I Will Enter a Marriage Alliance with Cao Ying-Is That Sincere Enough?

Pill Tower, Star Region!

This place was a vast, boundless starry sky.

It was an independent space, a starry illusion formed by countless experts of the Pill Territory.

It existed to imprison the Three Thousand Burning Flame.

But at this moment,

as the aura of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame seeped into the Pill Tower,

the once tranquil starry-sky barrier

instantly boiled over. The originally orderly three thousand clusters of stars were churned into a tangled mess by a terrifying force.

The Three Thousand Burning Flame let out an uneasy low growl.

Outside the barrier,

the Star-Pattern Jade Platform used to isolate the barrier began to sizzle with heat.

The Fire-Sealing Runes engraved upon it faded and cracked at a visible rate.

The temperature throughout the entire Star Region was rising at a terrifying speed...

"The Three Thousand Burning Flame is rioting?!"

Tianleizi, one of the three giants responsible for guarding the Star Region, abruptly opened his eyes.

Looking at the distorted and chaotic barrier before him,

a trace of horror welled up in his eyes.

The Three Thousand Burning Flame had been trapped within the Star Region for thousands of years, yet it had never rioted on such a scale.

"Seal!"

Purple-black lightning spread around Tianleizi's body.

Crackling lightning flowed from Tianleizi's hand, pressed against the stone pillar at the core of the Star Region, and surged in all directions through the Star Region.

He sought to suppress this Heavenly Flame riot.

However,

no matter how Tianleizi tried to suppress it, the distortion and resisting force within the starry sky did not weaken in the slightest.

"This is..."

Suddenly,

Tianleizi sensed a wisp of milky-white fiery haze drifting before him.

Feeling the dense power of purification within it,

a flash of dread passed through his eyes.

"This is... a Heavenly Flame?!"

Seeing this,

Tianleizi's soul power spread across the Pill Territory. At some unknown point, more than half of this land had already been covered by this strange fiery haze...

In every area that came into contact with the fiery haze,

the Dou Qi between heaven and earth strangely dissolved away, while the spiritual energy throughout the Pill Territory had already diminished by twenty percent...

Hiss—

"What terrifying fiery haze..."

Feeling this,

Tianleizi could not help but draw in a cold breath.

He did not know which Heavenly Flame this wisp of fiery haze belonged to.

But he was certain

that the riot of the Three Thousand Burning Flame was definitely connected to this strange fiery haze that had flooded into the Pill Tower.

Immediately,

Tianleizi did not dare delay. His figure merged into the heavens and vanished from the Star Region.

Pill Tower!

The moment Tianleizi emerged from the Star Region,

he saw Xuan Kongzi and Xuanyi walking out from the depths of the Pill Tower.

"You sensed it too?"

Before Tianleizi could speak, Xuan Kongzi spoke first.

"Senior Brother, the unrest in the Thunder Region must be related to this fiery haze that has poured into the Pill Territory!" Tianleizi said.

"This fiery haze is colorless and formless, yet incomparably domineering. I tried to probe it, but even my Dou Qi was broken down somewhat..." Xuanyi said worriedly.

"A Heavenly Flame capable of breaking down spiritual energy and causing even the Three Thousand Burning Flame to riot... I can only think of one that fits!" Xuan Kongzi said after pondering for a moment.

"Which Heavenly Flame is it?!"

Tianleizi and Xuanyi asked in succession.

"Third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking: the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame!"

Xuan Kongzi spoke in a low voice.

"What..."

"How is that possible?!"

Unrestrained shock and horror appeared on Tianleizi and Xuanyi's faces.

"Legend says that the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame was sealed within the Demon Flame Space by the Purifying Demon Saint. The Demon Flame Space appears once every thousand years, and no one has ever successfully subdued it. How could it appear here?"

"We'll know once we go out and take a look!"

Xuan Kongzi looked toward the outside of the Pill Territory.

He could sense

that all this fiery haze had entered from the outside world.

As his words fell,

Xuan Kongzi, Tianleizi, and Xuanyi did not hesitate. Their bodies turned into streaks of light as they stepped through the void toward the outside of the Pill Territory.

