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**
Holding Xian'er in his arms, Wei Yang softly chatted with her for a while.
Gradually, Xian'er's voice began to grow faint and drowsy. Her eyelids slowly closed, and after murmuring a few unintelligible words, she fell silent. Soon, the soft, steady rhythm of her breathing gently reached his ears.
Wei Yang lowered his head and looked at her, realizing that she had already fallen asleep.
His gaze softened with a deep trace of tenderness. Looking at her delicate and beautiful face, filled with gentle grace, he raised his hand to brush aside a few strands of her hair resting on her forehead. Unconsciously, his mind wandered back to the very first time they had met.
Back then, they were both so young, so inexperienced.
Wei Yang was only fifteen years old, still at the Dou Shi level, having just obtained his fortuitous encounter from the cliff cave.
As for Xian'er, she was only thirteen at the time, not even having stepped into cultivation yet. When she first arrived at Qingshan Town, her heart was filled with confusion and uncertainty about the future.
Through a rather cliché "hero saving the beauty" scenario, the two had met.
From then on, they had walked side by side, encouraging each other, supporting each other, striving together for their goals — all the way until this very day.
Now, Wei Yang had already reached Five-Star Dou Zong, his full strength sufficient to instantly kill an ordinary One-Star Dou Zun. And Xian'er herself had already stepped into Three-Star Dou Zun.
Such achievements and heights… were something neither of them could have even dared to dream of back then.
Thinking back to his younger self, the way he used to stare at Xian'er like a drooling fool, Wei Yang suddenly felt a wave of shame wash over him.
His toes curled against the ground in second-hand embarrassment, and he wished he could immediately travel back in time just to slap his past self to death.
Too impatient!
And back then, Xian'er was only thirteen… What the hell was he thinking? Beast!
A lifetime's worth of reputation, gone. Dignity, image — all ruined!
He wondered whether Xian'er still remembered those things… No, she definitely remembered.
Absolutely.
Wei Yang rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Spilt water cannot be recovered.
This stain on his past… would never be wiped away.
Thinking back on it now, his embarrassing behavior back then was even more cringe worthy than Xiao Yan shouting, "Thirty years east, thirty years west!"
It was practically on par with Xiao Yan sneaking into a little girl's room at night to "massage her".
In other words, he and Xiao Yan were basically the same.
(A.N : Yang Emperor and Flame Emperor, both carrying their respective "black marks"… And hilariously, their stains were almost identical — both taking advantage of their wives' youthful naivety, using less-than-honorable means to win their hearts, plus… secretly peeking at the Snake Woman bathing. So, one day, when they stand atop the Great Thousand World, overlooking the river of time, reminiscing about their past… they might just end up looking at each other in silence.)
"Ugh, enough. I'm done thinking about this… Just let me die already."
Wei Yang sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling the urge to silence everyone who knew about this dark history, to make sure nobody ever spoke of it again.
Of course, that was impossible.
He tightened his arm slightly around Xian'er's slender waist. Lowering his head, he placed what seemed like an "angry" but actually gentle kiss on her smooth forehead.
Sensing Wei Yang's affectionate touch, Xian'er's beautiful face softened even further, and the corners of her lips curved ever so slightly into a sweet smile in her sleep.
Seeing this, Wei Yang couldn't resist reaching out to lightly pinch her cheek. He couldn't deny it — deep in his heart, Xian'er was the person he cherished the most.
Lifting his head, Wei Yang gazed at the magnificent sea of stars above.
The longer he stared, the more he noticed something unusual. The night sky above Holy Pill City… felt different. Compared to other places, it seemed filled with an extraordinary sense of spirituality.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he whispered in his heart, "Death Life, after all this time, have you sensed the aura of the Three Thousand Burning Flame?"
Within his dantian, the Black Sun trembled faintly.
Buzz… buzz… buzz…No. Nothing.
"You can't sense it? Looks like the Pill Tower's sealing methods really are incredibly subtle and secure."
"Then let me see for myself… This Ninth Ranked Heavenly Flame — the Three Thousand Burning Flame… I want to know just what kind of existence it truly is." Wei Yang murmured softly to himself, his heart filled with curiosity.
The corners of his lips curved slightly upward as he slowly closed his eyes.
In the instant his eyes shut, his vast soul power surged out like a tidal wave, gushing from the space between his brows and spreading outward in all directions, reaching toward the dazzling starry sky above.
