By the time Chen Guan and the other two returned to the Dan Tower, the four armies they had dispatched had largely returned.
Although this operation was a direct attack, accompanied by powerful Semi-Saints, the Dan Alliance still suffered heavy losses, with nearly twenty Dou Zun warriors perishing.
A cornered dog will leap over the wall, especially given the formidable strength of the Soul Palace Alliance.
Fortunately, the victory yielded fruitful results. With the exception of the well-hidden Heavenly Palace and the Human Palace, temporarily manned by Hun Miesheng and the Great Celestial Venerable, all of the Soul Palace's Earthly Demon Palaces were annihilated. Of the Soul Palace's minions, only those commanded by Dou Sheng masters like the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan survived. Other notable factions, such as the Yellow Spring Pavilion, the Glacier Valley, and the Tianming Sect, were completely wiped out.
From then on, the phrase "one palace, one tower, two sects, three valleys, and four pavilions" existed only in recorded history.
Back at Qingce Manor, Chen Guan and his two companions made no secret of the destruction of the Earth Hall. This led some to believe they were unwilling to contribute, while those who harbored discontent were completely convinced.
In their eyes, the significance of a Soul Hall deputy master, a three-star Dou Sheng, surpassed even the combined achievements of all their peers.
Naturally, with such a mindset,
they boasted relentlessly. Chen Guan and his two companions didn't elaborate much. With the counterattack over, it was time to rest and recuperate.
After sending these powerful individuals away, Chen Guan spent the next few days doing only two things.
First, he copied Xiao Yan's assignment, using the same method to store the remnant soul of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint within his mind, transforming it into a strange ball of light that occupied a corner of his brain.
This ball of light appeared ordinary, but even Chen Guan, with his current Heavenly Realm Great Perfection soul power, was unable to penetrate it.
This didn't surprise Chen Guan.
He simply murmured in curiosity, wondering which was stronger, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint or the Yellow Spring Demon Saint.
Chen Guan's second task was to do everything in his power to help the Great Elder recover his soul.
He was a man who held grudges, but he was also one who deeply remembered favors.
Chen Guan was unstinting towards the Great Elder.
He mobilized all his energy to collect Soul Infant Fruit, Heart Nourishing Essence, Deep Sea Earth Dragon Heart, and more. Every day, countless rare and precious herbs that could aid in soul restoration arrived from all directions.
Despite such expendable resources, the effects were visible to the naked eye.
In just three days, the Great Elder's soul had regained its vitality and appeared more solid, clearly stabilizing.
However, damage to the soul and depletion are two different things. Even with vast resources, the Great Elder could not recover quickly.
Chen Guan estimated that it would take approximately two years for the Great Elder to fully recover, at which point preparations for his resurrection could begin.
This time, the battle for the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire would undoubtedly take considerable time, so two years seemed just about right.
"Uncle Tianleizi, I'll leave the Great Elder's affairs in your hands. Some herbs are on their way, and I've already written down the corresponding methods for their use," Chen Guan said, looking at Tianleizi.
Xuan Kongzi had already taken the Demon Saint's blood essence and was in seclusion. Chen Guan couldn't take the Great Elder to the Demon Fire Dimension, so entrusting him to Tian Leizi's care was undoubtedly a good choice.
"Don't worry. While your alchemy skills may surpass ours, I'm not far behind, even if you're not the only one. If I can't even do this little routine, I'd be unworthy of sitting at the head of this Danta."
Tian Leizi assured with a reassuring smile.
Chen Guan nodded slightly and handed several pill recipes to Xuan Yi.
"Uncle Xuan Yi, after I leave, I'll have to trouble you to visit Qingce Manor regularly and prepare foundation-building potions for Qing Yan and Tang Xi. I've left the necessary herbs at the manor, so feel free to use them. Here are the recipes."
This wasn't a difficult task, but Medusa, Zi Yan, and the others weren't alchemists, so it was safer to leave them to Xuan Yi's care.
"It's a small matter. Your recipes are incredibly valuable. Actually, I'm the one who got the best deal,"
Xuan Yi nodded in agreement, joking along the way.
These recipes were undoubtedly extremely valuable, each one painstakingly crafted by Chen Guan. Even the Eight Ancient Clans would likely be tempted by the sight of them.
Chen Guan wasn't so generous as to publicly share his hard work with the entire continent, but he had no ulterior motives for hiding his gifts from those around him whom he could absolutely trust.
Their interests were intertwined; their success was shared, their failure was shared.
Having finished his business, Chen Guan produced a notebook and handed it to Cao Ying.
"Senior Sister, this is what I've been writing down these past few days. I think it might be of some use to you."
Cao Ying took it, flipped through it briefly, and a look of distress crossed her face.
"This is it! A Ninth-Rank Grandmaster and Dou Sheng's notes of experience. This favor is so great that even selling myself wouldn't be enough to repay it."
Though it was a joke, it was indeed a generous gift.
Cao Ying's eyes were full of sparkle, and she felt that she could only repay him by working like a slave for him in this life. Even offering
her body was not out of the question...
Chen Guan smiled casually and said nothing more.
Business was the most important thing right now; the rest could come later.
