Chapter 631: Leaving the Demon Fire Space (12,000)

Yun Yun, having once been a Sect Master, knew that some things simply couldn't be handled with excessive gentleness or kindness—that was cruelty to one's own people.

When she first learned Xiao Yan was trapped in the Demon Fire Space, she decisively accepted the Flower Sect's inheritance and took the Bodhi Pill, aiming to reach the Dou Saint realm to protect the Yan Alliance until Xiao Yan returned.

Nalan Yanran's path was far simpler—her nature was as sharp as a blade; upon emerging from her seclusion and learning Xiao Yan was trapped in the Demon Fire Space, she flew straight to the Demon Flame Plain and took command of its most chaotic region.

Now, the Demon Flame Plain was teeming with powerful figures: the Soul Hall had even established a public branch temple there, guarded by a One Star Dou Saint named Hun Qing, whose purpose was to mine Demon Fire Stones.

The Yan Alliance, Dan Tower, Nine Underworld Earth Snake Clan, Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, and even Dou Emperor Families all had fingers in the Demon Flame Plain, but none matched the Soul Hall's scale—each only stationed a few Half-Saints.

Yet because the Yan Alliance was desperately short of Dou Saints, they had gained no significant advantage.

If not for Xiao Yan's lingering reputation, the Yan Alliance would have suffered even worse.

But all of this changed the moment Nalan Yanran arrived—after all, she was the first person bold enough to challenge Xiao Yan (though she was soundly defeated), and that kind of perseverance and courage couldn't be underestimated.

Anyone Xiao Yan deemed worthy as a combat asset couldn't possibly lack battle talent. In her own rank, no one could stand against her; unless a Half-Saint or Dou Saint intervened, no one could stop this Female Sword God who had comprehended the Bodhi Tree.

That's why Yun Yun asked Nalan Yanran about the situation on the Demon Flame Plain when she emerged.

Yun Yun's breakthrough into the Dou Saint realm meant the Yan Alliance had begun sounding the counterattack horn.

Time never paused for anyone or anything; after the Demon Fire Space had been sealed for exactly two years, even other Yan Alliance disciples, except those closely tied to Xiao Yan—like Cai Lin and Yun Yun—had gradually forgotten Xiao Yan, the originator of the Yan Alliance Covenant.

And precisely two years after the Demon Fire Space's closure, Xiao Yan's cultivation within it was finally complete.

All the anomalous fire energy in the Demon Fire Space had vanished; floating in the sky above the Magma Sea was a massive crystal egg, its surface shimmering with ripples, occasionally sending forth faint flames that danced like spirits, brimming with sentience.

Crack!

In the silence, a faint sound suddenly echoed; turning their gaze, they saw a fine crack slowly forming on the crystal egg's surface. As this crack appeared, more fissures crept across it until, eventually, a large shard slid off the top of the egg.

Boom!

As the crystal egg shattered completely, it dissolved into a radiant curtain that poured down from the distant sky, revealing three figures emerging from within—naturally, Xiao Yan, Xun Er, and Xiao Yixian.

"Phew, finally absorbed all the energy from the Demon Fire Space."

Xiao Yan stretched out with a mighty yawn, his entire skeleton emitting thunderous rumbles that echoed across the sky; then he grinned, reached out, and pulled his beautiful wife into his arms.

As Xun Er and Xiao Yixian's heads bumped against his chest, they exchanged glances and recalled certain events from within the Demon Fire Space—their cheeks instantly flushed red.

Xiao Yixian still wore the same white plain dress she had entered in, while Xun Er had it worse—she had no spare clothes, so she was still wearing Xiao Yan's Alchemist Long Robe, which was so loose that every movement revealed glimpses of her figure, since there was nothing underneath.

Xiao Yixian flickered away, escaping Xiao Yan's wolfish grasp, standing to the side; today they were leaving, and her nature would never allow her to be so forward in public.

She had always been a quiet person.

Xun Er glanced at Xiao Yixian, then glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, her jade fingers pinching his waist hard.

"Ssshh—ouch, ow!" Xiao Yan winced in pain.

"Hmph, who told you to keep being naughty?" Xun Er's cheeks flushed again as she recalled certain memories—she still couldn't understand what had possessed her back then.

It must have been the Pure Lotus Demon Fire affecting her emotions!

"Hehehe, that's not being naughty—it'd be a waste to leave before fully absorbing all the Demon Fire energy! It's definitely the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's fault!" Xiao Yan immediately began acting foolishly; after all, a year of cultivation was dreadfully dull, and at least he hadn't been alone.

