Chapter 183: My Great Sword is Thirsting
Hearing Su Qian's agreement, Xiao Bai was delighted and said with a smile,
"Thank you, Great Elder!"
"Haha, you brat!" Su Qian shook his head. "Come with me!"
He reached the energy shield and peered down through it. A fiery red mass, almost lifeless, was visible, with only scorching lava flowing freely. A faint scent of sulfur reached his nose.
An invisible fire python, its entire form invisible, raised its head high. Its triangular eyes glared at the area, its serpentine form filled with malice. The energy emanating from its body was rich and violent.
"Down below is the beast's birthplace. Fighting it in this environment is extremely difficult. Be careful!" Su Qian looked down at the Fallen Heart Flame, his eyes cold.
"Even the Great Elder can't match it?" Xiao Bai asked softly, glancing at the slightly bewildered Su Qian.
"I don't practice fire-attributed techniques. In this environment, even staying there for any length of time, let alone fighting, is incredibly uncomfortable!"
"Add to that a rare artifact like the Fallen Heart Flame, born of the heavens and earth. Without a special method to counter it, even I, a Dou Zong, can only defend myself!"
Su Qian sighed. This was the frustration of Canaan Academy. If he had a way to withstand the energy of the alien fire, he would have long ago reduced this beast's essence. Why would he have watched it grow stronger and worse, leading to this troublesome situation today?
Such rare artifacts can only be resisted by possessing a similarly rare artifact, such as the alien fire, or by overwhelming it with sheer strength or some special method to restrain it. Otherwise, this feeling of being stuck in the middle, helpless, is the most unbearable!
"Is that so?" Xiao Bai nodded thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed as he thought of his target, that old Yao Tianhuo.
He was a man of good fortune, but success and failure were also determined by chance.
After discovering the strange fire below and joyfully recovering it, he quickly discovered a second Fallen Heart Flame. Greedy, he attempted to fuse the two identical flames.
However, despite being both Fallen Heart Flames, they refused to fuse, leaving him severely injured.
While a serious injury would have been fine—a Dou Zun could have survived with some care—he hadn't expected to find fire lizards beneath the lava.
A Dou Zun master, a formidable warrior, ultimately met his end here.
"I don't know how you'll be able to descend, but if you truly have a way to silence this Fallen Heart Flame, Canaan Academy would be deeply grateful!"
"When the time comes, anything you desire, as long as Canaan Academy has it, we'll grant it to you!"
Su Qian looked at Xiao Bai solemnly. Despite his mere Dou Wang cultivation, he held high hopes for this mysterious young man.
Finally, as if remembering something, he jokingly added, "Of course, the Fallen Heart Flame won't work. While it's a real headache, it's the foundation of the Inner Court!"
"Haha. That's what the Great Elder said, so I'm taking it seriously!" Xiao Bai's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Zi Yan beside him.
"..." Zi Yan.
The little girl in white trembled, hiding behind the Great Elder. Normally fearless, she was actually a little afraid.
"Oh no! Is this guy after me?"
Zi Yan's tiny hands tightly grasped Su Qian's sleeves, revealing only her tiny head. Her dark eyes glared fiercely at Xiao Bai, her teeth gnashing.
"Old man... Beat him to death!"
The Great Elder's face darkened slightly, his gaze fixed fiercely on Xiao Bai.
"If this brat dares to say that today, I'll break both his legs!"
At worst, he could just let the Fallen Heart Flame run wild. After all, the Dean's seal was still atop the Sky Burning Refining Qi Tower.
"..." Xiao Bai.
Looking at the looks in their eyes, he felt very wronged. He was just thinking about whether he should take Zi Yan downstairs to look for her while she was here. Where is Dad?
Unexpectedly, the two misunderstood him. He waved his hand and said, "That was just a joke, Xiao. Great Elder, don't take it to heart. The Falling Thunder Valley has been of great help to me. Canaan Academy has done me a favor, and I won't refuse any help I can!"
Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and smiled, "You're a student of Canaan Academy. Providing a suitable training environment is the academy's responsibility, not a favor!"
Xiao Bai thought of what the little golden dragon had done, and a subtle expression crossed his face. He glanced at Zi Yan, whose lips pursed slightly and her expression relaxed slightly, and said with a faint smile, "That Golden Bodhi Fruit... isn't it awful?"
Zi Yan didn't know why he brought that up, but thinking of the taste of the herbs, she nodded and frowned, saying, "It's awful!"
"Don't eat the herbs raw next time you get them. Save them! When I have time, I'll refine them for you. It'll taste better!"
Xiao Bai couldn't help but chuckle at the wrinkled face.
"Really?" Zi Yan's eyes lit up. She had just heard the old man say that this person was a sixth-rank alchemist.
"You've just been chewing herbs like this, haven't you ever thought of asking someone to refine them for you?" Xiao Bai asked curiously, seeing her expression.
"Huh, of course not!" Zi Yan rolled her eyes, shaking her fist indignantly. "Those bastards in the Alchemy Department avoid me like I'm some monstrous beast!"
Elder Huo, standing nearby, remained calm and pretended not to hear.
