Mo City, inside the Ancient Map Shop.
Hai Bodong was wiping the counter, his mind uneasy.
The image of that mysterious and terrifying youth kept replaying in his mind.
Suddenly, the shop door was shoved open.
Lin Chen strode inside, bringing with him a gust of sand and a wave of searing heat.
"Found it."
Lin Chen was brief and to the point, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"The Heavenly Flame is beneath the Red Flame Basin, three hundred miles east of the city."
Hai Bodong's hand froze.
A brilliant glint of disbelief flashed in his murky old eyes.
"So soon?!"
"Are you sure?!"
How long had it been?
Not even a day!
"My sense can't be wrong."
Lin Chen's tone was certain.
"Get ready. We're leaving immediately."
"Now?"
"But my seal..."
Hai Bodong was startled, delighted, and worried all at once.
"It's fine. You only need to come with me."
Lin Chen spoke:
"I'll handle the fighting."
Lin Chen glanced toward the room beside them:
Before he left, he had already told the two of them to wait for him here.
"Besides, Xiao Yi Xian can stay here and watch the shop. This place is relatively safe."
Xiao Yi Xian came out of the room.
Though there was worry in her eyes, she obediently nodded.
"Mm. Be careful."
She knew that going along would only make her a burden.
Lin Chen then looked at Qing Lin, who was timidly peeking outside from behind the doorframe.
He beckoned to her.
Qing Lin immediately trotted over and clung to the hem of his clothes.
"Hold on tight."
Lin Chen picked her up.
Then, with his other hand, he gripped Hai Bodong's wrist like an iron clamp.
Hai Bodong felt an irresistible force seize him.
Before he could react, Lin Chen had already swept him into the sky!
"Ah!"
The violent sensation of weightlessness made Hai Bodong cry out.
The howling wind forced his eyes shut.
He barely managed to muster Dou Qi to shield himself, but his heart was already reeling like a storm-tossed sea!
The youth was carrying two people, yet he was still flying at such a terrifying speed!
Those dark-red wings were no ordinary things!
Guided by his senses, Lin Chen raced across the boundless sea of sand.
Before long, they reached the vast Red Flame Basin, where waves of scorching heat billowed.
At the center of the basin, the heat distorted the air.
The ground was scorching hot.
"It should be down there!"
Hai Bodong endured his discomfort and carefully examined the terrain.
He pointed to the side of a sand dune marked by a clear collapse.
"There! There used to be an entrance to an underground passage, but it seems to have been buried by shifting sand!"
Lin Chen landed and set Qing Lin and Hai Bodong down at a safe distance.
He went to the collapsed spot and sent his soul power probing underground.
Sure enough, a thick layer of sand, stone, and rock blocked the way.
But deep below it, the surging fire-attribute energy and the stirrings of the Karma Fire Red Lotus were unmistakable!
"No need to look for a passage."
Lin Chen's eyes sharpened as his thoughts stirred!
Hum! Hum!
Phantoms of the twin swords Yuantu and Abi suddenly appeared at his sides.
Bloodlust intertwined with an aura of deathly stillness, making the surrounding temperature drop several degrees!
"Cut!"
He joined his fingers like a sword and pointed forward!
The twin swords rang out in an eager hum.
They transformed into red and gray beams that tore through the sky.
Twining together, they slammed into the collapsed ground!
"Rumble!!!"
A deafening boom shook the heavens and earth!
It was as if the entire basin were trembling!
Sand and rocks shot into the air, unleashing a sandstorm!
A huge pit, several meters wide and bottomless, was cleaved into the ground.
Its edges were smooth as mirrors, glimmering faintly like molten glass!
A deep passage exuding scorching heat and the stench of sulfur was laid bare before them!
Hai Bodong's scalp went numb. He sucked in a sharp breath!
What kind of destructive power was this?!
He had forcibly carved out an underground passage?
It was simply unheard of!
"Let's go!"
Lin Chen recalled the twin swords.
He picked up Qing Lin with one hand and grabbed Hai Bodong again with the other.
Without hesitation, he leaped into the bottomless pit!
As they fell, Blood Origin Dou Qi automatically formed a shield around him.
It kept the scorching heat and falling rocks at bay.
The passage wound downward, and the temperature grew hotter and hotter.
The surrounding rock walls gradually turned dark red.
They could even see a faint red glow rising from below!
After descending an unknown distance, the passage opened up ahead!
An enormous underground space appeared before them!
At its center was a scorching lava lake that stretched beyond sight!
Thick lava flowed and churned slowly like blood.
Huge bubbles kept rising and bursting.
They released terrifying heat and a pungent stench of sulfur!
The entire space was bathed in red light.
The air shimmered, and waves of heat scorched their skin!
"So it really is here! The Underground Magma World!"
Hai Bodong cried out, excited and tense.
"The Heavenly Flame must be somewhere in this lava!"
Just then!
The tremendous commotion above had stirred the magical beast in the lava lake:
"Roar!!!"
The surface of the lava lake below suddenly exploded!
A colossal creature burst through the lava and raised its hideous heads!
