"Won't this fire burn a hole through my stomach?"
"?"
"Why are you drooling over it?"
"You only need to refine it into a core flame, then open up a small space inside your Dou Qi vortex to hold it."
Seeing his disciple foolishly pretend to lick his lips, Yao Chen immediately lost the smile on his face.
"Don't worry. This wisp of beast flame has no master now, so it won't resist you much. Besides, with me here, you won't be in any danger."
"But you do indeed need to swallow it."
Yao Lao then extended a finger and gently touched Xiao Yan's forehead.
"Do as I've instructed."
Feeling the flood of information enter his mind, Xiao Yan carefully absorbed it, then nodded slightly and slowly closed his eyes.
He crossed his legs and formed the cultivation hand seal, gradually sinking his awareness into his body.
At the same time, the eerily pale Bone Spirit Cold Flame abruptly appeared in Yao Lao's hand.
Its bone-deep chill instantly suppressed the masterless beast flame, steadily wearing away its remaining violent energy.
After a long while, the flame still flickered faintly, but it looked as though it was about to go out, retaining only a trace of spiritual awareness.
Xiao Yan opened his eyes at that moment. After regulating his breathing, he exhaled softly, then controlled the Dou Qi and Soul Force within him to slowly envelop the flame and ease it into his mouth!
Just then, Yao Chen flicked a finger, and three pills of different shapes flew into Xiao Yan's mouth together.
The Pulse-Protecting Pill, the Ice Heart Pill, and the Spirit-Protecting Pill.
Xiao Yan had refined the first two while improving his alchemy skills earlier, while the last was Yao Chen's handiwork.
He intended to refine and devour the flame in one stroke!
Enveloping the crimson demonic flame with his awareness, he guided it toward the vortex in his dantian. Then Xiao Yan formed a hollow space at the vortex's center.
Once that heat invaded his Dou Qi vortex, Xiao Yan noticed that its rotation had actually accelerated considerably on its own!
A moment later, the vortex's original pale yellow had been dyed crimson.
After a long while, the demonic flame finally adapted to the circulation of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and took root within the vortex.
After briefly familiarizing himself with the flame's aura and catching his breath, Xiao Yan sent his surging Dou Qi pouring out like a tide that blotted out the sky, completely surrounding the demonic flame.
Then, under the control of Xiao Yan's awareness, it steadily tugged at the flame, beginning to circulate it, strand by strand, along the meridians used by the Flame Mantra!
The instant the Dou Qi enveloping the demonic flame entered this particular meridian, Xiao Yan's entire body shuddered.
Beads of cold sweat kept welling up densely across his forehead, running down his face and falling with a steady patter.
At the same time, the Pulse-Protecting Pill's energy immediately transformed into a gentle, warm current, swiftly coating every meridian required for cultivating the Flame Mantra in a thin membrane of white energy.
His Dou Qi blocked the flame's assault on his body, the Ice Heart Pill counteracted the scorching heat within him, and the Spirit-Protecting Pill safeguarded the precision of his soul's control.
Everything seemed to be going incredibly smoothly.
As the demonic flame wrapped in Dou Qi circulated through the Flame Mantra's cultivation meridians, Xiao Yan suddenly discovered that the strand of Dou Qi and flame racing ahead of the rest had begun to merge in a strange way!
No, rather than merging, it would be more accurate to say that the flame was gradually being devoured by the Dou Qi produced by the Flame Mantra!
Yet just as all the Dou Qi in his body was about to become infused with the demonic flame, Xiao Yan suddenly trembled. He felt as though lightning had struck him, and an extremely unnatural flush spread over his entire body in the blink of an eye!
The demonic flame could actually penetrate the protective energy membrane of the Pulse-Protecting Pill, gradually scorching Xiao Yan's internal organs and every meridian in his body!
"Teacher! This flame... this flame can penetrate the medicinal protection! It's suddenly ignoring my Dou Qi defenses, too!"
Yao Chen's expression changed drastically. Vast Soul Force surged into Xiao Yan's body like a tide, only to hiss as it was scorched the instant it touched that dark red glow.
"Burning damage? How is that possible..."
Yao Chen's pupils contracted sharply. "Little Yanzi, hold on! I'll suppress it with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!"
His hazy figure rapidly solidified. A cluster of ghostly white flame rose from his palm, radiating a piercing chill, and, with a portion of his attention guiding it, entered Xiao Yan's scorched meridians!
Hiss-
Wrapped in Yao Chen's vast Soul Force, the extreme cold contained within the Bone Spirit Cold Flame gradually cooled the burning inside Xiao Yan, leaving layers of black-and-red blood scabs that looked hideous and terrifying under internal inspection.
Under these circumstances, the Ice Heart Pill's medicinal power now seemed almost negligible.
"The technique... keep circulating the Flame Mantra!"
Yao Chen barked the command and stuffed an entire handful of Qi Recovery Pills into Xiao Yan's mouth. At the same time, he extended and withdrew his soul power, concentrating on monitoring every corner of Xiao Yan's body.
Swallowing the pills, Xiao Yan clenched his teeth and endured the pain, desperately circulating his Dou Qi to drive the technique.
The Spirit-Protecting Pill exerted its full effect, nourishing Xiao Yan's will and mind.
With the Bone Spirit Cold Flame keeping it in balance, the demonic flame finally settled down, somewhat reluctantly. Xiao Yan carried it through his entire body little by little, successfully integrating it into the technique's circulation route...
Within the dark space of his consciousness, Xiao Yan's dazed awareness drifted slowly.
At a certain moment, a dazzling speck of crimson flame suddenly flickered into being, dispelling the surrounding darkness and transforming into a small, adorable spirit monkey.
The spirit monkey's form kept changing, as though passing through a human's childhood and adolescence, before finally settling into the shape of a powerfully built gorilla.
Then the scene suddenly began flashing past at high speed. As the darkness retreated rapidly, after an unknown stretch of time, it plunged headlong out of that boundless space of consciousness...
"Low Mystic Tier!"
Astonishment appeared on Yao Chen's face, and even his soul body wavered slightly from the shock.
"I thought advancing to mid Yellow Tier would already be its limit. I never imagined..."
"This magical beast... just where did it come from? Its flame's properties and level are actually no worse than some of the lower-ranked heavenly flames!"
"Could it be a creature that doesn't belong to this world, like the soul-nurturing wood?"
"Teacher..."
Hearing Yao Chen's astonished muttering, Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, feeling somewhat weak.
Yet when he sensed the changes in his technique and cultivation level, irrepressible delight appeared on Xiao Yan's slightly pale face.
"A Mystic Tier technique!"
"Eight-star Dou Zhe!"
Circulating his Dou Qi again, Xiao Yan quietly conjured a wisp of crimson flame in his palm. It flickered peacefully, yet held a faint, heart-quivering sense of searing heat.
"Just now, some strange images seemed to flash through my soul."
Recalling the inexplicable experience he had just undergone, Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly and couldn't help raising a hand to rub his temple.
"They also let me learn this demonic flame's name..."
"Fatal flame!"
Before you continue