Absorbing the Heavenly Flame—Success!

Gu He was very obedient; upon hearing Xiao Lei's words, he immediately retrieved the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame and handed it over.

Xiao Lei took the Heavenly Flame and suspended it before him. Then, using a similar technique, he pulled the Blood Flame in his hand into thin threads and rapidly sliced through the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.

Seeing this, Gu He hurriedly cried out, "Master Xiao Lei, this..."

Having witnessed Xiao Lei's alchemy, Gu He knew deep down that he was inferior, so calling him "Master" didn't feel wrong at all.

After all, this was a Heavenly Flame he had spent his entire life savings to acquire. Seeing Xiao Lei's rough handling, Gu He was so terrified that his heart jumped into his throat.

"Don't worry, Heavenly Flames are far tougher than you imagine!"

After this brief explanation, Xiao Lei's hands did not pause for a second, and the might of the Heavenly Flame began to weaken rapidly.

Heavenly Flames are wonders of heaven and earth; many are born in environments of extreme harshness. How could a flame born in such places be a delicate hothouse flower?

Take the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, for instance: it had been eroded by the innate poison of Xiang Liu for decades, yet aside from failing to grow, it remained perfectly fine.

"Xiang Liu, help!"

Xiao Lei's own consumption was not enough, so he called upon Xiang Liu directly. The latter had recovered slightly by now, even growing three heads.

Receiving Xiao Lei's command, Xiang Liu opened its massive maw and sprayed three viscous columns of water, striking the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame head-on.

Sizzle!

The water, mixed with potent toxins, poured onto the Heavenly Flame, sounding instantly like water dumped into a red-hot iron wok.

Standing to the side, Gu He could only watch the two of them anxiously, unable to do anything but stare.

This process continued until late into the night, when Xiao Lei finally lowered his hands. Even as a Dou Emperor, he felt the exhaustion was too great to sustain.

Seeing this, Gu He quickly asked in a low voice, "Master Xiao Lei, is it finished?"

Xiao Lei wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long breath. "My ability can only exhaust it to this extent. The rest is up to you!"

Xiao Lei had done his best. If Gu He still couldn't absorb it after this, it could only be said that he lacked the fate for it; after all, Xiao Yan never received such treatment when he absorbed the Green Lotus Core Flame.

"Consume the Blood Lotus Pill. Once the blood scab forms, reach in and grab the origin fire seed!"

Hearing Xiao Lei's instructions, Gu He hurriedly complied. He thrust an arm covered in blood scabs directly into the floating Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. The flame was now extremely weak, its fire shrunken into a ball, and Gu He managed to grasp the origin fire seed after only a brief search.

"I've got it!"

Gu He exclaimed in excitement, his heart racing as if he had returned to his youth.

At the same time, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame sensed it had been seized and erupted without regard for its own depletion. The scorching heat was enough to make even Xiao Lei feel uncomfortable, and the blood scabs covering Gu He's body began to vanish rapidly.

"Drink the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, then swallow the Heavenly Flame into your body! Quickly!"

If he waited for the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame to melt away all the blood scabs before swallowing it, the damage to his body would undoubtedly be far greater.

Gu He certainly knew he had to swallow the flame, but when the moment truly arrived, feeling the intense heat in his hand, he couldn't help but hesitate.

"Gu He, what are you waiting for? Do it! You spent half a lifetime of accumulation for this opportunity—are you going to let it go to waste?"

Thoughts collided in his mind, and the next moment, Gu He let out a roar, opened his mouth, and slammed the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame directly inside!

Ah! Ah! Ah!

The scorching heat of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame erupted in Gu He's mouth without reservation. His expression turned ferocious, and his miserable screams echoed in the ears of Yan Shi and Feng Li.

The usually refined and peaceful Gu He seemed like a different person, his twisted face telling the tale of the agony he was enduring.

The two men were stunned by the scene, silenced by fear.

As for Xiao Lei, he felt even more fortunate that he hadn't chosen to absorb a Heavenly Flame himself!

Whoever wants to suffer this kind of torture can have it!

