Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 699 - 683: Traversing the Earth’s Core, Poison Fire Crocodile Shark

The more thorough the preparation for an adventure of unknown danger, the greater the chances of surviving during the adventure.

Throughout his life, Zhouyang had experienced many adventures, but there were not many like this one where he could prepare in advance.

For those few adventures, it was only because he was well-prepared that he was able to endure amidst extreme danger.

So this time, he also paid great attention to the preparation work.

He had less than three years to prepare, which was clearly not enough time for him to cultivate a type of divine technique, so he needed to prepare various items that could potentially be used.

Spirit Talismans and Elixirs were naturally the first things he needed to prepare. Tier Six Spirit Talismans and Spirit Pills were difficult to buy, so Zhouyang either made them himself or purchased them externally, preparing no small number of Tier Five Spirit Pills for healing and restoring his energy, as well as a large number of fire defense spirit talismans.

When he was preparing the Spirit Talismans, he specifically selected Jade Talismans made from Spirit Jade.

The same kind of Spirit Talisman, when made from Spirit Jade rich in Spiritual Power, not only had greater power compared to those made from talisman paper, but also consumed less of the user's Magical Power when used.

Zhouyang was not lacking in Spirit Stones at the moment, and since he could make talismans himself, he naturally chose the best ones to use.

Then, considering he also needed to break through array restrictions, he prepared three sets of arrays that might be used, all of which were spoils from the past, so he didn't need to spend additional Spirit Stones.

However, these Elixirs, Spirit Talismans, and Arrays were all conventional supporting items and could not truly help him avoid fatal dangers.

Therefore, he once again sought out the Yuqing Daoist Sect and exchanged a piece of [Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Nourishing Wood] with Master Jade Dragon for a [Void Spirit Talisman], a secret spirit talisman of the Yuqing Daoist Sect that had been used once before, and then spent a million Spirit Stones to buy a [Yuqing Immortal Talisman].

With these two life-saving spirit talismans in hand, Zhouyang's confidence in this journey was undoubtedly greatly increased.

After getting everything ready, he bid farewell to his Dao Companion Xiao Ying and set off alone to meet at the Divine Fire Palace.

Originally, according to the promise he made to Xiao Ying several years ago, he should have brought his Dao Companion along for this adventure.

However, the situation was special this time. Zhouyang had already sworn in front of Zhao Yuanpu not to disclose specific information, and bringing along his Dao Companion Xiao Ying would mean breaking that oath.

To avoid breaking his vow, he could only apologize to his Dao Companion once again.

Fortunately, Xiao Ying was a sensible and understanding partner. After knowing his difficulties, she sensibly did not blame him for this.

Moreover, now that there was a demon king maid, Bi'Er, accompanying her, she was not as easily lonely and bored as before and did not necessarily have to follow Zhouyang.

Without alerting anyone, Zhouyang quietly moved into the City Lord's Mansion of Prison Fire City.

He waited at the City Lord's Mansion for a few days before Zhao Yuanpu brought another companion cultivator, [Master Fire Dragon], to meet him.

Zhouyang was not meeting Zhao Yuanpu for the first time, but it was his first time meeting [Master Fire Dragon].

While he was observing this bald old man with a ruddy face, Zhao Yuanpu had already begun introducing the two with a smile on his face.

"Come, come, let me introduce these two Daoist friends."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, this is [Master Fire Dragon] Sun Yucheng, one of the [Three Elders of Nanyun]. Fellow Daoist Sun has cultivated for two thousand years, and his exotic treasure, [Fire Dragon Shield], is renowned; I presume Fellow Daoist Zhou has heard of it!"

The so-called [Three Elders of Nanyun] refers to three loose-cultivator Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators cultivating on a Tier Six Spirit Mountain, South Cloud Mountain. Although these three have neither established sects nor families, they have taken in many disciples of their own, forming their own power.

[Master Fire Dragon] Sun Yucheng is the leader of the Three Elders, with a Fifth-Layer Nascent Soul cultivation.

Upon hearing Zhao Yuanpu's introduction, Zhouyang immediately straightened his expression and earnestly greeted that bald elder with a cupped fist, "Zhouyang pays his respects to Master Sun. This journey holds many dangers, and I ask Master Sun to look after me."

Upon seeing this, the bald old man did not dare to belittle himself even a bit and promptly returned the courteous gesture humbly, "Fellow Daoist Zhou, you are too modest. In front of you, I dare not use the word 'take care'. Fellow Daoist Zhao has recounted to me the battle outside Prison Fire City that day, and I honestly admit that if I were in your place that day, there is no way I could have gained any advantage over Fellow Daoist Zhao!"

