200: Lotus contains wondrous fire, the eye in the darkness

Li Ao and Medusa met on a relatively cooled volcanic rock ridge several miles outside Jinyan Valley.

Medusa had set down the black reef rock that had been extracted along with the earth core fire lotus. Having left the extreme environment of Jinyan Valley's core, the temperature of the reef rock's surface was still frighteningly high. If Medusa hadn't isolated it with multicolored energy, the rocks beneath it would likely have melted.

The earth core fire lotus, forcibly removed from its place of growth, now had slightly retracted petals and its radiance was somewhat dimmed. However, the pure fire-attribute energy contained within it was still vast like the sea, and one could feel the scorching, blazing essence just by approaching it.

"That brute didn't follow us." Medusa looked toward Jinyan Valley with her purple eyes. They could still faintly hear the White Fire Snake's furious screams, but it seemed to be constrained by some invisible boundary and had not rushed out of the canyon.

Li Ao nodded, his gaze falling upon the fire lotus, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "This black reef rock... seems capable of isolating most of the fire lotus's energy fluctuations. Otherwise, given the grade of this fire lotus, the disturbance we caused during the snatching just now wouldn't have been noticed only by that fire snake."

He squatted down and carefully sensed it. The black reef rock had a peculiar material; it was neither metal nor jade, and felt cool to the touch, forming a sharp contrast with the scorching heat of the earth core fire lotus. It could perfectly conceal the energy and aura emitted by the fire lotus, making it difficult for the outside world to detect. This was perhaps one reason why the earth core fire lotus could safely grow until now.

"This fire lotus is nearly mature and its energy is internalized. If picked directly, its medicinal potency will rapidly dissipate. It needs to be stored in a special jade vessel and supplemented with a Seal," Li Ao said, taking out a prepared jade casket from his storage ring. This casket, crafted from ten-thousand-year cold jade, was something he had specially prepared for collecting various Heaven And Earth Treasures, as it could greatly slow down the loss of medicinal potency.

He carefully placed the earth core fire lotus, along with the black reef rock beneath it, into the cold jade casket. The moment he closed the lid, he brought his fingers together like a knife, using Soul Power mixed with Nirvana Power to carve several simple yet profound Seal runes onto the lid, further locking in the fire lotus's Spiritual Qi.

Only after finishing all this did he breathe a sigh of relief. With this earth core fire lotus, he had gained an important bargaining chip for dealing with the Yan Clan.

"How did you feel about the clash with that fire snake just now?" Medusa looked at Li Ao. She could sense a slight fluctuation in his aura; clearly, that battle had not been easy.

"Very strong," Li Ao admitted. "That Bone Chilling Flame is extremely strange; it's cold and corrosive to the Soul. If my Nirvana Power hadn't happened to restrain it to a certain extent, achieving victory would have been far from easy. Furthermore, I always felt that the fire snake wasn't a pure Demonic Beast..."

He pondered for a moment before continuing: "It's more like a spirit born from some kind of flame Origin, or perhaps... a wisp of Origin Fire Spirit separated from some powerful existence, guarding that fire lotus. Its movements seem to be restricted somehow, preventing it from leaving the core of Jinyan Valley too far."

Medusa nodded slightly: "This King shares the same feeling. The level of that flame is very high, containing a trace of Law fragments, which is not something a naturally occurring wild Demonic Beast could possess. Perhaps it really is connected to the Yan Clan."

As the two were talking, Li Ao's brow suddenly furrowed slightly. His gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep toward a patch of crimson stone forest far to the rear and side. Just now, his nirvana star core in his Qi Sea had transmitted an extremely faint, almost instinctive warning, as if something was observing them from a distance.

This feeling vanished in an instant. Had his sensitivity to the nirvana star core not been extremely keen, he would barely have noticed it.

"It seems that our acquisition of the earth core fire lotus has attracted the attention of some 'friends'," Li Ao said calmly, though his eyes grew colder. He did not alert the hidden party, merely burying this vigilance deep in his heart.

A cold light flashed in Medusa's purple eyes; she clearly sensed the faint, lingering feeling of being spied upon, but she also did not show it.

"This place is not suitable for long stays," Li Ao stood up. "Let's find a place to rest first; you also need time to recover."

Although Medusa's action just now was swift and she did not directly clash with the fire snake, forcibly seizing the nearly mature earth core fire lotus in that environment and resisting the blazing essence it naturally emitted was not without cost to her.

