Peach Blossom Flame and Poisonwood Flame

The next day, sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, and the trees' shadows had already begun to shrink.

Gu He struggled out of the tent, rubbing his dizzy forehead.

"How big are these brats' Storage Rings? They even brought tents—more than one, at that."

Gu He circulated his Dou Qi to dispel the lingering alcohol fumes, while also using his Soul Power to lift the warning ward covering his body. Though he had judged that the three youngsters meant no harm, it was still wise to stay on guard.

Once he was fully awake, scenes from the previous night flooded back into his mind.

Slap!

Gu He suddenly raised a hand and covered his face.

"I, the great Pill King Gu He... actually... actually became sworn brothers with a child!"

"From today onward, I quit drinking!"

After barely calming himself, Gu He heard weapons slicing through the air outside the tent—someone was practicing a Dou Technique. He took a deep breath, lifted the tent flap, and crawled out.

Just then, rustling came from the tent beside his, and a head poked out as well, meeting Gu He's eyes.

"Morning, Brother Gu He!" Xiao Yan greeted him with a brilliant smile.

Cough, cough, cough!

"Good morning, Senior Gu He!" Huo Yuhao's longsword danced up and down in his hand, tracing mysterious, razor-sharp arcs. He did not turn around to look at the two drunken fools.

"I cooked some porridge. It's still warm. Xiao Yi Xian made hangover soup."

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!

"Did Senior Gu He catch a cold?"

Once embarrassment reached its peak, it stopped being embarrassing. Gu He suppressed his coughing. Seeing Xiao Yan drink the soup and eat the porridge as if nothing had happened, he simply walked over and picked up his own bowl of hangover soup.

"Spirit-Awakening Flower, Coptis Essence, Wood Chrysanthemum Fruit..."

Out of habit, Gu He identified the medicinal ingredients in the soup. His brows furrowed slightly before he drained it in one gulp. Then he slowly ate his porridge, deep in thought.

It seemed he should send these troublesome kids away as soon as possible. Who knew what kind of trouble they would stir up if they kept following him?

Having made up his mind, he turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao, who was still practicing his blade technique. He walked over and watched with some interest for a moment.

"Kid Huo, your swordsmanship is quite good. Its rank should not be low. I didn't expect you to be skilled with the sword as well." As he spoke, Gu He took out the longsword he had used to dissect magical beasts the previous day. He had noticed Huo Yuhao paying close attention to it, as though he wanted it.

"I happen to have a spare sword that I replaced long ago. I'll give it to you. If you have any questions while practicing swordsmanship, you can ask me."

Huo Yuhao stopped practicing the moves of the Ice Phoenix Sword. He looked at the sword Gu He offered him, considered it briefly, then accepted it and stored it in his Storage Ring.

"Thank you, Senior Gu He, but I actually use a blade. It's not that I'm skilled with the sword but lack a suitable one."

Gu He: "..."

Didn't people usually practice with whatever weapon matched their high-level Dou Technique? And if you don't use a sword, give it back! Swallowing the retort in his heart, Gu He dropped the subject. He decided that after helping Xiao Yi Xian obtain her Beast Flame, he would leave immediately.

"Ahem. I know a place with a Beast Flame suitable for Xiao Yi Xian. We'll set off now."

"Senior Gu He, what is our target?" Huo Yuhao asked along the way.

"It's a Beast Flame called the Poisonwood Flame," Gu He answered. Seeing the confusion on their faces, he continued explaining.

"This flame is relatively easy to obtain. It comes from a fifth-tier magical beast called the Rotten Wood Beast. This beast is closely related to another fifth-tier magical beast, the Kui Wood Beast."

"This Kui Wood Beast is the one you...?" Huo Yuhao pressed.

Tsk. Gu He silently cursed himself for talking too much. He had wanted to brush it off, but when the words reached his lips, he still gave a serious explanation. "The Kui Wood Beast is a wood-element magical beast. It has a gentle nature and dislikes fighting. It is rather rare, and it possesses a Beast Flame called the Peach Blossom Flame. I encountered one in my early years. At the time, I also found traces of a Rotten Wood Beast nearby. They are both fifth-tier magical beasts. If they have not been killed, they should still be in that area."

"Pfft! That Peach Blossom Flame is that soft pink Beast Flame of yours, isn't it, Brother Gu He? With a name like that, no wonder you could captivate countless young women throughout the Jia Ma Empire."

