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

"I need the Mittel Clan to spread word that a Heavenly Flame has appeared 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, who grew more alarmed the more he listened.

Plotting against a sixth-tier alchemist—this was fucking thrilling!

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

Not to mention a sixth-tier alchemist. Who knew how many Battle Emperors, or even Battle Ancestor experts, stood behind him?

But Hai Bodong had already joined the Divine Court. He had no right to refuse, so he could only agree through gritted teeth.

"This old man understands. But whether that Medicine Emperor will take the bait, I cannot guarantee."

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

With that, Meng Chen looked toward the shelves lined with maps and continued, "Elder Hai, take out that special map in your possession. It is not something you can hold onto."

Hai Bodong's expression stiffened at those words. After letting out a sigh, he took 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, it was because of this thing that the Medusa Queen had hunted him down, striking him with the Serpent Seal and reducing him to his current state.

Meng Chen was not interested in the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map. Once the Demon Flame Space opened later on, having the map or not would make no difference.

"Send one fragment to Han Feng at the right time. With it as bait, I refuse to believe he will not come."

Meng Chen instructed Hai Bodong. Hai Bodong looked regretful.

"No need to regret it. Once Han Feng is dead, the fragment map will return."

Hai Bodong nodded and stopped dwelling on it.

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

"Elder Hai, come with me." Meng Chen spoke to Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong turned back for one last look at Gutu's map shop, where he had lived for decades. There was not the slightest trace of attachment in his eyes as he boarded the carriage with Meng Chen.

The following 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 story.

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 over the utterly unremarkable flat desert, no different from anywhere else in the desert.

If he had not read the original story, he would never have believed that such an ordinary place concealed a natural wonder like a Heavenly Flame.

"Chen'er, go that way."

Qing Yanjing pointed Meng Chen in the right direction, and he followed her guidance to a sand dune.

"Elder Hai, do it." Meng Chen ordered Hai Bodong.

At once, icy battle energy surged from Hai Bodong's raised hand. With a casual sweep of his arm, he fired an icy force several dozen meters long, piercing through the flat desert. Frost spread outward, opening a passage into the underground.

Looking at the underground tunnel, Meng Chen led Qinglin and Hai Bodong straight down through the passage carved open by the force.

Guided by Qing Yanjing, the three of them passed through countless forks in the path and finally reached the location of the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Before them lay an underground world of magma that could almost be called boundless. Molten lava flowed through the enormous cavern, while the scorching heat evaporated every trace of moisture from the air.

The space was filled with violently raging fire-attribute energy. Bubbles occasionally rose from the lava lake, bursting with a pop and scattering dazzling, scorching sparks of magma.

Meng Chen and the others stood at the edge of the lava lake. Hai Bodong's icy battle energy formed a protective barrier that blocked the terrifying heat radiating from the lake.

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

Meng Chen, however, found the abundant fire-attribute energy within the magma cavern extremely pleasant. Cultivating here would surely yield twice the results with half the effort.

"Qinglin, be good and wait for me here. I'll be back soon."

Meng Chen knew Qinglin did not like 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, neither the heat nor the corrosive power of the lava lake could harm him.

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

But before Meng Chen could take his first step, the lava lake began to boil violently. Countless bubbles surged up and burst apart, sending magma splashing everywhere, while a two-headed black shadow flickered beneath the surface.

The next second, the two-headed black shadow burst out of the lava lake. Magma scattered through the air in every direction.

A torrent of lava poured down like a waterfall from the suddenly emerging crimson body. The instant it appeared, it charged straight at Meng Chen, its two heads opening their gaping maws as magma dripped from them, as if it intended to tear Meng Chen apart!

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

"Beast, do not run wild!"

With a raised hand, icy battle energy surged like crashing rivers, forming a massive hand of ice that seized the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent as easily as catching a loach. No matter how it struggled, it was useless.

It was merely a fourth-tier magical beast, equivalent only 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 with one slap was already mercy.

More than a dozen icy chains appeared in Hai Bodong's palm, wrapping tightly around the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent. The cold pierced its bones, and it howled miserably, 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 ability to resist.

With the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent gone, there was little danger left in this lava lake. The Small Pagoda enveloped Meng Chen, and with a fierce dive, he plunged into the lava lake.

Even without the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Serpent to guide him, Meng Chen could still sense the extreme fire-attribute energy fluctuations emitted by the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Watching Meng Chen's figure disappear, Qinglin's beautiful eyes filled with nervousness, and her small hands unconsciously clenched.

The scorching crimson lava was kept outside the barrier. Occasionally, some undercurrents of lava containing violent fire-attribute energy crashed 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 cyan. The temperature beyond the barrier became even more terrifying, indicating that he was not far from the Green Lotus Core Flame.

This caused him to speed up. He rushed toward the bottom of the lava, stirring it into violent turbulence. Countless bubbles surged across the lake's surface, bursting into showers of magma sparks.

The sight startled Qinglin outside, and her pretty face changed slightly. Could something have happened to Master down there?!

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

The depths of the magma presented an entirely different scene. The fiery red had faded away, replaced by a field of cyan.

This change came from a large mass of cyan light. Within it swayed a cyan lotus, radiating terrifying heat.

The moment Meng Chen saw that mass of cyan light, joy appeared in his eyes, and he quickly rushed toward the cyan lotus.

As he drew closer, the temperature rose sharply. Fortunately, the protection formed by the Small Pagoda was sturdy enough and showed no sign of melting.

A moment later, Meng Chen arrived before the cyan lotus, his gaze fixed upon it.

The cyan lotus had eight petals, each one seemingly carved from the finest green jade. They were naturally perfect, crystal clear, and exquisitely beautiful.

At the center of the lotus sat a small lotus platform two or three feet across. There were several holes on the platform, and within each hole rested an Earthfire Lotus Seed condensed from pure fire-attribute energy.

The lotus's roots formed a rhizome more than a dozen meters long, covered in tiny tendrils that greedily absorbed fire-attribute energy from the magma. It swayed amid the endless lava, drifting with its currents and constantly changing position.

Meng Chen looked into the fist-sized hollow at the center of the lotus platform.

A cluster of cyan flames radiated terrifying heat while constantly changing shape.

At times, it condensed into a lotus. At others, it transformed into a cyan serpent coiled atop the lotus platform, appearing rather docile.