It was a giant serpent made entirely of fiery red rock and molten lava!
It had two massive heads, and four scarlet eyes fixed on the uninvited guests in the air.
A ferocious, violent aura radiated from it!
Its energy had clearly reached Peak Dou Ling!
"The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake! A magical beast guarding the Heavenly Flame!"
Hai Bodong's expression changed as he cried out.
"Be careful! It's incredibly powerful in this lava..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chen had already moved!
He shoved Qing Lin and Hai Bodong toward a protruding rock platform behind them.
His figure shot toward the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake like a falling star!
Both of the Fire Spirit Snake's heads opened their jaws at once.
One spewed a pillar of scorching lava, the other a poisonous cloud capable of melting steel.
Like two raging dragons, they hurtled toward Lin Chen!
Lin Chen's gaze was cold. He neither dodged nor retreated!
He clenched his right fist, and dark-red Blood Origin Dou Qi gathered around it in a frenzy.
His entire fist seemed to transform into a blazing blood-red sun!
A fleeting vision of a surging sea of blood appeared behind him!
"Break!"
He threw a simple, direct punch!
There was no technique to it, only overwhelming force!
"Boom!!!"
His fist collided with the lava pillar and poisonous cloud!
Those attacks, powerful enough to incinerate a Da Dou Shi with ease,
were blown apart like paper before Lin Chen's punch, which contained the domineering power of the Blood Scripture!
Lava and poisonous smoke swept back in every direction!
The force of his punch was not spent. Like a blood-red meteor,
it slammed into one of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's heads!
"Crack! Boom!!"
The teeth-grating sound of breaking bones rang out!
The head, made of incredibly hard fire rock, was shattered into pieces by Lin Chen's punch!
Lava-like blood and chunks of stone flew everywhere!
"Skreee!"
The Fire Spirit Snake's remaining head let out a shrill, anguished howl.
Its enormous body writhed madly, sending towering waves across the lava lake!
Terror filled its eyes. It tried to dive back into the lava and flee!
But how could Lin Chen give it the chance?
His figure flashed like lightning, catching up in an instant.
He brought his foot down hard on its remaining head!
"Boom!!"
The tremendous force drove the serpent's head into the lava before bouncing it back up.
Its skull shattered, and the light in its eyes quickly faded.
Only endless pain and dying moans remained.
Its massive body could do little more than twitch on the surface of the lava.
The whole thing had happened in a flash, like a landslide sweeping all before it!
In a single exchange, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake—Peak Dou Ling and commanding the terrain—was left gravely wounded and on the brink of death!
Hai Bodong had completely frozen on the rock platform.
His mouth hung wide open, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
He knew Lin Chen was strong, but he had never imagined he was this strong!
This was practically a monster!
Lin Chen grabbed the tail of the barely breathing Fire Spirit Snake.
He dragged its enormous body onto the rocky platform and dropped it in front of Qing Lin.
Qing Lin stared at the terrifying beast before her, her little face turning pale with fear.
She instinctively took a step back.
"Don't be afraid. It can't hurt you now."
Lin Chen's voice softened:
He had deliberately beaten the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake into this state to make it easier for Qing Lin to form a contract with it.
After all, she was still young. Forming a contract might be difficult for her:
"Qing Lin, look into its eyes."
Qing Lin timidly raised her head.
She looked at the Fire Spirit Snake's one remaining blood-red eye, filled with pain and fear.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
Deep within Qing Lin's jade-green eyes, three tiny specks quietly appeared.
Then they began to turn slowly!
An invisible, intangible force—yet one that seemed capable of communicating with souls—
spread from her eyes and enveloped the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake!
The Fire Spirit Snake's enormous body suddenly stiffened.
A flicker of struggle passed through its blood-red eye.
But it quickly yielded to that strange ocular power, growing docile and even... showing a trace of awe and dependence?
Its sole remaining head lowered slightly, and it let out a faint hiss.
As if it were showing its submission.
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had absolute power over snake-type magical beasts!
Especially when their opponent was weakened!
"Success!"
Hai Bodong was shocked once again.
This little girl actually had a talent like this?!
Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction.
"Very good. Qing Lin, try ordering it in your mind."
Qing Lin closed her eyes and sensed for a moment.
Then she opened them, her little face alight with wonder and excitement.
"It... it says it's willing to listen to me..."
"From now on, it'll be your guardian."
Lin Chen ruffled her hair.
With this Fire Spirit Snake around, Qing Lin would have an extra layer of protection.
He didn't have the Fire Spirit Snake lead the way.
Instead, he turned his gaze back to the churning lava lake.
The throb of the Karma Fire Red Lotus in his dantian had grown almost unbearable.
It clearly pointed to a spot deep in the lava!
"Wait here."
Lin Chen gave the order.
A layer of pure, scorching Red Lotus Karma Fire burst to life around him, carrying an aura that seemed to incinerate all things!
The karma fire completely enveloped him, yet didn't harm him in the slightest.
Instead, it shut out the terrifying heat around him!
