"Brother Yuan, how do you feel?" Seeing Yuan Ming open his eyes, Long Chong hurriedly asked.

Qiong Yun and Wulu also looked at him with an inquisitive expression.

"Very good," Yuan Ming summoned a stream of water to wash away the impurities from his body and nodded.

"That's it?" Long Chong seemed quite unsatisfied with that answer.

"The wonders of it cannot be summarized in words, one must experience it for oneself," Yuan Ming said, intentionally leaving them in suspense, his mood very good at the moment.

Qiong Yun rolled his eyes, while a smile appeared in Wulu's, clearly familiar with Yuan Ming's character.

"Just kidding. Seriously though, this Earth Core Fire Lotus is indeed an extraordinary flower. After taking it..." Yuan Ming said with a smile, carefully recounting the process of refining the Earth Core Fire Lotus.

"Brother Long, you just mentioned the Earth Core Fire Lotus is formed from the convergence of magma spiritual power and earth essence, so the spiritual power it contains should primarily be of the fire attribute. Brother Yuan practices a wood attribute cultivation method, so why did it have such a significant effect on him?" Wulu asked, puzzled.

"That's the remarkable thing about the Earth Core Fire Lotus. Swallowing the lotus does not only grant you the spiritual power it contains, but it also draws in nature's spiritual energy into your body. Hence, even those who practice cultivation methods other than the fire attribute can benefit greatly. Brother Yuan's cultivation method is of the wood attribute, and since wood generates fire, the Earth Core Fire Lotus has an especially potent effect on him, second only to cultivators of the fire attribute," Long Chong explained.

"I see," Wulu said, enlightened. He turned to look at the magma lake with a glint of eagerness in his eyes.

They had been caught off guard initially, resulting in mostly fruitless attempts. The four of them discussed on the spot, preparing to join forces to harvest all the Earth Core Fire Lotuses from the center of the lake—after all, it was a rare opportunity that only comes once in a thousand years.

Just at that moment, bluish light flashed again above the firmament.

"Everyone, the Star Rain is coming again!" Wulu looked up and warned after a glance.

"No worries, let's gather together," Yuan Ming said, taking out the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear.

The others had already witnessed the might of this divine weapon and did not hesitate to move closer to Yuan Ming.

Meanwhile, above the sky, the blue tide rose again, with bright and dazzling star trails, like waves surging over the ocean, hammering down towards the floating continent.

This time, the force seemed even stronger than the previous one.

In the urgency of the whistling sounds, Yuan Ming raised his hand and tossed the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear into the air.

With a flick of his wrist and a pinch of his spell, whooshing sounds filled the air as he twisted his wrist. The Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear rapidly spun in the high sky, tracing afterimages in the void to form a massive purple light shield.

Star Rains bombarded the purple light shield formed by the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, with countless starlights splashing, all being deflected.

As Yuan Ming felt heavy impacts transmitted from the spear, he also distinctly sensed that it was absorbing more star power.

Having refined the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, he could now draw star power from a distance. A continuous stream of star power flowed into his body, ceaselessly tempering Yuan Ming's bones and making them increasingly resilient.

In that moment, Yuan Ming suddenly had a realization and his hand controlling the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear trembled inadvertently, causing a star from the Star Rain to be missed and whiz by close to them, narrowly avoiding injury.

"Brother Yuan..." Long Chong couldn't help calling out.

Yuan Ming gave an apologetic smile without explaining anything.

The reason for his lapse was the shocking discovery that as star power continued to pour in, the seal within the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear seemed to be weakening imperceptibly.

"Could it be that when enough star power is absorbed, the seal within the spear can be completely broken?" Yuan Ming thought excitedly to himself.

With that thought, he no longer just passively defended against the Star Rain's assault, but actively shattered the falling star showers to collect as much star power as possible.

Seeing this, Long Chong thought it was his earlier call of "Brother Yuan" that made Yuan Ming think he was being chastised for not blocking well, which was why he actively attacked.

He wanted to tell Yuan Ming not to overexert himself, but he was somewhat uncertain how to express it.

Fortunately, this round of Star Rain didn't last long and quickly disappeared.

When the extensive star trails vanished, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but a hint of regret flickered in Yuan Ming's eyes.

His bones had been strengthened once more, barely giving off a metallic luster, getting ever closer to the Iron Bone Body of the Bone Refinement culturing stage.

If the Star Rain could have lasted for another half a moment, his Body Cultivation would have reached a new level.

As for the seal within the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear, it hadn't broken, but the might of the spear had greatly increased, the radiated purple glow becoming more intense, and a chilling Qi Force lingered around the shaft.

Yuan Ming called back the Purple Star Nine Dragon Spear and after looking at it for a moment, he put it away.

"We need to hurry, while the next round of Star Rain has not yet fallen, let's collect these Earth Core Fire Lotuses, lest we encounter unexpected complications over time," Qiong Yun said.

"First we need to think of how to deal with those Fire Crocodiles," Wulu said, looking at the seemingly peaceful Magma Lake, feeling somewhat troubled.

Yuan Ming opened his mouth to speak but suddenly frowned and looked towards the other side of the ridge.

At this moment, on the nearby slope, a dozen figures were hurrying over towards them.

These people subtly divided into four teams, leading the way were two individuals, precisely the Golden Cloud Fairy from Fusang Island and Daoist Qian Bao from Golden Turtle Island.

