was painted in gradients of orange-red and dark violet by the glow of countless craters.
Now and then, crimson magma trickled slowly through cracks in the volcanic rock, dragging winding trails of fire across the ground like golden veins split open within the earth.
As Zhang Xuanchen continued deeper in, not a single cultivator could be seen.
He hid in a patch of grass, pushing his Breath Concealment Technique to its limit.
A hundred meters away, a gigantic demonic beast over ten meters long searched for something. Its claws trod upon blazing flames, its mane flowed like molten lava, and scarlet fire coiled around its body.
A second-tier late stage Blazing Howl—a demonic beast with formidable combat power.
If it discovered him, a fierce battle would be unavoidable.
Zhang Xuanchen hid in the shadows, holding his breath and not daring to move in the slightest.
Roar!
A beastly roar brimming with intimidation rang through the heavens, proclaiming itself the master of this region.
Sparks scattered in every direction as it roared.
They burned the crimson ground black as charcoal.
Then it turned and left.
Only after confirming that the Blazing Howl had departed did Zhang Xuanchen let out a breath of relief.
Facing it head-on would not have been a wise choice.
The place where the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire was nurtured lay within this demonic beast's territory, which was good news for Zhang Xuanchen.
That meant that, barring any accidents, no other cultivators would come to disturb him.
He arrived beside a small hill three to four hundred meters tall.
Zhang Xuanchen confirmed that the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire was located here.
It was more than a hundred meters underground, directly beneath the center of the hill.
In other words, he only needed to keep digging forward like he was excavating a tunnel.
Zhang Xuanchen first set up a Soundproof Array, then casually took out a First-grade Top-tier Magic Tool mining hoe.
Finding a concealed spot, he swung the hoe down, instantly gouging out a large swath of crimson rock.
He was secretly regretting not having cultivated Earth Attribute spells such as the Earth Escape Technique.
He circulated the spiritual power within him, digging while sealing the small opening behind him to disguise it.
As time passed, Zhang Xuanchen finally dug his way to the location of the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire.
When the final swing of his hoe fell, his body suddenly felt weightless, and he plunged down in an instant.
"Holy crap!"
In the blink of an eye, he summoned the Clear Wind Sword and landed firmly atop its blade.
The underground was a world unto itself.
Massive amounts of lava gathered below, forming a rolling lake of blazing magma.
As the magma churned, thick smoke billowed and bubbles crackled. Its temperature was high enough to melt even Iron Essence.
At the center of the searing magma floated a crystalline pillar suspended in midair.
The crystals were translucent and gleaming, each one radiating terrifying Fire Attribute spiritual power and blistering heat.
Above the crystal pillar was a tiny Fire Dragon.
Firelight flickered around it. It was precisely the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire, soon to be born.
Zhang Xuanchen's pupils abruptly contracted before wild delight appeared on his face.
"Earth Core Fire Crystal! Third-grade Top-tier Earth Core Fire Crystal! And there is so much of it! This should be around three cubic meters.
How many Third-grade Top-tier Magical Artifacts could this forge?
Even if the entire Zhang Family were sold, it still could not buy this much.
And with only five fist-sized pieces of Fire Crystal, Xuanxiao Mountain could be turned into a holy land for Fire Attribute cultivation!
It would be immensely helpful for alchemy and artifact forging!
Hahaha! I've struck it rich! I've truly struck it rich!"
Zhang Xuanchen forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and looked toward the Little Fire Dragon on the crystal pillar.
This was the true treasure.
Compared to it, the Earth Core Fire Crystal was nothing but a fart!
Without hesitation, Zhang Xuanchen circulated the Sky Burning Wind Control Art and took out a Third-grade Mid-tier Still Yuan Breath Concealment Formation Array Plate, beginning his preparations.
To be even safer, Zhang Xuanchen deployed every Second Stage defensive Array Plate and Concealment Array Plate he had brought with him.
A Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire could not possibly surpass the Golden Core realm in power at the moment of its birth. These preparations were enough to conceal the aura released when the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire was born.
After finishing all this, Zhang Xuanchen came to the Little Fire Dragon's side.
He bit through his finger and dripped his blood onto it.
He wanted to see whether he could establish a connection with the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire.
The instant the blood fell, it evaporated.
This irritated him somewhat.
Then, as if recalling something, he took out the Second-grade Top-tier Profound Ice Pearl.
He activated a thread of Ice Attribute spiritual energy and froze his blood.
Then he shot it directly into the Little Fire Dragon's body.
After waiting for a while, he found that he felt nothing at all.
"Could it require essence blood?"
Without further hesitation, he forced out a drop of essence blood and shot it into the Little Fire Dragon's body.
He still felt nothing.
Damn it!
Sure enough, all those storybooks were lies!
At midnight.
A powerful aura erupted with a bang.
The entire Underground Cave was instantly swept by flames.
Scalding magma exploded outward.
At the same time, the four Second Stage defensive Formations, three Concealment Formations, and the Still Yuan Breath Concealment Formation Zhang Xuanchen had set up began operating madly, flashing with waves of radiant light.
Watching the flames rush toward him, Zhang Xuanchen, who had adjusted his condition to its peak, instantly opened his eyes.
He activated the Second-grade Top-tier Profound Ice Pearl hanging around his neck.
An Ice Wall wrapped around him, resisting the assault of the flames.
The ice crackled and hissed as it melted.
Rumble!
The entire Earth Vein Volcano range jolted violently before immediately returning to calm.
"Holy crap! What happened?"
"Could Great Powers be fighting?"
"Perhaps some rare treasure has emerged!"
A young man waved his hand dismissively. "When a rare treasure descends into the world, rosy light will shoot into the heavens to accompany it. It only shook once. Eight or nine times out of ten, it is either great demons fighting deep within the mountains or Great Powers battling."
"This brother speaks true."
"Fellow brothers, I'll be leaving first, lest I become a fish caught in the crossfire."
Hearing the young man's words, many cultivators abandoned the idea of entering the depths to investigate.
Of course, there were also some Rogue Cultivators unafraid of death who wanted to venture deeper to pick up scraps.
After all, wealth and honor were sought amid danger.
As Rogue Cultivators, only by fighting for opportunities could they have any chance of obtaining fortuitous encounters.
Underground Karst Cave.
Zhang Xuanchen watched the Formations continuously crack apart, his heart rising into his throat as he feared the aura of the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire would break through their restraints.
More than ten seconds passed.
The fiery aura finally began to subside.
"Success!"
Delight surged through Zhang Xuanchen's heart. His figure flashed to the Earth Core Fire Crystal Pillar, and as he watched the Little Fire Dragon twisting its body at the very top, the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
Without hesitation, he directly circulated his cultivation art and drew the Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire before him.
His tongue pressed against his upper palate, and a drop of natal essence blood mixed with spiritual power surged from his throat.
It transformed into pale-red threads of blood that wrapped around the Little Fire Dragon.
Perhaps because of the drop of essence blood Zhang Xuanchen had used earlier, the Little Fire Dragon allowed the blood threads to bind it without the slightest resistance.
This scene was exactly what he wanted.
The next moment, a powerful force of spiritual energy enveloped the Little Fire Dragon and drew it toward his dantian.
Boom!
The Earth Vein Profound Sun Fire seemed to sense the danger.
Scorching flames abruptly erupted.
Zhang Xuanchen was instantly surrounded by fire.
The Profound Ice Pearl he wore trembled violently as the icy energy within continuously evaporated.
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