Three-Star Dou Zong
The successful creation of the Earth Demon Puppet 'Puppet One' means that Lin Ming has gained another powerful Trump Card.
With more than half the month remaining before the agreed-upon deadline to depart for the Middle Continent, Lin Ming was not idle. He knew that Middle Continent was teeming with powerful individuals, and even with his current strength, he needed to improve every ounce of power as much as possible.
Suddenly, he remembered an excellent place for cultivation—the endless Magma World beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower in the Inner Academy!
Not only is it filled with incredibly pure fire-elemental energy, but it is also home to a peculiar creature: the Flame Lizardman!
These creatures are not traditional Magical Beasts, but elemental life forms born from magma energy. Within their heads is a "Fire Bead" similar to Magic Core, containing extremely pure and vast fire-attribute energy. If one can refine and absorb it, it will greatly benefit the improvement of one's cultivation, especially for a cultivator like him who possesses Heavenly Flames and cultivates Fire Attribute Cultivation Method.
Do it as soon as you think of it.
Lin Ming greeted Great Elder Su Qian and then entered the familiar Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower alone once again. He was now immune to the Heart-Burning Heart Flame Poison in the Tower's Heart, and he descended to the bottom floor without any hindrance, to the huge void that once sealed the Fallen Heart Flame.
In the center of the void, the spot where the Fallen Heart Flame was originally imprisoned has now been replaced by a more complex and gentle array. At the core of the array, a wisp of thin, yet Spirituality, invisible flame is slowly swaying and growing. This is the Fallen Heart Flame Seedling that Lin Ming obtained from Elder Yao beneath the magma and entrusted to the academy for re-cultivation!
Compared to a few years ago, this seedling has clearly grown much stronger. The height of the flame has nearly doubled, and the burning power of the Heart Flame it emits is more refined. Although it is far less domineering than the mature form, it has already taken shape. Given time, it may well grow back into the treasure of the Jia Nan Academy.
Sensing the same yet more powerful flame aura emanating from Lin Ming, the wisp of Fallen Heart Flame Seedling seemed to twitch slightly, conveying a faint wave of intimacy.
Looking at the wisp of flame, Lin Ming felt a pang of emotion. He nodded slightly to the flame as a greeting, then without hesitation, he flashed forward and, like a fish, plunged straight into the dark red magma below!
"Thump!"
The scorching, viscous magma enveloped Lin Ming, but the intense heat, enough to vaporize High-Grade Steel instantly, felt like lukewarm water to him.
The Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame automatically forms a thin layer of flame veil on its body surface, which not only insulates it from the high temperature, but also continuously absorbs the abundant fire-attribute energy from the magma.
As he rapidly sank into the magma, Lin Ming immediately spread his Soul Power to sense the movements of this crimson world.
Lin Ming quickly locked onto his target—six or seven lizard-like creatures swimming in the distant lava, their bodies composed entirely of dark red lava, their eyes bloodshot, exuding a ferocious aura. They were the Flame Lizardman!
Most of these peripheral Fire Lizard are at the Dou Wang level, with only one or two occasionally reaching the Dou Emperor level.
"Perfect, let's test the power of Puppet One." With a thought, Lin Ming saw a flash of silver light beside him, and the Earth Demon Puppet "Puppet One," its entire body shimmering with metallic luster, appeared in the magma. It was lifeless and unaffected by the high temperature, its hollow eyes locking onto the Fire Lizard.
"Go, kill them, and retrieve the Fire Bead," Lin Ming ordered.
Upon Puppet One's figure blurred instantly, transforming into a streak of silver lightning that charged directly into the Fire Lizard swarm!
It didn't use any fancy Dou Technique, just the simplest punches, kicks, and claw strikes! But each strike contained the terrifying power of Three-Star Dou Ancestor, and its speed was as fast as a ghost!
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Those Fire Lizard at the Dou Wang level were like paper toys in front of Puppet One. Their hard magma bodies were easily pierced and shattered by its silver fists! Dark red magma fragments mixed with sparks scattered everywhere.
Occasionally, Fire Lizard at the Dou Emperor level would spew out a blazing pillar of magma that struck Puppet One, but it couldn't even leave a mark. Instead, Puppet One would use the opportunity to get close, crush its head, and take out a bead about the size of a longan, entirely crimson, radiating pure energy fluctuations—it was the Fire Bead!
Puppet One was extremely efficient at killing. In just a short while, the six or seven Fire Lizard were all slaughtered. It held a small pile of crimson Fire Bead in its hands and respectfully handed them to Lin Ming.
"Not bad." Lin Ming nodded in satisfaction and put the Fire Bead away.
He was quite satisfied with the Earth Demon Puppet's combat abilities; it was fearless, absolutely obedient, and incredibly strong, making it perfect as a guard and henchman.
They continued to descend deeper into the magma. The deeper they went, the stronger the Fire Lizard became, with a large number of Peak Dou Emperor appearing, and even occasionally one or two Fire Lizard that had just entered the Dou Zong level.
These Fire Lizard are much larger, their flames are deeper, and their attacks are more threatening.
