Heavenly Demon Physique, Nine Nether Demon Flame

At the summit of Heavenly Dao Mountain, Su Bai stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for his disciples to return.

Before long, Zhuge Feng and the others returned to Heavenly Dao Mountain.

"Master, we did not fail your expectations. We have wiped out every bandit in Black Wolf Stronghold. Not a single one escaped!"

Zhuge Feng dropped to one knee and reported respectfully.

"Mm." Su Bai gave a faint nod, then turned his gaze toward the girl whom Ye Qingyao and Xiao Lingxi were supporting together.

"Who is she?"

"Reporting to Master, she is an innocent girl captured by those bandits. Since we do not know her background and she remains unconscious, we brought her back temporarily."

Xiao Lingxi said.

Su Bai nodded slightly, then asked, "What do you yourselves think of this battle?"

"Hehe, reporting to Master, this Mystic Iron Ruler fits my hand perfectly. I personally slew six bandits!" Xiao Yan patted the Mystic Iron Ruler on his back.

"Reporting to Master, when we went to Black Wolf Stronghold, we first infiltrated it quietly and eliminated all the bandits left behind to guard the stronghold. Then we set an ambush and waited for their main force to return."

"After their main force returned, Junior Brother Xiao Yan sealed off their retreat. Then Junior Sister Lingxi, Junior Sister Qingyao, and I seized the chance to strike and wiped them all out in one fell swoop."

"Only..."

At this point, Zhuge Feng paused and looked toward the unconscious girl.

"Only what?" Su Bai asked.

"Only, we did not expect the leader of Black Wolf Stronghold to threaten us with innocent lives. On top of that, he was colluding with the White Wolf Sect, and he nearly escaped." Zhuge Feng spoke shamefully.

"Master, we had already made our plan in advance. We just never expected them to have captives. Otherwise, we would have completed it perfectly!" Xiao Yan added.

Looking at his disciples, Su Bai slowly said, "Zhuge Feng, with your strength, if that leader had been unprepared, how certain would you have been of taking him down and saving the hostage?"

Hearing this, Zhuge Feng was slightly taken aback before replying, "That leader cultivated nothing more than some patchwork Immortal Arts, so his strength was not great. If this disciple launched a sneak attack, I would have been completely certain!"

"Then why did you not change your tactics and rescue the hostage first?" Su Bai asked.

"This disciple... this disciple was afraid there might be flaws in the plan, that the retreat route would not be held, and that someone might escape." Zhuge Feng hesitated for a moment.

Xiao Yan also stepped forward. "Master, when we devised the plan, we did not expect them to have captured anyone either. That was why we overlooked it."

Xiao Lingxi lowered her head as well. "This disciple also failed to consider things thoroughly. Please punish me, Master!"

Su Bai's gaze swept across them one by one before he finally said:

"The situation on a battlefield changes in the blink of an eye. There has never been a perfect plan, nor is it possible to account for every outcome. What matters is your ability to react on the spot."

"Your performance this time was lacking. Ten points will be deducted from your reward for completing this mission. Do you have any objections?" Su Bai asked.

"Yes, we shall heed Master's teachings." Zhuge Feng and the others answered in unison, with no one objecting.

Seeing this, Su Bai nodded. His expression gradually softened as he said, "This was your first operation. Being able to complete it successfully is cause for celebration. I will reward you with ten points."

"Ah? Doesn't that mean the ten points deducted have been added back?" Xiao Yan raised his head in delight.

Su Bai waved his hand. "As disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect, merit must be rewarded, and wrongdoing must be punished."

Warmth filled the hearts of Zhuge Feng, Xiao Lingxi, and the others. Where else could they find a master like this?

"Mmgh..."

At that moment, the unconscious girl finally opened her eyes and let out a pained groan.

The instant she opened her eyes, the strange demonic flame on her body surged forth.

This demonic flame was incomparably powerful. A single drifting spark reduced the surrounding grass and trees to ashes, leaving one pitch-black crater after another in the ground.

"Suppress!"

Su Bai drew a talisman in the air with his hand and directly sent it into the girl's body, suppressing all the demonic flames. Otherwise, Ye Qingyao and Xiao Lingxi, who were closest to the girl, would likely have been unable to escape.

Even though the girl was merely a mortal, the power of this demonic flame could easily burn Qi Refining cultivators to ashes!

"Master, what kind of flame is this? It is terrifying!"

"That Fifth-Level Qi Refinement leader was burned to death by this flame earlier. Otherwise, our mission might very well have failed!"

"Master, do you know what is happening?"

Xiao Yan and the others all stared in shock at the demonic flame that had just erupted, their faces full of confusion.

It was too powerful!

If that demonic flame could be controlled, it would be utterly heaven-defying!

"This is the Nine Nether Demon Flame," Su Bai said.

"What? The Nine Nether Demon Flame!" Xiao Yan's eyes widened in utter shock.

"What is the Nine Nether Demon Flame?" Zhuge Feng and Ye Qingyao wore puzzled expressions, clearly having never heard of it.

"I know. According to legend, certain supremely powerful flames are born between heaven and earth. The ten strongest among them are known as the Primordial Fires."

"Primordial Fires can burn the vault of heaven itself, their might shaking the skies!"

"That is why many powerful cultivators have stirred up storms of blood and rain in pursuit of Primordial Fires!"

"Legend has it that the Cloud Heaven Sect possesses a Primordial Fire called the Cloud Heaven Flame!"

"And this Nine Nether Demon Flame is one of the ten great Primordial Fires!"

Xiao Lingxi spoke, shock filling her eyes.

"It is actually a Primordial Fire!" Zhuge Feng was deeply astonished as well.

He had heard of Primordial Fires before, though he did not know exactly which ones they were.

But if it could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Cloud Heaven Flame of the Cloud Heaven Sect, that was enough to show how heaven-defying it was!

"But the conditions required for a Primordial Fire to be born are extraordinarily harsh. How could it appear within a mortal's body?" Xiao Lingxi frowned deeply.

"That is right. The conditions for a Primordial Fire to be born are extremely harsh, but there is one exception: special physiques!" Su Bai spoke.

"Special physiques?" Zhuge Feng and the others were stunned.

"The world is vast, and strange things abound. Some powerful physiques possess the power to turn Qiankun upside down and the might to destroy heaven and earth. For example, the Chaos Body, said to be one of the strongest physiques, is born with control over Chaos Flame and is incomparably heaven-defying."

"If I am not mistaken, her physique should be the exceedingly rare Heavenly Demon Physique. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to nurture such a terrifying demonic flame!" Su Bai said thoughtfully.

"Master? This Heavenly Demon Physique sounds incredibly powerful. Does that mean she can become immensely strong in the future?"

Xiao Yan looked at the girl again. With the demonic flame in her body now suppressed, her mind was gradually returning to clarity.

Perhaps she had sensed something. The girl clutched her head and shrank into a corner, repeatedly crying, "Don't come over, don't come over..."

Before the Crimson Flame Witch's transformation

Seeing this, Su Bai let out a soft sigh. "If a powerful person possessed the Heavenly Demon Physique, it would undoubtedly make the strong even stronger."

"But if it belongs to nothing more than a weak girl, this Heavenly Demon Physique will instead bring her harm."

"When she turns eighteen, the Nine Nether Demon Flame will burst out from within her body, and her Life will come to an end."

Upon hearing Su Bai's words, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

Did that not mean the girl before them would not live past eighteen?