Beneath the Magma

Jia Nan Academy was located in the Black Corner Region, so the three of them did not spend much time before smoothly arriving at the Inner Academy.

Jia Nan Academy was vast in scale and divided into two sections: the Outer Academy and the Inner Academy. The Outer Academy was where countless students first entered the academy and built their foundations, while the Inner Academy was the core region where elites gathered and resources were far more abundant.

The Fallen Heart Flame and Zi Yan that Shi Kang wanted were both in the Inner Academy.

Upon arriving outside the Inner Academy, Shi Kang said to Shi Long and Shi Fei beside him, "Observe the place first. See if there are any hidden experts within this academy."

Shi Kang knew perfectly well that Jia Nan Academy had been founded by Mang Qianchi, a High-level Half-Saint.

Shi Kang was not afraid of ordinary Half-Saints, but Mang Qianchi was an Elder of the Lei Clan.

That required some caution.

Although there was a high chance that he would not remain in this tiny Jia Nan Academy and might even have long forgotten the place he had personally established, Shi Kang still needed to be somewhat careful.

After receiving their orders, Shi Long and Shi Fei immediately used their respective methods and began investigating carefully.

Before long, Shi Long hurried over and reported to Shi Kang, "Young Clan Leader, after investigating, the strongest people in the academy at present are two Peak Dou Ancestors. Other than them, no stronger figures were found."

Shi Kang nodded slightly. This result was more or less what he had expected.

As an Elder of the Lei Clan, Mang Qianchi naturally would not be willing to remain forever in the relatively remote Jia Nan Academy. It was only natural that he was not here.

Meanwhile, Gu Xun'er was still in Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy.

With things as they were, no one could stop Shi Kang from doing whatever he wished next.

At that moment, Shi Long suddenly pointed at the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower in the distance, with only its tip visible, and said, "Young Clan Leader, we also discovered a Heavenly Flame hidden beneath that tower. It is the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame."

Shi Kang nodded. "Yes, that is our target!"

Next, Shi Kang had Shi Long and Shi Fei use methods to conceal their figures and silently bring him beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower.

Although quite a few academy Elders guarded the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, their strength was only at the Dou King and Dou Emperor realms. Before Shi Kang's group of three, it was impossible for them to notice that they had already entered beneath the tower.

When the three reached the bottom of the tower, a scorching world of magma unfolded before them.

Boiling magma churned endlessly, giving off a pungent smell, while dense fire-attribute energy filled the air.

If someone with fire-attribute Dou Qi cultivated here, their cultivation speed would increase considerably.

But that had nothing to do with Shi Kang.

As if it had sensed intruders, a violent churning suddenly came from within the magma.

Immediately afterward, a huge python shot violently out of the magma.

This python was no ordinary creature. It was a Colorless Giant Python formed from the Fallen Heart Flame.

Its body radiated blazing heat, and the air warped and twisted wherever it passed.

After the giant python emerged, its lantern-like eyes instantly locked onto Shi Kang's group. Then, overestimating itself, it opened its bloody maw and charged fiercely at them.

Although this Fallen Heart Flame had developed a trace of intelligence, it had existed for too short a time. Much of its behavior was driven purely by instinct, and it had no idea how formidable the three people before it were.

"Hmph!" Shi Long snorted coldly, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes.

With a casual wave of his hand, a powerful surge of Space Power erupted and firmly imprisoned the giant python in place. No matter how it struggled, it could not move in the slightest.

Shi Long turned to Shi Kang and asked for his opinion. "Young Clan Leader, shall I capture it for you first?"

But Shi Kang raised a hand, signaling Shi Long not to rush. "Wait."

After saying that, Shi Kang directed his gaze beneath the magma. His eyes turned profound as he said quietly, "Did either of you sense that there seem to be some creatures moving down below?"

Shi Long closed his eyes slightly and sensed for a moment before saying, "Yes. They seem to be some lizardmen. Their strength should not be particularly great."

However, Shi Kang shook his head. "It is not just lizardmen. I feel that there is another Fallen Heart Flame beneath us."

Shi Long and Shi Fei were both startled upon hearing this and hurriedly began sensing carefully again.

However, perhaps because the Fallen Heart Flame below was too weak, or perhaps because it was too far away, neither of them sensed anything.

Shi Long asked doubtfully, "Young Clan Leader, could you have sensed wrongly?"

Shi Kang shook his head. "I did sense a weak aura of the Fallen Heart Flame just now, but it vanished after only an instant. I should not be wrong."

Shi Long and Shi Fei exchanged a glance. Shi Fei stepped forward voluntarily and said, "Young Clan Leader, I will go down and take a look!"

Shi Kang nodded and gave him a warning. "All right. Be sure to stay safe and do not go too deep. If you encounter any danger, return immediately."

Shi Fei's offer to go down was exactly what Shi Kang wanted.

The two of them did not know what was hidden beneath the magma, but Shi Kang, as a transmigrator, knew perfectly well.

The Flame Lizardmen, Venerable Skyfire's Remnant Soul, and the juvenile Fallen Heart Flame were all minor matters.

The truly shocking secret hidden beneath the magma was Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion!

The reason Shi Kang had Shi Fei descend was because he wanted that juvenile Fallen Heart Flame.

Shi Kang feared that if he took the Fallen Heart Flame, the Lei Clan might use it as a pretext against him one day if they learned of it.

Under normal circumstances, Dou God Clans would not fall out over a single Heavenly Flame, but who knew what might happen in the future?

To eliminate this hidden danger, Shi Kang wanted to use the juvenile Fallen Heart Flame as a replacement.

Shi Kang himself did not dare go down, afraid of following in Zhu Kun's footsteps. If he were accidentally trapped as well, the loss would far outweigh any gain.

This was a cave mansion that could trap even Zhu Kun, a Nine-star Dou Saint. Shi Kang did not think he was stronger than Zhu Kun.

Although the original story mentioned that the cave mansion lay deep within the magma, Shi Kang still wanted to play it safe. There was no need to take that risk.

Would it not be more prudent to have Shi Fei go down and scout the way while he waited above?

He was the future hope of the Stone Clan. He absolutely could not be trapped down there.

Shi Fei leaped forward and plunged into the boiling magma.

Shi Long and Shi Kang remained above and waited quietly. As long as Shi Fei obeyed his instructions and did not venture too deeply, there was no great need to worry that the cave mansion would drag him away to become some sort of guard dog.

Less than half an hour later, Shi Fei flew up from the magma with delight written across his face.

He held a tiny colorless flame in his hand and said excitedly, "Young Clan Leader, I found the Fallen Heart Flame!"

Shi Kang asked Shi Fei about his experience beneath the magma.

It turned out that shortly after Shi Fei entered the magma and began descending, he encountered a group of overconfident lizardmen.

These lizardmen generally possessed only Dou Ling strength and were utterly incapable of withstanding Shi Fei.

With a casual gesture, Shi Fei killed all of the lizardmen, causing crimson beads to burst from their bodies.

These Crimson Beads contained extremely dense fire-attribute energy, though that energy was too violent, making them somewhat similar to the Magic Cores of Monster Beasts.

Following the principle of not wasting anything, Shi Fei collected all the beads before continuing downward.

Not long afterward, Shi Fei saw the Light Barrier where Venerable Skyfire was located and could clearly sense a very faint aura of the Fallen Heart Flame within it.