Hearing him mention this, Zhouyang couldn't help but smile bitterly, waving his hand with a sigh, "Ah, Master Sun, please do not mention this matter any further. If it wasn't for Master Zhao's mercy that day, I would have long lost my life, and I dare not boast of it."

"Hahaha, both Daoist friends, no need to be modest. This journey requires both of your full cooperation with Zhao to help Zhao retrieve the ancestral relics and remains, and Zhao is already grateful to both of you."

Zhao Yuanpu interrupted the exchange with a hearty laugh, cutting into their conversation.

Zhouyang and [Master Fire Dragon], upon hearing his words, exchanged glances and then smiled at each other before turning to Zhao in unison, "We will not fail Fellow Daoist Zhao's expectations."

"Good, with these words from both of you, Zhao can rest assured. If there is nothing else that needs to be discussed, let us set out now!"

Zhao Yuanpu shouted loudly with excitement and immediately proposed departure, looking eager and impatient.

"Zhou has no objection," Zhouyang quickly expressed his stance.

Master Fire Dragon also nodded in agreement and said, "Sun will also listen to Fellow Daoist Zhao's instructions."

"Good, then the two of you please follow Zhao," Zhao Yuanpu said with a clap and smile, and led the way out of Prison Fire City.

The three of them departed from Prison Fire City and quickly plunged into the Wilderness Jungle, heading continuously deeper into the jungle.

Zhao Yuanpu was evidently very familiar with the conditions along the way, and Zhouyang and the other two followed him closely without encountering any situations that required intervention.

Zhao Yuanpu would inform the other two in advance about dangerous places, and either bypass them or carefully conceal their aura and stealthily pass through.

This even included several territories of the Barbaric Alien Race.

Following Zhao Yuanpu deep into the wilderness for more than seven hundred thousand miles, the three arrived outside a giant surface magma lake in the wilderness jungle.

This magma lake stretched over a hundred miles long and seventy miles wide, filled with dark red magma, and exuded an overpowering sulfur aroma that permeated the surrounding thousand-mile area. Sometimes, yellow-black sulfuric acid rain clouds would condense and fall, bringing highly corrosive acid rain.

Consequently, signs of life were scarce in the several hundred-mile area around the magma lake. The lush plants in the Wilderness Jungle disappeared entirely here, and animals would avoid it entirely.

Occasionally, animals unfamiliar with the dangers would enter, unable to flee in time, and quickly meet their demise from sudden acid rain, leaving behind only a few bone fragments on the ground as proof of their passage.

High-tier Demon Beasts and Barbaric Beasts were unafraid of the acid rain, but since there was nothing but magma here, they naturally were unwilling to waste time coming to this area.

Therefore, even though Zhouyang and the other two appeared openly above the magma lake with no concealment, no creatures came to bother them.

"We're here. This is one of the nearest entrances to the cavern. We need to head underground from here and traverse through an underground magma river for several hundred miles to finally reach the cavern's underground magma sea," Zhao Yuanpu briefly explained the situation.

He then opened his mouth and sprayed a mass of silver-purple flame that transformed into a flame gauze robe covering him. He nodded slightly to Zhouyang and Master Fire Dragon and said, "I will lead the way. Fellow Daoists, please follow closely and do not get lost below."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhao, we understand what to do," Master Fire Dragon replied with a nod. He slightly raised his hand, and a semi-transparent, crimson-glazed cover appeared.

Throwing this treasure up, it morphed into a transparent flame shield covering him.

This was his renowned magical artifact, Fire Dragon Shield.

When it was Zhouyang's turn, he mimicked Zhao Yuanpu by summoning a mass of Qianyang True Flame, which transformed into flame armor, shielding him against the magma's erosion.

Considering the strength of his flesh, even physical contact with the magma in this lake wouldn't pose any issues.

However, the magma deep underground was different.

The underground magma was not only much hotter but also contained the power of Earth Fire Poisonous Qi. If Zhouyang's flesh remained in contact with it long-term, the Earth Fire Poisonous Qi would accumulate and damage the foundation of his flesh.

Splashes!

Splashes!

Splashes!

As three splashes of magma rose, Zhouyang and the other two quickly disappeared into the magma lake.

The Earth Fire Poisonous Qi in the magma also harms the divine sense of a cultivator, so Zhouyang and the two wouldn't let their divine sense leave their bodies unless necessary.

Thus, as they advanced in the underground magma, the three stayed close together, with the two behind using pupil technique divine techniques to observe Zhao Yuanpu, who was leading in the front, following closely behind.

Some fire attribute spiritual objects would also be nurtured within the underground magma river. When encountering noteworthy spiritual objects during their journey, the three would take them.

However, spiritual objects truly useful to Nascent Soul Stage cultivators are not easily found.

After traveling for several hundred miles in the underground magma river, Zhao Yuanpu suddenly stopped in front.

