As Long as You're Willing

This was Chen Cang's first time venturing deep into the magma, yet it felt entirely familiar.

After all, over the past few days, he had viewed the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's memories dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

My Dou Qi is draining fast. Without an Earth Tier Cultivation Method to sustain me, I could last half an hour at most-and that's assuming the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake doesn't attack.

Chen Cang circulated his Dou Qi, forming a protective barrier around himself and his mount. He kept the magma at bay while leaving the traveling to the Void Pegasus Beast.

A few dozen yards away, the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake followed silently.

Had Chen Cang come down alone, the snake would have avenged its broken tooth today. But with the Void Pegasus Beast present, it did not dare act up.

Among magical beasts, the hierarchy was far stricter than it was among humans.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was like a homeowner watching two thugs it could not resist barge into its house. Keeping them within sight was its last act of defiance.

Within the fiery-red Magma World, undercurrents surged. Occasionally, fierce currents erupted from obscure corners, carrying such immense energy that a single hit could instantly leave a Da Dou Shi severely injured.

Although Chen Cang was very familiar with this Magma World, being inside it severely hampered his vision. Even with his powerful soul perception, he still felt as though his "eyes" were dazzled by a dizzying blur, and the slightest lapse could send him down the wrong path.

Focusing on guiding the Void Pegasus Beast, he traveled with his mount for about fifteen minutes. Neither knew how deep they had gone, until the surrounding magma began to change color, losing its intense red and gradually taking on a green hue.

Contrary to its fading color, the temperature kept climbing. Even wrapped in a protective barrier condensed from Dou Qi, the heat was still unbearable.

With no other choice, Chen Cang increased his Dou Qi output.

"We're heading the right way. Speed up!"

After another ten minutes or so, an intensely brilliant green radiance finally entered the range of Chen Cang's perception.

The green light was so dense it seemed almost solid, like an enormous jade bowl turned upside down, impossible to overlook.

As they drew closer, he gradually made out a green lotus swaying within the dome of light.

Washed clean yet free of gaudy allure, it stood tall and pure!

Knowing there was no longer any danger here, Chen Cang had the Void Pegasus Beast step straight into the dome.

Strangely enough, there was no terrifying heat within it. Instead, the temperature dropped sharply, as though they were not surrounded by magma at all.

Approaching the green lotus step by step, Chen Cang stopped before it and examined it closely.

The green lotus had eight petals, translucent and flawless.

A cluster of flame should have rested within the lotus, but Queen Medusa had already taken it away. All that remained was a bare Lotus Platform roughly three feet across.

Eleven holes dotted the Lotus Platform, each holding a lotus seed that emitted specks of glowing light.

These were precisely what Chen Cang had come down here for.

Yet strangely, despite having his goal right before his eyes, Chen Cang felt no excitement. Instead, his heart was utterly peaceful.

He even had the absurd feeling that he was resonating with this green lotus, sharing an extraordinary closeness with it!

This is a wonder born of heaven and earth. Why does seeing it feel like meeting a blood relative...?

He shook his head slightly, casting aside the strange emotions.

Chen Cang did not rush to collect it. This was his first encounter with such a marvel, and he had to test whether he could read its past.

Unfortunately, there was no response.

The result was just as he had expected.

Chen Cang grew increasingly certain that possessing a spirit was the prerequisite for having readable memories!

"Eleven earth fire lotus seeds. Enough for me to cultivate all the way to High-Rank Dou Ling."

Taking a deep breath, Chen Cang brought out the jade spoon he had prepared beforehand and began collecting them.

Earth fire lotus seeds, also known as essence of fire spirit, took a hundred years to form a single seed and contained extraordinarily concentrated fire-attribute energy.

The eleven seeds here meant that the green lotus core flame had been growing in this place for at least eleven hundred years!

After putting away the lotus seeds, Chen Cang turned his hand over and produced a jade knife, carefully cutting off the Lotus Platform.

In the long run, the Lotus Platform's value was no less than that of the earth fire lotus seeds. After all, the seeds would eventually be used up, whereas the Lotus Platform could be used indefinitely to increase his cultivation speed.

"I hope another green lotus core flame will appear here in a thousand years or so. Goodbye."

Waving at the root tendrils stretching over ten meters long, Chen Cang mounted the Void Pegasus Beast, and they immediately vanished from within the dome.

Retracing their route was nothing like forging a path for the first time, allowing the Void Pegasus Beast to show its proper speed.

In the magma outside the dome, a certain snake stared at the suddenly vanished man and mount, its eyes as wide as bronze bells.

Back at the inn, Chen Cang locked the doors and windows, then eagerly took out the Lotus Platform to try it.

He had not even begun circulating his cultivation method when, the instant he sat on the Lotus Platform, he felt the Dou Qi within him circulating more than three times as fast!

Once he activated his cultivation method and began cultivating, the effect became even more apparent.

Joy put a spring in a person's spirit. The clear sensation of making rapid progress left Chen Cang unable to suppress the upward curl of his lips.

If I swallow an earth fire lotus seed now, could I break through...?

Pulling himself out of the intoxicating cultivation, Chen Cang hesitated briefly.

Yet a voice seemed to keep tempting him from deep within his heart: As long as you're willing, you can!

Without any further hesitation, Chen Cang turned his hand over. An earth fire lotus seed appeared in his palm, and he promptly tossed it into his mouth.

Even if he could not break through, it would still advance his cultivation considerably. Thinking it over, there really seemed to be nothing to hesitate about.

The instant the earth fire lotus seed reached his stomach, a vast surge of pure energy spread through his body. With no time to think further, Chen Cang immediately activated his cultivation method to absorb it.

At the same time, the surrounding natural energy was stirred into motion, adding brick after brick to the foundation of Chen Cang's breakthrough.

Had a powerful expert been inside the inn at that moment, they would surely have keenly sensed how extraordinarily active the energy in the area had become.

Cultivation left no room for stray thoughts, and time always flew when one was immersed in it.

Before he knew it, the eastern sky began to pale.

Shopkeeper Liao rose early to open the doors as usual, expecting to find the same deserted street awaiting him.

Today, however, brought a surprise.

Some twenty or thirty meters away, Shopkeeper Liao saw a group approaching the inn.

Leading them from the center was a middle-aged man dressed in lavish green-and-white robes. He looked the youngest of the group, yet also carried himself with the greatest vigor and confidence.

Beside him stood a stern-faced old man. Shopkeeper Liao had once been fortunate enough to glimpse him from afar and recognized him now as the Lord of Stone Desert City!

A little behind the two walked a tall, thin middle-aged man. Shopkeeper Liao remembered him clearly: he was the man who had gone out with Chen Cang the night before.

Aside from those three, the rest were presumably guards.

But to someone like Shopkeeper Liao, who scraped out a living in the city, even guards were important figures.

Feeling nervous, Shopkeeper Liao took one final look, then turned and ran upstairs.

"Young Master Chen, someone's here to see you!"