Chapter 691 Finally Obtaining the Strange Fire

However, just as the Red Lotus Karmic Fire was secretly rejoicing at its escape and greedily absorbing the fire attribute energy in the magma to recover its life, the surrounding天地能量 (heaven and earth energy) suddenly surged violently!

The scalding magma seemed to be stirred by an invisible force, creating towering waves, and even the fire element in the air became restless.

Its heart tightened suddenly, and it subconsciously turned its attention upwards. What it saw made it feel as if it had fallen into an ice cave. Above it, a giant palm of battle qi that blotted out the sky was pressing down with overwhelming power!

A faint, icy blue light swirled around the edge of the giant hand. Even before the palm's wind arrived, the familiar, chilling aura had already frozen the surrounding magma, forming an invisible net of confinement.

The giant hand came quickly and fiercely, sealing off all its escape routes, leaving it nowhere to run.

The Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire's original red light flickered violently, clearly not expecting Xiao Ling to be able to chase out of that space so quickly.

The icy blue light swirling around the giant palm solidified like frost. Before it could fully descend, the biting cold had already sealed off the surrounding space, freezing even the scalding magma and creating a frozen area beneath the giant palm.

The crimson light struggled frantically, its primordial flames suddenly surging, attempting to break free of its confinement using the remaining fire-attribute energy in the magma. However, the giant hand descended with astonishing speed, its palm wind like a prison, slamming the flames down into the magma layer below the moment it touched the edge.

"Buzz—" The icy blue and crimson light collided violently under the giant palm. The origin of the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire twisted wildly in the palm, but only brought an even heavier suppressive force in return.

The ice law contained within the giant palm, like fine chains, seeped into every ripple of the flames, freezing and locking away the restless karmic fire power layer by layer.

The more it struggled, the more intense the cold air in its palm became. In the blink of an eye, a layer of crystal-clear ice shell condensed around the crimson light, firmly trapping the faint flame within.

No matter how much the Red Lotus Karmic Fire urged its origin, the giant palm of fighting energy remained unmoved. As the icy blue light flowed, the giant palm slowly tightened, completely gripping it in its palm, leaving not even a sliver of room to break free.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ling's figure had already reappeared in the churning lava, stepping on the ripples of ice crystals.

He looked back and saw that the strange space he had just left behind was now filled with countless shattered fragments of space. Dark cracks spread like a spider web, and the remaining ice and fire energy flickered in the cracks. It was clear that the space had been completely destroyed by the self-destruction, leaving behind a scene of devastation.

Xiao Ling withdrew his gaze from the shattered spatial remnants, a helpless smirk playing on his lips. "This Crimson Lotus Karmic Flame is quite cunning." He lightly flicked his fingers, a faint icy blue light shimmering in his palm. "If we hadn't caught up in time, this strange flame's source would have truly escaped."

Although he accidentally shattered the entire space during the pursuit, he showed little regret. This space was originally set up by the Venerable Red Lotus to trap the Red Lotus Karmic Fire. Now that the strange fire was under his control, keeping it would be useless.

Moreover, the energy aftershocks from the spatial collapse had already been dispersed layer by layer by his spatial power, and had not affected any more distant areas.

He looked up at the crimson light below, now imprisoned by ice, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Since there's no escape, just accept your fate."

As soon as Xiao Ling finished speaking, he clenched his hand, which had been reaching downwards, suddenly.

The massive, icy hand below closed in response, its icy blue light tightening like chains, locking the source of the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire firmly within its palm.

At this moment, the Crimson Lotus Karmic Flame was truly trapped in a desperate situation, with nowhere to go but to heaven and nowhere to go but to earth. All its struggles were crushed by the giant icy hand, leaving no chance of escape.

As Xiao Ling's thoughts shifted, a giant icy hand carrying the spoils of war slowly floated towards him.

As the giant hand approached, Xiao Ling withdrew the spiritual power supporting it, and the icy blue palm shadow gradually dissipated like a tide, turning into countless ice crystal fragments that fluttered down.

As the ice shards dispersed, a rhombus-shaped ice crystal floated in Xiao Ling's palm.

The ice crystals were as clear as glass, and within them was a strange, deep red lotus flame. The source of the red lotus karmic fire was trapped in this small space, and the flames flickered restlessly, constantly crashing against the ice crystal barrier.

Each collision only resulted in a tighter confinement of the ice crystals, and a faint blue light emanated from the surface of the ice, gradually dissipating the restlessness of the flames.

The deep red flames grew dimmer after the impact, flickering as if venting their final resentment, yet they could not budge the ice prison in the slightest, and could only burn and struggle futilely within the rhomboid ice crystals.

Xiao Ling waved his hand gently, and the rhombus-shaped ice crystal floated down in front of him as if guided, finally settling steadily in his palm.