As he stopped, Zhouyang and Master Fire Dragon, who were following closely, immediately slowed down and approached him. Then Master Fire Dragon waved his hand, and the Fire Dragon Shield exotic treasure expanded to envelop Zhouyang and Zhao Yuanpu within.

With this treasure isolating the magma, the three could speak freely and communicate.

Zhao Yuanpu's face turned solemn, and he spoke first: "Both fellow Daoists should be careful. Just twenty to thirty miles ahead, we'll reach the underground magma sea. Once we enter, that beast might discover us and launch a stealth attack."

"If it tries to attack, it'll be good for us. We can join forces and deal with it. I'm just worried that once it sees there are three of us, knowing it's outmatched, it might hide and cause trouble from the shadows, which would be troublesome."

Master Fire Dragon first glanced at Zhouyang, seeing he had no intention of speaking, he then expressed his own thoughts.

Zhao Yuanpu had fought that exotic beast multiple times and understood its strength and tactics thoroughly.

Though he couldn't defeat that exotic beast alone, he was confident that with Zhouyang's help, they could defeat and drive it away.

Master Fire Dragon understood this as well, which was why he appeared so confident.

"What does Fellow Daoist Zhou say?"

Zhao Yuanpu turned his gaze to Zhouyang, his eyes showing a hint of unclear anticipation.

Even he didn't know why he had expectations for Zhouyang, perhaps because Zhouyang's attack left a deep impression on him.

"Fellow Daoist Sun's words are reasonable, but if that beast dares to appear and attack, I have a way to ensure it cannot hide anymore."

Zhouyang pondered slightly and revealed a bit to his companions.

It was evident that upon hearing Zhouyang could track the beast within the magma sea, Zhao Yuanpu and the others showed a trace of surprise.

After their surprise, Zhao Yuanpu immediately clapped his hands, exclaiming: "Wonderful! If Fellow Daoist Zhou can truly trace the beast's location, our chances of slaying it will greatly increase."

Initially, he only planned to use their combined strength to defeat and drive away the guardian beast, not expecting to kill it.

After all, in the underground magma sea, the beast had a natural advantage and would be difficult to stop if it chose to flee.

Master Fire Dragon urged eagerly: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's continue forward."

He then waved his hand to reduce the Fire Dragon Shield to a size that only protected himself.

The three continued forward.

After traveling another twenty miles, the underground magma river suddenly flowed deeper underground. In less than half a quarter of an hour, Zhouyang and the others descended over ten thousand feet deep into the earth!

When they finally stopped falling, they arrived at the underground magma sea Zhao Yuanpu mentioned.

With Zhouyang's previous life's knowledge, this so-called underground magma sea should be the core of the planet, akin to Earth's core.

The magma's temperature here was nearly as high as a Nascent Soul cultivator's Nascent Fire; Golden Core cultivators could hardly last a quarter hour here.

This place was more dangerous than the "Nine Heavens Forbidden Realm."

Even with the protection of Qianyang True Flame, Zhouyang noticed that the flame's protection was rapidly draining his Magical Power.

Additionally, the toxin-rich evil atmosphere was extremely dense. Even without deliberately using Pupil Technique Divine Techniques, Zhouyang could see the intermingling black-red poisonous fire evil qi within the purple-red magma.

Due to the presence of these poisonous fire evil qi, even though the fire attribute Spiritual Qi here was more concentrated than in a Tier Six Spirit Vein, Zhouyang and the others dared not absorb and refine the external fire attribute Spiritual Qi to replenish their Magical Power. They could only rely on refining top-grade Spirit Stones to supplement their power.

Zhao Yuanpu had some means to determine direction in this seemingly boundless underground magma sea. After the group descended, he waited for Zhouyang and the others to adapt to the environment and leave special marks before proceeding in a specific direction.

Recalling his previous warning, Zhouyang summoned his Lifebound Spiritual Artifact Qianyang Golden Tower, holding it in his left hand, while his right hand gripped a Purple-Gold Ruler.

Boom!

The previously calm magma sea suddenly erupted with a loud noise; powerful energy waves spread from the origin of the sound, forming a small-scale magma tsunami.

The anticipated stealth attack came from the guardian exotic beast, and during the brief skirmish, Zhouyang finally saw the true appearance of the beast that bested Zhao Yuanpu several times.

It was a beast resembling a crocodile: its body long and slender like a crocodile, covered in red scales. Its head was akin to a sea shark, mouth filled with sharp teeth, topped with a triangular horn, and besides its four claws, it had triangular fins like fish fins on each side, along with a dorsal fin similar to a shark.

Even though Zhao Yuanpu had previously detailed the beast's characteristics, seeing it in person, Zhouyang was still slightly taken aback by its peculiar appearance.