...
On the fifth day after returning to Qingce Manor,
Chen Guan stood on the rooftop of the tallest building, gazing at the distant sky.
In the western sky, two crescent moons, one above and one below, shone brightly and competed for brilliance!
At the same moment, nine brilliant stars in the starry sky slowly moved under his gaze, finally transforming into a straight line.
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"Double moons appear, nine stars become one, heaven and earth surge, demonic fire descends!"
At this moment, countless powerful figures across the continent expressed shock, their eyes ablaze.
They all knew that the infamous Pure Lotus Demonic Fire, renowned on the List of Strange Fires, had descended upon the world!
"Om!"
As the nine brilliant stars in the sky connected in a straight line, a powerful wave of energy suddenly surged across the heavens and earth, sweeping across the continent like a tidal wave.
Immediately, countless strange mists emanated from the void, and a faint sound of waves could even be heard, echoing between heaven and earth.
"This is the tide of heaven and earth! Truly a spectacle rarely seen in a thousand years,"
echoed the voice of the Skyfire Venerable. Immediately, Medusa, Zi Yan, Little Medical Immortal, Yun Yun, who had just arrived from the Flower Sect, as well as Tian Lei Zi, Xuan Yi, Cao Ying, and others, continuously emerged from the air.
According to Chen Guan, his return would likely take quite some time, which was precisely why Yun Yun had come.
"No wonder you said to hold back and let other forces scout out the location first. With such a commotion, the entire Zhongzhou must have known about it."
Little Medical Immortal reflected on her proposal being rejected a few days ago, a flicker of realization crossing her face.
Had she known such a commotion would happen, she wouldn't have wasted her energy scouting the location. She'd gone there earlier, simply hoping to seize the initiative.
But the emergence of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire would tempt even the ancient races. How could they let someone else succeed first?
Chen Guan chuckled and nodded. The fundamental reason for his composure was the strange ball of light in his mind.
Only he knew that without it, no one could possibly tame the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.
Of course, powerful beings like Soul Emperor and Ancient Yuan didn't count, but even such experts wouldn't be involved.
"When do we leave?"
Medusa said succinctly, her determination to capture the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.
Having accompanied Chen Guan all the way from the northwest to Zhongzhou, she understood only too well the importance of the strange fire to him.
"No rush, let's set off tomorrow morning."
Just as Chen Guan spoke, bursts of intense light suddenly erupted from the distant sky. Beneath this radiance, a terrifyingly intense temperature lingered. The ripples spread, their impact spreading far and wide. Even at Qingce Manor, one could still feel a surge of heat welling up from the depths of their hearts.
Strictly speaking, the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire truly revealed itself to the world at this moment!
Chen Guan could already feel the strange ball of light hovering in his mind, trembling slightly as if in resonance.
No one questioned Chen Guan's decision. The group gathered together, admiring this thousand-year-old wonder for a while before gradually dispersing.
Perhaps to facilitate a farewell for Chen Guan and his companions tomorrow morning, everyone stayed at Qingce Manor tonight, even Yaoyue, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, came along.
Late at night,
Chen Guan emerged from Medusa's room and entered Yunyun's.
Despite being an old married couple, Yun Yun remained reserved within Qingce Manor, knowing Medusa and the others were present. Even during intimate moments, she spoke very little.
The room was dreary, and with the naked eye, only the outlines of each other could be discerned.
Chen Guan was already accustomed to this kind of groping in the dark, and always willingly complied.
But tonight, when his hand lightly grasped his, he paused for a moment, and then, a tacit understanding of madness ensued.
...
The next day, at noon.
Chen Guan, Medusa, and Zi Yan stood at the front, bidding farewell to the others.
This time, only three would be dispatched, all of them Dou Sheng-caliber warriors.
This was the benefit of reading the script; he knew clearly that numbers would be of no use in this fight, and that they would only be able to deal with the weaker troops.
Therefore, rather than making a grand display, it would be better to go for the high-level approach.
And even with only three of them, who would dare to underestimate them?
"The emergence of the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire has captured the attention of the entire continent. Even the ancient races will likely participate, giving us a significant respite. Just focus on your cultivation. I will bring the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire back for you to admire."
With these final words, Chen Guan chuckled and disappeared from everyone's sight along with Medusa and Zi Yan.
Gazing at the empty space ahead, the group felt a mixture of emotions. The older generation lamented the rising tide, while Xiao Yixian and the others secretly resolved to quickly advance to the Dou Zun stage.
There were also two who didn't fit in: Cao Ying and Yao Yue.
Their differences were even greater, and both favored alchemy. Their current thoughts were unknown.
Meanwhile,
after leaving the Dan Domain, Chen Guan didn't head directly to the site of the demonic fire. Instead, he led the two women northwest.
Zi Yan quickly noticed something unusual and whispered to Medusa.
"Sister Dieyi, are we going in the wrong direction?"
"Just follow him."
Chen Guan glanced back at the two women and said with a smile, "Let's go to Xingyun Pavilion first and see if Xiao Yan has gone there to join in the fun. If he's there, ask him for a few drops of blood; it might come in handy."
(End of this chapter)