Compared to the outside world, the cave is a completely different world. On both sides of the passageway, there is a shallow ditch. The water flows out from the inside, but disappears at the end of the ditch and disappears into the deeper rock wall. According to the Ancestor Fen Tian, this ditch was formed naturally and has existed since he discovered this place. It has never stopped flowing for many years. The Ancestor Fen Tian regarded the clear and lively water in this ditch as the lifeblood of his Burning Flame Valley. He firmly believed that as long as the water flows, Burning Flame Valley will never fall.
Xiao Yan simply smiled noncommittally at this kind of hope. Although it shouldn't be taken too seriously, it's good for people to have something to look forward to.
As you venture deeper into the cave, you'll see shimmering, iridescent light emanating from the four rock walls. The magnificent and dazzling light, though not dazzling, permeates the rock walls and the air throughout the cave, giving the water flowing around it a shimmering glow.
Strange lights and colors reflected each other between the rock walls, and gradually, stalagmites appeared in their eyes. Some rose straight up from the ground, while others hung high from the dome. At first glance, they looked like a huge skull with a mouthful of fangs, which was quite creepy.
A few minutes later, the two finally arrived at the depths of the cave. Stalagmites surrounded them in groups, yet as if by some unspoken rule, a passageway was left in the middle. Some stalagmites were connected from top to bottom, forming a uniquely shaped stalagmite, from which water droplets would occasionally slide down. The surrounding stalagmites did the same. After dripping, all the water droplets gathered in a circular pool in the center of the cave, and the water flowed along a channel to the outside of the cave.
In the center of the pool is a pyramid-shaped stalactite with a circular groove a few inches long and wide at the top. From the shallow marks on it, it can be seen that the groove should have originally contained liquid. It is not hard to imagine that what was originally contained here should have been the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva. Unfortunately, due to years of mining, it has now completely dried up.
Looking up, there is another huge stalagmite on top of this stalactite, with its top facing the center of the groove below. From the milky white water marks on it, you can see that the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva condensed here and then dripped down, accumulating over the years to form that shallow pool.
But now, with the stalagmites and stalactites dry up at the top and the ground drier at the bottom, the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva can no longer condense, and everything naturally seems less special.
"Young friend Xiao Yan, could you have discerned something?"
The Ancestor Fen Tian had already explored the cave several times, but to no avail. Now, he didn't need to look at anything else and instead focused his attention on Xiao Yan. Now, they could only rely on Xiao Yan to help them find the so-called Earth Core Marrow.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan did not respond. Instead, he kept turning his gaze, scanning the stalagmite at the top. To be honest, although he had seen the Earth Core Marrow in ancient books, he had no idea where it was located. This was also the first time for Xiao Yan, so he had to be very careful.
However, even with Xiao Yan's exceptional eyesight, after several inspections, he still found nothing. The stalagmite was perfectly normal, showing no signs of damage or leakage. Everything inside the cave was perfectly normal.
But since that's the case...
Where is the Earth Core Marrow located?
Could it really be just a casual mention in an ancient book, something that's hard to find in the world?
Xiao Yan didn't believe it. The stalactites here hadn't been affected by any external forces, and the environment inside the cave had been perfectly preserved by the Ancestor Fen Tian. It was impossible for any accident to have occurred. Logically speaking, the Earth Core Marrow should be here, so why was it that the Earth Core Marrow that should have been there was nowhere to be seen?
"Impossible!"
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan leaped onto the dome, where he was immediately followed by the Ancestor Fen Tian, who carefully observed the scene.
Then, Xiao Yan took out a jade bottle from his Storage Ring, and with the help of the Heavenly Flames, condensed it into a jade needle, which he then inserted into the stalagmite.
For things of this nature, the only way to avoid affecting their essence is to touch them with jade. If Xiao Yan's prediction is correct, when the jade needle pierces through, the Earth Core Marrow will surely flow out. If that happens...
However, things often don't go as planned. When Xiao Yan pulled the jade needle out of the stalagmite, he only left a small hole about an inch deep. Nothing happened. The expected liquid did not appear, and no energy aura was revealed. There was nothing inside the stalagmite at all!
This result immediately made Xiao Yan tense. Since the stalagmite was shapeless, it meant that the Earth Core Marrow did not exist at all. In that case, wouldn't his trip to Burning Flame Valley have been in vain?
What will Lian'er do then?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's brows furrowed immediately, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his temples due to the tension in his emotions. The Ancestor Fen Tian beside him also frowned. The two remained silent, each pondering the reasons behind this.
Xiao Yan's eyes darted around, his mind racing as he tried to figure out where the Earth Core Marrow might be located. Was it in the cave, in the rock walls, or under that pool of water?
Just as he thought of this, Xiao Yan immediately refuted his own answer. The Earth Core Marrow was formed from the condensed power of heaven and earth; it wasn't even found in stalagmites, let alone within stone walls. As for what lay beneath the pool?
The pool is only a few inches deep, and the bottom is solid rock; only the upper part has stalactites, which is quite different and impossible.
But if that's the case, where is the Earth Core Marrow? This cave is only so big, and the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva was formed on this stalagmite. How could the Earth Core Marrow not be here? Looking around this cave, besides the stalagmite that formed the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, where else could the Earth Core Marrow be contained? That thing couldn't possibly drip down like the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva!
"Drip down..."
The moment the thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and his expression changed instantly. At the same time, as if he had thought of something, he lowered his head and looked directly at the huge stalactite below, under the worried gaze of the Ancestor Fen Tian.
Looking down from above, at this moment, within the depression of the stalactite, concentric circles of milky-white stains spread out like lotus flowers. Their size and area occupied only about half of the depression. The most unique feature on the entire stalactite is this small milky-white area.
When Xiao Yan landed and looked closely with focused eyes, he could see more clearly that there seemed to be a thin layer of keratin on the milky white watermark. Perhaps it was due to the accumulation of the Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva over the years that this layer was left behind. However, through this layer of keratin, Xiao Yan also discovered that the seemingly normal milky white color under the keratin was actually slowly flowing!
In other words, there is something magical inside these stalactites!
And this thing, in Xiao Yan's opinion, is most likely what he's been searching for...
Earth Core Marrow!
In that instant, Xiao Yan's impatience was immediately suppressed by excitement. He took a deep breath, and the Ancestor Fen Tian beside him held his breath and focused his attention. The two of them focused their gazes on the groove. With the help of the jade needle in his hand, Xiao Yan carefully approached the layer of keratin and then gently lifted it up with careful and slow movements.
Sure enough, this layer of keratin was like duckweed floating lightly on the water's surface, easily lifted by the jade needle. At the same time, a layer of light, milky-white liquid beneath it came into view.