People in Doupo: The beginning of the game intercepts the rich woman Xun'er

After hearing the explanation from the spirit of the ancestral stone, Xiao Ling finally understood the previous situation and realized what had happened.

His earlier loss of composure was due to his eagerness to find the traces of the strange fire, which caused him to lower his guard and allow the strange fire's energy to sneak in, stirring up malevolent energy and disturbing his mind.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

With my current level of spiritual power, if I had remained vigilant, how could I have fallen for their trap so easily? In the end, it was because I was too concerned about the strange fire that I gave them an opportunity.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind. The remaining eerie flames around him dimmed further under the suppression of the purifying power, and the violent killing intent that had been lingering in his mind also disappeared without a trace.

Xiao Ling raised his hand and stroked his chin, his fingertips brushing against the slightly reddened skin from the burn marks. Recalling the throbbing sensation of his mind being invaded, a flash of understanding crossed his eyes, and he murmured to himself:

"It can silently invade the mind and stir up past murderous thoughts and evil energy... This characteristic must be the Red Lotus Karmic Flame, which ranks eighth on the Strange Flame List."

His fingertips paused slightly, his tone carrying a hint of reminiscence and seriousness:
"I had only seen records of this fire in ancient books before, saying that it was fueled by sins and ignited by murderous thoughts. But today, I have experienced it firsthand and I know that its strangeness and domineering nature far surpasses the rumors. It is truly terrifying."

Before he finished speaking, the lingering fear in his eyes had completely faded, replaced by an even more fervent determination.

Crimson-gold flames re-condensed around him, and even the air seemed to be heated a few degrees by this will.

“However…” Xiao Ling’s lips curled into a sharp smile, his voice carrying an undisguised ruthlessness.
"Since you've made me suffer this hidden loss, there's no reason for you to keep hiding any longer. Eighth on the Strange Fire Ranking? That's more impressive than I expected."

He looked up at the increasingly intense aura of flames below, his crimson-gold figure leaning slightly forward amidst the turbulent lava flow, his eyes now blazing with even more intensity.
"Now that the Red Lotus Karmic Flame has appeared, let me have a good look at you!"

Xiao Ling turned to look at the illusory white figure beside him, a genuine look of gratitude welling up in his eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "Yan, thanks to your timely intervention, otherwise I'm afraid I would have been trapped in the evil aura for much longer, and who knows how much trouble that would have caused later."

Seeing Xiao Ling's reaction, the spirit of the ancestral stone swayed gently, its indifferent voice carrying a hint of casualness: "It was nothing, don't worry about it."

As the light shifted, it added, "I will keep an eye on your situation from now on. You just need to focus on subduing that strange fire and don't need to worry about anything else."

Hearing this, Xiao Ling felt a warmth in his heart, and the slight unease he had felt earlier due to the infection disappeared without a trace. He nodded emphatically: "Okay, with your words, I can rest assured."

Nodding to Xiao Ling again, the illusory form of the Ancestral Stone Spirit transformed into a gentle stream of light, disappearing into Xiao Ling's chest like a bird returning to its nest, and returning to silence within the Ancestral Stone.

The white light on his chest slowly faded, leaving only a faint warmth that lingered in his heart, giving Xiao Ling even more confidence.

Xiao Ling took a deep breath, completely calmed his mind, and banished all distracting thoughts.

He looked up into the depths of the churning magma below, the increasingly intense aura of fire drawing his gaze like a magnet, his expression growing ever more resolute and sharp.

With a slight thought, his fighting spirit surged once more, and crimson-gold flames erupted from his body, completely enveloping him and drawing a dazzling streak of light in the dim heart of the volcano.

Without the slightest hesitation, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and shot off like an arrow into the depths of the magma. Crimson-gold flames tore through the surrounding heat waves and thick smoke, and his figure quickly disappeared into the depths of this scorching space, leaving only the roar of churning magma fading into the distance behind him.

……

Perhaps the previous attack by the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, which had attracted evil energy, was its last struggle. After Xiao Ling was awakened by the spirit of the Ancestral Stone and broke free from the mental restraint, the surrounding magma attacks miraculously subsided.

The raging lava, which had been as violent as a raging sea, gradually slowed its surging momentum. The fire stones that shot out like a rainstorm and the lava fire dragons that sprang out like giant pythons all quietly disappeared.

Xiao Ling was enveloped in crimson-gold flames as he continued to sink amidst the churning lava currents.

