Chapter 107: Beat Down

"Qinglian Earth Core Fire?!"

Xiao Yan quickly turned his gaze, only to be startled to find that the surrounding crimson magma had somehow turned slightly bluish.

It was as if the blue lotus platform submerged in the magma was slowly purifying it.

"Qinglian Earth Core Fire, ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, born deep within the earth, forged through countless iterations of terrestrial fire, fused, compressed, and carved. Ten years to become a Spirit, a hundred years to take form, a thousand years to bloom into a lotus. When fully matured, its hue turns bluish; at its heart blooms a cluster of blue flame—named Qinglian Fire, also known as Qinglian Earth Core Fire. Its power is unfathomable; near volcanic regions, it can even trigger volcanic eruptions—creating a force of natural destruction!" Xiao Yan silently recited the Heavenly Flame Ranking's description of Qinglian Earth Core Fire.

Qinglian Earth Core Fire is unique—it differs from Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame, Bone Spirit Cold Fire, and Swallowing Flame, for strictly speaking, it is a Spirit Flame born from a special plant!

Qinglian Earth Core Fire is more like the nectar of that blue lotus.

Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed as he gazed at the blue lotus platform deep within the sea of magma.

Not only was the Qinglian Earth Core Fire nurtured within it the nineteenth-ranked Spirit Flame, but even the lotus platform itself was a rare Heavenly Material, and its seeds were treasures for Pill Alchemy.

"The lotus platform is still here—maybe the Spirit Flame hasn't been taken after all! Could I really be this lucky?!" Xiao Yan licked his lips. The lotus platform itself was a rare treasure; if it remained untouched, perhaps the Qinglian Earth Core Fire inside the lotus still lingered!

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame surged forth, instantly enveloping his body in the state of Qi Transformation Armor.

The blue lotus was far more than merely beautiful—its terrifying heat could instantly melt a person.

Xiao Yan pulled out a vial of Ice Spirit Cold Spring as backup, then, after securing all preparations, flared his EagleWings and shot forward as a crimson streak.

As his body entered the blue glow of the lotus, the expected searing heat never came; instead, the temperature around him strangely plummeted.

As his body entered the green light of the blue lotus, the expected searing heat did not arrive; instead, the temperature around him strangely dropped significantly.

Xiao Yan stared, bewildered by this strange phenomenon. After a moment, he snapped back to awareness and swiftly scanned his surroundings, finally fixing his gaze on the blue lotus at the center.

The blue lotus had eight petals—eight flawless blue leaves, as if carved from perfect azure jade, naturally formed. At a glance, they shimmered with clarity, evoking an irresistible urge to hold them.

Within the lotus floated a platform roughly two meters in diameter. Tiny holes on the platform emitted faint luminescence—likely condensed from the purest Fire Attribute Energy: Spirit Flame Seeds.

This blue lotus floated endlessly within the magma, like a water lily adrift upon an ocean.

Seeing the blue Spirit Flame Seeds, Xiao Yan felt no joy. For as he drew closer, he realized—the blue Fire Attribute Energy his Soul Perception had detected originated from these seeds.

The greatest prize—the Qinglian Earth Core Fire—had already been taken.

"Mei Du Sha Queen… too late." Protected by Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame, Xiao Yan reached out and plucked a bloodstained snake scale fallen from the lotus petal.

Only a Sixth Rank Peak Mei Du Sha Queen could forcibly extract Qinglian Earth Core Fire without suffering its backlash.

"But why would a SnakeTribe member need a Spirit Flame? And why did she take it half a year ago? If it were Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame, that might make sense—but Qinglian Earth Core Fire is useless to SnakeTribe! Was it meant as leverage for trade?"

"That doesn't make sense either. Half a year ago, Gu He was searching these very areas for Spirit Flames. The Desert is SnakeTribe territory—Gu He knew that. If she wanted to trade Spirit Flames, wouldn't it be smarter to deal with a Sixth-Grade Alchemist?"

"The Six-Grade Peak Pill, Break-Through Pill, increases the chance of breaking into Dou Zong by twenty percent—it still works for Sixth Rank Demon Beasts advancing to Seventh Rank. For Mei Du Sha Queen, stuck at Sixth Rank Peak for so long, this pill would be ideal."

"Could it be that Mei Du Sha Queen wanted more than a Sixth-Grade Pill—and Gu He couldn't provide it?"

