Green Lotus Core Flame

Xiao Qing slowly withdrew his gaze and continued flashing toward the depths of the magma.

As he traveled through this magma, which had almost entirely turned azure, he saw a great azure radiance blooming in the distance a few minutes later.

Xiao Qing focused his eyes and vaguely made out an azure lotus standing serenely within that azure light.

Knowing that the Green Lotus Core Flame lay not far ahead, Xiao Qing quickened his pace. In only a few breaths, he reached the outskirts of the azure glow.

Feeling the terrifying heat radiating from the surrounding azure magma, Xiao Qing did not hesitate before plunging straight into it.

As Xiao Qing entered the area covered by the azure light, he immediately felt the temperature around him drop considerably.

Ignoring the change in temperature, Xiao Qing directed his gaze straight at the azure lotus in the center of the light-covered area.

The azure lotus had eight petals. Each azure petal looked naturally formed, crystalline and translucent, like the most perfect creation of heaven.

Within the lotus was a lotus platform roughly two or three feet wide, its holes emitting faint glimmers of light.

Counting carefully, there were eleven in total. They must have been the Earthfire Lotus Seeds, said to be the essence of fire spirits.

Beneath the azure lotus grew an extremely slender stem, more than ten meters long.

The stem was densely covered in tiny tendrils that swayed as they frantically absorbed the violent fire-attributed energy within the surrounding magma.

The azure lotus floated quietly in the azure magma, like rootless duckweed adrift upon the sea.

Looking at the flawless azure lotus, Xiao Qing avoided the swaying root tendrils and slowly stepped forward.

He clearly saw that there was a fist-sized hole in the lotus heart of the platform, within which rose an extraordinarily spiritual azure flame.

As the flame churned, it sometimes took the form of a lotus and sometimes became a tiny azure fire snake, hovering and circling within. It looked exceptionally docile.

However, Xiao Qing would not be deceived by its outward appearance.

He carefully picked out the Earthfire Lotus Seeds, which only formed once every hundred years, from the holes in the lotus platform one by one and stored them in a jade bottle.

Only then did he take out a jade longsword from his Storage Ring, one that appeared crystalline and flawless, without the slightest impurity.

To cut the Azure Lotus, one had to use an object made of pure jade.

Xiao Qing, who had long known all this, had naturally come prepared.

Before arriving, he had used more than a dozen high-quality pieces of Rouge Jade to refine this jade longsword, which looked as though it had been crafted by nature itself.

Xiao Qing held the jade longsword and lightly drew it beneath the lotus platform.

The stem was severed, and the flawless Azure Lotus fell away.

Xiao Qing raised his hand, and the Azure Lotus floated into his palm, slowly rotating.

After admiring it in astonishment for a while, Xiao Qing took out an empty Storage Ring from his robes.

After storing the Azure Lotus inside, Xiao Qing estimated that the space within the Storage Ring would be burned into nothingness in roughly two days.

As long as he took the Azure Lotus out within two days, there would be no problem.

After confirming this, Xiao Qing did not linger. His gaze swept over the stem greedily devouring energy, and with a stomp of his foot, he transformed into a green streak of light that shot toward the magma above.

Silence once more descended within the azure light, leaving only the gurgling sounds of the stem greedily devouring the surrounding magma energy.

Above the magma, a figure enveloped in green flames burst through the thick surface of the magma and returned to the entrance of the passage.

As the Life Spirit Flame sank into his body, Xiao Qing's figure emerged.

He looked around and saw that the surroundings were no different from when he had entered the magma. He did not linger any longer and quickly headed outside.

From the slightly collapsed sand, a green streak of light shot out from within the deep pit.

After determining his direction, Xiao Qing beat his wings and swiftly flew back the way he had come.

Against the azure sky, the green streak cut across the horizon, eventually turning into a tiny dot at the edge of the sky and vanishing into the blue.

Not long after Xiao Qing left, a bewitching and alluring figure appeared above this stretch of sand.

The alluring figure held a red crystal sphere radiating blazing light. Every glance she cast brimmed with seduction, enough to make one's heart tremble.

"It should be here."

Medusa swept her beautiful eyes over the surroundings. When she spotted the deep pit in the collapsed sand nearby, she flashed into it.

Within the pitch-black passage, a conspicuous purple streak of light flew downward.

Sensing an unfamiliar lingering aura around her, Medusa's expression darkened as her speed abruptly increased.

Following the remnants of that unfamiliar aura all the way, she eventually arrived at a fiery-red magma region.

Without hesitation, she flashed into it.

About half an hour later, Medusa reappeared above the sand.

Her expression was terrifyingly grim. Looking at the red crystal sphere in her hand, whose light was slowly dimming, how could she fail to understand that the Heavenly Flame had been taken?

Moreover, judging by the lingering aura in the passage, the culprit was merely an ant at the Dou Wang realm.

Given the crystal sphere's current condition, it was likely impossible to track him anymore.

Medusa's beautiful eyes turned icy.

The Tagor Desert was usually deserted. She absolutely did not believe that this Dou Wang had known in advance that a Heavenly Flame was here.

The only reason he could have subdued it the moment it emerged was sheer luck.

There were only a handful of Dou Wangs who had reason to enter the Tagor Desert. Other than the Jia Ma Empire, which constantly clashed with the Snake-People Tribe along the border, she could not think of anyone else who could have sent one.

Dou Wangs were not cabbages. Even among the Snake-People Tribe's leaders, only a few had reached the Dou Wang realm.

What did the Jia Ma Empire intend by sending a Dou Wang into the Tagor Desert?

"Damn Jia Xing Tian!"

Medusa cursed furiously, the chill emanating from her body enough to freeze grass and trees.

Dou Qi surged throughout her body as she relentlessly launched attack after attack at the ground below.

Rumble!!!

Only after she had blasted the sand below into a pockmarked mess and caused the deep pit to collapse

did she finally stop attacking after venting her fury. Her luxurious purple wings gave a light beat behind her, and she transformed into a purple streak of light that shot toward the Snake-People Tribe.

She vanished beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Jia Ma Empire, Imperial Capital.

Within an ancient and magnificent building, a white-haired old man in a simple hemp robe stood on the highest floor. Through the window, he gazed out at the grand city.

Behind the old man stood a tall woman dressed in luxurious brocade robes.

The woman's temperament was cold and aloof, yet her entire body exuded mature charm. Every movement of her beautiful eyes carried an innate allure.

"Ah-choo!"

At that moment, the old man in the hemp robe standing before her suddenly sneezed.

"Great-Grandfather, what's wrong?"

A trace of confusion flashed through Yao Ye's eyes.

One had to know that the old man before her, her great-grandfather, was an expert at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm!

How could he suddenly sneeze?

Jia Xing Tian's eyelids twitched, and he faintly sensed that something bad was about to happen.

Still, he shook his head and said, "Nothing. The weather has probably been too cold lately, and I caught a chill."

Upon hearing this, Yao Ye's face filled with astonishment.

Could a Dou Emperor expert catch a cold too?