Woe

Of course, Xiao Yi Xian was intimately familiar with this place. It had been a turning point in her fate, as well as the site of her first adventure with Xiao Fan.

Even after so long, she still remembered everything that had happened in this cave.

Her gaze quietly swept over Xiao Fan at her side...

The difference was that Xiao Fan of this life had yet to grow up, and neither had she fully matured...

"Xiao Yi Xian, don't just stand there!"

"Mm."

The Treasure Cave was no different from her previous life: heaps of gold coins, countless precious herbs, three treasure chests, and a skeleton...

Thinking of something, Xiao Fan once more took Xiao Yi Xian's little hand. This time, however, she did not resist.

She had already grown accustomed to Xiao Fan's somewhat overbearing personality. Rather, she even liked this version of him more than the dim-witted fool from her previous life.

"Right, a fool..."

"Xiao Yi Xian, you don't have a Storage Ring yet, do you?" Xiao Fan suddenly asked.

As he spoke, Xiao Fan removed a Storage Ring from his hand. The Great Elder had given it to him, but now that he had the one Ya Fei had given him, this ring was somewhat redundant.

Xiao Fan naturally moved to put it on Xiao Yi Xian, only to hesitate over which finger to wear it on.

Xiao Yi Xian's little hand was soft and tender in his grasp...

"The ring finger..." Xiao Yi Xian said.

"Uh... alright."

Without thinking much about it, Xiao Fan personally placed the exquisite Storage Ring onto Xiao Yi Xian's finger.

Xiao Yi Xian's expression seemed calm, but her racing heart had already exposed her unrest. Of course, she knew he had not meant it that way, yet her heart simply could not settle. To have the right to her ring finger personally claimed by the one she loved—such a love story had once existed only in her dreams...

Xiao Yi Xian held up the back of her hand and gazed foolishly at the ring. "It's a little too big... but thank you."

Xiao Fan failed to notice the tremor in her voice. "It's fine. I'll buy you a new one later."

"This one will do. Once I grow a little more, I'll be able to wear it properly..."

Xiao Fan walked before the skeleton and gave it a deep bow.

"Senior, forgive my offense."

The arrangement of this cave clearly showed that the skeleton's owner had left behind this opportunity for those who came after. Xiao Fan took three keys from the skeleton's hand and retrieved the fragment of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame map hidden among its bones.

Xiao Fan dug a pit beside the skeleton. The soil here was the softest in the entire cave.

"Just as I thought? The Spirit Devouring Art is gone..."

Xiao Fan looked at the empty pit as though he had expected it. In his previous life, this was where he had found the Spirit Devouring Art.

"Sure enough, the Spirit Devouring Art is far from as simple as I thought..."

Xiao Fan even faintly suspected that the Spirit Devouring Art might not be a cultivation technique from the Dou Qi Continent at all. Such a domineering technique could only have originated beyond the heavens.

Xiao Fan carefully placed the skeleton into the pit and covered it with soil again...

"I am rather curious about the identity of this skeleton's owner..."

Xiao Fan swung the three strings of keys as he walked over to Xiao Yi Xian, who was diligently gathering herbs. "Yo!"

"Ah!"

Xiao Yi Xian, fully focused on her work, was startled. Her whole body jolted, and then she grabbed Xiao Fan by the ear.

"Ah, ah, ah! I was wrong, I was wrong! Xiao Yi Xian, let go!"

Xiao Fan had still underestimated a woman's desire for revenge.

"Tell me, will you dare scare me again?"

"I dare! No, I don't... I don't, it hurts, it hurts!" Xiao Fan immediately begged for mercy.

Only then did Xiao Yi Xian release him. Xiao Fan clutched his burning ear and said unwillingly, "Hmph, just you wait. I'll get my revenge sooner or later!"

"Xiao Fan, you don't seem very convinced."

"Not at all, my Xiao Yi Xian."

