Chapter 298: Refining
Cai Die blinked her bright peach blossom eyes, curiously watching as Yao Yan swallowed the Ghostly Toxic Flame. Unable to resist, she reached out and gently touched his chest, whispering, "You just swallowed it like that? Aren't you worried about its backlash?"
After all, it was a heavenly flame!
"Yi yi~" Ling Er wiggled her large tail, tilting her head. She didn't seem too concerned, nor did she think the heavenly flame was particularly tasty. To her, all these flames seemed fierce and far from as delicious as pills.
"I already have five heavenly flames within me, and they are all of a higher rank than this one, so there's no need to worry," Yao Yan smiled and softly explained. With his current body, even if the Ghostly Toxic Flame caused trouble, it would be hard for it to harm him.
He wasn't in a rush to refine and devour the Ghostly Toxic Flame. He planned to get another heavenly flame before retreating into seclusion.
"Let's go, to the location of the next heavenly flame." Yao Yan casually tore through the space in front of him and reached out to pull Cai Die into it, heading towards the far north of the Northwestern Continent, where the other heavenly flame was located in a desert.
It was a dead world, with endless stretches of desert as far as the eye could see. It was even more desolate than the Tagore Desert, with no sign of life at all.
At least in the Tagore Desert, there were magical beasts and traces of the Serpent People, and one could still find strange flowers and plants along the way. But the far north of the Northwestern Continent had none of these. There was only endless desert and strong winds, and the energy of heaven and earth was nearly non-existent.
Thus, this place was known as the Sea of Death to the people of the Northwestern Continent!
...
"Whoosh~"
The endless winds swept across the land, raising yellow sand that obscured the scorching sun, turning the place into a dim world that seemed to have no end.
Suddenly, a space crack appeared in the sky. Moments later, two people and a fox emerged from it.
"Whom~"
An invisible ripple spread from under the feet of the man at the front. Wherever it passed, the raging sandstorms around them ceased, and as the fine sand gently fell, the dim world gradually became clearer, and the sunlight grew increasingly intense.
Yao Yan looked at the scorching sun in the sky, which, unlike the sun in the Outyun Empire, had a tinge of blood-red. Even the sky was gray, filled with a sense of death. He paused and said, "Sea of Death? The name suits this place…"
"Finding that heavenly flame was also a matter of luck. It doesn't appear on any set schedule, but every time it does, a massive sandstorm erupts. In the center, a fire tornado appears, and its power is quite strong!" Cai Die, watching the familiar scene, spoke about what she had witnessed back then.
After a pause, she looked at Yao Yan and reminded, "We'll still need Ling Er to find it. She seems to be able to sense the heavenly flame's aura. Also... we can't stay here for too long!"
"I've sensed it," Yao Yan nodded slightly, then raised his hand to grasp something. He could clearly feel the Dou Qi in his body leaking out into the outside world, though at a very slow pace. With a bit of control, he could suppress it. However, this was exactly what showed how terrifying the Sea of Death was.
Yao Yan's strength had already reached the advanced semi-holy level. Even he was affected, and if a cultivator below the Dou Wang level were to enter, they would probably be drained within a few days.
This Sea of Death was like a dried-up sponge, absorbing all nutrients and devouring all life.
This place seemed to be on the edge of the Dou Qi Continent. It was slowly moving toward death, like a wilting flower, with the decay creeping inward.
Humans die, and the world does too.
The Dou Qi Continent was a sealed world, cut off from the great thousand worlds. Without the replenishment of the great thousand worlds' source, its origin would eventually be consumed, and it would inevitably face death, turning into a land as barren as what Yao Yan saw now.
That day might come in a million years, but the decline of the Dou Qi Continent was an undeniable fact.
The energy of heaven and earth, the cultivation resources... everything would only continue to decrease.
"Ling Er, it's your turn to work!" Cai Die gently pinched Ling Er's neck, looking into its bright eyes as she urged, needing the little fox to help find the mysterious heavenly flame.
"Yi yi~" Ling Er shook her front paws, letting out two cries, seemingly asking for help. The little glutton clearly didn't want to do this hard work.
"You eat so much every day, but when it's time to work, you act all reluctant," Cai Die said, squeezing Ling Er's ears with an annoyed tone.
