Starting from Douluo Continent, I've become a god through daily check-ins.

Chapter 535 Racing Against Time

"Battle King. Phew, the Snake-People Clan is indeed full of powerful individuals." Looking at the woman who appeared before him, Gu He sensed her strength slightly and sighed helplessly in his heart.

The woman opposite Gu He didn't seem to have any intention of chatting with him. She grabbed a sharp serpent spear, flicked its tail in the air, and charged towards Gu He with fierce and unparalleled energy.

However, just as Gu He was preparing to set off to fight, the man in black robes suddenly appeared and said calmly, "Leave her to me. You go find the Strange Fire. We don't have much time left. Once Queen Medusa successfully evolves, I think we'll have to run as far away as possible."

"Hmm." Seeing the black-robed man appear before him, Gu He hurriedly nodded, gave a word of advice, and then, under Hua She'er's angry gaze, darted into the city like lightning.

Amidst the chaos atop the city walls, no one noticed a shadow slipping silently in from outside. After dealing with a few snake-men he encountered along the way, he took off charging into the vast city.

A slight tremor ran down his back as angel wings unfurled. Jing Chen flew rapidly at low altitude, anxiously asking in his mind, "Elder Yao, how is it? Have you sensed the location of the strange fire?"

"Queen Medusa is very cunning. I don't know what method she used, but she divided the aura of the strange fire into four parts. The locations of the four parts are just the four corners of this city. If we search them one by one, it will probably take a lot of time," Yao Lao said with a smile.

"Wow, that's really cunning. So what do we do now?" Hearing this, Jing Chen frowned slightly and asked.

"Hehe, don't worry. Although her methods are quite clever, no matter what, I have dealt with different kinds of fire for so many years, and I can still distinguish some of the subtle differences." There was a hint of smugness in Yao Lao's laughter.

"Which way?" Jing Chen asked, letting out a heavy sigh of relief.

"East!" the old apothecary replied quickly.

"Hehe, that guy Guhe went the wrong way." Upon hearing this, Jing Chen grinned, his face full of schadenfreude, because he had clearly seen Guhe flying in the north.

With a swift tap of his foot on a rooftop, Jing Chen deftly dodged several flying spears, glanced down at the chaotic city, then flapped his angel wings and flew towards the eastern part of the city.

After flying cautiously for nearly ten minutes, a massive temple slowly came into view.

"It's in here. Be careful, the aura of the strange fire is getting stronger and stronger." As the temple appeared, the old doctor's warning rang in my mind again.

"Hmm." Jing Chen nodded slightly, gradually slowing down his flight speed, and then quickly flashed into a dark place, squinting his eyes as he looked at the strict defenses outside the temple.

"Don't waste time, hurry up. If Queen Medusa successfully evolves, I won't be able to do anything to her now, and I'll have to run for my life," Yao Lao said in a deep voice.

"Hmm." Jing Chen nodded quickly, then quietly climbed over the temple. With the help of the old apothecary, he concealed his presence and darted into a corridor. He then ran desperately toward the place the old apothecary had pointed out.

With Yao Lao's powerful soul perception, Jing Chen narrowly avoided each of their patrols. After nearly ten minutes of this perilous escape, his vision suddenly cleared, and a small, clear lake came into view.

In the middle of the lake lies a small island. The surrounding water ripples, and there are no bridges or paths leading to it.

Standing at the edge of the lake, Jing Chen glanced at the crystal-clear water, licked his lips, and flapped his wings slightly. But just as his body entered the lake about a meter below the surface, a strange energy slammed him back into the water.

Just as his body was about to touch the lake water, Jing Chen's heart suddenly tightened, a sense of unease flashing through his mind. He reflexively threw out the jade ruler from his storage ring, then lightly touched it with his toes. Using this advantage, he shot back to the lake shore, his body skimming the surface of the lake.

Standing precariously by the lake, Jing Chen looked back at the jade ruler that had been eroded into nothingness in an instant, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Be careful. There's an energy barrier above the lake. Anything that flies will be forced into the lake. And the lake is obviously poisonous. Even a little bit of it could cause trouble for a Dou Wang expert." Yao Lao's voice echoed in my mind.

"Damn it," Jing Chen cursed under his breath, clenching his fists anxiously. After a long while, he slowly exhaled and said with a wry smile, "What do we do now?"

"There's no other way but to use the most basic method. Just like when we entered the lava lake last time, I'll envelop you in my strange fire. You'd better hurry and get to the island, otherwise you'll probably be corroded to the point of being nothing but bones." The old man pondered for a moment, then said helplessly.

"Then let's hurry up. Time is precious." Jing Chen rubbed his hands excitedly and urged.

The old apothecary gave a soft hum, and a pale white flame gradually swirled around his body. After a moment, it completely enveloped his body.

"Damn it, I'll risk it!" Standing at the edge of the lake, Jing Chen stared at the clear water, gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and jumped in with a splash.

Like a fish breaking through the water, Jing Chen's body plunged into the clear lake. He glanced at the pale white flames on his body and couldn't help but swallow.

At this moment, under the strange temperature of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, the surrounding lake water began to simmer as if boiling. As white bubbles continuously rose, a wisp of deep purple liquid, barely perceptible to the naked eye, slowly emerged.

However, just as these deep purple liquids were about to come into contact with the pale white flames, they were frozen into extremely fine ice threads by the Bone Spirit Cold Fire, and then slowly fell into the bottom of the lake.

Looking at the tiny purple ice threads constantly surging around him, Jing Chen felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected that this seemingly calm lake would conceal so much deadly venom.

"Hurry up, these venoms are extremely potent. Although the protection of the strange fire can prevent them from entering my body, it consumes too much of my soul power." Just as Jing Chen was marveling, Yao Lao's deep voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Hmm." Jing Chen nodded hastily, then sprang up with his feet, his head emerging from the water. He looked at the small island in the center of the lake, exhaled softly, and then rapidly paddled with both arms, leaving a trail of water behind him as he gradually approached the lake.

(End of this chapter)