In the underground magma, everything was a fiery red. Although Xiao Jie used Heavenly Flames to keep the magma at bay, they did nothing for his vision. Fortunately, his soul power was formidable, and with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake leading the way, he did not lose his bearings.
Amid this fiery underground magma, currents of molten rock resembling deep-sea undercurrents occasionally surged forth. These currents contained tremendous energy; even a Dou Ling expert could suffer severe injuries if caught off guard and struck by one. However, the currents Xiao Jie sensed so far could not harm him. The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake ahead was clearly an expert at evading them. It seemed especially familiar with this place, leading Xiao Jie away before the currents arrived. The occasional unavoidable currents were not particularly powerful either. Though Xiao Jie did not care about them, avoiding them saved him some trouble, so he simply followed behind the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.
Within this crimson magma world, aside from the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, a fourth-tier magical beast, there were also palm-sized crimson fish living in the magma. They appeared to be unusual creatures like the Fire Spirit Snake, able to survive by devouring magma and fire-attributed energy. The species diversity of this fantasy world truly surpassed that of an ordinary world; even in such a harsh environment, there were quite a few living creatures.
Even ordinary fire-attributed magical beasts could not survive in this magma for long. Even the sixth-tier Amethyst Winged Lion King was no exception. It was clear that these creatures had evolved in the way best suited to their environment.
As Xiao Jie and the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake ventured deeper, even with the protective barrier formed by his new Heavenly Flame created from the fusion of two Heavenly Flames, Xiao Jie could sense that the underground magma was growing increasingly scorching. The temperature was rising by nearly severalfold. Even Xiao Jie, with his Heavenly Flames and Dou Emperor cultivation, felt this way. One could imagine how difficult it would be for others, even Dou Emperors, to take the Green Lotus Core Flame from this underground magma world.
Yet, in Xiao Jie's perception, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake ahead showed no signs of stopping. Nor did he sense anything unusual within the range of his soul power. The snake continued diving through the magma at high speed, without caring whether the person behind it could keep up.
Time itself seemed frozen in this world of fiery magma. There was nothing but red as far as the eye could see. After diving through the magma for an unknown length of time, Xiao Jie suddenly noticed that the magma ahead was no longer purely red, but tinged with cyan. The temperature abruptly rose several times higher once more.
This indicated that they were not far from the Green Lotus Core Flame. Sure enough, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake suddenly accelerated and rushed forward. A quarter of an hour later, the great snake and Xiao Jie stopped within a stretch of magma that was almost entirely cyan.
Not far away, there was a cyan light screen. Deep within the magma, it was like a cyan sun, conspicuous and dazzling. The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake seemed somewhat afraid, hissing continuously and twisting its body restlessly, appearing anxious and uneasy.
Xiao Jie swam forward. After passing through the light screen, he saw a cyan lotus standing silently before him. Swimming up to it, he saw that the Cyan Lotus had eight petals. The lotus itself was as crystal-clear as cyan glass, giving off a dreamlike beauty that made one unwilling to let go.
At the center of the lotus was a nearly transparent lotus platform, two feet long. Through its crystal-clear surface, he could see objects resembling lotus seeds within the holes of the platform. These were presumably the Earth Fire Lotus Seeds.
Below the cyan glass-like lotus was an exceptionally slender stem covered in dense, transparent roots. As these transparent roots swayed, Xiao Jie could sense them greedily absorbing the violent fire-attributed energy from the surrounding magma.
This cyan glass-like lotus floated through the magma world like duckweed adrift upon the sea, wandering everywhere. If not for this Fire Spirit Snake guiding him, even if he knew there was a Heavenly Flame beneath the desert, he would never have been able to find it.
"Heh, a Green Lotus Core Flame with a companion lotus platform. It truly is so beautiful that one cannot help but be captivated."
Information regarding the Green Lotus Core Flame surfaced in Xiao Jie's memories. This flame ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. It was born deep within the earth, forged, compressed, fused, and sculpted through countless temperings by the earth's fire.
It gained sentience after a hundred years and took shape after a thousand. Upon reaching maturity, it would be accompanied by a cyan lotus base. A cluster of cyan flame would grow from the lotus's heart, known as the Green Lotus Flame, also called the Green Lotus Core Flame. Once formed, it would drift through the magma world rather than remain fixed in one place. Its power could easily trigger eruptions from the earth's veins and volcanoes.
After swallowing a Blood Lotus Pill, Xiao Jie reached his hand into the lotus flame. The flame suddenly surged, and the nearby magma began to flow faster. Before long, Xiao Jie withdrew his hand, holding the Origin Flame Seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame. With a wave of his hand, half of the lotus seeds within the platform flew into his palm. Then he turned and rushed outward.
To Xiao Jie, the Green Lotus Platform was far too useless. The flames it released could at most injure a Dou Ling, while meditating and cultivating upon it could only accelerate cultivation for those below the Dou Wang realm. Only the lotus seeds were of some use to him, so he left the lotus platform in this magma world. Perhaps, after several hundred years, this cyan lotus might form another Green Lotus Core Flame.
Xiao Jie urged the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake ahead to move faster. He had already remained in this magma for too long and needed to return to shore as quickly as possible.
After Xiao Jie and the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake sprinted with all their strength, their return was evidently much faster than their search. The surface of the underground magma lake churned, and two snake heads of a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake emerged from it. Not far from the snake, a dark cyan figure also burst from the magma and leaped onto the shore. A lotus-shaped flame flickered in his hand. It was Xiao Jie, who had gone down in search of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
"Young Master! You finally returned."
"Mm, I kept you waiting. I have already obtained it. Let's head back now."
Xiao Jie said as he reached out and stroked Qing Lin's head.
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