Healing the Soul

Outside the ring of white Flame Core were Dan Hong's flames and the Third Elder's flames, arranged in sequence. The three rings of fire tightly enclosed the area at the center.

Dan Hong took a cauldron from her Soul Tool and set it on the ground. She lifted the lid with Soul Power, and a fragrant herbal scent tinged with faint bitterness wafted out. This was clearly the cauldron Dan Hong used to refine medicine.

It smelled like grass roots and tree bark.

Nan Li silently grumbled.

Next, Dan Hong took out many jade boxes containing the medicinal ingredients they would need shortly. She pointed them out one by one and, after confirming that the Soul Power imprints were correct, instructed, "Nan Li, you can start preparing. Take off any unnecessary accessories."

Dan Hong turned to look. The Third Elder was no longer where he had been standing.

"I'm keeping watch outside." The Third Elder used Soul Power to transmit his voice in a line, his words ringing clearly beside Dan Hong's ear.

Dan Hong watched Nan Li undress with leisurely interest.

A clan elder who had once been so flamboyant and unrestrained had turned into a child. Who would understand?

Nan Li stuck the two Golden Feathers from her legs into the ground, then hung her removed Soul Tool and outer robe on them. Sensing the impossible-to-ignore gaze, her hand paused. "What, do I have to strip completely?"

"You can." Dan Hong smiled.

Nan Li did not move. She merely looked at Dan Hong and smiled faintly.

"Ahem, my body after taking Humanoid Form is that of a woman too. It's not a big deal if I take a look." Dan Hong stepped closer to Nan Li, blinked, and said, "Besides, this body of yours is only seven or eight years old."

Nan Li had already lived for nearly two hundred thousand years before taking Humanoid Form, making her twice as old as Dan Hong. How could she possibly strip naked in front of Dan Hong? If she took everything off, what difference would there be between her and a plucked bird?

Seeing Nan Li's troubled expression, Dan Hong giggled. She reached out and hooked a finger beneath Nan Li's chin. "All right, I'll stop teasing you. Taking off two layers is enough."

Nan Li suddenly felt that the other woman was somewhat unreliable.

Nan Li had still been hesitant, but once Dan Hong finished her preparations, her disbelief swiftly turned to shock. "What are you doing?"

Dan Hong smiled gently, but her strength was astonishing. With one hand, she grabbed Nan Li by the inner sash at her waist and tossed her into the cauldron. Dan Hong poured in half a cauldron of Heavenly Pool Water, released her Martial Soul, and smiled at Nan Li. "Guess."

Nan Li stared wide-eyed as the cauldron lid closed over her.

Jiang E Li remained in the Sea of Consciousness, watching everything unfold. She felt like a child a witch had caught to brew into medicine.

Mm, a very beautiful witch who looked very gentle, at that.

But the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it was.

Dan Hong lifted the cauldron with Soul Power and wrapped it in the flames innate to her Flame Feather Sparrow Martial Soul. She reminded Nan Li, "You need to keep that medicine in your mouth. Don't chew and swallow it."

Hearing the commotion, the Third Elder had already guessed what Dan Hong intended to do next. He hesitated several times, but ultimately could not hold back from transmitting his voice. "Will this really work?"

While controlling the temperature of the flames, Dan Hong answered the Third Elder, "I preserved the medicinal efficacy of the ingredients as much as possible, but accordingly, it will be more difficult for Nan Li to absorb them."

"Nan Li's bloodline has reverted to its ancestral origins, and her Soul Power is low now. If she is discovered, she will inevitably meet a violent death. The Heavenly Pool Water once evaded the detection of human Titled Douluo, so it could not be more suitable for concealing a Soul Beast's aura. It will also benefit Nan Li's bloodline and temper her body."

After explaining a few things, Dan Hong fell silent and focused entirely on controlling the heat.

"First Soul Skill, Weave Fire!"

As the First Soul Skill was unleashed, fine strands of flame extended from beneath the cauldron, winding and curling like silken threads.

Dan Hong's First Soul Skill enhanced her control over flames, allowing them to shift position and form according to her will. The precision with which she controlled fire was terrifying!

Years of experience refining medicine allowed Dan Hong to manipulate the flames as easily as moving her own limbs. Even so, she did not dare let her guard down in the slightest.

The Third Elder did not dare disturb her either. He rose into the air to stand guard, releasing the pressure of a Titled Douluo at the same time to deter the surrounding Soul Beasts and ensure that Nan Li could refine the medicine without mishap.

Nan Li focused on refining the medicinal power inside the cauldron. The pill in her mouth soon melted into a sweet, crisp liquid. At first, it felt as cool and clear as Heavenly Pool Water. Before long, she tasted the gentle sweetness of lotus seeds, mixed with a trace of bitterness.

These lotus seeds still have their cores in them.

As the medicinal power gradually coursed through her meridians, Nan Li felt her mind grow clearer. Jiang E Li curled up in a corner like background scenery, watching the little cluster that represented Nan Li's soul gradually change.

Nan Li felt a cool force enveloping her soul. Her soul, which had often throbbed with pain, finally felt relaxed and comfortable again after so many years.

The wounds on her soul visibly began to heal, far faster than when Jiang E Li had sent Soul Power into her soul some days ago. Nan Li felt slightly numb and itchy, along with a negligible, needle-prick-like pain.

No one knew how much time passed. Just as Nan Li felt that the medicinal power was almost fully refined, she suddenly tasted a heavy rust-like flavor. A fishy bitterness filled her mouth, and her entire body began to burn, leaving only the clarity of her soul as the last remaining coolness.

A faint herbal fragrance lingered in her nose. Before Nan Li could feel any better, that herbal scent was completely consumed. Heat surged upward, like dry wood meeting raging flames, and her entire body felt as though it had been placed over a fire to roast.

Her true form was a Vermilion Bird, yet she had never before found flames so unbearable!

Dan Hong estimated that the time was about right. She lifted the lid enough to leave a gap, then poured in some more Heavenly Pool Water.

The cool, clear pool water suppressed most of the heat, and Nan Li felt somewhat better.

"Do you want some water?" Dan Hong asked.

"Yes, but..." Nan Li nodded. The heat rampaged through her body, and she felt a little dehydrated. But before she could ask how she was supposed to drink, a torrent of Heavenly Pool Water poured down over her head.

It seemed that speaking gently did not mean acting gently.

The scorching heat and the clear coolness, two utterly different currents, twisted together as they flowed through Nan Li's meridians.

The scorching current was violent, crashing recklessly through her channels. The cool current was gentle, following closely behind to soothe the meridians that had been battered.

As the two currents traveled through her meridians, Nan Li circulated her Soul Power, frantically filling her dantian and meridians with it. Under repeated battering and soothing, the meridians throughout her body were forcibly broadened.

This pill primarily contained the power of a Spirit Attribute snow lotus, and it was indeed useful to Nan Li. By the time she fully absorbed its medicinal effects, the wounds on her soul had healed seven or eight parts out of ten.

Nan Li usually appeared carefree and unconcerned, but she had never made any mistakes when it came to serious matters. Dan Hong had invested numerous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures into healing her soul, and Nan Li seized the opportunity to broaden her meridians and temper her body. The results were unexpectedly excellent.