Chapter Ninety-Three: A Rather Strong Taste

Qin Chuan was equally surprised when he heard the system notification, because this warning was rather unusual.

It only pointed out the Fire Dragon Tree, and then there was nothing more.

"No wonder the fire men have a skill called Fire Dragon Blast. So the source is here."

"The system never gives warnings for no reason. Looks like this Fire Dragon Tree still has some use for me."

After a moment of thought, Qin Chuan decided to give it a try.

"Devour the Source!"

...

"Devour the Source!"

"Damn it, can you show me a little respect? Not even the slightest reaction."

Qin Chuan could not help feeling a little helpless, but still unwilling to give up, he activated Devour once more.

There was still no notification this time, yet the Fire Dragon Tree below actually emitted a faint dragon's roar.

Then a pale illusory shadow of a fire dragon coiled above the tree, before being reluctantly drawn into the Dragon-Pattern Cold Jade Sword.

The moment it entered, the sword burst with brilliant light, and the dragon patterns on its blade became extraordinarily vivid.

Light flowed through the patterns as if they had come alive.

"Damn, so it was dragon qi, and it even nurtured a phantom form."

"If the fire men had not been constantly draining its power, it probably would have already turned into a true dragon."

Though he had not gained anything especially tangible this time, Qin Chuan vaguely felt that there was more to this place than met the eye.

"Fine, let's just treat it as a fruit platter after a feast. Rinsing my mouth and clearing my stomach is not bad either."

Just as Qin Chuan was feeling pleased with himself, Sleepy Bug also came over, staring fixedly at the Fire Dragon Tree below.

"Little brother, this is..."

"Roar! Splash!"

Before Qin Chuan could finish, Sleepy Bug leaped straight into the molten lava and vanished without a trace.

"Damn it, little brother, why are you so bent on self-destruction? Why jump into a volcano?"

The molten lava was scalding hot, with an extremely high temperature. Jumping in was practically a one-way trip to disaster, and Qin Chuan could not help but sweat for Sleepy Bug.

Fortunately, not long after, Sleepy Bug floated up from the lava. Its whole body had turned a golden red, like a roasted golden insect.

Seeing that Sleepy Bug had surfaced, Qin Chuan felt somewhat reassured, and began marveling in admiration. "Good heavens. I never expected this little brother of mine to have a taste for bathing in lava."

At that moment, Sleepy Bug twisted its body, swam swiftly over to the Fire Dragon Tree, opened its mouth, and started biting and chewing with crackling gusto, as though it tasted excellent.

"Damn, this little brother eats mud and wood both. Its tastes are a little heavy!"

Qin Chuan stared, dumbfounded. He had originally thought that after being soaked and tempered in molten lava, the Fire Dragon Tree would have become extremely hard. Yet the truth was exactly the opposite.

The Fire Dragon Tree was remarkably soft, like a cooked fire dragon that was not only delicious but also highly nourishing.

After the lotus flame's true body dispersed, it was once again absorbed by the Fire Dragon Tree.

Under Sleepy Bug's nonstop gnawing, the Fire Dragon Tree, which stood over ten meters tall, lasted only a little over half an hour before it was completely stuffed into Sleepy Bug's belly.

During this time, Zi Zi had also refined the Fire Crystal Fruit and advanced several levels in one go.

At that moment, she and Qin Chuan watched Sleepy Bug feast upon the Fire Dragon Tree.

Zi Zi blinked her lively beautiful eyes, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint smile. "I've suddenly realized that Little Bug and you are the same kind of people."

Qin Chuan was baffled by that and could not help asking, "Huh?"

Zi Zi giggled. "I mean that both you and Little Bug are monsters, both of you so bizarre that people can hardly make sense of you."

"No, no, no, that needs correcting. This is called being distinctive, having personality."

"Pfft! You really can talk nonsense. One of you levels up by killing spiritual creatures, the other evolves by eating all sorts of weird things. If that is not monstrous, what is it?"

Zi Zi looked at Qin Chuan with a smiling expression, as though she were truly looking at a monster.

