Just as Xuanyin was about to plunge into the fiery magma lake, a crisp, white flame suddenly surged from within his body, fully enveloping him. "Plump... splashing..." His body struck the surface, sending out waves of red-hot magma in all directions. Hearing this sound, Xu Ding and Qinglin quickly turned their gaze toward the area of the turbulent magma, yet saw no trace of him at all. "Where is he?" Looking at the scene that seemed as though he had vanished instantly, Xu Ding turned sharply to Qinglin and shouted. "Ah?" Qinglin stepped back, her face pale, staring at the motionless magma lake. It appeared that the man who had jumped in had been instantly turned to ash the moment he touched the molten rock—no cry, no sound at all. "Hssss..." Suddenly, a hiss of the Fire Spirit Snake echoed from within the magma. Hearing that roar, Qinglin's face brightened with a sense of relief. His eyes hurriedly scanned the molten rock, and suddenly, a figure enveloped in a dense, pale-white flame broke through the surface of the lava, waving his hands toward Xiao Ding and the two above. "Thank goodness—no injuries!" Looking at Xiao Yan, who seemed completely unbothered by the intense heat of the surrounding lava, Xiao Ding finally exhaled deeply, his body now feeling weak. He sank heavily onto the ground, his hands wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Under the protective layer of that pale, shimmering flame, the external temperatures seemed to be separated and buffered, leaving a cool sensation lingering around him—no sense of intense heat at all. He cupped some molten, fiery lava in his palms and allowed it to slowly trickle down between his fingers. Xiao Yan was amazed, his lips parting in wonder. To experience the lava so closely was genuinely unsettling; the thought of the flame shield suddenly dissipating made him feel a deep sense of apprehension—what would become of him then? As he recalled the frantic, desperate leaps of the grasshopper in the hot oil, he shivered violently, his face growing slightly pale. "Little one, hurry up! Although I can temporarily shield you with the bone-cold flame, it will cost me a great deal of soul energy. If my soul energy fades, even if the molten lava doesn't consume you directly, you'll be reduced to ashes in an instant. So don't waste precious time—before my soul energy is depleted, you must leave this lake of lava, or your earlier vision of being a 'fried frog' will truly come true." As Xiao Yan continued to marvel, the sound of the Ye-Lao's laughter echoed in his mind. "Hmph." With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Xiao Yan quickly nodded seriously, turned around, and looked toward the massive two-headed fire spirit snake nearby, chuckling, "Big guy, lead the way!" Hearing Xiao Yan's call, the fire spirit snake paid no attention, instead gazing steadily toward the entrance of the passage. Only after Qing Lin nodded and gave the order did it reluctantly turn and sink into the molten lava. Gazing at the fiery serpent that sent ripples spreading across the molten lake, Xiao Yan exhaled softly and then plunged headfirst into the lava, clinging tightly behind the serpent. Though the lava was a vibrant red, the protection of his bone-spirit cold flame allowed him to clearly perceive his surroundings. He scanned the area with his eyes and swiftly moved through the water, following closely behind the serpent that continuously dove deeper into the molten depths. Within this crimson world of lava, hidden currents surged beneath the surface, occasionally erupting with fierce, powerful flows from unknown sources. Each of these currents carried immense energy—should one be struck, even a senior Battle Master would inevitably suffer severe injuries. Fortunately, the fiery serpent was well-acquainted with the terrain, always finding the safest paths to navigate before any such surge arrived. As a result, Xiao Yan, trailing closely behind, successfully avoided all the turbulent lava flows. In this blazing world, it seems as though there are no other creatures besides the Flame Spirit Snakes. It's no surprise, given how harsh the survival conditions are. Without the dual-headed Flame Spirit Snakes that thrive by consuming molten lava, few other beasts—perhaps even the mightiest of the purple-crystal-winged lion kings—could move about freely without being affected at all. As they continually descended into the seemingly endless molten core, even with the protection of Xiang Yin's bone spirit and cold flame, he could clearly sense the ambient temperature rising steadily, almost doubling with each passing moment. Noticing this phenomenon, Xiao Yan found himself swallowing several times, his lips trembling slightly, his complexion even turning slightly blue—hardly anyone who had never experienced such an environment could imagine swimming through molten rock, a feat almost comparable to dancing on the blade of Death's scythe. Deepening further into the cavern's depths, any minor misstep, even with Yao Lao's protection, would utterly doom Xiao Yan, whose fragile life was already barely holding on. While his heart raced with anxiety for his own survival, the Fire Spirit Snake ahead maintained an unyielding momentum, never pausing to glance back at whether Xiao Yan had caught up, simply continuing its steady journey toward the cavern's core. In this environment where all his senses had been stripped away, Xiao Yan had no clear sense of time passing—he only knew that the constant, mechanical descent had begun to numb his feet. "Young fellow, you must return within one and a half hours!" As Xiao Yan's head began to grow dizzy, following the fire spirit snake diving deeper ahead, a serious voice suddenly resonated within his mind. "Huh? What?" At first startled, Xiao Yan quickly asked, "What's going on?" "We're diving deeper and deeper—look at the lava outside now." The Elder spoke with steady emphasis. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan lifted his gaze and was startled to find that the once vibrant red lava around him had, at some point, begun to take on a subtle bluish hue. "What on earth is happening?" Xiao Yan murmured, his pace slowing down. "This is due to a rapid rise in temperature—the current lava temperature is now approaching, and possibly exceeding, the limits I can endure," the Elder said, his voice unusually solemn and earnest—never before so serious. “….” Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan pulled at the corner of his mouth, sweat dripping from his forehead like a steady stream, stammering, "No way? Bone-Spirit Cold Flame wasn't ranked eleventh on the list of rare flames? Could it be that the flame below it is even more powerful than Master's Bone-Spirit Cold Flame?" "Not exactly. Right now, I'm in a soul state, so Bone-Spirit Cold Flame isn't fully exerting its strength. Moreover, it's channeling through your body, which naturally disperses its power. Combined with the surrounding lava pressure and the steadily rising temperature, one and a half hours has already become the limit," the Yeold explained swiftly. "Now then, hurry up and make the most of the time," he urged. After saying this, the Yeold fell silent once again, clearly unwilling to divert his attention further, lest the protection of Bone-Spirit Cold Flame encounter any unforeseen issues. With a sigh, Xiao Yan nodded again and glanced at the now bluish lava surrounding him, then shouted toward the front, "Hey, how much farther is it?" Xiao Yan knew that this kind of beast, at the Spirit Ling level, possessed considerable intelligence and thus didn't worry about it not understanding his words. The sound of his voice, carried by the qi, pierced through the lava and reached the ears of the Fire Spirit Snake ahead. The massive head of the snake turned slightly and emitted a few casual hisses before suddenly accelerating its descent at an astonishing pace. "Damn it!" Xiao Yan muttered, watching the snake's actions. After a brief pause, he clenched his teeth and forcefully kicked his foot back. Enveloped in a crisp white flame, his body surged forward as a streak of white light, shooting downward with great force. His body plunged through the molten rock that had almost entirely transformed into a deep green hue. Sweat from his face continuously streamed into his eyes, causing a slight ache, yet Xiāo Yīn dared not blink once, fearing he would be left behind by the fire spirit snake suddenly accelerating ahead. "Damn it—how much deeper do you still have to go?" As he descended, despite the protection of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, he could clearly feel the temperature seeping into his body steadily rising. "Ten minutes! If I don't see the unique flames within ten minutes, I'm out!" His body trembled constantly, and with his hands clenched tightly, his voice had begun to shake. A moment later. "Eight minutes!" With a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth, Xiāo Yīn roared in a low, strained voice. The fire spirit snake ahead continued to press downward without hesitation. "Four minutes!" Xiāo Yīn's mouth was dry as he gasped out. "Two minutes!" Xiao Yan found his heart beating with a force never before experienced. "Damn it! I'm going back—no more searching!" With his eyes blazing red, Xiao Yan's descending form suddenly halted. With no further words, he decisively turned around and swam upward, his face now stern and pale. However, just as Xiao Yan turned, the massive tail of the Fire Spirit Snake swept out, wrapping tightly around his waist. Though the deep red flames on the tail continuously dissolved into nothing as they came into contact with the crisp white flames, the immense power carried by the tail still violently pulled Xiao Yan back. "For heaven's sake! This beast is playing tricks on me!" A surge of shock flashed through Xiao Yan's mind the instant he was pulled back. The very thought had just begun to form in his mind when Xiao Yan was suddenly thrown in front of the Fire Spirit Snake. Amid his hurried, frantic gestures, his gaze, which had been darting around, suddenly froze upon a distant object radiating intense emerald light. This emerald glow, enveloping the molten rock, revealed to Xiao Yan, upon focusing his attention, a delicate lotus flower of emerald hue standing gracefully within the light. "Emerald Lotus Earth Fire?" as Xiao Yan gazed at this emerald lotus, a voice filled with both astonishment and great joy from Yao Lao unexpectedly resonated in his mind.