Chapter 628

"Pure Lotus Demon Fire." Gazing at the beautiful, holy flame lotus below, even the tranquil Xiao Yixian was spellbound.

This was utterly unlike the earlier demonic, crimson flame essence; this fire lotus was pure and beautiful, like a meteor slicing through the dark night of her heart, radiating a pure white glow as graceful as a fairy's skirt, drawing one irresistibly in, evoking a mysterious, irresistible power.

The Pure Lotus Demon Fire could be called the most mysterious and beautiful of the Infernal Flames on the Dou Qi Continent; its existence seemed like a mystical force, inspiring boundless awe and reverence.

And now, it lay still upon the Sea of Fire like a beautiful maiden awaiting harvest.

In the sky, Xiao Yan suppressed his inner excitement after a long while, exchanged a glance with Xun Er and Xiao Yixian, then slowly descended his form, halting gently when he reached several zhang from the milky white and pink-tinged fire lotus.

The Pure Lotus Demon Fire now was undeniably two entirely different manifestations from before—once violent and wild, now calm and serene, showing no aggression despite Xiao Yan's trio approaching.

"The Pure Lotus Demon Fire seems different from before," Xun Er said, surprised at the tranquil, drifting flame lotus.

"Yes, now it leans more toward the 'Pure' side, unlike the earlier 'Demonic' aspect—it brings peace to the heart, not stirring inner emotions," Xiao Yixian nodded in agreement.

The Pure Lotus Demon Fire now might better be called Pure Lotus Holy Fire—untainted by mud, unadorned by ripples.

"Thanks to its voluntary fusion with the Asura Shadow, even its consciousness was erased by the fire lotus; the current Pure Lotus Demon Fire is like a newborn infant," Xiao Yan's face glowed with fervor; after witnessing the demon fire's violent nature, even if he obtained it, he dared not refine it—after all, even superiors as mighty as the Pure Lotus Demon Saint had perished from its backlash, let alone he, a mere Three-Star Dou Saint?

Xiao Yan glanced at the nearby Three-Faced Asura Statue, formed a hand seal, and the statue dissolved into his body, becoming a unique Soul Power; after absorbing the Asura Statue, Xiao Yan faintly felt his Soul Power had advanced another step.

He had even brushed against an invisible bottleneck—he knew this must be the barrier to the Imperial Soul Realm; if he shattered it, he would enter the Emperor Soul Realm!

"Doesn't this damage the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's spirit?" Xiao Yixian frowned slightly.

"What do we do now? The Space Channel here has vanished. I just tried—it's unlikely we can tear open this space with our current strength," Xun Er hesitated, then added again; though both she and Xiao Yan were Three-Star Dou Saints, and Xiao Yixian a One-Star Dou Saint, this space had been created by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, still containing residual Sealing—tearing it open easily was no simple matter.

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, eyes fixed on the flame lotus above the lava, and smiled: "Since we can't leave for now, let's refine the Pure Lotus Demon Fire here."

Hearing Xiao Yan intended to refine an Infernal Flame, Xiao Yixian blushed, startled, and stepped back two paces, her Jade Hand clutching her collar.

She had more experience!

At this moment, Xiao Yixian's cheeks flushed pink—how had she let her head get hot and rushed in here!? The more experienced Xiao Yixian now felt a bad premonition!

Xun Er, lacking any such 'experience,' noticed none of Xiao Yixian's change, and asked worriedly: "Brother Xiao Yan, do you have confidence?"

Xun Er furrowed her brows; though the Pure Lotus Demon Fire no longer attacked randomly, it remained a terrifying entity ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking—refining it would not be easy.

Remember, refining a wild Infernal Flame without aid is virtually a death sentence—it's an iron law on the Dou Qi Continent.

Even the Gu Clan, back then, relied on Gu Yuan's Imperial Soul Power to let Xun Er slowly refine the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, passed down for countless years, beginning at age four and continuing for over twenty years.

Even so, Xun Er nearly died from the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame—only Xiao Yan's accidental intervention saved her life.

So Xun Er knew better than anyone how dangerous refining Infernal Flames was.

"Less than fifty percent," Xiao Yan smiled faintly, not hiding anything; after witnessing the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's ferocity, he held the utmost caution—no one in this world could claim absolute certainty in refining it.

