First Encounter with Spirit Fire

At this moment, Li Yunfan's face remained calm, still bearing a faint smile, but in his heart he was extremely happy.

As soon as he entered this place, the Purple Nether Heart Fire within his body suddenly surged, as if it had been stimulated by something.

After sensing the abnormality of the Purple Nether Heart Flame, Li Yunfan immediately focused his mind on it. After careful perception, he finally understood the reason.

It turned out that the Purple Nether Heart Flame sensed the aura of another spiritual flame, and that aura was extremely powerful, no weaker than its own, which is why it issued a strong warning.

"It's truly unexpected that the secrets of the Yang family generals would be hidden so deep underground. What I find in this secret place, however, is something that warrants such caution."

After Li Yunfan finished speaking, he looked at Yang Jingshen and saw that his expression changed slightly, so he chuckled and said again.

"If Fellow Daoist Yang finds this difficult, then just pretend I never asked. I was simply a little curious."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jingshen hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking.

"Very well, since you are curious about this matter, I will not hide it from you. I actually discovered this place by accident more than ten years ago. At that time, I encountered a level one demon beast called 'Earth Beast'. I originally wanted to capture it and give it to my daughter Qinghan, but the demon beast was very alert. As soon as it sensed danger, it burrowed underground. Coincidentally, I happened to have an Earth Travel Talisman on me at the time, so I chased after it and accidentally discovered that natural cave."

He paused for a moment after speaking, and then continued.

"Although the cave isn't large, it contains a small 'Fire Essence Stone' vein. To avoid being discovered by the Qian family, it hasn't been mined openly. For safety, I always come here personally each time. As the cave has been dug deeper, I've noticed the fire elemental energy becoming increasingly concentrated. So, a few months ago, out of curiosity, I ventured several miles deeper again, and surprisingly, I broke through the cliff face and discovered a lava field beneath the mountain..."

At this point, Yang Jingshen sighed deeply and said with some regret.

"It was then that I discovered the spirit fire seed gathered on the magma. Seeing that it had not yet been born, I couldn't help but feel a bit greedy. I didn't expect that my failure to collect it would instead stimulate the spirit fire seed, causing it to be born prematurely. That's why I was accidentally hit by it and became infected with fire poison. If it weren't for your help, I would probably have died and perished because of my momentary greed."

After hearing Yang Jingshen's words, Li Yunfan felt even more surprised and excited.

According to his account, this spirit fire was born from magma, constantly absorbing the rich fire-attribute spiritual energy of this place, and finally formed into a spirit fire seed after countless years of condensation.

Without the other party's prior interference, it would probably take a long time to fully take shape. By then, this fire should possess a trace of intelligence, and if no one subdues it, it may evolve into a "Primordial Fire Essence" on its own after ten thousand years, with strength comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Since the spirit fire has only recently been born, it certainly hasn't developed sentience yet, so absorbing and refining it won't take him much effort. Moreover, this fire already possesses strength comparable to the Purple Nether Heart Fire from its very inception, and once he tempers and cultivates it, it can definitely be used as a trump card.

"I see! Now that Fellow Daoist Yang has fully recovered from his injuries, I wonder if you still have any thoughts on this fire?" Li Yunfan looked at Yang Jingshen with a smile, his tone devoid of any emotion.

But Yang Jingshen heard these words and they had a different meaning. He couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart and gave a dry laugh in denial.

"Fellow Daoist is joking. I, Yang, do not wish to experience the pain of fire poison corroding my body again. If you can subdue this fire, I will thank you for eliminating the danger of mining for my Yang family. Please do not hesitate to help."

Li Yunfan gave Yang Jingshen a deep look before shaking his head and smiling.

"Even you, fellow Daoist, have fallen for this trick. I can only give it a try. Whether I can subdue it is another matter entirely."

Yang Jingshen chuckled upon hearing this, and then led Li Yunfan into the well-drilled mine tunnel. After traveling about ten zhang, the two emerged from the tunnel and arrived at a natural cave that was over thirty zhang in size.

On the right side of the cave wall, there is a mine shaft about ten feet wide, which is constantly emitting billowing heat, and you can also feel the rich fire-attribute spiritual energy contained within it.

However, this heat posed no threat to the two of them. Yang Jingshen made a hand seal to attach a heat-insulating shield to his body, blocking out the rolling heat waves.

Li Yunfan's Nine Revolutions Burning Heaven Technique is a fire-attribute technique, and with the Purple Nether Heart Flame within his body, he is naturally unafraid of the scorching heat. With a thought, the Purple Nether Heart Flame instantly bursts forth from his body, forming a light purple fire shield on his surface, absorbing all the heat impacting him.

Yang Jingshen already knew that the other party possessed a kind of spiritual fire, so he was not very surprised. He just glanced at him and then led him into the mine, heading towards the lava field.

"The fire elemental energy here is so rich. If I could cultivate here for a year or two, the power of my Purple Nether Heart Flame would definitely increase even further," Li Yunfan thought to himself as he walked.

A moment later, a red glow appeared in front of the mine. The two exchanged a glance, then concealed their presence and quietly walked over.

Upon reaching the opening of the cave, Li Yunfan looked down and saw a large expanse of red magma flowing slowly below. Several meters above the magma, a flame the size of a thumb, with a dark yellow core and a bright yellow exterior, was burning fiercely.

Looking at the yellow flames, Li Yunfan was extremely excited, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light. He was finally about to absorb the second kind of spiritual fire!

After a moment's thought, Li Yunfan quickly came up with a way to absorb the spiritual fire, and whispered his idea to Yang Jingshen.

Yang Jingshen hesitated for a moment before agreeing. After wishing Li Yunfan all the best, he turned around and went back to the cave he had been in.

After sensing with his divine sense that the other party had returned to the cave, Li Yunfan raised his hand and released three array flags to seal the entrance to the mine.

This was one of the array formations he obtained from Xin Ruyin when he lived in her bamboo house. It could withstand attacks from cultivators below the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but it could only be used for small-scale protection. It was perfect for this place.

He then lightly patted the storage bag at his waist, from which several dark green array flags flew out and hovered in front of him. He then made hand seals and chanted incantations in a low voice, and the dark green array flags immediately shone brightly.

A moment later, Li Yunfan flicked his finger and uttered the word "Swift." The dark green array flags trembled and then shot out like lightning, embedding themselves in the stone walls surrounding the lava.

Although the spirit fire has no intelligence, it can sense any unusual situation around it and instinctively attack or flee.

Just after the array flags were inserted into the stone wall, the spirit fire seemed to sense the danger. The flames burst open and plunged directly into the lava below, attempting to escape into the lava.

However, Li Yunfan wouldn't let it escape. A glint flashed in his eyes, and he slammed his hands together. The dark green array flags shone brightly, instantly forming a dark green light shield above the magma, blocking the spiritual fire's retreat.

However, the spirit fire ignored him and continued to fall downwards. Seeing this, Li Yunfan's lips curled up slightly, and he formed another hand seal with his clasped hands and sent it into the array flag. The light shield immediately solidified into a dark green block, like a semi-transparent crystal.