Chapter 410: Chapter 402 Fire Lotus Obtained_1
It seemed eager to enter the magma, but it still wasn’t capable of fully submerging itself.
Every time, it bravely beat its wings and descended, then flew back up.
It somewhat resembled a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface, as the legends go.
When it pounced toward the lava pool once more, with the magma being parted by its wingbeats, Qin Niu could now clearly see that most of the Fire Lotus had been exposed.
It indeed was a Fire Lotus.
Moreover, it was a Fire Lotus that had completely bloomed.
You could even see the pistil.
“If what Master Mo Yang wrote in his book is true, then the eruption of this volcano should occur in the near future.”
Qin Niu’s expression turned solemn.
If the volcano erupted while he was inside the cave, he would be burned to ash without a doubt.
Because at the moment of a volcanic eruption, the magma would spew out like a flood, rapidly filling the entire cave.
It was even possible that the force could burst a hole through the mountain above the lava pool, causing the magma to spray directly into the sky.
As he was deep in thought, the firebird seemed to sense something and turned its head to look in his direction.
Luckily, Qin Niu had made ample camouflage and cover.
Frightened, he lay low and dared not to move an inch.
He had also long since averted his gaze.
This Demon Bird’s sensing ability was too sharp; he had only looked at the Fire Lotus inside the lava pool a few times more than usual, not expecting to be detected by it.
“Screech!”
The firebird flew to the entrance of the cave where Qin Niu was hiding and then opened its mouth to spew a blast of flames inside.
Qin Niu quickly ducked into a side tunnel, activating the King Pig Leather Armor, and hugging the Ice Lotus tightly, he frantically channeled the power of the Everlasting Spring Technique into the Ice Lotus.
The fierce flames scorched his skin painfully.
Thankfully, with the Ice Lotus blocking most of the flame’s ferocity, and being inside a side tunnel where less fire could enter, he managed to narrowly escape this disaster.
“How terrifying!”
Having evaded the calamity of fiery immolation, he finally understood why Elder Mei had no strength to fight back against this firebird and immediately fled after just one contact,
losing an arm in the process.
The flames spit out by the firebird could likely reduce an Immortal Master of the Spirit Qi Realm to ashes on the spot.
“Although its fiery blast is fierce, it’s not as horrific as the legends claim.”
According to legend, flames spewed by a Phoenix could vaporize a person instantaneously,
leaving not even ashes behind,
and the person would be vaporized in an instant.
This firebird was still far from that level.
“With the Ice Lotus protecting me and this pre-dug cave for cover, there’s no need for excessive worry,” Qin Niu reassured himself, having gauged a portion of its strength through their brief clash.
At this moment, the magma in the pool began roiling even more violently.
Big bubbles over a meter in diameter bubbled up from the bottom, shooting the magma high in the air.
The lava in the pool was boiling as if thoroughly enflamed.
“This is bad, could the volcano be erupting today?” Qin Niu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he watched the churning lava pool, his heart filled with fear.
He could withstand the firebird’s fiery attack, but he certainly could not stand up against the power of a volcanic eruption.
The force of nature was difficult for even an Immortal Master to withstand,
let alone someone of the Innate Realm like him.
After the firebird sprayed a blast of flame into his hiding cave and left him be,
it seemed very confident in its own fiery breath.
Nothing and no one could escape its fiery blast.
It, too, sensed the abnormality in the lava pool and began to pounce toward the surface of the pool with increased frequency.
The rate of its strikes was much higher than before,
and it started to extend its claws to snatch the Fire Lotus.
But its talons couldn’t reach too deep into the magma and could only penetrate a little bit.
Thus, it could only grab part of the Fire Lotus’s petals and not the base of the flower.
“Is it trying to dig out the Fire Lotus and then fly out of the cave with it?” Qin Niu pondered its intentions.
He had no way of entering the lava pool; if the firebird could dig out that Fire Lotus, it might actually present an opportunity for him.
