Chapter 38

As the flame erupted, the magma from the bottomless pit surged out, instantly covering the entire floor of the Lángyá Cave. Any obstacles on the ground melted instantly in the face of the magma, leaving not even a trace. If there was any place in the cave that had not been ravaged by the magma, it was the few square feet of ground where Song Li stood. It seemed as if an invisible barrier was set around his feet, causing the magma to detour around him, causing no trouble or harm at all.

"Damn, this is so awesome! The Imperial Fire Seed truly lives up to its name as the king of all fires. The core fire is powerful, but in front of it, it's nothing!" Song Li couldn't help but feel proud. Anyone who saw the magma that could destroy everything detour around them would feel the same way.

What surprised Song Li even more was yet to come.

Amidst the surging magma, a reddish, oval-shaped object, similar to a candlestick, floated up. On this oval candlestick, a small flame, about the size of a flower bud, burned. This small flame was a deep red, drifting up through the magma, just like the lantern boats Song Li used to release on the water as a child, swaying in the wind. But from this small flame, Song Li sensed a massive energy fluctuation. He knew this was definitely not just a lantern boat! Upon seeing this small flame, the Imperial Fire Seed within Song Li's body flickered more vigorously, as if it wanted to break free and pounce on the small flame to feast on it!

Fire Seed! Song Li was almost certain that this small flame was the Fire Seed, the source of fire, that grew between heaven and earth!

A Fire Seed of the source fire was buried beneath Lángyá Mountain. No wonder there was a volcanic eruption here; it must have been this little guy causing trouble!

The small flame was below the flame, and with its constant supply of energy, the flame burned even more fiercely. Song Li even saw the flame burst out of the cave entrance of Lángyá Cave. He knew that people around Lángyá Mountain might have seen the flames by now!

"Damn! The core fire really erupted from Lángyá Cave! It turns out the princess was right, Song Li is doomed!" Twenty miles away, Song Mojie and Song Qingshan were each on horseback, looking in the direction of Lángyá Mountain. Seeing the flames indeed spew out of Lángyá Cave, even though they were mentally prepared, they were still surprised.

"We should retreat further to avoid being injured by the flowing magma." Song Qingshan spurred his horse first, retreating another ten miles.

When the flames spewed out of Lángyá Cave, nearby people saw it. The flames, having burst out of the cave entrance, emitted a terrifying high temperature, instantly burning anyone climbing the mountain to ashes. Those still in Lángyá Town felt the scorching heat, and their hair even curled from the heat!

"Unbelievable! The core fire is erupting! Run, or we'll all die!" There were people in the crowd who recognized the danger immediately, shouting and fleeing!

People in Lángyá Town, seeing the flames spew out, were initially stunned, but then they reacted, dropping their work and running for their lives! Some local residents, after running a few steps, suddenly remembered their families and ran back home, hoping to save their loved ones!

For a moment, the cries in Lángyá Town shook the sky, and the town was filled with panicked people fleeing. Fear spread throughout the town, creating a scene of apocalypse!

The terrified cries of the ten thousand people in Lángyá Town pierced the sky, clearly reaching Song Li's ears. The magma surging from underground was increasing, and it would soon reach the entrance of Lángyá Cave and burst out!

Although Song Li had never seen the destructive power of magma with his own eyes, he could easily imagine the result. The speed of the magma flow would definitely outpace the speed of the fleeing people, meaning that all living things in Lángyá Town might be melted into nothingness in an instant!

Song Li couldn't be called a good person, and he had never thought of becoming a savior like Spider-Man or Superman. But watching ten thousand people disappear before his eyes was not in his nature.

Even if it wasn't for the ten thousand lives in the town, he wasn't about to let this Fire Seed go. Joking, the Fire Seed of the source fire was the most terrifying existence between heaven and earth! His mother Yun Lin had said that even his grandfather, the Sage Alchemist Yun Hengtian, dreamed of possessing a Fire Seed, but he never found one despite his lifelong efforts. And he, Song Li, had accidentally encountered one. Song Li wondered if his previous life had been too tragic, so he had accumulated good karma for this life. Otherwise, how could his luck be so good?

