The vast desert stretched endlessly, golden sands swirling in the wind. Four figures moved swiftly through the dunes—three women and one man. The man was naturally Lin Ran, and the three women accompanying him were Xiao Yixian, Lü Yi, and Qing Lin.
"Young Master, based on my senses, the disturbance three months ago occurred right here."
Qing Lin spoke in a soft, timid voice, though she mustered her courage to address Lin Ran directly.
Lü Yi frowned gently, stepping up onto a small dune and surveying the surroundings. Before them lay a flat stretch of desert, dunes rolling endlessly, ordinary and unremarkable—there was nothing in sight that could possibly stand out or draw the attention of someone like Queen Medusa, let alone injure her.
"Could your senses be off?" Xiao Yixian asked softly. This place was far too plain. There were countless flat desert plains like this throughout the vast sands. It was difficult to imagine this unassuming area could attract Queen Medusa or cause her injury.
"There are no ruins or unusual formations here," Lü Yi agreed, glancing around before her gaze settled on the golden sand beneath their feet. "If there's nothing aboveground, then perhaps…"
"You're right. The passage is underground."
Lin Ran's voice was calm as he lifted his foot and stomped gently. The ground below them quivered as if crushed under a mountain, sand collapsing inward to reveal a hidden opening.
The group peered into the deep depression in the sand and expressions of surprise flashed across their faces.
"There really was something down there!"
"Y-Young Master is amazing!" Qing Lin gasped in admiration.
At the center of the pit, a narrow tunnel had been revealed. Sand continued to flow into the passage, yet strangely, it never managed to fill it. Inside was pitch black, and a wave of heat wafted upward—intense and scorching.
"It was only a small soul scan," Lin Ran said modestly. "The key was that Qing Lin pointed us in the right direction."
He smiled gently and reached out to ruffle Qing Lin's soft green hair. Her delicate face instantly turned pink, and Lin Ran couldn't help but pinch her cheek lightly.
At the same time, he extended his left palm. Crimson-gold Dou Qi flowed out like a glowing ribbon, lighting up the dark underground tunnel.
The group was stunned by what they saw—the tunnel walls were astonishingly smooth, with not even the slightest rock protrusion. It looked less like a natural passage and more like something forcefully bored out by a tremendous surge of energy.
"Let's go."
With the two girls blushing, Lin Ran casually wrapped an arm around each of them—Qing Lin on the left, Xiao Yixian on the right—and stepped into the air, descending into the tunnel. Lü Yi pressed her lips together and followed, summoning Dou Qi wings to glide gracefully into the passage.
It wasn't long before they emerged from the narrow tunnel into a subterranean chamber.
"The fire element here is so dense… What on earth lies down here?" Lü Yi exclaimed in awe, feeling the oppressive heat around them. "Queen Medusa is a Purple Phantom Flame Serpent. She has fire attributes, yes, but she prefers cold places. Why would she come to a place like this?"
"Medusa's been stuck at the peak of Duo Huang for years. She's been wandering across the Jia Ma Empire looking for a breakthrough opportunity."
"You mean this place… might be where she found a way to advance to Duo Zong?" Xiao Yixian asked curiously.
"Exactly," Lin Ran nodded. His palm lit up with Dou Qi once more, illuminating a new space with a dozen black tunnels stretching in different directions.
"So many tunnels…" Xiao Yixian frowned. Searching each one could take forever.
"Young Master, while there are faint residual auras in the other tunnels, this one here carries the strongest presence!" Qing Lin suddenly said. She reached out with a slender finger and pointed to one of the passageways.
Her bright green eyes glimmered. Around her pupils, three tiny green flower-like marks appeared silently, glowing eerily under the crimson-gold light.
"That's the Tricolor Pupils of the Jade Snake?!" Lü Yi cried in shock, eyes widening as she stared at Qing Lin's eyes with visible excitement. Xiao Yixian, too, looked astonished.
She had known from the beginning that Lin Ran had taken an interest in this timid girl not for her looks, but for something special about her—something not unlike what Xiao Yixian herself carried.
And now, Qing Lin had revealed that very trait.
Lü Yi's reaction startled Qing Lin, who instinctively shrank back. Lin Ran, however, gently cupped her cheeks and examined her rare, luminous eyes.
"Y-Young Master…"
"You're beautiful, Qing Lin."
Lin Ran's voice was low and gentle, like a warm spring breeze or the golden sun in winter. Qing Lin's face turned beet red, her head nearly steaming.
But just as quickly, Lin Ran gave her cheek a final pinch and walked down the passage she had pointed to, leaving the flustered girl frozen in place.
"W-What kind of young master just flirts and runs off like that?!"
Even Xiao Yixian couldn't help but grumble, dragging the dazed Qing Lin along by the hand and pulling her into a comforting hug. "Shameless tease," she muttered under her breath at Lin Ran's back.
As they ventured deeper into the tunnel, the underground temperature rose rapidly. The air turned stiflingly hot, and Xiao Yixian broke into a light sweat, relying on Dou Qi to protect her body.
Yet her Ice Sovereign Force consumed Dou Qi at an alarming rate in such an environment. Surprisingly, Qing Lin, whose cultivation was much lower, seemed entirely unaffected.
"Don't worry about Dou Qi depletion."
Just as Xiao Yixian's breathing began to falter, Lin Ran sent a strong pulse of Dou Qi into her core, reinforcing her cultivation foundation.
"Don't worry about exhausting yourself. Just release your Dou Qi freely. This place is a perfect environment for tempering your Ice Sovereign Force."
"Yes, Young Master!"
With Lin Ran's reassurance, Xiao Yixian released her restraints and let loose her Dou Qi. A frigid aura spread outward, and the blazing heat instantly abated. Frost even formed on the nearby stone walls.
Such powerful Dou Qi!
Lü Yi's expression flickered with astonishment. Though she could sense that Xiao Yixian was only a Dou Shi, her Dou Qi's strength easily matched that of a Da Dou Shi.
Given how intense her ice-type energy was, the technique she cultivated had to be higher grade than Lü Yi's own!
But Lü Yi practiced a high-tier Xuan Class technique passed down from the Heavenly Serpent Sect. If Xiao Yixian's method surpassed that, then…
"So this is the foundation behind the Young Master's confidence…" she murmured.
Just then, a powerful wave of heat swept across the group.
Lü Yi's eyes narrowed. Up ahead, the tunnel had reached its end.
Before them, revealed by the light of their Dou Qi, was a fiery red world blazing with heat.
(End of Chapter)