Chapter 284: What Lü Bu? That's Xiao Yan!
In Leaf City, there was a desolate stone plaza on the outskirts, with an ancient and dilapidated altar at its center. For some reason, the sunlight here was exceptionally bright, and the closer one got to the altar, the purer and more blazing the surrounding energy of heaven and earth became.
The altar was surrounded by rows of smooth stone tablets standing tall, densely packed together. The polished surfaces of the stone tablets reflected beams of incandescent light, and the pure yang energy of heaven and earth permeated the area.
Outside the Yang Fire Altar, Medusa shifted uneasily. Her body, as a serpent by nature, preferred cold and cool environments, so the pure yang energy here made her extremely uncomfortable.
This was one of the reasons she had risked her life to break through her limits in the past. Living in the desert, the serpent race was suppressed by the blazing energy of heaven and earth, which weakened both their combat strength and vitality. During the day, this suppression significantly reduced their peak strength, making it easier for even weaker enemies to defeat them.
Of course, this situation reversed at night. Under the cover of darkness, the serpent race not only shed the suppression of sunlight but also thrived in the nighttime environment, allowing them to reach their peak combat state. At night, they could easily defeat opponents of the same level.
It was for this reason that Medusa had chosen midnight to attempt her evolution with the Heavenly Flame it was the time when the flame's power was at its weakest during the day and when her own strength was at its peak.
Thinking about this, Medusa couldn't help but feel puzzled. Back then, why had Gu He's group chosen to negotiate with the serpent race at night, precisely when their strength was at its peak? Wouldn't it have made more sense to confront them at noon when the serpent race was at its weakest?
It didn't add up. Could it be that Gu He, the famous alchemist, didn't know about this? Impossible. Even if Gu He didn't know, Feng Li and Yan Shi, who had fought the serpent race multiple times, should have been aware of it.
"Big sister, is Xiao Yi Xian alright?" Zi Yan's childish voice interrupted Medusa's wandering thoughts. Nestled in her arms, Zi Yan frowned with concern. She wasn't affected by the Yang Fire Altar's energy but was worried about Xiao Yi Xian.
Xiao Yi Xian, despite her Seven Star Dou Zong level strength and Woeful Poison Body, had paid a significant price in her clash against a Dou Zong pinnacle opponent. Her pale complexion earlier was far worse than Zi Yan's condition after fighting with all her might.
"Don't worry. Trust Lu Bu; he will take care of everything," Medusa said with a gentle smile, stroking Zi Yan's head.
She trusted Lu Bu completely. No matter the crisis, his presence always inspired an innate sense of security. Logic told her that no one was invincible, and even the strongest could encounter insurmountable challenges. But emotions? They defied logic.
Medusa's long, enchanting eyes softened even further. Her feelings were growing deeper so deep that she felt an urge to pursue dual cultivation with him.
Within the Yang Fire Altar, Lu Bu led Xiao Yi Xian and Yun Yun to a flat black stone tablet.
"Found it. This is the Earth Eye," Lu Bu said with a smile. He pressed his foot against the stone and gently pushed. The tablet rotated, revealing a pitch black hole the size of a human head at its center.
Click! Click!
The surrounding stone tablets began to move and rearrange themselves into a circular wall, enclosing the center of the altar. The smooth surfaces of the tablets reflected incandescent beams of light that converged at the black hole in the center, filling the altar with scorching heat.
Xiao Yi Xian's pale face grew even whiter. Her Woeful Poison Body, which thrived in cold, couldn't tolerate this pure yang environment.
"Don't be afraid. The Poison Pill Method requires pure yang energy to suppress the Woeful Poison Body," Lu Bu reassured her.
"I know…" Xiao Yi Xian nodded, though her fear and discomfort didn't wane despite her knowledge.
"I've prepared everything. Are you ready? It's time to begin." With a flick of his finger, two jade boxes floated out, containing the Bodhi Transformation Saliva and a Tier 7 Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's Magic Core.
Gently holding Xiao Yi Xian's delicate hand, Lu Bu offered her a reassuring smile. Xiao Yi Xian took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.
Beside them, Yun Yun raised her hand, and the ethereal Fallen Heart Flame rose, flickering faintly. Lu Bu snapped his fingers, summoning the purple black Three Thousand Burning Flame, which coiled around him like a fiery dragon.
"Lu Bu, is this your new Heavenly Flame?" Yun Yun asked, her elegant face showing surprise. The flame exuded a pressure similar to Lu Bu's, powerful and majestic.
