Lin Ming's operation of smoothing out the space he had passed through and removing traces was like walking on snow. He not only had to walk fast, but also had to restore the footprints and the disturbed snowflakes around them to their original state after each step, leaving no trace.
This kind of meticulous operation is even more mentally taxing than Space-Tearing itself.
Only someone like him, who possesses the power of an independent World Origin, could achieve such a thorough level of perfection.
Anyone else, even Dou Sheng, could at most conceal most of their aura; there was absolutely no way they could perfectly smooth out all the microscopic ripples caused by spatial travel.
Time slipped away quietly in this tedious, arduous journey that required absolute vigilance. Lin Ming was like a solitary cosmic traveler, constantly locating, traversing, erasing traces, and relocating in the endless darkness... over and over again.
He avoided all known large cities and Space Wormhole nodes, choosing routes mostly above desolate mountains, deserts, and the deep sea.
When hungry, there's plenty of food in the Inner World; when thirsty, there's enough clean Inner World prepared for decades; when tired, one can take a short rest in the Inner World, talk to Zi Yan, and watch her carefree and adorable way of eating Sugar Pill, and all fatigue will vanish.
With the Inner World at his fingertips, nothing else matters.
And so, time flew by. A month, two months...
They traversed countless miles of mountains and rivers, and crossed numerous treacherous voids.
During this time, he also sensed several powerful auras sweeping across certain areas of the Middle Continent, seemingly searching for something. These auras faintly carried the Dragon Might, presumably belonging to the Ancient Void Dragon Clan searching for Zi Yan's whereabouts.
However, these search fluctuations all vanished without a trace when they touched the "invisible barrier" he had constructed with the World Power.
Lin Ming's heart remained as calm as an ancient well, steadfastly moving towards his predetermined goal.
Finally, after two months of arduous, sleepless travel, the familiar aura in the surrounding space, carrying a faint scent of blood and chaos, invigorated Lin Ming.
Black Corner Region, we've arrived!
However, Lin Ming did not appear directly above any city in the Black Corner Region. Instead, he chose a desolate mountain range and silently stepped out from Spatial Rift.
Looking down at the familiar, vast region that seemed forever shrouded in a thin layer of Black Mist, a trace of reminiscence flashed in Lin Ming's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
Jia Nan Academy is located in the central area of Black Corner Region, but he still cannot directly appear near the academy and expose himself. Concealing all his aura, Lin Ming moved like a ghost, Space-Tearing once more.
This time, he did not perform a long-distance traverse, but rather a precise short-distance Space Jump, while maximizing the concealment effect of the World Power.
In a few flashes, he had already traversed the outer and central areas of the Black Corner Region and arrived at the familiar outer Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy, surrounded by endless deep mountains Old Lin.
Although there are many powerful figures in the Inner Academy, including Peak Dou Ancestor experts like Qian and Bai Elders, with Lin Ming's current strength, it would be no problem at all for him to prevent them from sensing his presence.
Thus, without disturbing any of the academy's defensive barriers or attracting anyone's attention, Lin Ming's figure, like an ink droplet merging into water, quietly appeared high above the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy.
At this moment, he looked down at the familiar square, the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, and the students full of youthful energy, feeling a mix of emotions, but he didn't linger.
His target was the underground! Beneath the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, there lay a vast and dangerous Magma World!
With his gaze fixed on the iconic black tower below, Lin Ming took a deep breath and slowly sank down, not by falling, but as if he were passing through water, slowly "merging" into the space beneath his feet.
Lin Ming directly used his profound Space Power to perform a substantial "spatial penetration," ignoring the thick layers of soil and rocks.
The surrounding scenery changed rapidly; the solid ground and rocks, under the influence of Space Power, seemed to become transparent phantoms. Lin Ming's figure began to descend continuously beneath this.
As they descended deeper, the temperature began to rise, and a scorching and violent wave of fire-attribute energy emanated from below.
After descending for several dozen breaths, the view suddenly opened up before us!
An endless crimson world appeared before Lin Ming's eyes.
The raging magma flowed and churned slowly in the vast Underground Space like blood, occasionally bubbling up huge bubbles that would then explode with a deafening roar, scattering a rain of fire everywhere. The intense heat was enough to instantly vaporize refined iron, and the air was filled with a strong sulfurous smell and destructive fire-elemental energy.
This is the birthplace of the Fallen Heart Flame, and even deeper below lies the entrance to the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion Dou Qi Continent!
Even Lin Ming felt a sense of pressure upon arriving here.
The magma here is no ordinary fire; it contains a trace of Heart Flame power of the Fallen Heart Flame and the violent Fire Poison accumulated deep underground for thousands of years.
