Chapter 857
Finishing Touches
Xiao Ling looked in the direction Xiao Xuan pointed and saw dozens of figures lying unconscious on another suspended platform not far away.
Their fighting spirit was sealed layer by layer, rendering them unable to move and completely unconscious.
With a casual glance and a gentle probe of his soul power, Xiao Ling was able to discern the true nature of these people. The weakest among them had already reached the level of a half-saint, and the rest were even more powerful, with some even holding the title of Dou Sheng.
Such a lineup would be considered top-tier in any force in Zhongzhou, and only someone with such strength would be qualified to venture into the core depths of the Demon Flame Space.
Although the large number of fire slaves that originally occupied the Demon Flame Space had been wiped out by him and Xiao Xuan, and later intruders no longer had to suffer from the fire slaves' blockade, the illusionary trials left by the Pure Lotus Demon Flame were still not something ordinary people could easily overcome.
Even though the original source of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame had lost its independent consciousness under the influence of the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint and could no longer deliberately enhance the power of the illusion, the illusion power it originally possessed was enough to stop most of the powerful individuals who coveted the demon flame.
Among these unconscious powerhouses, there were several with exceptionally strong auras, namely two four-star Dou Sheng and two genuine five-star Dou Sheng.
With a slight probe of his soul power, Xiao Ling clearly discerned the attributes of their fighting spirit and the origins of their bloodlines, making their origins immediately apparent.
Those two five-star Dou Sheng exuded a sinister and domineering aura, carrying the unique and mysterious pressure of the Soul Clan. They were clearly Soul Palace Master Hun Miesheng and the old-timer Soul Demon Elder, who had been secretly dispatched by the Soul Clan.
As for the other two four-star Dou Sheng, they are the core elders of the Yan Clan and the Yao Clan, respectively, who are in charge of their respective areas.
These three ancient races have long coveted the supreme exotic fire, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. Naturally, they would not miss the opportunity to compete for it, which is why they sent their top experts to delve into the Demon Flame Space to find out more.
As for the ancient clans, Gu Yuan had already secretly discussed the matter with Xiao Ling and Xiao Xuan. Knowing that the two were about to make a move against the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, he naturally had no intention of interfering. Therefore, he did not send any of the ancient clans' experts to participate in the competition for the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.
The Spirit Clan had already been silently wiped out by the Soul Clan, their bloodline withered and they no longer existed. The Stone Clan was probably also being slaughtered by the Soul Clan and the Void Devouring Flame, nearly annihilated.
Given the current situation of these two races, it is naturally impossible for them to send any more people to try and seize control of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.
However, Xiao Ling did not pay much attention to the identities of these people, and his gaze quickly fell on the strange fire in the bodies of those people.
This exploration also led him to discover many valuable items, including the Void Devouring Flame Sub-Fire within Hun Miesheng's body, the Eight Desolate Destruction Flame, Fire Cloud Water Flame, and Fire Lotus Karmic Flame of the Flame Clan, and the Turtle Spirit Earth Fire of the Medicine Clan.
Five unusual flames, a rare sight indeed, appeared all at once.
Regardless of how these people are dealt with next, Xiao Ling is determined to collect all of these strange flames.
With his current perspective, these strange flames, though not top-tier or powerful, including some he had previously subdued, are currently in need of a massive amount of energy to solidify his cultivation and break through to a higher realm.
If he were to refine and absorb these several strange flames together, the immense fire attribute energy they contained would be enough to help him break through his realm again. Reaching the level of a six-star Dou Sheng would not be difficult for him.
With this thought in mind, Xiao Ling's figure flashed suddenly, and he instantly appeared on the suspended platform where the group of unconscious experts were located.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Chen immediately followed suit, stepping into the air and landing on the platform.
All the onlookers saw was Xiao Ling slightly raise his palm, and his vast and unparalleled spiritual power swept out like a tide. With a gentle pull, he lifted the five figures into the air and made them float steadily in front of him.
Of the five, one was from the Medicine Clan, three from the Flame Clan, and one from the Soul Clan. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that only these five possessed the essence of a different kind of fire within their bodies.
Xiao Ling's next plan was self-evident: he wanted to extract all the strange fire from the five people and completely possess it for himself.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ling's eyes narrowed slightly, and his powerful spiritual energy surged out once again, like countless invisible giant hands, directly probing into the bodies of the five people and forcibly extracting the source of those few clusters of strange fire.
Even though those strange flames struggled and resisted wildly within the host's dantian, unleashing bursts of violent fire waves, all resistance seemed pale and powerless in the face of Xiao Ling's terrifying mental power, which was enough to rival a nine-star Dou Sheng.
