Chapter 308: Forcing Them Out, A Terrifying Light Array!
Within the stone pool, fiery red magma surged and churned, and from its center, emerald-green light dots continuously bubbled up.
These green light dots gathered just a few inches above the magma's surface, forming a palm-sized clump of glowing green liquid, suspended in midair.
An indescribably rich vitality emanated from it, so intense it seemed to saturate the very air—reviving even the surrounding space with a palpable sense of life.
"As expected… Earthcore Spirit Pulp," Lin Fan murmured as he stared at the emerald liquid rising from the magma.
He had previously obtained a sample of Earthcore Spirit Pulp through the system's random reward, and it was precisely with its aid that he had broken through to the Minor Mastery level of the Life Xuan Stage.
So he was quite familiar with its properties.
Lin Fan's gaze carefully swept across the magma pool and the surrounding stone floor, examining every detail.
Soon, he discovered faint red lines—dim and nearly indistinguishable—stretching across the crimson stone floor.
These lines were barely visible and blended perfectly with the red surface; without focused scrutiny, they would've been impossible to notice.
They connected together to form a formation that covered the entire stone pool.
Breaking it wasn't particularly difficult… in theory. One only needed to destroy one of the lines.
But unfortunately, not all formations could be disrupted just because you understood them—this one was a perfect example.
Lin Fan couldn't destroy the red lines.
After lingering over the magma pool for a while, Lin Fan withdrew his gaze and began his ascent.
Moments later, his figure emerged once again from the lake's surface.
"Brother Lin Fan, did you finish off the Three-Headed Demon Flood Dragon?" Lin Dong quickly approached and asked.
Hearing Lin Dong's question, Gu Yan, the Gu Clan members, and the surrounding spectators all turned toward Lin Fan, waiting for his response.
Lin Fan nodded calmly. "Yes. It's dead."
Though many had already suspected this, hearing Lin Fan confirm it still sent a ripple of shock through the crowd.
A beast at the Minor Mastery Life Xuan Stage, powerful enough to rival most peak-stage human cultivators of the same level, had actually been slain by Lin Fan.
And what was even more terrifying was that not even the slightest sound of battle had reached the surface. Clearly, Lin Fan had completely overpowered it—it didn't even have a chance to fight back.
The reverence in their hearts deepened.
Without paying much mind to their reactions, Lin Fan scanned the area and said indifferently, "Still not leaving? Must I escort you personally?"
At those calm words, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"We'll go now!"
With hurried replies, the remaining cultivators scrambled to leave the area.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The wind howled around the lake as figures retreated at high speed.
In just a few minutes, the previously noisy and crowded lakefront became quiet once more—leaving only Lin Fan, Lin Dong, and the Gu Clan members behind.
Once they were alone, Lin Fan casually pulled out one of the Life Xuanling Fruits and handed it to Gu Yan. "This is what I promised you."
"Thank you," Gu Yan replied sincerely, her cold expression finally softening into a smile as she accepted the fruit.
"A deal is a deal. No need for thanks," Lin Fan said lightly. "But Lin Dong and I will be staying here for a while. Don't think about sneaking off or breaking our agreement."
Gu Yan immediately replied, "We've already received more than we deserve—of course we wouldn't betray you."
"Since the two of you have business here, I'll take this time to refine the Life Xuanling Fruit and try to break through to the Life Xuan Stage."
"Then congratulations in advance," Lin Fan said with a smile. He turned to Lin Dong. "Come, we're heading back to the bottom of the lake."
With that, he dove into the lake again. Lin Dong followed closely behind.
"Big Sister Gu Yan, why are they going back down there? Is there something else under the lake?" one of the Gu Clan disciples asked curiously, watching the ripples.
Gu Yan shot him a cold glance. "Know your limits. Be content with what you've gained. If you get too greedy, you might die—and drag the whole clan down with you."
The disciple's face turned awkward, and he quickly nodded, not daring to say more.
"Pass the word. Set up camp and stay alert to any movements. I'm going into seclusion to break through to the Life Xuan Stage."
Gu Yan waved her hand, then leapt onto a boulder, sitting cross-legged. Her gaze lingered on the lake for a moment before she closed her eyes.
In her hand, the Life Xuanling Fruit appeared, glowing faintly with life energy as she began her cultivation.
…
Beneath the lake, Lin Dong followed Lin Fan deeper and deeper into the depths.
"Brother Lin Fan, is there really something else down here?"
"Yeah," Lin Fan replied. "I found Earthcore Spirit Pulp."
"Earthcore Spirit Pulp?!"
Lin Dong's expression lit up with excitement.
He knew just how valuable that was—compared to it, even the Life Xuanling Fruit paled in significance.
"But it's not unguarded. There's a powerful formation protecting it, and claiming it won't be easy," Lin Fan warned with a chuckle.
Lin Dong's eyes immediately narrowed. If even Lin Fan thought it would be troublesome, it had to be extremely dangerous.
Guided by Lin Fan, the two soon returned to the vast underground plaza beneath the magma layer.
"To think this was all hidden beneath the lake…" Lin Dong muttered in awe as they stepped onto the scorched, rocky floor.
Lin Fan brought him directly to the edge of the magma pool and pointed out the faint red lines that were nearly invisible to the naked eye.
"These form the defensive formation," Lin Fan explained.
Lin Dong's eyes widened. "If you hadn't pointed it out, I never would've noticed. So… what do we do now?"
"We'll test the array. You still have those demon corpses from the Domain of Otherworldly Demons, right?" Lin Fan asked.
"I do," Lin Dong nodded. With a flick of his sleeve, a black figure emerged—one of the demon corpses they had taken before.
"Go!" Lin Dong flicked a finger, sending the corpse shooting toward the magma pool. It lunged straight for the Earthcore Spirit Pulp hovering above the lava.
Buzz!
Just as the demon corpse was about to grab the pulp, the red lines surrounding the pool lit up brightly—forming a complete array in an instant.
A crimson beam of light shot out, slicing through space and slamming directly into the corpse.
BOOM!
The moment of impact caused the demon corpse's body to tremble violently before disintegrating into ashes in mere seconds!
"Hmph…"
At the same time, Lin Dong let out a muffled groan—part of his soul had been stored inside the demon corpse, and now it had been completely annihilated.
"What a terrifying formation…" Lin Dong gasped, a chill running down his spine.
"Try again. This time, I'll control the corpse," Lin Fan said after a moment of thought.
Lin Dong nodded and summoned another demon corpse.
Lin Fan sent a wisp of his own soul into it, taking full control. He then directed it toward the Earthcore Spirit Pulp hovering above the magma once more.
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