Magma Bottom

Because of Qing Lin's special condition, Xiao Fan was in no hurry to search for the Green Lotus Core Flame. In any case, the Heavenly Flame had yet to be discovered. Medusa couldn't possibly have stumbled upon it ahead of time through sheer coincidence, could she?

Besides, even if Medusa had taken the Heavenly Flame, she definitely would not absorb it immediately. Judging by the seemingly foolish Medusa from before, Xiao Fan was certain that the current Medusa was absolutely not the decisive, ruthless queen. She was more like a silly young girl.

Over the past few days, Xiao Fan had been concocting medicinal liquid suitable for Qing Lin to absorb. Repairing meridians and opening up her channels was not difficult for him.

"Qing Lin, it's time for today's body treatment."

"I'm coming, Brother."

Qing Lin jogged all the way to Xiao Fan's side. Perhaps she had picked up some bad habits from Zi Yan, but she had also gotten used to placing food on the ground.

Still, what gratified Xiao Fan was that Qing Lin had become much more cheerful than when they first met. At least, she no longer acted timidly before him. It gave Xiao Fan a great sense of accomplishment, watching the little girl he had raised with his own hands gradually walk toward the light.

He could not feel that kind of accomplishment with Zi Yan. That purple-haired Little Dragon Maiden had nearly emptied out his entire fortune. Any heavenly treasure Xiao Fan possessed would basically be swindled away by Zi Yan. Yet despite all those medicinal herbs entering Zi Yan's stomach, she had not grown even a little taller. It left Xiao Fan deeply frustrated, though he came to terms with it when he remembered that her true form was an Ancient Void Dragon.

Qing Lin skillfully lay flat on the bed and picked up a small blanket to cover her exposed belly.

"Mm, your body has improved quite a bit. At least you've put on some flesh."

Xiao Fan tried pinching Qing Lin's smooth abdomen before beginning her treatment for the day. The little girl's body was very weak. Taking pills could easily backfire due to their overly potent medicinal effects, so Xiao Fan used a more primitive method of treatment: massage. With the assistance of his own Dou Qi, her body could better absorb the medicine's effects.

Only after quite some time did Xiao Fan finish today's treatment. Seeing that slender willow waist, comparable to Xiao Yi Xian's, he could not help reaching out to touch it.

"Mm..."

"Brother, that tickles..."

Xiao Fan did not let go just because Qing Lin begged him to. Instead, he pushed his luck further and tickled her even more.

"Ha ha ha ha, Brother!" Qing Lin slipped away from Xiao Fan's clutches like a smooth little snake.

"Xiao Fan!" Zi Yan angrily shielded Qing Lin behind her and glared at him. "You're bullying Qing Lin again!"

"When did I? I was only helping Qing Lin nurse her body back to health."

"You clearly have bad intentions!" Zi Yan was no longer the Little Dragon Maiden Xiao Fan could easily fool. She was a dragon genius now—at least, that was what Zi Yan believed.

"You're not an Alchemist. What do you know?"

One sentence from Xiao Fan made Zi Yan obediently shut her mouth.

"Brother, I want to cultivate too." Qing Lin's soft, sticky voice drifted over.

That put Xiao Fan in a difficult spot. "Qing Lin, your body still isn't strong enough for cultivation. Once Brother has completely healed you, I'll teach you how to cultivate. How about that?"

Qing Lin lowered her head in disappointment. She also wanted to cultivate like Sister Zi Yan and Xiao Fan.

"Qing Lin, cultivating earlier isn't necessarily better. Brother has even seen someone who only reached Seven-Stage Dou Qi at eighteen, yet he later advanced to Dou Wang and Dou Emperor."

During the Dou Qi stage, cultivation was more about tempering the body and laying down a solid foundation for the future.

"Our little Qing Lin is so smart. Maybe you'll be a cultivation genius someday."

Only after receiving Xiao Fan's affirmation did Qing Lin raise her head, a brilliant smile appearing on her face.

"Mm, then Qing Lin will definitely cultivate diligently in the future. Qing Lin wants to protect Brother too..."

"..."

"Xiao Fan, is the Heavenly Flame really down here?"

"Of course. The fire-element energy here is far denser than anywhere else." Xiao Fan naturally dared to be certain that the Heavenly Flame lay beneath his feet. After all, he had been here once before. This time, he was merely confirming its location.

Xiao Fan was ultimately still worried about Qing Lin, so he brought the little girl along with him.

While Zi Yan transformed into a human-shaped excavator and dug out an underground passage, Qing Lin felt a sense of unease. Tugging on Xiao Fan's sleeve, she said, "Brother, this place gives me an unsettling feeling..."

"Hmm?" Xiao Fan's first thought was, Could Qing Lin's Green Snake Three-Flower Serpent be awakening? After all, the Green Snake Three-Flower Serpent was extremely sensitive to snake-type magical beasts, and if Xiao Fan remembered correctly, there was a fourth-rank magical beast, the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent, in the underground magma.

However, Xiao Fan did not sense any particularly powerful soul fluctuations from Qing Lin, so he reassured her, "It's fine. With Sister Zi Yan here, there's nothing to fear."

Yet as Xiao Fan led Zi Yan and Qing Lin deeper underground, the unease in his heart pounded faster and faster. That was right—he too had sensed a familiar aura, one that made even him feel somewhat apprehensive.

"Medusa really came here..."

A bad feeling rose in Xiao Fan's heart. Could Medusa have already taken the Green Lotus Core Flame?!

Sure enough, just as Xiao Fan had expected, the underground world was filled with traces of battle and unusual fire-element power. That also meant Medusa had already been here.

"Sure enough, too many changes have happened since my rebirth... Could the Soul Clan have begun laying out its plans ahead of time as well?"

Xiao Fan actually admired Hun Tiandi quite a bit. Compared with Gu Yuan of the Gu Clan, Hun Tiandi's ambition and planning were far beyond what Gu Yuan could match. He had been able to endure in silence for a thousand years without acting. If not for the fact that Origin Qi, the crucial key to advancing to Dou Emperor, was exceedingly scarce, forcing the two of them to become enemies, Xiao Fan would have quite liked to befriend him.

Xiao Fan shook his head. Clearly, these were not things he should be thinking about yet.

The urgent matter now was to confirm the state of the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Zi Yan, who was clearing the way at the front, naturally caught Medusa's scent as well. "Hmm? Sister Medusa came here?"

After passing through the winding, twisting passage, a vast magma pool appeared before Xiao Fan's eyes. Scarlet magma churned continuously, and even from a distance, waves of scorching wind blasted toward them.

Xiao Fan shielded Qing Lin behind him. "Qing Lin, it's very dangerous ahead. Wait here for me."

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

Although Qing Lin was frightened, she did not want to be a burden to Xiao Fan, so she obediently remained where she was.

"Mm, Brother, be careful. There seems to be something hiding underground ahead." Qing Lin reminded him.

Xiao Fan knew that Qing Lin must have sensed the Double-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent's presence. "It's fine. In a while, Brother will catch you a pet."

Xiao Fan stood at the edge of the magma pool with Zi Yan. "Xiao Yan'er, go drag that thing out."

"Leave it to me!"

Causing trouble and catching snacks were what Zi Yan did best.

Zi Yan sprang into the magma in an instant. The Double-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent had lived in this Magma World for so long that it had developed considerable intelligence. When it sensed the invisible yet terrifying pressure emanating from Zi Yan, it plunged straight toward the bottom of the magma without hesitation, attempting to evade Zi Yan's pursuit.