Chapter 95

Yun Feng and Han Chong, worried about any changes, immediately rushed over and asked anxiously:

"Brother Hu Gao, what's wrong?"

"Hu Gao, what happened?"

Hu Gao turned to look at the two with a helpless smile and said, "The pool is full of scorching magma. How are we supposed to pick the black fire lotus pods?"

Previously, in the fire salamander's cave, it was Xiao Wu who picked the lotus pods. Now, not only did Hu Gao not want to expose Xiao Wu, but the fire beast king at the bottom, whose strength was unknown, also posed a significant threat to Xiao Wu.

Upon hearing this, the two turned to look at the magma pool in shock. The pool wasn't too large, but the black fire lotus flowers were quite far from the shore, at least seven or eight meters away, and the black fire lotus pods were even closer to the center.

If it weren't for the threat of the sleeping fire beast king, they would have had some ways to pick the black fire lotus pods.

"It's too far. My Tiger Essence Spear isn't long enough," Han Chong said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.

"If it weren't for the fire beast king, I could pick them. My totem is a bird, so I can fly," Yun Feng said, looking even more helpless. Han Chong's spear was too short, and his bird wasn't useful.

"Brother Hu Gao, why don't we lure the fire beast king out first and deal with it? With our combined strength, we should be able to handle a mid-stage second-rank fire beast king."

Hu Gao didn't nod, as he was also troubled by the situation. They didn't know the limits of the sleeping fire beast king. Without disturbing it, they could either pick all the black fire lotus pods or only a part of them.

Given the current situation, provoking the fire beast king would be self-defeating and unproductive.

Hu Gao looked at his two friends, then at the black fire lotus in the magma pool, his gaze landing on Han Chong's Tiger Essence Spear.

"I have an idea."

"What idea?" the two asked simultaneously.

"Let's make a fishing rod and fish out the black fire lotus pods!"

"Fishing? Like fishing for fish?"

"Exactly. This way, the chances of disturbing the fire beast king are much smaller."

Yun Feng and Han Chong thought about it and agreed that it might be a good idea. They nodded to give it a try.

The three decided to make a fishing rod that could withstand high temperatures.

For the fishing rod, they had no choice but to use Han Chong's Tiger Essence Spear. To prevent any accidents, Hu Gao handed his Shadow Sword to Han Chong as a weapon.

For the hook, Hu Gao took out two rows of fire salamander teeth from his spatial ring, planning to pry some off to make a twisted hook. However, he noticed that the originally purple teeth had all turned blue, but he didn't have the time to think about it.

Actually, the fire salamander's fireballs and teeth were originally blue, but they appeared purple due to the red firelight in the cave.

For the fishing line, Han Chong generously contributed his close-fitting vest. This was a piece of armor made from the fibers of the Flame Valley's special fiery nettle, capable of resisting both impact and high temperatures, as well as fire poison to some extent.

Initially, Hu Gao thought it was a pity to damage a mid-grade human-level piece of armor, but he couldn't resist Han Chong's determination and the current predicament. He had to dismantle the lower half of the vest, extract the fibers to make the fishing line, and then, under Hu Gao's teasing gaze, put the upper half back on to cover his pale skin.

"Success! I'll give it a try!"

Hu Gao, carrying the treasure fishing rod, walked step by step toward the magma pool, praying in his heart:

Brother Fire Beast King, just sleep soundly. Don't take the bait.

Hu Gao reached the edge of the pool. Although he couldn't see the bottom, he could still sense a terrifying presence lurking beneath the small pool. If he disturbed it, it would cause a significant problem.

Without further ado, Hu Gao, with his powerful perception, precisely controlled the fishing hook and cast it toward the nearest black fire lotus stem. The sharp fire salamander teeth bit into the stem, and Hu Gao swung the fishing rod, breaking the stem and successfully hooking the black fire lotus pod, pulling it back.

"Success!"

Although he was picking the black fire lotus pods, he was more focused on the movements in the pool. Fortunately, the fire beast king below was not disturbed. It seemed that it didn't really care about the black fire lotus pods and only considered the pool its habitat.

Hu Gao finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He cast the hook again, aiming for the second lotus. If he couldn't perfectly control his strength, this task would be much harder.

Looking at the black fire lotus pods scattered on the ground, he realized they had a good harvest: over fifty black fire lotus flowers and eight black fire lotus pods.

"Brother Hu Gao, are you okay?"

Yun Feng and Han Chong approached, but their eyes were still on the pool, not daring to be distracted. The fire beast king wasn't easy to deal with, and they had to be prepared for any eventuality.

"I'm fine. Let's divide these things."

Hu Gao waved his hand and quickly distributed the loot. He took three black fire lotus pods and ten black fire lotus flowers for himself, gave three black fire lotus pods and ten black fire lotus flowers to Han Chong, and Yun Feng received two black fire lotus pods and over thirty black fire lotus flowers, which was considered fair.

Yun Feng and Han Chong didn't want to take anything, as they hadn't contributed, but they knew Hu Gao's personality. Although Hu Gao loved treasures, he was quite generous to his friends. If they refused, he would be a bit unhappy.