Without needing Xiao Lei to remind him, Gu He hurriedly poured two bottles of Ice Spirit Cold Spring into his mouth, feeling slightly better. He then quickly circulated his Dou Qi to push the Heavenly Flame through his meridians.

This step was known as "Heavenly Flame Body Tempering," arguably the most painful part of the entire absorption process!

Gu He's muffled groans never ceased, and the bottles of Ice Spirit Cold Spring at his side dwindled one by one.

The Heavenly Flame moved extremely slowly; it took several hours just to complete the third cycle. Gu He, who hadn't suffered such intense pain in years, felt his consciousness drifting from the sheer agony.

In his hazy state, his thoughts drifted back to his childhood, when he was just a rogue cultivator without backing, having obtained an alchemist's legacy and traveling across the empire to train.

Back then, he fought magical beasts, biting his teeth and enduring even when large chunks of flesh were torn from his body; he had survived the ravages of deadly poisons through sheer willpower alone.

When did my will become so fragile?

Perhaps it was that day he won the Jia Ma Empire Alchemist Grand Meeting and accepted the invitation from the Misty Cloud Sect.

Perhaps it was that day he put down his sword and vowed never to fight for himself again.

However, Xiao Lei didn't care what he was thinking; he simply opened a bottle of Ice Spirit Cold Spring and splashed it directly onto Gu He's face.

The bone-chilling cold instantly pulled Gu He's thoughts back to reality.

"Quickly, drive the Heavenly Flame into your Spirit Gathering! This is the final step!"

Xiao Lei shouted, terrified that Gu He might collapse at this final moment.

Gu He steadied himself, his gaze more determined than ever, with a newfound sharpness.

The next moment, Gu He channeled all his Dou Qi. After such a long eruption, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame could no longer resist the onslaught, and with one final push, Gu He forced it directly into his Spirit Gathering.

With the dual efforts of Gu He and Xiao Lei, the absorption of the Heavenly Flame was a success!

Gu He was utterly exhausted; once the absorption was complete, he collapsed and fell unconscious.

"Master Xiao Lei, if I may ask, what has happened to the Pill King?"

Seeing this scene, Feng Li glanced at Xiao Lei's expression before asking cautiously.

Xiao Lei waved his hand, signaling that there was no issue. "The absorption of the Heavenly Flame is complete. He has simply fainted from exhaustion; there is no danger. You may withdraw; I will keep watch here."

Having received a definitive answer, Feng Li exchanged a look with Yan Shi, and the two of them departed one after the other.

Seeing them leave, Xiao Lei rubbed his hands together in excitement and activated the system.

[Target: The renowned Pill King of the Jia Ma Empire.]

[Cultivation: Eight-Star Dou King.]

[Heavenly Flame: Myriad Beast Spirit Flame.]

[Constitution: None.]

[Copy Time: Ten minutes.]

[Confirm Copy?]

"It seems the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame isn't powerful enough! After all, it is only the twenty-second ranked Heavenly Flame, and I've already weakened it so much."

Not in a rush to copy, Xiao Lei first fed Gu He several healing pills, lest the side effects of his own copying process become the final straw that broke the camel's back while the other was in this state.

Meanwhile, Feng Li and his companion, who had stopped after putting some distance between themselves and the site, were forced to wait on the spot.

After all, Gu He had yet to pay them the remaining balance!

"Feng Li, do you think that Xiao Lei might take this opportunity to make a move on Old He? Is it really wise for us to just leave like this?"

Feng Li was speechless; this Yan Shi couldn't keep his mouth shut the moment he was away from Xiao Lei's side. "If you want to go back, go back yourself. Didn't you see the look in his eyes earlier? Have you learned nothing?"

Just as Yan Shi was about to retort, he suddenly sensed a subtle aura nearby and hurriedly threw a punch in that direction.

"Who's there? Get out!"

BOOM!

The attack struck the ground, instantly kicking up a cloud of dust. Seeing Yan Shi's reaction, Feng Li also quickly went on high alert.

However, a long while passed, and no one appeared, nor did anyone attack them.

"Old Lion, can you stop being so paranoid? Can't you just wait patiently?"

Yan Shi did not speak, merely staring fixedly at the spot where he had launched his attack.