The two stopped lingering, chose a direction, and quickly left the area.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after they left, a figure seemingly merged with the environment slowly emerged from the shadows of the crimson stone forest. He was completely shrouded in a peculiar cloak that could isolate detection, revealing only a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes, which were filled with shock and greed.

"An earth core fire lotus... and one that is nearly mature! They actually managed to get their hands on it! That White Fire Spirit couldn't stop them..." he muttered in a hoarse voice. "And the power that man used... filled with destruction and stillness, capable of directly opposing the Bone Chilling Flame... I must immediately send this news back!"

He took out a Jade Slip engraved with flame patterns, injected a message into it, and then crushed it. The Jade Slip transformed into a faint, undetectable spark of fire, instantly vanishing into the Void Realm.

Having done all this, he merged back into the shadows, as if he had never appeared.

Dozens of miles away, inside an abandoned volcanic lava cave.

Li Ao and Medusa temporarily settled here. The inside of the lava cave was dry and hot, but it was much better than the environment outside. Li Ao set up a simple barrier at the entrance to conceal their aura.

Medusa sat cross-legged on a flat rock, closing her eyes to regulate her breathing. Multicolored light circulated around her, slowly refining and absorbing the sparse fire-attribute energy permeating the cave.

Li Ao sat on the other side, holding the cold jade casket containing the earth core fire lotus. He did not open it, but used his Soul Power to carefully sense the vast and pure fire-attribute energy within the casket, especially the unique aura of the Bone Chilling Flame originating from the White Fire Snake.

"Extreme coldness, yet containing the scorching heat that burns everything away... Cold and hot, life and death, achieving a bizarre unity in this flame," Li Ao realized. "This seems to be heading toward two different extremes compared to my Nirvana Power. Nirvana is the ultimate 'Nothingness,' the end of all things; whereas this cold flame is more like an 'extreme state' in the process of heading toward the end—a manifestation of vitality being frozen and energy being confined..."

He vaguely felt that comprehending the characteristics of this Bone Chilling Flame might give him new inspiration for his concept of "depriving vitality" and "solidifying time and space" within the [Return to Ruins] technique.

At the same time, he was also considering how to utilize this earth core fire lotus. Should he directly approach the Yan Clan for a trade? The risk was significant; if the other party became greedy, a fierce battle would be inevitable. Perhaps he could try a different approach... He glanced at Medusa, who was regulating her breathing, and the rough outline of a plan gradually formed in his mind.

Several hours later, Medusa opened her eyes. Divine light shone brightly in her purple eyes, and her aura had recovered to its Peak.

"What is the plan now?" She looked at Li Ao.

Li Ao stroked the cold jade casket in his hand, a flash of wisdom passing through his eyes: "The Yan Clan lives in seclusion; actively searching for them is as difficult as ascending to heaven. But we can make them come to us."

"Oh?" Medusa raised an eyebrow.

"This earth core fire lotus, especially the trace of Bone Chilling Flame aura clinging to it, likely holds extraordinary significance for the Yan Clan," Li Ao analyzed. "We don't need to venture deep into dangerous territory. We only need to find a suitable moment in the outer regions of these Hundred Thousand Volcanoes to 'accidentally' let a trace of the fire lotus's aura leak out... I believe those members of the Yan Clan who are extremely sensitive to flames will find their way to us, like sharks smelling blood."

"Luring the snake out of its hole?" Medusa understood his meaning. "It is a less strenuous method. However, we must also be fully prepared, lest we attract not a snake, but an alligator we cannot handle."

"Naturally," Li Ao nodded. "We need to choose a relatively advantageous location and set up some countermeasures. Moreover, we must act quickly. I sense that other eyes are already watching us."

He was referring to the faint, lingering feeling of being spied upon from earlier.

A hint of coldness flashed in Medusa's eyes: "If there are those who don't know their place, we shall simply kill them."

With the plan decided, the two wasted no time, quietly leaving the temporary lava cave and beginning to search for a suitable "fishing" spot in the vast and dangerous outer region of the Hundred Thousand Volcanoes.

What they did not know was that the news of them possessing a nearly mature earth core fire lotus, and being capable of resisting the Bone Chilling Flame, was rapidly spreading through certain covert channels within limited circles. Some forces who were already interested in Li Ao, or who had an urgent need for high-grade fire-attribute spiritual artifacts, had already cast their gaze toward this burning land.

A storm was quietly gathering. What kind of existence Li Ao's "fishing" plan would reel in remained unknown.