Word Count: 2,768 Words
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"Mmph!"
Little Fairy Doctor's eyes widened at first, and when she felt her teeth being forcefully pried apart, she tightly shut her eyes as her body went rigid.
Her mind was already in turmoil, her heart pounding wildly like a startled fawn. She had long forgotten that her Woeful Poison Body was about to erupt and that she herself was teetering on the brink of death.
Her restless hands, unsure of where to go, clutched her robe so tightly that they nearly wrinkled its fabric.
Although she understood that Xiao Yan was trying to save her by extracting the Ghostly Poison Flame and a portion of the Dou Venerate's poison from her body, thereby reducing the burden on her Woeful Poison Body…
How could she possibly have the presence of mind to consider such matters now? After all, she was a pure maiden who had never experienced anything like this before.
All she could think about was what she had eaten at her last meal, and now she also knew what Xiao Yan had eaten for his…
Ordinarily, not even the Nihility Devouring Flame could invade a Woeful Poison Body. After all, such a legendary physique rendered it impossible to purge the poison in the same manner as with Nalan Jie; even Heavenly Flames could hardly withstand the onslaught of the violent poison inherent to a Woeful Poison Body.
However, Mao Wu, having evolved into an Earth Seed Flame, utilized Spatial Strength in conjunction with Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength, traversing space to swiftly extract the unabsorbed poison before the Woeful Poison Body could fully assimilate it.
The Flame Mantra circulated at extreme speed. The Nihility Devouring Flame exerted its full power, enveloping the Ghostly Poison Flame within Little Fairy Doctor's body and actually pulling it free from the Woeful Poison Body's grasp!
With Tun Yuan eliminated, Venerable You Du had completely perished. The soul imprint on the Ghostly Poison Flame had also vanished entirely, returning it to an ownerless state.
For Xiao Yan, whose Flame Mantra had already reached the Low Tian Class, the difficulty of refining the 20th-ranked Ghostly Poison Flame was significantly reduced!
Hoo! Xiao Yan's gaze focused. He captured the dark green Ghostly Poison Flame with his powerful Spiritual Strength and precise fire control.
Gulp. His throat bobbed as he swallowed the flame into his body through his throat.
It was fortunate no third party was present. Otherwise, witnessing this intimate exchange would likely cause anyone to blush deeply with embarrassment.
Xiao Yan finally released Little Fairy Doctor's stiff body, though his own condition did not look too good.
Although the Ghostly Poison Flame was only ranked 20th, and its temperature was lower than the Green Lotus Core Flame, it was a Poison Flame! Its formidable nature lay not just in its high temperature, but the fierce poison contained within the flame was the reason all alchemists found it difficult to refine.
Even Xiao Yan was no exception. His Poison Resistance Pill and Detoxification Pill could only offer assistance; whether he could completely refine it depended on his own fortune.
Sensing Xiao Yan release his hold, Little Fairy Doctor's tense body slowly relaxed after they separated. She gradually opened her eyes.
Her cheeks were an unprecedented shade of crimson, even the roots of her ears were pink. Paired with her white hair, it gave her a unique charm!
Rather than checking the state of her Woeful Poison Body, the first thing she did was gently touch her reddened lips with her delicate fingers, a trace of girlishness appearing in her eyes.
When her beautiful eyes fell upon Xiao Yan—not far away, as he struggled against the fierce poison of the Ghostly Poison Flame, his body alternating between green and purple while showing clear signs of pain—her expression turned solemn. She lightly bit her fingertip, and a wisp of blood carrying a faint grey-purple glow flowed from the wound.
Then, she gently touched his lips with her fingertip and whispered, "This can increase the body's poison resistance."
Sure enough, the symptoms of poisoning within Xiao Yan's body began to gradually subside. He slowly opened his eyes and, noticing that some of Little Fairy Doctor's snow-white hair had reverted to its original color, he exhaled a sigh of relief.
"You should stabilize the poison in your body first. Even though I've drawn out some of the Dou Venerate's lifelong poison, it's still extremely potent."
"Mm, but first I'll take care of a small problem."
Hearing Little Fairy Doctor's words, Xiao Yan revealed a slight smile. He understood.
Don't be fooled by Little Fairy Doctor calling herself a 'Fairy Doctor', usually enjoying reading books and cultivating herbs with a tranquil demeanor. When it was time to act, she could be ruthless!
With a flash, Little Fairy Doctor appeared several kilometers away. A bone-chilling cold light flashed in her eyes as she looked down from above at the panickedly fleeing Ling Tian!
This was the root of all the trouble. How could Little Fairy Doctor possibly allow him to escape!
"No, no... spare me! I can be your ox, your horse. I'll do anything you ask, just let me live!"
Little Fairy Doctor's eyes held not an ounce of compassion as she observed Ling Tian kneeling and begging for mercy. A wisp of poison surged forth with a mere wave of her hand.
"Ahhh!!" Ling Tian immediately collapsed to the ground, white foam spewing from his mouth as he felt his body slowly melting away!