Red light flickered in the molten lava, casting a crimson sheen over everything around them.

Zi Zi wore a fitted purple dress. With her black hair, purple eyes, and exquisitely delicate features, her skin was as fair as snow, smooth and flawless.

At that moment, the corners of her lips curved slightly in a soft smile, and in the reflected red glow she was like a pool of spring water.

Amid the faint, flickering crimson light, she seemed all the more alluring, and somewhat less pure and untouchable.

At this sight, Qin Chuan could not help but praise sincerely, "Zi Zi, you are truly beautiful."

To his surprise, the instant those words were spoken, Zi Zi's face turned bright red in a flash, making her appear even more enchanting.

Seeing her like that, Qin Chuan only felt something deep within his core beating wildly.

Zi Zi gave a soft, embarrassed snort and said coyly, "You are so annoying. I was talking to you about something else, and you end up teasing me instead."

"No, no, every word of that came from the bottom of my heart."

"Hmph, as if I would believe you!"

...

While they chatted idly, Sleepy Bug had already finished the entire Fire Dragon Tree and was lying flat on the molten lava, fast asleep. The golden-red color on its body had instead begun to fade gradually.

"Damn, this little brother is now immune to both water and fire, and not afraid of poison either!"

"Mm-hmm, Little Bug is becoming more and more amazing!"

About half an hour later, Sleepy Bug finally completed its evolution. The scales on its body had become much more distinct, and its white insect body was overlaid with a layer of gold and red.

Twisting its body, Sleepy Bug strolled casually through the scorching molten lava as if on a leisurely walk.

But in Qin Chuan's eyes, there was always a certain lewd and flirtatious air about it.

"Notification: discovered a level 24, tier three, superior-grade Golden Fire Toxic Dragon Worm. Quality: rare. Fourth-rank elite."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Little brother, you're fierce now!"

"Not at all, not at all. I would never dare compare with big brother."

"Enough, stop praising each other. It's still a bit stifling and hot in here. We should head out early."

By now, Sleepy Bug's body had grown a little larger. Though it still looked somewhat adorable, it had gained quite a bit of imposing power.

The three rogues retraced their steps. By then, the four-star area had fallen almost completely silent.

Qin Chuan had long since become synonymous with terror. Those spiritual creatures that had not yet evolved, the moment they caught the scent of his aura, had already hidden away in the shadows, trembling uncontrollably.

As for the occasional surviving spiritual elites, none of them dared make a sound, as though speaking even once would bring disaster upon them.

Thus the three rogues traveled unimpeded, swaggering all the way to the Path of Life and Death in the four-star area.

At that moment, multicolored toxic miasma floated in the air, looking as though it would disperse again soon.

Sleepy Bug looked at the miasma above with longing and said, "Big brother, if only I could absorb that multicolored toxic miasma."

Qin Chuan replied very cautiously, "Little brother, that's probably not possible yet. This thing is far too powerful. I'm afraid you would not be able to endure it."

"Mm, I think one day I should be able to do it."

Zi Zi was very understanding. She touched Sleepy Bug's head and comforted it softly, "Yes, yes, Little Bug, don't rush. Work hard!"

"Thank you, Sister Zi Zi. I'm not in a hurry."

After a while, the multicolored toxic miasma finally dispersed, and the three rogues once again entered the Path of Life and Death.

Only this time, it was somewhat different from the previous three. The Path of Life and Death was quiet, aside from the dim gloom.

And Qin Chuan did not hear the system notification either.

Zi Zi frowned. "This is really strange. There isn't even a spiritual creature guarding the pass."

Qin Chuan was not too worried. He said calmly, "It's fine. I'm here."

"Mm-hmm."

For more than a thousand meters, they walked the entire Path of Life and Death without encountering a single spiritual creature.

Qin Chuan had originally thought they would pass through this time so easily. But when they were only several dozen meters from the end, a sinister voice drifted over.

"Heh heh, welcome to the four-star Path of Life and Death."