21: Chapter 21 Lava Rock Forest, Fire Lotus Appears

Following the system's induction and the faint "longing" of the Seed Flame of Void Devouring Flame, Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian trekked for another two days through the towering mountains in the northwest.

The terrain gradually rose, the air became dry and scorching, and ordinary green vegetation began to decrease, replaced by some strange, drought- and heat-resistant shrubs and moss. The exposed rocks were mostly dark red or dark brown, as if they had been scorched by flames for years. A faint scent of sulfur began to permeate the air.

"We should be almost there." Lin Yan stopped, his gaze falling on a bare, reddish-brown hill with wisps of white smoke rising from its top. The system's energy field sensing and the sulfur smell both pointed behind the hill.

The two carefully climbed the hill. Standing on the top, the scene before their eyes suddenly opened up, making Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian gasp in unison.

Ahead lay a vast basin, but the "ground" of the basin was not soil, but countless jagged and diverse dark red rocks! These rocks were either like sharp swords pointing to the sky, or like giant beasts crouching on the ground, or like strange folds formed after lava solidified, forming a boundless, maze-like "Stone Forest." In the Stone Forest, cracks and holes of all sizes could be seen everywhere, from which hot air erupted, mixed with a pungent sulfur smell, steaming the air above until it was distorted. In some larger cracks, one could even see dark red magma slowly squirming in the depths, making a low gurgling sound.

This was the outer area of the "Lava Cave" — the Lava Stone Forest.

"So... so hot." Xiao Yi Xian wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had lived near Qingshan Town, which had a mild climate, all her life, and was quite unaccustomed to this hot and dry environment. What made her frown even more was that, besides the heat and sulfur, the air was filled with an extremely faint but bone-penetrating scent of fire poison. This fire poison might only have a slight effect on ordinary Dou Practitioners, but for her, a carrier of the Calamity Poison Body whose poison body had just formed and whose state was not yet stable, it was like a spark falling into a pile of dry firewood, causing the poison power in her body to be vaguely restless.

Lin Yan also felt the harshness of the environment. However, the ten Seed Flames within him, especially the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame, appeared quite "active" in this environment, as if the abundant fire-attribute energy outside made them feel very comfortable.

"The fire poison is pervasive here, which I'm afraid is unfavorable for you." Lin Yan looked at Xiao Yi Xian with some concern. "Why don't you find a safe place on the outskirts to wait for me?"

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head, her eyes stubborn: "No. I can feel that although the fire poison here makes me uncomfortable, it seems... to be stimulating my poison power, making it more condensed and 'sensitive.' This is a test, and perhaps it can accelerate my understanding of the Seven-Colored Poison Manual. Besides," she paused, "two people are always safer than one. My poison might play an unexpected role in this environment."

What she said made sense. The environment here was complex and full of crises, so having one more person was indeed more support. Moreover, the Calamity Poison Body had strong adaptability, and the stimulation of fire poison might really become a catalyst for her growth.

"Alright then, stay close to me. Tell me immediately if you feel you can't bear it." Lin Yan stopped insisting and walked into the Stone Forest first.

Stepping into the Stone Forest, the temperature suddenly rose a few degrees. Underfoot were scorching rocks, the air was hot and dry, and every breath made his lungs feel burning. All around were strange stone pillars and stone walls, obstructing his vision and making it difficult to distinguish direction.

Lin Yan spread his soul perception to the maximum, while quietly inducing a trace of the Fallen Heart Flame seed energy to circulate slowly through his meridians. This invisible heart fire could not only temper Dou Zhi Qi but was also extremely sensitive to external fire-attribute energy, acting like the most precise detector at this moment, guiding him toward the direction where the energy was most concentrated and "pure" — where real treasures or earth vein nodes were likely to exist.

Xiao Yi Xian operated the basic techniques of the Seven-Colored Poison Manual, trying to guide the poison power in her body that was slightly restless due to the fire poison stimulation, making it adapt to the environment, and trying to transform or expel the trace amounts of fire poison that invaded her body. This process was extremely painful, and her face turned pale, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. She could feel that her control over her poison power was improving at a slow but steady speed under this external pressure.

The two moved forward with difficulty in the maze-like Stone Forest. From time to time, hot air erupted from cracks under their feet or beside them, catching them off guard; occasionally, they could see small fire-attribute magical beasts that were completely red, shaped like lizards, and could crawl flexibly on the hot rocks, but most of them had low strength, and upon sensing the high-level fire-attribute energy pressure (brought by the Seed Flames) faintly emitted from Lin Yan, they avoided them from afar.

