Strange Fire

"Yun Shan, it seems you are about to outpace us!"

Queen Medusa looked at the ethereal aura surrounding Yun Shan and spoke softly. She had not expected that this man, who had once been defeated by her, would touch the realm of a Dou Ancestor even sooner than she.

"It is still early; I have merely caught a glimpse of that door."

Yun Shan was quite carefree. Whether he broke through or not, he would let nature take its course; if the time came, he would simply stake this old life of his on it.

"Hall Master, the area beneath our feet is where the fire-attribute energy in this desert is most concentrated."

Withdrawing his vast soul power back into his body, Gu He stood up and spoke to Yun Zimo. As a sixth-tier alchemist master, he was far more sensitive to fire-attribute energy than the others.

"Master Gu He, can you find the most suitable way to reach the underground?"

Yun Zimo could not help but admire Gu He. Although he, Yun Zimo, also possessed a Mortal Realm soul, it had been stagnant at the early stage for a long time, unlike Gu He, who could step into the Spirit Realm and become a seventh-tier alchemist grandmaster at any moment!

"I can. Give me a moment."

A cloud-like white flame ignited in Gu He's palm, and waves of Dou Qi surged from beneath his feet, stirring ripples across the sea of sand.

"Exploration team!"

Yun Zimo called over the mercenary squad specialized in tunnel excavation, intending for them to coordinate with Gu He to begin digging at the designated spot.

"Do not go through such trouble!"

Seeing that Gu He had already marked the spot, Medusa leaped into the air. A phantom of her true form, a Purple Nether Flame Snake dozens of feet in size, appeared behind her. She opened its giant maw and spat a beam of purple light at the point Gu He had marked on the desert floor.

As a slight tremor passed through the ground, the beam instantly blasted through a hundred meters of yellow sand, exposing the mud and earth that had been buried beneath the desert to the sunlight once more.

The purple beam did not dissipate immediately after its success; instead, it transformed into a thin purple film that held back the collapsing sand, preventing the tunnel from being buried. A faint luminescence radiated from it, illuminating the depths of the pitch-black passage.

"..."

The members of the exploration team, holding their tools, looked at each other. After swallowing hard, they silently retreated to their original positions.

"Let's go. Let's head down and take a look."

Queen Medusa landed back on the ground, returning to her human form with a snake tail, and took the lead into the tunnel, which was wide and tall enough for several people to walk abreast.

"Very well."

Yun Zimo shrugged, took Qing Lin's small hand, and followed Yun Shan and Gu He into the tunnel.

"Why are you bringing this little one who isn't even a Dou Practitioner?"

Yun Shan asked via secret voice transmission.

"I am giving her a gift, and incidentally, letting you see the future style of the Misty Cloud Sect's Beast Taming Hall!"

Yun Zimo said mysteriously.

"Beast Taming Hall?"

Yun Shan did not know what kind of mischief this kid was up to, but since he had decided to bring her along, there would surely be no issues.

Gu He, however, glanced sideways from time to time, wanting to speak but hesitating about Yun Zimo's actions; he too had noticed that Qing Lin was somewhat strange and peculiar.

"Brother Zimo, I'm scared..."

Little Qing Lin gripped Yun Zimo's sleeve tightly, her timid voice as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

Yun Zimo gently stroked little Qing Lin's smooth hair.

"With your brother here, nothing will happen."

Only then did little Qing Lin's expression improve, though her small hand gripped his sleeve even tighter.

"Starting from here, if we continue downward, we should be able to reach the place where the fire-attribute energy is most concentrated!"

At the end of the tunnel, Gu He sensed the surroundings carefully before pointing at a rock wall in one direction with certainty.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

"Boom!"

Several wind blades flew from Yun Shan's fingertips, cleaving the rock wall as if carved by axes and knives. He stored all the scattered debris into his storage ring.

With Gu He pointing the way and Yun Shan clearing the path, the five of them moved forward and downward, gradually penetrating deep beneath the layers of rock.

As they pushed forward, the surrounding fire-attribute energy grew increasingly dense, and the temperature rose higher and higher.

"This is it!"

"Clack! Whoosh—!"

With the final, crisp shattering of the rock wall, a scorching wave of fire rushed toward them like a hurricane. A shallow white mist barrier appeared, blocking the group and intercepting the sparks.

As the fire waves gradually dissipated, the five of them fixed their eyes on the scene, and even the well-traveled Yun Shan and Medusa were stunned into a momentary daze.

Deep underground, an endless crimson hue filled the entire cavern. A massive lake of magma churned and roared, sending waves of fire dozens of feet high!

"To think that deep beneath this desert, there exists such a treasure land!"

Feeling the Dou Qi and the Heavenly Flame within his body becoming active, Gu He could not help but sigh with emotion. If he were to cultivate here, he was confident he could break through to the Dou Emperor realm within a few years, or even use the power of the earth fire to accelerate his path to the seventh tier!

