Xiao Yan stored the Void Sound-Suppressing Hou Right Arm Bone, which carried three hundred thousand years of accumulated power, into his Storage Ring. Satisfaction gleamed in his deep black eyes.
Both sides had gotten what they needed from this transaction. Since the price had been paid in full, he naturally had no reason to delay any longer.
He turned to Xiao Xiao behind him and pointed toward a spot at the edge of the hall with an excellent view.
"Xiao Xiao, go sit cross-legged over there. Focus your mind and maintain inner stillness." Xiao Yan's tone turned sterner.
"What I'm about to use will greatly benefit your cultivation of the Nine Phoenix Flute's musical arts. How much you can comprehend from it will depend entirely on your own fortune. Do not let yourself be distracted."
Hearing the gravity in her brother's voice, Xiao Xiao immediately shed her usual coquettish manner. She quickly went to the designated spot, sat upright, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing.
After settling Xiao Xiao, Xiao Yan looked up at Mu En.
"Elder Mu, removing the mutated Evil Fire is an extremely delicate process. It cannot tolerate the slightest outside interference. This will take a long time, so sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to personally stand guard."
Mu En said nothing. One of his withered palms traced an arc through the air.
Pure Radiant Sacred Dragon Soul Power transformed into a solid golden barrier, sealing off the entire Sea God Pavilion hall.
His actions provided the most reliable answer.
Everything was ready. Xiao Yan calmed his mind and held both hands out before his chest.
Purple-gold and moon-white divine radiance tore through space as the ancient, weathered Fuxi Zither steadily floated into view.
"Bzz—bzz—bzz—bzz—"
Four consecutive deep, weighty hums echoed through the hall.
As the Fuxi Zither appeared, four pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings rose in succession from beneath Xiao Yan's feet.
Mu En's cloudy eyes abruptly narrowed. Yan Shaozhe's mouth fell open as he stared fixedly at the four black Soul Rings that defied all common sense in the soul master world, his heart hammering uncontrollably.
Yet Xiao Yan did not stop.
His hands hovered above the strings as vast spiritual power poured forth like a breached flood.
Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Fuxi Bagua Formation Map spun madly.
"Merge."
Xiao Yan's thin lips parted, uttering a brief syllable.
The next instant, the four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings, each pulsing independently, actually began overlapping toward the center.
Violent Soul Power collided and compressed, yet under Xiao Yan's precise control through his immense spiritual power, not the slightest rejection occurred.
Mu En and Yan Shaozhe exchanged a glance, each seeing unconcealed horror in the other's eyes.
The same two words slammed into the minds of master and disciple alike.
Ring Fusion!!!
Throughout the ten-thousand-year history of Douluo Continent, soul masters capable of achieving this at such a level were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Dazzling light erupted beneath the Fuxi Zither as the four black Soul Rings completely fused into one.
When the light faded, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring, crimson red throughout, quietly hovered beneath Xiao Yan's feet.
The distinctive blood-red halo of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring cast the entire Sea God Pavilion hall in a grim, murderous glow.
Ring Fusion exclusive skill: Lock Rhythm: World Purification.
This skill fused every characteristic of his first four Ten Thousand Year soul skills.
It could amplify the purification and refinement effects of zither music tenfold, even a hundredfold, while constructing a completely sealed internal musical space that locked every note firmly inside the target's body for relentless, high-frequency cycles of cleansing.
Xiao Yan's ten fingers moved in unison, dancing across the Star Thread strings.
Sunny Spring and White Snow.
This elegant ancient melody, passed down through the ages, revealed its true might under the enhancement of the blood-red Soul Ring and the ancient divine artifact that was the Fuxi Zither.
The instant the music began, every note transformed into visible streams of white light as it left the strings, precisely slipping into Ma Xiaotao's brow.
Ma Xiaotao's body suddenly tensed.
The meridians within her body instantly became a massive echo chamber.
The stirring yet crystalline zither music surged madly through her blood vessels, bones, and organs, while every cell endured the high-frequency cleansing of sound waves.
The black-red Evil Fire that had once bared its fangs and claws encountered the sound waves of Sunny Spring and White Snow, releasing soundless, shrill screams as it collapsed across large areas.
