Chapter 400: 392 Red Lotus_1
Seeing him exit safely, Green Ox immediately rushed to his side, stretching its neck and rubbing its head against Qin Niu.
“Lazy ox, do we go out now, or continue exploring forward?”
“Moo~!”
Green Ox answered with action.
It kicked up its hooves and galloped towards the deeper parts of the main cave.
Qin Niu followed behind it, feeling extremely joyful because the rewards of this trip had exceeded his imagination.
After walking about three hundred fifty to sixty meters, a terrifying sea of molten lava appeared in front of them. The lava inside kept rolling over, and the black rocks around could withstand the high temperature without melting.
This also meant that the lava inside the cave was contained; only a tiny amount flowed outside following the lower areas.
Thus, forming a lava belt.
The closer they got to the cave entrance, the cooler the lava became.
He felt that the magma inside the mountain was not particularly stable.
Generally, where there’s rolling lava, there are active volcanoes that might erupt at any time.
At this point, the main cave basically reached its end.
There might be a bit of an extension ahead, but there was nowhere for him to step. Moreover, it was all fiercely rolling lava; should he fall in, his body would immediately ignite and he would be burned alive.
“Nature is truly amazing.”
Qin Niu, feeling the mighty force of nature, couldn’t help but feel incredibly small.
“Moo!”
Green Ox lifted its neck, calling out towards the deeper parts of the lava.
Qin Niu was curious, what exactly was it that attracted this lazy ox to venture into the cave to explore?
Following the direction of Green Ox’s gaze, he carefully observed; the lava in that area seemed to be rolling even more intensively, like water at boiling point, with that spot being the core area of the boil.
With the intense rolling of the lava, he could faintly see golden, pointed leaves within the lava.
They formed a circle, shrinking layer by layer towards the center, getting smaller.
What was visible now was probably only a part of it.
“What in the world is that?”
Qin Niu watched for a while, and the more he watched, the more it resembled a large flower.
Most of it was immersed in the lava, with only a few tips peeking out.
And that was only when the lava was rolling.
His mind quickly recalled the Plants Illustrated Handbook by Master Mo Yang.
The Fire Phoenix Tree could be ruled out first.
Because the Fire Phoenix Trees generally grew above ground, not in the magma of a cave. They were very large and thrived on sunlight and scorching environments.
It was said that Fire Phoenix Trees could only be found within the Wind-Fire Realm at the edge of chaos.
They were called Divine Trees, and it was almost impossible to see them in this world where mortals lived.
If it wasn’t a Fire Phoenix Tree, what plant could it be?
There weren’t many plants that could live in scalding magma.
Because both fire and metal could overcome wood.
Normal plants would immediately turn to ash upon approaching a fire source. This was a natural suppression within the laws of the world.
Just like water and fire, they inherently don’t mix.
Based on the few visible flower or leaf tips of that plant, it seemed more like a large flower.
Or a plant with sword-shaped leaves.
From the shape of those pointed leaves, the base seemed quite wide. They looked more like petals rather than leaves.
Qin Niu’s mind involuntarily conjured up the image of the Ice Lotus from his home.
The two shared an uncanny resemblance.
Only, the Ice Lotus at home was nearly transparent, almost indistinguishable in color from ice blocks.
But the flower growing in the lava was golden in color.
“It’s a pity it’s too far from the shore, I can’t reach it.”
Qin Niu looked at the giant plant growing within the lava, feeling a hint of itchiness in his heart.
But there was nothing he could do.
If that plant in the lava was indeed a flower, its diameter was over two meters.
A tremendously large flower.
“It resembles the Fire Lotus that Master Mo Yang mentioned in the book. It belongs to a rare variant of the Gold Lotus, extremely rare. It only appears in lava pools. It is said that whoever obtains the Fire Lotus could possibly use it to undergo a phoenix-like rebirth…”
He stared at that plant phasing in and out of visibility, and after repeated comparisons, he felt it was more like the Fire Lotus that Master Mo Yang had mentioned.
Also known as the Red Lotus.
It was rumored that this lotus had the power to aid beings in their phoenix-like rebirth.
Qin Niu naturally wanted to obtain such a precious treasure.