The ripples of soul power spread across the heavens like water waves, silent and invisible. That ethereal, intelligent soul power was like a gentle breeze brushing across the night sky, carrying with it an inexplicable sense of mystery and awe.
Wei Yang's body, at this moment, was also slowly releasing faint specks of shimmering light.
This light was mysterious, almost sacred, like the pure brilliance of life's origin. Yet, it was invisible to the naked eye — only by using soul power could one perceive its existence.
Even the grass beneath his feet, which had been slightly withered from being trampled on, gradually regained its vitality under the gentle glow of this light. The dull yellow faded away, replaced by a vibrant emerald green.
Tiny sprouts even quietly broke through the soil, brimming with life and energy.
This was the spirituality possessed by a Spirit Realm soul. Not only could it grant "spirit" to pills, but it could also breathe life into all things.
Ever since Wei Yang's soul had broken through to the Mid Spirit Realm, it had been a long time since he last unleashed his full sensory power like this.
Especially within Holy Pill City — a place where high-tier alchemists gathered — he had to remain cautious and restrained. Otherwise, drawing too much attention could easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
However, his curiosity about the Three Thousand Burning Flame was simply too strong to resist. His vast soul power continued spreading outward, rippling through the night sky, climbing ever higher toward the Inner Region.
He didn't know how long it lasted, but eventually, at some undefined moment, his soul sense seemed to pierce through an invisible barrier.
His Sea of Consciousness trembled slightly, and suddenly, an awe-inspiring scene unfolded before him.
Through the vision of his soul, he "saw" within the endless gray void — a colossal dragon, so massive that its body seemed to stretch infinitely into the distance, coiled and slumbering in the vast expanse of darkness.
The dragon's enormous eyelids were tightly shut, and an eerie purple-black flame swirled endlessly around its massive body.
With each breath the dragon took, countless specks of starlight were drawn toward it, silently slipping through the darkness before merging into the dragon's form.
And at the very moment Wei Yang's soul power locked onto the dragon, a faint, ethereal dragon roar seemed to reverberate through his heart.
Roar—!
"This… this is the Three Thousand Burning Flame," Wei Yang whispered in his mind, "Also known as the Three Thousand Star Burning Flame… the Undying Flame."
Suddenly—
"Who dares spy upon the Star Region of Pill City!"
A sharp, furious voice thundered deep within Wei Yang's soul.
The unexpected roar instantly shattered Wei Yang's soul perception, blasting apart his probing spiritual threads.
Wei Yang's brows twitched, but he reacted decisively, withdrawing his senses at once and retreating from that forbidden Star Region.
As for the fragments of soul power that had been destroyed, he chose to abandon them entirely, allowing them to dissipate into the vast, gray void. Even so, a faint trace of spirituality lingered amidst the scattered remnants.
"Hm? This aura… a Spirit Realm soul?"
From somewhere deep within the void, a faint voice of surprise echoed softly. Then, the voice spread outward, chasing after the direction Wei Yang's perception had retreated to:
"Which friend visits so late in the night? Why not reveal yourself for a meeting?"
However, the void remained silent.
No response.
Not even the slightest trace of soul power remained.
"Already left, huh? Quite fast."
Back in the quiet courtyard on the outskirts of Holy Pill City— Wei Yang's perception swiftly withdrew, and his tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
Hoo~
He let out a long, quiet breath, his gaze lifting once more toward the starlit skies above the city's Inner Region.
Clicking his tongue lightly, he muttered to himself, "As expected of the Pill Tower… They noticed my intrusion that quickly."
Then he chuckled softly. "Fine. If they won't let me see, so be it."
After all, he had only been curious — he merely wanted to catch a glimpse of what the Three Thousand Burning Flames actually looked like. And now that he'd seen it, his curiosity was satisfied.
"Yeah, the appearance is pretty impressive," he murmured with a faint smirk, "but still… it's only ranked Ninth among the Heavenly Flames."
He shrugged lightly.
"Not that amazing."
"Brother Yang, what's wrong?"
Beside him, Xian'er stirred sleepily, her beautiful eyes half-open as she mumbled softly.
While speaking, she unconsciously burrowed closer into Wei Yang's embrace, as if searching for a warmer and more comfortable spot.
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."
Wei Yang smiled, scooping her up in his arms with one smooth motion as he stood up.
He grinned teasingly, "Didn't you want 'grain tribute'? Fine. I'll fulfill my duty."
"You're so annoying~"
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