An Unaccountable Familiarity
This was a vast, boundless forest. Deep within it, a towering mountain peak, half red and half white, rose into the clouds and struck straight at the heavens like a pillar holding up the sky.
At that moment, a red figure made of flame sat cross-legged in a clearing in the forest. An enormous vortex of energy turned slowly above the figure's head, drawing in the energy of heaven and earth at a terrifying speed. Gusts of energy whipped up around it, toppling several nearby trees.
Yet a white-robed man lying unconscious in the clearing beside the figure remained safe and sound, completely unaffected by the gale.
A moment later, the fiery figure rose from the ground. The flames dispersed, revealing a delicate face with a half-black, half-red flame mark glowing faintly between the brows.
But he frowned and looked at the man lying beside him. After checking that the man was unharmed, he looked up at the distant mountain peak. He pondered for a moment with a frown, slowly shook his head, and sat cross-legged again to quietly wait for him to wake.
A long while later, with a few coughs, Xiao Yan slowly rose from the ground.
"Cough, cough. I'm still alive? My... my injuries have healed too?"
Xiao Yan surveyed his surroundings while turning his mind inward to examine the state of his body.
To his surprise, apart from the addition of some Emperor's Origin, nothing in his body had changed. Even the blood that had flowed from his grievously injured body was gone, making Xiao Yan feel as though he were dreaming. He turned and saw the fiery figure sitting cross-legged beside him.
"Huo Yi? Right, Huo Yi, do you still remember what happened to us in that space?"
Only upon seeing Huo Yi did Xiao Yan quickly come to his senses. He then asked the question in a slightly peculiar manner.
What puzzled Xiao Yan was that Huo Yi had not appeared when he was on the verge of death. Huo Yi and he had originally been one; although Huo Yi had developed his own intelligence, how could he have abandoned Xiao Yan when he was in danger? It struck Xiao Yan as deeply strange, but he was too embarrassed to ask outright, so he approached the question indirectly.
"I remember. I saw the whole thing when you were injured, too."
Huo Yi sighed softly and finally turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, replying with a hint of apology. Then, as though sensing the question behind Xiao Yan's words, he continued:
"But I couldn't help you, or even warn you. All my abilities were sealed as soon as I entered the vortex, and no matter how I struggled, it was all in vain."
At that, Xiao Yan gradually understood. Even with his strength as a Dou Di, he had nearly perished there. What could Huo Yi have done with his current strength as a Nine-Star Dou Sheng? It was fortunate enough that nothing had happened to him, let alone that he might have saved anyone.
Over the past ten years, Xiao Yi's strength had steadily grown until she reached the level of a Peak Nine-Star Dou Saint, only one step away from peak Nine-Star Dou Saint great perfection. Even so, she had still found it difficult to help Xiao Yan, leaving her feeling rather helpless.
Xiao Yan had renamed her Huo Yi because she no longer looked like an infant. Moreover, since Huo Yi had developed her own intelligence, it was as though the thoughts of two people were concentrated in Xiao Yan alone, leaving them both deeply uncomfortable.
Thus, Xiao Yan had severed the connection between their thoughts. But the Heavenly Flames were his to begin with, so he had gone to great lengths to separate Huo Yi's spiritual consciousness from them. He had then used the Heavenly Flames to forge a Fire Spirit body for her and nourished it with them for several years before finally succeeding.
As a result, Xiao Yan could still use the Heavenly Flames, while Huo Yi had later cultivated the Life Transformation Fire secret art Xiao Yan had obtained, becoming an unconventional kind of "Heavenly Flame."
As Huo Yi finished speaking, he turned his palm over, and a ribbon of silvery-white light appeared in his hand, twisting and struggling incessantly. Fine spatial cracks kept appearing in the space around it.
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Huo Yi in puzzlement. It was a wisp of spatial power, and with Xiao Yan's discernment, he could naturally see what made it extraordinary. Ordinary spatial power did not possess intelligence as this wisp did. Though its intelligence was limited, that alone was enough to show how extraordinary it was.