Several faint fire howls rang out as the Void Devouring Flame, the Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame, the Fire Cloud Water Flame, the Fire Lotus Karmic Flame, and the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame were all forcibly torn out of their host's body, hovering in mid-air and churning violently.
After the strange fire separated from its host, it immediately pounced on Xiao Ling, the flames surging wildly, trying to burn everything in front of it. But as soon as it got close, it was firmly imprisoned by Xiao Ling's mental power, and not even a single flame could move. It could only roll and roar in vain in the invisible restraint.
The five wielders of the strange flames remained in a deep coma, their battle qi seals still intact. They were completely unaware of what was happening and floated quietly in mid-air, unable to move.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Ling had a thought and gently summoned the Lotus Treasure within his body.
The little guy remained obediently curled up in the crook of his shoulder, his round, clear eyes blinking slightly, looking with curiosity and interest at the five churning strange flames before him, while the milky white flames of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame around him flickered gently.
Xiao Ling's gaze slowly swept over the five clusters of different flame origins in front of him, and a faint heat flashed in his eyes.
Upon sensing the supreme pressure emanating from the Pure Lotus Demon Flame emanating from Lian Bao, the five strange flames trembled and shuddered as if they had encountered their natural enemy, losing all trace of their previous frenzy.
Only that Void Devouring Flame, relying on its domineering origin, still exuded a bit of arrogance and defiance, faintly struggling to resist.
At this moment, however, the soul imprints of their original owners remain on these five strange flames.
To completely refine and make it one's own, there are only two paths to follow: either the original owner actively erases the mark and voluntarily gives it away, just like when Yao Chen gave up the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to Xiao Ling.
Alternatively, it can kill the host, causing the soul imprint to dissipate along with the body, only then will the strange fire truly become ownerless.
However, for Xiao Ling, these rules and regulations were completely unnecessary.
Whether it's the terrifying devouring power of his own natal spirit talisman or the supreme power of the Lotus Treasure, which originates from the Pure Lotus Demon Flame and purifies all things, it is enough to directly erase the host's soul imprint on the source of the strange fire, forcibly devour and refine it, and make it his own.
Thinking of this, Xiao Ling raised his hand and lightly touched the five swirling strange flames before him. Then, he flicked his finger and gently tapped Lian Bao's smooth forehead on his shoulder. With a gentle smile in his eyes, he spoke softly:
"Lianbao, go ahead. Consider these your little snacks." Lianbao seemed to understand Xiao Ling's words completely. She tilted her little head and nodded vigorously. The milky white pure lotus demon fire around her surged suddenly, instantly shedding her human form and transforming into a gentle yet overwhelmingly powerful pure fire lotus, which rushed towards the five strange flames.
In an instant, the flames transformed from Lianbao enveloped all five strange flames, and an invisible supreme pressure crashed down.
The already trembling strange fire suddenly erupted in a desperate and frenzied resistance. The Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame burst forth with black flames that could destroy everything. Fire clouds and water flames intertwined with raging waves of ice and fire. The Fire Lotus Karmic Fire ignited with heart-burning flames. The Tortoise Spirit Earth Fire burst forth with heavy flame power. Even the arrogant Void Devouring Flame Sub-Flame spewed out pitch-black devouring flames, attempting to tear apart the restraints.
The five strange flames roared and howled in unison, the sound of their collision causing the entire space to tremble slightly, and the violent fire-attribute energy surged wildly.
But in the face of the supreme power of the Lotus Treasure, which originates from the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, all struggles are in vain.
Within moments, the resistance of the five strange flames was completely suppressed. The mournful roars of the flames gradually weakened and were eventually completely engulfed and devoured by the milky white pure lotus flames.
Meanwhile, the five hosts of the strange fire, who were far away, were still in a deep coma, but their faces suddenly showed a look of excruciating pain. Their bodies twitched slightly, clearly because their connection with their own strange fire had been forcibly severed, and they had suffered a backlash from their source.
After absorbing all five strange flames into her body, Lianbao's body spun with firelight, and in an instant, she transformed back into the palm-sized infant form, gently landing back in front of Xiao Ling.
The little guy stretched out his chubby little hands and patted his round little belly, looking satisfied and slightly full. His little face was full of lazy comfort. Then, his body swayed and transformed into a warm flame, which went straight into Xiao Ling's body and settled down in his dantian.
Although Lianbao has already purified and erased the original soul imprints of the five strange flames with her own abilities and completely controlled and imprisoned them, she still needs some time to slowly nurture and digest these powerful strange flame energies so that she can fully refine, absorb, and make them her own.
The speed at which Lianbao refined these five strange flames was naturally far less swift and efficient than Xiao Ling personally activating his natal devouring talisman.
