The owner of those enormous scarlet eyes was none other than the heavenly flame born within the Earth Core Magma World.
The Fallen Heart Flame.
It had lain dormant here for over a thousand years and had once been refined and subdued by an ancient Dou Zun, the Heavenly Fire Venerable.
Later, coveting a second Fallen Heart Flame seed, the Heavenly Fire Venerable had forcibly attempted to refine it, only to suffer a backlash that made his body explode and killed him.
Not long after the Fallen Heart Flame escaped, it encountered Mang Tianchi, who had come to the Black-Corner Region to temper himself.
Mang Tianchi suppressed the Fallen Heart Flame within the Earth Core Magma World and established Jia Nan Academy here.
Now, the Fallen Heart Flame seemed to have developed a measure of intelligence once again.
"Hiss!"
A piercing hiss suddenly erupted deep within the magma.
With that hiss, the entire Earth Core Magma World seemed to boil.
The dark red magma surged like ocean waves, raising towering breakers a hundred zhang high.
The Fallen Heart Flame roared, then transformed into a streak of crimson light. Opening its enormous, bloodthirsty maw, it lunged straight at Shen Luo's back.
It intended to kill him in a single strike!
Yet, faced with a deadly ambush capable of instantly killing an ordinary Dou Wang expert, Shen Luo did not even lift his eyelids.
He remained seated cross-legged in cultivation, only the faintest hint of a smile curling his lips.
Finally couldn't hold back anymore?
Shen Luo sighed inwardly.
Even setting aside his late Spirit Realm soul power, possessing the Devouring Ancestral Talisman gave him an extraordinarily keen perception of every form of energy between heaven and earth.
From the moment he entered the Magma World, he had already detected the Fallen Heart Flame.
He had remained composed only to wait for it to deliver itself to his doorstep.
Boom!
Just as those fangs were about to touch Shen Luo's back, a deep rumble suddenly burst from within his body.
Clang!
The Invisible Fire Python's sharp teeth sank against Shen Luo's body as though biting into ten-thousand-year-old mystic iron, producing a piercing metallic scrape without leaving even the slightest mark.
"That's it?"
"So you're the one called the Fallen Heart Flame?"
Shen Luo abruptly turned around and thrust out his left hand. It expanded at tremendous speed and seized the Fire Python by the neck.
"Take my punch!"
Shen Luo gave a low shout, brilliant purple light flaring around his hand, then slammed a punch into the Fallen Heart Flame's python form.
One Punch Shakes All Laws; the Tyrant Body stood unrivaled in the world.
"Screech!"
The Fallen Heart Flame immediately let out a shrill, agonized scream. Its enormous python body, hundreds of zhang long, exploded under Shen Luo's single punch.
A palm-sized little snake of flame appeared a short distance in front of Shen Luo.
The little snake was scarlet from head to tail, its scales peeling away. All the savagery in its crimson eyes had vanished, leaving only utter terror.
Fallen Heart Flame: Are you a fucking human or a ghost?
Shen Luo: You're just
Without the slightest hesitation, it flicked its tail and burrowed into the depths of the magma without looking back.
"Heh, you certainly run fast."
Shen Luo raised an eyebrow and lowered his fist, his expression indifferent.
He did not give chase.
He would capture the Fallen Heart Flame sooner or later, but not today.
"Enjoy what little time you have left."
Shen Luo smiled faintly and sat cross-legged once more.
The Devouring Ancestral Talisman operated at full power, the purple-gold Heavenly Tyrant Body Divine Runes and black devouring vortex illuminating one another.
The Earth Core World returned to deathly silence.
Time slipped quietly by as he cultivated.
Outside, on the bottom level of the Heavenly Flame Qi Refining Tower.
Dozens of Inner Academy elders stood ready for battle, staring at one another, none daring to relax.
"It's already been three days. Why hasn't Elder Shen come out yet?"
"Exactly. The Earth Core World is so terrifying. Could he have..."
"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting? The First Elder said Elder Shen's hidden trump cards are unfathomable!"
The elders whispered among themselves, their words steeped in unease.
