Xiao Xue, accompanied by Medusa, charged straight toward the deepest part of the secret realm, adopting a stance that suggested they wouldn't stop until they reached the very bottom.
After flying for a while, the ground ahead began to steepen, forming a high plateau.
Xiao Xue's soul power sensed that this was already the core and deepest part of this underground world.
However, what puzzled Xiao Xue and Medusa was the existence of an unusually distinct boundary line here.
It was as if a giant compass had been used to draw a perfect circle.
The perfection of the circle was somewhat eerie; it didn't look naturally formed.
Inside the circle was a barren wasteland, completely different from the vibrant life they had encountered upon entering.
Forget about rare treasures; only a massive ancient tree stood there.
To be precise, it stood at the very center of the circle.
Within a hundred meters around the ancient tree, there was no living creature.
Furthermore, the ancient tree had not a single leaf, only bare, skeletal branches.
This core area was completely different from what Xiao Xue had imagined.
She had assumed the deepest area would be full of vitality, teeming with countless poisonous creatures and magical beasts.
Even if the toxins were too strong to allow life, there shouldn't have been such a distinct boundary line.
It was as if... someone had set up a circular barrier around the ancient tree.
---
Xiao Xue stood high in the air, gazing intently at the ancient tree not far away.
"Can you discern anything?" Medusa asked from beside her.
Xiao Xue's eyes turned dark gold. After a moment, she slowly shook her head, "Nothing."
Under her soul perception, the area around the ancient tree was simply a dead zone; she couldn't sense anything at all.
Xiao Xue mentally questioned Ah Li, but Ah Li also failed to gain any valuable information.
"Watch out!"
Just as Xiao Xue and Ah Li were communicating, Medusa suddenly cried out.
She tried to reach out and pull Xiao Xue, but Ah Li's movements were faster.
Ah Li instantly took control of the body, and then, "Xiao Xue" grabbed Medusa and the two rapidly retreated backward.
The next moment, a faint green shadow shot up into the sky, rushing toward Xiao Xue and Medusa.
Xiao Xue and Medusa simultaneously punched forward. The combined strike of two Dou Zongs immediately repelled the green shadow.
The instant the green shadow was repelled, Xiao Xue barely managed to make out its form: it appeared to be a green cat.
At the same time, a green human figure appeared behind Xiao Xue and Medusa, slamming a fist toward Xiao Xue.
The figure's attack was blocked by Xiao Xue's fox tail.
Failing to land the blow, the figure quickly distanced itself from Xiao Xue and Medusa, meeting up with the green cat.
Xiao Xue and Medusa stood in the air, facing off against the person and the cat opposite them.
Xiao Xue's gaze was focused mainly on the green cat.
The intuitive sense of oppression this thing gave Xiao Xue far surpassed that of the Moon-Eyed Snow Wolf King back then.
Its strength was definitely that of a mid-rank Dou Zong, perhaps even a high-rank Dou Zong!
"Wait, this damn thing isn't a cat!"
Xiao Xue realized it immediately.
Because the moment the cat appeared, her Bone Chilling Flame and Ah Li's Myriad Beast Spirit Flame reacted simultaneously.
Therefore, it wasn't a feline magical beast, but a Transformed Heavenly Flame possessing intelligence!
"Is that... a Spirit of a Heavenly Flame?!"
For the current Xiao Xue, shock outweighed fear.
Even a high-rank Dou Zong wouldn't cause her to panic.
But encountering a Heavenly Flame that possessed intelligence—and quite a high level of it—was certainly surprising.
"No, it's not a Spirit of a Heavenly Flame."
Her powerful soul strength and psychological resilience allowed Xiao Xue to instantly calm down.
"It shouldn't be a Spirit of a Heavenly Flame manipulated by a person; it's just a Transformed Heavenly Flame with its own intelligence, similar to the Fire Python formed by the Fallen Heart Flame."
If it were a Heavenly Flame controlled by a person, shaping it into a specific form would require a considerably high level of soul power.
For example, if you used a Heavenly Flame to condense a fire cat to fight others, that cat would require your constant manipulation.
Its flexibility and power would be significantly inferior compared to a fire spirit that possessed intelligence and could act autonomously.
An average person controlling a Heavenly Flame could, at most, give it a shape.
