"Jinglian Earth-Heart Flame?" Hearing the elder's voice, images of the detailed information the elder had once given him about the rare flames on the Rare Flame Ranking instantly flashed through Xiao Yan's mind. Ranked 19th on the Rare Flame Ranking, the Jinglian Earth-Heart Flame originates deep within the earth, undergoing repeated forging, fusion, compression, and refinement—taking ten years to awaken, a century to take shape, and a millennium to bloom into a lotus. When it reaches its peak, it appears with a distinct green hue, and a cluster of green flames blossoms at the heart of the lotus, known as the Jinglian Flame or Jinglian Earth-Heart Flame. Its power is incalculable; even near volcanic regions, it can trigger volcanic eruptions, unleashing forces capable of nature's very destruction. As these details swiftly passed through his mind, Xiao Yan's face instantly lit up with exhilaration. His body trembled slightly, freeing the tail of the Fire Spirit Snake, and his eyes remained fixed intently on the vast expanse of dense green light nearby. "Shh..." At his side, the fire spirit snake emitted a sharp sound from its massive mouth. When Xiao Yan turned around, he noticed the great creature's eyes, subtly glistening with apprehension, fixed upon the cluster of jade-green light. Its enormous body was also trembling slightly. "Alright, let's take a look," Xiao Yan nodded, casting a glance at the two-headed fire spirit serpent, who was hesitating, unable to take another step forward. He gave a slight sigh, then propelled himself forward with a kick of his foot, his body gliding through the molten rock as if a small fish in a lake, swiftly moving toward the area illuminated by the green glow. As he drew closer to the green light, he could clearly feel the temperature around him rising sharply. With his lips slightly dry, he gritted his teeth and kicked again, finally plunging his body fully into the embrace of the green radiance. A blue lotus, with eight leaves, each leaf a perfect, seamless jade, naturally formed and radiant—crisp and translucent, so exquisite that one simply wants to hold it close. Within the lotus, there appears to be a small platform, about two or three feet in size. Through several holes on the platform, faint glimmers of light radiate, likely the most refined fire-energy condensed into lotus seeds. Beneath the blue lotus, a long, slender stem extends, reaching over ten meters in length. Along the stem, numerous fine tendrils are densely clustered. As these tendrils sway, Xiao Yan clearly senses them actively absorbing the turbulent fire energy from the surrounding magma, as if in a state of eager, voracious consumption. This azure lotus simply floated amidst the endless lava, much like water lilies drifting on the sea, adrift and wandering. Had it not been for the fire spirit serpent guiding the way, with Xiao Yan's abilities, even if he chose to die, he would have found it nearly impossible to locate such a relatively small azure lotus within this vast expanse. "Be careful not to get caught by those tendrils; otherwise, your qi will be drained away in the blink of an eye," the old pharmacist cautioned, prompting Xiao Yan to abandon his intention of approaching closer to inspect it. "Let's go, proceed with care. From the shape of this lotus, I can clearly see it has endured over a thousand years—its core, I believe, has already crystallized into the essence of the Azure Lotus Fire." The old pharmacist smiled. "Hm." At this moment, Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly, his hands clasped together as if in spontaneous prayer. After swallowing a deep breath, he slowly moved his form toward the drifting azure lotus. As he drew closer to the azure lotus, the more exquisite and magnificent it appeared—something so nearly perfect, likely only achievable through the patient refinement of time and nature. With careful steps, avoiding the swaying roots and tendrils, Xiao Yan slowly approached the lotus, his eyes scanning it with growing excitement, and then his body suddenly stiffened. Just as Xiao Yan was beginning to lose his composure, the deep, resonant voice of Yao Lao echoed within his mind, like the sound of a great bell. "You don't need to keep searching anymore. The Continent of Battle Qi is vast—there's no reason why only here should there be Strange Fires!" A pale, crystalline flame coalesced into the image of Yao Lao's face on Xiao Yan's shoulders, booming in command. "But... but I've put in so much effort... Is that all? Am I to return empty-handed?" Xiao Yan shook his head fiercely, speaking with deep reluctance. "Thousands of people across the world are tirelessly seeking Strange Fires every day. Yet when they've sacrificed everything, they've never even seen what a Strange Fire looks like. You've made it this far—already, that's something to be truly admired." "The old pharmacist gently comforted him, then turned to gaze at the now empty lotus heart, sighing softly. To say it didn't make him feel discouraged was certainly false. The extraordinary flame he had expected to easily grasp had suddenly taken on wings and flown off without any apparent reason. For someone lacking in composure, he imagined, a full-blown collapse would have already occurred by now. 