The Evil Fire impurities shattered by the sound waves were expelled through Ma Xiaotao's pores, turning into waves of foul black smoke that dissipated within the golden barrier.
And deep within her dantian, after every violent and evil impurity had been removed, a cluster of pure crimson flame slowly took shape.
It was the source of Ultimate Fire, free of the slightest impurity and brimming with majestic divine might.
Although the three people in the hall could not hear the zither music's actual melody, the pure Dao resonance spilling from Ma Xiaotao still benefited them greatly.
Xiao Xiao immersed herself in that Dao resonance, and the Nine Phoenix Flute martial soul within her gave off a joyful hum.
Mu En and Yan Shaozhe both felt their minds become clear.
The purification process was exceedingly long.
Several hours passed.
The cracked, scorched-black skin covering Ma Xiaotao's body began peeling away in large patches, revealing newly grown skin as smooth and delicate as white jade.
Her twisted features also regained their original radiance. Her complexion became increasingly rosy, and her breathing turned steady and deep.
Fine beads of sweat formed on Xiao Yan's forehead.
Forcibly maintaining a Hundred-Thousand-Year-level Ring Fusion skill while using spiritual power to guide sound waves through another person's meridians for stripping and extraction consumed an ocean of energy.
A trapped beast would still fight.
Sensing the arrival of their end, the remaining mutated Evil Fire began a frenzied counterattack.
Part of the Evil Fire actually followed the bridge of Xiao Yan's projected spiritual power, transforming into black-red venomous snakes nearly impossible to see with the naked eye as they shot toward his wrist.
Sizzle!
The moment the Evil Fire touched Xiao Yan's skin, it released a piercing corrosive hiss.
Xiao Yan frowned slightly. The Innate Qi within him activated on its own and crushed that strand of Evil Fire.
Mu En and Yan Shaozhe, who had been closely watching the situation, were both deeply alarmed by the sight.
They had witnessed the terrifying corrosive power of that mutated Evil Fire.
Even someone with Xiao Yan's foundation had been affected despite being prepared. It seemed the backlash risk he had mentioned earlier was not an excuse to deliberately inflate his price!
Seeing that its ambush had failed, the remaining Evil Fire swiftly withdrew and clung stubbornly around Ma Xiaotao's heart, intending to use it as its final fortress.
At this point, Xiao Yan dared not be the least bit careless.
The heart was the source of a person's vitality. If he made even the slightest mistake and the sound waves shattered her heart meridians, Ma Xiaotao would die on the spot.
He slowed his playing. The music became gentle and soothing, transforming into countless invisible scalpels that worked patiently around her heart, stripping away the Evil Fire bit by bit.
The sun rose and the moon fell.
An entire day and night passed within the Sea God Pavilion hall.
Not until noon on the following day, when sunlight streaming through the window lattice fell upon the Golden Tree.
Xiao Yan pressed both hands heavily against the strings.
The final trace of black-red impurity lodged in Ma Xiaotao's heart meridians was shredded.
The blood-red Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring dissolved into specks of light, and the Fuxi Zither vanished back into his body.
After maintaining intense concentration for an entire day and night, a wave of emptiness swept through his sea of consciousness.
Xiao Yan staggered and took half a step backward.
Xiao Xiao, who had long since emerged from meditation and stood guard nearby, reacted swiftly. She immediately rushed forward and firmly supported her brother with her shoulder, her face full of distress.
Seeing Xiao Yan finish, Yan Shaozhe quickly stepped forward, just about to ask about the outcome.
"Screech—!"
A phoenix cry that could pierce gold and split stone suddenly erupted from within Ma Xiaotao, shooting straight into the heavens.
The cry no longer carried its former violence and sinister strangeness. In its place was the majesty and nobility of a king.
Ma Xiaotao, seated atop the meditation cushion, abruptly opened her eyes.
Two dazzling crimson flames shot from the depths of her gaze.
The aura of a pure fire source exploded outward from her, instantly sweeping through the entire hall.
Had Mu En's barrier not still been in effect, the surrounding ancient wooden structures would likely have turned to ash in an instant.
Ma Xiaotao rose to her feet, her long red hair dancing wildly amid pure crimson flames. She looked like a phoenix reborn from fire, descending into the world.
Ultimate Fire, without a doubt!!!