First Word of Spirit Fire

The night was like thick ink, dyeing every corner of the Monster Beast Mountain Range in deep darkness. Inside the cave where Xiao Yan had taken shelter, the campfire had been fed with freshly chopped dead branches. The wood crackled in the flames, and sparks scattered like fallen stars, casting shifting light across the stone walls. Xiao Yan's shadow stretched and shrank against the rock face, swaying with the firelight.

He had just finished a round of Dou Qi cultivation, and a wisp of pale purplish-red flame still wreathed around his palm, not yet fully withdrawn—Purple Fire, refined after fusing with the Purple Gold Winged Lion King's Beast Fire source. It gave off a gentle yet sharp glow, and even the air brushed by his fingertips was slightly hot. Beside him, Little Purple Lion was curled up on a stone platform covered in soft hay, pawing at a smooth white pebble with its pink little claws. The pebble rolled about in its paws, and it occasionally nudged it with its nose, looking utterly adorable. Every now and then, it raised its head and glanced at Xiao Yan with those moist, amethyst-like eyes. Seeing that he was not moving, it lowered its head again and continued "playing" with the pebble.

Watching its carefree appearance, wholly lacking the former majesty of a Sixth-tier Demonic Beast overlord, Xiao Yan could not help laughing. He reached out and rubbed Little Purple Lion's fluffy head, his fingertips met with a fine, soft texture like the finest silk. "Say, little lion," he teased, "you're the mighty Purple Gold Winged Lion King, a Sixth-tier Demonic Beast who can swagger through this Monster Beast Mountain Range. You've lived for centuries, so haven't you hidden away any valuable treasures?"

As he spoke, he gently pinched Little Purple Lion's ears. Watching it narrow its eyes in comfort, he continued, "Back in your nest, only the Purple Gold Source and that ball of Beast Fire were worth anything. Now they've both been refined by me. Could it be that you, the Lion King, are so 'poor' that you do not even have a few private treasures?"

Little Purple Lion let out a contented purr beneath his rubbing, like a docile kitten. At the words "valuable treasures," its ears instantly stood on end like two alert little leaves, and the paw fiddling with the pebble stopped as well. It tilted its round little head and stared at Xiao Yan with watery eyes, its tiny brows slightly furrowed as though seriously recalling its "collection list." A low "woo woo" rumble came from its throat, while its little tail swayed gently, the fur at its tip trembled slightly with each movement. Clearly, it was trying hard to search its memories for anything related to "treasures."

Seeing how earnestly it was thinking, Xiao Yan found it even more amusing. He leaned closer and pressed on, "Do not play dumb. You've ruled this mountain range for so long, so you must have explored plenty of hidden places, right? Have you never picked up any glittering gems, or heavenly treasures that could help you break through? Something like Thousand-Year Ganoderma or century-old Vermilion Fruit?"

Little Purple Lion shook its head, first vigorously enough that its little head resembled a rattle drum, clearly saying, "No." But just as Xiao Yan thought it truly had nothing, its eyes suddenly lit up, and brilliant light burst forth from its purple pupils. It sprang down from the haystack, its short little legs pattering as it ran to Xiao Yan's feet. It rubbed its furry head against his pant leg, urgently letting out "ao ao" cries while anxiously pointing one little paw outside the cave, toward the deepest reaches of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, as though urging Xiao Yan to set off immediately.

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, bent down, picked Little Purple Lion up, and placed it on his lap. He lightly patted its little backside. "What? Did you remember something? Didn't you just say there was nothing valuable?"

Little Purple Lion anxiously spun around on his lap, slapped Xiao Yan's arm with its pink little paw, then stretched out its small head and pointed toward the darkness outside the cave. It gave an anxious low growl, every note brimming with the urgency of Hurry and follow me. Xiao Yan waited patiently. He knew that although the little fellow could understand human speech and even convey simple thoughts through soul fluctuations, it could not speak clearly. It could only express itself through body language and simple cries.

After quite a while, Little Purple Lion gradually calmed down. It rubbed its head against Xiao Yan's palm, but its eyes carried a trace of hesitation and a barely perceptible fear, as though recalling something that both fascinated and frightened it. It carefully opened its little mouth and spat out a tiny cluster of weak purple flames—the remnant of the Beast Fire source within it that Xiao Yan had not yet fully refined. The flames flickered a few times in its palm, then suddenly trembled slightly, as if they had encountered an utterly terrifying natural enemy. Even their glow dimmed, as though they might extinguish the next instant.

At that moment, a voice with a hint of childishness yet the distinctive roughness of a Demonic Beast sounded directly in Xiao Yan's mind—it was the thought Little Purple Lion conveyed through soul fluctuations. "What you said really reminded me." It paused, its little claws curling up uneasily. "There truly are no more valuable treasures. The Purple Gold Source is something I was born with, and all the cores I accumulated over the years were used to break through. But... I do know of one place with flames."

Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and his spirits instantly rose. His body leaned forward unconsciously, and even his breathing quickened. "Oh? Where are these flames? What kind of flames are they? Are they like your Beast Fire from before, or... something stronger?" His sensitivity to flames far exceeded that of ordinary people. Especially after cultivating the Blazing Art, anything related to fire could easily stir his interest.

"In the deepest part of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, near Black Wind Cliff, there is a valley that no Demonic Beast has ever dared approach." Little Purple Lion's thoughts carried hesitation and an unshakable fear. "It was about a hundred years ago. I had just broken through to the sixth tier and was at an age when I feared nothing. Curious why no one dared enter that valley, I secretly went there."

Its voice paused, as if recalling the scene. Its small body shrank back involuntarily. "That valley looked entirely ordinary. Its center was empty, without even a proper tree. But when I approached, phantoms of all kinds of Demonic Beasts suddenly appeared in the valley. There were Thunder Eagles that could spit lightning, Giant Elephants larger than mountains, and even phantoms of the ancient Qiongqi, said to have gone extinct long ago! Those phantoms looked incredibly real, but they did not attack anyone. They simply wandered silently through the valley. Yet every one of them carried an incomparably tyrannical flame aura. Even from far away, I could feel the burning heat."

At this point, Little Purple Lion tightly gripped Xiao Yan's sleeve, and the fear in its thoughts deepened. "I was curious and wanted to get closer for a better look, but the moment I reached the edge of the valley, the Beast Fire on my body began violently trembling as though it had encountered its nemesis, nearly going out on the spot! I could clearly feel that flame aura was more terrifying than anything I had ever encountered. It felt as if, if I took even one more step forward, my soul would be burned to ashes! I was so frightened that I turned and ran. After that, I never dared approach that valley again."

After hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart jolted, and stormy waves instantly surged through his mind. Demonic Beast phantoms, a flame aura so tyrannical that even Sixth-tier Beast Fire feared it, hidden deep within a valley no one dared approach... No matter how he considered it, these traits sounded exactly like the legendary and exceedingly rare Myriad Beast Spirit Fire!

Xiao Yan had long heard of the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire. It was not a naturally formed Heavenly Flame, but one created through the fusion of countless Demonic Beast Soul Fragments and flame sources, condensed after more than ten thousand years of accumulation. Not only did it contain an astonishingly vast power of Beast Fire, it also bore the soul energy of countless Demonic Beasts, making it far more powerful than ordinary Heavenly Flames. More importantly, the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire could command low-tier Demonic Beasts. To an alchemist, using it to refine pills could not only raise their success rate and quality, but also grant them a trace of beast soul power. It was an absolute treasure! Moreover, this kind of Spirit Fire was usually hidden extremely deeply, and very few people could discover it. If he truly found it, it would be an immeasurable aid to his cultivation of the Blazing Art and even his future breakthrough into a Higher realm!

At that thought, Xiao Yan could no longer contain his excitement. He scooped Little Purple Lion up and strode toward the Cave Entrance, his eyes filled with urgency and anticipation, his steps even quicker than usual. "Let's go! Take me there, quickly! No matter what kind of flame it is, we have to take a look! If it really is the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, then we've struck it rich this time!"

Cradled in his arms, Little Purple Lion's small body was still trembling slightly. Clearly, it remained deeply apprehensive of the valley's aura. But seeing Xiao Yan so excited, it could only force down its fear. It rubbed its little head against Xiao Yan's cheek and sent him a thought. "That place is far away. We have to cross Misty Forest, Poison Miasma Swamp, and several regions where high-tier Demonic Beasts gather. We need to be careful. The Demonic Beasts in those places are no weaker than I am."

Xiao Yan grinned and patted the Black Heavy Ruler on his back, feeling the weighty solidity of its body. He then instinctively touched his back—where the newly refined Purple Cloud Wings were concealed. With a circulation of Dou Qi, they could unfold in an instant. Feeling the surging Dou Qi within his body and the wisp of Purple Fire in his palm that could erupt at any moment, he said confidently, "Do not worry! I'm already a six-star Dou Zhe, and I have Purple Fire and the Purple Cloud Wings with me. Ordinary Demonic Beasts cannot stop us at all! Even if we encounter high-tier Demonic Beasts, we can run if we cannot beat them. What is there to fear?"

With that, he hesitated no longer. Holding Little Purple Lion, he leaped forward like an agile leopard and sprang out of the cave. Dou Qi stirred faintly beneath his feet, creating a gentle thrust that made him even faster. In the night, the youth's figure darted through the dense forest like a nimble shadow. The trees behind him rushed past, leaving only a faint sound of wind. Little Purple Lion clung tightly to his chest, occasionally raising its head to gaze at the dark forest in the distance. Its amethyst-like eyes still held a trace of wariness toward the unknown flame, yet beneath it lay a hint of curiosity for the unknown.