Plotting for the Green Lotus Core Flame, Underground Magma World

"Elder Hai, did you find anything in the eastern part of Shimo City?" Xiao Ce asked with a smile.

A few days earlier, after Xiao Ce had pushed Cloud Treading Traceless to mastery, he had decisively sought out Hai Bodong to ask about information regarding the Heavenly Flames of the Tagor Desert.

He naturally knew there was a Heavenly Flame near Shimo City, but he did not know its exact location.

Hai Bodong had already intended to build a closer relationship with Xiao Ce, and this was precisely his opportunity.

Because he had a strong interest in mapmaking, he had once ventured deep into the Tagor Desert in hopes of drawing the most accurate and perfect map of it.

It was precisely because of this that he had fortunately obtained some information about the Heavenly Flames. Following the locations and routes described in that information, he had surveyed them one by one, ultimately determining their general areas and marking them on his map.

He had once discovered three locations in the Tagor Desert most likely to contain Heavenly Flames, situated respectively in its eastern, western, and northern regions.

Among them, the area where a Heavenly Flame might be found in the east of the Tagor Desert was precisely the region east of Shimo City.

"Of course. In one area east of Shimo City, I sensed fire-element energy far surpassing that of other places. I had people dig deep into that area, and sure enough, the deeper they dug, the denser the fire-element energy below became. I can now basically confirm that even if there is no Heavenly Flame underground, there must be something extraordinary there."

"Very good!"

At those words, delight appeared on Xiao Ce's face.

Naturally, this did not mean he intended to do anything with the Green Lotus Core Flame just yet.

After all, he did not possess a single one of the treasures needed to devour a Heavenly Flame. Absorbing the Green Lotus Core Flame now would be nothing short of courting death.

Why had Xiao Yan succeeded in absorbing the Green Lotus Core Flame in the original story?

Aside from his thorough preparations, the main reason was that Queen Medusa had already drained away a portion of the Green Lotus Core Flame's energy and violent nature. Otherwise, with Xiao Yan's tiny Doushi-level body, how could he possibly withstand the most violent Heavenly Flame in the world?

But leaving a Heavenly Flame alone and doing nothing made Xiao Ce feel even worse.

It was then that a peculiar idea suddenly came to Xiao Ce.

Since he could not absorb the Heavenly Flame now, why not make a deal directly with Queen Medusa? Let her consume some of the Green Lotus Core Flame first, then he could absorb it afterward.

For this reason, he had specifically spent two months pushing Wind Passing Without Trace to mastery. Combined with strength far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Wang and his abundant Dou Qi, so long as he did not encounter a high-level Dou Emperor renowned for speed, his life would basically not be in danger. He now possessed the basic qualifications to negotiate with Queen Medusa.

Of course, Queen Medusa's strength was unquestionably among the very best below the Dou Zong level. If she truly set her mind on dealing with Xiao Ce, he would most likely be unable to escape her clutches.

But Xiao Ce dared to gamble!

He gambled that Queen Medusa would not attack him lightly!

As the ruler of the Snake-People Tribe, Queen Medusa bore immense responsibilities. To change the fate of her people, she was willing to risk nine deaths and one chance at life to use a Heavenly Flame to break through to the Dou Zong realm.

Under such circumstances, Xiao Ce did not believe Queen Medusa would dare act against him.

After all, no one knew what terrifying background or ancient monsters might stand behind a genius like him.

As for the other necessities for devouring a Heavenly Flame, with a small trick, someone would naturally deliver them to him of their own accord.

Several more days passed.

"Cousin Xiao Ce, that area has been dug through. Beneath it lies an enormous Underground Magma World. Even I find it difficult to remain there for long, and there is also a powerful snake-type magical beast there. We can only have Elder Hai guard the place alone."

After hearing Xiao Ding's report, a sharp gleam flashed through Xiao Ce's eyes.

They had finally dug through!

"Understood. I'll head over immediately."

Leaving those words behind, Xiao Ce promptly headed for the eastern side of Shimo City. He also brought Qing Lin along, intending to help her fully awaken her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

In the original story, Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had not awakened when she first met Xiao Yan. They had truly awakened in the Underground Magma World, spontaneously emerging at the life-or-death moment when she was attacked by the Twin-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

Xiao Ce carried Qing Lin in both arms, moving so quickly that afterimages streaked through the air. In just over a dozen breaths, he arrived at the entrance to the excavated cave.

"Cousin Xiao Ce, you're here!"

Xiao Li personally stood guard outside the cave with his men. Seeing Xiao Ce arrive, a hearty smile appeared on his face.

"Mm. I heard from Cousin Xiao Ding that the cave had been dug through, so I came to take a look."

Xiao Ce nodded with a smile and set Qing Lin down from his arms.

Standing beside Xiao Ce, Qing Lin's little face flushed slightly, and a hint of reluctance flashed through her eyes.

If only that road had been a little longer.

Brother Xiao Ce's arms were so comfortable.

Although everyone in the mercenary group had treated her with great respect after Brother Xiao Ce acknowledged her as his younger sister, she could still keenly sense the hidden disgust and disdain in their eyes. Especially after they saw the scales on her arm, those emotions became even stronger.

Only Sister Xiao Yi Xian had always treated her gently.

And Brother Xiao Ce—he would never look at her strangely. He would even hold her hand and say that her scales were beautiful.

Qing Lin could tell that Brother Xiao Ce truly meant it.

At that moment, Xiao Li glanced at Qing Lin. As if afraid Xiao Ce did not know, he reminded him, "The temperature in the Underground Magma World is too high. Qing Lin cannot go down with you."

Xiao Ce shook his head and smiled. "It's fine. Qing Lin is different from others!"

With that, he took Qing Lin's hand and walked into the cave.

With her little hand held by Xiao Ce, Qing Lin was beside herself with excitement. Her small face turned red as a ripe apple.

After walking for around ten minutes, Xiao Ce could clearly feel the temperature in the passage gradually rising. Heat continuously surged out from the depths of the tunnel. From this point onward, even ordinary Dou Zhe had begun to find it difficult to endure, yet Qing Lin seemed completely unaffected. A special, icy-cold energy flowed endlessly from within her body, shielding her from the heat in the passage.

Clearly, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were at work.

If one looked closely at Qing Lin's eyes, they could see three tiny jade-green dots deep within her greenish pupils.

The two continued deeper inside.

After another ten-odd minutes of walking, the view suddenly opened up, and a boundless Underground Magma World came into sight.

Enormous bubbles constantly rose from the magma before bursting with a bang, while scorching lava shot violently out from within.

Seeing such a magnificent sight, Qing Lin's little mouth fell open, her face filled with shock.

At that moment, a voice came from afar.

"Xiao Ce, why did you bring this little girl here as well?"

Hai Bodong walked over from the distance. The instant he saw Qing Lin, a trace of surprise appeared on his face.

Xiao Ce smiled. "I heard there is a snake-type magical beast here, so I brought Qing Lin over to take a look."

"What does there being a snake-type magical beast here have to do with Qing Lin?" Hai Bodong froze, curiosity appearing on his face.

Xiao Ce smiled faintly. "Elder Hai, have you ever heard of... the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?"