He lowered his eyes to examine the crimson lotus flame that was still throbbing restlessly inside the ice crystal. Watching it repeatedly crash against the ice wall in vain, a faint smile couldn't help but appear on his lips.

"You actually dared to try to save your life by self-destructing. As a different kind of fire, you are quite clever." He tapped the surface of the ice crystal with his fingertips, making a crisp sound. "Unfortunately, the fate of anything I set my sights on was already sealed from the beginning."

The crimson lotus fire within the ice crystals seemed to understand his words, and the flames suddenly leaped up slightly, but still could not break through the translucent ice prison. Instead, it became increasingly dim due to excessive consumption.

Xiao Ling didn't wait for its response any longer. With a slight thought, a pale silver spatial rift was torn open in front of him, and faint spiritual energy could be seen flowing within the rift.

With a casual wave of his hand, he gently raised the palm holding the ice crystal, and the rhombus-shaped ice crystal that trapped the source of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire streaked across the sky like a shooting star, accurately falling into the spatial rift and being stored in Xiao Ling's personal space.

The spatial rift then quietly closed, as if it had never existed, leaving only Xiao Ling's figure standing on the magma, contrasting with the gradually calming hot air currents around him.

Having obtained the strange fire, Xiao Ling had successfully achieved his goal and had no intention of lingering any longer.

He lightly touched the solidified magma with his toes, and his body leaped up like an arrow. The icy blue light surrounding him broke through the scorching airflow and flew rapidly towards the crater.

His powerful battle aura, carrying a chilling coldness, left a trail of afterimages behind him. Before the surging heat of the magma could catch up with him, Xiao Ling had already broken through the scorching magma layer like a shooting star.

In just a few breaths, his figure appeared outside the crater, standing once again in the clear void. A trace of lingering cold air remained on the hem of his robes, intertwining and merging with the scorching air currents high above.

Xiao Ling surveyed the scene in the core area of ​​the Yanqiong Ancient Domain. The scorching air currents, carrying the smell of sulfur, swirled around him. In the distance, the smoke columns from the volcanic eruption and the churning fire clouds in the sky intertwined to create a magnificent yet dangerous world.

He lightly twirled the remaining ice shards between his fingers, muttering to himself, "Since we're already here, we might as well explore." A smile flashed in his eyes, "Perhaps we can find some fire-attribute rare and precious materials, which will replenish our inventory." Having made his decision, Xiao Ling immediately released his powerful mental perception. The invisible perception spread out like a spider web, penetrating the scorching rock layers, the churning magma, and the burning air waves, bringing every corner of the ancient domain under its sensing range.

Those spiritual creatures quietly nurtured by the millennia-old fire veins, whether they are fire spirit crystals glowing red deep in rock crevices or flame heart grass swaying gracefully in volcanic fissures, cannot escape his keen perception.

Under the powerful spiritual force, the fire-attribute natural treasures hidden in the Yanqiong Ancient Domain were quickly located one by one.

Xiao Ling's figure flickered, like a streak of crimson-gold light, traversing the ancient domain of Yanqiong. Wherever he passed, he casually stored the spiritual objects containing pure fire energy into his storage space, and soon he had reaped a rich harvest.

After searching the ancient domain for nearly a day and plundering all the valuable natural treasures, Xiao Ling finally stopped.

He looked up at the setting sun, then without further hesitation, his fingertips swept across the void, and a silver-blue spatial rift opened in response. At the other end of the passage, the familiar energy fluctuations of the Starfall Pavilion could be faintly seen.

"Let's go." Xiao Ling whispered, and his figure leaped into the crevice.

The spatial rift closed, leaving only the once-silent Fiery Dome Ancient Domain, surrounded by volcanoes and fiery clouds, to continue nurturing its next extraordinary adventure.

……

Xiao Ling had just returned to the Starfall Pavilion when Yao Chen was in the alchemy room instructing Xiao Yan on alchemy techniques.

When Xiao Ling's aura penetrated the spatial fluctuations and entered the pavilion, Yao Chen stopped explaining first, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He then got up and walked out of the room, looking towards the direction where ripples were spreading in the distant void.

Seeing this, Xiao Yan quickly put down the pill formula in his hand and followed Yao Chen closely, his eyes filled with anticipation.

In a short while, the void in front of the two people rippled like the surface of a lake where a stone had been thrown in. A tall and slender figure slowly stepped out from the ripples. His black robes still had some lingering heat, and the spatial fluctuations around him had not completely subsided. It was Xiao Ling, who had just returned from the Yanqiong Ancient Domain.

He landed with light, steady steps, his gaze sweeping over the two people who came to greet him, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Elder Yao, Xiao Yan, I'm back."

