"The Poison Pill Method is indeed very difficult, but... there are other ways to delay the eruption of the woeful poison body." Seemingly noticing Xiao Yan's predicament, Yao Lao pondered for a moment before continuing, "It is said that a certain Sealing Art can temporarily push back the eruption of the woeful poison body."
"Really? Then..."
"I don't know it," Yao Lao answered decisively before Xiao Yan could ask.
"Then what the hell did you bring it up for..." The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. Though he had quite a few secret techniques on hand, none of them targeted the woeful poison body. It seemed he would have to find a way to collect such Sealing Methods in the future.
"Hehe, don't be impatient. Although I don't know that Sealing Method, I do know another way to suppress the woeful poison body, and this method would benefit you as well," Yao Lao said with a chuckle.
"Oh? What method could benefit me too?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.
"Find the netherworld poison flame, ranked twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."
"The netherworld poison flame?" Upon hearing that name, information about this heavenly flame immediately surfaced in Xiao Yan's mind. In his previous life, he had also been an expert at playing with fire. Aside from the mysterious flame ranked first, he knew the details of all the others by heart, even those he had never seen with his own eyes.
Although this flame ranked only twentieth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, its power could not be underestimated. It formed amid endless poisonous miasma and was renowned for devouring all manner of poisonous substances, which made the flame itself lethally toxic. Its toxicity was said to rival even an erupting woeful poison body, making it an almost impossible flame to devour.
Of course, Xiao Yan paid no heed whatsoever to those claims that it was impossible to devour. No matter how wildly people hyped it up, it was ultimately only ranked twentieth. Even the top three heavenly flames could be subdued, so how could this thing possibly compare to the purifying lotus demon flame?
Judging solely by their description, the even lower-ranked yin-yang twin flames sounded more terrifying than the nihility devouring flame. But if they actually competed on the same stage, with equal years of existence, any heavenly flame in the top fifteen could pin those two flames down and beat them senseless, aside from the life spirit flame, which was ill-suited to combat. After all, the Heavenly Flame Ranking was fairly authoritative. At least in Xiao Yan's experience, he had never encountered a case that overturned its rankings.
"The woeful poison body erupts for no other reason than an excessive buildup of toxins within the body. The netherworld poison flame, however, forms by absorbing extraordinary poisons between heaven and earth. If you can subdue this heavenly flame, you can greatly reduce the toxins inside someone with the woeful poison body, even without gathering those three essential items," Yao Lao continued.
"But the question is, where can we find this netherworld poison flame?" Xiao Yan frowned. Although it ranked very low, few people possessed it. Even in his previous life, Xiao Yan had never heard of anyone obtaining this flame, much less known where to find it.
"The netherworld poison flame generally exists only in certain Ancient Netherworld Poison Marshes, where poisonous creatures and substances run rampant, so very few people can find it." Yao Lao chuckled and said, "But you're in luck. Near your Jia Ma Empire, there happens to be a place with the right conditions for a netherworld poison flame to form."
"The Chu Yun Empire?" Xiao Yan immediately caught on. The Chu Yun Empire was a nation famous for poison, precisely the sort of place where poisonous creatures and substances ran rampant. He also vaguely recalled hearing people mention that someone possessed a heavenly flame when he passed through the Chu Yun Empire in his previous life. Perhaps it had been the netherworld poison flame.
"Exactly. I visited the Chu Yun Empire back then, and there were indeed reports of a heavenly flame there. However, I didn't like the place, so I didn't linger for long. If you truly want to find the netherworld poison flame, you might as well try your luck there."
"It looks like I have no choice but to visit the Chu Yun Empire..." Xiao Yan murmured softly. According to Yao Lao, if a heavenly flame really existed in the Chu Yun Empire, it was very likely the netherworld poison flame. Even taking a step back, if it turned out to be a different heavenly flame, obtaining it would still allow the Flame Mantra to evolve again. Clearly, this offered a hundred benefits without a single drawback.
Of course, that was assuming he could successfully obtain the heavenly flame.
"But, Teacher, I still haven't gathered the three essential items you mentioned for refining a heavenly flame. Shouldn't I find a way to collect them before setting out?" Xiao Yan suddenly remembered this and asked.
Earlier, Yao Lao had prepared a plan for him that would supposedly increase his chances of successfully devouring a heavenly flame. It called for a Blood Lotus Pill, ice spirit cold spring, and Naling.
He had already found two of the ingredients for the Blood Lotus Pill and lacked only a tier-three magic core. But here in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, why would he worry about being unable to find a magic core? He only needed to go out and find a few tier-three magical beasts to complete the set. As for Naling, Yao Lao still had a little left, so he did not need to worry about that either. Yet he had still found no information whatsoever about ice spirit cold spring.
"Actually, the things I prepared for you are only intended for heavenly flames ranked below sixteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Against those ranked higher, they wouldn't have much effect. But the netherworld poison flame is an exception. Its most troublesome aspect is actually its toxicity. The flame itself isn't extremely hot like other heavenly flames, so you only need to make proper preparations against its poison."
"For the time being, just focus on cultivating with peace of mind. During that time, I'll refine pills specifically suited to dealing with the netherworld poison flame. Fortunately, this Small Valley has quite a few medicinal herbs, including exactly what I need, so you won't have to run all over the place gathering ingredients," Yao Lao added.
Xiao Yan nodded. He knew that traveling to the Chu Yun Empire with his current strength as a seven-star Dou Shi was still a little too much of a stretch. After all, its overall strength was somewhat greater than the Jia Ma Empire's. Even Yao Lao might not be able to keep him completely safe. Only after breaking through to Da Dou Shi, and then relying on the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations, would he have some ability to protect himself.
Furthermore, the Chu Yun Empire was a land where Poison Masters ran rampant and poisonous things were everywhere. He would also have to refine some pills to ward off poison and detoxify himself, lest he fall victim to someone's underhanded tricks once he got there.
However, what gave Xiao Yan the biggest headache now was the issue of Xiao Yi Xian. He had originally planned to take her along to gain experience, but the Chu Yun Empire was different. It was famous for its use of poison. If he accidentally awakened her woeful poison body there, things would really get lively.
As far as Xiao Yan was concerned, unless her woeful poison body could be controlled, she would be of virtually no use to him. He had put so much effort into luring the Heavenly Poison Woman away, and he had no desire to see her turn into a ticking time bomb so soon. Only after obtaining the netherworld poison flame or gathering all the materials could he consider awakening her woeful poison body.
Before you continue