After traveling for about an hour, a relatively open area appeared ahead. The rocks here were dark gold, the temperature was higher than in other places, and the free fire-attribute energy in the air was several times richer, even forming a faint red mist.

"It's right around here." Lin Yan stopped and his gaze fell on a sunken "stone pit" in the center of this area. The stone pit was not large, about a zhang in radius, and the bottom was not magma, but a pool of dark red, viscous, gel-like "earth fire spirit pulp" that was constantly bubbling! In the center of the spirit pulp, a strange plant could be vaguely seen rooted in it.

It was a reddish plant about three feet high, leafless, with a stem like carved red jade, and a bowl-sized fire-red lotus flower blooming at the top, presenting a pure glazed luster! The lotus flower rotated slowly, and with every rotation, it swallowed and spat out the rich fire-attribute energy around it, emitting astonishing heat and a strange fragrance that made one's mind peaceful.

"earth heart fire lotus!" A look of surprise burst into Lin Yan's eyes. This was an extremely rare treasure of heaven and earth, usually born only in places where the essence of earth fire gathered, containing extremely pure and vast fire-attribute energy, and because it was born with earth fire, its energy was upright and peaceful, and it was extremely easy to be absorbed and refined. It was a treasure that fire-attribute cultivators dreamed of! For Lin Yan, who needed to temper his Dou Zhi Qi, stabilize his foundation, and even break through bottlenecks, this was exactly what he needed urgently!

Moreover, this earth heart fire lotus was of excellent quality, and judging by its color and energy fluctuations, it was at least a hundred years old!

However, treasures are often accompanied by guardians. The moment Lin Yan locked his gaze on the fire lotus, a dark red shadow suddenly shot up from the shadows at the edge of the stone pit, as fast as lightning, rushing straight at Lin Yan's face!

It was a strange snake, covered in dark red scales, only as thick as an arm but about two meters long! The snake head was triangular, a pair of vertical pupils were red as blood, and it opened its mouth to spit out a foul-smelling dark red poisonous flame! This poisonous flame was not only extremely hot but also contained a vicious fire poison that eroded Dou Zhi Qi!

"Careful!" Xiao Yi Xian exclaimed.

Lin Yan reacted faster. He activated "Explosive Step" instantly, his figure retreated violently, and at the same time, he punched out with his right fist. A blue-red fire light (simulated by the Green Lotus Core Flame) flickered on his fist, colliding fiercely with the poisonous flame.

"Hiss!"

The poisonous flame was mostly blown away by the hot fist force, but some still splashed out, landing on the nearby rocks, actually corroding small pits and making a sizzling sound.

"Second-order peak, Red Refining Fire Poison Snake!" Lin Yan recognized this magical beast. Its strength was equivalent to a human's eighth or ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi, but because of its fierce toxicity, swift movements, and the advantage of the terrain, its actual threat was no less than an ordinary first-order magical beast.

The Red Refining Fire Poison Snake missed, landed on the ground, flickered its tongue, made a hissing threat, and coiled at the edge of the stone pit, obviously regarding the earth heart fire lotus as its own.

Lin Yan's eyes were slightly cold. If it were normal times, he might not have taken this second-order magical beast seriously, but the environment here was special, the fire poison was pervasive, the opponent occupied the geographical advantage, and he needed to end the battle quickly to avoid attracting other troubles or hurting Xiao Yi Xian behind him.

His thoughts raced, and a bold idea emerged. He signaled Xiao Yi Xian to retreat, while he slowly adjusted his breathing, and the Dou Zhi Qi in his body accelerated its fusion and circulation with that trace of "Fallen Heart Flame" seed energy.

The Red Refining Fire Poison Snake seemed to sense that Lin Yan was not to be trifled with and launched another attack. Its body arched and sprang like red lightning, its fangs flashing with cold light, biting at Lin Yan's throat.

This time, Lin Yan did not dodge, nor did he fight hard. His "Explosive Step" stepped sideways at an extremely tricky angle, his figure ghost-like brushed past the snake's mouth, and at the same time, his right palm, which had been accumulating power, his five fingers slightly spread, pressed gently toward the seven-inch position of the Red Refining Fire Poison Snake!

In his palm, there was no emission of Dou Zhi Qi light, not even a scorching breath. But the moment his palm touched the snake scales, a formless and qualityless, yet soul-piercing burning and vibrating force surged into the Red Refining Fire Poison Snake's body!

Fallen Heart Flame seed characteristic — Heart Fire Burns Soul!

