Magma Land
"Elder Hai, it's been a year already, why isn't Brother Lin Ming better yet?" Qing Lin asked with a worried expression as she leaned on the counter.
Just as Elder Hai, who was drawing the map, was about to reply to Qing Lin's question, a voice came from inside the Earth Corridor... "Qing Lin, isn't Brother Lin Ming coming out?"
As soon as the sound was heard, the Stone Door in the wall opened instantly. And after the Stone Door opened, a smiling figure slowly walked out from inside.
"Ah!" Upon seeing this figure, Qing Lin was briefly stunned, then let out a scream and immediately ran to Qing Lin Ming's side, calling out, "Brother Lin Ming!"
Seeing the glistening Qing Lin in Qinglin's eyes, Lin Ming reached out to wipe Qing Lin away, and said with a Qing Lin, "Qing Lin, don't cry. Your Brother Lin Ming Qing Lin has successfully advanced! You should be happy for Brother Lin Ming. Come on, give your Brother Lin Ming a smile!"
Feeling Lin Ming's touch, Qing Lin's face instantly turned red, and she lowered her Qing Lin, whispering, "Qing Lin didn't cry, Qing Lin is happy for Brother Lin Ming!"
The moment Lin Ming, Elder Hai sensed his newly advanced Dou Wang aura. Seeing Lin Ming successfully advance to Dou Wang, Elder Hai Elder Hai overjoyed, even jokingly saying, "Lin Ming, you've finally come out! Otherwise, that little girl Qing Lin would probably be worried sick!"
"Elder Hai!" Qing Lin said shyly upon hearing Elder Hai's teasing.
"Haha!" Upon hearing Qing Lin's words, Elder Hai immediately burst into laughter, filling the quaint Map Shop with a joyful atmosphere.
After a burst of laughter, Qing Lin bombarded Lin Ming with important information.
"Brother Lin Ming, just a few days ago, the aura that Qing Lin sensed last time came from the east again. This time, the aura had extremely strong energy fluctuations. However, the energy fluctuations weakened at the end, as if it had been injured..."
"Lin Ming, if Qing Lin's senses are correct, for Queen Medusa to be injured, even if there is no Heavenly Flames there, there must be something else unusual there." After Qing Lin finished speaking, Elder Hai, who clearly knew about this matter, also spoke up.
After hearing Qing Lin's words, Lin Ming knew that Queen Medusa had taken away the Green Lotus Core Flame. However, Lin Ming suddenly remembered that in the original story, Queen Medusa only took the Green Lotus Core Flame, but did not take the lotus platform that gave birth to the Green Lotus Core Flame Lotus Pedestal, nor the Lotus Seed in the Lotus Pedestal.
In the original story, Queen Medusa was injured while trying to take the Green Lotus Core Flame and thus failed to retrieve these items; the situation is likely similar now. Therefore, after a moment's thought, Lin Ming immediately made up his mind and said, "Elder Hai, I'm going to take Qing Lin to take a look."
Elder Hai wasn't too surprised by Lin Ming's decision. After all, he himself had risked his life for a fragment of a map whose purpose was unknown, let alone Lin Ming, who now knew there was a high probability of Heavenly Flames existing there.
So after Lin Ming spoke, Elder Hai simply told Lin Ming, "I know I can't stop you from using the allure of the Heavenly Flames to you Alchemist, so I won't stop you. However, Lin Ming, you must remember, if there is any danger, you must escape immediately."
Seeing that Elder Hai only gave him instructions and didn't stop him, Lin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Ming nodded and said to Elder Hai Xiao Ming, "Elder Hai, don't worry! I will be extremely cautious on this trip. If there is any danger, even if I don't think of myself, I will think of Qing Lin Xiao Ming."
After receiving Lin Ming's reply, Elder Hai nodded and said, "Alright, since you've decided, let's go!"
After resting for a night, Lin Ming took Qing Lin and set off for the place they had searched last time.
Although Queen Medusa left after obtaining the Green Lotus Core Flame, as mentioned in the original work and by Qing Lin, Lin Ming still released a large amount of his Soul Power to sense the path ahead as he approached his destination, for the sake of his own life.
After advancing to the Dou Wang, Lin Ming's Soul Power increased significantly. Therefore, in the same situation as before, Queen Medusa would no longer be able to get close to him without being detected.
After searching for a while and finding nothing unusual, Lin Ming led Qing Lin towards their destination.
Upon arriving at their destination, Qing Lin pointed to a spot and said to Lin Ming, "Brother Lin Ming, the residual aura is strongest here."
"Qing Lin is amazing!" Lin Ming praised Qing Lin immediately after seeing that she had found the place in an instant.
Now that he had found the entrance, Lin Ming didn't waste any time. With a wave of his hand, a passage entrance appeared before him. After the passage appeared, Lin Ming picked up Qing Lin and instantly entered the passage.
The sudden appearance of this cave entrance could cause trouble if someone discovered it. So, after entering the cave with Qing Lin, Lin Ming used his mind to cover the entrance with yellow sand once again.
Inside the passage, Qing Lin sensed the aura of Queen Medusa, and Lin Ming easily led Qing Lin to the end of the passage.
As they walked out of the passage and reached the end, the boundless Sea of Fire of lava and fire instantly filled Lin Ming and Qing Lin's vision.
Although he knew there was a Sea of Fire of lava and fire below, seeing it with his own eyes still left Lin Ming quite shocked.
Within the boundless Sea of Fire, fiery red magma flowed slowly, occasionally bursting with bubbles that revealed its terrifyingly high temperature.
"Brother Lin... Brother Lin Ming! There's actually such a lava field beneath this desert!" Qing Lin exclaimed in amazement as she recovered from her shock.
"Stunning, isn't it!" Lin Ming said with a smile, looking at Qing Lin.
"Hmm!" Qing Lin nodded in reply after Lin Ming finished speaking.
"Qing Lin, you stay here and wait for your brother to come back." Lin Ming squatted down and patted Qing Lin's little head.
"Brother Lin Ming, where... where are you going?" Qing Lin asked immediately upon hearing Lin Ming's words.
"Qing Lin, Heavenly Flames are usually found deep within magma. So, Brother Lin Ming, I need to go into the magma to search for them," Lin Ming said with a smile in response to Qing Lin's question.
"Brother Lin... Brother Lin Ming, you... you're going to go into the lava?" Hearing Lin Ming say he was going into the lava, Qing Lin glanced at the bubbling lava, swallowed hard, and asked with a worried expression.
"Don't worry, Qing Lin! With your Brother Lin Ming's strength, this magma can't do anything to me. So Qing Lin, you just stay here and wait for your Qing Lin Brother Lin Ming to come back. Maybe Brother Lin Ming 'll even bring you a gift then." Seeing Qing Lin's worried look, Lin Ming comforted her.
Knowing that Lin Ming was determined to enter the magma to find the Heavenly Flames, Qing Lin hugged Lin Ming's hand that was stroking her head and said earnestly, "Brother Lin Ming, Qing Lin doesn't want any gifts. Qing Lin just wants Brother Lin Ming to come back safely."
"Haha! Don't worry, silly girl! Brother Lin Ming will definitely come back safely." After Lin Ming finished speaking, a burst of Dou Qi instantly enveloped Qing Lin, forming an Energy Shield.
After protecting Qing Lin with Energy Shield, Lin Ming no longer hesitated. Enveloped in his Dou Qi, he disappeared into the sea of lava and Sea of Fire with a splash.