was already severely depleted of energy. It could no longer unleash its raging, scorching flames. The once vibrant fire slowly weakened, its color changing from transparent and formless to somewhat murky, its aura extremely feeble.
Gu Xun'er's lips curved slightly, revealing a perfect arc. Facing the light prison imprisoning the Fallen Heart Flame, she parted her lips slightly.
"Elder Gu Ming,"
Gu Ming nodded upon hearing Gu Xun'er's command, extending his palm and slightly clenching it in the void before the silver light prison radiating a dazzling fluorescence.
Instantly, as Gu Ming's hand clenched, the light prison was compressed by an invisible energy, instantly shattering and disintegrating, finally transforming into countless silver energy particles that dissipated into the world.
Although Gu Xun'er could open the light prison, it was ultimately set up by two peak Dou Zong elders from Canaan Academy. Breaking it would require considerable effort from her, so she simply entrusted the task to Gu Ming.
As the light prison dissipated, the Fallen Heart Flame was completely exposed to Gu Xun'er. Although the Fallen Heart Flame had lost its sentience, it could still sense the boundless greed and malice emanating from Gu Xun'er, causing it to instinctively tremble.
Ignoring the trembling flame, Gu Xun'er's fingers twitched slightly, her storage ring flashed, and with a flick of her hand, a delicate storage ring appeared.
Her slender, jade-like hand transformed into a claw, gently grasping the Fallen Heart Flame. Instantly, the flame was drawn in, and Gu Xun'er's claw swept it into the storage ring.
As the Fallen Heart Flame entered, the exquisite Soul-Gathering Vessel emitted a dazzling white light, which gradually faded after a moment.
After tossing the Soul-Gathering Vessel, which lay quietly in her palm, into her storage ring, Gu Xun'er licked her lips with her pink tongue.
She had originally thought this trip would simply be to collect the Fallen Heart Flame, but she never expected such a great harvest from this trip to the Burning Heaven Refining Tower!
Not to mention the soul energy that inexplicably propelled her to the Heavenly Realm—the value of that gain was immeasurable, utterly unbelievable.
As for the Strange Flames, the number increased from the expected one to three! Although none were ranked very high, the sheer quantity was astounding, almost equivalent to some of the top-ranked Strange Flames combined.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect that, Xiao Yan. You're quite the treasure trove, aren't you? You're truly remarkable. If it weren't for Hun Changqing... you might have actually fulfilled your somewhat arrogant promise from back then. Heh... What a pity. You can rest in peace now."
Gu Xun'er looked at Xiao Yan's ashes and spoke with a hint of sarcasm, but her eyes were icy cold and indifferent, devoid of any mockery. Her flawless, jade-like face was expressionless, and her tone was as calm as still water, as if she were genuinely lamenting the untimely death of a young talent. As
soon as she finished speaking, Gu Xun'er was about to have Gu Ming lead her away when she was suddenly stopped by Gu Ming.
"Miss Xun'er, there seems to be something unusual about the area beneath this black tower!"
Gu Ming looked at the ground made of black stones with some surprise and said to Gu Xun'er.
"Oh?"
Gu Xun'er raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise appearing on her usually expressionless face. She had been completely absorbed in the joy of another huge gain and hadn't noticed the strangeness beneath the black tower.
Could there be some secret hidden beneath this black tower?
Gu Xun'er wondered.
"Take me down to take a look."
"Yes, Miss Xun'er." After responding to Gu Xun'er, Gu Ming gently stroked the black stone ground with his palm. Instantly, the black stones began to tremble violently.
With a slight lift of his hand, the black stones gradually rose and hovered in the air, arranged in an orderly fashion, looking incredibly mystical.
As the black stones rose, a crimson color, like fresh blood, instantly came into view of Gu Xun'er and Gu Xun'er.
Lava?
At this moment, both of them were filled with doubt. How could there be such a large expanse of lava beneath this black tower?
At this moment, the lava flowed slowly beneath the black stones. Countless fire bubbles, formed by the intense heat, clung to the surface of the lava. Occasionally, bubbles would burst open as the lava expanded to its limit, scattering sparks everywhere. The entire lava ocean looked terrifying, yet possessed a strange beauty.
A scorching heat surged upwards, rushing towards Gu Xun'er and Gu Xun'er, the resulting heat waves causing their robes to rustle and flutter incessantly.
Gu Xun'er stared at the sea of lava below, her eyes gleaming with a strange light. She had a vague feeling that this lava sea was definitely not simple; this feeling came suddenly and even she found it somewhat perplexing. However, she decided to trust her intuition.
"Elder Gu Ming, escort me down to take a look."
"Yes."
Gu Ming nodded, extending his finger. A boundless, unfathomable battle aura surged at his fingertip. Then, Gu Ming gently drew a circle in the air, and two circular energy screens appeared before them.
Gu Xun'er stepped into the energy screens, allowing the energy to surround her, and then leaped into the sea of lava.
...
As they went deeper into the sea of lava, Gu Xun'er and her companion discovered that this lava seemed endless, boundless. Even with Gu Xun'er's Heavenly Realm Soul, she couldn't detect the boundaries of this sea of lava; it seemed infinitely long.
And as they went deeper, the temperature within the lava increased, and the fire-attribute energy clinging to the lava became increasingly fierce and violent.
Even Gu Xun'er, the Flame Queen who cultivated the Burning Technique and manipulated flames, immediately felt the intense heat. Sweat beaded on her smooth forehead, and her breathing became rapid and heavy.
Gu Ming noticed Gu Xun'er's unusual condition and said to her,
"Miss Xun'er, this vast sea of fire seems endless. Exploring this place is no easy task. Moreover, as we go deeper, I can vaguely sense something below that could pose a threat to me. For your safety, I think it's best if we don't continue."
Gu Ming's expression was solemn. Just now, she had sensed a strong sense of threat from the depths of the sea of fire, which made Gu Ming somewhat hesitant. However, for safety's sake, he decided to persuade Gu Xun'er.
After all, Gu Xun'er possessed divine bloodline of the Gu Clan and was the daughter of the clan leader. It was clear that the Gu Clan could not tolerate any mishaps from her. Therefore, Gu Ming felt that he couldn't allow Gu Xun'er to suffer any accidents while exploring this so-called magma.
Gu Xun'er nodded. Aside from her deep-seated obsession with Hun Changqing, she was
n't inflexible in other matters. She wouldn't endlessly explore this sea of fire based on a mere hunch, putting herself in grave danger.