Yao Yan watched their interaction, smiling lightly, and said, "We don't need Ling Er to find it. Once we've confirmed the general location, that's enough… The Sea of Death is so devoid of heavenly energy that the heavenly flame here can only absorb the fire attribute energy from the blazing sun in the sky. It probably hasn't had much to feed on."
He raised his hand and condensed a Fire Spirit, charging it with Dou Qi to rapidly expand its size. In no time, it turned into a purple-green giant serpent, nearly a hundred meters long. Its body coiled up, radiating intense fire attribute energy and the aura of heavenly flames.
Yao Yan, Cai Die, and Ling Er landed on the Fire Spirit's head, and he controlled the Fire Spirit to release its energy to the fullest, then calmly waited.
"Yao Yan, will this work?" Cai Die asked, holding Ling Er as she turned to Yao Yan.
"From your description, this heavenly flame should be the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the heavenly flame list!" Yao Yan, standing atop the Fire Spirit's head with his hands behind his back, looked into the distant dim sky and spoke confidently, "This flame only forms within the eye of a fire tornado in Gu deserts. Unlike other heavenly flames, it appears at no fixed location and only shows up during the hottest days of the year, randomly appearing anywhere in the desert. It's incredibly rare… Finding it depends on luck."
He smiled at Cai Die and said, "You're really lucky to have found it!"
Cai Die didn't mention that she had been searching for it in this place for half a year. She just smiled gently, quietly listening to Yao Yan, enjoying being by his side, even if she wasn't doing anything.
Ling Er, feeling a bit uncomfortable, patted her soft belly unhappily.
Yao Yan glanced at her and continued, "According to my guess, the heavenly flame appears at the hottest time of the year to feed. Once it has eaten, it falls into a deep sleep… We don't have time to wait here, so rather than relying on luck, let's use some bait and lure it in!"
He didn't believe that the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, which had stayed in this place for so long, could resist the temptation of the five heavenly flames. Unless its intelligence was extremely high, it would surely fall for the trap.
But if its intelligence were that high, why would it stay in the Sea of Death?
Yao Yan's guess was obviously correct.
After about three hours, the previously calm world suddenly stirred with strong winds. In the distance, the sky was instantly covered by a sandstorm, like a desert tsunami blocking out the sun, heading toward Yao Yan's location.
"It's here!" Yao Yan smiled faintly and said softly.
"Hiss~"
The Fire Spirit, under Yao Yan's control, acted like a living creature, flicking its snake-like tongue. Its purple eyes calmly watched as the approaching sandstorm drew nearer. Through Yao Yan's senses, he could detect a hundred-meter-long fire dragon behind the storm, coldly glaring in their direction.
It was the embodiment of flame and storm, surrounded by wind and fire, yellow-brown in color, carrying a sandstorm capable of destroying a city, heading straight for Yao Yan's position.
The sight was magnificent.
But sadly, that was all it was.
Yao Yan didn't hesitate. The moment it appeared, he extended his hand. An invisible palm imprint gathered in the space around them, and like pulling back a mysterious veil, it parted the vast sandstorm, revealing the fire tornado behind. Then, with a swift motion, he grabbed it, unleashing terrifying power that gave the Wind Fury Dragon Flame no chance to escape, directly crushing its outer disguise and capturing its core.
A patch of earthy yellow flames.
From dozens of miles away, Yao Yan pulled the patch of earthy yellow flame into his palm, examined it briefly, and then swallowed it. He looked at Cai Die and smiled, "Let's go, time to head back."
With that, he tore open the space again, taking Cai Die and Ling Er with him as they left the area.
As the two of them departed, the sandstorm, having lost the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, gradually calmed down. The Sea of Death was eerily still, with not even a whisper of wind, falling into absolute silence.
...
...
Outyun Empire, Wan Du Mountains.
Yao Yan didn't return directly to the Serpent Clan's temple. After obtaining the two heavenly flames, he chose to go into seclusion in the Wan Du Mountains. The mountains, filled with poisonous mist that had not dissipated for millennia, were the perfect place for him to refine the Toxic Body.
Cai Die stood not far away, holding Ling Er, quietly accompanying Yao Yan as he meditated. Ling Er, too, didn't cause trouble, content with her pills, and could lie there forever.
