The Snake in the Magma

Across the boundless desert, yellow sand raged.

This was Chen Cang's sixth day wandering the desert with the Void Pegasus Beast.

With the help of the vast numbers of Sandfish Lizards, Chen Cang alone could search faster than hundreds or even thousands of people.

Over those six days, he had searched roughly a thousand li around Stone Desert City.

After reading the memories of another dozen or so Sandfish Lizards, Chen Cang casually tossed them back into the sand and let them leave, then heaved a long sigh of relief.

"I've finally found you!"

The green lotus core flame had not appeared in the Sandfish Lizards' memories, but Chen Cang had already discovered a clue in their movements.

These little creatures were practically everywhere in Tagor, yet not a single Sandfish Lizard went near one stretch of flat desert east of Stone Desert City.

Such abnormal behavior was hard not to find suspicious.

The only explanation was that, for some special reason, that area was unsuitable for them to live in.

Seeking benefits and avoiding harm was an instinct shared by living creatures.

"Let's go take a look."

A little while later, Chen Cang arrived with the Void Pegasus Beast at the only blind spot in the Sandfish Lizards' memories, and almost immediately confirmed his suspicions.

The fire-attribute energy here was unusually dense!

Every sign matched what he had in mind.

Stamping on the somewhat compact sand beneath his feet, Chen Cang took out his spear and began digging.

But the thing was far too awkward to use. On top of that, human footprints covered the area, leaving the sand firmly packed. After several minutes, Chen Cang had only managed to dig a small pit about two meters deep. Who knew how much farther down the underground cavern lay?

Still, that was enough. Chen Cang had never intended to do all this himself. Digging those two meters was merely to further confirm the green lotus core flame's location.

And the results did not disappoint him.

Despite being a full two meters or so below the surface, the sand down there was no cooler than the sand exposed outside. That clearly defied common sense.

He leaped out, swept his dou qi over the pit to fill it in, then jumped onto the beast's back.

"Come on. Let's go to Stone Desert City and round up some people."

His plan to drive a tiger into devouring a wolf was already settled, so secrecy no longer mattered to Chen Cang.

In fact, while refining his plan over the past few days, he had even entertained a bolder idea. Since he certainly could not subdue the green lotus core flame himself, why not make a bigger commotion and weaken both the flame and his competitors as much as possible?

However, Chen Cang was somewhat worried about the situation spiraling out of control, and his final safeguard was not yet in place. That was why he had held off on acting.

Only after watching the man and beast gradually disappear from sight did Queen Medusa, who had been playing hide-and-seek for several days, reveal herself where Chen Cang had just loosened the sand.

Looking down, she could not see her toes, so she had no choice but to crouch.

She scooped up a handful of yellow sand that had not been shoveled back into the pit and carefully sensed it, a look of surprise and uncertainty appearing on her face.

Clearly, she too had noticed something unusual here, though heavenly flames were not the first thing that came to mind.

That afternoon.

Chen Cang and the Void Pegasus Beast returned.

This time, however, forty or fifty sturdy, powerful men followed behind him. They wore badges of the same design, clearly marking them as members of the same organization.

"This is the place. I want you to dig down until I tell you to stop."

Pointing at the flat stretch of desert before him, Chen Cang explained the commission.

Simple tasks called for simple solutions. If spending a little money could save him all the effort, why not?

Hearing this, the middle-aged man leading the group waved his hand, and the dozens of men immediately took out their tools, ready to get to work.

"Am I right in understanding that this commission continues until you tell us to stop, and we'll receive five hundred gold coins every day?"

"That's right. But you'd better not cut corners or slack off. If I catch you shirking, I won't pay you, and there'll be nothing you can do about it."

When he approached the Sand Mercenary Group, Chen Cang had already shown them his strength.

Against a Mercenary Group whose strongest member was merely a Da Dou Shi, his Dou Ling cultivation gave him an overwhelming advantage across the board.

Thus, Chen Cang now wore the air of a capitalist. He paid, they worked. Perfectly fair and reasonable.

If they did not want to work, there were plenty of Pals who would!

Stone Desert City had more than one Mercenary Group.

"Rest assured, young master. I'll supervise them personally. Nothing of the sort will happen."

Their leader, Sha Luo, gave his assurance and waved his large hand. The dozens of mercenaries immediately began digging, every one of them smiling, with not a single slacker among them.

It was hard not to be happy. Five hundred gold coins a day meant each of them would receive ten or so. They did not even have to fight magical beasts, and there was no danger whatsoever. All they had to do was dig.

For a commission this easy, I could work until he went bankrupt!

The mercenaries were satisfied, and Chen Cang was equally satisfied as he watched the work advance rapidly.

Mm, a win-win!

The digging continued the next day.

No mercenaries remained in sight aboveground. All that could be seen were heaps of sand constantly being tossed out of several tunnels. Breaking through into the underground cavern was only a matter of time.

However, the deeper they dug, the hotter it became. With the tunnels offering limited room and far less freedom of movement than outside, their digging speed slowed considerably.

Seeing this, Chen Cang turned to Sha Luo beside him.

Who do you think you are, lounging around like me...?

"You go down too. I'll pay you three hundred gold coins a day."

"Young master, this isn't about money. As their leader, I have to supervise them to prevent any unpleasant incidents."

"Five hundred."

Sha Luo picked up his tools and strode toward one of the tunnels. Voices could faintly be heard from within.

"Boss, why did you come down too? Did that employer hire you as well?"

"What are you talking about? I don't care about that little bit of pay. I was just bored stiff and came down to stretch my muscles. Pick up the pace, all of you, but don't get careless. The man up there said this commission isn't necessarily completely safe. Something unexpected could happen."

There was no denying the advantage of having plenty of hands.

In just three days, the tunnel making the best progress had broken through into the underground cavern.

Looking at the crimson magma and feeling the waves of heat rushing toward them, the mercenaries stood briefly stunned.

There really was something beneath the ground!

But this stuff did not seem to have any value. On the contrary, it was quite dangerous.

"Boss, we've broken through over here!"

One mercenary craned his neck and shouted from inside, completely failing to notice that the bubbling magma below was quietly flowing faster, as though something were stirring within it.

Casually tossing their now-useless tools into the magma, several mercenaries eagerly turned to leave the tunnel and claim credit.

After all, Chen Cang had promised them that whichever tunnel broke through first would receive a reward equal to their leader's daily pay.

Splash!

Suddenly, a disturbance came from the magma behind them.

They looked back, only to see an enormous, mysterious creature burst out of the magma with a piercing hiss and lunge like lightning to sink its fangs into the mercenaries in the tunnel.

Fast. Far too fast!

In the final instant of their lives, their minds went blank, leaving only a single thought...

A snake-what an enormous snake!