The three of them, at this moment, each harbored their own thoughts.
Yun Sheng watched from the side, and with the keen perception she had cultivated in her previous life as a Doctor, she could easily sense the undercurrent brewing between the two.
"Hey, why are you following us? Are you also interested in the Karma Fire Lotus?" Xuan Meimei said with overt hostility.
"Miss, I also want to leave, but without your company, I don’t know the way. There’s no water or food in the cave, so if I get lost, wouldn’t that lead me only to death," Yun Sheng also believed that Yuan Bupo wouldn’t let her go easily before the Karma Fire Lotus was ripe for picking.
Although she couldn’t guess what the man and woman from Dihong City intended to do with the Karma Fire Lotus, since she, Yun Sheng, was the one who discovered the treasure, she would never sit by and watch others take it away.
Yuan Bupo also thought about the path they’d taken to enter; it was indeed twisty and turny. If he hadn’t obtained a map of the terrain beforehand, he likely would have gotten lost.
Moreover, he did not want to stay alone with Xuan Meimei, as a single man and woman. The presence of an extra person made things more comfortable instead.
All three of them sat down cross-legged with their own concerns.
Yun Sheng had already grown accustomed to the temperature inside the cave and soon entered a state of meditation with the help of her Ice Crystal Toad Robe.
On the other hand, Xuan Meimei looked nervous, her eyes intermittently darting towards the Karma Fire Lotus Pond.
After the latter half of the night, a strange fragrance drifted from the direction of the lotus pond.
A ruby-like lotus pod shimmered, and within it, eight crystal-clear lotus seeds shone like diamonds.
"It’s ripe!" Yuan Bupo, with the quickest movement technique, flicked his fingertips and a gust of Wind Blade-like Magic Elements immediately swept up the ripened lotus pod.
With a light tap of his feet, his body soared like a roc, traversing several meters, his legs skimming over the rolling lava without fear of the terrible temperature—it was clear he had come prepared, wearing a special protective garment.
Yun Sheng, however, was in no hurry to take action; she furrowed her brows, watching the spectacle unfold.
Xuan Meimei was also entranced, her eyes sparkling with a young girl’s longing.
After the lotus pod was disturbed, Yuan Bupo found himself uncertain of the next step.
"Strange, isn’t it said that the scent of the Karma Fire Lotus, when mature, will attract the Karma Fire Beast? Why is there not even a little movement around," Yuan Bupo murmured, scanning his surroundings.
Xuan Meimei also maintained an unusual calm, not immediately taking action.
She was aware that she was no match for Yuan Bupo, and even her brother Xuan Wuji might not be able to compete with him.
As the last Karma Fire Lotus was uprooted, the lava in the lotus pond, originally more than ten meters in size, began to slowly shrink and sink.
The lava, like boiling water, gradually receded until, in the end, it disappeared completely, revealing a huge Magic Array at the bottom of the pond.
It was an ancient Magic Array. The seal characters on the Magic, incomprehensible to Yun Sheng, Yuan Bupo, and the others.
The Magic Array exhibited no signs of activity, indicating that it was a Magic Array that had been dysfunctional for a long time.
All three being Mages, and also rather astute, they noticed that in the four cardinal directions of the Magic Array – the east, south, west, north, northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest – there was a small, circular indentation in each, perfectly suited to the size of a Karma Fire Lotus seed.
Clearly, by placing the eight Karma Fire Lotus seeds into the eight indentations, this Magic Array would be activated.
Facing the abrupt scene that had arisen, all three were somewhat at a loss for action. Yun Sheng had been unwittingly transported here.
Yuan Bupo and Xuan Meimei had followed the guidance of ancient texts, seeking the Karma Fire Beast. They didn’t expect that at the bottom of this Karma Fire Lotus Pond lied another hidden realm.
The day’s events were indeed coincidental, as two conditions needed to be met for the Magic Array hidden beneath the lava to see daylight once again.
One was that the Karma Fire Lotus be completely plucked; Yun Sheng had previously stripped this place of all its Karma Fire Lotus. The other condition was for the Karma Fire Lotus seeds to mature and be placed into the eight indentations.
"Not good!" While the three of them were hesitating, unsure whether to use the eight Karma Fire Lotus Seeds to activate the unpredictable Magic Array, a muffled rattling sound came from the other end of the cave.
Yuan Bupo’s complexion changed, and he immediately flew towards the other side of the cave.
The entrance of the cave, where he had used a Teleportation Magic Array to get in earlier, had disappeared.
The atmosphere around them started to feel strange.
The three of them were left with only this one way out.
"The entrance is sealed. We’re trapped here. It seems the only way out is to try this Magic Array," Yuan Bupo said solemnly.
Yun Sheng and Xuan Meimei had no objections.
The three of them leaped down and stood on the Magic Array.
Yun Sheng was certain that this was the largest Magic Array she had ever seen; it was like a giant millstone.
Yuan Bupo took out the eight Karma Fire Lotus Seeds and embedded them one by one into the Magic Array.
Right after hearing a noise like a key turning in a long-unmaintained door, a burst of light shone from the Magic Array.
The bottom of the pond suddenly sank, and the three of them felt like they had stepped into emptiness, rapidly descending. Only after a long while did they feel their feet stabilize.
While the three of them were still dizzy, a series of gurgling noises sounded, and a dark shadow leaped out.
The shadow was fast and sudden, and they had all failed to notice earlier that they were now standing within a large Magic Restriction.
"Brother Bu Po, look! Is that not a Karma Fire Beast?!" Xuan Meimei exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth and pointing at the Demon Beast ahead.
It was a Demon Beast as large as an elephant, its body emanating the dreadful fire baptism pressure of Magic Elements, a feeling even more terrifying than what Yun Sheng had previously experienced from the Centipede Ant General.
The Demon Beast had a massive physique, resembling a lion that Yun Sheng had seen, but it was a hundred times more ferocious and terrifying than a lion.
All of its fur was composed of dancing flames, its neck adorned with a circle of auspicious fire clouds, its head proudly raised, its bulging eyes, and its fangs spewed flames. Its tail was a hollow flame, lifted behind it, while on its hind legs grew five sharp claws.
At this moment, the Demon Beast was crouching on the Magic Array.
Although they weren’t sure what this thing was, one thing was certain, it definitely wasn’t a Karma Fire Beast.
How could a Ninth Rank Karma Fire Beast possess such formidable pressure?
The Demon Beasts inside the Linglong Beast Tower were already seething.
"I am the Ancient Divine Beast, the Fire Devouring Suanni. You ignorant ants dare to intrude upon the Fire Spirit Sanctuary. Retreat immediately!" The Demon Beast opened its massive mouth, astonishingly speaking human language.
Demon Beasts are different from humans; Holy Beasts of their level begin to possess human-like cognitive abilities.
Upon reaching the Peak of Holy Beasts and having the ability to transform into human form, they gain the ability to speak and transform into humans.
As soon as the Demon Beast spoke, the faces of the three present turned pale.
"Thank you Mei Die and Yu Di for the rewards, and thank you everyone for your various votes"
At this moment, the same thought crossed the minds of the few people there.