Chapter 318: Salute to the Legendary Fire-Resistant King, Xiao Yuan
Xiao Yuan's gaze wandered. The beams of sunlight reflecting off the smooth stone walls were harsh on the eyes, but having Heavenly Flame, he was completely unaffected.
Sitting within the altar, it felt as though he were immersed in a world of sunlight. It was as if this altar were another blazing sun, and they were within it.
At this point, Xiao Yi Xian's process was on track. As long as she successfully compressed the Calamity Poison Qi into the magic core, she would be able to form the Poison Pill. In this stage, there was nothing Xiao Yuan could assist with—it relied entirely on her own ability.
Though he trusted her, leaving now wasn't something he could bring himself to do.
He had to wait here until she successfully condensed the Poison Pill before he could truly feel at ease. After all, he had no prior experience with this method.
After some thought, Xiao Yuan's gaze slowly shifted toward the deep, pitch-black "Earth Eye" at the center of the altar.
He glanced at Xiao Yi Xian's jade-like, reclined figure—and his heart skipped. Almost unable to resist mischief again, he took a deep breath to steady himself. Then, with a thought, he retrieved a plain white robe from his storage ring and gently floated it over her body, finally relaxing a bit.
He stood and walked toward the Earth Eye.
Peering down, all he saw was an endless abyss. Where it led, no one could say—perhaps only its creator knew.
"The fire attribute energy inside is indeed rich…"
Xiao Yuan rubbed his chin. He recalled hearing that the Earth Eye no longer emitted those core flames because something—likely a bead—was blocking it. Since he had promised to fix it, he intended to do just that.
After a brief pause, he placed his palm on the Earth Eye. With a swirl of Dou Qi, a powerful suction force emerged.
As the suction took hold, fire-attribute energy was continuously pulled out and spread around his hand. However, no core flames appeared.
Still, Xiao Yuan wasn't in a rush. He intensified his Dou Qi flow, increasing the suction force even further.
After nearly ten minutes, he sensed something and suddenly pulled his hand back.
A tiny streak of blood-red flame shot out like lightning.
As soon as it emerged, it collided with the beams of sunlight above, and with a sizzling sound, a warm white flame appeared out of thin air before him.
Surprised, Xiao Yuan stared at the flame. It was white, but laced with countless vein-like crimson threads—like blood vessels throughout its body.
"This is… Sunfire?"
He extended his hand and caught it. The energy within was calm and gentle, lacking the ferocity typical of most flames. But with his experienced eyes, he could tell it was far more powerful than ordinary beast flames. While it might not be ideal for combat, it was perfect for alchemy.
Then an idea struck him.
He flipped his palm, revealing the black and white Yin-Yang Flames. With a thought, he retracted the black Yin Flame into his body, leaving only the white Yang Flame in his hand.
Maybe the Sunfire could nourish the Yang Flame.
Without hesitation, he brought the Sunfire near the Yang Flame.
At the moment of contact, the Yang Flame emitted a suction force and devoured the Sunfire in one gulp.
"It works!"
The moment the Sunfire was consumed, Xiao Yuan clearly felt the Yang Flame grow slightly stronger!
Even such a small increase delighted him.
After all, enhancing a Heavenly Flame usually required either immense time or devouring other Heavenly Flames.
The compatibility between Sunfire and the Yang Flame made it a rare booster. It was undeniably good news!
Ever since absorbing the origin power from the Yin-Yang Water-Fire Lotus, his dual flames hadn't encountered any further strengthening opportunities. Now, finally, a path had opened.
His eyes burned with excitement. He smiled and thrust his hand out again to continue absorbing.
This time, the process lasted over twenty minutes before another thin streak of blood-colored flame lazily emerged. After merging with sunlight, it became Sunfire, which was once again devoured by his Yang Flame.
Xiao Yuan became obsessed, repeatedly drawing out more core flames. But this wasn't sustainable—those core flames were already depleted. After five or six extractions, the Earth Eye no longer responded. No matter how he tried, no more flames appeared.
"Heh, no more flames means it's time for soul work."
Unbothered, he chuckled. With a calm expression, he closed his eyes, and a wave of soul power spread from his brow, diving into the Earth Eye.
Inside, his soul immediately sensed an oppressive heat. Thankfully, it was shielded by Heavenly Flame, making it bearable.
As he dove deeper, the heat intensified, eventually causing slight dizziness—even with flame protection.
Alarmed, Xiao Yuan realized this fire poison could even corrode soul power!
Soon, a flicker of red light appeared in the darkness.
"That must be it."
