The tunnel likely had been excavated by Fire-Tailed Scorpions too, though its size seemed slightly smaller than the Scorpion King. It was unclear if this was a passage it used previously. Regardless, that wasn't important. What mattered was the palpable airflow within it. This strongly suggested it connected to the outside world! A way back to the surface!!
Lin Feng hesitated intensely now: An escape route was right there… should they just abandon it?
But outside lurked that Level 3 Fire-Tailed Scorpion King. Walking openly into that tunnel was impossible. What if it spotted them?
Maybe they could retreat some distance, pinpoint the tunnel's location, and dig a new passage straight towards it? That seemed feasible… but required precise positioning. Digging off-course and missing the tunnel would waste effort. Plus, the digging itself couldn't be loud enough to alert the Scorpion King...
"..."
Lin Feng wavered, unsure of the best course. Suddenly, Changgong Xiaojing's urgent whisper broke his thoughts:
"Lin Feng! Look! Quickly!"
"What?" Lin Feng blinked, snapping back to attention. He followed her gaze and turned his head… then froze completely.
"I… Bloody hell! A swimming scorpion?! And in LAVA?!"
He couldn't believe his eyes. At the right edge of the central lava pool in the cavern ahead, an immense silhouette had slid into the molten rock. Now, it glided smoothly towards the pool's center like some infernal vessel…
That was burning, bubbling magma!! The Fire-Tailed Scorpion King was swimming in it?!
The sheer absurdity felt like witnessing ten thousand alpacas stampeding past his vision…
"Qiu qiu!! QIU!!!"
While Lin Feng stood dumbfounded, Xiaoqiu, perched on his shoulder, suddenly let out a series of agitated squeaks. It felt as if something precious was being stolen. One tiny claw tugged frantically at Lin Feng's hair while the other waved insistently towards the front.
"Shh… Quiet!"
Lin Feng gently patted Xiaoqiu's head, terrified its noise might alert the Scorpion King. Confusion warred within him. He squinted, peering intently towards the center of the lava pool once more.
"Huh? What's that?!"
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He saw the Scorpion King halt its swim precisely at the pool's center, floating like a macabre raft. Before it, a distinct, intensely deep crimson flickered…
Had the beast not stopped so unnaturally there, Lin Feng might never have noticed the anomaly. Straining his eyes, he discerned what looked like a fist-sized, glowing red stone floating amidst the searing liquid…
No… not a stone. It was… a flame!!
Its color was profoundly deep, deeper even than the surrounding magma, lending it a deceptive solidity. But it was unmistakably a cluster of dancing fire!
The strangeness lay in the context. The lava pool's surface was already ablaze with countless ordinary flames. Yet, this particular flame stood utterly apart. For several meters around it, no other ordinary fire dared exist. It was as if… the surrounding flames actively avoided it!!
And now, the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King hovered beside this extraordinary flame. Faint tendrils of energy seemed to drift from the fire, drawn directly into the beast's maw.
Even from over a hundred meters away, Lin Feng could sense it: The Scorpion King's aura was visibly, steadily growing stronger!!
Moreover, had he been closer, he would have seen the grievous wound where his flying sword had obliterated the beast's right eye healing at a visible pace. Even the injury to its left eye, caused by ice spikes, was rapidly mending!
It was healing!!
For the Scorpion King, the energy within that flame was like a miraculous elixir, accelerating its recovery!
"That… that… that… is that… a Strange Fire?!"
Lin Feng remained frozen for several stunned seconds before the incredulous whisper finally escaped him.
Strange Fire!!
If his eyes weren't deceiving him, that cluster of flame was precisely a Strange Fire!
Simultaneously, information Lin Feng had read about Strange Flames flashed through his mind. Characteristics of the various fires listed in the Hundred Strange Fires Ranking scrolled past his thoughts.
Formed deep underground, within magma… resembling a superheated stone…
"Magma Flame!!"
Changgong Xiaojing, her large eyes also fixed on the distant flame, recognized it even before Lin Feng. She uttered the name in a hushed tone of pure disbelief.
"Yes! 'Magma Flame'!!" Lin Feng's eyes blazed with intense light, excitement surging within him. "A Strange Fire like this… in a place like this?!"
It was utterly staggering. If he hadn't seen it himself, who would believe that beneath the Chiyan Mountains – a minor locale like Seven Peaks Forest, an area known for sparse spiritual energy – harbored a Strange Fire?!