Fortunately, Xiao Ling didn't need to expend any effort himself; he could leave it to Lian Bao to handle.
He only needs to wait patiently and reap the benefits. Once Lianbao has completely devoured and purified these strange flames, she will naturally feed back all the pure and abundant fire attribute energy to him, helping him to steadily improve his cultivation.
"Tsk tsk, you lad, not only did you completely refine the Pure Lotus Demon Flame this time, but you also acquired five different flames in one fell swoop. The harvest on this trip is truly astonishing. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I really couldn't have imagined such a stroke of luck."
At this moment, Xiao Xuan looked at Xiao Ling with admiration in his eyes and couldn't help but smile and tease him.
"You flatter me, Ancestor. It was just a coincidence. If the Demon Flame Space hadn't appeared in the world and the situation hadn't been like this, I might not have been able to achieve such a result."
Xiao Ling smiled slightly upon hearing this, his tone calm and humble:
"To be honest, if it weren't for the two ancestors guarding the pass and handling the aftermath, stabilizing the situation for me, I wouldn't have been able to go into seclusion with peace of mind, let alone seize so many opportunities so smoothly."
"Speaking of which, there is a ninth-grade Xuan Dan left here. Xiao Ling, if you are interested, you can take it with you. Find an opportunity to refine and absorb it in the future. It will definitely be of great benefit to your cultivation."
Xiao Chen, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, glancing at a corner of the platform, and reminded him,
"This ninth-grade Xuan Pill possesses extraordinary spiritual energy and its quality far surpasses that of ordinary ninth-grade Xuan Pills, making it arguably the most advanced level in the Dou Qi Continent today. Even though I roamed the Central Continent during my lifetime, I have never seen a Xuan Pill of such high quality. You must not miss this opportunity."
Xiao Xuan nodded in agreement, adding with a hint of surprise in his voice.
Following the direction Xiao Chen pointed, Xiao Ling immediately spotted the childlike figure.
The distinctive childlike appearance, coupled with the astonishingly powerful energy fluctuations within him, made him too conspicuous to be recognized. Xiao Ling recognized him almost instantly as the elusive patriarch of the Pill Tower, a figure whose presence was always elusive.
At that moment, Xiao Ling's lips twitched involuntarily.
In fact, Xiao Ling had already learned from Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi that this old ancestor of the Pill Tower had noticed him when he first entered Zhongzhou and thought highly of him. He even mentioned him to the Pill Tower for the first time, indicating that the Pill Tower should take care of him and lend a helping hand.
In retrospect, this old ancestor of the Dan Tower had done him a favor.
Although this was the first time Xiao Ling had truly seen the other party in person, the gratitude in his heart was genuine.
It's impossible for him to actually treat the other party as a ninth-grade Xuan Dan to refine and absorb in order to improve his own cultivation, as Xiao Chen said.
Moreover, this is merely a ninth-grade Xuan Dan.
With Xiao Ling's current vision and strength, as long as there are enough medicinal materials, refining a ninth-grade golden pill is not a difficult task.
Once one's cultivation level in battle qi breaks through again in the future, even an emperor-grade pill might be within reach.
A mere ninth-grade Xuan Dan wouldn't be enough to make him lose his temper and do something ungrateful.
Xiao Ling gazed at the child's figure, then looked at Xiao Xuan and Xiao Chen, and spoke softly:
“Two ancestors, this is no ordinary ninth-grade Xuan pill, but the current ancestor of the Pill Tower, and also the strongest person in the Pill Tower. This person once did me a favor, and I have always had a close relationship with the Pill Tower. It would be unreasonable and unjust to attack him.”
Xiao Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this, then nodded gently:
"Oh? So he's from the Danta lineage. In that case, there's no need to touch him."
Speaking of which, Xiao Xuan and the founder of the Pill Tower were both top-tier experts in the Dou Qi Continent. They had quite a few interactions and their relationship was relatively amicable.
Xiao Xuan already had a good impression of the Pill Tower, and now that he learned that Xiao Ling had such a connection with the Pill Tower, he no longer intended for Xiao Ling to use this Grade 9 Profound Pill to improve his cultivation.
"Cousin, what should we do next? What should we do with these people? Should we just release them?"
Xiao Yan spoke up at the opportune moment, looking at Xiao Ling and asking.
Faced with Xiao Yan's question, Xiao Ling was already confident and simply smiled and calmly replied.
"I've planned this for a long time. Aside from the two from the Soul Clan, I'll let everyone else leave safely. However, before they leave, I'll alter their memories, making them spread information and truths detrimental to the Soul Clan. This way, I can make those ancient races more wary of the Soul Clan sooner, deepening their conflicts. When the situation becomes chaotic, it will be perfect for us to fish in troubled waters." (End of Chapter)