Calculating Against Han Feng, Using the Demon Flame Fragment Map as Bait, the Green Lotus Core Flame Remains

"I need the Mittel Family to spread word of a Heavenly Flame in the Tagor Great Desert to Han Feng, the Black-Corner Region's foremost alchemist, the Medicine Emperor, and lure him to the Tagor Great Desert..."

Meng Chen briefly explained his plan to Hai Bodong. The more Hai Bodong heard, the more alarmed he became.

Plotting against a sixth-tier alchemist—this was damn exciting!

Alchemists were universally acknowledged as hornets' nests on the continent. Whoever poked one was bound to suffer.

Not to mention a sixth-tier alchemist. Who knew how many Dou Emperors, or even Dou Zong powerhouses, stood behind him?

However, Hai Bodong had already joined the Divine Court. He was in no position to refuse, so he could only agree through gritted teeth.

"This old man understands, but whether the Medicine Emperor will take the bait is something I cannot guarantee."

"If he doesn't take the bait, just give him some."

With that, Meng Chen looked toward the shelves covered in maps and continued, "Hai Lao, take out that special map in your possession. It isn't something you can control."

Hearing this, Hai Bodong's expression stiffened. After a sigh, he took out one half of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map from a pile of damaged maps, then retrieved the other half from his Storage Ring.

Back then, this thing had caused Queen Medusa to pursue him, leaving him afflicted by the Serpent Seal and reduced to his current state.

Meng Chen had no interest in the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map. Once the Demon Flame Space opened later on, the map would be useless anyway.

"Send one fragment to Han Feng at the appropriate time. With it as bait, I refuse to believe Han Feng won't come."

Meng Chen instructed Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong revealed a regretful look.

"There's no need to regret it. Once Han Feng is killed, the fragment will return."

Hai Bodong nodded and no longer fussed over it.

Seeing Meng Chen subdue Hai Bodong, Qing Yanjing transformed into a streak of golden light and returned to the Small Pagoda.

"Hai Lao, come with me." Meng Chen said to Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong glanced back at Gutu's map shop, where he had lived for decades. Without the slightest attachment, he boarded the carriage with Meng Chen.

The next day at noon, Stone Desert City.

Meng Chen did not enter Stone Desert City. Instead, he headed for the stretch of flat desert described in the original work.

It was not far from Stone Desert City. Before long, Meng Chen arrived at that desert with Qinglin and Hai Bodong.

Meng Chen lowered his head and looked at the unremarkable flat desert, no different from any other part of the desert.

If he had not read the original work, he would never have believed that such an ordinary place hid a heavenly treasure like a Heavenly Flame.

"Chen'er, go that way."

Qing Yanjing pointed out the direction for Meng Chen, and he followed her instructions to a sand dune.

"Hai Lao, make your move." Meng Chen instructed Hai Bodong.

Immediately, icy battle qi surged from Hai Bodong's raised hand. With a casual sweep of his arm, a frigid blast of qi over ten meters long shot forth, piercing through the flat desert. Frosty air spread out, carving open a passage into the underground.

Looking at the underground tunnel, Meng Chen led Qinglin and Hai Bodong down through the passage opened by the blast of qi.

Guided by Qing Yanjing, the three passed through countless branching tunnels and finally arrived where the Green Lotus Core Flame was located.

Before them lay an underground world of magma that seemed to stretch endlessly. Lava flowed through the enormous cavern, while the scorching heat evaporated every trace of moisture in the air.

The space was filled with incomparably violent fire-attributed energy. Occasionally, bubbles rose from the lava lake before bursting with a pop, scattering brilliant, searing lava sparks.

Meng Chen and the others stood at the edge of the lava lake. Hai Bodong's icy battle qi formed a protective barrier, blocking the terrifying heat emitted by the lake.

Qinglin felt somewhat uncomfortable, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. Her snakefolk's cold-blooded lineage made her dislike this place.

Meng Chen, however, found the abundant fire-attributed energy in the lava cavern extremely comfortable. Cultivating here would surely yield twice the result with half the effort.

"Qinglin, be good and wait here for Young Master. I'll be right back."

