Forging a Half-Saint? Zi Yan's Whirlwind Face-Slapping!
"With limited materials at hand, I can only set up Level-Four Teleportation Array right now, with a maximum teleportation distance of 100 miles in radius," Qing Yanjing replied.
Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, then with a wave of his hand, tore through the void and brought Qing Yanjing, Zi Yan, and Xiao Yan to the bottom level of the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Pagoda. He then said, "Sister Jing, setting up a teleportation array here should be enough."
"Okay, wait for me for a quarter of an hour." Qing Yanjing nodded slightly and began searching for a suitable spot to set up the formation.
At this moment, Xiao Yan walked to the front of the dark cave, looked down at the Molten World below, and instinctively frowned.
Taking a deep breath of the scorching air, Xiao Yan turned to Zhang Yuan and said, "Cousin, I feel a calling coming from the depths of this Molten World."
Little Yan has now reached the Peak Dou Emperor, and his soul has also broken through to the Spirit Realm, enabling him to refine Rank 7 Pill. Therefore, he felt the summons even outside the lava.
"You'll feel the call, that's good." Zhang Yuan patiently explained, "Deep within this Molten World lies a Fallen Heart Flame Fallen Heart Flame, and the remains of its previous owner. We're headed there next."
Xiao Yan blinked and asked curiously, "Cousin, how do you know so much?"
"Relying on this," Zhang Yuan summoned the Mysterious Yellow Flame, then continued, "I told you, the Mysterious Yellow Flame contains a world within it, capable of devouring the memories of souls. I devoured the memories of a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, and happen to know this."
It's not hard to make up a reason, and Xiao Yan has no way of verifying it anyway.
"Do you know any specific information about the previous owner of the Fallen Heart Flame?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.
Of course I know, but I can't say.
"I don't know about that." Zhang Yuan shook his head. "That Seventh-Rank Magical Beast only approached the area where the corpse was located. It can be confirmed that the powerful figure was a Dou Zun before his fall, and there may still be a remnant of his Soul Imprint, similar to the situation of Old Yao back then."
"If this is true, as long as that Dou Zun Human-grade, we can help him be reborn using the method that Old Yao originally wanted to use. You also have enough Heavenly Flames, so refining Rank 8 Pill will be a piece of cake once Old Yao comes out of seclusion."
"With the remains of Half-Saint and Dou Zun, he should be able to reach the Half-Saint level after his resurrection."
Xiao Yan suddenly realized why Zhang Yuan had suggested trying to recruit a Half-Saint; that explained it all.
Indeed, if they rescued the remnant soul of the Dou Zun from the Molten World, helped him recover his condition, resurrect his body, and reach the level of Half-Saint, it would be only natural for him to join the Nine Abyss Mansion and serve them.
"Then what about the Peak Dou Saint you mentioned?" Xiao Yan asked again, genuinely curious about this matter.
Zhang Yuan reached out and patted Zi Yan's head, smiling, "That's just a guess of mine. It's not something to do now; we'll talk about it later."
Xiao Yan felt aggrieved, but he couldn't bring himself to be tough on his cousin.
A quarter of an hour later, Qing Yanjing finished setting up the teleportation array and said to Zhang Yuan, "As long as you place the Magic Core on the jade platform at the center of the array, you can activate the teleportation and teleport to other arrays within a hundred miles."
"The greater the distance, the greater the consumption. If it's a hundred miles away, it will require a Sixth-tier Magic Core."
Sixth-tier Magic Core is the life essence of a magical beast comparable to a Dou Huang expert, so the teleportation fee is incredibly expensive.
However, unless there's an emergency, you don't necessarily need to use the teleportation array.
Zhang Yuan took out a Sixth-tier Nine Abyss Token and placed it on the high platform as a coordinate for soul perception.
He wasn't afraid of getting lost in the lava, since many people now possessed the Nine Abyss Token, and he had countless soul coordinates.
But placing the coordinates directly above makes it easier for him to locate them!
"Walk."
Zhang Yuan beckoned Qing Yanjing and the other three to disappear into the lava.
Xiao Yan released the Fallen Heart Flame, preparing to form a special energy barrier around the four of them to isolate them from the lava invasion.
As soon as the flame barrier appeared, it seemed to sense some kind of summons and quickly plunged downwards at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary Dou Huang expert.
However, Zhang Yuan and his three companions were no ordinary people, so this speed had no effect on them at all.
The vast, endless Magma World was a deep crimson, while the azure flames rapidly descended, and in the blink of an eye, a quarter of an hour had passed.
If it weren't for the Heavenly Flames, even with Xiao Yan's Peak Dou Emperor strength, he would have been somewhat overwhelmed. However, he wasn't worried, since Zhang Yuan hadn't even made a move yet.
Everywhere he looked was a uniform crimson, making it impossible to discern directions. If it weren't for Zhang Yuan guiding him, Xiao Yan wouldn't even know where he was, and even with the Fallen Heart Flame, he would be powerless to cope.
At this moment, he finally felt that the speed at which the Fallen Heart Flame descended around him began to slow down, which made Xiao Yan more cautious and carefully look around.
Several dozen breaths later, everyone witnessed a miraculous scene: the magma in front of them began to writhe in a regular pattern, and a transparent halo emitting a faint glow appeared before their eyes.
Despite Zhang Yuan's precautions, Xiao Yan still used his Soul Power to observe his surroundings while keeping a close eye on the transparent halo. He quickly spotted a skeleton that had turned into white bones at the very center.
The skeleton emitted a faint glow, which greatly shocked Xiao Yan and his companions.
"My cousin was right after all," Xiao Yan thought to himself.