He traveled through numerous cultivation realms in the south and north, reading countless classics documenting demon beasts and barbaric beasts, yet he had never seen any records of such exotic beasts.

Actually, not only him, even Zhao Yuanpu had yet to truly discover the origins of this exotic beast, temporarily naming it based on its appearance and divine techniques as [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark].

This [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] lives in the underground lava sea, feeds on the magma, not only mastering several powerful fire element divine techniques but also easily manipulating the power of magma to attack enemies and conceal itself.

In the brief skirmish just now, it used the power of the magma to approach invisibly several hundred zhang away from Zhouyang and the others, suddenly launching a surprise attack on them.

Thankfully, since entering this magma sea, Zhouyang and the others were on high alert, and under their concerted defense, they did not let this creature gain any advantage.

In this short encounter, Zhouyang's [Purple Gold Qiankun Ruler] successfully struck a scar on the creature's back, allowing him to obtain a tiny, fragmented scale carrying its aura.

At this moment, after the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] failed to hit its target and hid in the magma sea using magma's power to vanish, Zhouyang asked Zhao Yuanpu and the others to guard him. Then he brought out his second lifebound spiritual artifact [Qianyang Golden Lamp], tossed the tiny fragmented scale into the lamp, and used a spell to ignite the golden lamp.

"Found it, it's over there!"

As the golden flame slowly ignited, Zhouyang glanced at the flame, then pointed in a direction and shouted softly.

Zhao Yuanpu and [Master Fire Dragon] noticed that the direction Zhouyang pointed was precisely where the flame inclined towards.

"Alright, since Fellow Daoist Zhou can pinpoint its location, let's set a trap for it. When it can't resist coming to ambush us again, we'll hit it hard!"

Zhao Yuanpu's eyes sparkled, he immediately agreed and shared his plan.

After a round of voice transmission discussion, Zhao Yuanpu took the lead, Zhouyang in the middle, [Master Fire Dragon] at the rear, maintaining this formation as they continued towards the cave mansion location.

Before long, the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] indeed couldn't resist launching a second surprise attack on the three.

However, this time, with Zhouyang's early warning, before the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] could act, the three promptly launched a counter-ambush.

At that moment, each of the three directed their powerful artifacts towards the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark], instantly marking several savage wounds on this exotic beast.

But just as the three were about to pursue and expand the results, the injured [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] decisively chose to flee.

In this magma sea, without using their real trump cards, the three couldn't possibly capture a [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark] determined to escape.

And evidently, none of the three intended to reveal their trump cards for such a mysterious exotic beast.

"Forget it, the main task is important, as long as this creature doesn't interfere with our main task, let's just let it go for now!"

Zhao Yuanpu shook his head regretfully but quickly made a decision.

Before coming, Zhouyang and the others had accepted benefits from him, agreeing to follow his lead until reaching the cave mansion. Thus hearing him say this, despite being a bit regretful about the exotic beast escaping, nobody objected to his decision.

Hence, Zhouyang continued monitoring the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark]'s movements as they headed towards the cave mansion.

Probably due to being hurt in the previous ambush, until Zhouyang's group appeared outside the cave mansion, there was no further attack from the [Poison Fire Crocodile Shark]. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

However, Zhouyang knew through the reaction of the [Qianyang Golden Lamp] that this exotic beast was hovering nearby, tracking and watching the three, evidently yet to abandon its purpose.

"It's indeed the [Red Lotus Earth Fire]! Who would have thought that such Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire could exist so extensively, it's truly shocking!"

In the magma sea composed entirely of purple-red magma, suddenly emerged an area filled with pink flame, the contrast indeed carried a sense of visual freshness.

Although Zhouyang did not exclaim like [Master Fire Dragon], he was still filled with amazement looking at the pink sea of flames, eyes flashing with deep surprise.

Among the range of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fires, [Red Lotus Earth Fire] is also considered one of the highest grades. If a Golden Core Stage cultivator could refine a cluster of such Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, they could develop a powerful fire element divine technique.

Yet this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire can only be nurtured in the depths of the earth, making it extremely rare for a cultivator in the cultivation realm to truly refine it.

And now before Zhouyang and the others lies an entire sea of [Red Lotus Earth Fire]!

"I have always suspected, suspecting this [Red Lotus Earth Fire] is not naturally formed, but gathered by array power or some treasure absorbing the fire attribute spiritual qi here. Previously blocked by that creature, I couldn't verify my conjecture. Today, with the help of you two fellow daoists, I can finally indulge my wishes."

"Let me test whether my suspicion holds true!"

Zhao Yuanpu's eyes gleamed as he looked at the pink sea of flames, voicing his conjecture while extending a hand towards the fiery sea, a massive hand conjured by his magical power instantly diving into the flames, attempting to scoop out a handful of fire.