The surrounding heat intensified, and the roar of lava crashing against the rock walls sounded like a muffled war drum, constantly exploding in our ears.

He had lost track of how long he had been traversing this crimson world, but the resonance between his internal fighting spirit and the strange fire remained clear, guiding him toward the deeper core of the fire vein.

Just then, Xiao Ling's eyebrows suddenly twitched, and his body, which had been steadily falling, paused slightly.

Not right.

He gazed down, his eyes piercing through the layers of churning lava, carefully examining this magma region that seemed no different from its surroundings.

In terms of temperature, the heat here is not significantly different from that above; in terms of flow rate, the surging magma is just as violent.

But for some reason, his keen senses were frantically warning him, as if something deliberately hidden was quietly lurking in this space.

He slowed his descent, his mental energy spreading out like a fine spider web, sweeping over every inch of the magma below.

Soon, the source of that strange feeling was detected: in the magma layer not far ahead, there was a faint but unusually stable spatial fluctuation.

The fluctuations were extremely subtle; if one did not pay close attention, they would almost be completely obscured by the magma's own violent energy.

Once locked on, it becomes apparent that it is out of place with the surrounding chaotic fire energy, like a "vacuum zone" isolated by an invisible force, quietly suspended in the torrent of magma.

At the same time, the throbbing of the strange fire within his body suddenly became clearer.

What was previously a vague resonance has now transformed into a clear echo, as if another powerful flame is beckoning from below.

The unique pressure of that strange fire permeated through the barrier of space, resonating more and more strongly with the crimson-gold flames around Xiao Ling, and even the fighting spirit within his body leaped with joy.

“Right there…” A knowing glint flashed in Xiao Ling’s eyes, and a smile unconsciously curved his lips.

That area, filled with strange spatial fluctuations, must be the hiding place of the strange fire.

This increasingly clear resonance undoubtedly tells him that the goal of this trip is already within reach.

Having identified his target, Xiao Ling didn't hesitate any longer. With a thought, the crimson-gold flames around him suddenly accelerated, and his figure shot towards the area shrouded in spatial fluctuations like a streak of light. The closer he got to that area, the clearer the subtle fluctuations in space became.

Upon arriving at the vicinity, Xiao Ling slowly stopped and intently examined the spatial barrier before him, which appeared to be no different from the surrounding magma, yet concealed profound mysteries.

His gaze swept over the invisible barrier, and he raised an eyebrow. A sense of familiarity arose in his heart. The fluctuations and shape of this spatial barrier were surprisingly similar to the space where he had encountered the remnant soul of Venerable Heavenly Fire in the underground magma world of Canaan Academy.

But after only a brief comparison, Xiao Ling had already determined who was superior.

The method of creating this space is obviously more exquisite. The energy patterns flowing on the surface of the barrier are obscure but exceptionally condensed, exuding a natural charm that is beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

"The person who created this space was probably much stronger than Venerable Tianhuo in his lifetime."

He thought to himself that he was even more curious about this senior he had never met.

However, this exquisite craftsmanship also bears the marks of time.

Xiao Ling could clearly sense that the energy patterns on the spatial barrier were fading at an extremely slow rate, and occasionally even subtle ripples would appear. This was clearly because the space itself had become unstable due to its long existence.

A rich, fiery aura seeped out from the cracks in the barrier, carrying the unique intensity and ferocity of the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

"I see." Upon seeing this, Xiao Ling suddenly understood.

Previously, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire could affect the outside world through space, attracting evil energy to invade itself, which must have been caused by the aging and loosening of this spatial barrier.

As time went by, the sealing power of this space gradually weakened, allowing the strange fire energy inside to seep out and even have a certain impact on the outside world.

He raised his hand and gently pressed it against the invisible barrier. His fingertips felt a warm yet resilient touch, and at the same time, he felt the scorching power that was about to burst forth from behind the barrier. That was the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, which was confronting the strange fire in his body from afar across the space.

The next moment, Xiao Ling's internal fighting spirit circulated, and pure spatial power burst forth from his palm, slowly merging with the spatial barrier in front of him like a trickle of water.

Invisible energy rippled across the surface of the barrier. With a gentle stroke of his fingertip, a spatial passage about ten feet in size quietly opened up under the glow of the crimson-gold flames. At the other end of the passage, an even more intense red light could be faintly seen.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Ling flashed into the passage like an arrow released from a bow.

