Word Count: 2,741 Words
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"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame..." Little Fairy Doctor stared at the beautiful, sacred lotus floating below. Even her tranquil temperament could not keep her from being utterly entranced.
This was nothing like the bewitching, blood-tinged Essence Flame of moments ago. The fire lotus before them was holy and flawless, a meteor tearing through the darkness of the heart. It radiated pure white light, its petals as graceful as an immortal maiden's trailing skirts. One could not help but be drawn in by the mysterious, irresistible power it exuded.
The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame could rightly be called the most mysterious and beautiful Heavenly Flame on the Dou Qi Continent. Its very existence felt like some incomprehensible force that inspired boundless awe and reverence.
Now it lay like a maiden of peerless beauty, resting quietly upon the sea of fire, waiting for someone to pluck her.
High in the sky, Xiao Yan needed a long moment to suppress the excitement surging through his chest. He exchanged a glance with Xun Er and Little Fairy Doctor, then began descending with utmost care. Only when he hovered some thirty feet from the milky-white and pink lotus did he finally come to a slow halt.
The current Purifying Lotus Demon Flame was worlds apart from before. Earlier it had been vicious and violent. Now it was quiet and serene, showing no hostility despite their approach.
"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame seems different from just now..." Surprise colored Xun Er's voice as she watched the tranquil lotus drift gently across the magma.
"Mm. It leans much more toward the 'Purifying' side now, rather than the 'Demon.' Before, it stirred up inner turmoil. Now it brings peace to the heart instead." Little Fairy Doctor nodded in agreement.
Perhaps it should be called the Purifying Lotus Saint Flame now. Emerging from the mire unstained, bathed in clear ripples yet without the slightest demonic taint.
"It's thanks to it merging with that Asura silhouette on its own initiative. Its intelligence was wiped clean along with the merger. The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame right now is like a newborn infant." Heat burned across Xiao Yan's face. After witnessing that frenzied temperament firsthand, he had to admit that even if he had obtained the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame in its previous state, he would never have dared refine it. A super expert as powerful as the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint himself had fallen to this Heavenly Flame's backlash. What chance would a mere 3-star Dou Saint like him have had?
He glanced at the three-faced Asura statue floating beside him. His hand seals shifted, and the statue dissolved into his body, transforming into a unique form of Spiritual Strength.
After absorbing it, Xiao Yan felt his Spiritual Strength advance another step. He had even brushed against an invisible bottleneck. This had to be the barrier of the legendary Emperor State soul. Once he shattered it, he would step into the Emperor State!
"Won't doing this damage the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's spirituality?" Little Fairy Doctor's willow-leaf brows drew together in concern.
Xiao Yan only smiled and gave no answer. His gaze drifted back to the flame lotus, and Xun Er took the opportunity to voice a worry of her own.
"What do we do now? The spatial tunnel has already dissipated. I tried a moment ago, and I'm afraid our current strength isn't enough to tear open the space here."
Both she and Xiao Yan were 3-star Dou Saints, and Little Fairy Doctor was a 1-star Dou Saint, yet this space had been created by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint himself. Traces of his seals still lingered within it. Tearing it open by force would be easier said than done.
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, his gaze never leaving the flame lotus. A slow smile curved his lips. "Since we can't leave for the time being, let's refine the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame right here."
Little Fairy Doctor's face flushed crimson the instant those words left his mouth. She gave a small start and silently retreated two steps, her slender hand flying up to clutch her collar. The tips of her ears turned pink.
Why did I rush in here on impulse...
She had experience with this sort of thing!
The more 'experienced' Little Fairy Doctor could already feel a foreboding chill crawling up her spine. Every time Xiao Yan refined a Heavenly Flame, matters seemed to spiral in a certain direction for anyone who lingered too close!
Xun Er, lacking that particular 'experience,' failed to notice Little Fairy Doctor's subtle retreat. Worry filled her eyes instead. "Xiao Yan ge-ge, are you confident?"
Her willow-leaf brows knitted together. Although the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame no longer lashed out wildly, it remained a terrifying existence ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Refining it would be anything but easy.
Without help, refining a wild Heavenly Flame was almost certainly a death sentence. That was practically an iron law of the Dou Qi Continent.
Even for the Gu Clan, Xun Er had only been able to refine the clan's Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame bit by bit because Gu Yuan, with his Emperor State strength, had personally guarded her throughout. She had started at age four and continued for more than twenty years.
Even so, she had still nearly lost her life to the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame. Only Xiao Yan's accidental intervention had saved her.
She knew full well just how dangerous refining a Heavenly Flame truly was.
