As Gu Fei descended deeper, the Fallen Heart Flame that he had just subdued began to tremble, burning more fiercely. It seemed to be urgently drawn towards the depths of the magma, as if it wanted to meet someone.
"It seems the Fallen Heart Flame is sensing the presence of Venerable Yao Tian Huo below!" Gu Fei raised an eyebrow.
This was convenient, as the magma hindered one's perception of the surrounding environment, making it easier to navigate using the Fallen Heart Flame's connection to its former master.
Following the Fallen Heart Flame's guidance, Gu Fei adjusted his direction continuously, descending deeper into the magma sea. In the distance, a strange white ring of light appeared.
"Whoosh..."
Suddenly, a scorching gust of wind rushed at him.
At this critical moment, Gu Fei displayed an astonishing level of reflexes. With a flash of green light beneath his feet, his body twisted into an odd arc, easily dodging the attack. As he quickly retreated, Gu Fei turned his gaze towards the source of the gust.
Under his watchful eye, about thirty meters away, a red figure moved within the magma. Its entire body was bright red, blending in with the surrounding magma, making it hard to notice without careful observation.
The creature's body was covered in red scales. A red-scaled tail, about half a meter long, swayed slightly as the creature stood on two feet. However, its feet were unusually large, and its round head was covered in fine scales. Its small eyes glinted with a hint of ferocity.
The creature's mouth opened slightly, revealing rows of sharp teeth, resembling a lizard that could walk upright.
"This must be the Fire Lizard Race described in the original story!" As a transmigrator, Gu Fei wasn't too surprised by the strange creature.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
As Gu Fei stared at the magma creature, it returned his gaze with equal ferocity. After a brief standoff, the creature's eyes suddenly gleamed with malevolence, emitting a piercing screech. Its tail flicked, and its sharp claws sliced through the magma, charging straight at Gu Fei.
With the Fire Lizard's low strength, Gu Fei easily deflected it with a wave of his sleeve. A streak of Dou Qi shot out, sending the Fire Lizardmen flying, killing it.
Gu Fei then made a sucking motion with his hand, and a small, bright red bead appeared in his palm. The bead emitted a faint, scorching glow, containing a potent and violent fire attribute energy.
Curiously examining the bead for a moment, Gu Fei then casually tossed it into his storage ring. It was just the core of a Dou Emperor-level Lizardman, which was quite useless to him.
Just as he was about to refocus on the transparent light ring, Gu Fei's gaze shifted towards the western part of the magma. The magma there suddenly began to churn violently. Moments later, a large group of red figures surged forward like a school of fish.
"These creatures gather pretty quickly..." Gu Fei frowned, not wanting to engage in prolonged combat.
Among the swarm of Fire Lizardmen, there were already a few with Dou Ancestor-level strength. Gu Fei knew that within the Flame Lizardman race, there were individuals with strength surpassing Dou Ancestor, and deep within, there were even two Lizardmen who had reached the Half-Saint level. If those two were alerted, he could be in real danger.
"Out of my way!"
With Gu Fei's speed, he easily outpaced the Lizardmen. As he sped through the magma, anguished cries echoed behind him. After defeating several of the Fire Lizardmen blocking his path, Gu Fei finally neared the white light ring.
With a swift movement, he delivered a powerful palm strike, sending a Lizardman flying away from the light ring. He then dashed into the white light ring.
As Gu Fei entered, the surrounding magma began to churn once more, slowly rotating before mysteriously disappearing from the sight of the numerous Lizardmen.
Not long after Gu Fei entered the light shield, several blood-red figures shot through the magma like lightning, arriving at the area. Upon seeing these figures, the surrounding Fire Lizardmen hurriedly knelt down.
It seemed that this species was not adept at manipulating spatial energy. The Dou Venerate-level Fire Lizardmen couldn't detect what was happening within the white light ring. They roared in frustration but were helpless.
After a few angry roars, the blood-red figures reluctantly gave up, casting a final resentful glance at the light shield before leading the Lizardmen away. As they left, the area became quiet once again.
…
Inside the white light ring, Gu Fei appeared and found himself staring at a skeleton. On the skeleton, a small Fallen Heart Flame was quietly burning. The flame was much smaller than the one within Gu Fei, and the heat it emitted was far less intense.
At the same time, Gu Fei sensed a spiritual presence scanning him.
"Come out!" Gu Fei called to the skeleton.
As his voice fell, a brilliant white light suddenly burst from the bones, wriggling before transforming into a vague, elderly figure.
The figure wore white robes, his hair and beard were snow-white, and his aged face was marked by a faint glimmer of wisdom in his otherwise calm eyes.
Yao Tian Huo experiences shock and panic. Emotional value +60
"To think that at such a young age, you've already reached the peak of the Dou Ancestor level, and your spiritual power is so strong..." The old man's gaze swept over Gu Fei, showing a hint of admiration.
A genius like Gu Fei was rare, even in the old man's era.
"You're not the first to praise me," Gu Fei responded calmly, having heard such compliments many times before.
Seeing this, the white-robed elder smiled, a pride that came from deep within his bones showing through his expression. "I am Yao Tian Huo, but some also call me the Sky Fire Venerable..."
A Venerable… that title signified he had reached the Dou Venerate level in his lifetime.
Hearing this, Gu Fei remained unfazed, and directly asked, "Judging by the Fallen Heart Flame's earlier reaction, you must be its previous master."
"You guessed correctly. I was indeed the previous master of the Fallen Heart Flame," the Heavenly Fire Venerable chuckled.
His gaze grew nostalgic as he looked at the small Fallen Heart Flame. "Years ago, I discovered the Fallen Heart Flame here in this magma sea. It took me several years to subdue it, and the flame I captured back then is the same one now within you..."
As the Sky Fire Venerable began recounting his past, Gu Fei quietly listened without interruption.