Chapter 106: Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire

Xiao Yan finished dealing with the Sand Mercenary Corps and arrived at the location on the map by afternoon.

"How's Brother?" Xiao Yan walked into a tent, where Xiao Ding was calculating something with a pen.

Seeing Xiao Yan and Xiao Li return, Xiao Ding knew everything had gone smoothly—he had more faith in his genius younger brother than anyone else.

Xiao Ding shook his head with a smile: "Not yet. Desert terrain changes easily. We only sent a few experienced veterans to secretly survey ahead, without detailed mapping."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only sit in the tent waiting for news, sipping the frozen fruit tea Qing Lin had carefully prepared.

As Xiao Yan practiced the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Technique for a while, a figure suddenly sprinted from afar, shouting excitedly: "Captain? The Third Squad seems to have found something!"

"Found something?" At the voice, all three perked up, then their faces lit up with ecstatic joy; Xiao Yan immediately broke out of his cultivation state.

"Found a passage?"

"Hehe, seems they found some traces. Based on our experience, there's a high chance it leads underground."

The running mercenary grinned broadly.

"Good! Regardless, your squad gets a reward!" Xiao Yan laughed loudly and hurried off after them.

"Thank you, Third Captain!" The mercenary was overjoyed, his energy surging as he led Xiao Yan and the others into a light run.

"Move aside! Make way!" The guide shouted loudly, clearing a path; Xiao Yan stepped in, glancing once—and his eyes widened slightly in surprise: the sunken desert area had been dug into a hole about half a meter wide. His gaze flickered inside—the darkness was absolute, with faint warmth rising from within.

To their surprise, the sunken desert area had already been dug into a hole about half a meter wide; his eyes glanced into the hole, which was pitch black, with faint wisps of heat rising from within.

Mao Wu's voice came from the Spirit Storage, telling Xiao Yan there was a flame spirit's aura inside.

But Xiao Yan wasn't overly excited, for when he used Soul Force Perception to sense below, he discovered a complex network of underground tunnels.

They resembled the underground passages in the Mo Shou Shan Mai's Shou Zhong—meaning these tunnels weren't natural, but carved by Magical Beasts.

"Only a snake-type creature could create passages this large."

This wasn't good news. Though snakes naturally feared heat and flame spirits, some snake races possessed Fire Attribute Energy.

"Should I send someone down to scout first?" Xiao Ding stared at the pitch-black tunnel, frowning with concern.

Xiao Yan shook his head slightly: "No need, Brother. If even my strength faces danger down there, others joining would only mean death."

"Third Captain, you've treated us well with your Elixirs. If we retreat when you need us, aren't we just cowards who forget kindness?"

"Exactly! If Third Captain needs us, we'll brave fire and water without hesitation!"

"Brave fire and water without hesitation!"

Seeing the mercenaries' shouts, Xiao Yan rubbed his nose: "Guess I was being overly cautious. Whether we find anything or not, everyone gets an Elixir reward when we return! I rely on you all!"

In the end, Xiao Ding chose several squad members experienced in underground exploration to descend—with Xiao Yan and his two brothers, and Qing Lin, who first discovered the traces.

In the end, Xiao Ding selected several team members with experience in underground exploration to descend with him; besides the three Xiao brothers, Qing Lin—the one who first discovered the traces—also went down into the cave.

"Qing Lin, hold tight to me." Xiao Yan wrapped one arm around Qing Lin's slender waist and slid down into the tunnel first.

Xiao Yan used Soul Force Perception to sense his surroundings while also feeling with his body.

Relying on Qing Lin's unique perception and the mercenaries' experience, Xiao Yan's group steadily found the correct paths forward.

"Huh? Why has the Fire Attribute Energy suddenly grown so strong!"

As they descended deeper, Xiao Yan's expression grew increasingly grave. He felt the Fire Attribute Energy surge dramatically—his Cultivation Method activated on its own, refining Spiritual Qi without his command.

"Third Captain, we've found something ahead!" The scout at the front shouted excitedly as they rounded another corner.

Xiao Yan's body trembled with excitement; he wiped sweat from his face, and the four sped up, quickly reaching the tunnel's end!

Standing at the tunnel's end, everyone stared in stunned awe at the crimson world before them.

In the vast cavern, crimson lava flowed slowly; occasionally, huge bubbles rose from the lava, then burst with a soft sound—*Boom! *—spewing scorching magma like brilliant red fireworks.

This was a full lava flow—in essence, a volcano buried beneath the desert.

If disturbed, it would erupt and form a brand-new volcanic vent.

"What now? No way forward." Xiao Li stared at the flowing lava—this wasn't a place for humans. Not even a High Dou Shi could survive here, let alone them!

Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes, activated the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Technique, and unleashed a powerful Soul Force that spread outward. Suddenly, in his Soul Perception, a greenish flame energy appeared.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, set Qing Lin down, and pulled a vial of Ice Spirit Cold Spring from his Spirit Ring, handing it to Xiao Ding: "Brother, I'm going down. This is the Cold Spring—use it if you need to cool down and survive."

"Go in? Into the lava? There's no path here—do you plan to swim through it?" Xiao Ding's face paled slightly as he rebuked softly.

Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly, his body slowly rising as EagleWings appeared behind him.

"Spiritual Qi Wings?! Xiao Yan, you're a Dou Wang?! But you said you were only a High Dou Shi!" Xiao Li gasped.

"It's a Flying Dou Technique. Brother, I'll be back soon!"

As Xiao Yan turned to fly into the lava, a cold little hand suddenly grabbed him.

"Young Master, something's hidden in the lava!" Qing Lin gripped Xiao Yan tightly; her eyes glowed faintly green, pupils revealing faint patterns and designs.

Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes—he, as a Fifth-Rank Alchemist, naturally sensed a Four-Tier Magical Beast beneath the lava. But Qing Lin wasn't even a Dou Zhe—how could she sense it too?

"Young Master, something seems to be hidden in the lava!" Qing Lin gripped Xiao Yan tightly; her eyes emitted a faint emerald glow, and within her pupils, faint patterns and designs seemed to take shape.

Xiao Yan gently patted Qing Lin's hand: "Don't worry. Your Young Master isn't that foolish—he knows a Magical Beast lurks beneath."

*Whoosh! * EagleWings soared above the lava; the next second, a massive dark shadow surged up from within the crimson flow.

Xiao Yan smirked coldly, pulled a vial of Ice Spirit Cold Spring from his Spirit Ring, and hurled it downward like a bomb—*Boom! * The terrifying freezing force instantly froze the lava; the flowing magma solidified into black rock, blocking the mysterious creature.

He had no time to deal with the beast—he needed to see if the flame spirit lay at the lava's center!

His powerful Soul Perception spread—after flying for an unknown duration, he suddenly spotted a blue-green lotus floating serenely ahead.

"Blue Lotus? Could it be… Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire?!"

Powerful Soul Perception spread outward; after flying for an unknown length of time, a blue lotus suddenly appeared in the distance, standing gently and serenely.

"Blue Lotus? Could it be Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire?!"

(End of Chapter)