However, in response, a faint layer of Dark Purple Flame automatically appeared around Lin Ming's body, completely isolating and incinerating the incoming high temperature and Fire Poison.
Standing in this vast and scorching Magma World, all you can see is endless crimson and churning golden bubbles, with violent energy currents colliding and crashing, as if they could burn away the souls of any intruder.
If someone unaware of the situation were here, let alone finding the deeply hidden Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, even finding their way would be extremely difficult, and they would easily get lost in this fiery hell.
Lin Ming hovered above the magma, showing no sign of panic.
He slowly closed his eyes, and a vast, tsunami-like Soul Power, like countless invisible tentacles, rapidly spread outwards from him in all directions, meticulously sensing every energy fluctuation and Space Wrinkle in this space.
He wasn't searching aimlessly.
Soon, amidst the background noise filled with the raging fire elemental energy, he keenly detected a faint yet familiar fluctuation that resonated with the Soul Origin.
"Found it..."
Lin Ming's lips curled slightly, revealing a smile that seemed to indicate he had expected it.
With a swift movement, he silently burrowed into the viscous, scorching magma below, his body enveloped in an oval-shaped shield of Dark Purple Flame that kept out the intense heat capable of incinerating metal and the highly corrosive Fire Poison.
He followed the guidance of that spiritual connection, traversing through the endless crimson.
Before long, he arrived at the location where the sensation was clearest.
This place appears no different from its surroundings, still filled with churning lava, but Lin Ming's Soul Power clearly "sees" that hidden here is an extremely secretive, tiny spatial node cleverly folded using Space Power.
This was the very place where Yao Lao's remnant soul hid back then, and it was also the soul imprint that Lin Ming deliberately left behind when he rescued Yao Lao and left, where he secretly stored the crucial fragment of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade obtained from the Xiao family.
Extending his finger, Lin Ming gently touched the seemingly empty magma with his fingertip, which was enveloped in pure Space Power.
Buzz--
A subtle ripple spread through the space, and the hidden spatial node slowly unfolded like a flower bud blooming, revealing a stable space of less than an inch inside.
An ancient jade piece, with a faint luster and irregular shape, floats quietly in the center, exuding an aura of timelessness that transcends millennia.
On the jade piece, there are some mysterious and unpredictable patterns. Although it is only one-eighth of a complete Ancient Jade, it is already extraordinary.
Lin Ming carefully took out the Tou She Ancient God Jade Fragment and held it in his palm.
The jade piece felt cool to the touch, completely out of place with the surrounding heat. A strange sense of connection emanated from the deeper parts of the Magma World.
This was his primary objective in coming here!
Although he knew from his Original Work Memory that the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion was hidden deep within this Magma World, this magma ocean was so vast and boundless, and its depth was immeasurable. If he searched aimlessly like a headless fly, he would probably spend a great deal of time and still not be able to reach the edge. Moreover, there were powerful Restriction covering the Cave Mansion.
Moreover, this Magma World is also inhabited by an extremely troublesome race— the Flame Lizardman!
They have guarded the Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion for Guarded for Generations, regarding it as a sacred place, and any outsider who intrudes will be attacked by them relentlessly.
These lizardmen are incredibly powerful; the deeper you go, the stronger the individual ones become. The original work even mentions a terrifying being with the strength of Half Sage!
With Lin Ming's current strength as Four-Star Dou Venerate, facing Half Sage level Flame Lizardman head-on would be certain death, with even the chance of escape being extremely slim. This seemed to be an almost insurmountable obstacle.
However, the reason why Lin Ming dared to come here to make plans at the level of Four-Star Dou Venerate was because he knew that the Flame Lizardman was born without, or rather, unable to, control the Space Power!
Outside cultivators, upon reaching the Dou Zong level, can begin to utilize Space Power for short-distance travel and attacks. However, the Flame Lizardman, it seems, were chosen by the Tou She Ancient God to guard his Cave Mansion precisely because they cannot control Space Power and are unable to leave their research location, thus making it difficult to expose the Cave Mansion's location. This, in turn, gave Lin Ming a tremendous opportunity!
"If they can also use Space Power, then I'll have to abandon this plan completely and find another way. Fortunately, there's always a way out," Lin Ming thought to himself, feeling a sense of relief.
Although he could not defeat Half Sage by force, he could outsmart him. With his profound understanding and application of Space Power, he could perfectly conceal his aura, figure, and even all life fluctuations within another layer of Space Wrinkle, as if he were wearing an invisible "Space Stealth Cloak".
In this way, unless he gets extremely close or actively emits strong Spatial Fluctuations, even Half Sage Flame Lizard cannot detect his presence.
In this way, he could avoid large-scale conflicts with the Flame Lizardman and silently infiltrate the deepest part of the Magma World.