Green Ox was also staring at it with desirous eyes, wanting to consume it.
However, neither master nor servant could enter the lava pool, let alone dig out that plant.
Besides, whether it was a plant at all was still uncertain.
The temperature inside was extremely high, and Qin Niu was already having some difficulty resisting it.
The battle with the firebees had already consumed a great amount of his cultivation power, and he had been inside the cave for a long time. Furthermore, the temperature at the deepest part of the main cave was extremely high, requiring him to expend even more cultivation power to activate the King Pig Leather Armor for protection.
This significantly increased the speed at which his cultivation power was being depleted.
“Eh, another feather from a firebird!”
Qin Niu’s gaze inadvertently caught a very small feather in a corner.
It could definitely be identified as a feather from that firebird.
Could it be that the firebird flies into the deepest part of this cave to cultivate every time?
Qin Niu’s heartbeat quickened.
He also realized that his current situation was very dangerous.
If that firebird came in to cultivate and found a human and a Green Ox had invaded, it would definitely kill them without hesitation.
“Lazy Ox, stop looking. We can’t get it now. If we want to get that Fire Lotus, we must think of a way to enter the lava.”
Qin Niu was concerned about the firebird coming in to cultivate. If they collided, he would undoubtedly die.
With his current strength, he was no match for the firebird.
Knowing that it often comes to this cave to cultivate, he could possibly plan to deal with it here in the future.
Green Ox was staring at the Fire Lotus in the middle of the lava pool, unwilling to leave.
“Let’s go! Greed will only cost you your own life.”
Qin Niu slapped the ox’s backside. It felt a bit of pain and obediently followed Qin Niu out of the cave.
Fortunately, it was raining today, so the firebird did not come to cultivate.
He planned to go back home and consult the Plants Illustrated Handbook for a comparison.
He had the feeling that the plant in the lava might be the legendary Fire Lotus.
Green Ox looked back three steps at a time, dragging its feet as it walked.
“You want to eat the Fire Lotus from the lava pool?”
Qin Niu asked Green Ox.
“Moo!”
It humanly nodded its head with a light moo.
“When I get it, I can break off a few petals for you to eat. Eating the whole Fire Lotus, of course, would not do. Such a miraculous and rare plant like this are very seldom found in the world. I already have an Ice Lotus, and if I obtain a Fire Lotus, I’ll immediately have both water and fire.”
Qin Niu had his own plans.
He, too, was covetous of the Fire Lotus.
Today, he had subdued a swarm of firebees and a Grade Eight Dark Gold Shadow Fire Bee and had discovered the firebird’s secret cultivation spot, as well as the Fire Lotus, making for a fruitful haul.
Having spent a lot of time in the cave, by the time he returned home, it was already dark.
His wives were cultivating at home, practicing martial arts with Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing was practicing the Seven-Star Sword Technique in the front courtyard.
Seeing Qin Niu returning with Green Ox, she immediately sheathed her sword and happily came to greet him.
At the same time, she shouted toward the house, “Sister Wanyan, Sister Cai Xian, the master is back!”
Two beautiful figures, one after the other, darted out from inside the house.
It was Qin Niu’s wives.
“Xiao Qing, next time I come back, don’t disturb your sisters,” Qin Niu said as he patted Xiao Qing’s head.
“Okay! I’ve got it!”
Xiao Qing nodded in agreement.
“I saw that you were getting the hang of the Seven-Star Sword Technique just now, which is very good. Keep practicing. Mastery in one is better than being a jack of all trades. As long as you master this sword technique and combine it with the Misty Rain Elusive Step, you’ll be able to handle all sorts of situations.”
Qin Niu found Xiao Qing’s talent to be truly exceptional.
Whether she was cultivating her skills or practicing sword or step techniques, she was particularly diligent.
She didn’t just blindly put in effort.
Watching her practice the Seven-Star Sword Technique, her progress was clearly visible.
“Husband, did you get wet from being in the mountains all day?”
Wang Wanyan approached and felt Qin Niu’s clothes.
She found them to be dry.
“I’m wearing the King Pig Leather Armor. It can completely protect against rain, dew, and thorns. Don’t worry!”
Qin Niu said with a smile.