Underground Cave

As the trio entered the Lava Cave, they were immediately hit by a scorching wave of heat, as if they had stepped into a steamer.

"Remember, if we find a Blazing Red Lotus later, you must absolutely not touch it. Only I can harvest it, understand?" Lin Chuan said solemnly. He did not explain further, feeling no need to burden them with the dirty secrets lurking behind the scenes.

"Understood!" Both of them could hear the gravity in Lin Chuan's tone and agreed immediately. In their eyes, without Lin Chuan, they would never have made it this far; they might have been killed the moment they entered the Hunting Grounds. Thus, they had to follow his instructions unconditionally.

Lin Chuan nodded and led them deeper underground. With the 360-degree vision of his Byakugan, he could clearly see every tunnel and passage within a one-kilometer radius underground.

What appeared as a labyrinth to other teams was transparent to Lin Chuan. He could easily identify which tunnels were dead ends and which were long, winding detours, allowing him to discard the impassable routes and select a path that extended far beyond his immediate field of view.

"Follow me!" With those words, Lin Chuan led them straight toward a narrow tunnel.

"Here..." Qin Lang looked at the tunnel, which was so cramped it could barely fit a small child, then looked back at the wide, spacious path they had just left. "Lin Chuan, are you sure you didn't miscalculate?"

"Do you choose to trust your own eyes, or do you choose to trust my Byakugan?" Lin Chuan asked with a light chuckle.

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

"But I..." Qin Lang wore a mournful expression, fidgeting for a long time before saying, "I don't think I can crawl in. My body is a bit too... well-fed!"

"Uh..." Lin Chuan had been so focused on finding the shortest path he could fit through that he had completely forgotten about Qin Lang's physique.

After comparing the narrow tunnel to the alternatives, Lin Chuan spread his hands. "This is the shortest path straight to the depths. If we don't take this, we'll have to take a massive detour, and who knows what dangers might be waiting on those roads? Your build is a bit full, but trust me, if you squeeze, you'll make it!"

Bu Lianshi stifled a laugh to the side, her watery eyes shimmering.

Qin Lang gritted his teeth for a long time, but ultimately decided against wandering off alone; that would be far more dangerous than this.

"Alright, Bu Lianshi goes first, I'll be in the middle, and Qin Lang brings up the rear!" Lin Chuan clapped his hands to set the order and signaled for Bu Lianshi to enter.

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

"Because if you get stuck, you won't be blocking our way!" Lin Chuan shrugged, explaining it casually.

Pfft!

Bu Lianshi could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing. Under Qin Lang's dark, threatening glare, she quickly crawled into the tunnel.

The tunnel looked small, but the interior was manageable. At the very least, it didn't actually trap Qin Lang, and the three of them successfully reached the end of the passage.

Once they emerged, they had arrived one kilometer underground. Lin Chuan's expression turned serious; he stopped joking with them and kept his Byakugan active, scanning the surroundings at all times.

Suddenly, Lin Chuan's gaze tightened. He led the trio sprinting toward the depths of the cavern. About three hundred meters later, he stopped. The air here was thick with a pungent, bloody stench, made even more suffocating by the steam rising from the lava.

On the ground lay a patch of dark red blood, already evaporated by the high heat, leaving behind only hard, scab-like crusts.

Scattered around were fragments of corpses, their wounds jagged and uneven, as if they had been torn apart by something.

"This... this is..." Bu Lianshi's face turned pale with fright, and she hid behind Lin Chuan, afraid to look any further.

Qin Lang was also stunned, his eyes wide as he stared at the gruesome scene.

"It looks like they were torn apart by some kind of beast. Could there be powerful Spirit Beasts in this Underground Magma Lake?" Qin Lang swallowed hard, speaking with difficulty.

After discovering the anomaly, Lin Chuan had already scanned the area with his Byakugan. He found nothing strange—no Spirit Beasts, only the remains on the ground.

"It seems there is something formidable here. I wonder if the Lin Clan is unaware, or if they intentionally sent us in as cannon fodder?" Lin Chuan frowned deeply.

He had originally intended to harvest some Crimson Flame Lotus to prevent others from coming later and suffering the loss of their Spirit Roots, but he hadn't expected the situation to be far more complex than it appeared on the surface.

"From now on, you must stay close to me. Do not move more than five meters away, understand?" Lin Chuan said solemnly. Five meters was the maximum distance he could extend his chakra control; any further, and he would be powerless to help if an emergency occurred.

"Understood!" the two replied. Bu Lianshi even grabbed the hem of Lin Chuan's robe and refused to let go.

After confirming there was no immediate danger, Lin Chuan led them toward a secluded cave a hundred meters away. Through his Byakugan, he clearly saw a red lotus growing on the crimson stone wall. If he wasn't mistaken, that was the Blazing Red Lotus.

Before long, the three arrived before the stone wall. It was indeed a Blazing Red Lotus; its fiery petals radiated dense spiritual energy, yet the intense heat made one hesitate to approach. Occasionally, a wisp of flame would eerily rise from the lotus, erupting with a blinding light.

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi followed Lin Chuan's instructions and did not step forward.

Lin Chuan coated his palms in Sage Chakra before stepping forward, one pace at a time. He reached out, grasped the Blazing Red Lotus, and gently plucked it.

The moment he made contact, Lin Chuan felt the lotus trying to extract something from his body, but it was blocked by the Sage Chakra on his palms, ultimately failing.

It really does try to drain the harvester's Spirit Root. Good thing I was prepared, Lin Chuan thought. Just as he prepared to store the lotus, his expression suddenly shifted.

"This is..." Lin Chuan clearly felt a pulling force coming from his abdomen, like an intense craving and anticipation, almost like a plea. "This is... the Fruit of the God Tree!?"

Is the Fruit of the God Tree craving to devour this Blazing Red Lotus? Lin Chuan's expression flickered between uncertainty and concern. With the Lava Cave filled with hidden dangers, he had no idea what would happen if he consumed this lotus!