"Here." Xiao Yi Xian handed him an herb, the most valuable of all the herbs they had collected.

"Ice Spirit Flame Grass?"

"You'll definitely need it, right? I'm giving it to you, but don't even think about taking the others."

Xiao Fan asked in confusion, "How did you know I needed Ice Spirit Flame Grass?"

"Secret."

It was the same answer again, leaving Xiao Fan rather dejected. It was not just Xiao Yi Xian; Ya Fei also seemed to always know what he was thinking.

Still, he truly did need the Ice Spirit Flame Grass. Even with the Spirit Devouring Art's assistance, he was only a Dou Zhe, and it would be difficult for him to forcibly subdue a Heavenly Flame. Thus, refining a Blood Lotus Pill was absolutely necessary.

The Blood Lotus Pill was a fifth-tier medicinal pill, refined from a Blood Lotus Crystal, Ice Spirit Flame Grass, and a fourth-tier ice-attributed Magic Core. After consuming the Blood Lotus Pill, a strange layer of energy blood scab would form over the body's surface. This energy blood scab could withstand extremely scorching temperatures, even the heat of a Heavenly Flame.

Although a Blood Lotus Pill could not guarantee the successful subjugation of a Heavenly Flame, it could at least greatly raise the chances of success.

After Xiao Yi Xian had put away the herbs and gold coins one by one, Xiao Fan finally led her to the three treasure chests.

Xiao Fan handed the keys to Xiao Yi Xian.

"You're not afraid I'll keep everything for myself?" Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Fan, suddenly wanting to tease him again.

"Then you can have it all. Whatever you want, I'll naturally give it to you," Xiao Fan replied casually. One chest contained the Seven-Colored Poison Manual, another a flying Dou Technique, and the last a Xuan-rank cultivation technique. None of them held much appeal for Xiao Fan.

Xiao Yi Xian, on the other hand, perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be bad at teasing yet love doing it. Her attempt to tease him failed, and her own face turned even redder instead.

"What do you mean? There are plenty of things I want that you still can't give me."

Only after quite a while did Xiao Yi Xian calm her thoughts and open the first treasure chest. As expected, it contained the Seven-Colored Poison Manual.

Holding the Seven-Colored Poison Manual, Xiao Yi Xian could not help feeling somewhat emotional.

"What treasure is it? Let me see too." Xiao Fan snatched the Seven-Colored Poison Manual and directly flipped to the final page, where the Woe Poison Body was described.

The Woe Poison Body automatically transformed the poison contained within toxic substances, through a bizarre method, into an extraordinarily special poison Dou Qi. The stronger the poison, the more beneficial it was to the growth of their strength.

Upon reading the description, Xiao Fan thought that the Woe Poison Body and the Spirit Devouring Art were somewhat alike. Both gained power through devouring.

"Hmm? Alike!" Xiao Fan seemed to think of something. He turned to look at Xiao Yi Xian, an odd smile in his eyes.

Xiao Yi Xian took several steps back. Xiao Fan was a little frightening now, while she was the little white rabbit about to be eaten.

"X-Xiao Fan, what are you doing..."

"Nothing, Xiao Yi Xian. I'm just conducting a test."

"N-No, you can't!" Looking at Xiao Fan, whose eyes were filled with possessiveness, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly became afraid.

"It'll only take a moment... Heh heh heh, cough, cough." Xiao Fan had wanted to imitate the chilling laughter of the Soul Clan, but ended up choking himself instead. He wondered whether those Soul Clan fellows had specifically trained for it.

After a long while, Xiao Fan stood up with a face full of joy.

Xiao Yi Xian, her clothes disheveled, sat limply on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs, trembling slightly.

Her faint sobs and watery little expression seemed to prove just how greatly she had been wronged.

Xiao Fan also realized that he had become overly excited. He scooped Xiao Yi Xian into his arms and said, "Xiao Yi Xian, I have a way to completely resolve your Woe Poison Body!"