As soon as he entered, the spatial passage behind him quickly closed in like a tide, and the ripples on the surface of the barrier disappeared in an instant, as if no one had ever entered.

……

After passing through the spatial passage, Xiao Ling experienced a moment of disorientation before his vision finally returned to normal.

At this moment, he was suspended in mid-air, looking down and seeing a vast and astonishing square beneath his feet.

The plaza was nearly a thousand feet in diameter, and the ground was paved with dark golden rocks. Faint red patterns flowed between the rocks, emitting a faint scorching aura. It was obviously carved from a special stone containing fire-attribute energy.

Around the square stand nearly a hundred thick stone pillars, each dozens of feet high, with intricate flame patterns carved all over the pillars and a ghostly blue flame burning at the top.

These flames moved without wind, their leaps illuminating the entire space, their flickering light conveying a sense of timelessness, as if they had been burning since the beginning of time and had never shown any sign of going out.

Looking towards the center of the square, a circular altar about ten feet high stands quietly. The altar surface is also covered with flame patterns that echo the ground. At the intersection of the patterns, a black stone tablet tens of feet high rises from the ground.

The surface of the stele is as smooth as a mirror, but there are no words on it. Only an ancient and majestic aura emanates from the stele, intertwining with the surrounding flame energy to create a solemn atmosphere.

In the center of the altar, directly below the stone tablet, a deep red flame, as red as blood, was slowly swirling and burning.

The flame was about ten feet in size. As the flames flickered, tiny specks of blood-red light kept falling, then turning into wisps of red mist and dissipating in mid-air.

At the heart of the flame, the phantom images of lotus petals, layer upon layer, appeared and disappeared, their edges shimmering with an eerie dark red light. This was the very Red Lotus Karmic Flame that Xiao Ling had pursued through so many trials and tribulations.

It floats above the altar, its flames surging with a strange rhythm. It lacks the violent aggression of the outside world, yet it subtly exudes a sense of weightiness accumulated over the years. Together with the flames on the stone tablet, altar, and pillars, it forms the core of this space, as if it has been sleeping here for countless years.

Perhaps it was because Xiao Ling's action of breaking through space was too swift and clean, or perhaps it was because the sound of the spatial barrier closing was masked by the energy fluctuations of the karmic fire itself, the Red Lotus Karmic Fire still maintained its suspended posture at this moment, with the flames around it surging steadily, completely unaware of the intruder from the outside world.

It seemed still immersed in sensing the loosening of the spatial barrier, completely unaware that a crimson-gold figure had quietly appeared in the corner of this space, calmly watching it from a distance of hundreds of feet.

Xiao Ling's gaze was first fixed like a magnet on the deep red flame in the center of the altar. An undisguised fervor flashed in his eyes. That was the Red Lotus Karmic Fire that he had pursued even after crossing the torrent of lava and resisting numerous attacks. Now it was within reach, and the violent energy contained in the flame could almost scorch his vision through the air.

But this fervor didn't last long. He took a deep breath, quickly composed himself, and the turmoil in his eyes gradually subsided.

Although the view was already in sight, the deliberately created space, the solemn altar and stone tablet all hinted that this place held hidden secrets.

"The Red Lotus Karmic Fire could not have been sealed here for no reason; someone must have deliberately arranged it," Xiao Ling thought to himself. The most important thing right now was to clarify the situation rather than rush into action.

He quietly concealed his fighting spirit and fiery aura, suppressing his presence to the minimum to avoid disturbing the seemingly calm red lotus karmic fire on the altar.

After doing all this, his gaze began to carefully scan the space, finally landing on the most conspicuous black stone tablet in the center of the square.

The stone tablet stood atop the altar, its height of several tens of feet appearing even more majestic under the eerie blue firelight. The tablet's surface was smooth and unpatterned, yet it exuded an aura more ancient than the surrounding flames.

In this space filled with fiery energy, it was undoubtedly the most conspicuous and most likely to contain clues, naturally becoming Xiao Ling's primary target for investigation.

Xiao Ling slowly descended, his toes lightly landing on the dark gold plaza floor. Following the flame patterns flowing on the stone slabs, he walked step by step toward the stone tablet in the center of the altar.

With each approach, the ancient pressure emanating from the stone tablet intensified, intertwining with the intense heat of the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire to create a strange sense of solemnity in the air. (End of Chapter)