Translator: Cinder Translations
"Daoist Chu, why aren't you searching for the Yin Spring Stone in the lava?" Song Wen asked.
Chu Lingyun replied, "The yin qi in the lava consumes my qi too quickly, so I came up to recover. But I'm surprised by you, Daoist friend. With only your early Gold Core cultivation, you managed to endure in the lava for such a long time."
"It was just the Yin Camel Turtle forcing me," Song Wen casually responded.
Song Wen didn't believe Chu Lingyun's words.
They had only been in the lava for about two quarters of an hour. With Chu Lingyun's late-stage Gold Core cultivation, it was impossible for him to exhaust his qi so quickly.
This further convinced Song Wen that Chu Lingyun was monitoring him.
As they spoke, Cui Yan's figure emerged from the lava, soaring toward Song Wen with burning eyes.
"Did you find the Falling World Lotus?" he asked.
Song Wen nodded slightly and repeated the information he had told Chu Lingyun earlier.
After hearing this, Cui Yan's face revealed an unmistakable joy.
"Take me to the cave!" Cui Yan commanded in a tone that left no room for refusal.
Song Wen showed a conflicted expression as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Senior, I'm severely injured, and it will be difficult for me to go any deeper into the lava. The cave is right there, about 100 zhang (333m) down, it's easy to find," Song Wen said, pointing to a section of lava.
However, Cui Yan wasn't concerned with Song Wen's condition.
His voice suddenly became cold, "I said, take me to the cave!"
Song Wen was slightly stunned but quickly replied, "Yes!"
After speaking, Song Wen jumped off the rocks and into the lava.
Cui Yan followed closely behind. Just as he was about to enter the lava, he suddenly stopped.
"Chu Lingyun, you come too."
Chu Lingyun's eyes flashed with helplessness, but he followed after them.
Under Song Wen's guidance, the three quickly reached the entrance of the cave.
"This is the cave," Song Wen said.
Cui Yan released his spiritual sense to probe the cave, but the suppression of the lava made it impossible for him to sense the deepest parts of the cave.
"Ji Yin, lead the way," Cui Yan said coldly.
Hearing this, Song Wen felt a surge of anger, followed by a murderous intent.
Earlier, he had only wanted to find a way to escape. Now, he had thoughts of killing Cui Yan.
Song Wen's mind stirred, and a green flame ignited on his qi shield.
"You've been hiding quite well, seems you've refined Yin-type spiritual fire," Cui Yan said, his voice low.
"It's just a small trick, how could it escape Senior's notice?" Song Wen said, then stepped into the cave.
Seeing Song Wen's back, Cui Yan sneered. He subtly moved his fingers, and a black soul banner suddenly appeared in his hand.
The soul banner waved, and a ghostly creature of early fourth-tier appeared in front of them.
Cui Yan, with the ghostly creature in tow, entered the cave.
"Chu Lingyun, you stay at the entrance. If there's any movement, inform me immediately."
"Yes, Senior Cui," Chu Lingyun replied.
Song Wen and Cui Yan were about twenty zhang apart, walking deeper into the cave, one in front, the other behind.
Soon, they reached the cavern where the Falling World Lotus grew after passing through a long tunnel.
As they arrived, Song Wen once again sensed a faint but distinct presence locking onto him.
Cui Yan noticed the same.
His brows furrowed slightly as he scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense. However, like Song Wen, he could not detect the source of this presence.
Cui Yan moved beside Song Wen, gazing at the cavern before them, free of lava, and at the ghostly blue lotus within. After a moment of thought, he spoke to Song Wen.
"Ji Yin, go and pluck the Falling World Lotus."
"Senior, I feel a presence locking onto me. The Falling World Lotus must be guarded by a monster," Song Wen said fearfully.
Cui Yan responded, "With me here, you can proceed without worry. If a monster appears, I will protect you."
Realizing he had no choice but to obey, Song Wen stepped forward cautiously. As he advanced, he raised his right hand and gently reached toward the edge of the lava.
To his surprise, he felt no resistance. His hand easily passed through into the area without lava, and his body followed suit.
The invisible force seemed to only repel lava, not other objects.
Song Wen remained vigilant, glancing around nervously, but no immediate danger arose. Raising his hand, he unleashed a strand of qi toward the Falling World Lotus, intending to uproot it entirely.
Just as his qi reached the lotus stem, an abrupt change occurred.
The ground before the lotus split open, and a fleshy tongue, covered in barbs, shot out from within the rock.
The tongue extended rapidly, shredding the qi thread before hurtling toward Song Wen's face with lightning speed.
Caught off guard, Song Wen hastily summoned his Ten Directions Map, which formed a defensive barrier around him.
The tongue struck the barrier with tremendous force.
Though the barrier swayed violently, it did not break. However, the sheer power of the impact sent Song Wen flying backward into the lava.
Song Wen was astonished!
When the tongue first lashed out, he had prepared to use Breaking Dark Technique and his Puppet Substitution Technique to escape. His plan was to let Cui Yan battle the monster guarding the Falling World Lotus.
But to his utter surprise, the mysterious and intimidating guardian turned out to be merely a third-tier beast.
Had he known earlier, he would have plucked the Falling World Lotus during his first trip into the cavern.
While Song Wen felt disappointed, Cui Yan was overjoyed.
The fourth-tier ghost emperor at Cui Yan's side charged forward, aiming for the barbed tongue.
The ghost emperor's arms suddenly elongated like iron pincers, gripping the tongue tightly.
Wreathed in ghostly energy, the ghost emperor exerted tremendous strength and yanked backward.
The rocks of the cavern floor shattered, and a massive lizard over ten feet long was forcibly dragged out.
The lizard struggled, but the ghost emperor's right hand extended again, following the tongue and penetrating into the lizard's body.
With a surge of ghostly energy, the lizard's life force was instantly obliterated.
In a flash, the lizard's body stiffened, lifeless.
As the ghost emperor dispatched the lizard, Cui Yan had already reached the Falling World Lotus and uprooted it.
Notably, the lotus roots were not a lotus tuber but consisted of delicate tendrils.
The moment the Falling World Lotus was plucked, the invisible force keeping the lava at bay vanished.
The lava surged, quickly engulfing the cavern.
"Congratulations, Senior Cui, on obtaining such a treasure," Song Wen shouted loudly.
From the ghost emperor's attack to Cui Yan's successful retrieval of the Falling World Lotus, it all happened in the span of a single breath.
Everything transpired so quickly that Song Wen had no chance to escape.
It was then that Song Wen finally understood why, during his first foray into the cavern, the guardian beast had locked onto him but didn't attack.
The beast simply lacked the strength!
It had resorted to bluffing to scare him away.
Song Wen also speculated that the lizard must have carved a narrow tunnel through the cave. This allowed it to track him until he fully exited the area.
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