Chapter 659 - 521: Spirit Fish in the Molten Rock Lake

Early in the morning, the sky was just slightly light.

Zhang Xueling placed the spiritual food on the stone table, and removed the sealing mud on the Tier Two top-quality pine nut wine jar, filling a cup.

The reddish glow in the wine reflected off her cheeks, making them blush.

Seeing someone enter, she immediately went up to greet, "Ancestor, breakfast is ready, you can dine now."

These days, she was quite surprised that the ancestor frequently consumed meals.

For a Golden Core Cultivator, Qi Eating is a very easy task, especially at Red Flame Peak where wood-eating Qi and fire Qi are not a problem at all.

Ji An nodded slightly, "You’ve worked hard."

It’s important to be polite to the chef, this has nothing to do with status.

He sat down to sip the fine wine, the fragrance spreading between his lips and teeth, smooth as it went down his throat.

After satisfying his hunger, Ji An rode the cloud to the Lava Cave near the Red Cloud Pine Forest.

He entered the magma pool and acquired dozens of Tier One top-grade Fire Corals, preparing to explore the inside of Red Flame Peak and plant them directly if there were suitable areas.

He flew to the top of Red Flame Peak, and the Wuji Xinghuang Banner and Earth-Departing Flame Banner, sensing his intent, flew out from the dantian.

The deep roar of the Qilin and the high-pitched screech of the Fire Phoenix complemented each other, like a harmonious melody.

Yellow spirit light enveloped his whole body, with clusters of golden flowers undulating on the outermost layer.

The Earth-Departing Flame Banner used fire-elemental spiritual energy to illusion a Phoenix, hovering around him.

Ji An looked down, at this moment the Spiritual Mechanism had not started steaming, nor was the mist erupting; he saw a dark channel winding downward, with a faint red hue discernible.

He took a step forward and immediately fell, listening to the howling wind in his ears, a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

The sensation of free-falling felt quite good.

Just as he was about to touch a protruding rock, red spirit clouds rose from under his feet, drifting to avoid the imminent danger.

Ji An dived downward, the light growing dimmer, but it did not affect his vision at all.

As he continued to descend, the temperature grew increasingly higher.

To conserve magical power, Ji An took out a Fireproof Bead and held it in his hand.

The red spirit light shield burst forth, as it passed through his body, it felt like passing through a layer of soap bubble.

The high temperature was isolated, and the body felt much more comfortable instantly.

The endurance of a Golden Core Cultivator is extremely strong; a bit of high temperature cannot cause too much trouble, but there’s no reason not to enjoy the comfort.

He took out a blank Jade Slip and placed it on his forehead, recording the map as he descended.

After about two hundred feet, Ji An saw forked paths begin to appear in the main channel, those thicker paths being his targets for this trip.

As long as the diameter reached five feet, he would explore them one by one.

If he saw an environment with a magma pool, he would plant a Fire Coral and release the Azure Sky Yangming Technique.

At the same time, he would make marks in the Jade Slip.

The fire corals planted in volcanic interior lava areas wouldn’t be intentionally managed, but he would check them once every few months.

Additionally, he needed to ask someone to prepare a Sealing Array.

In a few more years, the Spiritual Vein grade of Red Flame Peak would definitely cause a volcanic eruption; if a Sealing Array was not set up, the fire corals might not be able to withstand the magma eruption.

There’s no urgent need to refine the Sealing Array; he would track the growth of the fire corals, and if the situation was good, then there would be a necessity to refine a Sealing Array.

Although he was not short of Spirit Stones, he would not waste them on meaningless refinement.

As he delved deeper into the volcano, more forked paths appeared, and the temperature began to rise sharply.

Ji An saw the golden-red mist spreading upwards, knowing that sunlight had already reached the top of Red Flame Peak.

His eyes could see through the dense fog, and seeing through the mist evolved from the Gold and Fire Spirit Mechanism was no trouble either, so he chose not to leave and continued to explore downward.

The protective shield of the Fireproof Bead could not withstand the continuous onslaught, and the shield shattered.

Ji An reactivated the magical artifact, but before long the shield was destroyed again.

After repeating this process several times, cracks suddenly covered the surface of the Fireproof Bead—this treasured magical artifact that had accompanied him for many years had reached the end of its life.

Ji An sighed softly, deciding to request Zhuu Xiangrong to refine Spiritual Artifact-level Water-Resistant Bead and Fireproof Bead before leaving the Sect, as they might come in handy someday.

He faced the surging Spiritual Mechanism and continued downward. What once was a fierce and unbearable Spiritual Mechanism now could hardly affect him, as the defense of the Wuji Xinghuang Banner sufficed to resist everything.

The crimson phoenix bird chirped joyfully; it loved this kind of environment, feeling as though it was basking in a spring breeze.

Most of the fire corals Ji An brought were already planted; he was now deep into the earth’s depths.

The rocks had turned red, the cyan and red mist like reverse-flowing turbulent rivers, each foot deeper bore immense pressure.

Ji An’s breathing became heavy; this kind of environment was extremely uncomfortable for him, but he had reached the endpoint.

This was a lake of lava, the magma resembling molten iron, looking quite enchanting.

The lake was far from calm, like a boiling cauldron, with red "bubbles" constantly churning.

