Collecting the Heavenly Flame

"No need, we're friends! How could something so trivial be worth mentioning?" Chu Yang said.

For a moment, he had no interest in seeing how tearfully moved Xiao Yan was.

Because the long-awaited Check-in Points had arrived—

"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained eight hundred Check-in Points, including various scattered amounts accumulated over this period..."

Upon hearing that, Chu Yang seemed to have been deafened by excitement. He could no longer hear whatever the system said afterward.

At that instant, he wanted to embrace Huan Huan across the distance. He even had the impulsive urge to tell her to marry him, that he would take care of her for the rest of his life.

But after calming down, Chu Yang knew that it was nothing more than a dream.

Chu Yang then checked his current Check-in Points. Last time, he had owed the system one thousand Check-in Points. Not long ago, he had borrowed another four thousand Check-in Points through Huan Huan to purchase the Shadow Vanishing Dou Technique, bringing his total debt to five thousand Check-in Points.

This time, he received eight hundred Check-in Points. After deducting them, he still owed four thousand two hundred Check-in Points.

Sure enough, Chu Yang saw that his balance in the system was negative four thousand two hundred Check-in Points.

Naturally, Chu Yang did not take any of Xiao Yan's Gold Coins or treasures.

As for money, Chu Yang had more than Xiao Yan now. And in alchemy, even with Old Yao's help, Xiao Yan still could not catch up to him.

More importantly, Chu Yang wanted Xiao Yan's loyalty!

Xiao Yan happily gained a pet with enormous potential, but Old Yao warned him, "You're gambling? Be careful not to get burned! This is definitely Queen Medusa's true body. Perhaps she temporarily lost her nature for some reason, but one day... Heh heh!"

Old Yao deliberately left some things unsaid, but how could Xiao Yan not understand that the Queen was a naturally ruthless figure?

Still, how could he possibly pass up such an advantage? He hoped that perhaps Queen Medusa might simply be unlucky—if she never regained herself, then he would have a super pet, the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python, which could rival a Dou Sheng in the future!

Life itself was a gamble. Some people were lucky, while others had terrible luck.

Naturally, Xiao Yan could not say such things to Old Yao. He merely said, "It's fine. If she really regains her memories then, we can run if we can't beat her. Don't we have you, Teacher?"

Old Yao said nothing more.

Chu Yang merely chuckled. In truth, even he could not predict everything that would happen in the future. Because of his appearance, much of the history of "Battle Through the Heavens" had already been rewritten.

Some things might change to the point where even he could not foresee them.

With nothing else to do, it was time to collect the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Yet remembering the Green Lotus Core Flame's terrifying power, Xiao Yan seemed to be suffering from lingering fear as he faced it, completely at a loss.

"Sigh! Collecting a Heavenly Flame isn't easy either!" Old Yao said. "A Heavenly Flame burns everything that approaches it into nothingness, including energy. Aside from certain special objects, the only option is to continuously use energy to forcibly wrap it up and take it away. I think Queen Medusa probably used this crude method back then. But the energy consumption is simply too great. With your current strength, even if you mobilized every bit of Dou Qi in your Qi vortex, you still couldn't move this Heavenly Flame off this small island."

"Then what do we do?" Xiao Yan's face looked as bitter as a bitter melon.

"Hehe! Naturally, we can't use Queen Medusa's crude method. Neither of us can afford that level of consumption," Old Yao said with a smile. "What I said before applied to others, but you are different. You possess an item that can easily take away the Green Lotus Core Flame."

Xiao Yan froze, blinking his eyes. A moment later, he suddenly understood. "You mean the Green Lotus Seat?"

"Hehe, exactly. The Green Lotus Seat and the Green Lotus Core Flame share the same origin. Using it to contain the latter will not only suppress the Heavenly Flame's temperature and prevent it from leaking out, but it is also far safer than directly wrapping it with energy," Old Yao said.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly. His finger quickly tapped the Storage Ring, and a cyan glow slowly rose from it, eventually hovering before him. Within that cyan radiance, the flawless Green Lotus Seat rotated gently like a work of art, releasing faint energy.

Holding the Green Lotus Seat in his palm, Xiao Yan lightly tossed it toward the Heavenly Flame in midair. Once the Green Lotus Seat reached beneath the flame, a faint cyan barrier spread out from it and quietly enveloped the Green Lotus Core Flame.

As the cyan barrier gradually shrank, the Heavenly Flame offered no resistance as it slowly fell back into the lotus core. Instantly, eerie cyan flames rose from the previously empty center of the lotus.

"Success..." The collection of the Heavenly Flame had gone far more smoothly than Xiao Yan expected. Looking at the Green Lotus Core Flame contained within the Green Lotus Seat, his face was filled with joy. He carefully grasped the base of the lotus seat, his eyes fixed tightly on the cyan flame at its center, unable to hide the excitement flashing through his dark eyes.

At this moment, Chu Yang, the seemingly nonexistent "spectator" at the side, was genuinely happy for Xiao Yan as well. He would not compete with Xiao Yan for the Green Lotus Core Flame. As long as he could follow Xiao Yan and earn Check-in Points, this life would be enough!

"Next, leave this city quickly and find a quiet place to devour the Heavenly Flame! Remember, during this time, you cannot put the Heavenly Flame into your Storage Ring. Otherwise, everything inside will be burned into nothingness," Old Yao reminded Xiao Yan solemnly.

"Mm!" Xiao Yan nodded heavily. His body trembled slightly as the Purple Cloud Wings sprang out. He grabbed a handful of Qi Replenishing Pills and stuffed them into his mouth, then looked up gravely at the purple barrier that was about to dissipate.

The purple barrier flickered in and out of sight. At a certain moment, it finally exploded with a Bang!, turning into countless tiny specks of light.

The instant the purple barrier shattered, Xiao Yan fiercely stamped on the ground. His body shot into the sky, and with the Green Lotus Seat in hand, he desperately rushed toward the outskirts of the city.

"Xiao Yan, run first! I'll stay behind and cover your retreat!" Chu Yang shouted righteously at Xiao Yan's retreating figure.

"Oh?!" It was as though Xiao Yan had only just remembered Chu Yang. Earlier, he and Old Yao had been so focused on the Heavenly Flame that they had forgotten him entirely. He felt both ashamed and admiring toward Chu Yang. "All right! Thank you!"

Of course, he truly hoped someone would stay behind. Outside, apart from the Snake People Clan, Gu He and the others were also waiting greedily for the Heavenly Flame!

Chu Yang was even happier.

Because Chu Yang had suddenly gained another two hundred Check-in Points.

Now, Chu Yang owed the system only four thousand Check-in Points.

Xiao Yan flew ahead while Chu Yang followed behind him.

Outside, Gu He and his group had already begun making preparations.