"We're finally here? Even though I wasn't tired, wandering around the desert for so long was getting seriously boring!" Xue Lan's face lit up with excitement as she looked toward the sunken ground ahead. Her curiosity was piqued. "Hey, are you guys looking for some kind of hidden treasure entrance or something?"
"No treasure," Goku replied casually. "But there's a Heavenly flame sealed beneath this place."
"Hea—Heavenly flame?!"
Xue Lan's jaw dropped in astonishment. That was one of the rarest and most powerful natural phenomena in existence! Every time one surfaced, it would cause a massive uproar.
'Could there really be a Heavenly flame hidden down here?'
In contrast, Qing Lin remained far more composed—mainly because she didn't understand just how valuable a Heavenly flame truly was.
Goku gave a faint smile and didn't bother addressing Xue Lan's shock. Instead, he placed a hand on the ground, and the sunken sand and stones began to shift as if alive, parting on their own. It wasn't anything too profound—just a basic application of Earth Movement. In no time, a pitch-black tunnel opened up before them.
From within the tunnel, waves of heat began to rise, distorting the air above.
"This is it. Let's go," Cai Lin nodded and took the lead, walking straight into the darkness.
"it's Adventure time!" the little Sprite shouted gleefully as she flew off Goku's shoulder and darted into the dark tunnel, her face glowing with excitement.
"I'll bring up the rear. You two go on ahead," Goku said with a relaxed smile. There weren't any real dangers in this area. With Cai Lin's strength leading the way—and the little Sprite scouting ahead—they had nothing to worry about.
Xue Lan and Qing Lin exchanged a look, nodded, and followed Cai Lin into the dark tunnel. Truthfully, they were both nervous and excited. If what Goku said was true, then a legendary Heavenly flame was waiting just below! For people at their level, being part of something like this was enough to get anyone's heart racing.
Once the girls had entered, Moonlight approached Goku, her eyes gleaming with charm as she leaned in close, her breath warm and fragrant. "Master... do you want to ride your pet?"
"Ah~"
Goku froze for a second as an image flashed through his mind: Moonlight crouched low on all fours, and he was straddling her back, making their way down the tunnel...
"Nope! Evil! That's too evil! I'm a decent guy, okay? I don't have those kinds of kinks!" Goku quickly shook the image from his head, grabbed Moonlight's hand, and headed for the tunnel. But after only a few steps, he leaned in close and whispered with a grin, "Though... maybe we could give it a try when no one's around?"
"Hehe~ sure!"
Moonlight's seductive eyes curved into crescent moons, her mature and enchanting body exuding irresistible allure. Combined with the dim, enclosed space of the tunnel, she made Goku's heart race. His hand started to drift toward her shapely curves...
"Goku! What's taking you so long? This tunnel goes deep! How are we supposed to get down?!"
Just then, Xue Lan's voice echoed from the depths of the cave, breaking the moment.
Goku reluctantly pulled his hand back and chuckled. "Whew, that was close. You almost got me, girl!" He grabbed Moonlight's hand and hurried into the tunnel. "Coming! What's the rush?"
Moonlight watched him with a strange smile tugging at her lips.
When she saw Goku walk in hand-in-hand with Moonlight, Xue Lan rolled her eyes dramatically. Then she glanced at the steep drop ahead. "This tunnel looks really deep. I think we'll need some rope or something to get down safely."
"I'm fine, but their cultivation is too low," Cai Lin said, raising her light Stone to illuminate the surroundings. She turned toward Goku. "What do you think?"
"No problem! Come here, ladies—let me give you a lift." Goku laughed as he let go of Moonlight and spread his arms wide toward Xue Lan and Qing Lin.
Xue Lan gave him a big, exaggerated eye-roll. "Hmph! Don't think I don't know what's going through that dirty mind of yours."
She stepped toward him, and Goku grinned shamelessly, wrapping his left arm around her slender waist. Her body was soft and warm to the touch, and he couldn't help but feel secretly pleased.
A rare blush crept across Xue Lan's cheeks. She glared at him threateningly. "You try anything funny and I'll chop it off, got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Goku nodded quickly, but he still couldn't resist giving her smooth belly a cheeky squeeze.
