Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 449 Molten Armor Lizard

There is a clear dividing line between the black rocks and the white snow. The lava cave is full of geothermal heat and is a completely different world from the outside world.

Several cultivators dressed in thin black Taoist robes emerged from the cave and rode their magical artifacts through the mist.

Their faces and hands were covered with red and white tattoos, which were engraved spiritual patterns that could gather free spiritual energy and nourish their muscles and bones.

This type of tattoo is the most popular choice among body cultivators in the far north. The energy flowing through their bodies is the power that drives the spiritual patterns, which can subtly transform their bodies.

A moment later, the black-robed body cultivators flew away. After flying more than ten miles, they arrived at a sheltered mountain valley, which was covered with snow pines and contained a hidden cave.

As the group entered, the most burly cultivator laughed heartily:

"In the past few days, we have investigated the situation inside the cave. In less than half a month, a new wave of fire elemental energy will surely erupt."

Then you can make a fortune again. After that, two or three people should go out to investigate every day, but don't cause trouble. Wait until the fire spirit aura starts to subside before going out to do things.

"Everyone, rest and recuperate in the cave. When the time comes, be ruthless and show no mercy!"

He had a scar on the left corner of his mouth that extended to his ear. The scar moved as he spoke, resembling a twisted centipede, adding to his fierce appearance.

Whenever a surge of spiritual energy erupts in the lava caverns, spiritual creatures generated from the earth's fire veins emerge, and that is when Silvermoon City rejoices.

When the spiritual tide recedes, just like the ebb tide of the ordinary ocean, it leaves behind many wonderful things that are rarely seen on ordinary days.

However, compared to painstakingly searching for spiritual treasures and reaping rewards, nothing beats the speed of ambushing and killing cultivators who have already made their gains.

The five of them have been doing this for a long time, making a move every time the underground spiritual tide erupts, and the gains they make are enough for them to sustain their cultivation for many years.

Then they stopped and stayed in Silvermoon City, quietly becoming "law-abiding" demon hunters.

Because he rarely made a move and acted meticulously, he was never discovered.

"Don't worry, brother. We've worked together seven or eight times already, and there's never been a problem."

"Although the spiritual objects in the lava cave are precious, they are not worthy of the attention of those Golden Core cultivators. At the Chaoyuan stage, we have never been afraid of anyone!"
Didn't we kill the disciple of a Golden Core cultivator last time?

"enough!"

The burly man, referred to as "Big Brother," shouted sternly, "How many times have I told you, you can't mention anything about the fight afterwards."

You think that's your record of achievements? It's a death warrant!

He sighed inwardly. These brothers who followed him were used to smooth sailing. Although they sometimes encountered tough situations, their ruthless nature ensured that none of their prey survived.

Pride comes before a fall, and he must strictly curb this trend of thought.

Other underlings immediately stepped in to smooth things over:
"Brother Yang, don't be angry. Liu Meng was just saying it casually."

By the way, after this job, brothers, if we chip in a little more, Big Brother should be able to buy the Golden Refining Pill. Congratulations in advance, Big Brother!

Unlike cultivators who rely on magic, cultivators who rely on physical strength do not need to open up the Five Elements Divine Palace. They only need to use themselves as a furnace and their abundant blood and qi as fuel to refine the Blood and Qi Golden Elixir.

This golden core is somewhat similar to the inner core of a demon beast, but it is said that the methods of body cultivation were created based on powerful demon beasts.

Liu Meng was somewhat dissatisfied, but on the surface he appeared apprehensive.

"Brother, I'm sorry. I will always remember your teachings."

There was nothing he could do; his opponent was several minor realms stronger than him, and far more ruthless.

Yang Wu nodded slightly and grinned, saying:

"I owe my success today to the contributions of all my brothers. When I achieve the Golden Core stage in the future, I will never forget your great help."

He then began to outline the blueprint, saying:
"After achieving the Golden Core stage, I don't plan to engage in such treacherous cultivation activities anymore. After acquiring considerable resources, purchasing a decent spiritual vein and establishing a market town would be the best place to settle down."

At that time, all brothers will receive a share of the market's profits!

He knew that the path of cultivation could not last long, and that one would eventually encounter a ghost if one walked too many dark roads. Everyone has times when they are unlucky and make mistakes.

The commission Silvermoon City receives from renting out shops and cave dwellings each year far exceeds his earnings as a cultivator. This is the real goose that lays a continuous stream of golden eggs.

"Haha, by following Big Brother, I'm sure I'll live a life of luxury."

Yang Wu's expression softened further, and he said:
"Tomorrow I will return to the city and continue selling the detailed maps we have discovered. This way, more cultivators will participate in the exploration of the lava caves."

"Brother, that's a brilliant plan! Anyone who compares it to our map would praise our meticulous preparation. Little do they know we're fishing for them!"

