Xiao Fei looked at the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus before him, while Hong Wende enthusiastically introduced its characteristics.
However, his mind was preoccupied with whether he could transplant this divine medicine to his spatial realm for cultivation.
"Fellow Daoist Hong, how many Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses are there in the Nine Yang Cave? Do you have an estimate?"
"That's impossible to count," Hong Wende replied, shaking his head.
"The Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus is nurtured from flames. A plant might sprout in any corner at any time. Once the seeds mature, the plant withers away immediately. No one knows precisely how many plants are hidden within the Nine Yang Cave."
As Hong Wende spoke, he suddenly remembered something.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses here are the lifelines of everyone. You must not damage them. Anyone who damages a Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus in this cave is an enemy to all. Furthermore, this item can only grow in extremely rare and specific environments and cannot be transplanted."
"Thank you for the reminder. I naturally will not damage the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses in this cave."
Following this, Hong Wende led Xiao Fei to inspect several more Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses within the Nine Yang Cave. These were all discovered by Hong Wende and were currently under his care. Under normal circumstances, their future harvests would belong to him.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, being new here, you can only find newly appeared Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses yourself, or snatch them from others." Hong Wende's expression turned cautious as he spoke, worried that Xiao Fei might try to seize them from him.
"If Fellow Daoist Zhu truly cannot find any Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses, I can point you in the right direction. Continue walking in this direction, and you will find a female cultivator named Song Yao. She has been deeply poisoned by fire, and can only exert thirty to forty percent of her strength. You can try to snatch it from her."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Hong, for your guidance. I will look around. I bid you farewell!"
Seeing Xiao Fei cup his hands and depart, Hong Wende finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been tormented by the fire poison for a long time, and his remaining strength was not much greater than that of Song Yao.
After leaving Hong Wende, Xiao Fei did not immediately attempt to seize Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses from others. Instead, he wandered around the Nine Yang Cave. The flames in the Nine Yang Cave were not ordinary fires but a type of heavenly fire. Even though Xiao Fei continuously generated frost around his body, he still felt an unbearable heat within and his lips were parched.
As Xiao Fei walked through a patch of flames, a giant ice pop suddenly appeared in his hand, emitting a chilling aura that pushed back much of the surrounding fire. He brought the ice pop to his mouth and took a large bite.
"Crunch, crunch..."
"Ah... refreshing!" Eating an ice pop in this sea of flames was incredibly satisfying.
At the same time, within his spatial realm, an Arhat clone was using the Law of Water to create an even larger ice pop. Ice is formed from water, and is colder than water. Ice is a transformed state of water. With Xiao Fei's understanding of the Law of Water, he could easily condense solid ice. Moreover, with the reinforcement of the Law of Water's extreme cold, this ice pop could remain in the flames for a long time without melting. The Arhat clone consecutively made dozens of large ice pops in his spatial realm, sealing them with talismans to prevent melting.
After making the ice pops, he picked up a jade slip and examined it carefully, contemplating the refinement of pills to clear the fire poison. This fire poison was not inherently deadly; it was merely a condition formed when the body could no longer withstand prolonged exposure to flames. Even drinking a few mouthfuls of cool water could offer some relief. However, the Nine Yang Cave was entirely a sea of fire, making it impossible to find a water source. The cultivators of the Ying Yue Cave Haven had never considered providing such items. With Xiao Fei's alchemical skills, it should not be a problem for him to concoct a Clear Fire Detoxifying Pill. However, even the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in his spatial realm were far inferior in rank to the heavenly fires of the Nine Yang Cave.
At this moment, his gaze fell upon the Water Spirit Fruit tree growing beside the spiritual spring. This Water Spirit Fruit tree, after mutation, possessed ice-cold properties and appeared crystalline, like ice crystals. Several spiritual fruits had ripened on the tree, and Xiao Fei walked over to pluck them...
...
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed since Xiao Fei entered the Nine Yang Cave. During this year, no one had returned to the stone chamber to rest. According to Hong Wende's explanation, they could only return to the stone chamber to rest every sixty years, and at that time, they would submit the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses they had obtained in exchange for immortal pills to counteract the fire poison.
Xiao Fei had not found a single Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus in the past year. As he crunched on an ice pop, his eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted a Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus. However, as soon as he approached, a rune rose from the lotus, blocking his path. He had encountered this situation several times in the past year, indicating that this Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus was already claimed. If he advanced further, the owner of the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus would rush to fight him.
Just as Xiao Fei was about to turn away, a figure flew to the side of the Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus. It was Song Yao, whom Hong Wende had mentioned.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, please wait!"
Xiao Fei stopped at the sound and looked back. He saw that Fairy Song Yao's hair and eyebrows had been completely burned off, her eyes were bloodshot, and her lips were covered in cracked blood. Her body was withered and emaciated. Even though her clothes had many holes, revealing much of her skin, she did not evoke any interest.
"May I ask what business Fairy Song Yao has?"
"If Fellow Daoist is interested in this Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus, it is not impossible to discuss."
Xiao Fei felt that ever since he started using the name Zhu Yu, his luck with female cultivators had improved considerably. It seemed it wasn't that Zhu Yu was more attractive than himself, but rather that he was lucky to have a good name. Damn it! Even good names are taken by dogs! However, although Fairy Song Yao seemed attracted by his charm, he had no intention of sacrificing his appearance for a Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus. He was not like Zhu Yu.
"How does Fairy Song Yao wish to discuss? If it's just for one Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus, I'm not interested in trading."
"Fellow Daoist Zhu Yu, your appetite is indeed too large. This single Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus is enough for an Earth Immortal expert to fight desperately for." Song Yao stared at the large ice pop in Xiao Fei's hand, which was making crunching sounds, her eyes revealing intense longing.
Xiao Fei was startled by Song Yao's desperate gaze and took a step back. "Fairy Song Yao, I have my dignity. I am not that kind of person. I will absolutely not sell myself for a Heavenly Fire Golden Lotus." Xiao Fei spoke righteously, thinking of Zhu Yu. If Zhu Yu were here, he would have undoubtedly sold his body for a mere immortal medicine. Thinking of this, Xiao Fei felt a sense of superiority. He had more principles, self-respect, and moral integrity than Zhu Yu.
Song Yao's gaze remained fixed on the ice pop in Xiao Fei's hand, and she licked her cracked lips. "I can give you two Heavenly Fire Golden Lotuses, but you have to eat that ice pop for me for a year!"
"What!" Xiao Fei was truly frightened and retreated several steps. Did changing his name to Zhu Yu give him such great appeal to female cultivators? "A year is too long. I'm afraid my body won't be able to handle it!"
"How could you not handle it? You are a dignified Earth Immortal expert. You've only just entered the Nine Yang Cave. Using your laws to make ice pops for me for a year won't cause much depletion."
"What ice pops?" Xiao Fei's mind hadn't quite caught up.
"The ones in your hand. Aren't you condensing them with your laws?"
"Oh! So that's what it is!" Xiao Fei slapped his forehead, turning it red.
"Deal!"