Outside the Pill Territory,

ripples spread through the void.

"He's here!"

Sensing the disturbance in the void, Qing Luo's lips curved upward slightly.

"It's him!"

"He used Void Rush and didn't settle the bill!"

"Hmph, a Seven-Star Dou Zun like you is someone of standing. Surely you would not refuse to pay over a few tens of thousands of crystals?"

Hearing the voices around him,

the upward curve of Qing Luo's lips abruptly froze.

He stared in disbelief at the debt collectors appearing around him.

"Everyone,"

"is it worth risking your lives over a few tens of thousands of crystals?"

Qing Luo was so angered by their persistence that he laughed.

"Are you threatening us?"

At those words,

the leading Dou Zun stepped forward and looked down at him. "We had intended to reason with you, but since that is how it is, you leave us no choice!"

As his words fell,

the gazes of several Dou Zong and Dou Zun experts hired by Pill Saint City instantly turned cold.

Dou Qi surged around each of them.

It seemed that in the next moment, they would strike at the fare-dodger and teach him how harsh the world could be!

Just as these hired experts were about to attack,

within the Pill Territory,

space rippled once more.

Immediately afterward,

the three giants of the Pill Territory—Xuan Kongzi, Tianleizi, and Xuanyi—stepped out of a spatial passage.

Their gazes swept critically over the people outside.

The instant they looked at Qing Luo,

the pupils of all three contracted involuntarily, and disbelief and terror flooded their faces.

"My lords!"

Seeing this, the leading Dou Zun hired by Pill Saint City said to Xuan Kongzi and the other two,

"This villain refused to pay after using Void Rush. That is why we tracked him here and disturbed the three of you!"

Hearing the words of the Pill Saint City hirelings,

the corner of Xuan Kongzi's mouth twitched.

Then, he waved at them.

"You may withdraw. This senior's... crystals will be paid by the Pill Territory!"

"Yes!"

The leading Dou Zun did not dare hesitate and promptly left with the others.

Seeing this,

Qing Luo clasped his right hand behind his back. The milky-white fire lotuses surrounding him dispersed one after another as he said with some lingering disappointment,

"Xuan Kongzi, you arrived at just the right time!"

Xuan Kongzi looked at Qing Luo once more.

He seemed convinced, yet not entirely convinced, as he asked, "Senior... what is your relationship with the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame?"

"I am the Demon Flame."

Qing Luo's tone was calm.

"What?!"

Even though he had been prepared,

after hearing Qing Luo's words, Xuan Kongzi's face still revealed unconcealable shock and terror.

Tianleizi and Xuanyi were likewise filled with shock and confusion.

The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame!

The third-ranked existence on the Heavenly Flame Ranking had actually taken human form and come to the Pill Tower?!

"This junior..."

Sensing Qing Luo's strength as a Seven-Star Dou Zun,

Xuan Kongzi found it somewhat awkward to call himself a junior. Yet when he thought of the other party's deeds and name,

Xuan Kongzi suppressed his discomfort and said,

"Senior, have you left the Demon Flame Space?"

"More or less!"

Qing Luo nodded without explaining the crucial details.

Naturally,

these matters were of no benefit to him, so Qing Luo would not casually tell them to anyone.

"Then why has Senior come to the Pill Territory..."

Xuan Kongzi hesitated before speaking.

"To seek cooperation with you."

Qing Luo got straight to the point.

"Cooperation?!"

Xuan Kongzi, Tianleizi, and Xuanyi all wore bewildered expressions.

They did not know

what there was to cooperate on with a Heavenly Flame...

"To be precise, not with you, but with the Pill Tower Ancestor. It concerns the rise and fall of the Central Plains, as well as the opportunity to attain Emperorhood..."

Qing Luo's tone remained calm.

But his words

left Xuan Kongzi, Tianleizi, and Xuanyi gaping.

Qing Luo noticed their expressions.

After some thought, he said,

"I know these matters are rather distant to you. To show my sincerity, I will allow the first step of our cooperation to be taken in a manner you can accept!"

"Xuan Kongzi, I recall that you have a disciple named Cao Ying. I will enter a marriage alliance with her. Is that sincere enough?"