'Hm? What is this?' The old pharmacist's eyes scanned carefully across the lotus platform, and suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise. With a gesture of his palm formed by the pale, flame-like energy, a brilliant seven-colored beam shot forth from the platform and landed in his hands. 'What is this?' He turned his head, weary, and looked at the object in the old pharmacist's palm, his expression momentarily stunned. 'Scaly plates?' The object in the old pharmacist's hand was roughly the size of a palm, displaying a vibrant seven-colored hue. At first glance, its shimmering radiance was strikingly beautiful. 'This... is seven-colored serpent scale?' With a slight squint, the herbal elder smiled coldly at the corner of his lips. "Seven-colored serpent scales?" "I see now why there's no Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire among the lotus blossoms—someone must have claimed it already." He tossed the scales toward Xiao Yan, his voice cold. Hastily catching the scales, Xiao Yan felt them cool to the touch, a steady chill seeping into his body. Without the protective warmth of the elder's bone-spirit cold flame, he would have dared not even touch them. "Did the owner of these scales take the Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire?" Xiao Yan asked, gripping the scales tightly. "Seven-colored serpent scales are unique to only one person in the Tagoor Great Desert—the Queen of the Serpent People, Medusa. Therefore, the mysterious aura Qinglian sensed six months ago must indeed have been Medusa's." The elder mused. "Ah, what can she possibly do now? It's been six months already—by now, I'm certain she's fully absorbed the Earth-Heart Fire..." Xiao Yan sighed, his spirits drooping as a thought struck him. "You're absolutely out of your mind! The Queen of Medusa carries Serpent-blood, which is naturally inclined toward cold and damp—how could she possibly absorb the Strange Fire? Isn't she growing tired of just living?" Upon hearing this, the herbal elder immediately shot Xiao Yan a withering look, scolding him. "If her nature clashes with the Strange Fire, then why would she come all the way to compete for it? And according to Qinglin, didn't she sustain injuries when she took the fire from us? What's the point of making such a big effort, then?" Xiao Yan sighed and chuckled. "Perhaps that's true..." The elder spread his hands, pondering. "We'll have to head deep into the Tagoor Great Desert. I don't know exactly what she intends, but one thing I can tell you for certain is that she absolutely cannot absorb the Strange Fire. Therefore, we might still have a chance to regain it." "So we're going to go find the Queen of Medusa and fight for the Strange Fire?" That guy was a true Duke-level powerhouse. Back then, even the Ice Emperor, renowned throughout the Gamma Empire, ended up looking miserable at her hands. We were just about to go crazy!\" Xiang Yan rubbed his forehead, chuckling wryly. "Having a clear target is better than wandering around aimlessly. And even if we have to fight, it'll be me going up—not you. Though Queen Medusa is famous throughout the Qi Continent for both her ferocity and her beauty, I at least won't be afraid of her." Yao Lao scowled. Xiang Yan sighed, nodded reluctantly, then slumped his shoulders and turned to head back. "Hey, what are you doing?" Yao Lao was surprised by Xiang Yan's actions. "Going back, of course. Do you think I'm going to stay here eating lava?" Xiang Yan replied with a sigh. "You—you fool!" "Heard this, the herbal elder was instantly furious, giving a sharp smack to his head and pointing at the jade lotus, shouting, 'This is a rare treasure that takes a full thousand years to form! How can you possibly leave it here, you reckless spendthrift?' 'Ah?' startled, blinking in surprise, Xiao Yan turned to gaze at the jade lotus, utterly puzzled, asking, 'What's the use of this thing?' The elder rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed by Xiao Yan's question, his beard twitching with irritation, and said, 'This jade lotus is formed by the earth's fire condensed over a thousand years. As long as you remove it, whenever you practice cultivation, sitting upon it, your progress will surely improve—by at least three or four times, and possibly even tenfold. Moreover, when facing enemies, simply channel your qi to activate it and release the hidden earth fire within. Even if you encounter a cultivator of Dao Ling level now, you won't have to worry about being defeated. You'll be able to escape with ease, no matter what.'" "There's also the lotus seeds within the lotus platform. This earth-fire lotus seed, renowned as the essence of fire spirit, takes a full century to form just one—so if you ever shout out that you possess one, I'll guarantee that even a Duke-Class powerhouse would fight to the death to exchange for it. Of course... there are those who prefer a more direct approach, like outright killing someone to seize the treasure." "These items—every single one—when taken out, would send shockwaves through the Gamma Empire, shaking it to its core. Yet you, this prodigal heir, still don't value them?" As the old pharmacist spoke, his frustration was palpable. "...Listening to his flowing, passionate explanation, Xiao Yan's eyes grew steadily brighter. As soon as the old man finished speaking, his gaze blazing red, he charged straight toward the lotus platform."