"Xiao Ling? You're back so quickly?" Yao Chen stroked his chin as he looked at Xiao Ling's figure, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry. "Did you get your hands on the strange fire within the Yanqiong Ancient Domain?"

Xiao Yan, standing behind him, immediately cast a curious glance, his gaze fixed on Xiao Ling, clearly extremely concerned about the whereabouts of the strange fire.

Xiao Ling smiled smugly upon hearing this, raising his chin: "Of course. With me personally in charge, how could I possibly fail?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually waved his hand, tearing open a pale blue spatial rift in front of him. With a thought, a rhombus-shaped ice crystal slowly floated out of the rift and hovered steadily in mid-air.

Within the ice crystal, the eerie crimson lotus flame still flickered slightly; it was the very source of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire that was imprisoned within.

With a flick of his finger, Xiao Ling sent the ice crystals drifting toward Yao Chen as if guided, eventually hovering steadily three feet in front of him.

Yao Chen and Xiao Yan's gazes were instantly drawn to the ice crystal, or more precisely, to the lotus-shaped flame within it that emitted an eerie red light.

Yao Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully examined the strange fire aura flowing within the flames, while Xiao Yan couldn't help but move closer, his eyes filled with curiosity.

Yao Chen, being a man of great experience, lingered his gaze on the crimson lotus flames within the ice crystals for a moment. As he watched the dark halo of light swirling within the eerie red flames, he lightly stroked his beard, having already reached a conclusion in his heart.

He looked up at Xiao Ling, his tone certain: "Judging from the form of this strange fire, there are strange fluctuations flowing within the flames. It should be the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, ranked eighth on the Strange Fire Ranking, with the eerie power to stir up the sins in people's hearts, right?"

He clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes full of praise: "You're quite lucky, kid, to have encountered such a high-ranking strange fire. The strange fires you subdued before were all ranked lower. If you can completely absorb and refine this Red Lotus Karmic Fire this time, your battle qi cultivation and the grade of the Burning Technique will probably see a significant improvement."

Upon hearing this introduction, Xiao Yan, standing behind Yao Chen, quickly recalled records he had seen in ancient books. He soon matched the strange lotus fire before him with the legendary Red Lotus Karmic Fire, and a wave of shock surged through his heart.

He was already somewhat curious about the magma fire that Xiao Ling was looking for, and he expected that his cousin would definitely make some gains, but he never expected that it would be such a high-quality, top-tier fire.

"The eighth-ranked Red Lotus Karmic Flame on the Strange Flame Ranking..." Xiao Yan clicked his tongue in amazement. He knew that this ranking was one place higher than the Three Thousand Burning Flames, which he had only had the good fortune to see once in the past!
Even the Three Thousand Burning Flames, which can burn mountains and boil seas, are slightly inferior, so one can imagine how powerful the Red Lotus Karmic Flame is.

Thinking this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but steal a glance at Xiao Ling, secretly marveling at how lucky his cousin was, encountering such an extraordinary opportunity so easily.

Even she herself had become the "backdrop" that provided him with opportunities. It would be a lie to say she wasn't envious, but in this envy, she felt more happy and proud for Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling then briefly recounted the events of their journey to the two of them. When he mentioned that the Red Lotus Karmic Flame had ruthlessly self-destructed all its energy except for its origin in order to escape, Yao Chen and Xiao Yan couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

"It has such spirituality?" Yao Chen stroked his beard and sighed. "Knowing that even self-destructing the outer energy would not save him, he still took this desperate gamble. The intelligence of this strange fire far surpasses that of ordinary spiritual objects."

Xiao Yan nodded in agreement. Just thinking about the power that tore through space when it self-destructed made him shudder. Fortunately, Xiao Ling reacted quickly enough. Otherwise, under such a violent energy impact, even if they could subdue the strange fire, it would probably cause some trouble.

"Now that you have the Karmic Fire, you should find a quiet place to absorb and refine it as soon as possible." Yao Chen changed the subject, his expression becoming more solemn. "I received some news a few days ago that you two little ones will probably be quite busy in a while. It's always good to improve your strength as soon as possible."

Xiao Yan was somewhat confused by Yao Chen's words, but Xiao Ling knew that Yao Chen was referring to the upcoming Ancient Clan Sky Curtain. He immediately nodded and replied, "In that case, I will go and begin refining this Red Lotus Karmic Flame."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, his tone carrying a hint of admonition: "You should also focus on improving your cultivation these days. The pills and rare treasures I gave you before are enough to support you to advance further. You'll need them later."

Hearing Xiao Ling's instructions, Xiao Yan immediately straightened his back and nodded earnestly: "Understood, cousin! I will definitely cultivate diligently and will never hold you back!" (End of this chapter)