After several attempts, the firebird failed to extract the Fire Lotus from the lava pool,
instead shredding the petals to tatters.
It seemed to become anxious,
as the rolling of the lava pool grew ever more intense, a sense of the majesty of heaven and earth began to fill the entire cave.
Danger was descending.
Even the firebird could not withstand the peril of a volcanic eruption.
But the fire lotus seemed extremely important to it, and it could not bring itself to abandon it.
After multiple failed attempts, it plunged headfirst into the pool of magma, an action that almost made Qin Niu’s jaw drop.
It didn’t care about its life anymore?
Once the firebird dived into the pool of magma, the lava immediately engulfed it.
Its feathers were being rapidly burned by the magma.
The agony of being consumed by flames caused it to emit piercing cries of pain.
It actually dived deeper into the magma again.
After a moment, Qin Niu noticed that the fire lotus had risen noticeably.
One could now see a third of the fire lotus’s petals.
After a while, the firebird emerged from the magma.
The feathers on its body had been burned so much they were unrecognizable, with only the bases of some feathers remaining.
After emerging from the magma, it seemed to be gasping for air.
A few seconds later, it dived back into the magma.
Truly a demon bird, swimming directly in the lava, and even diving.
This time, the fire lotus floated up even more.
About half of it was now exposed above the surface of the magma.
Qin Niu noticed it was moving towards the shore.
It was very likely that the firebird was carrying it underwater.
Its feathers were burned away, and it was no longer able to fly. It had no choice but to try to carry the fire lotus to the shore and then climb up.
Qin Niu simply watched quietly, although his heartbeat was accelerating non-stop.
Picking peaches, that was his strong suit.
Missing out on an advantage would make him a fool.
The firebird now had no feathers left to fly and was carrying the fire lotus to the shore.
It was a golden opportunity.
A while later, the firebird emerged from the magma to breathe again.
At this moment, the lava in the pool was boiling even more violently. Even the cave where Qin Niu was hiding felt the effects.
Below his feet were hard, black rocks with a very high melting point.
Yet now there were signs they were beginning to melt.
Qin Niu could only rely on the ice lotus to withstand the high temperature coming from the ground.
Time was passing quickly, and the firebird was finally about to carry the fire lotus to the shore after great difficulty.
When it came up to breathe, one could see that its feathers had been completely burned away.
Not even the roots remained.
Moreover, its skin had also suffered severe damage and was charred everywhere.
“Grab the fire lotus and run. Without its feathers, it shouldn’t be able to catch up to me,” he thought.
Qin Niu bit his lip and decided to take a risky chance.
The fire lotus was only two meters from the shore now, and this time the firebird would surely get it ashore.
He watched as the firebird dived into the magma once again.
“Here goes nothing.”
Qin Niu immediately rushed out from his hiding place and silently arrived at the edge of the magma pool.
The firebird in the lava clearly had no idea there was a human waiting to take advantage of the situation.
It was still in the magma, enduring the agony of being burned, stupidly carrying the fire lotus towards the shore.
Closer and closer.
Qin Niu tried to reach for the petals of the fire lotus.
It was scalding.
As though he was grabbing flames.
He immediately took a jade hook out of the basket on his back.
It was specially prepared for retrieving the fire lotus.
He reached into the lava, hooked the fire lotus, and then pulled up with force.
In an instant, he pulled it out of the magma.
The root could be seen to be very rough.
Qin Niu pulled the fire lotus ashore and started running with it.
The firebird sensed something was wrong, emerged from the lava, and saw a human stealing its fire lotus.
“Screech!”
It immediately flapped its wings desperately, trying to get ashore, but could no longer take flight. Qin Niu was already twenty meters away.
In a fit of rage, the firebird opened its mouth and spewed a jet of flame towards Qin Niu.
Unfortunately, it was a bit too far, and it failed to harm Qin Niu.