Karma Fire Suppressed, Ling Ying Shaken!

Lin Chen's palm was cold and steady.

It was firmly clasped around Xiao Xun'er's slender wrist.

The moment their skin touched, Ling Ying, hidden in the shadows, did not move.

He had not sensed a shred of killing intent from Lin Chen.

Furthermore, out of confidence in his own strength, he was certain he could intervene in time should the need arise.

But the scene that followed exceeded everyone's comprehension!

"Hum!"

An indescribable, ancient flame will, as if originating from the dawn of creation, surged through Lin Chen's fingertips and violently rushed into Xiao Xun'er's meridians!

This will was not one of wild destruction, but carried a supreme power of purification and dominion!

It ignored the autonomous defenses of the Ancient Clan secret treasure within Xiao Xun'er's body.

Perhaps its status was too high, or perhaps it was simply the nature of the Karma Fire Red Lotus.

Like a hot knife through butter, it collided head-on with the sub-flame of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, which was currently rampaging through her meridians and exuding an aura that incinerated all things!

A bizarre scene unfolded!

The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, which had been incomparably violent—to the point that even the Dou Emperor Ling Ying could do nothing to pacify it—suddenly stalled, as if it had encountered a nemesis or a sovereign!

That aura of heaven-burning, world-destroying violence was suddenly doused like a basin of ice water, shrinking and wilting away!

The Karma Fire Red Lotus burned away sins and severed karma; it possessed an innate ability to suppress and purify all flames in the world!

Though the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame was powerful, its sub-flame was currently uncontrolled and in a state of backlash.

Facing this sliver of primordial Karma Fire essence, despite being incredibly faint, it was held in a death grip of suppression!

Not only that, but after subduing the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, the will of the Karma Fire Red Lotus did not dissipate.

Instead, it spread out like a spiderweb, winding itself around the flame, thread by thread!

It actually began to absorb the pure fire energy radiating from the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame sub-flame!

This process was extremely subtle, but for Xiao Xun'er, who was enduring the agony, the sensation was incredibly clear!

The burning pain that had nearly torn her soul apart receded like a tide!

The terrifying energy that had been rampaging through her body, threatening to make her explode, instantly became docile and peaceful.

It even... transmitted a strange emotion, a mixture of "fear" and "attachment"?

Almost instinctively, Lin Chen began to circulate the Blood Scripture.

Pure Blood Origin Dou Qi flowed through her wrist and slowly transferred into Xiao Xun'er's body.

This Dou Qi was of an extremely high quality, containing powerful life vitality and a cold, soothing strength.

It flowed gently along her meridians, which had been scorched and damaged by the Heavenly Flame!

Wherever it passed, it was like sweet rain falling upon scorched earth.

The minor injuries were quickly nourished and repaired, bringing a wave of cool, comfortable relief.

Xiao Xun'er's eyes snapped open.

Her pupils reflected Lin Chen's face, close enough to touch, still masked but with eyes full of focus.

In reality, Lin Chen was exerting all his effort to control the Karma Fire Red Lotus and his Dou Qi.

Her pale little mouth parted slightly, her pupils constricting.

All the pain and disorientation were replaced by extreme shock!

This... what kind of power is this?!

Not only could it instantly suppress the Heavenly Flame backlash that had made her wish for death...

But this Dou Qi being transferred into her body...?!

Xiao Xun'er's mind was completely captivated by that sliver of Blood Origin Dou Qi Lin Chen had sent over!

That Dou Qi... condensed, pure, heavy, and agile...

It seemed to contain infinite vitality and some kind of ancient, overbearing will!

Its quality was so high that it far exceeded her imagination!

Coming from the Ancient Clan, she had seen the elders of her clan, who cultivated Heaven-tier techniques, circulate their Dou Qi.

That had already been vast as the sea and infinitely powerful.

But... but none of them seemed to possess that...

Essential nobility and perfection displayed by the faint wisp of Dou Qi before her!

It was as if... as if it were the ultimate form, refined through thousands of hammerings to strip away the dross and keep only the essence!

How could this possibly be Dou Qi cultivated by a five-year-old child in a place like Wutan City?!