Song Li knew that if he could subdue the Fire Seed, the flames ravaging Lángyá Mountain would instantly extinguish, and there would be no future trouble. However, he had no idea how to subdue such a powerful source Fire Seed. Although he had the "Imperial Fire Seed" in his body, the nemesis of all Fire Seeds, he was still in the early stages of understanding it and didn't know how to use it to subdue other Fire Seeds.

The surrounding magma was increasing, quickly surpassing Song Li's head. It formed an independent space around him, preventing the magma from entering and causing him no harm. If an outsider saw this, they would be amazed. The magma actually avoided a person and detoured around them? Such a strange thing would be hard to believe.

As the magma was about to reach the entrance of Lángyá Cave and burst out, Song Li still hadn't come up with any ideas, and he was becoming increasingly anxious. At this moment, the small flame inside his body flickered joyfully, as if trying to convey some message. Song Li held his breath and tried to sense the meaning conveyed by the Imperial Fire Seed. To his delight, he found that he could indeed establish some connection with the Imperial Fire Seed. However, the excitement he felt quickly vanished, like a bucket of cold water poured over him on a scorching summer day!

The Imperial Fire Seed told him: Swallow the source Fire Seed!

"Damn!" Song Li almost jumped up. Although the small flame floating on the magma looked only the size of a flower bud, Song Li knew how terrifying it was! Just by releasing a bit of energy, it could cause a volcanic eruption, causing destruction and even altering the landscape! This showed how violent and terrifying this little thing was! Song Li was just a mortal, and he couldn't imagine what would happen if he swallowed this little thing! He might be reduced to ashes in an instant.

Although he had the Imperial Fire Seed in his body, the nemesis of all fires, he should be able to subdue this Fire Seed. But risking his life was too big a gamble. What if something went wrong? His hard-earned rebirth would be wasted here!

But his intuition told him that the Imperial Fire Seed wouldn't deceive him! Swallowing the Fire Seed might be the only way to subdue this little thing. He had two choices: either turn around and watch the ten thousand people in Lángyá Town suffer. This was a safe choice, and he would be safe, but the entire town would be destroyed. Most importantly, he would let the source Fire Seed slip away right under his nose. Once this little thing finished its rampage and retreated underground, finding it again would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Who knew where it would hide in the core of the earth?

The other choice was to follow the Imperial Fire Seed's advice and swallow the small flame! Although he wasn't sure what changes the source Fire Seed would bring, the benefits would definitely far exceed expectations if he succeeded! Of course, this was a very risky decision. If he failed, his fate would be even worse than in his previous life!

The Imperial Fire Seed flickered even more joyfully, as if it had been hungry for a long time and finally found a delicious meal. It urged Song Li to swallow the Fire Seed as quickly as possible.

As the magma was about to overflow the entrance of Lángyá Cave and flow out, Song Li gritted his teeth and made a decision: "Damn it, as the saying goes, great wealth comes with great risk. I'll take the risk this time. If I succeed, the benefits will be huge! If I fail... well, a dead bird faces up, and a living one faces down! Why think so much? A man must act decisively and do what he decides!"

After making up his mind, Song Li put aside all his worries. He took large steps toward the small flame emitting a crimson glow, and wherever his feet stepped, the magma scattered, leaving a path for him. It was as if he had a water-repelling pearl, a mythical object, making the scene very magical.

The small flame seemed to sense the intrusion of a foreign presence. It shook violently, and the flame floating in the air burned even more fiercely! People far away saw the flames grow larger, as if the entire sky was burning, and the cries of despair grew even more intense!

Song Li knew this little thing was warning him, but he was the kind of person who, once he made up his mind, wouldn't easily change. He ignored the small flame's warning, approached it, and scooped up the candlestick from the magma!

Although the flame emitted by the Fire Seed was scorching hot, the "candlestick" holding the Fire Seed was not particularly hot, only slightly warm. After picking up the candlestick, the small flame shook even more violently, and Song Li could sense the intense anger from it. The source Fire Seed, as a "fire spirit" between heaven and earth, had its own consciousness. Since it had a spirit, it could grow on its own. Song Li found it hard to imagine what it would become if left to grow freely, perhaps surpassing humans in spirit and becoming incredibly powerful.

Ignoring the small flame's anger, Song Li steeled his heart, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the small flame!

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