In the vast desert, beside a flat sand dune, a figure in black robes floated down from the sky.
"I say, why did we suddenly stop?"
Yao Chen asked in confusion from within the Bone Flame Ring while observing the surroundings.
"We're here."
Li Xiu gazed at the sand dune beneath his feet, his sight seemed to penetrate everything and reached the center of the earth.
"Here? Did you arrange to meet someone here?"
Yao Chen was a little uncertain and tried to guess the situation.
Li Xiu remained silent and suddenly flew backwards for a long distance. With a flick of his sleeve, a black wind tornado burst out from it and rose into the air. Within moments, it soared to a height of a hundred feet.
The black wind tornado landed on the scorching hot sand dune, whipped up a frenzy and drilled straight into the ground, creating a yellow sandstorm that formed a terrifying spectacle.
After about ten breaths, a scorching hot air rose from the deep pit formed by the black wind tornado. Li Xiu waved his sleeve and the tornado disappeared.
The scorching sun was already unbearable in the desert, and the hot air rising from the ground within a radius of a hundred feet turned the area into a fiery inferno.
Li Xiu leapt into the deep pit and descended rapidly. The pit was pitch black, but it did not obstruct his vision in the slightest.
After a few moments, Li Xiu flew into a huge cavern and stood in mid-air, looking down at a terrifying scene.
Several dozen feet below him, molten lava flowed slowly, occasionally punctuated by massive bubbles that rose to the surface. Accompanied by a faint sound, the bubbles burst open with a loud pop, and bright red magma spewed out like a gorgeous fireworks display.
At first glance, almost all of the sight was occupied by magma. This was an incredibly vast underground magma world, both spectacular and beautiful.
Yao Chen finally figured out what was going on and spoke to Li Xiu in an unusual tone: "Do you simply believe that there must be Heavenly Flames in the scorching depths of the earth, and that's why you came here to find them?"
"In this vast world, there are some Heavenly Flames that possess the terrifying power to incinerate rivers and boil seas. They may take shape in the stars or be born in the deep abyss of extreme yin. Although many of them exist in the depths of volcanoes, it does not mean that Heavenly Flames can be found wherever there is molten lava underground. Your method of searching may rely on luck."
Yao Chen believed that Li Xiu was not an alchemist before and had not paid attention to the matter of Heavenly Flames, so he kindly reminded him.
Li Xiu ignored Yao Chen's advice and stood aloft as if searching for something.
The temperature inside the underground cave was terrifyingly high, making it feel like being in a furnace used for forging iron. The faint mist emitted by the magma bubbles was not only scorching hot, but also contained a type of fire poison.
Forget ordinary people, even a Dou Ling powerhouse would struggle to survive in this place. However, for Li Xiu, whose physical body was exceptionally robust, it was not much of a challenge.
Suddenly, there was a muffled sound from the calm magma lake below, and countless hot magma waves surged upwards like waves on the sea.
Amidst the flying magma, a huge and mysterious creature suddenly rushed out from the magma and fiercely bit out towards Li Xiu. Its massive body showed a speed that was totally incongruous with its size, like a fish leaping out of water.
A beast resembling a serpent caught Li Xiu's attention. Roughly estimating its size, it was at least four to five zhang (12 to 15 meters) long, completely red like a statue, with scales covering its body. What was particularly noticeable was the two grim heads split at the neck of the beast, adding to its ferocity.
When Li Xiu captured Qing Lin, he also devoured her bloodline and obtained the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. If he wanted to use them, he could instantly display their power.
However, this Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent's strength was only around the Dou Ling level. Even if he were to subdue it, it would not be of much help.
Li Xiu calmly pointed his finger, and the ferocious serpent in mid-air immediately trembled violently as if it had been struck heavily. After a painful howl, its body rapidly shriveled up, turning into a dried-up corpse and falling into the magma, sinking into the depths.
Li Xiu inhaled a pure white spiritual energy through his nose, nourishing the Soul Breaker Sword within his body.
Yao Chen also noticed the clues. Looking at the chaotic environment and the turbulence of the natural energy, and most importantly, the presence of the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent guarding the area, there was a high possibility that there was an Heavenly Flame here. Was it a coincidence or another mysterious aspect of this man?
Li Xiu often used his spiritual sense to wrap up the Bone Flame Ring. Therefore, when he captured Qing Lin that night and used the Compass of Desire to determine the approximate location of the Heavenly Flame, Yao Chen was unaware of it.
Li Xiu used his spiritual energy to protect his clothes and jumped into the fiery red magma lake, swimming towards the depths of the magma.
Gradually, the color of the magma began to fade from red to light blue, catching Yao Chen's attention. This reminded him of the 19th ranked Green Lotus Core Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. However, he didn't know whether it had taken shape or had already given birth to spiritual intelligence and migrated along the underground magma.
In the distance, a faint green light suddenly appeared. Within the light, a huge green lotus stood gracefully.
Li Xiu plunged into the dense green light and gazed at the green lotus in front of him. The lotus had eight petals, as if carved from the most perfect green jade by nature and time, crystal clear and translucent.
On the lotus platform within the lotus flower, a verdant flame was slowly swaying and burning, maintaining this posture for countless years.
Upon seeing this Green Lotus Core Flame, Yao Chen was even more excited than Li Xiu.
"The Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked 19th on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, born in the depths of the earth's magma, takes a hundred years to form and a thousand years to become a lotus. When fully grown, its color is dark green and its power is immeasurable. It can trigger volcanic eruptions near volcanic areas and harness the power of destruction from heaven and earth."
"Found it, actually and truly found it!"
Heavenly Flames are a rare and wondrous substance born of the heavens and earth. They not only greatly enhance one's strength, but also improve the potency of medicinal herbs when used in alchemy. In fact, some ancient formulas cannot be properly refined without the use of Heavenly Flames, making them the lifelong pursuit of all alchemists.
Many alchemists spend their entire lives searching for Heavenly Flames, only to come up empty-handed. Even Yao Chen, who was once the number one alchemist in the Central Plains and stood at the pinnacle of the continent, only managed to obtain the ranked 11th Bone Chilling Flame.
This is also why, despite knowing the profound mysteries of the Flame Mantra, Yao Chen was hesitant to switch to it. Firstly, he wasn't sure if it would work, and secondly, relying on Heavenly Flames for cultivation was too difficult. He feared that he would spend his whole life searching for them without making any progress.
Li Xiu reached out and plucked the enormous green lotus in front of him, taking the Green Lotus Core Flame with him as he left the underground and flew into the sky. He quickly found a secluded mountain cave.
A jade-like lotus flower floated in mid-air, and the thick green flames on the lotus platform emitted a terrifying high temperature, causing the entire mountain cave to violently expand. Li Xiu couldn't help but be amazed by it.