"You...!" Xue Lan's face turned even redder. She shot him a furious glare.
"What? What is it?" Goku asked with mock innocence, blinking at her like he didn't know what she meant.
Strangely though, Xue Lan didn't feel repulsed. On the contrary, there was a flicker of secret delight in her heart. The odd feeling made her cheeks even rosier, and she let out a soft sigh, choosing to remain silent.
Qing Lin hesitated for a moment, then walked shyly to Goku's right side with a faint blush on her face. Goku didn't hold back—he scooped her up with his other arm and laughed. "Hold on tight—we're going down!"
With that, he leapt into the dark pit, carrying both girls in his arms. His feet skidded against the steep tunnel walls like a human hoverboard, gliding downward at high speed. Wind howled past their ears, and Xue Lan screamed as she clung to Goku like her life depended on it. Even Qing Lin buried her face in his chest, too scared to look, though she didn't scream quite as dramatically.
At the mouth of the tunnel, Cai Lin nodded at Moonlight. "Let's follow them."
In less than a minute, Goku landed gently at the bottom of the cavern with the two girls still in his arms. Seeing how flustered they were, he chuckled. "Well? Wasn't that fun?"
Xue Lan opened her eyes and glanced around, realizing they'd landed safely. She let out a deep breath, then gave Goku a fierce glare. "Fun your head! If I had a weak heart, you would've scared me to death!" She jumped down from his arms and began examining their surroundings with curiosity.
Qing Lin, still blushing, also slipped out of Goku's arms. Around her emerald pupils, three tiny green dots silently emerged as she scanned the area. Suddenly, she pointed toward a nearby passage. "Over there... there's a really strong heat coming from that direction. I think that might be the Heavenly flame you're looking for, Goku."
"Huh? You can sense it?" Xue Lan looked at Qing Lin in surprise. Looks like she's not so ordinary after all...
___
In the pitch-black, seemingly endless tunnel, the group pressed onward. The oppressive darkness gave no hint of an end in sight, and the further they went, the more unnerving the silence became. Only the soft rustle of their footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor.
Goku remained silent, leading the way without a word. The eerie quiet made the atmosphere all the more tense. Xue Lan and Qing Lin instinctively stayed close to his side, clinging to the sense of security his presence provided.
As they ventured deeper, the air gradually shifted. The chill that had once lingered in the tunnel began to fade, replaced by a growing heat—subtle at first, but unmistakable.
"The air's getting hotter…" Xue Lan murmured, her expression a mix of awe and worry. "I didn't expect the fire-elemental energy down here to be this thick. If we keep going, it's only going to get worse. Could there really be a Heavenly Flame beneath us?"
"There is," Cai Lin responded from ahead, her tone calm. "I've been here once before. But I wasn't prepared to harvest it at the time. That's the only reason I left it untouched."
She walked gracefully at the front, holding the light Stone aloft. The soft white glow cast her figure in an almost ethereal light, making her alluring form look even more unreal in the shadows.
"It's real, then… there's actually a Heavenly Flame down here!"
Xue Lan's eyes went wide with disbelief and excitement. Her heart pounded as the realization sank in. A Heavenly Flame—an object of obsession for alchemists across the continent, a force of nature born from the essence of heaven and earth. And it was right beneath her feet.
Had she not met Goku and the others, she likely never would've even seen one, let alone gotten this close.
As they delved further, the fire-elemental energy intensified into something fierce and wild. Breathing became harder—each inhale felt like scorching embers scraping against their lungs.
Xue Lan was the first to falter. She stumbled to a stop, her face flushed from the oppressive heat. "I… I can't go on. Goku, help me! If this keeps up, I'm going to roast alive!"
"Looks like the deeper we go, the higher the temperature gets." Goku chuckled, then casually waved a hand. A series of transparent energy barriers formed around the group, encasing each of them in a thin protective shell.
Instantly, the unbearable heat vanished. In its place came a refreshing coolness, shielding them completely from the fiery energy outside.
Cai Lin and Moonlight could both handle the high temperatures on their own, but now that Goku had set up the energy shields, they could conserve their Dou Qi instead of wasting it on resistance.