"You caught this in that space. When I appeared earlier, I found you gripping it tightly, so I put it away for you for the time being."
As soon as Xiao Yan heard that he had caught it himself, he remembered his dream. The loss of his loved ones one after another in the dream still left him shaken even now. Fortunately, it had only been a dream; otherwise, Xiao Yan truly would not have known how to go on living.
To Xiao Yan, no matter how strong he became, the ones he could never let go of were Xun'er and Cai Lin. Power was, after all, an external possession; only his loved ones were truly worth protecting with his life!
After steadying himself, Xiao Yan did not reach out to take back the wisp of silvery-white spatial power. Instead, he extended his hand, and a flash of golden light appeared. Above his palm, a lightning dragon glittering with brilliant golden light circled as it gazed at the tiny wisp of spatial power. Its two little golden eyes were full of eagerness, and excited dragon cries rang constantly from its mouth.
"Xiao Jin? What are you...?"
The golden dragon Xiao Yan called Xiao Jin was none other than the Nine Profound Golden Lightning whose intelligence had survived thanks to Xiao Yan. Yet it was also because of Xiao Yan that its strength had greatly diminished, falling all the way to the level of a One-Star Dou Zun.
Yet, by an unexpected turn, Xiao Jin had come to regard Xiao Yan as family. This had left Xiao Yan rather speechless, but since Xiao Xiao and the other children were fond of Xiao Jin, he had tacitly accepted it.
After all, the Nine Profound Golden Lightning had helped Xiao Yan before, so over the past ten years he had helped Xiao Jin recover his strength, even bringing him to the level of a Dou Sheng, making him a First-Grade Dou Sheng.
What Xiao Yan had never expected, however, was that the little fellow had followed him inside as well. And judging by the look of him now, he seemed to want to devour this wisp of spatial power.
Xiao Yan looked at the Nine Profound Golden Lightning before him, then at the wisp of spatial power. After a moment's thought, he chuckled and withdrew his hand. In an instant, Xiao Jin shot forward like a wild horse freed from its reins, flashing into place before the wisp of spatial power.
The spatial power, which resembled a little snake, seemed to sense danger. It curled up and trembled incessantly, while Xiao Jin circled it excitedly.
Suddenly, golden light burst from Xiao Jin, dazzling as a miniature sun. The wisp of spatial power grew even more frightened, twisting its body as it tried to flee this space. But under Huo Yi's control, it could not escape the space before him, no matter what it did.
Seeing this, Xiao Jin wriggled his tiny body even more joyfully. He darted forward with his four dainty dragon claws spread wide, charging at the spatial power, which was about the same size as himself.
Golden light surged and swiftly enveloped the tiny wisp of spatial power. The little thing rolled over and over, letting out hissing cries of distress.
Sadly, under the control of Huo Yi, a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, how could it possibly escape its bonds? Thus, amid a series of faint cries, it was devoured by Xiao Jin...
At last, a moment later, Xiao Jin let out a delighted dragon cry. He somersaulted through the air and returned to Xiao Yan's arm, where he fell asleep and began refining the energy he had just obtained. Xiao Yan watched Xiao Jin merge into his arm and shook his head with a smile. Then he turned to Huo Yi and asked:
"Right, where's Hei Yan? Why isn't he with you?"
The Hei Yan Xiao Yan spoke of was the Nihility Devouring Flame of years past, who had returned to the Heavenly Flame Plaza to seal Hun Tiandi.
But ten years had passed, and Hun Tiandi's soul had long since been scattered. The Nihility Devouring Flame had also emerged from the Heavenly Flame Plaza long ago and regained his freedom. Yet because he was bent on becoming an emperor, he had remained by Xiao Yan's side, while refusing to acknowledge Xiao Yan as his master. Xiao Yan had therefore fused a portion of his Heavenly Flame Origin with Huo Yi, allowing them both to know each other's approximate location so they could find one another after that matter concerning Xiao Yan came to pass.
After hearing the question, however, Huo Yi did not answer. Instead, he turned to look at the towering mountain peak, its red and white halves clearly divided, a trace of puzzlement lingering in his eyes.