"Brother Hu Gao..."

Yun Feng, holding the treasures Hu Gao had forced into his hands, didn't know what to say.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Not enough?"

"Of course not..."

Yun Feng smiled bitterly. "A few black fire lotus flowers are enough for me. I don't need so many. I understand your meaning, Brother Hu Gao. You're really... a good friend!"

"Right, Brother Hu Gao, since we're good friends, you don't need to be so polite. It's clear that these black fire lotus flowers and pods are very helpful to you. Since you've gathered so many, you should keep them for yourself. The amount you gave me is more than enough for my use."

Han Chong also laughed, not placing much importance on these external cultivation resources.

Damn! Hu Gao felt he had dug his own grave. Looking at his two friends, one with a bitter smile and the other with a calm one, he was speechless.

"Since we're good friends, just accept it. We still need to rely on you on Fire Peak. Who knows, maybe when we find some treasures, I'll have to keep them all to myself."

Hu Gao found their personalities both adorable and annoying, as they were not straightforward.

"Boss, wait, there's a situation!"

At this moment, Xiao Wu suddenly spoke.

"What's wrong? Is the fire beast king coming out?" Hu Gao's heart tightened, and he subconsciously gripped the Shadow Sword.

"No, boss." Xiao Wu rolled his eyes, speechless. "I found that there seem to be some black fire lotus pods under the surface of the magma."

"How many?"

Hu Gao's expression suddenly became excited, making Yun Feng and Han Chong exchange glances, wondering if Hu Gao had discovered something else.

"Two hundred and fifty!" Xiao Wu calculated for a moment and gave a number. "Roughly this many, but the perception is affected, so it's not accurate."

Two hundred and fifty? Hu Gao felt he was about to go crazy over this number.

What if the fire beast king below was disturbed? Even if it meant a bloody battle, it would be worth it.

If he could obtain so many black fire lotus pods and give them all to Xiao Wu for cultivation, he believed Xiao Wu's cultivation would rapidly increase, possibly even breaking through to the second rank.

"Boss, if we are careful, we shouldn't disturb the fire beast king, and there won't be a battle."

Xiao Wu didn't seem very worried about the fire beast king, smiling as he shared his thoughts.

"Better not to disturb it," Hu Gao agreed. "But even if we have to fight, we must pick these black fire lotus pods."

Saying this, Hu Gao walked toward the magma pool again.

"Brother Hu Gao, what are you doing?" Yun Feng and Han Chong asked, puzzled, not sure what Hu Gao was up to and a bit worried he might provoke the fire beast king again.

"Um, I missed a few black fire lotus pods earlier. I'm going to pick them now. You just stand by and watch, but don't stand too far away."

Saying this, Hu Gao walked toward the magma pool.

"Xiao Wu, let's start!" Hu Gao instructed, slowly lowering the weighted hook into the magma.

At Hu Gao's wrist, a faint golden light was hidden in the red glow of the magma pool, gently guiding the hook toward the black fire lotus pods.

The fiery nettle, after processing, truly lived up to its ability to resist fire poison. It did not burn when submerged in the scorching magma, and the fire salamander's teeth, which had undergone mutation, showed no signs of melting.

As the hook sank, Hu Gao's keen perception slowly spread.

Hu Gao quickly sensed the surroundings, finding at least a hundred black fire lotus pods. Without hesitation, he quickly manipulated the hook to catch one.

With the resistance of the magma, the task was clearly much harder than in the air. Fortunately, with Xiao Wu's powerful perception and the guidance of his dragon power, Hu Gao, who was only at the Condensed Shadow Realm, far from the realm of externalized yuan power, could still manage.

"Damn, it takes two minutes to get one. To get these two hundred or so black fire lotus pods, it will take at least two to three hours."

Although he was frustrated, Hu Gao had to be patient.

This was two hundred or so black fire lotus pods. Once he got them all, he would surely make a fortune.

Yun Feng and Han Chong, watching this, finally understood. They realized Hu Gao had indeed missed some black fire lotus pods, and it was impressive that he discovered them just before leaving.

Especially since Hu Gao was not at all worried about the fire beast king below, which was like picking fleas from a tiger's head, a suicidal act.

After about half an hour, with Xiao Wu's protection, Hu Gao successfully picked fifteen black fire lotus pods.

"Quite a good harvest!"

Looking at the fifteen black fire lotus pods on the ground, Hu Gao's face finally showed a smile, surprised by the number of black fire lotus pods in the fire beast forest.

Yun Feng and Han Chong, seeing the black fire lotus pods scattered on the ground, were also greatly shocked.

Similarly shocked were a few outsiders.

At a distance of less than a hundred meters, four people stood: a young man, a woman, and two older men.

These people had hidden auras but gave off a dangerous feeling.

The four looked at the black fire lotus pods under Hu Gao's feet, their pupils filled with intense greed and madness.

"Boss, it seems we have some trouble..."

Xiao Wu's voice echoed in Hu Gao's mind.