Refining the Purple Flame

"What do you plan to do next?" Yun Yun asked. "The Amethyst Winged Lion King won't let this go."

Ye Xiu shrugged. "It can't find us. The Magical Beast Mountain Range is so vast, where would it even start looking? Besides, it lost a horn and is heavily injured; it won't be back on its feet for at least a month. By the time it recovers, I'll be long gone."

Yun Yun nodded, her beautiful eyes lingering on Ye Xiu. This youth thought things through quite clearly; he didn't seem like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old at all.

"Where do you intend to go after this?" she asked curiously.

Ye Xiu glanced at her. "The Tagor Desert."

Yun Yun was stunned. "What are you going there for?"

"To find something."

Yun Yun didn't press further. She had realized by now that if this youth didn't want to talk about something, asking wouldn't get her anywhere.

She finished the fish and tossed the branch into the fire. Watching the dancing flames, she suddenly asked, "Would you be willing to join the Yun Lan Sect?"

Ye Xiu turned his head to look at her.

Yun Yun said, "Your talent is so exceptional; it's a pity for you to be wandering out here alone. The Yun Lan Sect is the largest sect in the Jia Ma Empire. We lack neither resources, cultivation methods, nor Dou Techniques. If you are willing to come, I can personally guide you."

After listening, Ye Xiu smiled and shook his head. "I appreciate Sect Leader Yun's kindness. It's just that my way of cultivation is a bit different from others; I'm afraid even with your personal guidance, it wouldn't be very suitable."

"Besides," Ye Xiu continued, "it's not like I have nowhere to go. Jianan Academy has already accepted me. Once I finish my business here, I'll go to report."

Yun Yun was taken aback. "Jianan Academy?"

"Yes."

She fell silent for a while, saying nothing more.

The resources at Jianan Academy were indeed better than those of the Yun Lan Sect. That place gathered geniuses from the entire northwest of the continent, and the cultivation environment was excellent; it was truly a good destination.

It was just that she felt a bit of regret in her heart.

Such a monstrous talent, just like that, going to Jianan Academy.

The fire crackled, and moonlight spilled into the valley, making it very quiet.

The two sat there, neither speaking again.

After a while, Ye Xiu stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"You should get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Yun Yun watched him walk to the mouth of the valley, sit down on a rock, and turn his back to her, looking out at the night.

She lay back down on the grass, looking at the starry sky above, her mind in a mess.

Thinking and thinking, she eventually fell asleep.

Three days later.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Yun Yun slowly opened her eyes and sat up. She looked down at her shoulder; the area burned by the Purple Flame had scabbed over and fallen off, revealing fresh, tender skin. The sealing power from the Amethyst Winged Lion King inside her body had also been worn away bit by bit over the last three days, leaving only a thin barrier.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began to circulate her Dou Qi.

A moment later, the aura within her surged, and the momentum of a three-star Dou Huang returned to her.

"Recovered?" Ye Xiu's voice came from nearby.

Yun Yun turned her head and saw him standing by the stream, looking over.

"Yes." She stood up, stretched her limbs, and walked over to him. "Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."

"You're welcome," Ye Xiu said. "Ready to leave?"

Yun Yun nodded. "It's time to return to the Yun Lan Sect."

"The Yun Lan Sect is to the east, right?" Ye Xiu said. "As it happens, I'm heading east too. I'll see you part of the way."

"Alright." Yun Yun nodded.

The two rose into the air, their flame wings and cyan wings unfurling simultaneously, flying out of the mountain range one after the other.

They flew east, their speed astonishingly fast. The forests beneath their feet retreated rapidly, and occasionally they could see a few magical beasts looking up, but upon sensing the aura from the two, they all shrank back.

After flying for about an hour, the forests below gradually thinned, and the outline of a plain could be vaguely seen ahead.

Ye Xiu slowed down and said, "I'll stop here. Any further and we'll be at the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Yun Yun nodded and stopped in mid-air as well.

The two hovered in the sky, looking at each other from a few paces away.

Yun Yun was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Will we meet again?"

Ye Xiu thought for a moment and smiled. "As long as we are both in the Jia Ma Empire, there will always be a chance to run into each other."

Yun Yun looked at him and smiled gently as well.

"Alright, then next time we meet, I'll treat you to some grilled fish I make myself."

"I'm all for being treated, but maybe you should skip the part where you make it yourself..."

Yun Yun glared at Ye Xiu with her beautiful eyes: "In all these years, you are the first person who has dared to look down on me!"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

The two exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile, then turned and flew off in different directions.

After parting ways with Yun Yun, Ye Xiu didn't rush off, instead wandering around the mountains for a while.

He searched for a long time before finally discovering a cave at the base of a rather secluded cliff.

The entrance was small, blocked by a cluster of vines, and would be impossible to spot without a careful look. Ye Xiu pushed the vines aside and crawled in; the interior was quite spacious, at least several dozen square meters, with dry ground and decent ventilation.

He walked around, found no traces of any Magic Beast, and nodded in satisfaction.

Ye Xiu took a pile of Moonlight Stones out of his Storage Ring and tossed them around the cave walls, instantly brightening the entire space. He then moved a large rock to block the entrance, ensuring no light from inside could be seen from the outside.

After finishing these tasks, he plopped down onto the ground and took out the bottle of Companion Amethyst Source.

Ye Xiu unscrewed the cap, and a wave of intense heat rushed toward his face.

The Companion Amethyst Source was the primordial essence produced at the birth of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. This substance was a tonic for the Lion King, and an even greater treasure for humans. Swallowing and refining it offered a chance to condense Purple Flame within the body.

Of course, the corresponding risks were not small either.

In the original story, when Xiao Yan swallowed this stuff, he was put through a miserable ordeal and nearly burned himself to death.

Ye Xiu thought for a moment, then took several bottles of Healing Pill from his Storage Ring and placed them within reach. He also took out a bottle of Qi Recovery Pill, unscrewed the cap, and set it aside just in case.

He took a deep breath, tilted his head back, and poured the Companion Amethyst Source from the bottle into his mouth.

The moment the liquid touched his tongue, a burning sensation instantly swept through him!

Ye Xiu's face flushed red, and the veins on his forehead began to bulge.

He channeled the Dou Qi within his body, forcibly suppressing the surge of Purple Flame. Yet, the Purple Flame seemed alive, rampaging through his body, burning his meridians wherever it passed.

The Dou Qi inside him began to turn chaotic, its circulation becoming stuttered and stumbling, nearly failing to hold back the Purple Flame.

Ye Xiu gritted his teeth, holding on with all his might.

Just then, an unexpected change occurred.

The Purple Flame that had been rampaging through his body suddenly paused.

Immediately after, he felt his blood begin to heat up.

No, not just heat up—it was scalding. The blood throughout his entire body seemed to have been activated by something, beginning to flow frantically. The direction of the flow was entirely aimed at the Purple Flame.

The moment the blood touched the Purple Flame, the flame shuddered.

Then, as if it had seen a ghost, the Purple Flame began to shrink back.

But the blood was relentless, chasing it down until it surrounded the Purple Flame. Circle after circle, it tightened its grip, finally wrapping the Purple Flame directly in the center.

Ye Xiu's eyes widened.

What was going on?

Before he could even react, something even more outrageous happened.

The Purple Flame, now wrapped by his blood, began to shrink bit by bit.

Was this... being absorbed?