Yao Yan sat cross-legged in the void, with no signs of a powerful aura around him. His body seemed to merge with the space, and as time passed, a patch of earthy yellow flames began to rise around him. After a brief moment, it was swallowed by the purple-green flames, forcibly merging with them.
In less than half a day, he had forcefully refined and devoured the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and his Dou Qi increased slightly.
"As expected, no significant change." Yao Yan opened his eyes, his black gaze showing no surprise. With the Burning Decision now at the heavenly level, heavenly flames ranked lower had no effect on it. But the value of the heavenly flames wasn't just about boosting the Burning Decision.
He opened his palm, and a visible wind attribute energy gathered, gradually forming a tornado. Just before it fully formed, it quietly dissipated.
Yao Yan felt the control he had over the wind attribute. After a moment, he closed his eyes again, continuing to refine the Ghostly Toxic Flame. This was the real focus of his seclusion—whether or not he could break through to the next level depended on this.
The process of refining and devouring was even easier than with the Wind Fury Dragon Flame. In almost no time, the Ghostly Toxic Flame merged into the Burning Decision's Dou Qi.
It didn't bring any changes to the Burning Decision either.
Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the fused heavenly flame. The originally purple-green flame had grown deeper and more profound, its aura becoming even more unfathomable. This startled Ling Er, who was sitting beside him. She watched the flame in Yao Yan's palm, her fur standing on end.
The fusion of heavenly flames wasn't as simple as adding one to another. With every additional flame, the seven heavenly flames Yao Yan had now fused began to emanate an aura nearing that of the Emperor Flame… This aura surpassed all other heavenly flames!
Even Ling Er, usually so lazy, could no longer stay still, her body twitching nervously.
"What's wrong?" Cai Die, unaware of all this, noticed Ling Er's unease and then glanced at Yao Yan, who was manipulating the fused heavenly flame. Her beautiful eyes flashed, and it seemed like she had a guess.
Yao Yan ignored Ling Er's movements and pondered for a moment. A flicker of ghostly green light flashed in his eyes, and then the flame in his palm was absorbed into his body. He activated the Burning Decision within, releasing control over his own aura. An indescribable vast energy instantly spread through the world.
The terrifying pressure almost crushed the very heavens and earth.
"Boom~"
A silver lightning bolt cut through the dark clouds, lighting up the sky.
As the Burning Decision was activated, strange phenomena began to occur in the world. It seemed as though the world could not bear such an intense pull!
The next moment.
Many of the strong cultivators in the Outyun Empire opened their eyes. They looked toward the Wan Du Mountains, where they saw the poisonous mist that had covered the area for years gathering at an incredibly fast pace. The terrifying sight sent shivers down their spines.
Others didn't know what to make of it, but the Poison Masters near the Wan Du Mountains were already frightened, staring at the scene and feeling the pressure coming from deep within. Cold sweat poured from their bodies.
"Could something extremely dangerous be about to appear in the Wan Du Mountains?!"
"Don't panic! If something happens, the Serpent Clan has experts. Why should we be afraid?"
"Then why are you packing your things?!"
"Aren't you going to run? Or wait to die?"
...
Cai Lin had naturally seen this scene. She furrowed her brows slightly, then stepped into the depths of the Wan Du Mountains, appearing in the poisonous marsh world. She also saw Yao Yan, who was meditating in the sky, and felt the aura emanating from him. She momentarily spaced out.
"Is this the Dou Sheng realm?" She murmured, seemingly realizing the terrifying power of that level, then bit her lip in frustration. She had worked so hard to catch up to Yao Yan, but she was still left far behind.
The gap hadn't shrunk at all; in fact, it had only grown larger!
"Sister~" Cai Die, holding Ling Er, came to Cai Lin's side. The two sisters watched Yao Yan, who was in a meditative state in the sky.
He was pulling the entire Wan Du Mountains' poisonous mist into his body at an astonishing speed, his body like an abyss that could never be filled, devouring endless poison. The poisonous insects and ants that came into contact with it were directly burned by the heavenly flame and turned into nourishment, merging into his body!
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Cai Lin's cold eyes held some confusion as she whispered to herself.
(END CHAPTER)
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