"Yes, it's ranked ninth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking: the Three Thousand Burning Flame." Waving the Green Lotus Core Flame in his hand, Lu Bu smiled. "After we resolve Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body, I'll help you cultivate the Green Lotus Core Flame into a spirit servant. How about that?"
Yun Yun nodded lightly. As she grew more proficient in controlling the Fallen Heart Flame, adding another Heavenly Flame would be challenging but worthwhile for the boost to her combat strength.
"Let's begin!" Lu Bu declared with a grin.
"What should I do?" Xiao Yi Xian asked softly, her lips trembling slightly.
"Lie down on the stone slab… and take off your clothes," Lu Bu said matter of factly. "Then unseal the poison within your body."
Xiao Yi Xian's pale face instantly flushed bright red, her legs going weak. If it were just Lu Bu, she could handle it they had already been vulnerable with each other before. But Yun Yun was standing right there.
Beside her, Yun Yun's face also turned crimson as she glared at Lu Bu. "I knew you'd pull something like this!"
"I… I'll help you," Yun Yun said, guiding the trembling Xiao Yi Xian to the black stone slab. Her hands shook slightly as she helped remove Xiao Yi Xian's clothes.
As the garments slid down her body, Xiao Yi Xian's flawless, jade like skin was exposed to the blazing sunlight.
The moment her clothes fell, two pairs of eyes locked onto her Lu Bu's and Yun Yun's.
"Stop staring… Just get started already!" Xiao Yi Xian stammered, her embarrassment turning her face as red as a ripe peach.
Lu Bu forced himself to remain composed, keeping his gaze steady. He was a dignified alchemist, dedicated to his craft or so he told himself.
Meanwhile, Yun Yun quietly tidied Xiao Yi Xian's discarded clothing, though her gaze occasionally wandered over the latter's perfect figure.
"You… you're still staring!" Xiao Yi Xian protested, her voice trembling.
"Hehe…" Yun Yun chuckled softly, leaning closer to Xiao Yi Xian's ear and whispering mischievously, "It looks like you're the smallest among us, you know?"
"What…?" Xiao Yi Xian froze, caught off guard by the comment. Following Yun Yun's gaze, she realized what she meant and immediately glared at her.
"You're lying! That's not true!" Xiao Yi Xian protested angrily.
"Zi Yan's transformations don't count," Yun Yun muttered with a sly smirk.
"Xiao Yi Xian, unseal your poison body," came Lu Bu's voice, startling the two women out of their whispered conversation. Yun Yun, clearly flustered, sprang away like a startled rabbit.
Hearing Lu Bu's words, Xiao Yi Xian shot a glare at Yun Yun before taking a deep breath to calm herself. Pushing aside all distractions, a blood red rune reappeared on her smooth forehead, while her left eye turned deep purple and her right eye became a lifeless gray white. The strange dual colored eyes once again filled her gaze.
Whoosh!
A grayish purple poisonous mist suddenly surged out of her body, spreading across the Yang Fire Altar.
Hiss, hiss!
At the same time, beams of sunlight converged on her delicate body. The pure yang energy clashed with the Woeful Poison Mist, producing strange muffled sounds as they collided.
"She still has so much poison in her body?" Yun Yun's expression shifted. Xiao Yi Xian had already fully unsealed her poison body and used her Seven Star Dou Zong strength to clash against a Dou Zong pinnacle powerhouse. By all reasoning, the Woeful Poison Mist should have been greatly depleted, if not nearly exhausted.
"It's newly generated," Xiao Yi Xian said helplessly. "The Woeful Poison Body constantly produces poison it never stops…"
As she spoke, her pale face grew even whiter, and a flicker of pain briefly crossed her features. The Woeful Poison Body didn't just harm others it consumed the life force of its owner. Every generation of poison body bearers eventually had their poison invade their mind, obliterate their sanity, and turn them into mindless killing machines. Wherever they went, the land was left barren for miles, devoid of life.
Poison body bearers would either die under the siege of countless powerful opponents or perish from the toxins eroding their own vitality.
"Don't worry. This time, we'll take full control of your poison body," Lu Bu said, gently patting her hand in reassurance.
"Mm," Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip and nodded slightly.
"Next, I'll use the Heavenly Flames to force the poison in your body into one place. This will be painful, so you must endure," Lu Bu said seriously.
Xiao Yi Xian clenched her silver teeth tightly and gave another firm nod.
"Yun Yun, summon the Fallen Heart Flame!" Lu Bu called out. He then unleashed the Green Lotus Core Flame and Three Thousand Burning Flame, the fiery energies bursting forth and intertwining. At the same time, the colorless and formless Fallen Heart Flame swept toward them.