To make a refined Heavenly Flame possess intelligence comparable to a human's, only Xiao Yan in the original novel could achieve it in the later stages.
Moreover, that was only after he refined the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.
However, in Xiao Xue's perception, the human figure next to the cat only had the strength of a three or four-star Dou Zong—weaker than the cat itself.
If any random Dou Zong could possess a Spirit of a Heavenly Flame, then Xiao Yan might as well give up and hand over the position of Flame Emperor.
Therefore, the green cat must be a Heavenly Flame that possesses intelligence and has not been refined.
In that case, the green human figure next to it is... a Fire Slave?
Could it be that the person originally intended to refine this Heavenly Flame, but was instead consumed and turned against by the flame?
Xiao Xue quickly cast a [Detection] spell, and the result was largely consistent with her deduction.
The green cat was indeed a Fire Spirit—the Fire Spirit of the Netherworld Poison Flame.
Its current strength had even reached the six-star Dou Zong level.
The Bone Chilling Flame, ranked eleventh and at full power, was only at the peak of Dou Zong, while the Fallen Heart Flame, ranked fourteenth, was only around eight stars.
How much had this Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth, consumed in this secret realm to evolve to such an extent?!
The ranking of a Heavenly Flame reflects its upper limit to a certain degree.
But very few people have ever refined the Netherworld Poison Flame, so no one truly knows its actual limit!
Judging from the present situation, if it weren't for the extreme poison, the Netherworld Poison Flame's ranking would likely be higher than twentieth!
The Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth, is a flame that exists within the ancient Netherworld Poison Marsh.
After being steeped in the marsh's sky-obscuring poisonous miasma for millennia, the flame consumed endless amounts of this toxic gas.
It takes a century to form a spirit, a millennium to take shape, and upon reaching maturity, its color is predominantly green. Because the flame itself was nurtured into a spirit by the poisonous miasma, it contains potent toxins.
Even a momentary brush with a spark will result in severe poisoning, let alone attempting to swallow and merge with it!
Besides those with exceptional strength, the only ones capable of refining the Netherworld Poison Flame are those possessing the extremely rare Venomous Body of Misfortune.
Even a Dou Venerate might not be able to ignore the potent toxins it constantly emits, let alone those weaker in strength.
Furthermore, for Dou Venerates, or semi-Saints and Dou Saints, the Netherworld Poison Flame, ranked twentieth, does not offer much of a power increase.
Consequently, the Netherworld Poison Flame has always been in an awkward, middling position.
Because it had not been refined by anyone for many years, the Netherworld Poison Flame within the secret realm had accumulated terrifying energy, even evolving a Fire Spirit.
Its current strength is only six-star, yet it is comparable to a high-rank Dou Zong.
As for the human figure, she was actually a Dou Venerate, likely a poison master from the Chu Yun Empire many years ago.
However, she had perished long ago, and her current strength was only that of a three or four-star Dou Zong.
It seemed that after failing to refine the Netherworld Poison Flame, she was instead consumed and turned into a Fire Slave by it.
"It seems we have no choice but to fight..."
Two long swords, one pink and one chilling white, appeared in Xiao Xue's hands. "Leave the cat to me, and that half-dead fellow is yours."
After speaking, she took the lead and charged toward the Netherworld Poison Flame's Fire Spirit.
"Perfect. I'll beat the intelligence out of you and take you back as a gift for Xian'er!"
It should be noted that Ah Li had now recovered to the early stage of a four-star Dou Zong.
With Ah Li assisting her, her strength was significantly greater than Medusa's.
Furthermore, possessing the Bone Chilling Flame and the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, dealing with the intelligent Netherworld Poison Flame would certainly be easier for her than for Medusa.
And for Medusa, a three-star Dou Zong, dealing with the Fire Slave—who lacked much combat awareness, relied entirely on instinct, and whose strength hovered around three or four-star Dou Zong—should not be difficult.
Since she had become a Fire Slave, no matter how strong she was in life, she was nothing more than a puppet in death.
Xiao Xue unleashed both the Bone Chilling Flame and the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, sending two streaks of sword light, one pink and one white, toward the green cat.
At the same moment, Medusa confronted the Poison Fire Slave, thrusting her long spear fiercely.
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