Two years ago, Xun Er might have believed his nonsense, but now she wouldn't fall for it again—"Demon Fire malfunction," "Anomalous Fire conflict"—total nonsense!

"Xiao Yu's cousin didn't lie—Brother Xiao Yan is a big pervert," Xun Er muttered.

Xiao Yixian nodded vigorously beside her—she never expected the one who saw through Xiao Yan most clearly was Xiao Yu, who hadn't even reached the Dou Zun realm!

"Eeewww~~~"

At that moment, a baby-like voice echoed from Space; a tiny infant, only a few months old, entirely white and pink, with a faint blush of red, crawled out of Space and nestled into Xun Er's arms.

Holding the infant, Xun Er's face softened with maternal tenderness as she scolded Xiao Yan: "Brother Xiao Yan, listen—Little Yi says you're a bad person."

"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan awkwardly rubbed his nose, momentarily speechless.

Little Yi—or Xiao Yi—wasn't human, but a Spirit Flame, the Spirit Flame of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. Xiao Yan never expected this would happen after fully absorbing all the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's energy!

The Pure Lotus Demon Fire had fused with a portion of Xun Er's Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, giving birth to a Fire Baby!

But now Xiao Yan was used to it—he and Cai Lin already had a Soul Embryo; one more Fire Embryo wasn't much of a difference.

Then Xiao Yan seemed to remember something and turned to look at the quiet Xiao Yixian beside him; seeing his gaze, Xiao Yixian offered a serene smile: "I'm fine."

Hearing Xiao Yixian's voice, Xun Er turned too, her eyes filled with sorrow and pity.

Xiao Yan had indeed discovered another problem with the Eternal Calamity Poison Body: infertility.

The Calamity Poison Pill Xiao Yan crafted didn't cure the Eternal Calamity Poison Body or restore Xiao Yixian to normal—it merely left a Poison Pill inside her, which continuously absorbed the toxins generated by her body.

In short, the Eternal Calamity Poison Body remained unchanged; it merely avoided death from toxin accumulation through indirect means—it wasn't cured.

The Eternal Calamity Poison Body made pregnancy impossible; Xiao Yixian had no life force whatsoever—anything entering her body would be poisoned and rendered nonviable.

No one had ever reached this stage with the Eternal Calamity Poison Body, let alone conceived.

The Eternal Calamity Poison Body didn't just steal Xiao Yixian's life—it also stole her right to become a mother.

Seeing Xiao Yixian's smile, Xiao Yan's heart ached; he seized her jade hand and spoke with solemn seriousness: "Xiao Yixian, trust me—just as I solved the Poison Explosion problem before, I'll solve this one too. If the Nine Grade Profound Pill fails, I'll make a Golden Pill; if the Golden Pill fails, I'll even forge an Emperor Pill to completely cure your Eternal Calamity Poison Body."

Xiao Yan wasn't just making empty promises. When he entered the Demon Fire Space, he was barely a Three-Star Dou Saint; now, after two years absorbing all the Demon Fire energy, his cultivation matched the Pure Lotus Demon Fire's original level—he had reached Five-Star Dou Saint Peak, just one step from Six-Star.

Xun Er's cultivation had also risen alongside his, now at Initial Five-Star Dou Saint; Xiao Yixian had strictly controlled her growth, refusing to increase her power, so her cultivation remained at Initial Two-Star Dou Saint.

If Xiao Yan fought the Pure Lotus Demon Fire now, he was confident he could defeat it alone!

After all, his cultivation method was no longer Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade. The true power of the Burning Scripture now was beyond even Xiao Yan's imagination—he knew only that Emperor Grade and Heavenly Rank were as incomparable as Dou Emperor and Dou Saint.

Though Xiao Yan wasn't a Dou Emperor, he now possessed at least one of that level's powers. If his cultivation reached Nine Star Peak with an Emperor Grade method, calling himself a Pseudo Dou Emperor wouldn't be an exaggeration.

His success rate in forging a Nine Grade Profound Pill was now certainly high.

"Xiao Yan." Xiao Yixian lifted her head, gazing at the man before her. Tears blurred her vision; in that hazy moment, she seemed to see again the scene from the Small Valley—just as before, Xiao Yan had promised to solve her Poison Explosion.

He had never changed.

"Xiao Yixian, with Brother Xiao Yan's pill alchemy, he will surely solve the Eternal Calamity Poison Body," Xun Er walked forward gently to comfort her.

"Mm."