"That's the Fallen Heart Flame!" Zi Yan exclaimed. "Wasn't it refined by Little Yan? How did it get here?"
A flame, transparent and seemingly invisible, floated atop the pure white skeleton—it was the Fallen Heart Flame!
Xiao Yan has already refined one, so there's actually another Fallen Heart Flame here?
"There's never only one different kind of Heavenly Flames, so it's normal to have another one." Zhang Yuan replied with a smile, then suddenly reached out and gripped it tightly in one direction.
"Boom!"
A void rift appeared in the lava several meters away, from which Eight Dragon Thunder Gang Fire emerged, transforming into cage chains that trapped a figure.
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Yan and the others looked over and saw a mysterious creature in the Thunder Prison. It was entirely crimson, covered with red scales that matched the color of the surrounding magma, making it difficult to spot with the naked eye. It had a red scale tail about half a zhang long on its back, stood upright like a human, and had a round head with a pair of small, fierce eyes. Its large mouth was now grinning, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth.
Let's call them Lava Lizardman for now.
"Ugh, so ugly." Zi Yan's face was full of disgust.
These Lava Lizardman, though described as magical beasts, have humanoid forms. However, unlike the Snake People tribe, they are not as beautiful; instead, their bodies are covered in scales, making them incredibly strange.
Under Zhang Yuan's control, the Eight Dragon Thunder Gang Fire devoured the creature effortlessly.
The mysterious object turned to dust under the thunder, leaving only a crimson bead in its place.
"Take a look at this." Zhang Yuan sucked the bead into his palm and then tossed it to Xiao Yan.
"Huh." Xiao Yan sensed the bead with his soul power, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "This bead contains some kind of energy, much purer than the energy I absorbed directly from the Magma World. If I absorb it, it can save me at least two days of arduous cultivation."
"This should be something like Magic Core. For fire-attribute cultivators, it's a rare tonic, but the energy within is too violent and needs to be processed before consumption. Its effects are similar to some mid-to-high-level pills, but with the help of Heavenly Flames, it can be directly refined and absorbed."
In short, this bead is a valuable item that can directly enhance the cultivation level of fire-attribute cultivators. Ordinary people cannot consume it directly, but those with Heavenly Flames can.
"Doesn't that mean if there's enough of this stuff, Little Yan, you and your brother can quickly improve your cultivation?" Zi Yan clapped her hands.
"You said it yourself, there should be enough. There shouldn't be that many of these mysterious creatures, right?" Xiao Yan said matter-of-factly.
Most weaker monsters travel in packs, while stronger monsters tend to be more independent, carving out their own territories and dominating the world, unless they are strong enough to form a monster family.
This Lava Lizardman doesn't seem like he's that powerful at all.
"Heh." Zhang Yuan's lips curled into a playful smile. Suddenly, he flicked his hand, tearing open a sliver of space and carrying the three people beside him into the white energy shield in a short distance.
Before the three could react, they felt waves of energy surge outside the energy shield.
They instinctively turned their heads to look, and saw a large group of red figures emerging from the lava, swarming in like a school of fish in the deep sea. Each one had fierce eyes, sharp snouts and fangs, and their aura was comparable to that of a human Da Dou Shi or Dou Ling expert.
Xiao Yan:?
A portion of the group of red figures, numbering over a hundred, emerged and approached the white energy shield, their eyes filled with murderous intent as they stared at the crimson bead in Xiao Yan's hand.
Xiao Yan:??
These Lava Lizardman, though individually strong, are numerous and thrive in the lava, likely capable of killing even those below the Dou Emperor level. Even Dou Emperor would find it extremely difficult to deal with them.
At this moment, several exceptionally large individuals emerged from among the Lava Lizardman, arriving before the hundreds of lizardmen. Their auras were extremely powerful, no less than Xiao Yan's.
Xiao Yan:???
So this group not only has countless numbers, but also many powerful individuals?
"Hahaha."
Zi Yan laughed heartily, saying sarcastically, "Oh right, there aren't many of these creatures, and probably not even any strong ones yet."
These words made Xiao Yan blush; the slap in the face came far too quickly.
"This is an extremely large race living in Molten World," Zhang Yuan said solemnly. "For a long time to come, they will be your adversaries, Brother Yan."
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.
Being in Molten World, he had just mastered the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame.
There are a large number of these Lava Lizardman, and it is estimated that there are even beings comparable to Dou Zong, which is perfect for him to hone his Dou Technique.
The orbs left after the lizardmen die can be refined to enhance one's strength. He can indeed completely stabilize his current realm within six months and then attempt to break through to the Dou Zong.
He achieved several goals at once and had already begun to like the place.
Zhang Yuan didn't say anything more, turned around and walked towards the skeleton in the very center, standing about ten feet away.
Up close, it's clear that this Fallen Heart Flame is only the size of a head. The temperature it emits is far less than the one Xiao Yan refined, but it's neither Heavenly Flame Seed nor Flame Seed of a different kind of fire; it's in its infancy.
The energy of the nascent Heavenly Flames is not great, and it cannot help the evolution of the Flame Mantra, but Zhang Yuan naturally has the ability to cultivate it and turn it into his own cultivation cheat device.
With the Eight Dragon Thunder Gang Fire and the Fallen Heart Flame combined, even his breathing must be getting stronger.
"Buzz!"
As Xiao Yan approached Zhang Yuan, a white light suddenly burst forth from within the skeleton, coalescing into a phantom, aged figure in front of him. The figure wore a white robe, had white hair and beard, an aged yet resolute face, and flames flickering in its weathered eyes.
An invisible aura emanated from this person, giving the four people a great sense of oppression.
"Dou Zun!"