Puppet One faithfully carried out the killing orders. Facing Fire Lizard at the Peak Dou Emperor, it still maintained an absolute advantage, but it required more effort.
When a giant Fire Lizard with a strength of around One Star Dou Ancestor appeared, the battle began to intensify.
The Fire Lizard Dou Zong, manipulating the surrounding magma to form a massive vortex and lava claws, which relentlessly bombarded Puppet One. Puppet One's figure flickered, his silver fist clashing head-on with the lava claws, producing a dull thud, and the energy impact rippled outwards in the magma.
Although Puppet One was stronger, its agility and ability to utilize the environment were far inferior to these native creatures, and some fine dents and burn marks began to appear on its body.
Lin Ming watched the battle from the sidelines, not intervening immediately. He wanted to see where Puppet One's limits lay.
In the end, through relentless fighting and superior defense and strength, Puppet One managed to smash the head of the Dou Zong Fire Lizard and extract the more powerful Fire Bead from within. However, this battle also caused Puppet One considerable damage to its body, requiring subsequent energy replenishment and repair.
"It seems that although Puppet One can defeat Fire Lizard at the Dou Zong level, it will be a difficult victory, and he will suffer significant losses." Lin Ming made this judgment.
After putting away the somewhat dimmed Puppet One, Lin Ming decided to take matters into his own hands.
For the next period of time, Lin Ming began his hunting and cultivation journey in this endless Magma World. Relying on his own powerful strength and the deterrent effect of the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, he specifically sought out low-level and lone Dou Zong- level Fire Lizard.
The combat process is often simple and efficient.
Once the target was spotted, Lin Ming immediately unleashed his swift and decisive attack. The Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame transformed into a long whip of flame, a giant palm, or directly enveloped the target in Sea of Fire. Although the Fire Lizard, who were generally at the level of one to Three-Star Dou Ancestor, were thick-skinned and had violent energy, their defenses were as fragile as glass in the face of the absolute restraint and destructive characteristics of the Heavenly Flames. They were all shattered and burned.
Each time he killed a Dou Zong Fire Lizard, he would obtain a high-quality Fire Bead. After that, he would find a relatively safe lava vortex, set up a simple barrier, Lin Ming begin refining these Fire Bead.
Within the Fire Bead lies the purest and most violent source of fire-attribute energy.
Ordinary cultivators would have to proceed with extreme caution and gradual steps to refine it, lest they be devoured by the violent Fire Poison within. But for Lin Ming, who possessed the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, this was not a problem at all. The Heavenly Flames enveloped the Fire Bead, like the most efficient furnace, easily stripping and purifying the energy within, then transforming it into a torrent of heat that flowed into his limbs and bones, eventually merging into the vortex.
One, two, three...
As each of the Dou Wang and Dou Emperor Fire Bead was refined, Lin Ming could clearly feel that the Dou Qi within his dantian was becoming increasingly abundant and condensed at a visible speed.
At the same time, the inner space gradually expanded under the continuous infusion of energy. Twenty-two zhang, twenty-three zhang, twenty-four zhang...
As Lin Ming continued refining, the boundaries of his inner world expanded and its depth increased. When Lin Ming had refined all the dozens of Dou Wang and Dou Emperor Fire Bead, the space within his body had reached twenty-nine zhang.
Seeing this, Lin Ming did not hesitate and Lin Ming out an even larger Fire Bead. The energy in this Fire Bead was obviously many times greater than that of the previous Fire Bead.
Without delay, Lin Ming immediately began refining the Dou Zong Fire Pearl.
As the energy of the Dou Zong Fire Pearl circulated within his body, the barrier of a peak Two-Star Dou Ancestor began to tremble violently under the impact of such immense energy, becoming precarious.
Seeing this, Lin Ming immediately intensified the refining process, and the torrent of pure energy finally broke through the final obstacle!
"Buzz!"
Lin Ming's aura suddenly surged, and an overwhelming pressure, several times stronger than before, spread out uncontrollably, forcing back the surrounding magma and creating a brief vacuum! The Dou Qi within his body surged like a river bursting its banks, flowing faster and becoming even purer!
Three-Star Dou Ancestor!
Feeling the increasingly powerful force within his body and the Internal Space reaching thirty feet, Lin Ming slowly opened his eyes. A flash of purplish-red light appeared in his eyes, carrying a hint of joy.
In just over twenty days in this Magma World, his cultivation level increased by one star. If word got out, such speed would be enough to make countless people envious. The effect of the Fire Bead is indeed extraordinary!
After consolidating his cultivation level slightly and calculating the time, he realized that there were less than three days left until the one-month deadline.
"I'll stay here one last day, hunt one more, and then head back." Lin Ming decided to make one last effort, hoping to still gain something. He concealed his aura and dived deeper into the lava once more, searching for a suitable target.
However, perhaps because he had hunted too many Dou Zong Fire Lizard in this area, he attracted the attention of certain beings. Just as he locked onto a Fire Lizard with a strength of around Four-Star Dou Ancestor and was about to make his move—
"Roar--!!!"
A roar far more terrifying and muffled than any previous one, as if from the ancient primordial era, suddenly reverberated from the endless Magma World below!