After all, the Burning Scripture never claimed it could increase the success rate of refining Infernal Flames; Xiao Yan's fifty percent was based on his own high flame resistance and the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill.

Someone who had never refined any Infernal Flame attempting this would be asking for death.

Not everyone can be the Pure Lotus Demon Saint.

Hearing this low chance, Xun Er and Xiao Yixian's eyes flickered with worry.

"Which refinement of an Infernal Flame isn't a gamble with one's life? I've gambled twelve times already—this thirteenth won't matter. And this Demon Fire Space was personally created by the Pure Lotus Demon Saint; even your father couldn't easily break in—otherwise, they'd have taken the demon fire long ago. So this place is perfect; only here can I refine the Pure Lotus Demon Fire without distraction!" Xiao Yan smiled. "If we stay away too long, others may assume we've perished—this saves us countless troubles."

Hearing this, Xun Er fell silent for a moment, then nodded; Xiao Yan's reasoning held weight. Countless people on Zhong Zhou had their eyes fixed on the Demon Fire Space—if anyone discovered them leaving with the demon fire's essence, even Xiao Yan would face those who couldn't suppress their greed and launch frenzied attacks; even if they could fend them off, they'd be trapped in endless troubles, with no quiet time to refine the flame.

"When do you plan to begin?" Xiao Yixian asked softly, her eyes shifting.

"First, restore my Cultivation Realm and injuries completely," Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile, his gaze burning as he stared at the floating flame lotus above the lava; he had once thought reaching Dou Saint level meant refining the Pure Lotus Demon Fire was assured—but reality now showed him that without thorough preparation, who refines whom remains uncertain.

This recovery took seven days.

Outside the Demon Fire Space, the twisted sky had vanished; the terrifying infernal heat that once blanketed heaven and earth gradually faded; the lava desert below ceased churning, slowly solidifying into blocks of white rock.

These white rocks would soon become the coveted Demon Fire Stones sought by all on the Dou Qi Continent.

In the surrounding sky, figures hovered in midair, their eyes filled with frustration as they stared at this space; after the Space Channel vanished, they lost all sense of it—no matter what methods they used, they could not make the space reappear.

"Zi Yan, return to Dragon Island first—the Void Ancient Dragon Clan cannot do without you," Cai Lin said to Zi Yan, who had waited seven days beside her.

Hearing this, Zi Yan opened her mouth but fell silent, then slowly nodded. In the past, she could have been willful—but now, the Void Ancient Dragon Clan needed her as Dragon Emperor, and Dragon Island remained ununified; the Three Great Dragon Kings were still alive.

"Sister Cai Lin, what about you?" Qing Lin walked beside Cai Lin and asked.

"I'll wait a while longer before returning to Huang Quan Shan Mai," Cai Lin stroked Qing Lin's hair, then gazed at the now completely vanished Demon Fire Space, murmuring: "Remember, Xiao Xiao and Xiao Cai are waiting for you at home—you cannot die."

As the crowd outside the Demon Fire Space gradually dispersed, Xiao Yan, who had prepared for seven days within, slowly opened his eyes—he was finally ready to refine the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.

This day, he had waited over ten years for!

As Xiao Yan opened his eyes, Xiao Yixian and Xun Er on either side opened theirs simultaneously.

"Brother Xiao Yan, may you succeed at once," Xun Er smiled gently and nodded.

"You will succeed," Xiao Yixian said, gripping her fists tightly.

"Yes!"

Flying before the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, Xiao Yan no longer hesitated—he swallowed the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill, then silently activated the Burning Scripture; under Xun Er and Xiao Yixian's tense gazes, he slowly extended his trembling hand, passed through the fire lotus, and seized the pink flame!

Boom—Boom!!

The instant Xiao Yan's palm touched the pink flame, the seemingly tiny flame exploded instantly into roaring fire, engulfing his entire body; the terrifying infernal heat that could alter the sky erupted violently.

"Brother Xiao Yan!"

"Xiao Yan!"

The sudden change shocked them both—they leapt up, eyes wide with terror, fixed on the pink flame.

Within the roaring flames, Xiao Yan's face twisted from the searing pain; he frantically drove his internal Infernal Flames to resist the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's heat, and though he had prepared extensively, at this moment of contact, he clearly felt the terrifying power of the third-ranked Infernal Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

Xiao Yan's only thought now was: the top three Infernal Flames are another world entirely—the cold from the Nine Yin Huangquan Pill was useless, offering almost no resistance!