Locking onto the glow, he directed his soul toward it.
His soul raced downward until the red light came fully into view.
It was emitted from a thick, blood-red liquid. Round in shape, it completely sealed the Earth Eye.
"What a terrifying fire energy!"
The sight of it made Xiao Yuan draw a sharp breath. This near-solid mass was composed of pure fire energy.
"No wonder no flames could escape. It's completely blocked!"
But what caught his attention most was the small, thumb-sized, perfectly round crimson bead floating within.
It looked like a blazing fire pearl—wondrous and mystical.
Finally, he recognized it.
It was a Core Fire Pearl—also known as Earth Core Pearl—formed from condensed essence deep within the earth over countless years. Containing immense energy, it was said to be used in refining 8th- or even 9th-tier pills.
These pearls were incredibly rare, sometimes ejected from volcanoes during eruptions. Most who possessed one had acquired it this way. Meeting one directly in the earth's depths was almost unheard of.
Xiao Yuan's heart pounded. He knew just how rare this was, and it could also be used to refine Earth Core Thunder Pearls.
Those weren't pills but deadly tools. If refined correctly, they could severely wound even a Dou Zun!
He had once seen the method in one of Yao Lao's alchemy notes and remembered it clearly. But due to the rarity of the main material, he had shelved the idea—until now.
However, the violent energy within the liquid was highly volatile. A single misstep and his soul might be obliterated, causing serious damage.
Thankfully, he was prepared.
His soul transformed into a miniature figure, solemn-faced, forming seals with both hands.
At the same time, above ground, Xiao Yuan, eyes closed, also began forming seals.
In the next moment, his aura surged to Dou Zun level. A golden-red clan mark flickered at his brow. His aura was comparable to that of Binghe, the Ice Sovereign!
With this boost, the soul avatar reached out toward the red liquid.
Silver spatial energy and dark-gold flame combined into a silver-gold cage, sealing the liquid. A pitch-black spatial rift silently opened and swallowed the entire mass.
Then, the soul avatar turned and fled.
Because the moment the red liquid was taken, a long-dormant torrent of underground fire erupted!
Even with boosted strength, Xiao Yuan's soul couldn't withstand that impact for long.
He flew with all his might, but the torrent chased close behind.
As the Earth Eye's exit came into view, he surged forward and shot out of the narrow shaft!
The soul returned to his body in a flash. His eyes flew open, and his hands swiftly formed seals again. The silver spatial energy and flame combined to form a silver-gold dome that sealed off the Earth Eye.
Boom!
The fiery torrent struck hard, but the reinforced dome held firm. At Dou Zun level, Xiao Yuan's techniques were formidable.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Watching the endless fire jetting upward, Xiao Yuan couldn't hide his excitement.
So much core flame—if all converted to Sunfire, it could further strengthen his dual flames!
The geyser of fire roared on, forcing the silver-gold dome to expand.
Eventually bored, Xiao Yuan slashed the air, tore open space, and retrieved the sealed red liquid. The spatial rift closed naturally.
This crimson liquid held terrifying fire energy. Even a Dou Zong could be seriously injured by a touch.
But if purified with flame and herbs, it could become an incredible boon to fire-type cultivators.
Even a Dou Zun would covet it!
As for the Core Fire Pearl inside, though he couldn't use it now, turning it into a Thunder Pearl and gifting it as protection would be great.
It also enhanced fire energy absorption, greatly aiding fire-based cultivators.
He reached out and took the Core Fire Pearl.
If he'd been in soul form, he wouldn't dare. But now, protected by Heavenly Flame and Dou Zun strength, even this violent energy barely scratched him.
Playing with the pearl, he smiled, then swallowed the dome of energy like a flame back into his mouth.
The torrent finally calmed down.
He glanced at Xiao Yi Xian—still stable. Then, for extra precaution, he cast another spatial barrier around her. Not to restrain, but to protect her from his upcoming actions.
Next, he lifted the seal on the fire torrent.
As sunlight met the core flames, they transformed into Sunfire.
The immense blaze turned pure white, forming a sea of flame. Its terrifying heat made even the fire-resistant Xiao Yuan twitch.
"This is going to hurt…"
With a helpless sigh, he flashed into the heart of the Sunfire sea.
The Yang Flame on his palm expanded, wrapping around his body and beginning to absorb.
Ssssh!
Under the scorching heat, his clothes turned to ash—just like Xiao Yi Xian's earlier.
A wave of burning pain swept across his body.
"Gah! F***, that hurts!"
Xiao Yuan groaned through gritted teeth.
(END CHAPTER)
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