"Less than fifty percent, I suppose." Xiao Yan's faint smile held no deception. After witnessing the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's terrifying might, he harbored the utmost wariness toward it. Besides, there was likely no one in this world who dared claim absolute confidence in refining it.
From beginning to end, the Flame Mantra had never once claimed to increase the success rate of Heavenly Flame refinement. Xiao Yan's fifty percent already accounted for his extraordinary flame resistance and the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill.
If someone who had never refined even a single Heavenly Flame attempted this, they would essentially be seeking death.
How could everyone possibly be the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint?
That probability was far from reassuring. Worry flickered through both Xun Er's and Little Fairy Doctor's eyes.
"Which time I refined a Heavenly Flame wasn't a gamble with my life? I've already gambled twelve times. What's one more?" Xiao Yan smiled. "Besides, this Demon Flame Space was created by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint himself. I imagine even your father couldn't easily break in. Otherwise they would've claimed the Demon Flame long ago. This place is perfect. Only here can I refine the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame without distraction."
He laughed lightly. "And if we don't emerge for a long while, everyone outside will assume we met with disaster. That saves us countless troubles."
Xun Er considered his words, then could only nod. His reasoning made sense. Countless people across the Central Plains had their eyes fixed on the Demon Flame Space right now. If someone caught them leaving with the Essence Flame, even Xiao Yan would struggle against the flood of greedy fools desperate enough to make their move. Even if they survived the onslaught, they'd be mired in endless trouble, with no peaceful moment to refine the Demon Flame.
"When do you plan to begin?" Little Fairy Doctor asked softly, her gaze shifting.
"After I've fully recovered my Dou Qi and healed my injuries." Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile. His fervent gaze remained fixed on the fire lotus drifting atop the magma.
He had originally believed that reaching the Dou Saint realm would make refining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame a sure thing. Reality had taught him otherwise. Without thorough preparation, who refined whom was still very much in question.
…
The recovery took seven days.
Outside the Demon Flame Space, the distorted sky had long since smoothed back to normal. The terrifying temperatures that had blanketed the land gradually weakened. The magma desert below stopped churning and slowly solidified into chunks of white rock.
Before long, these white rocks would become Demon Flame Rocks, treasures that everyone on the Dou Qi Continent would scramble to obtain.
Figures hovered throughout the surrounding sky, their gazes filled with reluctance as they stared at that stretch of space. After the spatial tunnel dissipated, they had lost all sense of that sealed realm. No matter what methods they employed, they could not make it reappear.
"Zi Yan, you should return to Dragon Island first. The Ancient Void Dragon Race cannot be without you." Cai Lin turned to Zi Yan, who had waited at her side for seven days.
Zi Yan opened her mouth to protest, then closed it and slowly nodded. In the past, she could still afford to be willful. Now, however, the Ancient Void Dragon Race needed their Dragon Emperor. Dragon Island remained unified only in name, and the three great Dragon Kings were all still alive.
"Sister Cai Lin, what about you?" Qing Lin stepped up beside her.
"I'll wait a while longer, then return to the Yellow Springs Mountain Range." Cai Lin stroked Qing Lin's hair, then turned her gaze toward the space that had completely vanished. Her voice dropped to a murmur. "You have to remember. Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai are still at home, waiting for you. You cannot die."
…
The crowds outside the Demon Flame Space were gradually dispersing. Within it, after seven full days of preparation, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes. The moment had finally come to refine the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame.
He had waited over a decade for this day!
Xun Er and Little Fairy Doctor opened their eyes the moment he did, flanking him on either side.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, may you succeed in one stroke." Xun Er smiled gently and gave him a small nod.
"You'll definitely succeed." Little Fairy Doctor clenched her fists, tension threading her voice.
"Mm."
Xiao Yan drifted toward the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame without another moment's hesitation. He swallowed the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill in a single gulp and silently began circulating the Flame Mantra.
Both women held their breath as he slowly extended a trembling hand, reached through the lotus petals, and seized that cluster of pink-tinged flame!
BOOM! BOOM!!
The instant his palm closed around the pink fire, that seemingly tiny flame exploded outward. It swelled into a roaring inferno that swallowed his entire body, and a wave of heat fierce enough to bleed color from the sky erupted without warning.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge!"
"Xiao Yan!"
Both women cried out in alarm and shot to their feet, beautiful eyes fixed anxiously on the raging pink blaze.
Inside those flames, Xiao Yan's face twisted under a piercing, bone-deep agony. He frantically drove the Heavenly Flames within his body, fighting without pause against the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's devastating heat. He had made every preparation he could think of, and yet the instant of contact was enough to teach him, with perfect clarity, just how terrifying the third-ranked Heavenly Flame truly was.