Like a god of fire, he stepped forward.
And plunged straight into the churning lava!
The viscous, scorching lava felt like warm water to him.
The power of the Karma Fire Red Lotus protected him perfectly.
It also frantically absorbed the surging fire-attributed energy around him.
He plunged rapidly, like a fish swimming through water.
Following his senses, he headed straight for his target.
Before long, deep in the lava, he discovered an enormous green lotus platform!
The platform radiated a gentle green light, pushing the surrounding lava away.
An invisible barrier formed around it.
At the center of the platform, where a Heavenly Flame should have been nurtured, there was now nothing at all!
"As expected... it's already been taken..."
Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, not particularly surprised.
It seemed Queen Medusa's information was true.
But the Heavenly Flame itself wasn't his only target!
The Earth Fire-Nurturing Lotus Platform that had birthed the Green Lotus Core Flame—
and the Fire Lotus Seeds that might remain within it—
were also treasures containing vast quantities of incredibly pure flame essence!
For the Karma Fire Red Lotus, which needed flame essence to repair itself, they would be just as nourishing!
"Refine!"
Without hesitation, Lin Chen sat cross-legged on the lotus platform!
He poured all his strength into activating the phantom image of the Karma Fire Red Lotus in his dantian!
"Buzz!"
An even more surging blaze of crimson fire erupted from his body.
In an instant, it engulfed the entire Green Lotus Platform!
The power of the Karma Fire Red Lotus was incredibly domineering.
It began frantically scorching, refining, and devouring the vast energy within the platform itself—
as well as the several Earth Fire Lotus Seeds hidden deep within its seedpod!
An incomparably pure flame essence, as if drawn from the heart of the earth,
poured into Lin Chen like a river bursting through its banks.
Then the Karma Fire Red Lotus greedily absorbed it!
The lotus platform slowly melted and shrank in the karma fire.
The seeds dissolved into the purest essence of flame!
The phantom image of the Karma Fire Red Lotus grew solid and clear at a visible pace!
The wounds on its petals seemed to heal slowly.
Its color grew more vivid, and the will of fire it radiated grew ever more terrifying!
As its host, Lin Chen also received an enormous boon!
While the vast energy repaired the Karma Fire Red Lotus,
some of it flowed back into his body as well.
It washed through his meridians and filled his dantian and sea of qi!
The barrier at the peak of Nine-Star Dou Ling—
under the onslaught of this immense energy, it melted away like snow beneath the sun!
"Boom!!!"
A powerful aura burst from Lin Chen's body!
It forced back the lava around him!
Dou Wang!
One-Star!
The breakthrough came as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
But it wasn't over yet!
The energy flowing back into him remained immense!
His cultivation continued to climb, finally stabilizing at the peak of One-Star Dou Wang!
Lin Chen abruptly opened his eyes.
Two clusters of crimson lotus flames seemed to burn in their depths!
He rose to his feet, feeling the terrifying power surging through him, roaring far beyond anything he'd known before!
With a thought—
"Buzz!"
A pair of energy wings, formed entirely from condensed, dark-red Dou Qi,
suddenly unfurled behind him!
These wings were different from his Purple Cloud Wings.
They were larger, more solid, and lifelike!
Their span was nearly three meters, and each feather seemed carved from dark-red crystal.
Their edges were sharp as blades. When they beat, they no longer sounded like wind and thunder.
Instead, they made a heart-quailing sound, like a blood sea roaring and space trembling!
They radiated an overwhelmingly powerful, domineering, and bloody pressure!
This was the unmistakable mark of a Dou Wang expert—wings formed from Dou Qi!
Moreover, because he cultivated the supreme technique, the Blood Scripture,
the power and speed of these Dou Qi Wings—and the pressure they brought with them—far surpassed those of an ordinary Dou Wang!
"Success!"
A satisfied smile curved Lin Chen's lips.
He beat his wings!
Rumble!
He shot off like a blood-red meteor, instantly breaking through layer after layer of lava.
A long vacuum trail formed in his wake.
He surged upward at more than ten times the speed of his descent!
The surface of the lava lake suddenly exploded!
A figure wrapped in dark-red Dou Qi Wings burst through the lava.
He hovered in midair!
The powerful aura of a Dou Wang poured out without restraint.
Mixed with the still-unrestrained might of the Karma Fire Red Lotus,
it pressed down like a tangible force, making the entire underground cavern tremble!
Below, the lava lake's surface was forced into a vast depression by that aura!
On the rocky platform, Hai Bodong felt the terrifying pressure of a primordial beast awakening.
He stared at those blood-red wings that seemed capable of blotting out the sky,
and at Lin Chen's youthful face, filled with supreme majesty.
He froze in place as if immobilized by a spell.
His aged face was filled with indescribable shock and horror!
"D-Dou Wang?!"
"How long was he down there?!"
"And that aura... how could it be this terrifying?! Even more terrifying than a Dou Emperor?!"
He felt as if his entire worldview had been crushed and rebuilt over and over again that day!
This young man...
Just who was he?
Before you continue