Gu He, the Simp

Meanwhile, at the Misty Cloud Sect.

Incense smoke curled through the grand hall.

Gu He stepped forward slowly, holding a jade box in his hands, a gentle smile on his face.

He offered the jade box, gently lifting its lid. A refined, rich medicinal fragrance immediately spread throughout the entire hall.

"Yun Yun, this is the Purple Spirit Pill you asked me to refine. It's ready now."

Yun Yun was distracted, her mind filled with Xuan Qing's image.

Interrupted from her thoughts, she came back to herself and said,

"Elder Gu He, we are not that familiar. Please address me as Sect Leader Yun."

The smile on Gu He's face stiffened, and the hand holding the jade box paused.

Looking at Yun Yun in her elegant white robes, her bearing cold and proud, a trace of desolation crossed his heart. He quickly suppressed his emotions and bowed slightly.

I must have been too presumptuous! That must be why Yun Yun got angry.

"Yes, Sect Leader Yun. The Purple Spirit Pill is complete. You may give it to Yanran now."

Yun Yun reached out and accepted the jade box. She did not open it immediately, merely nodding lightly.

"Thank you for the effort, Elder. The payment will be delivered to your residence later."

After a while.

Gu He still did not turn to leave. His gaze lingered on Yun Yun's cheeks, his eyes carrying an affection he could not conceal.

Yun Yun noticed that gaze. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a thread of irritation rose in her heart.

"Elder Gu He, is there anything else?"

Gu He finally came back to his senses and hurriedly cupped his hands, his expression growing eager.

"Sect Leader Yun, it's like this. I heard that there may be news of a Heavenly Flame in the Great Tagore Desert."

"You know I'm an alchemist. If I obtain this Heavenly Flame, my success rate in refining pills will greatly improve."

He paused, looking at Yun Yun with anticipation.

"This journey is dangerous. I hope Sect Leader Yun can accompany me."

Afraid that Yun Yun would refuse, Gu He hurriedly added,

"Of course, I am not asking Sect Leader Yun to help for nothing. Once it is done, whether or not we find the Heavenly Flame, I will offer you a bottle of sixth-grade pills."

"You will not need to exert your full strength either. I have already invited several Dou Wang experts to accompany us. I only ask Sect Leader Yun to oversee the situation."

Yun Yun lowered her head.

Staying in the Misty Cloud Sect day after day was not a solution either. She might as well take this chance to go out for a walk.

The Great Tagore Desert...

What if I meet him again on this journey?

At that thought, the heart that had lain silent within Yun Yun for so long stirred softly.

She raised her eyes to Gu He, who was brimming with expectation, and spoke slowly.

"Alright, I agree."

Gu He was overjoyed, and a radiant smile instantly bloomed across his face.

"Wonderful! Sect Leader Yun! We will depart in three days!"

If we find the Heavenly Flame on this trip, my pill refinement skills will rise greatly. Yun Yun, will you still reject me then?

[ Ding, congratulations to the host for seizing the Green Lotus Core Flame. Reward: Chaos Heaven-Devouring Art! ]

[ This is a supreme cultivation technique that can devour treasures of the nine great elements—metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness—to raise cultivation.]

As the system notification fell silent, an ancient dark-gold scripture suddenly appeared in Xuan Qing's mind.

"Devour metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, light, and darkness... What a domineering technique!" A trace of fervor flashed through Xuan Qing's eyes, followed by a hint of regret.

On the Dou Qi Continent, fire had always been supreme. Most extraordinary treasures in the world were born attached to flames, while heavenly treasures of other attributes were exceedingly scarce.

Looking across the entire continent, the only other attribute treasure barely worth mentioning was likely the Nine Profound Thunder.

If he wanted to devour other treasures, he would likely have to journey to other small worlds in search of opportunities.

Beside him, Xiao Yi Xian, dressed in a light purple gown, blinked her clear eyes and asked,

"Master, are we still staying in this desert?"

Xuan Qing withdrew his thoughts and looked toward the endless golden sea of sand in the distance, nodding slowly.

"We'll stay a little longer."

"Once I raise my cultivation a bit further and finish the last task, we'll leave the Great Tagore Desert."

Xiao Yi Xian tilted her head slightly, curious. "The last task?"

A wild smile curled at Xuan Qing's lips.

"Once my cultivation improves a little more, I'll go to the Snake-People Temple, find Queen Medusa, and beat her into submission."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slender little hand gently tugged at Xuan Qing's sleeve.

Qing Lin stood timidly at the side, fear in her dark eyes as she lightly pulled on Xuan Qing's hand.

"Master, I heard Queen Medusa is terrifying. She eats children."

Within the Tagore Desert, no one was unaware of Queen Medusa's fearsome reputation. She was the ruler of the snake-people.

Her beauty was unmatched, but she was also incomparably vicious.

Xuan Qing lowered his head and rubbed Qing Lin's soft hair.

"Don't be afraid."

He looked toward the direction of the Snake-People Temple. At the end of the heat-churning sea of sand, he seemed able to vaguely make out the outline of that looming temple.

"Others may fear her, but I don't."

"I actually want to see her too, to find out just how beautiful she really is."

Qing Lin widened her eyes, her little face full of confusion. "But... she's very fierce."

Xuan Qing slowly spread out his palm. A cluster of dark cyan flames flickered silently, the heat of the Green Lotus Core Flame faintly warping the surrounding air.

The Chaos Heaven-Devouring Art circulated slowly within his body, steadily devouring and refining the Heavenly Flame's origin power.

Xuan Qing smiled faintly. "Don't worry. I'll beat her into behaving."

According to Xuan Qing's plan, once Medusa broke through to Dou Zong, the two souls would emerge.

Xuan Qing only needed to destroy Medusa's soul to gain complete control over the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python.

After all, according to the original story, the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python was far gentler than Medusa.

Xiao Yan had only needed to feed the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python some flame from the Purple-Gold Winged Lion King and Earthfire Lotus Seeds to quickly win its favor.

Once Xuan Qing returned to the Pill Tower and brought out seventh- or even eighth-tier beast flames, would the Seven-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python not fall for him on its own?

"The sandstorm is getting stronger. Let's return to the inn first."

Xiao Yi Xian nodded lightly and raised a hand to smooth down the dark hair that the hot wind had scattered.

Qing Lin obediently followed beside them.

The three turned around and slowly headed toward Stone Desert City, stepping across the scorching yellow sand.