Underground Cavern

The three of them entered the Lava Cave and were immediately hit by a wave of scorching heat, as if they had stepped into a steamer.

"Remember, if we find a Crimson Flame Lotus later, don't try to pick it. Only I can do that. Understood?" Lin Chuan said sternly. He didn't explain anything to the other two; he saw no need to let them in on the dirty business going on behind the scenes.

"Mm, understood!" Both of them could hear the gravity in Lin Chuan's voice, so they agreed at once. At least as far as they were concerned, without Lin Chuan, they would never have made it this far. They might have been killed as soon as they entered the Hunting Grounds. So they had to follow his instructions without question.

Lin Chuan nodded, then led them underground. Through the Byakugan's 360-degree field of vision, he could clearly see every tunnel within a kilometer beneath them.

To the other teams, this place was a maze. But Lin Chuan could tell which tunnels were dead ends and which would lead farther in, albeit by a roundabout route. He could easily rule out all the impassable paths and choose one that extended beyond the edge of his vision.

"Follow me!" As soon as Lin Chuan spoke, he led the other two straight toward a narrow tunnel.

"This one..." Qin Lang stared at the tunnel before them. It was so cramped that it looked just big enough for a small child to crawl through. He turned to look back at the tunnel they had come through, which was clearly the most spacious one. "Lin Chuan, are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"Do you trust your own eyes, or do you trust my Byakugan?" Lin Chuan asked with a slight laugh.

Bu Lianshi looked from side to side, then stood beside Lin Chuan without hesitation. "I choose to trust Lin Chuan's eyes!"

"But I..." Qin Lang pulled a long face and hesitated for a while before saying, "I don't think I can crawl through. I'm a little too... well-built!"

"Uh..." Lin Chuan had only been looking for the shortest tunnel he could crawl through, and had forgotten about Qin Lang's build.

After comparing Qin Lang's frame to the cramped tunnel, Lin Chuan spread his hands. "This is the shortest route straight underground. If we don't take it, we'll have to go a long way around, and who knows what dangers we'll run into? You may be a little well-built, but trust me, you can squeeze through!"

Bu Lianshi tried to hold back a laugh, her eyes glistening as her shoulders trembled.

Qin Lang gritted his teeth for a long moment, but in the end he didn't go off alone to take another route. That way looked much more dangerous.

"Fine. Bu Lianshi goes first, I'll be in the middle, and Qin Lang takes the rear!" Lin Chuan clapped his hands, settled the order, and motioned for Bu Lianshi to go in first.

"Why am I at the back?" Qin Lang asked, confused.

"So if you get stuck, you won't block our way!" Lin Chuan shrugged and explained with ease.

Pfft!

Bu Lianshi couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Under Qin Lang's dark, threatening glare, she hurriedly crawled into the tunnel.

The tunnel looked tiny, but it was actually roomy enough inside. At least Qin Lang didn't get stuck, and the three of them made it safely to the end.

Once they emerged, they had reached a depth of one kilometer underground. Lin Chuan's expression grew much more serious. He stopped joking with the others and kept his Byakugan activated, constantly scanning the area around them.

Suddenly, Lin Chuan's gaze sharpened. He led the other two deeper into the cave at a brisk pace. After about three hundred meters, he stopped. The air here reeked of blood, and the steam in the cavern carried the stench, making it even more pungent.

A patch of dark red blood stained the ground. The heat had already evaporated most of it, leaving behind only a few hard clots like dried scabs.

Chunks of corpses lay scattered around them. Their ragged wounds looked as though something had torn and gnawed at them.

"This... this is..." Bu Lianshi's face turned pale with fright. She hid behind Lin Chuan and couldn't bear to look any longer.

Qin Lang stared at the gruesome scene in shock, his eyes wide.

"It looks like some wild beast tore them apart. Could there be some powerful Spirit Beasts in this Underground Magma Lake?" Qin Lang swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.

As soon as Lin Chuan noticed something was wrong, he had already used his Byakugan to look around. He hadn't found anything unusual, let alone any Spirit Beasts. There was nothing but the remains scattered across the ground.

"Looks like there's something dangerous down here. I wonder if the Lin Clan doesn't know, or if they deliberately sent us in here as cannon fodder." Lin Chuan frowned deeply.

He had planned to gather some Crimson Flame Lotuses so that fewer of those who entered later would pick them—and fewer people would have their Spirit Roots devoured by the lotuses. He hadn't expected the situation to be far more complicated than it seemed.

"From now on, you have to stay close to me. Don't go more than five meters away. Understood?" Lin Chuan said gravely. Five meters was the farthest distance he could extend his chakra at the moment. If they went farther, he wouldn't be able to do anything, even if something urgent happened.

"Mm!" They both answered. Bu Lianshi even grabbed the hem of Lin Chuan's clothes and wouldn't let go.

After confirming there was no danger nearby, Lin Chuan led the two of them toward a secluded cave about a hundred meters away. Through the Byakugan, he could clearly see a red lotus growing on the crimson rock wall there. If he wasn't mistaken, it had to be a Crimson Flame Lotus.

Before long, the three of them reached the rock wall. It really was a Crimson Flame Lotus. Its fiery petals radiated dense spiritual energy, but its scorching heat made them afraid to approach. Every so often, a wisp of flame rose eerily from the flower, bursting into a dazzling light.

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi did as Lin Chuan had instructed and stayed back.

Lin Chuan covered his palm with Senjutsu Chakra before approaching one step at a time. He reached out, grasped the Crimson Flame Lotus, and gently plucked it.

The moment he touched it, Lin Chuan felt the Crimson Flame Lotus trying to drain something from his body. But the Senjutsu Chakra covering his palm blocked it, and in the end, it failed.

It really does drain the picker's Spirit Root. Good thing I came prepared! Lin Chuan thought. He was just about to put the Crimson Flame Lotus away when his expression suddenly changed.

"This is..." Lin Chuan clearly felt a tugging force from his abdomen, filled with intense longing and yearning—even a plea. "Could this be... the Fruit of the God Tree?!"

Is the Fruit of the God Tree craving this Crimson Flame Lotus? Lin Chuan's expression shifted between light and dark. The Lava Cave was full of danger right now, and he had no idea what would happen if he let it devour the Crimson Flame Lotus.