Ji An rode the Fire Cloud to the sky above the lava cave, where he took off his fur coat and put it into the Void Stone.

He made hand seals, releasing the Mixed Gold Armor Spell and the Rock Mountain Spell in sequence.

A golden aura shone forth, giving his skin an extra layer of metallic luster, and mysterious patterns appeared and then slowly disappeared.

With a thought, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag flew out of his dantian, transforming into a yellow spiritual cloud that swirled around him, with golden flowers blooming all around.

The earth elemental energy transformed into fine quicksand, surrounding the area.

No matter how many times he's been here, whenever he enters the underground cave, he always raises his defenses to the maximum, taking precautions to ensure safety.

Ji An took out the jade slip containing the cave map, randomly chose an entrance to enter, and then began to explore by comparing it with the map.

The cave was extremely dry, and my cheeks felt like they were being baked.

He placed his hand on the rock, which was warmer than his body temperature, and noticeably warmer than when he last visited.

Ji Anbi, referring to the map, began to move rapidly downwards, occasionally using earth-遁术 (earth-遁术, a technique that allows one to escape through the earth) to verify his movements.

The closer you get to the ground, the narrower the passage becomes. As you go down, the passage opens up, and you occasionally come across a cave the size of a house.

Starting from about ten feet underground, black and red patterns appear on the rock walls of these passages, becoming more and more obvious the deeper one goes underground.

This was created by the erosion of fire spirit energy, and after countless years of accumulation, the patterns are extremely chaotic.

Sometimes he would encounter monks searching for spiritual objects, and the two sides would warily avoid each other.

As you go deeper, the temperature inside the cave rises higher and higher. You will often encounter a crevice in the rock spewing out scorching steam, which contains black and red fire.

None of these things could hinder him. For five days in a row, he had explored most of the intricate underground labyrinth.

Deep inside the cave, we saw a flowing river of lava, like molten iron, fiery red and bright, with bubbles rising from it from time to time before exploding with a roar and splashing out specks of "red mud".

His gain was finding two alternative locations where the spiritual energy was so abundant that it could potentially give birth to extreme fire-elemental spiritual power, allowing him to comprehend the divine meaning of fire generating earth.

There is also a unique creature in this cave, the Molten Armor Lizard, a type of monster that Ji An had never heard of before.

They are not large, resemble crocodiles, but have black and red scales, and blend into the rocks when they are still.

It's a true fusion, without a heartbeat or any aura, like a stone.

It also has the ability to change the texture of its scales, completely blending into its surroundings.

Ji An activated his full divine sense and arrived at a fork in the road. This was the last area on the map, and according to the description in the jade slip, there was a huge underground cavern several dozen feet high here. The entrance to the fork was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to crawl through, but the map showed that there was another world inside.

Ji An condensed his divine sense into a bundle and probed it in. After going in five or six zhang, he found that the passage had indeed widened considerably.

"This map was worth the purchase!"

He gave a thumbs-up, saying that without the map's guidance, he wouldn't have chosen to enter this fork in the road even if he had discovered it.

Withdrawing his divine sense, Ji An used Earth Escape Technique to cross the narrow passage and enter it.

He remained highly focused, pacing forward at a leisurely pace, occasionally using earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic or technique) to speed up his journey, without relaxing in the slightest despite the fact that the matter was about to be completed.

Crises often stem from carelessness, and he would not allow himself to fall into danger caused by such foolish reasons.

The passage was winding and twisting, and after a while, light finally appeared ahead.

With a flash, Ji An appeared thirty feet away and entered the cave.

The space suddenly opened up, and in the very center was a lava lake about four or five zhang in diameter. Bubbles would occasionally rise from it, making a "gurgling" sound that echoed in this silent space.

Ji An glanced around quickly and suddenly noticed a flashing light above his head, as if a light bulb had turned on.

He sensed the explosive burst of fire elemental energy and immediately realized that he was being ambushed.

He activated the Earth Escape Technique again, his body disappeared, and he reappeared in the passage he had come from.

At that moment, he saw a wave of fire pour down, and a nearly ten-foot-long armored lizard crashed to the ground. The place where it fell was the very spot where he had just been standing.

A dense aura of demonic energy spread out, and the demonic beast, whose sneak attack had failed, roared and turned to pounce on him.

Ji An narrowed his eyes slightly. This demonic beast had actually reached the Chaoyuan stage, but he had not noticed its presence at all before the attack was launched.

He couldn't help but become intensely interested in the camouflage skills of the Molten Armor Lizard. If he hadn't used Earth Escape Technique, he would have been subjected to a barrage of attacks.

Even though he felt he wouldn't get hurt in the attack, the feeling of being passively beaten was certainly unpleasant.