"If that's all you've got, you won't stop me!" Xiao Yan roared, the Burning Scripture spinning at high speed, thirteen Infernal Flames guarding him, Soul Force surging, both Divine-Class Clan Marks exploding!!

"Burning Scripture—refine it!"

Unimaginable agony erupted from every part of Xiao Yan's body—the pain so intense it threatened to drive him mad—but his eyes turned blood-red, and with sheer willpower, he held on, screaming wildly within.

As his scream echoed, his Dou Qi surged forth fearlessly toward the demon fire's essence, forcibly enveloping it and following the Burning Scripture's path, beginning its circulation!

Whoosh—Whoosh!

Faced with the refining of the Burnt Scripture, the Demon Fire's origin seemed to sense something, and immediately writhed violently; the infernal heat grew ever more terrifying, and some of Xiao Yan's relatively fragile meridians turned to ash on the spot, even some of his bones showing signs of softening.

The two stared in stunned silence at Xiao Yan, who was screaming and struggling furiously within the flames; his body had shrunk by nearly half compared to before, appearing utterly horrifying.

Hum! At that moment, the Asura Soul Severing Technique, fully controlled by Xiao Yan, emerged—a massive three-headed, six-faced Asura Giant Image appeared, enveloping Xiao Yan's entire body. Instantly, all three eyes opened wide; especially after the third face was completely tamed, the power of this Soul Technique reached a terrifying level.

The three mouths opened, and the Asura Giant Image, like another self, could actually share Xiao Yan's injuries—some of the damage was directly transferred into the statue.

Xiao Yan gained an extra life!

With this extra life absorbing the damage, Xiao Yan finally stabilized. Seeing Xiao Yan's control over the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's origin, Xun Er and Xiao Yixian both exhaled in relief.

The two exchanged glances and helplessly shook their heads.

"Brother Xiao Yan's refining process may take a long time," Xun Er said.

"Mm, we'll just have to wait," Xiao Yixian nodded.

For a moment, both felt awkward—did this mean they would be alone together for a long time? Until Xiao Yan fully refined the Pure Lotus Demon Fire???

And Xiao Yan refined for an entire year—exactly one year passed before he fully circled the Pure Lotus Demon Fire along the Burnt Scripture's cultivation path and gained complete control.

Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes; though he had not yet fused it to evolve the Burnt Scripture, the Pure Lotus Demon Fire now belonged to him.

"Hahaha! I've finally refined the Pure Lotus Demon Fire!"

Hearing Xiao Yan's voice, the two women snapped out of their cultivation, quickly turning toward him—then Xun Er and Xiao Yixian's eyes widened, their red lips parting slightly, their bodies inexplicably growing warm.

"Brother Xiao Yan! Y-you're not wearing any clothes!" Xun Er quickly turned her eyes away—she had never seen Xiao Yan's "full form," and now she recalled that night at the Ye Family Mansion.

That night, it almost happened!

Xiao Yixian shot Xiao Yan a furious glare; now she finally understood—he hadn't lied to her. The side effects of this Strange Fire spared even him.

Xiao Yan coughed twice, rubbed his nose, then reached into Space—extracting the Demon Fire Energy from the Demon Fire Space. The milky-white flame formed into clothing, wrapping around his entire body.

"Brother Xiao Yan! You've gained control of this Demon Fire Space?!" Seeing this, Xun Er's eyes lit up—did this mean they could leave?!

"Mm, now it's our turn to reap the rewards. This Demon Fire Energy mustn't be wasted." Xiao Yan waved his hand, and the entire space's milky-white demon fire surged toward him like a tidal wave—purest Strange Fire energy, freely absorbable.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Yixian's eyes widened, her face turning as red as an apple; she quickly shook her head and stepped back several paces. "No, thank you—I'll leave it to the two of you to refine."

Xun Er, however, looked puzzled—this Demon Fire Energy was an ultimate tonic, the accumulated essence of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire over thousands of years; refining it would greatly boost one's Cultivation Realm. She didn't understand why Xiao Yixian refused.

Seeing Xiao Yixian's flushed cheeks and her frantic retreat, like a startled little lamb, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and wore an innocent expression.

We're all Sage Emperors now. Being a Sage Emperor is great.

(End of Chapter)