Lin's Soul Power had reached level 32. He'd successfully advanced to Soul Venerable!
Almost all of the Soul Power the Devil King had painstakingly gathered had been taken by Lao Yao. Lin didn't mind, though.
Lao Yao had advanced, which meant Lin had advanced too. The only difference was how it happened.
"Xiao Xiao, you've got a good old man."
Lin reached out and patted Xiao Xiao's shoulder. She was stunned by his words.
Hadn't she just seen Lao Yao's existence with her own eyes?
Lin looked at Ning Fengzhi. It wasn't yes, but it wasn't no, either.
"Little girl, he came out by himself. He's very strong, but he's still short on Soul Power. If he had a little more, he'd be able to take human form."
Lao Yao sensed Lin's confusion and explained.
Lin finally relaxed. So Ning Fengzhi could sense Lao Yao's presence, after all.
"Master, why are you so good to me?" Xiao Xiao asked, her voice full of curiosity.
She was still curious. She was so curious about how Lin could do all this.
"Haha, you'll understand when you gather a Soul Core and break through the Soul Emperor rank."
Ning Fengzhi gave an awkward smile, but didn't explain.
Lin was startled. A Soul Core? He would have to wait until level 70 to gather one himself.
He couldn't wait until he broke through to Soul Emperor and gathered one. Once Lao Yao recovered, he'd be able to help suppress the energy in his right arm and join with the Devil King.
That would be the same as breaking the seal.
So a Soul Core couldn't be gathered while the seal was in place.
"Since that's settled, Master... what about that strange fire?"
Lin grinned. The unpleasant things he'd just mentioned were all behind them now.
He wouldn't feel at ease until he had it in his hands. Nothing would put his mind at ease except having it.
Ning Fengzhi smiled helplessly. That kid really wouldn't rest until he'd got every last bit of it.
Lin looked at the Red King. "Red King, can your strange fire be gathered again?"
The Red King's three heads all bobbed, then looked at Lin.
"You brat, you want my fire?"
The Red King's gaze fell on Xiao Xiao, and its three heads looked her over.
The three heads of an Inferno Dragon stared at her. Lin really was at ease with himself.
Lin knew the Red King's temperament. It was already a miracle that he could produce fire, so there was little else to expect from it.
The Ice Emperor's ice flame was pretty formidable, too. And then there was the Angel Soul's Holy Light... that was no joke.
Still, Lin thought it was worth a try. He could take his time. There was no need to rush.
Seeing Lin's greed, the Red King said, "My strange fire is yours, if you promise to protect Rui Beast."
"If anything happens to Rui Beast, I'll come after you."
Lin nodded again and again. Of course he'd protect Rui Beast. The little girl was dear to him.
"Master, will the identity of the Azure Cloud Sect's young master be exposed?"
Lin looked at Ning Fengzhi. He had thought the original story hadn't been exposed.
Ning Fengzhi reassured him. "The people from Shi Luo Ke's group might figure it out. The others are too foolish. You don't need to worry about them."
Shi Luo Ke? Lin immediately thought of that young man, Mi En, the one who'd brought the dragon scale to the Mortal Realm. Other than him, there was no one else.
He didn't know whether Mi En had a dragon flame. If he did, Lin could try borrowing it and see whether it worked. It might be a different matter altogether.
As Confucius said, a gentleman did not take what he had no right to.
Since Mi En could figure it out, then Ning Fengzhi should be able to persuade the Azure Cloud Sect's old master to put on a show. That way, Lin wouldn't need to worry.
The two finished talking. At the same time, the Red King's three heads spat out flames. In front of the Red King, the fire kept gathering and growing, burning fiercely.
The crimson flames shrank and expanded, eventually turning into a tiny flame, yet it contained immense energy.
The Red King's expression turned solemn. The flame seemed to have consumed all the Soul Power it had.
Ning Fengzhi reached out and sensed the Soul Power in the air. The Red King shook its head. "Don't worry, Emperor. It's just a strange fire."
"Thank you, senior!" Xiao Xiao said gratefully. She knew how important this strange fire was to the Red King.
But she also knew that the hope of the Inferno Dragons was more important than anything else.
"Brat, you'd better remember this. Protect Rui Beast well."
The Red King shook its head, its tone unconcerned.
Lin thanked it again and again. He had to admit he'd truly placed his hope in Rui Beast.
"Red King, can you cultivate another strange fire?"
Lin wasn't sure. If it could cultivate another one, he wanted to know why.
"Don't worry. This isn't my natal fire. It can be cultivated again."
The Red King answered calmly, and Xiao Xiao's opinion of it improved quite a bit.
Lin finally relaxed.
Lin stared at the strange fire, an uncontrollable smile appearing on his face.
Lin thought that only the Strange Fire from the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's half-life crystal core could compare to this flame. He'd also relied on the strange fire to help Yan Ling advance to a higher rank.
The Red King's strange fire couldn't compare to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's half-life flame. It couldn't help him advance to a higher rank, but perhaps it could still bring him up one rank.
The Red King had only level 97 Soul Power, with no Soul Emperor rank. And the strange fire wasn't its natal flame, so in the end it couldn't compare to the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"Little girl, the strange fire will be of great help to you in the future."
Lao Yao's voice rang in Xiao Xiao's mind. For a flame as powerful as this, getting one was already a great boon.
"Thank you, Grandpa. I understand."
Lin turned his attention to the flame. "Everyone, while I'm refining this strange fire, could you protect me?"
Lin asked. He didn't know what would happen while he refined the strange fire, so it was best to have powerful experts there to help.
"Don't worry. I'm here. Go ahead and refine it."
Ning Fengzhi also wanted to see what Lin would do with the strange fire.
Lin didn't mind. In any case, he couldn't refine it by himself.
Thinking this, Xiao Xiao sat cross-legged and used the method Lin had taught her to draw the strange fire toward him.
A skeleton-shaped Martial Soul appeared in front of Lin. The strange fire was drawn in by Lin and entered his Martial Soul.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Lin was enveloped in flames. Everything around him was instantly charred, and the ground turned red-hot.
The flames seemed about to swallow Lin whole.
"Little one, that's a huge appetite."
Even the Red King was a little worried. Was this kid really not afraid of dying? He actually dared to absorb its strange fire directly.
Ning Fengzhi concentrated on watching Lin. A faint purple light began to glow around him. It was so faint that it could easily be missed if one wasn't paying close attention.
When Ning Fengzhi saw the purple light, he knew the strange fire had been absorbed by Lin. There was no need to worry.
At first, Lin's skin had glowed beneath the flames. They continued to restore his body, and with every breath he took, his physique improved. Aside from a little pain, he hardly felt anything.
"Little one, what are you doing?"
The Holy Light walked over and saw Lin sitting cross-legged in the flames, but beneath the firelight, she couldn't make out anything.
"Holy Light, take Xiao Xiao to play with the Ice Emperor for a while. I'll talk to you later."
Ning Fengzhi stopped Rui Beast from coming over. It would be bad if she saw Lin before he was done.
Before you continue