Having already been drained of his Dou God Bloodline and most of his flesh and blood by the Tunlings, he didn't even possess the qualifications to serve as cat food.
Finally, under Little Fairy Doctor's icy gaze, he turned into a pool of blood that gradually soaked into this land.
Not long after, Zi Yan, along with the Amethyst Winged Lion King and its cub, awoke one after another. When Zi Yan saw Xiao Yan and Little Fairy Doctor sitting cross-legged in cultivation not far away, she released a weary sigh.
"Hey, Xiao Yan, going on adventures with you is just too much trouble." Zi Yan's first words upon waking were to grumble at Xiao Yan.
They were supposed to come rob and plunder, snatch medicinal ingredients from magical beasts, refine Heavenly Flames, inherit a Dou Venerate's legacy, have a happy trip acting as bandits and robbers, but they ended up nearly losing their little lives!
To encounter remnants of the Tunling Clan in this place, a clan that should have been exterminated thousands of years ago, and one that reached the Dou Venerate realm at that! Isn't this ridiculous? There aren't even any Dou Venerates in the North-Western Region, yet there just happened to be one here!
Although Zi Yan and the others did not know how Xiao Yan had defeated the other party, sensing that Little Fairy Doctor's cultivation had surged so much, they roughly guessed that their victory hadn't come easily.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was relieved to see Little Fairy Doctor hadn't self-detonated. After all, Xiao Yan had entrusted her to its care. If Little Fairy Doctor had died, it wouldn't know how to face him.
By the time Xiao Yan opened his eyes, he saw that Zi Yan, though somewhat exhausted, was otherwise unharmed. He immediately set his mind at ease, then grinned.
"Zi Yan ah, now is the time for harvest. The heavenly treasures here and the medicinal ingredients in those people's storage rings are all ours."
At his words, Zi Yan's eyes brightened with realization. That's right! There were no living beings left in this land now; they had all been drained of their flesh, blood, and Dou Qi by the small Tunlings released by that Tun Yuan!
So now this place was truly littered with treasures!
Xiao Yan really knew what was important!
This time, quite a few factions from the Chu Yun Empire had been drawn here. The leaders of the Poison Sect and the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate both died here!
Although their storage rings might not contain all their belongings, as most were likely kept within their factions, who knew if there might be some unexpected surprises!
Moreover, there were several high-grade rare medicinal herbs in this valley. The Clear Soul Nether Orchid was still growing peacefully on the mountain wall!
Although Xiao Yan possessed many Heavenly Flames, this time he not only needed to refine a Heavenly Flame but also needed to resolve some Dou Qi issues left behind from forcefully advancing with medicinal pills earlier.
Although the Ghostly Poison Flame was only ranked 20th, refining it would grant the body extremely high poison resistance.
Now, as Xiao Yan's consciousness sank into his body, he observed that the dark green flame which had entered earlier had split into countless tiny wisps of flame. These wisps, containing terrifying energy and fierce poison, shuttled chaotically through his meridians. Anything obstructing their path would be instantly incinerated and poisoned into bloody water by them.
As these dark green flames shuttled through, although his meridians were protected by the Poison Resistance Pill, coupled with the protection of multiple Heavenly Flames, he was still poisoned to the point of total body weakness and excruciating pain!
This was the first time he had felt his entire body numb and unable to move. Even circulating his Dou Qi was extremely difficult.
'Indeed, no Heavenly Flame can be underestimated. This poison can actually paralyze Dou Qi, slowing down the Flame Mantra's circulation considerably.' Xiao Yan's forehead instantly beaded with cold sweat. The Ghostly Poison Flame was different from all previous Heavenly Flames, proving somewhat troublesome even for him, who had refined many Heavenly Flames.
The poison flame slowly seeped in. Although the residual heat from this seepage wasn't particularly scorching, the potent toxin was undoubtedly a devastating blow.
Under the dual effects of this high temperature and fierce poison, Xiao Yan's entire skin began to change various colors like a string of festive lights.
Sometimes he felt scorching heat, sometimes bone-chilling cold. Sometimes his whole body felt weak, sometimes feverish and burning. Various sensations alternated; his body seemed to have lost its self-control, experiencing all sorts of poisoning symptoms.
The pain caused by the fierce poison made Xiao Yan's body constantly spasm intermittently. His muscles tensed all over, and blue veins bulged like writhing worms across his deathly pale face, devoid of any blood.
These changes persisted for a full seven days and nights before his body gradually began to adapt.
Just like when refining the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, some Heavenly Flames could cause physical changes, subtly altering the body.
The Ghostly Poison Flame could grant the refiner a body immune to all poisons. Now, ordinary poisons could not affect Xiao Yan at all.
Only after his body adapted to the Ghostly Poison Flame's potent poison did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. He then began circulating the Flame Mantra, guiding the Ghostly Poison Flame into his Acceptance Soul and imprinting his soul imprint upon it.
