What does it have to do with me?

However, this was only the beginning.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss—!"

Dense, continuous hissing sounds rose from the surrounding magma, filled with cruelty and greed.

The next moment, streaks of red shadow broke through the magma, surrounding Shen Wen completely.

They were strange creatures about half a zhang long, with crimson bodies covered in fine red scales.

They stood on two legs, their feet unusually wide, their heads round and also covered in scales, with small pupils flashing fierce light.

A large mouth opened, revealing dense, saw-like sharp teeth inside.

A red scaled tail behind them swayed slightly, maintaining balance.

Overall, they looked like a group of fierce, upright-walking lizards, and every single one emitted scorching fire-attribute energy fluctuations. Their strength ranged from Dou Ling to Dou King, and the aura of a few exceptionally strong leaders was already close to Peak Dou Huang.

"Flame Lizard Tribe..." Shen Wen slightly raised an eyebrow, recognizing this peculiar race that lived deep within the magma.

He suddenly remembered that the Flame Lizard Tribe was quite unique; they did not condense traditional Demonic Cores within their bodies, but rather an energy crystal called a "fire pearl."

This object contained extremely pure and volatile fire-attribute energy. It was a great tonic for fire-attribute Cultivators and could also be used as supplementary Materials for certain special Medicinal Pills, making it quite valuable.

"Materials delivered right to my door, then." A faint curve appeared at the corner of Shen Wen's mouth.

Facing the large number of Flame Lizards lunging at him from all directions, he remained standing in place, calm and unhurried.

With a slight thought, the pressure of the Flame Ancestral Symbol was the first to spread out!

"Buzz—!"

The invisible pressure of the Fire Origin swept past, and all the attacking Flame Lizards instantly froze, their movements becoming sluggish as instinctive terror appeared in their eyes.

The fire-attribute energy within their bodies became chaotic and subservient before the Flame Ancestral Symbol.

Immediately afterward, the power of the space ancestral talisman flowed silently.

A silver light flashed in Shen Wen's eyes. His powerful Soul Power, combined with Spatial Perception, instantly locked onto and marked the location and aura of every Flame Lizard within several hundred zhang!

"Gather."

He softly uttered a single word.

The next moment, centered around Shen Wen, the space in the magma region spanning several hundred zhang was violently squeezed and twisted, as if by an invisible giant hand!

"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!..."

Amidst the continuous muffled sounds, the bodies of the marked Flame Lizards, regardless of their strength, simultaneously burst open without any warning!

Crimson blood and shredded flesh were instantly vaporized by the high-temperature magma, leaving behind only round pearls, roughly the size of a longan, blood-red, and emitting pure, scorching energy fluctuations, suspended in the magma.

These were the "fire pearls" unique to the Flame Lizard Tribe.

Shen Wen swept his sleeve, and a suction force emerged, gathering all hundred or so fire pearls and storing them in an empty Jade Box.

He briefly sensed them; the energy fluctuations of the strongest ones had indeed reached the Peak Dou Huang level, containing fierce yet pure fire energy, counting as a surprisingly good haul.

Casually dealing with these "minor nuisances," Shen Wen's gaze returned to the pale white Energy Shield ahead, and the Dou Zun Skeleton and the nascent Fallen Heart Flame within it.

He no longer hesitated, stepping forward and heading toward that strange vacuum zone.

Shen Wen stepped into the pale white Energy Shield.

Inside the shield, it was completely different from the scorching molten world outside; the air was cool and carried a strange tranquility.

The grayish-white Dou Zun Skeleton had jade-like bones, shimmering with faint light, and even after countless years, it still emitted an imposing pressure that could not be ignored.

His gaze swept past the skeleton and landed directly on the cluster of milky white flames quietly suspended there.

The nascent Fallen Heart Flame was pure and gentle, emitting calming fluctuations, completely unlike the volatile mature form he had refined.

Without hesitation, Shen Wen reached out to grasp it; a gentle suction force was about to draw the cluster of flames toward him.

Just as his power was about to touch the flames—

"Buzz!"

In the eye sockets of the seated skeleton's skull, two faint clusters of white light suddenly ignited.

Immediately afterward, a slightly illusory Soul Body of an elder dressed in white robes drifted out slowly from the crown of the skeleton's head.

The Soul Body had a refined face, white hair, and a white beard. Although illusory, it possessed the bearing of a former powerhouse.

He looked at Shen Wen, his eyes first flashing with astonishment and vigilance, then slowly speaking in a voice that held the hoarseness and vicissitude of someone who hadn't spoken to others for a long time:

"Junior, for you to find this place, your Opportunity is not small. This old man is Yao Tianhuo, known as Venerable Skyfire, and I once controlled the Fallen Heart Flame when I was alive."

His tone carried a hint of pride and testing, seemingly wanting to see the young man's reaction upon hearing his name.

Normally, the name and legacy of any Dou Zun powerhouse, even after death, would be enough to shock and elicit respect from juniors.

However, Shen Wen merely looked at him calmly, his face devoid of the surprise, excitement, or reverence that Venerable Skyfire had anticipated; there wasn't even a ripple of emotion.

Venerable Skyfire's heart sank slightly.

After all, he was a former Dou Zun, and his Soul perception was sharp. At this close distance, he finally clearly sensed the terrifying Soul fluctuations emanating from Shen Wen, which were hidden but vast as an abyss!

That was definitely not the Soul Realm that an ordinary Dou Zong, or even a typical Dou Zun, could possess!

What made his Soul Body tremble even more was the faintly emitted aura from Shen Wen, which was interwoven with various power fluctuations that made his heart palpitate, causing this wisp of Remnant Soul to instinctively feel extreme danger!

During his Peak period, he was a Five-Star Dou Zun, and he believed his strength was extraordinary. Yet, facing this seemingly young Black-Robed Youth, he had a hunch.

Even if he were here in his prime, he might not be this person's opponent!

Where exactly did this monster come from?

"Who... exactly are you?" Venerable Skyfire couldn't help but speak again, most of the pride in his tone having vanished, replaced by heavy astonishment and apprehension.

Shen Wen did not answer his question. His gaze still rested on the nascent Fallen Heart Flame, as if Venerable Skyfire's appearance was merely an insignificant triviality. He said faintly, "I will be taking this Exotic Flame."

The tone was flat, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

Venerable Skyfire was stunned. His Remnant Soul fluctuated, and his tone became slightly displeased and urgent: "Junior!

This flame is what my Remnant Soul depends upon! The energy it emits maintains this last wisp of Soul from dissipating. If you take it away, how is that different from murder? How can such conduct be considered the action of the Righteous Path?"

He tried to use reason and condemnation to make Shen Wen stop.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wen finally turned his gaze toward him, his eyes still calm and unmoving, even carrying a hint of faint indifference.

"Exotic Flames are nurtured by Heaven and Earth, and have no master," Shen Wen's voice clearly echoed within the quiet vacuum shield. "Since you have already died and your Dao has vanished, the fact that you left behind a wisp of Remnant Soul is your own fortune, but it is not a reason to possess the Exotic Flame."

He paused, looking at the anger surfacing on Venerable Skyfire's illusory face, and continued, "Besides, what does your life or death have to do with me?"