Only one thought filled his mind. The top three Heavenly Flames existed in a realm of their own. The chill from the Nine Yin Yellow Spring Pill felt almost useless, barely blunting the pain at all!
"If this is all you've got… you can't stop me!" Xiao Yan roared. The Flame Mantra spun to its limit. Thirteen Heavenly Flames rose in guard. His Spiritual Strength surged outward, and both Divine Grade Clan Marks blazed to life!!
"Flame Mantra, refine!"
Indescribable pain tore out from every inch of his flesh, the kind of agony that could easily drive a man mad. His eyes were bloodshot but unyielding, and he clung on through sheer will alone, a frenzied roar building in his chest.
His Dou Qi answered the call, surging recklessly toward the Essence Flame. It clamped around the core by force and began circulating along the pathways of the Flame Mantra!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Essence Flame seemed to sense what was happening. It thrashed violently, and its temperature climbed to monstrous new heights. Some of Xiao Yan's more fragile meridians turned to ash on the spot. Portions of his skeleton began to soften.
The two women watched in stunned silence as he howled and writhed within the flames. His body had shrunk to nearly half its original size. It was a ghastly sight.
Buzz!
Then the perfected Asura Soul Reaping Technique manifested. A colossal three-headed, six-faced Asura statue took shape and enclosed his entire form. All three faces opened their eyes at once, and with the third face now fully subdued, this Soul Skill's power had reached a staggering new height.
Its three mouths gaped wide. The Asura statue acted as a second self, actually sharing the burden of the damage. A portion of the destruction poured directly into the statue instead.
Xiao Yan had gained an extra life!
With that second life absorbing part of the toll, he finally began to stabilize. Both women exhaled in relief as they watched him steady the Essence Flame.
They exchanged a glance and shook their heads in helpless unison.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge will probably take quite a while to finish refining this time," Xun Er said softly.
"Mm. We can only wait." Little Fairy Doctor nodded.
A flush of awkwardness crept over them both a moment later. Did this mean the two of them would have to spend a long stretch of time alone together, until Xiao Yan finished refining the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame…?
…
This refining lasted one full year.
An entire year of ceaseless effort passed before Xiao Yan managed to circulate the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame along the Flame Mantra's cultivation pathways and bring it fully under his control.
His eyes snapped open. He had yet to fully fuse the flame and evolve the Flame Mantra, but the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame now belonged to him!
"Hahahaha! I've finally refined the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame!"
The two women jolted awake from their cultivation at the sound of his voice. They turned toward him at once, and their eyes went wide. Red lips parted, and an unbidden heat crept through their bodies.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge! You... why aren't you wearing any clothes?!" Xun Er whipped her gaze aside, cheeks flushing scarlet. This wasn't the first time she had seen Xiao Yan's body, but catching him so suddenly and brazenly exposed still sent her heart racing. The memory of what had happened that night at the Ye Clan manor only made the heat in her face burn fiercer.
That night, she had been the one to...
Little Fairy Doctor shot Xiao Yan an exasperated glare. Now she finally understood. Xiao Yan hadn't lied to her. This Heavenly Flame side effect spared not even him.
Xiao Yan coughed twice and rubbed his nose. His hand swept through the air, and the Demon Flame energy suffusing the space rushed into his grip. Milky-white flames coalesced into robes and wrapped around his body.
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, you can control this entire Demon Flame Space now?!" Delight lit Xun Er's features. Didn't this mean they could finally leave?
"Mm. Now it's time to reap our harvest. This Demon Flame energy can't go to waste." Xiao Yan beckoned with one hand, and milky-white flames from across the entire space surged toward them in overwhelming waves. This was the purest Heavenly Flame energy imaginable, gathered and refined over thousands of years. It could be absorbed freely.
Little Fairy Doctor's eyes went wide at his words. Her face flushed as red as an apple, and she retreated several steps, frantically shaking her head. "No need! I... the two of you go ahead and refine it yourselves."
Xun Er looked utterly baffled. This Demon Flame energy was something the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame had nurtured and refined for several thousand years. For any Dou Saint, it was a heaven-defying tonic, more than enough to greatly boost one's cultivation. She couldn't understand at all why Little Fairy Doctor would refuse.
Yet Little Fairy Doctor looked as though she had come face to face with some ferocious beast. Her cheeks burned, and she backed away step by step like a frightened little lamb.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and adopted an utterly innocent expression.
We're all Dou Saints here… being a Dou Saint really is wonderful!