During the seven days of tempering his body with the Ghostly Poison Flame, the medicinal effects of the Dou King Pill and the Emperor Heaven Pill were also finally completely absorbed by Xiao Yan. The medicinal strength, tempered by the Heavenly Flames, became incomparably pure, eliminating concerns about unstable Dou Qi.
"Merge!"
Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open. The Low Tian Class Flame Mantra roared like a racing car engine, operating at extreme speed. The natural energy of the entire space surged uncontrollably into his body.
Buzz!!!
Instantly, within Xiao Yan's Acceptance Soul, the Nihility Devouring Flame Earth Seed Flame, Ten Thousand Beast Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame, Yin-Yang Twin Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Bone Chilling Flame, and Sea Heart Flame – seven kinds of Heavenly Flames formed a ring, slowly rotating, like seven big brothers preparing to welcome the arrival of the eighth brother!
Soon, the Ghostly Poison Flame gradually joined this big family as the Flame Mantra circulated, taking its place behind the Sea Heart Flame.
Time passed unknowingly for another seven days. When Xiao Yan opened his eyes once more, the eight kinds of Heavenly Flames had already merged into a brand-new Heavenly Flame!
An incomparably terrifying thermal energy burst forth from Xiao Yan's body, scorching a hole in the sky above!
'2-star Dou Emperor now.'
Xiao Yan had entered a state of enlightenment these past few days. His cultivation had not only advanced to Dou Emperor through the Emperor Heaven Pill but had also increased by another star in strength!
Refining a Heavenly Flame could change Xiao Yan's physique but couldn't directly increase his cultivation level. However, there were often additional gains during the Heavenly Flame refinement process.
For example, this time, there was still a bit of Venerable You Du's Dou Qi within the Ghostly Poison Flame. This naturally benefited Xiao Yan, allowing him not only to fix the flaws from his forced breakthrough but also to increase his cultivation by one star, reaching the 2-star Dou Emperor stage.
'The Flame Mantra indeed didn't evolve further.' Xiao Yan wasn't surprised at all. The Flame Mantra had already reached the Low Tian Class. To evolve to the Middle Tian Class, he would need to refine at least one of the top ten Heavenly Flames.
Nevertheless, although the Ghostly Poison Flame did not trigger an evolution of the Flame Mantra, it did serve to strengthen it somewhat.
"Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan!!"
Seeing Xiao Yan finally emerge from his cultivation state, Zi Yan couldn't hold back any longer. She directly traversed the void and appeared before him, her anxious appearance making one wonder if there was some special relationship between them!
Then, under Xiao Yan's eye-rolling expression, she dumped a pile of medicinal ingredients in front of him.
Xiao Yan recognized them at a glance. These were all tier 6 medicinal ingredients, and there were even two tier 7 ones!
After all, Zi Yan was now a Rank 6 magical beast. Tier 5 medicinal ingredients like the Dou King Grass could no longer help her grow or increase her strength.
Gazing at these medicinal ingredients that would drive any 6th-tier alchemist mad, Xiao Yan shot her a sidelong glance and said, "Aren't you taking a bit too much!"
These tier 6 ingredients—had she perhaps cleared out the entire mountain range?
Zi Yan saw his expression, giggled, and took out a basket full of storage rings from her void space. These were all obtained from the Poison Masters, who had died miserably, and they had been collected by her and the Amethyst Winged Lion King over the past half-month.
Xiao Yan's terrifying Spiritual Strength swept over them, only to discover that these storage rings were full of junk. Even the storage rings themselves were very ordinary, incomparable to top-tier rings like the Bone Flame Ring or the Serene Sea Storage Ring. Even the storage ring Ya Fei gave him was higher grade than these.
The contents were even more worthless. Apart from some Huang Class and Xuan Class Qi Methods and Dou Techniques, all the medicinal ingredients were below tier 5.
"Zi Yan!" Xiao Yan glanced askance at Zi Yan. Are you trying to trick me? Do I look that easy to fool!
Realizing Xiao Yan had seen through her trick, Zi Yan showed an awkward yet polite smile and took out another dozen or so storage rings from her void space. These storage rings were clearly of higher quality.
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength swept over them. He guessed these storage rings likely belonged to the Poison Sect Leader, the Ten Thousand Scorpion Gate Chief, and other vanguard leaders. Inside, he could find some high-quality weapons, but there wasn't a single Di Class Qi Method or Dou Technique. They were probably kept as treasures within their respective factions.
And there were a few tier 6 medicinal ingredients as well.
Xiao Yan pursed his lips. Black flames enveloped his palm, then reached through the void into the storage space Zi Yan had created.
He took out all the storage rings and precious medicinal ingredients belonging to those ill-fated members from the Dou God Clans.
"Xiao Yan, you can't take them all!" Zi Yan immediately lunged forward, but Xiao Yan stopped her with a palm against her forehead.
In a righteous tone, he then declared, "How can you be so selfish? We're a team of five, and you want to take everything for yourself? I bet you didn't even share anything with the Lion King and its cub, did you?"
He then delivered a firm slap to her butt as punishment!