Meng Chen knew Qinglin disliked this place, so he had her wait above while he went down to see whether the Green Lotus Core Flame was still there.

Under the protection of the Small Pagoda, the lava lake's heat and corrosive power could do nothing to him.

With that, he prepared to plunge deep into the lava lake.

But before Meng Chen could take his first step, the lava lake began to boil violently. Vast numbers of bubbles rose and burst, lava splashing everywhere, while a two-headed shadow flickered faintly beneath the surface.

The next second, the two-headed shadow suddenly burst from the lava lake. Lava rained through the air in every direction.

Masses of lava poured down like waterfalls from the crimson body that had suddenly emerged. The instant it appeared, it charged toward Meng Chen. Its two heads opened their bloody maws, lava dripping from their mouths as though it intended to tear Meng Chen apart!

Facing the suddenly attacking Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent, Meng Chen remained perfectly still. Hai Bodong immediately stepped in front of him and shouted angrily.

"Wretched beast, do not run wild!"

With a raised hand, icy battle qi surged like a river crashing against the shore, transforming into a giant hand of ice that seized the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent as easily as catching a loach. No matter how it struggled, it was futile.

It was merely a fourth-rank magical beast, only comparable to a human Dou Ling. How could it possibly contend with Hai Bodong, a Five-Star Battle Emperor? The fact that he had not crushed it to death with one slap was already an act of mercy.

More than a dozen icy chains manifested in Hai Bodong's palm, coiling around the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent. The cold seeped into its bones as it howled in agony, but no matter how it struggled, it was useless.

In the end, Hai Bodong froze the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent into a block of ice, stripping it of all resistance.

With the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent gone, there was not much danger left in the lava lake. The Small Pagoda enveloped Meng Chen, and with a fierce dive, he plunged into the lava lake.

Although the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent was not there to guide him, Meng Chen could still sense the extreme fire-attributed energy fluctuations emitted by the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Watching Meng Chen vanish from sight, Qinglin's beautiful eyes filled with unease, and her small hands involuntarily clenched.

The blazing red lava was kept outside by the protective barrier. Occasionally, some lava currents containing violent fire-attributed energy slammed into Meng Chen, but the barrier easily blocked them, unable to disturb him in the slightest.

As Meng Chen descended deeper, the color of the lava around him began to change, gradually shifting from crimson to pale green. The temperature outside the barrier became even more terrifying, indicating that he was not far from the Green Lotus Core Flame.

This made him speed up. He rushed toward the bottom of the lava, churning it into a tumult and causing countless bubbles to rise across the lake's surface, bursting into showers of lava sparks.

The sight startled Qinglin outside, and her pretty face paled slightly. Could something have happened to Young Master below?!

At the bottom of the lava lake, after accelerating through his dive, Meng Chen finally reached the depths of the magma.

The depths presented an entirely different scene. The fiery red had faded, replaced by a sea of green.

This transformation originated from a large mass of green light, within which a green lotus swayed, radiating terrifying heat.

The moment he saw that green radiance, joy appeared in Meng Chen's eyes. He hurriedly rushed toward the green lotus.

As he approached, the temperature rose sharply. Fortunately, the protection formed by the Small Pagoda was sturdy enough, showing no signs of melting.

A moment later, Meng Chen arrived before the green lotus, his gaze settling upon it.

The green lotus had eight petals, each seemingly carved from the finest green jade. It was flawlessly natural, crystalline and translucent, breathtakingly beautiful.

Within the lotus was a small lotus platform two or three feet wide. There were several holes on the platform, and within each one lay an Earthfire Lotus Seed condensed from pure fire-attributed energy.

The lotus's roots extended into a stem more than ten meters long, covered in tiny tendrils greedily absorbing the fire-attributed energy within the magma. It swayed through the endless lava, drifting with its currents and constantly changing position.

Meng Chen looked toward the fist-sized hole at the center of the lotus platform.

A mass of green flame emitted terrifying heat as it continuously changed shape.

At times, it condensed into a lotus flower; at others, it transformed into a green snake coiled atop the lotus platform, appearing rather docile.