Xue Lan blinked in surprise as the heat disappeared. Then she glared at Goku and bared her teeth in frustration. "You could've done this earlier?! I've been cooking alive this whole time! My poor body's about to shrivel up!"
"You keep yelling like that and I'll drop your shield," Goku said with a playful smirk.
"…I'm sorry. I was wrong."
Xue Lan immediately covered her mouth with both hands. That baked-alive sensation? Yeah, she never wanted to feel that again.
With the protective barriers in place, the group pressed on. The air outside the shields grew hotter and denser with every step—waves of fire energy so intense they caused visible distortions in the atmosphere.
Finally, Cai Lin stopped. "We're here."
As the group rounded the final bend, an astonishing sight unfolded before them.
Before them stretched a vast underground cavern, glowing red with pulsing heat. Rivers of molten magma flowed slowly through the chamber, occasionally bubbling up with massive gas pockets.
Pop.
With a soft explosion, a magma bubble burst—spraying searing-hot liquid into the air like a fiery blossom in full bloom.
Standing at the edge of the tunnel, the group stared at the awe-inspiring sight, struck silent by the vast, firelit expanse. None of them could see the cavern's end. It felt like they were standing at the edge of a living inferno.
Even Goku's companions instinctively swallowed hard.
To Goku, though, it was nothing special. He'd fought battles that shattered entire planets, with magma oceans and lightning storms tearing the skies apart. Compared to that, this was a gentle breeze.
"Oh my god… I can't believe something this terrifying is hidden beneath the ground," Xue Lan murmured, utterly stunned.
"Goku! Over here! This way!"
Far across the magma lake, the little Sprite hovered in the air, waving her tiny arms energetically at them.
"Looks like she's getting impatient. Let's head over," Goku said, smiling calmly.
"But… it's all magma! How are we supposed to get across?" Xue Lan asked with a deep frown. She wasn't wrong—there was no visible path forward, only lava.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a pair of purple wings unfurled from Cai Lin's back. She gave Goku a nod. "I'll go first."
Her wings beat once, summoning a sharp gust of wind. Then her body blurred and lifted into the air, soaring toward the Sprite's location.
"Wait, she can fly?!" Xue Lan's eyes widened. "That's… Dou Qi Wings?! She's at least a Dou King?! No wonder she could wipe out those serpent warriors so easily!"
"Dou King?" Goku smirked. "She's way beyond that. Cai Lin is the Queen of the Serpentfolk—she's a full-fledged Dou Emperor."
"W-What?!"
Xue Lan froze, her mouth hanging open in utter disbelief. "She's... the Queen of the Serpentfolk? She's... the Queen Medusa?!"
Hearing that, her mind nearly short-circuited. She was just a small-time Dou Fighter, and now she realized she had been traveling alongside a legendary Dou Emperor—one known far and wide for her ruthlessness and power.
No wonder Cai Lin had such an intimidating presence. Xue Lan had no idea whether she should feel lucky or terrified.
"Oh? Surprised already?" Moonlight gave a soft chuckle. Her own wings—pure white and gleaming like moonlight—extended from her back. She winked flirtatiously at Goku. "Master, i will go on ahead too~"
With that, she soared after Cai Lin in a graceful arc.
Seeing that even Moonlight could use Dou Qi Wings, Xue Lan turned her shocked gaze toward Goku.
She's at least a Dou King too—and she calls him 'Master'?! Then… what the hell is this guy's real identity?
She had suspected from the beginning that Goku wasn't ordinary—but this? This was on another level. For the first time, standing next to him made her feel completely out of her depth.
Goku, of course, noticed the subtle shift in her mood. He gave her a wide grin and said, "You look curious. Wanna know who I really am?" He puffed out his chest, giving her a mock-heroic pose. "I'm the stuff of legends—the ultimate tall, rich, and handsome guy. So? Interested? Wanna marry me? I'll make sure you live the good life. All the finest food and drink you can dream of!"
Xue Lan was caught off guard for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh. Her tension melted away in an instant.
She knew he was teasing her—but that teasing carried a strange warmth.
She looked up at him with a soft, glowing smile.
"Thanks."
___
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