Devouring White Lotus Fire

Bear Two's breakthrough had drawn the attention of quite a few magical beasts. Xiao Heng had even spotted a Fifth-tier Magical Beast, but those magical beasts only dared to linger outside and did not dare enter.

Bear One stood guard more than ten meters in front of Bear Two. Earth-yellow Dou Qi formed armor around him as the aura of a Fifth-tier Magical Beast slowly spread out, pressing the distant magical beasts so hard that they did not dare approach.

Roar...!

A tremendous bear roar rang out. He was warning the magical beasts ahead not to come any closer.

This was Xiao Heng's first time sensing the aura of a Fifth-tier Magical Beast from such close range. It was powerful. Even though that pressure was not directed at him, he still felt a heavy weight pressing down on his body.

Outside, a Fifth-tier Tiger-shaped Magical Beast let out a low growl, seemingly issuing some sort of command. It was unwilling to retreat just like that, yet it did not want to directly provoke Bear One either.

The two Fourth-tier Magical Beasts beside it received the command and growled twice, but they still did not dare move forward recklessly. The Tiger-shaped Magical Beast let out a huge roar, seemingly on the verge of anger!

Only then did the two Fourth-tier Magical Beasts cautiously advance. Fourth-tier Magical Beasts already possessed considerable intelligence, and their fear of stronger, higher-tier magical beasts was carved deep into their bloodlines. Thus, they did not dare defy the Tiger-shaped Magical Beast's command.

Growling, they slowly pushed forward.

Roar...!

Bear One roared furiously again!

The two magical beasts paused for a moment, but continued onward.

Seeing that they were about to come within a hundred meters of Bear One, he stopped holding back and charged forward. One paw, then another.

The two magical beasts had no time to react before they were sent flying! Among magical beasts of the same tier, Earth Stone Bears were considered relatively strong. They possessed tremendous strength and defense, and once they got close, few magical beasts of the same tier could withstand their bear paws.

Moreover, these two magical beasts were a tier below Bear One, making the gap in strength even greater. Taking a direct blow from him basically meant death.

Of the two magical beasts, one was slammed directly into the ground. The enormous cracks in the earth marked the end of its life. The other was sent flying more than ten meters away, crashing through two large trees before going still as well.

Awoo...!

The Tiger-shaped Magical Beast let out a long howl. Though it was furious over the deaths of its subordinates, it possessed considerable intelligence and knew that it might not be a match for that bear. Unwilling as it was, it could only slowly retreat with its subordinates.

As the Tiger-shaped Magical Beast departed, the magical beasts nearby gradually dispersed as well. Only a few remained wandering around the area, though none dared approach.

Although most of the magical beasts had retreated, Bear One still did not dare relax. Whether magical beast or human, one was extremely vulnerable during a breakthrough. If interrupted, the backlash from a failed breakthrough would bring extremely severe consequences upon the one attempting it.

He did not dare let his guard down for even a moment, keeping a close watch on the nearby magical beasts and occasionally roaring at them.

A magical beast's breakthrough did not take a short time. Three shichen had already passed, yet it was still not complete. However, Xiao Heng estimated that it would be soon, because the Dou Qi around Bear Two had become even more violent. It was gathering strength. Next came breaking through that boundary.

Sure enough, another half a shichen later, the Dou Qi around Bear Two suddenly erupted into turmoil. The energy vortex it formed was far larger than before, and the oppressive force grew even stronger.

Roar...!

A roar burst from Bear Two's throat, and the unleashed energy sent the surrounding sand and stones flying.

As the dust settled, the Dou Qi around Bear Two began to slowly condense, eventually forming a suit of yellow armor. It tightly enveloped Bear Two, whose body had also grown much larger. Compared to before, he now stood over five meters tall when upright, nearly as large as Bear One.

As Bear Two's breakthrough was fully completed, the remaining magical beasts around them began to vanish as well. Two Fifth-tier Magical Beasts were not opponents they could afford to provoke.

"Big Brother, I succeeded."

Seeing that Bear Two had successfully broken through, Bear One was overjoyed. Beyond joy, he also felt relieved.

"It's good that you broke through!"

Xiao Heng also emerged with Xiao Yi Xian. Xiao Yi Xian smiled sweetly and said, "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Bear Two."

Xiao Heng followed with, "Congratulations on breaking through."

A magical beast's breakthrough was no simple matter. Advancing by one tier often took decades or even a century. Yet after breaking through, their strength increased dramatically. With the Earth Stone Bear bloodline, even though Bear Two had only just broken through, his strength was already comparable to that of a three- or four-star human Dou Wang.

Faced with their congratulations, Bear Two scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I should thank Xiao Heng too! If it weren't for you, I reckon it would have taken me a long time to break through."

Bear One also looked at Xiao Heng gratefully and said thank you.

Xiao Heng shook his head and smiled. "No need. There will be plenty of times in the future when I'll need your help!"

Bear One nodded heavily. "Don't worry. I'll definitely help you with all my strength."

Bear Two said, "Me too!"

Xiao Heng smiled faintly. With two Dou Wang-level fighters, he could not exactly run rampant throughout the Jia Ma Empire, but he no longer needed to be overly cautious.

Since Bear Two had just broken through, his battle with Xiao Heng naturally could not continue. They returned to the valley early as well. Xiao Heng still had one last thing to do before it was time to leave.

When the two returned to the valley, Xiao Heng looked at Xiao Yi Xian and said, "I'll probably be leaving in about a month."

Xiao Yi Xian smiled gently, brushing a strand of beautiful hair beside her ear back. "A month? That's still quite a while."