Ji An took out the remaining fire corals, intending to test if they could be planted. However, shortly after placing the spirit plant at the edge of the lake of lava, the fire coral ignited with a "bang," becoming a torch, and then quickly sank.

"Hiss," he sucked in a cold breath; the lake of lava in a non-eruptive state wasn’t a place where Tier One Spirit Plants could survive.

The survival rate of transplanted Tier Two Spirit Plants was very low, and Ji An did not consider this a suitable place for planting.

"Pity such a good spot, I can’t think of a way to utilize it."

Ji An let out a long sigh; he couldn’t stand seeing valuable places left barren and unused.

Just as he was feeling sentimental, a five-foot-long crimson-golden "giant carp" suddenly leaped out from the center of the Lake of Lava.

Though called a carp, it merely resembled one; its lips bore a sharp, conical scarlet horn.

The giant carp fell back into the Lake of Lava; though he only caught a fleeting glimpse, Ji An was captivated by its dazzling crimson-golden scales.

He unconsciously swallowed, thinking:

"What kind of Demon Beast is this? I never imagined there would still be living creatures at Red Flame Peak; it’s unbelievable."

Living Spirit Fish in lava—he’d never tasted it before, and it successfully piqued the gluttonous curiosity in his belly.

Though the giant carp’s time above the lake was brief, he sensed its level from the Spiritual Pressure released—it was at the Fourth Transformation of the Chao Origin Realm.

Ji An grew interested, casting the Fire Control Technique to see if he could dive into the Lake of Lava. He found that he could only remain for a brief period, unable to endure the temperature and pressure of the lava flows for long.

He rode a cloud to the center of the lake, hoping to see the crimson-golden scaled carp again, or another Spirit Fish of the same species.

If he spotted the Spirit Fish again, he was confident he could capture it; Spirit Roar isn’t just for show.

Two double hours passed, and Ji An achieved nothing.

He now felt his Spirit Soul was growing weary, with a dizzy sensation that made him feel heavy-headed and light-footed.

Knowing it wasn’t suitable to linger, he reluctantly rode his cloud upward to escape.

He flew faster than when he arrived, taking only half an hour to soar out of the volcano’s mouth.

With longing gazing downward, Ji An knew he would return often; he wouldn’t sleep soundly until he caught that Spirit Fish!

While at the Lake of Lava, he didn’t have much time to think, but now a question naturally arose in his mind.

Red Flame Peak had erupted many times, and logically Spirit Fish living in the Lake of Lava should have been expelled with the eruptions, yet he hadn’t seen them before; it defied reason.

Ji An harbored a bold guess in his heart that other passages connected to the Lake of Lava.

If his speculation held, perhaps the Lake of Lava linked to a region nurturing High-tier Fire-elemental Spiritual Objects.

His heart grew fervent at the thought, and he immediately dove down on his cloud to step onto the Teleportation Array.

His two senior brothers had already returned to the Sect; he wanted to discuss issues thoroughly with them.

...

Sunrise Peak, Wuji Hall.

Daoist Master Zhengyang, sensing the Spiritual Mechanism of the two disciples before him, laughed heartily:

"Good, very good, excellent!

You two have already comprehended the Divine Intent of Five Elements Mutual Generation, and now just need to complete Five Qi Chaoyuan and develop your Middle Dantian to start impacting the Golden Core Realm."

Master Yuxiao was also beaming, "Sit and speak of your journey."

Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiu Bai cupped their hands, "Thank you, ancestor, for granting us seats."

They sat down and recounted their experiences and the time they gained Divine Intent during their travels.

After hearing the disciples’ stories, Master Yuxiao lamented:

"You two are rather unlucky, as you spent much time on the road and waiting.

If luck favored you, you’d comprehend all of Five Elements Mutual Generation a decade or two earlier.

Junior Brother Ji was quite lucky; he didn’t spend much time seeking the Spirit Realm."

Lin Qiu Bai frowned, hesitantly asking:

"Ancestor, who is the junior brother you mentioned just now?"

A suspicion subtly rose in his heart, though he felt it absurd.

Lin Jiuxiao was equally puzzled, staring at the ancestor, awaiting a response.

Master Yuxiao raised an eyebrow, saying:

"You two don’t know? Haven’t you interacted with others since returning to the Sect?"

"Indeed, we reported back to Sunrise Peak to the ancestor first thing upon our return."

"Oh, is that so," Master Yuxiao muttered to himself, then added:

"Six years ago, Ji An consumed a Gold Core Pill at Red Flame Peak and successfully broke through, becoming the Sect’s third Golden Core Stage Cultivator."

His words struck like lightning, electrifying Lin Qiu Bai and Lin Jiuxiao.

The two exchanged glances, recalling how they often joked during their travels about who would be the Sect’s third Golden Core Stage Cultivator.

They both thought themselves to be that one, and now their faces burned with embarrassment.

Lin Jiuxiao scratched his head, remembering that when they left the Sect to journey, Ji An was still a cultivator at the Fourth Transformation of the Chao Origin Stage.

How could he suddenly become a Golden Core Ancestor?!

Daoist Master Zhengyang couldn’t help but laugh at his disciples’ expressions, as he was equally shocked when he heard the news.

He cleared his throat, changing the subject:

"The Five Qi Chaoyuan Realm is relatively simple; you just need to cultivate step by step, and you can naturally develop your Middle Dantian.

I will now explain to you two how to cultivate next..."