The sun rose, marking the dawn of a new day.
Qing Lin had woken from her deep sleep, her energy completely restored. She was now gleefully fiddling with her new 'toy' from the night before, having the time of her life.
The shrunken Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent had completely lost the dignity of a fourth-tier Magical Beast. With its injuries still unhealed, it had chosen to surrender completely, allowing the girl to manipulate it into various shapes without any resistance.
"Master, can you give it a name?"
"Hmm, the name isn't important. Besides, you are its owner now. A meaningful matter like that should be decided by you. Or, you can wait until it advances and its intelligence increases, then let it name itself."
Chen Guan refused without a moment's thought. He knew his own weaknesses, and there was no point in pretending otherwise. He was simply terrible at naming things.
Feeling there was some truth in what he said, the girl stopped pressing him and began to ponder the matter alone.
"Alright, Qing Lin, there's no rush for the name. Communicate with the Flame Spirit Serpent first and have it take me to find the Green Lotus Core Flame."
With the little girl recovered, it was time to get down to business.
While Qing Lin communicated with the serpent, Chen Guan asked the few soldiers guarding the area to return to Stone Desert City and thank General Huang on his behalf. After taking the Heavenly Flame, he would need to find a hidden place to devour it and would have no time to return to the City Lord's Mansion.
After seeing the soldiers off, the four of them entered the underground world once more.
The body of the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent suddenly swelled as it bathed in the magma, its injuries recovering a little faster. It was somewhat resistant to the boy's approach but could not defy Qing Lin's orders.
"Master, be careful."
Seeing the young man step onto the head of the serpent, preparing to descend, the little girl stepped forward and called out with deep concern. Diving into the magma looked incredibly dangerous.
The Wang Yan brothers were equally worried, but not as intensely as Qing Lin. They knew their young master's strength and character; if the situation turned sour, he could retreat. His safety should be guaranteed. Of course, this was also because Chen Guan hadn't explained the true dangers of a Heavenly Flame to them.
"Don't worry, just wait patiently. I will act according to the situation. Do not come down to find me."
With a confident smile, Chen Guan transformed his Dou Qi into armor, covering his entire body. He lightly stepped on the Flame Spirit Serpent's head and plunged into the magma.
The Dou Qi armor was not omnipotent; the damage it could withstand was limited. As the serpent dove deeper, the armor grew precarious, at risk of breaking at any moment.
Chen Guan silently circulated his Dou Qi across the surface of his body to isolate himself from the invasive heat of the magma. This was an incredibly energy-intensive process. If he hadn't switched to an Earth-rank Qi Method, he wouldn't have dared to attempt it so easily. Once his Dou Qi was depleted, the consequences would be disastrous.
As they dove deeper, the energy consumption grew, and even the color of the magma began to change, taking on a striking green hue. At this depth, even the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent, which fed on magma, felt the pressure, let alone a human.
Chen Guan continued to maintain his Dou Qi, the consumption becoming more and more terrifying. His current state was no less draining than using his Xuan-rank Dou Skill, Fleeting Moment's Splendor.
Fortunately, I prepared enough pills.
He consumed pills and outputted Dou Qi simultaneously, diving for several more minutes. Finally, a ball of rich green light came into view, lying there like a jade bowl.
Chen Guan released his mental power to investigate and saw a green lotus swaying within it. The terrifying temperature made it impossible for his spiritual perception to get close enough to see the details.
The Green Lotus Core Flame.
Born in the depths of the earth, it had been tempered, fused, compressed, and carved by the planet's fire for countless years. It takes ten years to form a spirit, a hundred years to take shape, and a thousand years to become a lotus. When it is fully developed, its color is green, and a cluster of green fire is born in the heart of the lotus, which is called the Green Lotus Fire, also known as the Green Lotus Core Flame.
Chen Guan's eyes unconsciously grew hot. He was soon pulled back to reality by the Flame Spirit Serpent trembling slightly beneath his feet. It was afraid of the Heavenly Flame.
"Wait for me here."
With Qing Lin watching over it, there was absolutely no chance the serpent could escape. Chen Guan was confident in this.
After swallowing two more pills, he increased the output of his Dou Qi and entered the green light shield.
He thought the temperature inside would be even higher, but unexpectedly, within the blue light, the temperature decreased, feeling similar to when they had first entered the magma.
Ignoring this, Chen Guan slowly approached the green 'lotus.' It was crystal clear and natural, like the most flawless work of art in the world.
Beneath this 'lotus' was a lotus platform about two or three feet in size, covered with many tiny holes. Each hole seemed to contain a lotus seed. Below the lotus platform were roots and tentacles, which madly absorbed the surrounding fire-attribute Dou Qi to form the Green Lotus Core Flame year after year.
After admiring it for a moment, Chen Guan reluctantly withdrew his gaze. He took out a jade ruler, rubbed the bottom of the lotus platform lightly, and took it down along with the Green Lotus Core Flame, leaving only the rhizome and tentacles behind.
Take the spiritual object but leave a glimmer of life. He still understood the unspoken rules of the Dou Qi Continent.
With the restraint of the lotus platform, the Green Lotus Core Flame did not erupt and remained quiet.
However, Chen Guan did not take the risk of putting it into his storage ring. He simply dragged the lotus platform away with one hand.
"Two-Headed Serpent, let's go," Chen Guan said, in high spirits as he jumped back onto the serpent's head.
The return journey was countless times easier than the descent. Perhaps because of the Heavenly Flame, the surrounding magma could no longer get close, and the horrific consumption of Dou Qi ceased.
Outside, Qing Lin and the Wang brothers were growing anxious. Fortunately, the little girl could sense that the Flame Spirit Serpent was not in any danger, which indirectly confirmed that the young master should be fine. They refrained from rushing down to look for him.
"The Master is back!"
Suddenly, Qing Lin exclaimed in surprise, which made the two brothers look at her with suspicion. Before they could ask, accompanied by the hissing of the serpent, the man and beast rushed out of the magma.
"Master!" all three cried out, stepping forward one after another. Relieved, their eyes were quickly drawn to the lotus platform in the young man's hand.
Is this the Green Lotus Core Flame?
The Heavenly Flame was now in his hands, and Chen Guan was eager to devour it. He had no time to explain.
"Take Qing Lin with you and stay in Qingshan Town for a while. I will come find you after I have devoured the Heavenly Flame."
The two brothers nodded in agreement.
"Master."
The little girl was reluctant to leave, not wanting to be separated from him. But she was also sensible enough to know she couldn't cause more trouble, so she felt a little lost.
"Be obedient. I'll come find you after I deal with the Heavenly Flame."
After giving his instructions, Chen Guan didn't linger. He was the first to leave the underground cave, took out his primary puppet, and set off at full speed.
Target: the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
In the entire Jia Ma Empire, was there any place safer than his teacher's location?
Fortunately, it was daytime, so Chen Guan holding the lotus platform was not conspicuous. If he were traveling at night, he would be like a walking beacon.
Just as Chen Guan had left the desert, an enchanting figure materialized in the world below. Her voice was a soft whisper in the gloom.
"Has someone already beaten me to it?"
(End of Chapter)
***
(End of Chapter)
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