The Earth Core World.
Like a bottomless black hole, the Devouring Ancestral Talisman ravenously absorbed the violent fire-attribute energy.
The Heavenly Tyrant Body was like an ancient furnace, its blood and vital energy vast as the sea, impervious to all laws.
Bang!
An immense surge of Dou Qi erupted from his body, instantly clearing away the magma within a hundred zhang.
"The peak of one-star Dou Zong."
Shen Luo opened his eyes, his gaze as deep as an abyss.
In three days, he had gone from the mid-stage one-star Dou Zong level at which he entered the earth's core straight to its peak!
Ultimately, this speed was still...
A little slow.
Shen Luo rose and stretched his limbs.
"Looks like it's time to keep going down."
He directed his gaze deeper into the earth's core.
There, the dark red magma had undergone an eerie change in color, shifting from crimson to dark purple and emanating a deathly stillness that made the heart tremble.
Leaping forward, Shen Luo plunged toward the deepest reaches of the earth's core like a black arrow.
Half an hour later.
Shen Luo came to a halt.
The surrounding magma was no longer purely liquid. Instead, it had become a thick, gelatinous substance, like solid ice made of flame.
The temperature here was enough to vaporize a Dou Wang instantly.
Shen Luo's soul power instantly swept outward...
Sure enough.
A Fallen Heart Flame seed quietly appeared within his Sea of Consciousness.
There was also a feeble soul form.
Suddenly, his brows furrowed slightly.
Within the range of his soul perception, thousands upon thousands of Flame Lizardmen lay hidden deep in the magma, packed densely together.
Among them were no shortage of auras at the Dou Wang and Dou Emperor levels.
He probed farther into the depths.
Dou Zong...
There were even... Dou Zun!
Shen Luo hurriedly withdrew his soul power, restricting it to a radius of a hundred li.
It seemed that to reach Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion, he would first have to get past the Flame Lizardmen.
Shen Luo had come to the Earth Core Magma World for two reasons: first, to cultivate using the abundant fire-attribute energy here, and second, to investigate the depths of the earth's core.
According to the original story, Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion was at the very bottom of the earth core magma. Zi Yan's father, Zhu Kun, the Old Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragons, was here as well.
Unless Shen Luo came down to see it with his own eyes, he could never rest easy.
Now that he had seen those terrifying Flame Lizardmen, Shen Luo finally felt reassured.
It seemed that although his transmigration had caused some butterfly effects, there were no major problems. The Dou Qi Continent was still the same Dou Qi Continent.
This way, he could lay his plans with peace of mind.
"Who's there? Come out."
Shen Luo knowingly asked the question, his voice carrying an irresistible pressure.
Behind a rock, a hazy patch of firelight trembled slightly.
A moment later, an extremely feeble, elderly soul form slowly drifted out.
The soul form was withered and gaunt, emitting a faint glow, as though he might dissipate at any moment.
Yet his gaze was profoundly deep, locking onto Shen Luo at once.
"Who are you?" Shen Luo regarded him calmly.
The elderly soul form smiled bitterly. "I am... the Heavenly Fire Venerable."
"Oh, so you're the Heavenly Fire Venerable?"
"Young friend, I..."
"You want to possess me?"
Yao Tianhuo had just been about to say something when Shen Luo cut him off without mercy.
"Young friend, you misunderstand. I'm actually the Fallen..."
"Impudent!"
Shen Luo's brows shot up. The Devouring Ancestral Talisman suddenly blazed with light, and a terrifying surge of devouring power burst from within him, instantly devouring Yao Tianhuo.
Though Yao Tianhuo had been a Dou Zun in life, he was now merely a remnant soul. He managed only a single cry of struggle before falling silent forever.
"Mm, worthy of a Dou Zun expert's soul. Even as a mere remnant, it still improved my soul power considerably."
Shen Luo spoke to himself, then opened his mouth. A terrifying suction drew the infant Fallen Heart Flame into his belly.
He did not intend to refine the heavenly flame, but to use the Devouring Ancestral Talisman to drain its essence dry.
Before you continue