Lu Chen had already approached the center of the Flame Domain. The demonic beasts around him gradually grew stronger; even the weakest were in the Breath Regulation Realm.
Lu Chen carefully avoided the high-level demonic beasts. Just then, his aura plummeted in a straight line. Along the way, the Yang Sea Pearl within his Heavenly Pool had slowly been ignited by the fire prison.
"Pfft!"
Lu Chen spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Little Lu, what's wrong?" Wind Dragon called out anxiously. He could sense the impact the Primal Chaos Greatsword was suffering within the Heavenly Pool.
"My... Heavenly Pool... is in chaos..."
"I'm hot..."
Lu Chen repeated those words over and over, his consciousness beginning to blur.
"Grandpa, look! Someone has fainted over there. Let's go take a look." A young girl's voice drifted over from afar.
"Wan'er, don't go over there. It could be dangerous." The old man hurriedly stopped the girl in front of him.
"It's all right, Grandpa. He doesn't look like a bad person. Let's save him first, okay?"
"But your illness..."
Before the old man could finish, the girl ran toward Lu Chen. Watching her approach, Wind Dragon could only keep calling out to Lu Chen.
"Lu Chen, wake up! Someone's coming."
Lu Chen ignored Wind Dragon. The Yang Sea Pearl within him had already gone out of control. His Heavenly Pool had been ravaged into a mess by fire-attributed spiritual energy, while the Azure Emperor Divine Tree and Yin Sea Pearl continuously absorbed energy to balance the Yang Sea Pearl.
Lu Chen watched the girl running toward him.
She had bright eyes and delicate brows, with long black hair flowing down her back. She wore a long white dress, yet her entire body carried a trace of icy, sickly frailty.
"What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?" The girl bent over Lu Chen and examined his aura.
"Hot, hot..." Lu Chen repeated without pause. The girl gave him a gentle, familiar feeling, and he could tell she was not a bad person.
The girl pulled Lu Chen into her arms and used her own icy aura to cool him down.
"Wan'er, why must you do this again? You're ill yourself, yet you're still trying to treat him." The old man spoke to the girl.
"Grandpa, don't say any more. It's precisely because I'm sick that I can feel his pain." The girl continued holding Lu Chen, using her body to cool him down.
"Sigh, fine, fine. I'll treat him." The old man seemed to have been persuaded by the girl. "Let's find somewhere quieter first."
Wind Dragon circled above Lu Chen's head. Now, he could only hope the two of them could save Lu Chen.
Wind Dragon was an Artifact Spirit. Unless he allowed it, ordinary people could not see him. Yet he could sense an exceptionally gentle aura from Nantian Wan'er.
By then, Lu Chen's consciousness had gradually blurred. Only the girl's face remained in his vision. He felt safe in her arms and slowly fell asleep in her embrace.
When Lu Chen woke again, he was inside a room, his entire body soaked in a medicinal pool.
"You're awake? Do you feel any better?" Seeing Lu Chen awaken, the girl hurried over to ask.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Lu Chen stood up in the medicinal pool and looked around. In his memory, he had fainted beside a lava cave.
"Ah... Put your clothes on first." Seeing Lu Chen stand up, the girl hurriedly covered her eyes and turned around.
Lu Chen looked down at himself. All his clothes had been removed, so he quickly stepped out of the medicinal pool and got dressed.
"Wind Dragon, what happened?"
"Little Lu, they're good people. When you were injured and unconscious that day, this young lady was the one who saved you."
Wind Dragon landed atop Lu Chen's head again.
After understanding the situation, Lu Chen hurriedly thanked the girl before him. "My name is Lu Chen. Thank you for saving me, miss. May I ask your name?"
The girl turned around to look at Lu Chen. He had already changed into clean clothes.
"My name is Nantian Wan'er. You can also call me Wan'er. My grandfather, Nantian Xiu, and I came here to search for medicinal herbs, and we happened to come across you."
"Nantian Wan'er? Nantian... You're from the Nantian Region? I have a brother who is also surnamed Nantian. His name is Nantian Yijian. You should know each other," Lu Chen said doubtfully.
"N-no, I don't know him. The Nantian Region is very large. I've never heard that name."
It was Nantian Wan'er's first time staying alone in a room with a man for so long. Feeling the warm breath Lu Chen constantly exhaled, the tips of her ears instantly reddened. She lowered her head in flustered embarrassment.
"Your little dragon is so cute. Ever since you fainted, he's been circling above your head." Nantian Wan'er took the chance to change the subject.
"You can see Wind Dragon?"
Lu Chen and Wind Dragon were both astonished. Ordinarily, if Wind Dragon had not chosen to reveal himself, no one else should have been able to see him.
"I can. Since I was little, I've always had an affinity with demonic beasts and spirit beasts. Even the most vicious demonic beasts never harm me," Nantian Wan'er said softly.
Hearing Nantian Wan'er's explanation, Wind Dragon carefully examined her aura.
"This aura... could it be the bloodline aura of the Phoenix Ancestor? It vanished so long ago. I never expected to see it here."
Seeing Wind Dragon's shocked expression, Lu Chen asked, "Wind Dragon, what is the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline?"
Nantian Wan'er was also curious about what was special about her bloodline. She lifted her head, wanting to hear what Wind Dragon had to say.
