While Lin Feng and Zi Yan waited, the entire Mo Tie Mercenary Group set out across the Tagor Desert, searching in the direction indicated by Yao Chen. Since the Snake-People tribe relocated, the mercenaries in the desert had greatly increased their gains, and their exploration had become increasingly thorough.
Of course, Yao Chen remained hidden behind the scenes. Since learning from Lin Feng about the Soul Hall's wanted notice for him, this old fellow had kept a very low profile. His signature mark—the Bone Spirit Cold Flame—had never been revealed. Even when refining pills, he used Xiao Yan's beast fire.
He preferred to expend his soul power rather than increase the risk of exposure.
"Brother Yan, we've been searching in this desert for several days now. Is the spiritual object your teacher mentioned really in this area?"
After several hours of searching, during a short rest for the mercenaries, Xiao Yan's second brother, Xiao Li, couldn't help but complain.
"Second brother, since Brother Yan's master said it exists, it's certainly not unfounded."
Xiao Ding glanced at his second brother, whose personality was somewhat ruthless and irritable due to his lightning-attribute battle qi, and thought to himself.
"Since Brother Yan's mysterious master could solve his physique problem, he must be an extraordinary master. Father once privately invited a master alchemist to help Brother Yan search, but he found nothing wrong."
"Even if we really can't find that spiritual object, it won't be a waste of time. In fact, with the pills Brother Yan gave us, the mercenaries in the group can search every day without risking their lives." "
Hehe, Brother Yan, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that we've been searching for so many days without finding it, and I'm getting a little impatient." Xiao Li scratched his head.
"Little Yan, let's come back and search again tonight. I already have some guesses."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, the voice of the old alchemist suddenly rang in his mind.
As night fell, a figure dressed in black leaped out of the tent and rushed towards an unknown direction.
After an unknown amount of time, a soul slowly floated out and stood in front of Xiao Yan, gazing into the deeper desert.
"Little Yanzi, during our exploration today, I discovered a passage that has been pierced through, leading to the Earth's core. Presumably, the strange fire lies beneath that magma."
Before Xiao Yan could even show his joy, Yao Chen's voice continued.
"The appearance of this passage means that the strange fire may have already been subdued."
"What!"
Xiao Yan's face turned extremely grim. Because of Lin Feng, the Snake-People had relocated to the foot of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Although they hadn't prevented the people of the Jia Ma Empire from entering, those with high cultivation levels had minimized their entry to avoid conflict with the Snake-People.
Yun Yun, who had her first encounter with Xiao Yan in the Magical Beast Mountain Range in the original story, naturally didn't return, which meant Xiao Yan hadn't obtained the sixth-tier magical beast fire.
Despite absorbing many low-level beast fires, and the beast fire he obtained through exchanging pills with Yao Chen, his Burning Technique was still only at the mid-Yellow Rank. Although it could rival the high-level or even peak Yellow Rank, the Yunlan Sect, as a top power in the Jia Ma Empire, had a young sect leader whose cultivation technique was at least at the Profound Rank or higher.
At that point, the cultivation technique alone might become the final straw that breaks his back.
"Little Yanzi, don't worry. Strange fire is a rare treasure of heaven and earth. Perhaps that person only found it but didn't subdue it."
Seeing his disciple's distraught appearance, Yao Chen knew how much this was affecting him and couldn't help but comfort him.
"Besides, even without this strange fire, your master will not let you lose in the three-year agreement."
"Master."
While the master and disciple were searching for the strange fire in the Tagor Desert, far away beneath the magma of the Black Corner Region, as time passed, Lin Feng sensed that many powerful lizardmen were already approaching.
Among them were even scattered lizardmen exuding the aura of a Dou Zong. Seeing this, Lin Feng knew that his plan had failed.
"Zi Yan, let's go."
Although she didn't know why Lin Feng was acting strangely, Miss Zi Yan had never liked to think. Hearing Lin Feng's words, she prepared to dispel the Dragon Seal and leave.
Just as Zi Yan used the Dragon Seal, in the magma infinitely far away, there seemed to be another world, isolating the endless magma. If Lin Feng were to arrive there, the scorching energy would instantly burn him to ashes.
Within this space, an infinitely enormous figure, whose head and tail were indistinct, was sleeping with its eyes closed. When Zi Yan used the Dragon Seal, a pair of abyssal giant eyes suddenly opened.
"Dragon Seal? This is the aura of our clan!"
A roar
of ancient, primordial fury resounded, and the colossal figure suddenly moved, a gigantic claw reaching out towards the source of the sensation.
Lin Feng and Zi Yan, who were about to leave, suddenly found themselves paralyzed, as if they had lost all senses. They saw the endless magma transform into a gigantic dragon claw, viciously grabbing at them.
"This, how is this possible? This is a Dou Sheng!"
Inside the ancient storage ring, Yao Tianhuo's aged face was filled with shock and fear. The aura emanating from that magma claw was far more terrifying than the Dou Sheng powerhouse he had sensed when he obtained the Five-Round Fire Disc ruins.
"Rumble!"
After the giant claw disappeared, the endless magma instantly began to flow backward, and the Dou Zong-level lizardmen that Lin Feng had sensed were annihilated into ashes without any resistance.
"A child, this is a child, it really is a child!"
At the bottom of the endless magma, a space isolated it. If anyone knew this, they would surely be utterly astonished. It's important to understand that this place is incredibly close to the Earth's core; the temperature emanating from the magma alone would be unbearable even for a typical Dou Zun.
The fact that someone could create a space here is terrifying!
However, the people in this empty space ignored this, all staring at the trembling giant before them.
"Lin Feng, what do we do now?"
After waking up, Zi Yan was startled to see a large face so close to her, and quickly jumped behind Lin Feng.
"Senior, we are from Canaan Academy. Our Dean belongs to the Thunder Clan and has reached the Dou Sheng level. May I ask why you have invited us here?"
Although he knew the man before him was Zi Yan's biological father, the supreme beast of the Dou Qi Continent, arguably the strongest in the world, and that any resistance against him would be futile, Lin Feng still had to make a show of respect. Otherwise, if the old Dragon Emperor, imprisoned for countless years, were to become enraged, his imperial ambitions would crumble prematurely.
(End of Chapter)