The team beside them consisted of Huan Ling Zi, Immortal Bing Xin, and Yun Jiuxiao from the two second-level islands. The cultivators looked rather displeased, their expressions grim, possibly due to the death of Mi Luo.

A little distance away were Qing Tong from Thousand Snake Island, Xue Jiao from Bijiao Island, and Hou Santong from Water Ape Island.

As for the last team, which maintained a further distance from the others, it was composed of cultivators from Yuzhu Island, Red Leaf Island, and Wanhua Island.

Apart from Tu Sheng from Earth Beauty Island, all cultivators who had entered the secret realm had now gathered here.

As Yuan Ming and his companions noticed this group, the group likewise saw Yuan Ming and his three companions.

Huan Ling Zi had an unpleasant look on his face, especially when his eyes swept over Yuan Ming—it sparked with deeply ingrained spitefulness and bitterness, yet he did not step forward to seek revenge.

He took a deep breath and turned to look at Wulu, who stood beside Yuan Ming.

"Fellow Daoist Hong, why are you following them? Hurry over here," he called out.

As he spoke, Huan Ling Zi's gaze did not linger on Wulu; instead, he glanced fleetingly at Yuan Ming as if to gauge his reaction.

Yuan Ming snorted inwardly but didn't speak up to stop him.

"Fellow Daoist Huan Ling Zi, we teamed up only temporarily before, and now I have already joined this group. It's unnecessary for me to come over," Wulu replied with a smile.

"Teaming up with them? Have you really thought this through?" Huan Ling Zi chuckled coldly, his intent to intimidate clear.

Wulu just gave Huan Ling Zi an apologetic smile and said no more.

Seeing such an attitude, Huan Ling Zi's face darkened, and the veins on his temple throbbed with anger. He silently channeled his soul power, attempting to manipulate the Illusion Seed within Wulu's Sea of Consciousness.

However, the Illusion Seed within Wulu had already been expelled by Yuan Ming, so no matter how Huan Ling Zi tried to cast spells, there was no response.

At that moment, Huan Ling Zi frowned slightly, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. Then, remembering something, he looked again at Yuan Ming, his gaze colder than before.

Qing Tong and others were hoping for some excitement, but seeing that Huan Ling Zi didn't react, they all felt a shade of disappointment.

"Fellow Daoist Huan Ling Zi, aren't you going to teach someone who doesn't appreciate kindness a lesson?" Qing Tong asked with her tongue flicking over her teeth, always eager for chaos.

"Have you forgotten what we're here for?" Huan Ling Zi glanced at her, asking in response.

"Right, right, right, you said there was the aura of heavenly materials and earthly treasures around here." Upon hearing this, Qing Tong began to scan the surroundings, and soon she discovered the Earth Core Fire Lotus in the center of the Magma Lake.

"Is that the Earth Core Fire Lotus?" Hou Santong also spotted the treasure, exclaiming in surprise.

Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to his words as they looked towards the lake, each letting out exclamations of surprise, including Golden Cloud Fairy and Daoist Qian Bao. For the moment, no one paid any attention to Yuan Ming and his companions.

Daoist Qian Bao gently patted the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist, and a blue little creature flew out, landing on his shoulder.

This beast had the head of a tiger, the body of a leopard, and the tail of a dragon, not appearing like an ordinary spirit beast.

"This is the auspicious beast, Pixiu!" Xi Ying exclaimed inside the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

"Pixiu? The legendary beast with a mouth, no anus, and the ability to devour all things without excretion, capable of seeking treasures?" Yuan Ming communicated back.

"It seems so. However, a true Pixiu is born with six legs, but this one has only four. It seems it's not a purebred Pixiu," Xi Ying responded.

The blue little beast lazily yawned before finally opening its eyes and looking towards the center of the Magma Lake. Its little ears perked up with excitement, letting out eager cries and leaping towards the lake.

Daoist Qian Bao grabbed it back, placed it on his shoulder again, and smiled at the Golden Cloud Fairy beside him, "It seems it indeed is the Earth Core Fire Lotus. Fairy, you're in luck, just two blossoms and your odds for breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage will increase significantly."

Golden Cloud Fairy's eyes also flashed with joy as she looked ahead.

"Hey, you guys got here early. Why haven't you picked the Fire Lotus yet? What are you waiting for?" Qing Tong, hearing the two's conversation, flashed a look of joy and pointed at Yuan Ming's group, asking outright.

"Naturally, we're not waiting for some useless thing like you!" Long Chong abruptly changed his normally enthusiastic demeanor, retorting unkindly with a cold snort.

"What did you say?" Qing Tong's slit pupils narrowed, and her eyes brimmed with murderous intent.

Yuan Ming wasn't surprised by this. Thousand Snake Island and Thousand Dragon Island were always at odds, a fact known by anyone in the East Sea with a bit of experience, although it's not always openly acknowledged.

The conflict between the two stemmed from the names of their respective islands: Thousand Dragon Island took the dragon as its emblem, while Thousand Snake Island identified with the snake.

The Snake-man Clan aimed to shed their snake skins and transform into dragon forms. With Thousand Dragon Island adopting the dragon as its symbol, it massively offended the Snake-man Clan. The two had been enemies for over a millennium. Both sides were sore in each other's eyes, ready to oppose each other at the slightest provocation.

"I mean, there's an order to everything. Since you arrived later, you should wait for us to pick them and then take what we leave behind. Don't you agree that we should play fair?" Long Chong, unabashed, said with a mix of jest in his voice.

However, his words immediately caught the attention of all the cultivators who had arrived later.

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