After a moment, when everyone had calmed their emotions, Xiao Yi transformed into a pink flame and slipped into Xiao Yan's body.

Then, using the power of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, Xiao Yan effortlessly tore open the Demon Fire Space and departed with the two women.

And with the departure of Xiao Yan and the other two, this Demon Fire Space finally became utterly silent; this space would never appear again, and it would gradually be forgotten in the river of time.

"How did the plain change like this?" Xiao Yan and the other two emerged from the Demon Fire Space, only to feel as if they had just woken from a dream—this wasn't how it had been when they entered!

On the Demon Flame Plain, countless fissures, thousands of zhang long, spread like giant centipedes; scorching infernal heat rose from the cracks, making the entire realm unusually dry.

Most importantly, Xiao Yan and the other two sensed that battles large and small were erupting across the entire plain, as if fighting over something.

"Brother Xiao Yan, it seems that during our time in the Demon Fire Space, the Dou Qi Continent has changed greatly." Xun Er glanced around; factions large and small were present here, and many banners were new—meaning they had appeared only recently.

Xiao Yan nodded, but his Soul Force Perception detected no familiar faces, so he did not linger on the Demon Flame Plain.

It was perfectly normal for the Yan Alliance to compete for resources; he couldn't intervene every time, and he had no interest in that so-called Demon Fire Stone.

They tore through Space and returned directly to the Xiao Clan Courtyard of the Yun Lan Sect in the Jia Ma Empire—coincidentally, Xiao Yan and the others arrived just as they encountered Xiao Yu.

Seeing the three suddenly appear, Xiao Yu, who had just finished cultivating and stepped out to breathe the air, froze in shock—Xiao Yan and the others had been inside the Demon Fire Space for two years!

"Y-you, Xiao Yan! You're back!?" Xiao Yu was so stunned she couldn't speak.

At the sight of a familiar face, Xiao Yan finally felt as if he had truly emerged.

After letting out a long breath, he gazed at Xiao Yu, whom he hadn't seen in so long. Xiao Yu's figure remained tall and slender; her long, elegant legs especially drew the eye—those legs were the most beautiful, most perfect part of her, their length neither too much nor too little, perfectly proportioned; such long, flawless legs made one want to gently caress them.

Seeing Xiao Yu, Xun Er and Xiao Yixian both wore strange expressions. Xun Er covered her mouth and laughed: "Xiao Yu cousin, you're right."

"Huh?"

Xiao Yixian nodded in agreement.

Xiao Yu—clear-eyed in this world.

"Cough, cough." Xiao Yan cleared his throat loudly and said, "Uh, Xiao Yu, go notify Father, Elder Brother, Second Brother, and Ya Fei—they need to know I'm back. I want to learn what happened since I entered the Demon Fire Space."

Hearing Xiao Yan's familiar voice and realizing he had truly returned, Xiao Yu wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes, glared fiercely at Xiao Yan, and said, "Always ordering me around. I know."

This time, Xiao Yu didn't kick Xiao Yan—after all, others were present.

Soon, after changing clothes, Xiao Yan and the other two arrived at the Xiao Clan Main Hall. Upon hearing Xiao Yan had returned, Xiao Zhan and the others rushed over at once.

After some casual catching-up, Ya Fei began explaining to Xiao Yan what had happened over the past two years, and details about the Yan Alliance.

"The Stone Clan is gone?!" Even Xiao Yan was stunned into silence, exclaiming aloud.

When they had fought over the Pure Lotus Demon Fire in the Demon Fire Space, the Stone Clan had sent three people, one of whom—a Stone Clan Elder—had reached Fourth-Star Sage Emperor strength, even slightly stronger than Yao Wan Gui.

The Stone Clan's power far exceeded that of the Ling Clan, and in pure combat strength, it was even comparable to the Yao Clan—how could such a major clan vanish so completely?

Now even Xiao Yan couldn't help but wonder: could the Soul Sovereign really be that powerful? After all, since the Xiao Clan's destruction a thousand years ago, every clash between the Soul Sovereign and the Gu Clan had favored the Gu Clan, and the Gu Clan possessed more high-level Sage Emperors.

"Either the Soul Sovereign has hidden something, or there's another reason." Xiao Yan thought to himself; even he was now uncertain, for strictly speaking, he was a hired Alchemist of Hun Tian Di—he knew nothing of their internal affairs.

Moreover, Xiao Yan would never help the Soul Sovereign compete for the Ancient Jade; he only handled Spirit Refining. If they brought the Primitive Pill to him, that was his job—everything else, he didn't care.

(End of Chapter)