Lu Bu's eyes narrowed as the immense power of his soul surged from his brow. With sheer willpower and precision, he forcibly fused the three Heavenly Flames together.
Though Lu Bu lacked Xiao Yan's Flame Mantra and couldn't sustain a seamless fusion of Heavenly Flames, it didn't matter. He didn't need prolonged control he only needed enough time to gather Xiao Yi Xian's poison into one place.
In an instant, a wisp of greenish black flame flickered at his fingertips. With a single motion, Lu Bu pressed the flame onto Xiao Yi Xian's smooth lower abdomen.
Whoosh!
Grayish purple poisonous mist surged violently from her body in response.
Lu Bu's eyes glinted sharply. The greenish black flame at his fingertips wove together an intricate fire net, suppressing the swirling poison mist and forcing it toward Xiao Yi Xian's dantian. Slowly, the toxic mist began to condense into a spiraling vortex of grayish purple poison.
Yun Yun sighed in relief at the sight. Even though she was protected by a Heavenly Flame, the intensity of the poisonous mist earlier had been overwhelming.
Lu Bu's gaze sharpened as he reached out and pressed the Sky Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast's magic core into Xiao Yi Xian's lower abdomen. The blood red magic core began to merge with the vortex of poison, drawing and stabilizing the toxins.
"Poison condensed, magic core absorbed, Bodhi Transformation begins," Lu Bu muttered, his lips tightening as his eyes flickered with determination. All that was left now was to wait for the right moment to introduce the Bodhi Transformation Saliva.
Somewhere in the Pill Region – A Grand Mountain Palace
"Huh? Our informants just sent word Ice River Valley seems to have suffered a setback!" An elderly man with graying hair looked at the jade slip in his hand, his tone filled with surprise.
"'Seems'? You're in charge of intelligence, Chong Meng. Your job is to provide certainty!" said Mu Gu, the elder holding another jade slip, his brows furrowing in irritation.
"Respectfully, Elder Mu, our agents only reported that the Ice River Valley's elder took action. As for the specifics… they weren't able to gather much," the gray haired elder called Chong Meng replied helplessly.
"The old monster from Ice River Valley got involved?" Mu Gu frowned deeply. That elder was a Three or Four Rotation Dou Zun, incredibly powerful. Even within the Hall of Souls, he was a force rivaling the Four Sky Envoys.
Why would someone of his caliber act? Had Ice River Valley provoked the Flower Sect or Heavenly Nether Sect?
Mu Gu mulled it over. The Central Plains had been unusually quiet recently, with no reported conflicts between Ice River Valley and other factions. Could it have been an external threat?
"Chong Meng, investigate. I want to know what happened with Ice River Valley," Mu Gu ordered.
"Yes!" Chong Meng bowed slightly, and with a wave of his hand, a streak of light shot into the distance to deliver his message.
"Elder Mu, there's also news of a so called 'Lu Bu,' a supposed alchemy genius who's been making waves recently, claiming to stand at the pinnacle of alchemy. Should we take action?" another elder asked.
"Lu Bu?" Mu Gu sneered coldly. "What Lu Bu? That's Xiao Yan!"
He had clashed with Yao Chen and Xiao Yan before. Coincidentally, Xiao Yan had used the alias "Lu Bu" during their encounter.
"Xiao Yan? The one with Dou Di potential?" another elder, the Azure Sea Sovereign, asked, his expression shifting slightly.
"No, the one from the Northwest Continent, Yao Chen's apprentice!" Mu Gu said mockingly. "I thought he'd cower under Feng Zun's protection, but it seems he's chosen to flaunt himself instead."
"What are your orders, Elder?" the Azure Sea Sovereign asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Go. Capture Xiao Yan!" Mu Gu declared decisively. "If I weren't tied up with more important matters, I'd do it myself. Bring him to me I'm curious about that boy's cultivation techniques."
"Yes, Elder Mu!" The Azure Sea Sovereign's face lit up with excitement as he bowed and left.
Mu Gu watched him go, his brows furrowing. His current task was to infiltrate the Pill Tower's Pill Gathering to seize the Three Thousand Burning Flame from the star region.
It was odd. The order came directly from the Hall Master, yet Mu Gu had sensed a tyrannical fiery aura from the Hall Master himself, likely from a high ranking Heavenly Flame.
Why, then, was the Hall Master so fixated on obtaining another Heavenly Flame?
Could it be… the Hall Master also practiced the devouring of Heavenly Flames?
Mu Gu's frown deepened in thought.
(End of Chapter)
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