Two months later.
Beneath thousands of acres of magma, a figure in black robes sat cross-legged on a reef. Within dozens of feet around him, there was nothing, not even the scorching magma.
Beside the figure stood a huge blue banner, from which ripples of energy spread, covering the entire space.
With the blessing of this banner, the vast space was hidden within the magma, and from the outside, it appeared as natural as the surrounding Magma World, revealing nothing of its nature.
At this moment, a crimson bead floated between the figure's hands. As the cultivation process progressed, streams of pure and powerful flame energy continuously flowed into the body. After about half an hour, the energy light on the bead gradually faded until it completely dissipated. Finally, the pair of eyes that had been tightly closed for a long time slowly opened.
Feeling the surging Origin Qi flowing through his meridians, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. He glanced at the banner beside him, whose blue light was gradually dimming, and with a flick of his finger, the banner, which was several feet wide, instantly transformed into a stream of light, turning into a small flag the size of a palm in the blink of an eye. It hovered around him, and at the same time, the magma that had been isolated by energy quickly filled the space.
This small flag was none other than the one Xiao Yan had obtained from Tang Ye, called the Flame-Avoiding Water Banner. Its effect was quite peculiar; as long as a continuous Origin Qi was injected into it, the energy emitted could isolate the power of the magma and even prevent the Fire-Scaled Lizard from detecting it. This effect made Xiao Yan feel much safer in this Magma World for the time being.
Since escaping from Bai Zijing's clutches, Xiao Yan has spent most of his time cultivating, aside from his normal travels.
Based on his understanding of these magma creatures, Xiao Yan knew that high-level Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast all contained Crimson Scarlet Pearl. These were excellent cultivation materials for fire-attribute cultivators. Recently, with the help of the Flame-Avoiding Water Banner, he had obtained quite a few Scarlet Pearl. As a result, in just two months, Xiao Yan's strength had reached the peak of the Peak Late-Stage Three-Star Yuan Zong, and he was only one step away from the Four-Star Yuan Zong.
Of course, although he has already reached the barrier of the Four-Star Yuan Zong, he still needs even more abundant energy to truly break through this step. Fortunately, this Magma World contains the energy that Xiao Yan needs.
The deeper one goes into the Flowing Fire Plain, the fewer the Fire Banyan Tree that were once ubiquitous on the outskirts become. This is not only because the surface becomes increasingly thick, but also, and perhaps more so, because of the influx of human activity into the depths of the plains.
Fortunately, on his way here, Xiao Yan encountered a Fire Banyan Tree...
Having chosen a direction, he raised and lowered his palm, causing a surge of suction in his palm. With a thought, specks of black light rapidly condensed in front of him.
In the countless battles over the past two months, Xiao Yan's control over the Power of the Great Dao has undoubtedly deepened considerably. At this moment, he raised his hand and condensed Great Dao Tent. After his body traversed several times, a scarlet light appeared in his field of vision in the distant, chaotic magma.
From a distance, countless lateral roots hang down like vines into the lava. In the center, a huge, intertwined root is deeply embedded in the lava like a stone pillar. At the top of the root is a section of crimson root several inches long, resembling a ginseng root. A blood-red energy light spreads out, and as the surrounding vines sway and open, streams of violent flame energy are continuously gathered and absorbed by it.
Surrounded by the crimson light, amidst the dense, seaweed-like lateral roots, Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast darted back and forth from time to time. A rough count suggested there were probably dozens of them. No wonder Tang Ye had gathered newcomers to the Flowing Fire Plain to steal the Fire Banyan Branch; he likely used others to distract the Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast while he himself stole the Fire Banyan Branch. Such an act was truly insidious.
Even Tang Ye didn't dare to have much contact with these beasts back then, but now, in Xiao Yan's eyes, they're nothing special.
With the help of the Flame-Avoiding Water Banner and the Great Dao of the Void, Xiao Yan could easily deal with any Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast except for those at the high-level Yuan Zong level.
With a flick of his palm, a small banner flashed out, spreading out a ring of light around his body, quickly enveloping Xiao Yan, and his aura disappeared into the magma along with it.
After doing all this, Xiao Yan quickly rushed towards the huge root surrounded by countless side roots. Along the way, the surrounding Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast seemed not to notice him at all. Even when they brushed past him, they could only feel a rapid flow of magma before returning to silence amidst a moment of disturbance.
The distance of nearly a thousand feet was covered in a short time. Xiao Yan arrived in front of the lateral roots shrouded in red light. Only when he got closer could he see that the scarlet energy condensed into a barrier from the edge. Inside the barrier was a molten lava power that was even more powerful and massive than that of the outside world.
"Oh..."
Seeing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but sneer. If anyone else came here, they would probably have to fight the Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast outside. But for him, this barrier, which would make even ordinary Yuan Zong experts look troubled, was as good as useless.
With a flick of his wrist, a pitch-black curtain instantly materialized in front of him. This commotion naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding Fire-Scaled Lizard Beast. However, before these beasts could rush forward, the curtain quietly disappeared, and Xiao Yan, who was standing outside the barrier, appeared on the other side of the barrier.
Appearing amidst the dense lateral roots, even with the protection of the Flame-Avoiding Water Banner, the violent energy rushing from all directions still made Xiao Yan's mind tremble violently. This single withered tree had gathered such a massive amount of fire-attribute energy; no wonder the Fire Banyan Clan was so powerful back then.
With a shift in his gaze, Xiao Yan swept his eyes over the countless lateral roots in front of him. These things seemed to be alive, moving slowly and frantically absorbing the lava power in this area. As if Xiao Yan's arrival had alerted them, countless branches were aimed at Xiao Yan, as if they had something they needed on him.
Realizing this, and with some doubt in his heart, Xiao Yan tentatively shot out a few small flames. Sure enough, the lateral roots seemed to have found their target and shot off swiftly. In a short while, they separated and absorbed the small cluster of Heavenly Flames that was enough to melt stone and iron. Seeing this, even with Xiao Yan's composure, he couldn't help but feel horrified. Since his debut, his Heavenly Flames had always been invincible, and this was the first time that something could devour his Heavenly Flames.
"As expected of the Fire Banyan Clan!"
While astonished by the terrifying power of these lateral roots, Xiao Yan also breathed a slight sigh of relief. He flipped his hands and shot out several more balls of flame, which floated on both sides in front of him. Countless lateral roots immediately rushed towards him, and with a hissing sound of burning, Xiao Yan safely passed through the dense lateral roots. Looking back, it seemed that these things could not easily devour the Heavenly Flames.
As Xiao Yan turned his gaze back, a section of the Fire Banyan Branch at the top of the thick root was already within reach.
Looking around, Xiao Yan grinned. Since the lava power here was so abundant, he might as well use this place to refine the Fire Banyan Branch and break through in one fell swoop!
PS: I expect to update around 140,000 words, or about 70 chapters, in December.