"Where is the Heavenly Flame?"

Queen Medusa, however, did not care much for the state of this place; in fact, due to her inherently cold constitution, she felt a subtle aversion to it.

Gu He shook his head. He had only been scouting the areas with the densest fire-attribute energy as per Yun Zimo's request. He had no idea where the Heavenly Flame might be, but judging by the state of these fire veins, it was more than likely that a Heavenly Flame truly existed here!

"It does not connect to the heavens above, nor does it touch the earth below. Then, this Heavenly Flame must naturally be..."

Yun Zimo pointed toward the magma bubbles that burst from time to time. Within the endless molten rock, the reflection of Queen Medusa's furrowed brows could be seen.

"Down there?"

Both Yun Shan and Queen Medusa cast their gazes toward the magma lake. Gu He curiously ignited his Fire Cloud Water Flame to sense the surroundings, but ultimately, he could only perceive the infinite, violent, and scorching energy of the earth fire.

Just as Yun Zimo was about to speak, a sharp hiss erupted from beneath the magma, and pillars of molten fire shot into the sky, aiming directly at the five people in the passage!

"Hiss~"

"Squeak!"

A massive hand of white mist, as if plucking stars and grasping the moon, gently pinched the mysterious creature that had leaped out of the lake.

The magma pillars froze instantly in mid-air before shattering into a sky full of flaming lava, causing a spectacular rain of magma fireworks to fall within the cavern.

Yun Shan flicked his fingertips, and the white mist hand slowly moved in front of the passage, allowing the five to finally see what kind of thing had dared to attempt a sneak attack.

"This is... a Fire Spirit Snake? And a rare variant born in the molten depths—a Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake!"

Gu He stepped forward and gently touched the smooth, fiery-red scales of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's eyes, originally filled with brutality, were now brimming with unspeakable terror, its massive serpentine body curled up in the giant palm, shivering.

Yun Shan and Queen Medusa had long since perfected the ability to hide their auras, making them appear like ordinary people. As for Gu He and Yun Zimo, one was a civil servant-like alchemist, and the other possessed a faint, ethereal Dou Qi, making them appear neither particularly strong nor imposing.

Coupled with the home-field advantage of the magma world, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had fallen into the illusion that the advantage was on its side. Who could have known that the moment it launched its surprise attack, it would be pinched like a chick...

"Why did you have me catch this thing? It's a mere Dou Ling; I could crush it to death with a flick of my finger!"

Yun Shan transmitted his voice, his tone deciding the life or death of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake as if it were a trivial matter.

Yun Zimo smiled mysteriously and gently pulled Qing Lin over, whispering a few words into her ear. Afterward, Qing Lin timidly walked toward the Fire Spirit Snake, twisting the hem of her clothes. Her emerald-like eyes shone, and faint green specks of light lay quietly deep within her pupils.

Yun Zimo released wisps of cloud mist from his fingertips, which quietly climbed onto the body of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. Countless illusions manifested before its eyes, and an incomparable terror instantly filled its heart.

Ignoring the surrounding powerhouses, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake hissed in terror at Qing Lin, even opening its giant maw to swallow her whole!

Qing Lin, who had been concentrating on her visualization, opened her eyes to see the rapidly enlarging, blood-red snake maw. With a frightened scream, streaks of emerald light lifted her into the air. A mysterious, snake-like phantom emerged behind her, and massive, profound, and complex patterns appeared within Qing Lin's eyes. Three emerald flowers quietly projected outward, rotating as they shone upon the massive head of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

As the emerald light dissipated, Qing Lin fell from the air and was steadily caught by Yun Zimo. After feeding her a pre-prepared medicinal pill, Yun Zimo looked at the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake, which now bore the imprint of a small green flower on its head.

"The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, indeed..."

Gu He, who had been shocked beyond words, clicked his tongue in wonder before offering a wry smile.

"So the Hall Master knew all along that this little girl possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, and he knew of the existence of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake..."

Gu He was long accustomed to Yun Zimo's "foresight." Among the gossip of the few top-tier members of the Misty Cloud Sect, the legend of the "Founder's Dream" was filled with mysterious colors...

"Brother Zimo, I—I did it!"

As Qing Lin slowly woke up, the first thing she did upon opening her eyes was to speak to Yun Zimo with delight. Her tone was full of pride, much like a child asking an adult for a reward.

"Ask it if it knows where the Heavenly Flame is."

Yun Zimo said softly to Qing Lin.

Qing Lin nodded, stood up, and approached the head of the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. She closed her eyes slightly, seemingly communicating with it. The Fire Spirit Snake rubbed its head against Qing Lin's cheek quite affectionately, and there was no longer a trace of brutality in its eyes, replaced instead by infinite gentleness...

"The Heavenly Flame is right down here!"