"That explains it…" Realization dawned. "It's because of this Strange Fire that the magma is suppressed here. Otherwise, Chiyan Mountain might truly be an active volcano, right? And it's also why so many Fire-Tailed Scorpions congregate here. The energy from the Strange Fire must have helped that Scorpion King reach Level 3. And it's the influence of this Strange Fire's power that formed all those rare treasures deep within the cavern we passed through earlier…"
The multitude of previous questions found their answers upon seeing the Strange Fire. Lin Feng's thoughts raced a hundred miles an hour, his gaze burning as he stared at the Magma Flame.
A Strange Fire! This was a Strange Fire!!
An object countless cultivators dreamed of possessing! A treasure rumored to spark bloody conflict wherever it appeared!
For a fleeting, treacherous instant, Lin Feng almost succumbed to the impulse to rush out and seize it.
Fortunately, greed didn't completely overwhelm his reason. Charging out now would be nothing less than suicide.
"Huuu…"
Lin Feng closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath to forcibly calm the frantic excitement pounding in his chest. He turned to Changgong Xiaojing beside him. "This is our chance! While it's healing, we sneak into that tunnel. We get out of here!"
"Mm… Huh?" Changgong Xiaojing was still reeling from the shock of seeing the Strange Fire. Hearing Lin Feng's words, she first nodded absently, then hesitated, a flicker of something else in her eyes. "But… that's a Strange Fire…"
"Yeah, I know what it is," Lin Feng said with a wry, almost pained smile. "But… do you seriously want to try and snatch it now? Please, I don't fancy dying today! The fire's been here, presumably undiscovered by anyone else. We leave now, regroup, and come back when we're actually prepared!"
"Oh… Right! You're absolutely correct…" Changgong Xiaojing fully snapped back to their dire situation, nodding decisively. "How do we go? Just… walk straight over?"
Lin Feng scrutinized the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King intently. "Look. It seems to have entered a state similar to our cultivation trance. And although it's a Level 3 beast, it likely lacks something akin to spiritual sense. Otherwise, it would have detected us long ago. If we're utterly silent… we shouldn't disturb it…"
"Are… are you sure?" Changgong Xiaojing studied the Scorpion King, which indeed seemed to float motionless in the lava pool, almost asleep. Doubt tinged her voice. "Certain?"
"I'm reasonably confident. Not a hundred percent, but… we have to gamble!" Lin Feng insisted, his voice low and urgent. "If we wait for it to fully recover, escape won't even be an option!"
Changgong Xiaojing bit her lip, then gave a resolute nod. "Alright. I trust you…"
Lin Feng nodded back. He reached up, plucked Xiaoqiu from his shoulder, and stuffed the struggling creature firmly into the front of his robe. "Stop fussing! We can't grab that fire now! Staying alive is priority one!" He felt a pang of curiosity – this explained why Xiaoqiu had led them here; it must have sensed the Strange Fire. But… how?
"Perfect timing! Go! Now!"
Lin Feng looked back towards the pool's center. His heart leaped with sudden hope. The seemingly slumbering Scorpion King had drifted slightly with the lava's currents. Its head remained dipped towards the Magma Flame, but its body had rotated clockwise… now presenting its broad, armored back directly towards their hiding spot!
Heaven helps me!!
Lin Feng stifled a surge of elation. Acting on instinctive urgency, he reached out and grasped Changgong Xiaojing's left hand, pulling her forward as he sprinted out of their cover!
"You—!"
The sudden grip startled Changgong Xiaojing. She instinctively tried to pull away, but seeing the absolute focus and fierce determination etched on Lin Feng's face, she hesitated only a fraction of a second before letting him lead her forward in a silent dash.
Their footsteps were feather-light, yet their pace was swift. Within mere breaths, they had covered half the distance. The tunnel entrance loomed tantalizingly close. A swift glance confirmed the Scorpion King remained oblivious, its back still turned. Relief and hope sparked in both their eyes.
But then…
"CRUNCH!!"
A football-sized chunk of rock, loosened from the cavern ceiling high above, chose that precise moment to plummet. It struck the ground with a heavy, echoing thud, mere steps away from Lin Feng and Changgong Xiaojing!
No trap triggered. No misstep caused it. Pure, cruel coincidence.
Just moments ago, Lin Feng had rejoiced inwardly at heaven's aid. Now, he wanted to scream curses at the sky.
—Heaven… are you playing with me?!