Refining for this girl was not only a chore, but also constant threats. What alchemist could handle that?
"Haha," Xiao Bai laughed heartily at her adorable expression. Then, turning to Su Qian, who was stroking Zi Yan's head, his beard curling slightly, he said, "Great Elder, please advise me on how I should get down!"
"I'll have them slightly open the energy shield, and you can just go down!"
Su Qian's smile faded, his expression growing slightly more serious. "But be quick, don't give that guy down there a chance!"
"Then I'll have you, Great Elder!" Xiao Bai nodded.
"It's just a broken energy shield. Why don't you just go through it?" Zi Yan muttered disdainfully, curling her lips.
Upon hearing this, Su Qian, who was directing the elders to open the energy shield, tapped her head and scolded her angrily, "What are you trying to do? Don't try to trespass on the restricted areas within the academy anymore!"
He then looked at Xiao Bai and said sternly, "Get ready! If you feel overwhelmed, call for help. I'll bring you up!"
Xiao Bai nodded again, turning his gaze to the pulsating energy shield and taking a deep breath.
"Go in!"
Su Qian shouted, and everyone felt a flash of lightning. In the blink of an eye, the young figure was gone.
"Ji!"
At that moment, a violent roar echoed through the elders' ears, sending a wave of dizziness through their heads.
Then, a torrent of dark crimson fire energy poured in through the gap in the energy shield, sending the temperature of the lower space soaring dramatically.
"Get out!"
With a furious shout, the scorching energy pouring from the gap slowly subsided. The elders seized the opportunity to quickly restore the energy shield and breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's terrifying! I didn't feel it before through the energy shield, but just now, after passing through the gap and facing the aftermath of the Fallen Heart Flame, I almost couldn't withstand it!" An elder trembled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"As expected of a strange fire, it possesses such destructive power!" Elder Huo's eyes flashed with desire, and then he shook his head violently.
Regardless of whether the academy allowed the subjugation of strange fires, even if they did, he wouldn't have the strength to do it!
"Old man, is he okay?" Zi Yan stood on tiptoe, peering into the energy shield.
"Why didn't you show any concern when I went downstairs?" Su Qian glanced at the little man beside him.
"Old man, you are a Dou Zong, how could anything happen to you?" Zi Yan said confidently, "But he is different, he is just a Dou Wang. If something happens to him, who will help me refine those unpalatable herbs?"
"Don't worry! He didn't... Eh?" Su Qian was speaking when he suddenly exclaimed softly, looking under the energy shield, and muttered in confusion: "Why does this Fallen Heart Flame seem to be very interested in this kid?"
Xiao Bai also had this feeling at this time, looking at this invisible fire python that kept hissing softly and its triangular pupils kept looking at him.
He could clearly feel that the Fallen Heart Flame was very excited when it saw him, as if it was looking at some delicious food.
"Does this beast want to refine me?"
"Furthermore, the surrounding fire energy seems completely controlled by it, making it difficult to absorb!"
Xiao Bai frowned as he surveyed the endless, invisible flames trapped outside by the multicolored Dou Qi.
"This fellow has a brilliant plan. In this place, its power is practically inexhaustible. There are only two options for leaving: either break the spell and shatter the surrounding blockade, or engage in a war of attrition!"
The little golden dragon emerged from Xiao Bai's sleeve and perched on his shoulder. He scanned the surroundings, gently stroking his chin with a claw.
"If we use brute force to break it, this endless supply of underground fire energy, enhanced by the strange fire, would be a formidable challenge even for a Dou Zong! My Lord, it seems this cunning fellow intends to trap you here to death, then slowly refine you!"
"Haha," Xiao Bai sneered. "Two options? That's not up to it. I'm choosing the third!"
He had expected a fierce battle after descending, but he hadn't expected this invisible fire python to play tricks on him.
"The third?" The little golden dragon tilted its head, looking at Xiao Bai in confusion. Then, seeing the surrounding Fallen Heart Flame surging wildly, it was shocked.
"Damn! Master, are you crazy?"
It hadn't expected Xiao Bai to abandon his defenses against the surrounding Fallen Heart Flame, allowing the alien fire to flood into his body.
"Let me see how much alien fire your essence can produce!" Xiao Bai looked at the invisible fire python, whose triangular pupils held a playful expression, his lips curled slightly.
A layer of multicolored energy enveloped his body, not to protect against the Fallen Heart Flame, but to protect his clothing. After all, his storage ring was destroyed, and if his clothes were destroyed, he would be left naked.
As Xiao Bai released his Dou Qi, balls of scorching heart fire surged into every corner of his body, with the ball of fire at his heart being the most intense and massive.
At this moment, the intertwining rays of light in Xiao Bai's Dantian began to flicker faintly red, and a powerful suction force erupted from it.
Instantly, the strange fire energy surged through his body, rushing towards his dantian like a flash flood.
"It's so hot! I'm done! I'm dying!" The little golden dragon stood on Xiao Bai's shoulder, jumping up and down. It felt as if Xiao Bai was burning red-hot, the scorching heat radiating from its body.