"Hiss—!" The Red Refining Fire Poison Snake let out a shrill, piercing hiss, as if a red-hot iron rod had been poked into the depths of its soul! It twisted its body frantically, its crimson vertical pupils filled with incomprehensible pain and fear, its original fierce offensive collapsed instantly, it fell from mid-air to the ground, rolling in pain, and the red scales on its body dimmed a lot.

All its attacks, defenses, and toxicity appeared so pale and weak in front of the heart fire that struck directly at the soul!

Lin Yan did not forgive, and taking advantage of its soul damage and conscious confusion, his left fist followed, and the first layer of Eight Extremities Collapse, Ming Jin, smashed firmly onto the snake's head!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone cracking rang out, the struggle of the Red Refining Fire Poison Snake stopped abruptly, it went limp on the ground, twitched twice, and completely lost its breath.

The battle ended quickly and strangely. Xiao Yi Xian on the side didn't even see what method Lin Yan used, only saw him press his palm down, and that fierce strange snake looked like it had suffered unbearable pain, instantly losing its ability to resist.

Lin Yan panted slightly, sweat on his forehead. Attacking the soul directly with heart fire consumed much more than physical attacks, and it required extremely high requirements for soul power and control of the Seed Flame. If this Red Refining Fire Poison Snake had low intelligence and weak soul defense, plus his successful sneak attack, it might not have been so smooth.

He stepped forward, put the corpse of the Red Refining Fire Poison Snake into his storage ring (second-order fire poison magical beast, the materials are somewhat valuable), and then cast his fiery gaze on the earth heart fire lotus in the stone pit.

"The fire-attribute energy here is rich, and it is temporarily safe, so I might as well use this fire lotus to practice." Lin Yan turned back to Xiao Yi Xian, "You also find a place to adjust your breath and adapt to the fire poison environment here. I need some time."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded, found a relatively flat rock nearby that avoided the ground cracks, sat down cross-legged, and continued to fight and run in with the fire poison in the environment.

Lin Yan came to the edge of the stone pit, looked at the glazed fire lotus, and took a deep breath. He did not rashly pick it, but jumped directly to the edge of the stone pit (avoiding the spirit pulp in the center) and sat cross-legged three feet away from the fire lotus. Immediately, more pure and scorching fire-attribute energy wrapped him.

He operated his Dou Zhi Qi, carefully guided a trace of pure and gentle fire-attribute energy from the pool of dark red "earth fire spirit pulp," and slowly absorbed it into his body. At the same time, he drove the "Fallen Heart Flame" seed and the "Green Lotus Core Flame" seed, and began to use the pure fire energy emitted by this earth heart fire lotus as fuel to further temper and purify his own Dou Zhi Qi!

This was a slow and crucial process. His Dou Zhi Qi had long reached the peak of the seventh stage, and at this moment, under the dual nourishment of the earth fire spirit pulp and the fire lotus energy, the bottleneck began to loosen, and he moved steadily toward the eighth stage. More importantly, the purity of his Dou Zhi Qi was continuously improved under the dual tempering of the Seed Flame and the earth fire, and his foundation was built extremely solidly.

Time passed in the silent and scorching cultivation. Lin Yan's aura, under the reflection of the fire lotus's light, became more and more condensed, pure, and scorching, like fine iron being thrown into a furnace and repeatedly forged.

I don't know how long it had passed, when the Dou Zhi Qi in his seventh meridian was finally full to the extreme and began to impact the eighth meridian, a sudden change occurred!

That earth heart fire lotus, which was quietly rotating, seemed to sense the homologous and high-level aura of the Seed Flames (especially the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame) in Lin Yan's body. The lotus body shook violently, blooming with a more brilliant glazed luster! In the center of the lotus, a drop of "fire lotus seed dew" as pure as a ruby, containing astonishing fire-attribute energy essence, slowly condensed, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation!

However, just as Lin Yan was attracted by the strange movement of the fire lotus and was about to try to collect this precious drop of fire lotus seed dew, the earth fire spirit pulp under his feet surged violently without warning! A terrifying aura, far more powerful, ancient, and violent than the Red Refining Fire Poison Snake, like a dormant volcano awakening, with the heat and pressure to destroy everything, was rapidly approaching from the depths of the earth!

The system's sharp alarm sounded in Lin Yan's mind: [Warning! High-energy life reaction detected! Source: Underground magma layer! Energy level: Estimated fourth-order peak (equivalent to a human Dou Ling peak)! Rapidly rising! Extremely dangerous! It is recommended to evacuate immediately!]