As Xiao Yan pondered, a dark shadow slowly approached through the magma.

"That doesn't make sense either—half a year ago, Gu He also searched these same areas for Spirit Flames. The Desert is the SnakeTribe's territory; Gu He wouldn't have come looking for a Spirit Flame without knowing that. If he wanted to trade for a Spirit Flame, wouldn't it be best to deal with a Six-Grade high-level Alchemist?"

No sooner had Xiao Yan spoken than a muffled boom erupted from the still magma lake behind him. In an instant, countless scorching magma erupted violently upward.

Amidst the rain of molten rock, a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake burst forth from the magma, striking like lightning toward Xiao Yan.

A flash of red light crossed Xiao Yan's eyes—he vanished instantly, evading the attack, and lightly landed atop one of the snake's heads.

"A Four-Tier Magical Beast with the strength of a One-Star Dou Ling—you've got more guts than your power deserves." Xiao Yan sneered. Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Flame erupted fully, its special effect boosting Xiao Yan's physical strength to match that of a Four-Tier Magical Beast.

He channeled his Qi, his body sinking sharply, and stomped down hard—crushing the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake into the magma.

The snake shrieked piercingly as it broke through the magma, hurtling toward Xiao Yan in midair. Flailing magma spouts erupted chaotically, turning the once-calm lake into a violent, spectacular inferno.

Soul Force Perception fully activated, Xiao Yan sidestepped the snake's bite, spun, and kicked its other head with terrifying physical force, sending the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake flying dozens of meters away.

"Mao Wu, cut this lotus down for me—don't sneak any of the seeds. I'm counting."

"A Four-Tier Magical Beast with strength equivalent to a One-Star Dou Spirit—you've got more guts than your power deserves." Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold sneer as the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame erupted fully, its special effect boosting Xiao Yan's physical strength to the level of a Four-Tier Magical Beast.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!! Deafening roars echoed. At the cave entrance, Xiao Ding and the others heard the battle and broke into cold sweats, faces filled with dread.

The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake pierced through the lava with a piercing hiss, shooting straight toward Xiao Yan in midair, while chaotic streams of lava flung wildly.

The tranquil lava lake was suddenly thrown into violent turmoil, as streams of molten magma fire pillars from within surged skyward in spectacular fashion.

Suddenly, a massive shadow shot from afar and slammed into the rock wall with a THUD—snake blood splattered everywhere, even spraying onto the cave entrance.

It was the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake—thrown here by Xiao Yan!

"A Four-Tier Magical Beast?!"

Hiss! Hiss!! The Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake oozed blood from its mouth, its scales falling off in large patches. The mighty Four-Tier Magical Beast had been beaten senseless by Xiao Yan.

No wonder—he'd been robbed of the perfect Qinglian Earth Core Fire. Xiao Yan's mood was foul, and this poor Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake was the perfect target for his rage.

Floating in midair, Xiao Yan gripped the Xuan Heavy Ruler, his eyes icy as he stared at the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. It might be a native beast—or perhaps it had been left behind by Mei Du Sha Queen to guard the Spirit Flame Seeds.

But regardless, Xiao Yan had no intention of sparing it.

With a hum, the Xuan Heavy Ruler blazed with searing firelight. The roar of Ten Thousand Beasts echoed as he raised it high, preparing to deliver the final blow with Flame Splitting Wave Ruler.

"Young Master Yan, wait!" Qing Lin suddenly shouted.

Xiao Yan turned to her, puzzled. "What is it?"

No wonder—someone had snatched away the perfectly good Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire; Xiao Yan's mood could hardly be good. The poor Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had clearly become the target of his frustration.

At that moment, Xiao Yan noticed that a drop of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake's blood had accidentally splashed onto Qing Lin's lips—her eyes flashed a strange blue glow!

(End of Chapter)

With a hum, the Xuan Heavy Ruler emitted a scorching flame, a roar of ten thousand beasts echoed as it was raised high, ready to deliver the final blow with the Flame Division Devouring Wave Ruler.

"Young Master Yan, wait!" Qing Lin suddenly cried out.

Xiao Yan looked at Qing Lin in confusion and asked, "What is it?"

"I feel like I can control it."

At that moment, Xiao Yan noticed that the blood of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake had accidentally splashed onto Qing Lin's lips, and Qing Lin's eyes emitted a strange green light!

(End of Chapter)