Xiao Heng smiled as well. A month was indeed not short. Perhaps it was a little early to talk about this now. So he said, "Then we'll talk about it when the time comes."

"Mm! I'll go cook first!"

"Mm! I'll come with you!"

To be honest, Xiao Heng truly wanted to stay here a while longer, but he could not remain here forever. If he had not left Wutan City before, he might not have gained his current strength. So, for the sake of the future, they could only part.

After dinner, Xiao Heng returned to his room and began regulating his breathing. This lasted for an entire day, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next evening.

Xiao Heng took a deep breath and retrieved something from the System Space!

A white lotus-shaped flame floated quietly before Xiao Heng. This was the Heavenly Flame he had obtained from the system's Lottery Draw: White Lotus Fire.

After thinking it over repeatedly, Xiao Heng decided to absorb the White Lotus Fire now. Once he left, he might have a hard time finding somewhere so quiet and safe. Old Yao was not here to stand guard for him. Magical Beasts could not be found in this valley, and it was peaceful—making it the perfect place to absorb a Heavenly Flame.

Xiao Heng felt deeply uneasy about absorbing the Heavenly Flame. His hair had only just grown back, and he was genuinely afraid of this thing. He had experienced the agony of Exotic Flame Body Tempering before; it had been truly unbearable.

Moreover, when he had absorbed a Heavenly Flame last time, it had willingly cooperated with him. This time, the Heavenly Flame would not cooperate of its own accord. Still, he had absorbed one before and had experience. Besides, this White Lotus Fire was still in its infancy, far less powerful than the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame, so there was still some hope.

Looking at the flame before him that scarcely resembled a flame, Xiao Heng's expression was complicated. Even in its sealed state, he could still sense the heat within it. That temperature was even higher than the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame's—the flame of the sun, one that would never be extinguished.

He did not know how powerful the Heavenly Flames on the Heavenly Flame Ranking were, but he had a feeling that, given enough time, this Heavenly Flame might not be inferior to any Heavenly Flame ranked below the top fifteen.

But it was still very weak now, so absorbing it might not be too difficult. That was also why Xiao Heng dared to absorb it.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Heng took three Jade Bottles from his Storage Ring in succession. They contained the Ice Heart Pill, Pulse Protecting Pill, and Cold Ginseng Pill.

"Release the seal!"

As Xiao Heng gave the command, the White Lotus Fire began to reveal its tyranny. The palm-sized lotus instantly transformed into a mass of white flame half a man's height tall. Its scorching heat burned away most of Xiao Heng's clothing in an instant, while the nearby rocks and soil began melting at a visible rate.

Xiao Heng was not in the wooden house now. The house could not withstand the temperature of a Heavenly Flame. He had built it himself, after all, and had no intention of destroying it in one go. So, he had opened another cave into the valley wall.

Red Dou Qi wrapped around Xiao Heng's entire body. Having absorbed a Heavenly Flame once before, he knew what he had to do now.

He swallowed the Cold Ginseng Pill, and a faint layer of frost covered his entire body. Xiao Heng then extended his right hand toward the center of the flames.

Sizzle... sizzle...!

Even with the double protection of Dou Qi and the Cold Ginseng Pill, the raging flames within could still reduce his hand to ash in a very short time. He had to be fast.

Xiao Heng's actions seemed to completely enrage the mass of white flame. What had been only half a man's height suddenly swelled violently, turning the entire cave into a crimson world. Drops of red liquid dripped from the ceiling.

"Fuck...!"

Xiao Heng roared, then clenched his teeth tightly. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as his flesh began to burn away.

Only now did he realize how fortunate he had been when absorbing the Myriad Beasts Spirit Flame last time. His Dou Qi circulated at full force, crimson Dou Qi covering his entire body. He needed some time to wear down the White Lotus Fire's power before he could seize its Flame Seed.

As it clashed with the red flames, the white flames grew increasingly violent and continued expanding. But it was still too weak. Such a massive outburst of energy could not last long, yet even this brief amount of time was enough to leave Xiao Heng severely injured.

As time passed, Xiao Heng felt the White Lotus Fire's strength gradually begin to weaken!

"Ah...!"

With a furious roar, Xiao Heng's face twisted as he grabbed the Flame Seed. A wisp of white fire appeared in his hand.

Without further hesitation, he slapped the flame in his palm into his stomach. Though the white flame had already weakened, a Heavenly Flame was still a Heavenly Flame. It still possessed the power to burn Xiao Heng into ash.

The white flames erupted within his abdomen, then began to rampage through Xiao Heng's body. In just an instant, he felt his internal organs being violently scorched. Without the protection of his Dou Qi and the Cold Ginseng Pill, he would likely have already turned to ash.

After swallowing the Ice Heart Pill, Xiao Heng began directing his Dou Qi against the white flames. Waves of red energy surged forward one after another, only to be incinerated by the white flames.

And so, again and again, Xiao Heng continuously drove his Dou Qi to wear down the flames.

Finally, just as Xiao Heng's Dou Qi was nearly exhausted, the white flames' resistance also began to slowly weaken.

Xiao Yi Xian stood outside the cave. Though she remained some distance away, she could still feel waves of heat rushing toward her. At the cave entrance, she could no longer make out what lay inside; it was completely enveloped by red magma and white flames.

Her hands clenched tightly.

"You have to succeed! Xiao Heng, you'll definitely be fine."

Her worry was plain to see.

After swallowing the Pulse Protecting Pill, Xiao Heng began using his Dou Qi to guide the Flame Seed along the path of his cultivation technique. It moved very slowly, and as the flames passed through his meridians, that searing heat nearly melted them.