Hidden in the darkness, Ling Ying, who had been poised and ready to risk his life to save his young mistress, was now frozen in place.

He stood rigid within the shadows, his aged face beneath the hood filled with shock and disbelief!

"Suppressing a Heavenly Flame?!"

"What... what kind of power is this?!"

"And that Dou Qi... Young Miss..."

Ling Ying's soul perception was countless times clearer than Xiao Xun'er's.

He could feel the terrifying quality of Lin Chen's wisp of Dou Qi even more acutely, along with that fleeting flame will, whose status was so high it made his very soul tremble!

"This child... this child is definitely not just gifted!"

"Just how terrifying is his constitution?!"

In the span of a few short breaths, the excruciating pain within Xiao Xun'er's body had completely vanished.

It was replaced by an unprecedented sense of comfort.

Her meridians were even slightly tougher and wider than they had been before the backlash!

The sub-fire of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame had become unusually docile, lying dormant in silence.

Lin Chen felt the sense of satisfaction transmitted from the Karma Fire Red Lotus.

The wisp of Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame energy he had absorbed far exceeded the effect of burning dozens of sinful souls.

He immediately retracted his aura, pulled his hand back as if struck by lightning, and took a step back.

The entire process was as fast as a flash of lightning; from grabbing her wrist to pulling away, it had taken no more than ten seconds.

As the cool sensation on her wrist vanished, Xiao Xun'er subconsciously felt a strange sense of loss.

She gasped slightly, her pale cheeks rapidly regaining their rosy hue, appearing even more lustrous and radiant than before.

She looked up, her glass-like eyes gazing at Lin Chen with immense complexity.

Within them were shock, confusion, gratitude, and a hint of indescribable curiosity:

"You..."

Her voice still carried a trace of the hoarseness of one who had survived a disaster, yet it was no longer weak:

"Thank you."

She did not question why he had suddenly intervened, nor did she mind the slightly offensive contact.

Against the contrast of such extreme pain followed by such extreme relief, any expression of gratitude seemed pale.

She simply looked deeply at Lin Chen, as if she wanted to see through him from the outside in.

Lin Chen's expression softened, the gravity from his spellcasting fading away.

His tone was calm yet carried a natural politeness:

"A mere trifle. I am glad you are alright."

With that, he gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

His pace was neither hurried nor slow, showing no deliberate detachment, nor any unnecessary lingering.

He needed to find a place immediately to digest the gains of the Karma Fire Red Lotus!

Watching that thin, small figure gradually disappear into the night, Xiao Xun'er stood dazed in place.

After a long while, she gently stroked the wrist that had just been held.

There seemed to be a lingering trace of strange coolness and... heat?

"Old Ling."

She called out softly in her heart.

"Young Miss, this old servant is here."

Ling Ying's voice was filled with lingering fear and gravity.

"Just now..."

"This old servant... also could not fully see through it."

Ling Ying's voice was bitter.

"He utilized a type of... flame power that this old servant has never seen before, yet it is of an extremely high level."

"It seems to naturally restrain Heavenly Flames, forcibly pacifying the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame."

"And the Dou Qi he channeled into your body... its quality is so high, it is beyond comprehension!"

"It is certainly not something that could be cultivated through ordinary techniques!"

"This old servant suspects... this child likely possesses some legendary, heaven-defying constitution!"

"And it must be the kind that is exceptionally adept at controlling fire, with an innately superior quality of Dou Qi!"

"Only in this way can all of this be explained!"

Xiao Xun'er remained silent.

A special constitution?

It seemed that was the most logical explanation.

Otherwise, how could a five-year-old child possess such methods and Dou Qi?

The Xiao Clan... could not possibly provide the corresponding resources and techniques!

His movements were perfectly clear, and he had never even left Wutan City.

Calling it a stroke of luck did not hold up at all!

"His future should never be confined to this tiny Wutan City."

Xiao Xun'er whispered to herself.

A flicker of light, difficult to detect, flashed through her eyes.

The desire to recruit him grew ever stronger.

If such a monster could be brought into the Ancient Clan...

But this matter required careful planning; one must never be too hasty!