Xiao Bai glanced at the little golden dragon shouting on his shoulder with displeasure, speechless. This guy wasn't flesh and blood, why was he pretending?
"Tsk!" Seeing this, the little golden dragon, no longer bothered to pretend, lay down quietly, yawned, and shouted to the two faint lights in the distance: "Hey, little snake over there, increase your strength!"
"Burn my master to death, and I will reward you handsomely. I will teach you how to transform!"
"..." Xiao Bai.
"Chi!"
The invisible fire python roared, as if enraged. Then, the inner fire became even more intense, like thick clouds, rolling in with overwhelming momentum, rushing towards them.
"Hmph!" Xiao Bai let out a muffled groan from his nose.
This energy was simply too immense. Even Xiao Bai, whose body had been tempered by the Thunder Seed, forged by the Heavenly Thunder, and nourished by the Five Elements, could not help but feel a stinging pain.
At this moment, as the energy of the strange fire continuously poured into his dantian, a red light shone brightly, illuminating the entire dantian red, almost overwhelming the other types of light.
"My Lord, are you okay? Do you want to provoke that guy again?"
Seeing Xiao Bai's face flushed and long white mist continuously emanating from his breath, the little golden dragon asked expectantly.
"Thank you!"
Xiao Bai looked at the little golden dragon on his shoulder, who was wrapped in the Heart Flame and acting perfectly fine, and could not help but glare at it.
"Hehe." The little golden dragon turned his head away a little embarrassedly, whistling.
After a moment, it turned back and excitedly shook its paw.
"Master, keep going! That creature's Heart Flame isn't infinite. I can sense it's weakening a bit. If it wants to transform its fire energy into the Strange Fire Heart Flame again, it'll have to draw upon its own essence!"
Sure enough, not long after the little golden dragon finished speaking, an angry and unwilling roar echoed through the underground space. The overwhelming Heart Flame surrounding Xiao Bai slowly receded, eventually converging into a formless fire python.
Its size had shrunk considerably.
Its triangular pupils stared with resentment at the human, whose face had returned to normal, a puzzled thought.
It couldn't understand why this human's aura couldn't compare to the old man above the energy shield, yet its tiny body seemed to contain an infinite amount of flame.
It could devour any amount of Heart Flame.
It had smelled the faint lingering snake-attracting aura on this human before, and knew this was the being that promised it endless benefits upon devouring it.
Heaven's grace!
It had actually presented itself to its doorstep, exhilarating it, and so it set out to refine it.
Unexpectedly, not only did it fail to refine, but it actually lost so much energy. This would require considerable time to accumulate and transform!
With this thought, a fierce look flashed in its giant eyes. Since he couldn't trap and refine it, he might as well act directly.
"Chi!"
A sharp chirp echoed, and a large ball of transparent flame with a hint of milky white emerged, causing the dark red magma to boil. Countless bubbles swirled endlessly. As these bubbles burst, a thick fire poison emanated from them.
"Too simple!"
Xiao Bai observed the scene and shook his head. The greatest power of the strange fire, besides the burning flame, also possessed a strange attribute.
This Fallen Heart Flame, unlike the Void Devouring Flame and the Quiet Lotus Demonic Fire, not only could it be used in fighting techniques, but also possessed extremely powerful attributes.
It also couldn't be a stunt like Xiao Yan!
When neither the flame nor the attribute were effective, it seemed less mysterious!
Ignoring the pungent smell of sulfur, Xiao Bai flashed before the milky white flames. Under the bewildered gaze of the Invisible Fire Python, he opened his mouth and sucked in its prepared trump card.
"Burp!"
Xiao Bai smacked his lips and burped.
All the energy he had absorbed fell into his dantian. The red light transformed from Xiao Bing gave him a slight feeling of fullness. If he continued to absorb it, it would affect its ability to transform other attributes.
"Things change. You've burned me for so long, now it's my turn!"
Xiao Bai grinned at the Invisible Fire Python.
His cold gaze inexplicably caused the massive figure to tremble slightly.
"Don't run!"
Xiao Bai shouted, watching the slowly dissipating Invisible Fire Python and the rapidly shrinking invisible flames around him.
Hearing the shout, the flames shrank faster and disappeared in an instant.
Xiao Bai blinked and looked around at the crimson magma world. The invisible flames that had covered the sky before were no longer visible, not even a trace.
"It's right there!" The little golden dragon saw Xiao Bai's bewildered look, pointed his claws at a place, and asked doubtfully: "My Lord, with your soul power, you should be able to sense it, right?"
"Stop talking nonsense! Point out the specific location, my big knife is thirsty for it!" Xiao Bai did not explain to the little golden dragon, but stared at it with his eyes and said viciously.
"Where did you get the big knife? You only have a gun!" The little golden dragon complained speechlessly, but still pointed out the location to Xiao Bai.
"Very good!" Xiao Bai stretched out his hand, and colorful light surged on it.
"Oh my god! It really is..." The little golden dragon looked at the light emanating from his hand, opened his mouth in shock, and said: "...Big knife!"
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(End of this chapter)