Sorry for the delay (extra chapter)
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The Blue Eagle moved at an incredible speed, bringing Xiao Yan and Little Doctor Fairy to the scene in just moments.
Looking at the concealed cave entrance below, covered by trees and scattered rocks, Little Doctor Fairy smiled. "There really is a cave!"
"Look at the blade-like marks around the entrance. It's clearly ancient—perhaps there really is a cultivation technique left behind by a predecessor."
After scanning the surroundings, Little Doctor Fairy slightly furrowed her brows. "But I don't see that magical beast anywhere… Did it escape?"
Just then, the Blue Eagle suddenly let out a sharp cry of alarm.
From the previously smooth cliffside, a figure abruptly protruded and shot out like a falcon—its speed was astonishing.
"It's a Rock Serpent!" The smile on Little Doctor Fairy's face vanished instantly.
Rock Serpents were snake-like magical beasts that lived within cliff walls, most commonly at the first rank.
Due to their flat, wing-like bodies, these beasts could glide through the air like hunting falcons.
Moreover, their stone-mutated attribute made their bodies as tough as rock—ordinary swords and blades could barely harm them.
A sudden ambush from such a creature was extremely difficult to counter—no wonder the Blue Eagle had suffered before.
"Courting death!" Xiao Yan shouted coldly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
In an instant, a blazing red glow erupted from his body, surrounding him like a burning inferno. From the flames, massive skeletal structures took form.
Moments later, a thick, fiery arm extended from the skeletal frame protecting Xiao Yan, reaching out and seizing the Rock Serpent in midair.
A searing heat radiated from his palm, and in the blink of an eye, the Rock Serpent's body was reduced to nothingness—only a single earth-element magic core remained, glowing faintly yellow.
Little Doctor Fairy's dark eyes widened in astonishment.
"A Rock Serpent… with a body that tough… just died like that?"
With a sweeping motion from the Flame God's massive arm, the piles of entangled stones and twisted wood outside the cave were blown into the dark mountain ravine below.
"We're going down."
Tightening his hold around Little Doctor Fairy's soft, delicate body, Xiao Yan withdrew the Flame God and gently descended outside the cave entrance with her in his arms.
Now that the trees and rocks had been cleared away, the cave left behind by an ancient predecessor was fully visible under the faint moonlight.
The entrance wasn't very wide, just enough for two or three people to pass through at once. Inside, darkness loomed, yet a faint shimmering light could be seen emanating from within, giving the cave an eerie and mysterious aura.
Xiao Yan retrieved two Moonlight Stones from his storage ring, handing one to Little Doctor Fairy. "Let's go in and take a look."
Walking through the quiet, dark cave, a faint chill wrapped around them. Little Doctor Fairy unconsciously moved closer to Xiao Yan.
Feeling two soft, round mounds pressing against him, Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback. "Didn't expect her to be this well-endowed…"
The two walked in silence for a good ten minutes before finally arriving at a stone gate, faintly glowing with a yellow light.
"Is this a dead end?" Little Doctor Fairy tilted her head toward Xiao Yan.
"There should be a mechanism." Xiao Yan glanced at her—she was still clinging tightly to his arm.
Realizing that half her body was practically draped over him, Little Doctor Fairy's face flushed red, and she quickly let go, stepping back in embarrassment.
Using his powerful soul perception, Xiao Yan scanned the stone gate and soon discovered a protrusion on its surface.
Lifting his foot, he kicked the raised section.
A creaking sound echoed through the cave as the stone gate slowly began to lift.
As it rose, soft golden light spilled from the chamber beyond, pushing away the surrounding darkness entirely.
Following Xiao Yan into the Stone Chamber
As they stepped into the stone chamber, the sight of a small mountain of gold coins and the medicinal garden filled with a rich herbal fragrance brought a bright smile to Little Doctor Fairy's face.
"There really is a predecessor's legacy! Just these treasures alone are worth at least a million gold coins. Once we get out, we must reward Xiao Lan properly."
At that moment, Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind:
"You lucky brat! There's an Ice Spirit Flame Grass here—the very herb Ya Fei has been searching for in vain. With this, the ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill are finally complete."
Xiao Yan's gaze landed on a unique herb in the garden, its white and red hues alternating.
Its white stem was covered with ice crystal-like specks, while its fiery red crown looked as though it was engulfed in flames.
"This thing somewhat resembles Teacher's Bone Chilling Flame," Xiao Yan mused, observing it carefully.
The Bone Chilling Flame was Yao Lao's prized possession, and if Xiao Yan had to wait for him to pass it down, it would take forever. Being able to refine something similar in advance would be a tremendous advantage.
After a moment of observation, Xiao Yan retrieved several jade bottles and jade boxes from his storage ring and handed Little Doctor Fairy a jade medicinal shovel.
"You dig up the herbs, and I'll collect the gold and valuables. I'll also look for the keys to those three stone boxes."
Little Doctor Fairy nodded. Over the past six months, she had studied many medical books provided by Xiao Yan and was now familiar with these medicinal herbs.
Taking the small shovel, she carefully extracted the rare herbs from the garden, placing them into the warm jade containers.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan approached the mound of gold. With a focused expression, he stored the massive wealth into his storage ring.
So much treasure nearly filled one of his rings to ninety percent capacity.
Fortunately, Xiao Yan had always consumed a lot of resources and thus had multiple rings on hand.
Once the wealth was secured, Xiao Yan scanned the stone chamber and quickly locked onto the skeleton seated on a stone chair.
Approaching the dried remains, he picked up the three black keys resting nearby.
Crack!
As soon as he lifted the keys, the skeleton's arm broke off and crumbled to the ground.
"So fragile? Just how many years has it been since they died?"
Bending down, Xiao Yan picked up the fallen bones and noticed a small scroll wedged between the skeletal remains.
Yao Lao let out a surprised "Hmm?"
"Why does this material feel so familiar? Kid, hurry up and take it out for a closer look!"
Extracting the parchment from the bones, Xiao Yan carefully unfolded it.
At the corner of the parchment, there was a faintly drawn lotus-like pattern.
His expression shifted slightly as he leaned in to observe the mysterious lotus symbol more closely.
Due to the passage of time, the lotus design had turned slightly yellowed and blurry, but its outline was still discernible.
The lotus was black, with a thin layer of black flames flickering over its petals. Staring at it intently, the entire image gave off an inexplicable demonic aura.
"This… Could this be the 'Purifying Lotus Demon Flame'?"
Fixing his gaze on the eerie black lotus, Yao Lao muttered in shock after a closer inspection.
A surge of excitement filled his voice as he urged:
"Quick! Take out the two fragments of the map we got from Hai Bodong earlier. If this is part of a complete map, then we're about to strike it rich!"
(End of Chapter)
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