As for Zi Yan, he paid her no mind. The little one was already thoroughly acquainted with Heart Flame Body Tempering. Her coming here was simply to absorb the energy it offered.
When Han Yue caught Xiao Tian's encouraging gaze, a quiet strength filled her heart, as though the difficulties before her had already dissolved into nothing. Such was the boundless power of love.
After Su Qian confirmed that everyone had made their choice, he gave a wave of his hand. Ten light shields descended upon their heads. Once the shields faded, the original Fallen Heart Flame transformed into streams of light and burrowed into them from above.
As the flames penetrated their bodies, the faces of the ten turned as red as burning charcoal, and faint wisps of white smoke began to rise from their forms.
Su Qian studied their conditions, and once he was satisfied there were no serious problems, he instructed the two elders standing beside him, "Watch them closely. If anything goes wrong, pull them out in time. These are all promising seedlings."
The two elders bowed and accepted the order. One of them looked over the ten figures and murmured, "I wonder how many will succeed this time. Last time, only four made it through. I hope there will be more today."
"That can only depend on their perseverance, and the opportunities that await each of them," Su Qian replied with a sigh. In previous failures, the participants had usually been left bedridden for at least two or three months. He had deliberately refrained from mentioning that, so as not to frighten them.
Xiao Tian paid no attention to their conversation. He walked straight to the edge of the deep cave and peered down into its depths. The two elders had both seen Xiao Tian before, so they made no move to stop him. Su Qian also came to stand beside him. "Shall we go down to the final layer and take a look?"
Xiao Tian nodded, and together they descended to the lowest level.
"A few days ago, it broke through several of the seals. We had to expend a great deal of manpower to repair them. But these past few days, it's been unnervingly quiet. If I couldn't still sense its aura, I would have thought it had already escaped," Su Qian said with a grim expression. He opened a gap in the energy shield just wide enough for a single person and stepped through. Xiao Tian followed.
"The calm before the storm?" Xiao Tian asked, gazing at the dark red magma world stretching out before them.
"Exactly. I suspect it's secretly accumulating power. Before, it would only act recklessly, without thought. It seems its intelligence has grown considerably of late."
Xiao Tian recalled that the Fallen Heart Flame, after gathering force over a period of time, would suddenly erupt with several times its usual power. Perhaps it had stumbled upon some hidden source of energy.
The two investigated for a time, found nothing unusual, and then withdrew. Xiao Tian gave a nod to the Grand Elder. A small, bright crimson object flickered in his hand and attached itself to a corner of the energy shield. Then he returned to the layer where the Body Tempering was underway. He glanced at Han Yue, whose condition was stable, and settled down in a quiet spot to cultivate.
A day passed in the blink of an eye. Then, without warning, Cai Li's voice rang through the transmission stone in Xiao Tian's mind. Urgent and sharp. *Xiao Tian, come quickly. There is a late-stage Dou Zong here.*
Xiao Tian's expression went cold. He entered the Pure Heaven Divine Realm directly, retrieved a one-time teleportation gate, and set the coordinates.
---
Ten minutes earlier.
Medusa had just finished annihilating a faction that had dared to oppose the Pure Heaven Divine Palace, and had already plundered their storeroom. On the return journey, a sudden premonition of danger pierced through her. She halted midair, standing upon the void, and fixed her gaze on the empty space ahead. "Who is it? Show yourself."
An old man with blood-red hair stepped out from the void before her. "Are you from the Pure Heaven Divine Palace?"
Medusa immediately assessed the newcomer's strength — a Seven-Star Dou Zong. Her expression grew heavy. She herself was only a Two-Star Dou Zong.
"Little girl, you are no match for me. I am merely here to test you on behalf of a favor I once owed," the old man said, his gaze upon Medusa dark and sinister. His voice carried an eerie chill that seeped into the very air. "If you behave, perhaps I'll be gentle."
"Hmph. Whether I am your match or not — that will only be known after we fight."
Queen Medusa raised her golden-red rapier. Her eyes burned with resolve despite the solemn set of her face. She pointed the blade directly at her foe.
A flicker of surprise crossed the old man's eyes, which quickly morphed into a cold sneer. "It has been a long time since I've met anyone so interesting."
Earth Demon Old Ghost inclined his head slightly. His withered face betrayed no emotion. His eyes, like ghost fire, fixed on Medusa. "It seems you have no intention of cooperating. Then I shall simply break your limbs and carry you away."
"It seems you are nothing more than another man's dog," Medusa said, a mocking smile curling at her lips.
"Sharp tongue!" The old man flew into a rage at her words. Were it not for Han Feng's offered terms, and the veiled threats from that other faction, why would he have emerged from seclusion for something so trivial?
"Let us see if your strength is as hard as your mouth."
He spread his five fingers, and five streams of chilling energy shot straight toward Medusa.
A flash of steel. Medusa did not retreat. She brandished her golden-red rapier with fluid precision. "Serpent's Slash!"
The golden-red sword energy met the five icy streams head-on. The two attacks collided with a thunderous boom, then shattered apart. But Medusa's body trembled slightly. A low, muffled groan escaped her lips, and she was forced back three steps through the air.
"Is that all your strength amounts to? Nothing special," she said, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of her mouth. She met his gaze without fear and launched her own assault.
"Nine-Colored Venom!"
With a sweep of her hand, a torrent of multicolored venom shot toward him, carrying a terrifying, corrosive toxicity.
"That was merely a casual strike from me. Now, witness my true strength." The blood-haired old man let out a cold laugh. Black Dou Qi coalesced at his ten fingertips. "Thousand Illusory Profound Ice Thorns!"
He flicked his fingers rapidly. With each flick, countless black ice cones materialized, screaming through the air to intercept her venom. The venom was struck again and again, shattering and dissolving under the onslaught. The remaining black ice cones hurtled onward toward Medusa.
She swung her rapier in a blur, each stroke parrying the black ice cones with precision. But the gulf in their strength was vast. Every time an ice cone shattered against her blade, her figure was driven back another step. Scars opened across her body, and wisps of black, frigid energy clung to the wounds, seeping inward.
"Fire Serpent Burning Heaven!"
After blocking the final ice cone, Medusa formed a hand seal. A colossal fire serpent erupted before her, lunging with fangs bared at the old man.
He merely coated his palm in black cold energy and thrust a palm print forward. The fire serpent shattered on impact. The old man's figure blurred, moving like a ghost as he closed the distance, his palms wreathed in that same dark frost. Medusa's rapier flashed as she parried blow after blow, the two trading strikes back and forth. Each exchange appeared deceptively simple, yet each carried immense, condensed power.
At last, exhausted under the crushing disparity in their realms, Medusa saw a palm descending toward her. She shifted forms, reverting to her true shape — the Nine-Colored Sky Swallowing Python. The blow sent her massive serpentine body crashing into the deep forest below.
The old man looked upon the Nine-Colored giant serpent before him, his voice tinged with mild surprise. "I didn't expect you to be a transformed Magical Beast. How would you like to become my new mount?"