Absorbing Heavenly Flame Energy

"Phew..." Xiao Fan let out a long sigh.

"I've reached my body's limit..." Xiao Fan stopped circulating the Spirit Devouring Art. The energy in his body had already reached saturation. His body was still developing, and without any top-tier bloodline, the amount of Dou Qi it could bear was limited.

When he looked outside, he realized it was already night. His stomach, however, had begun to growl loudly.

He casually picked up a Black Gilded Mask from the table and put it on...

In Gu Xun'er's residence some distance away.

"Young Miss."

"Elder Ling, how did it go?" Gu Xun'er looked nervously at Ling Ying before her, afraid to face reality.

Ling Ying was somewhat nervous as well. Having protected the young miss all this time, she had felt that Gu Xun'er's personality had changed greatly lately. It was an air, an air of someone in a position of authority.

"Just as you said, Xiao Clan Patriarch Xiao Zhan told his son, Xiao Yan, to come to your room tonight under the pretext of nursing your body back to health, so that he could further deepen his relationship with you."

Upon hearing this, Gu Xun'er staggered and fell onto the bed. Tears glimmered in her beautiful eyes, yet she still gritted her teeth and said, "So what if it's fake? Brother Xiao Yan has been so good to me, I..."

As she thought of this, Gu Xun'er suddenly paused. She remembered that Black Gilded Mask again, and her voice trembled. "No..."

"Elder Ling, withdraw for now. No matter who comes tonight, do not stop them."

"But... Young Miss."

"Enough. I am the Gu Clan's eldest young miss!"

"You'll regret this sooner or later..." (Ahem, got carried away.)

"Yes, Young Miss."

Ling Ying's figure slipped into the darkness and vanished. Although Gu Xun'er had told him not to interfere, he remained vigilant. If anything happened to the young miss, he would have no way to answer for it.

In the darkness of night, apart from a small number of Xiao Family guards, the entire Xiao Family was silent. A figure seemed to have long known the patrol routes of the Xiao Family guards, easily avoiding them one after another.

Xiao Fan, walking along the road, felt puzzled. "Why does the Xiao Family feel different tonight? There even seem to be far fewer guards."

But in the next moment, he noticed something was wrong. An unsteady shadow caught his attention. It was not that he saw the other person, but that his soul sensed their presence.

Xiao Fan immediately shouted, "Who is it!"

Unexpectedly, at Xiao Fan's shout, the figure jolted all over and immediately fled at full speed without even looking back.

Watching the departing figure, Xiao Fan felt puzzled. That looked like Xiao Yan?

After all, the figure was not tall, clearly about the same age as him.

"What was he doing here?"

Xiao Fan carefully examined this separate courtyard. Compared to the other Xiao Family residences, this courtyard was far grander and more luxuriously furnished. A sharp pain struck his head, and he remembered who its owner was...

"Gu Xun'er?"

Xiao Fan also recalled that at this time, Gu Xun'er seemed to be tortured half to death by the rampaging Heavenly Flame. At that thought, he entered without hesitation.

It was not because he wanted to ease the pain caused by the Heavenly Flame for her like he had in his previous life. He simply craved the energy contained within the Heavenly Flame.

At this time, Gu Xun'er had no way to stop his actions, and he could use the Heavenly Flame to cultivate. This was a rare power bank!

Sure enough, when Xiao Fan pushed open Gu Xun'er's door, he saw Gu Xun'er lying on the bed, biting down tightly in unbearable pain. A pang of pity flashed through his heart, but it was quickly drawn away by the energy overflowing from the rampaging Heavenly Flame.

Xiao Fan immediately went to Gu Xun'er's side, adjusted his posture, and began circulating the Spirit Devouring Art. The Heavenly Flame's energy was continuously absorbed, transforming into pure energy that entered Xiao Fan's body. The Heavenly Flame did not merely increase Dou Qi; it could also temper the body and refine Dou Qi.

Under the Heavenly Flame's tempering, his already pure Dou Qi became even more refined.

"These are all treasures! If I had possessed the Spirit Devouring Art at this time in my previous life, that would have been wonderful. This is the Golden Emperor Brahma Flame, ranked fourth among the Heavenly Flames. Though it's only a child flame, its power is no weaker than Heavenly Flames ranked in the top ten."

Thinking this, Xiao Fan looked at Gu Xun'er, whose pain had eased. His eyes carried an intense possessiveness, and an evil thought arose within him, but he quickly regained his composure.

"No. If I killed her and seized her flame, not only would I have to face the Gu Clan's pursuit, I also wouldn't be able to absorb this Golden Emperor Brahma Flame. Besides, that figure nearby wouldn't just stand there like an idiot..."

Xiao Fan carefully absorbed the overflowing energy, unwilling to waste even a trace of it. Due to the intense heat, beads of sweat the size of beans continuously formed on his forehead. His Dou Qi was repeatedly compressed and refined, nourishing his young body in an endless cycle.

With a soft cry, Gu Xun'er slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was that Black Gilded Mask. Panic filled her heart, and disregarding the pain, she reached out to lift the mask. She wanted to see with her own eyes who stood behind it.

But when she saw the gaze revealed beneath the mask, her hand froze halfway through the air. Suddenly, she no longer wanted to remove the mask. She knew that the moment she reached out, she already had an answer in her heart as to who was beneath it.

She simply did not want to face it. Watching him ease the pain caused by the Heavenly Flame, she felt both fortunate and regretful. She did not know how to face the man before her either. He had loved her until his final moment, yet she had personally killed him.

She thought again of that silent, empty, hopeless space, where she had spent more than ten years.

She likely understood the taste of darkness and loneliness better than anyone.

Tears unconsciously flowed from Gu Xun'er's beautiful eyes, thoroughly frightening Xiao Fan. Seeing that the Heavenly Flame had calmed and there was no more excess energy, Xiao Fan hurriedly left Gu Xun'er's residence. He did not want any more ties or attachments with Gu Xun'er.

Seeing Xiao Fan leave, Gu Xun'er forced herself to sit up. At her call, Ling Ying appeared.

"Young Miss."

"Did anyone else come tonight besides him?"

"In reply to Young Miss, Xiao Yan did appear originally, but before he could push the door open and enter, he was frightened away by that kid just now," Ling Ying answered honestly.

He was filled with contempt for Xiao Yan, while he was somewhat surprised by that unknown kid. After all, being able to notice his presence was no simple matter. He cultivated dark-attribute Dou Qi and was best at concealing himself, yet that kid had actually detected his presence. How could Ling Ying not be surprised?

Gu Xun'er remained silent, and Ling Ying could only wait quietly for her orders.

After a long, long time, Gu Xun'er could no longer endure it and rose to rush out the door. But just as she was about to step outside, she paused again.

"No, I absolutely cannot let Xiao Fan have any misgivings about me. If I let things take their natural course, Xiao Fan will definitely still fall in love with me. He will definitely come again."

"He definitely will!"

Gu Xun'er understood that Xiao Fan absolutely could not learn that she had been reborn. Otherwise, if Xiao Fan noticed anything, he would likely distance himself from her.

But soon, she collapsed to the floor and began to weep bitterly. It turned out that she had misunderstood Xiao Fan all along, and she had even killed him with her own hands. What right did she have to see Xiao Fan?

"Xiao Yan!"

"It's all because of you!"

"I'll make you pay the price!"

The Golden Emperor Brahma Flame, which had clearly calmed, boiled violently once more. Towering flames instantly burned the surroundings into ash. Had Ling Ying not acted in time, the entire residence would likely have been turned into a sea of fire.