Veins bulged on Gu He's forehead. He clenched his fist and smashed it hard into Xiao Yan's head, raising a huge lump at once.

"We're almost there. Quiet. Let me locate them first."

The group immediately held their breath. Gu He focused, and his mighty Soul Power spread through the surroundings like ripples. Moments later, he pinpointed their locations and pointed ahead.

"The Rotten Wood Beast is in this direction. The Kui Wood Beast is farther back. Xiao Yi Xian, which flame do you want?"

"Um... then I'll take the Poisonwood Flame. Sorry to trouble you, Senior Gu He."

"Fine." Gu He warned them, "The two magical beasts are rather close together, so don't follow me. Hide here. I'll go retrieve the Beast Flame."

Before he had even finished speaking, green light flashed behind Gu He's back. Flame Wings unfurled, and he flew toward the Rotten Wood Beast.

"Looks like Brother Gu He really despises his own Beast Flame. He can't even be bothered to use his 'Flame Wings.'"

Gu He's body abruptly froze in midair. He shook violently for a while before finally steadying himself.

"Teacher, please..." Huo Yuhao lowered his voice, making sure Gu He could not hear him.

Before Huo Yuhao could finish, Yao Chen's voice sounded in his mind. "Hah, always ordering your teacher around... I'll go get the Peach Blossom Flame. You all be careful."

When Gu He arrived in the Rotten Wood Beast's territory, he saw a massive turtle lying on the ground and chewing on shrubs. This was the Rotten Wood Beast. Its exposed blue-gray limbs moved slowly. More than ten rotten, withered trees grew from its shell, which was formed from countless tangled tree roots.

Unlike the gentle Kui Wood Beast, the Rotten Wood Beast instantly became wary upon spotting Gu He invading from the sky. It let out a low growl, its beastly eyes gleaming with ferocity as it prepared to strike.

"Heh, you're far uglier than the Kui Wood Beast," Gu He muttered. With a flip of his palm, he condensed a pink flaming sword.

Seeing Gu He prepare to attack, the Rotten Wood Beast had no intention of passively taking the blow. It gave a low roar, and one rotten tree on its back exploded, turning into a gray stream of poisonous gas that shot straight at Gu He.

"I can't confront it head-on. If all its rotten wood blows up, how am I supposed to obtain its Beast Flame?" Gu He's Flame Wings flashed, and he appeared elsewhere, dodging the Rotten Wood Beast's attack. His gaze sharpened. Dou Qi surged within him, the sword trembled violently, and layer after layer of sword shadows emerged.

Just as the Rotten Wood Beast prepared to attack again, Gu He flicked his arm and swung the pink flaming sword down with force. The sword shadows immediately shot toward the Rotten Wood Beast's back.

"Five trunks. My Storage Ring can still hold them. Thousand-Flame Sword Aura!"

On Huo Yuhao's side, after Gu He and Yao Chen departed one after another, he immediately used his spiritual power to cast the Simulation skill, perfectly concealing the forms and auras of all three of them. After waiting for a while, the Ancient Flame Ring flew back before them. A flash of ghostly light followed, and Yao Chen's soul form appeared.

"Got it."

He then took out a transparent jade bottle. Inside it, a pink flame churned and rolled.

"This is the Peach Blossom Flame? It really is just like Brother Gu He's." Xiao Yan accepted the bottle and curiously examined the Beast Flame for a while before carefully storing it in his Storage Ring.

About half a quarter-hour later, Gu He flew back. His aura was steady and had not changed much. Clearly, dealing with a fifth-tier magical beast like the Rotten Wood Beast had not required much effort.

"Good. We'll leave the core region as soon as possible. I'll help you condense the Core Flame."

"Condense the Core Flame?" Huo Yuhao looked at Gu He in confusion. After all, Yao Chen had just directly brought back the Peach Blossom Flame's Core Flame.

"Unlike other Beast Flames, the Poisonwood Flame and Peach Blossom Flame do not require killing the magical beast. You only need to cut down the five trees on its back."

Seeing that they were still confused, Gu He continued, "Light these five pieces of rotten wood, then compress and condense them with Soul Power. In the end, you will obtain the Poisonwood Flame's Core Flame. If you take them back and let them condense naturally, it will take a very long time and has a high chance of failure. That is why you need my help. With my Soul Power, I only need half a day to condense the Core Flame."