The armored lizard is fearless and rarely allows its prey to escape.

It hunts prey similar to the one before it appears, and it catches one every few years. The taste is exquisite, and at this moment, its saliva is overflowing from the corner of its mouth.

Then, the time in its eyes turned silver, and countless tiny flying swords surged towards it like a tidal wave.

The armored lizard sensed no danger; its wide-open mouth spewed forth a cloud of fire shimmering with a ghostly blue light.

Blue is a cool color, and even flames give people a cold feeling.

Ji An's lips curled up slightly; without even looking closely, he understood the fate of the demon beast.

Even if the armored lizard defended with all its might, it would still tremble under his Gengjin Spirit-Slaying Sword, let alone the one that dared to open its mouth wide!

True gold fears no fire. A tiny flying sword, only an inch long and a finger wide, pierced through the seemingly cold but actually warm fiery clouds and stabbed into the eyes, mouth, nose, and abdomen of the demon beast.

The monster, which charged with the momentum of a tank, slid through the passage due to inertia and finally stopped three zhang away from Ji An.

The monster was still convulsing, and many of its scales were shattered, clearly indicating that they were not strong enough to withstand the attack of the flying sword.

It didn't even have time to utter a cry before it died swiftly and cleanly.

The Gengjin Spirit-Slaying Sword erupted within its body, and its brain and some internal organs were ravaged by the rampant metal elemental energy.

The convulsions are a conditioned reflex of the body.

Ji An stepped forward and smiled:
"Great stuff delivered right to my door!"

The essence and blood of fire-elemental demon beasts are excellent materials for making talisman ink. The quality of a fire dragon talisman depends one-quarter on the quality of the talisman ink, one-quarter on the animal hide, and half on the talisman maker's skill.

He extended his divine sense to confirm that the monster was truly only capable of instinctive muscle reflexes, and then used his object manipulation technique to suspend it in the passage.

Ji An made an incision in the monster's belly and took out a specially made jade bottle to hold the blood.

After initial refining, this blood can become excellent raw material, and then other spiritual substances can be added to create talisman ink.

Among the talisman-making traditions of the sect, there are not many talismans at the Chaoyuan stage, only the Fire Dragon Talisman, the Xuanjia Talisman, and the Earth Escape Talisman. His best talisman is the Fire Dragon Talisman.

After a short while, once he was sure that the monster's blood had been mostly drained, Ji An put the monster into the void space and then stepped back into the cave.

He did not let his guard down, because there was no evidence to suggest that there was only one monster inside.

Sure enough, he found another armored lizard in the lava lake.

This demonic beast was also at the Chaoyuan stage, and he killed it with the same method, killing it instantly.

Ji An was not surprised at all by this outcome.

The Gengjin Spirit-Slaying Sword, at the Great Perfection level, combined with the superior Dao Seed, possesses a powerful attack that surpasses the scope of the Chaoyuan stage.

After treating the monsters in the same way, Ji An carefully searched the area and then found a pile of oval-shaped eggs the size of casserole dishes near the lava lake.

The eggshell is slightly grayish with black and red coin-sized patterns, similar to the scales of the armored lizard.

Ji An's eyes lit up. After releasing his divine sense to 'scan' the surroundings again, he began to count the number of Molten Armor Lizard eggs and sense the quality of their life force.

Clearly, these eggs were laid by the two demonic beasts he killed. Both parents had reached the Chaoyuan stage, so the eggs must have great potential.

He checked very carefully, and it took him 15 minutes to finish.

"Unexpected joy!"

He laughed loudly a few times, his voice echoing in the empty cave, creating a strangely eerie atmosphere.

There were a total of thirty-six eggs, three of which had reached the Earth-grade bloodline level, and one of them was even close to the Heaven-grade level, similar to the aptitude of the Azure Deer.

Apart from the five dead eggs, the rest all possessed superior bloodline potential. If properly nurtured after hatching, these eggs could easily be cultivated into late-stage Foundation Establishment demon beasts.

Ji An happily put the egg into his spirit beast pouch, then stood beside the lava lake, feeling the gushing heat.

Bubbles occasionally rise to the surface, making the place resemble a boiling cauldron, bursting with energy and creating chaos.

His mood improved, and the confusion in his mind meant there would be intense conflict. This place could be considered as an alternative location to understand the concept of fire generating earth.

At this point, he had three alternative locations.

　The surgery is minor; just be careful to avoid infection. Thank you for your concern.

　　The comments say that some friends pointed out typos but didn't correct them, which is because they don't usually read comments.

　　Sometimes I feel really down after reading them. I've almost never deleted any comments. There's a lot of malice in them. It's one thing to say that my writing is bad, but some people even say that I plagiarized. It's really speechless.

　　There's a correction function where all the typos have been corrected.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)