"I only heard of this from Sixth Ancestor. Legend says that in ancient times, five beings were born. One of them was the East Pole Azure Emperor, the source of your bloodline, Little Lu. Another was called the Southern Phoenix Ancestor, from whom all beasts were born."
"Those who possess the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline are born with a natural suppression over beasts. Thus, all beasts under heaven hold those with the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline in the utmost reverence."
Wind Dragon looked at Nantian Wan'er in confusion. "But someone with the Phoenix Ancestor bloodline should possess only the fire attribute. Yet her whole body is wreathed in icy coldness. That should be absolutely impossible."
Hearing Wind Dragon say this, Lu Chen also noticed the icy, sickly aura filling Nantian Wan'er's body. Moreover, whenever he approached her, he felt inexplicably safe, and the Yang Sea Pearl would slowly settle down.
Lu Chen asked, "Wan'er, is there something wrong with your body?"
"I don't know either. But ever since I can remember, my body has been exceptionally weak. After entering the Qi Gathering Realm, every bit my cultivation improved, the icy aura in my meridians increased by another bit."
"Now, I have to take Bright Sun Grass every month to suppress it. Unless I can find something of extreme heat to refine into pills and consume, or someone can draw away the icy aura in my body, it will erupt once at the end of every month."
"My grandfather and I came out because we heard there was a fire prison in this Secret Realm. We hoped to find something of extreme heat to help suppress the icy aura within me."
Listening to Nantian Wan'er's explanation, Lu Chen instantly understood that her condition was similar to his own. But he had to find the Yin Sea Pearl.
"If possible, I'll do my best to help you look for it. By the way, where is your grandfather?"
"Grandpa Xiu went to gather Bright Sun Grass to refine pills for me. In a few days, it will be the end of the month. Without Bright Sun Grass, the icy aura in my body will erupt."
Lu Chen sensed Nantian Wan'er's embarrassment. "I'm fine now. Let's go outside and take a look."
The two walked out of the room and saw the old man refining pills some distance away.
"You're awake? You're feeling much better, right?" The old man looked at Lu Chen as he came out.
"I'm much better now. Thank you, Grandpa Xiu, for saving me." Lu Chen clasped his hands and thanked the old man.
Nantian Xiu handed a bowl of medicinal broth to Lu Chen. "I saw that your condition was similar to Wan'er's, so I tried treating you. But if you want to resolve the Fire Toxin in your body, you may need to find another method."
"Drink this bowl of medicine. After resting for a few more days, you'll be able to temporarily suppress the Fire Toxin in your body."
Lu Chen knew his own condition. After drinking the medicinal broth, he handed the bowl back to Nantian Xiu and expressed his thanks.
Over the next few days, Nantian Xiu treated Lu Chen every day, and Lu Chen's body gradually recovered. Perhaps because they shared the same affliction, Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er's relationship also became somewhat subtle.
One day, Lu Chen felt that his Fire Toxin had been suppressed. Having stayed here for so long, he feared that the people of Fengtian Prefecture would worry about him, so he bade Nantian Xiu farewell and wished to head to the center of the Secret Realm as soon as possible.
"Grandpa Xiu, I'm preparing to head deeper into the fire prison. If there's anything you need, I can help gather it for you."
"Lu Chen, you're going deeper into the fire prison? But your injuries... haven't healed yet..."
Hearing that Lu Chen was preparing to go deeper into the fire prison, Nantian Wan'er hurriedly tried to stop him, her face full of worry. But when she realized she was a girl, the tips of her ears instantly reddened. She lowered her head and twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers.
Looking at Nantian Wan'er, Nantian Xiu understood that the heart of a young maiden had begun to stir.
Since childhood, Nantian Wan'er had followed him everywhere in search of medicinal herbs to treat her illness. She had never met many unfamiliar men, so now that she had encountered a young man like Lu Chen, it was only natural that feelings would arise.
Nantian Xiu was not some rigid old-fashioned man. Over the past few days, he had seen clearly that Lu Chen was a kind and respectful youth. He also shared a similar illness with Nantian Wan'er, and Nantian Xiu immediately developed the thought of bringing the two together.
"Young man, why don't we head deeper into the fire prison together? Wan'er still needs to search for something of extreme yang to treat her illness. If we travel together, we can look after one another. What do you say, Wan'er?"
"Yes..." Nantian Wan'er answered absentmindedly. Then she suddenly realized Nantian Xiu was teasing her. Her face instantly reddened again, and she lowered her head deeply. "Grandpa, you're teasing me again. I'm not talking to you anymore."
Lu Chen also did not understand why Nantian Wan'er was blushing, but having companions on the road was still a good thing, especially Nantian Wan'er, who gave him such a peculiar sense of comfort.
"Sure, Grandpa Xiu. Then we'll travel together." Lu Chen scratched his head and agreed with a foolish grin.
"Wan'er, did you hear that? The young man agreed. Hurry and pack your clothes." Nantian Xiu said with a chuckle, and Nantian Wan'er's entire face instantly turned crimson.
"Oh... Grandpa, why are you asking me..." Nantian Wan'er shyly fled at once.
Watching Nantian Wan'er flee, Lu Chen continued to grin foolishly. "Why is Miss Wan'er's face red again? Is her Cold Poison acting up? Should we help her?"
Seeing Lu Chen's guileless appearance, Nantian Xiu chuckled.
Before you continue