Chapter 165: Purifying the Demonic Fire
"Xiao Chen… you…"
Ma Xiaotao was completely stunned by Ye Chen's words.
Tears welled in her eyes, streaming down her flushed cheeks before evaporating the moment they touched the warm stone floor.
She was overwhelmed—utterly moved.
All this time, she had assumed Ye Chen had been out fooling around somewhere, wasting time or secretly meeting other girls behind her back.
But she hadn't expected this—Ye Chen had gone out solely to find a cure for her demonic fire.
Her teacher had spent years searching across half the continent for a solution with no success, managing only to suppress the condition temporarily.
Yet the moment this flower's aura touched her, she could already feel the raging evil flame within her soul trembling, faintly suppressed, almost purified.
It was exactly as Ye Chen had said—this herb might truly repair her martial spirit's fatal flaw completely.
A treasure this rare—and expensive—was something she could never dream of affording. Not even doubling her existing debt would cover it.
"Xiao Tao‑jie, hurry and absorb it before the medicinal energy disperses," Ye Chen said, handing her the jade box carefully. His tone grew serious.
"This is a pure yang plant—its energy is fierce and upright. You mustn't swallow it directly. Hold it in your mouth and guide the energy with your soul power. The purification will be extremely painful. You must endure it, or everything will be wasted."
"I will. I'll endure it—I promise."
Ma Xiaotao nodded solemnly, accepting the jade box.
She didn't refuse—it was his heartfelt effort, undertaken entirely for her. To reject it now would insult his sincerity and render his hardship meaningless.
She was no child; she understood that only by fully absorbing it could she truly repay his dedication.
Repayment itself… well, that could come later.
Drawing a breath, she gently opened her lips and placed the crimson flower—the Phoenix Crest Aster—into her mouth.
At once, an overwhelming surge of yang energy poured into her body.
"M‑mm…"
She groaned softly, immediately crossing her legs to steady herself and channel the flow.
The small blossom was deceiving; its power was earth‑shaking.
"Boom—!"
The fierce yang energy burst outward like an explosion, filling the courtyard.
Ye Chen instantly released his spiritual power, forming an invisible barrier to contain the fluctuations, preventing anyone from noticing.
Though his spirit power wasn't yet at the Domain Realm, it was refined enough to manifest tangibly and block external senses.
He also refrained from using his ice attribute to assist, since his Extreme Ice would directly conflict with her pure yang energy—any interference from him might disrupt her absorption.
Soon, Ma Xiaotao's face contorted in pain; low whimpers escaped her lips.
In mere moments, sweat drenched her entire body, glistening over every curve.
The process was clearly excruciating.
When Ye Chen had absorbed the Frozen Resin earlier, he hadn't felt much at all—his body was too strong, his attribute perfectly aligned, even surpassing the herb itself in essence.
But Ma Xiaotao's demonic phoenix flames, while powerful, were still far weaker in purity than the absolute yang energy within the Phoenix Crest Aster.
That was precisely what allowed its fiery nature to purify her martial spirit—to expel the "demonic" part and leave behind only the true, sacred Phoenix flame.
Pure yang herbs were known for dispelling evil, and this immortal herb suited her perfectly—it was a medicine chosen by fate.
…
As time passed, Ye Chen could clearly perceive streams of dark energy seeping out of her body—blackened wisps of fire fading into nothing in the air.
He was no stranger to this energy.
After all, he had often helped suppress her demonic fire before—with his own Extreme Ice, during their times together.
Each encounter had drawn out some of the corruption, neutralizing it temporarily.
But that had only ever been a stopgap measure.
Now, this herb's pure yang energy was purging it at the source—completely cleansing her martial spirit.
And the results were astonishing.
…
Two hours later, her breathing steadied. The petals of the Phoenix Crest Aster had nearly withered, all its energy drawn into her body.
Not only was the demonic fire gone, but her cultivation had surged as well.
This herb had existed for one hundred thousand years—its power immense enough to push her directly to level 70.
Though much of its energy was spent on the purification process, the leftover potency would likely resurface once she obtained her seventh soul ring, spurring another advancement.
Still, the improvement was remarkable. At her current level, breakthrough from medicine alone was rare.
Back when Tang San and his friends used immortal herbs, they had only been in their thirties in cultivation, which made the effects look dramatic.
But Ma Xiaotao was already far stronger—her increase of several levels and the purging of her demonic fire proved just how extraordinary this herb truly was.
"Whew…"
Half an hour later, she finally opened her eyes, exhaling a long breath.
Her appearance seemed the same, yet her aura had transformed—her energy radiated warmth and purity, blazing like sunlight.
"Xiao Tao‑jie, let me see your martial spirit," Ye Chen said eagerly.
She smiled softly and nodded.
"Cry—!"
A clear phoenix cry echoed as a magnificent flame‑born bird emerged from her body, circling her elegantly.
The fire phoenix's flames were now dazzling red‑gold, pure and untainted.
No trace of dark energy or corruption remained.
Ye Chen could sense it instantly—the demonic fire had been entirely eradicated.
Her Martial Spirit—the Evil Fire Phoenix—had been reborn as a true Fire Phoenix.
Once, her flames had been close to the level of Extreme Fire.
Now, after this transformation, her Phoenix Fire had reached that boundary—just shy of perfection.
And that final step—the leap from the near‑perfect to the absolute—was a gap vast enough to separate gods from mortals.
For most soul masters, it was an impossibility.
After all, a martial spirit's nature was born with its user, and without miracles like this immortal herb, it could never fundamentally change.
(END CHAPTER)
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