Chapter 78: The Forest-White Flame

After packing everything away, Xiao Yan crawled out of the cave. Outside it was noon, the scorching sunlight pouring down and baking the cliff walls until they were scalding hot.

Coming to the base of a cliff wall, he looked up at the blazing sun in the sky, rotated his ankles slightly, then his foot slammed violently against the ground.

With a crisp burst of energy, Xiao Yan's body shot upward like a cannonball. Amid a series of explosions, his body kept rocketing up along the cliff face.

This was the Profound Class mid-rank Body Technique Dou Technique Yun Yun had left behind — Explosive Step. It condensed Fire Attribute Battle Qi into a single point below, using the force of the explosion to generate an instant burst of extreme speed.

"It's actually somewhat similar to Eight Extreme Crumbling."

Xiao Yan flipped and landed, twisting his ankle. Like Eight Extreme Crumbling, Explosive Step required a strong physique as a prerequisite; otherwise, before the blast force could propel a person forward, their feet would shatter first.

For Xiao Yan, his physique had already surpassed his Cultivation Realm, so cultivating Explosive Step was twice the result with half the effort.

Xiao Yan cultivated Alchemy in the mornings, and once his Soul Force was exhausted he began training Dou Techniques. At night he cultivated the Burning Art and the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Art. Day after day, the cycle continued.

He cultivated until dusk, when he happened to meet Xiao Yixian returning with a flower basket slung over her arm, having gathered herbs.

Under the slanting rays of the setting sun, Xiao Yixian stood in the dusk, her lonely back evoking pity.

Seeing Xiao Yan, Xiao Yixian lifted her flower basket and gave him a sweet smile. "Eating dinner? Xiao Lan just caught a goat."

"Of course. I only know how to refine pills, not cook."

Sitting on a nearby rock, Xiao Yan watched Xiao Yixian humming softly through her delicate nose between tasks, and couldn't help but smile faintly.

Over the past dozen or so days, Xiao Yixian had gradually come to terms with what had happened in Qingshan Town.

Munch munch munch — Xiao Yan picked up his bowl and chopsticks and ate nonstop as if he were starving. Every day after cultivating, Xiao Yan had to consume a large amount of food to recover his strength.

Squeak squeak!! Watching Xiao Yan wolf down his food, Xiao Lan hurriedly grabbed a piece of roasted meat for herself, as if to say: Don't eat mine too!

Watching Xiao Yan devour his food, a gratified smile slowly appeared at the corner of Xiao Yixian's mouth. Xiao Yan paid no attention whatsoever to the fact that Xiao Yixian was a Poison Master who possessed the Eternal Calamity Poison Body — and this undoubtedly left a special meaning in Xiao Yixian's heart.

Not to mention that whenever Xiao Yan occasionally needed to refine Detoxification Pills, he would deliberately let Xiao Yixian poison him so he could practice making Detoxification Pills.

Detoxification Pills were the most special kind of Elixir. They tested an Alchemist's ability to adapt on the spot and the breadth of their knowledge — one had to tailor the medicine to the poison.

"Oh, right. In about ten more days I should be leaving here, heading to Desert City. What about you?" Xiao Yan set down his bowl and chopsticks, and after a while suddenly spoke.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Yixian, who was clearing the dishes, paused and said casually, "Oh, I was thinking of going to the Chu Yun Empire to take a look. I heard Poison Masters aren't as ostracized there."

"The Chu Yun Empire, huh. If I travel the world someday, I'll come find you in the Chu Yun Empire." Xiao Yan lay on the ground, gazing at the stars in the sky, and said casually.

"Hehe, when that time comes you can't dislike me, or I'll be very sad."

"How could I?"

Staring blankly at Xiao Yixian walking into the little thatched hut, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Xiao Yan also slowly stood up and headed toward the cave, beginning to cultivate the Burning Art and the Spiritual Heart Soul Gathering Art.

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan had just risen when he passed by Xiao Yixian's hut and found the door tightly shut.

"Sigh." Xiao Yan, as if he had long since guessed it would be like this, gently knocked on the door. Sure enough, no one answered from inside.

Xiao Yan controlled the Swallowing Flame, melted the door lock, and pushed the door open. Immediately, a piercing poisonous mist surged out from the room.

Meow!

Mao Wu instantly appeared, opened his mouth wide into a black hole, and swallowed all the poisonous mist.

"This poison is really fierce. If it weren't for the Swallowing Flame, I wouldn't dare get close. This poison could probably even kill a Great Dou Master."

On the bed, Xiao Yixian had her eyes tightly shut. Her originally rosy, pretty face had now taken on an eerie seven-colored hue, looking as if she weren't breathing at all.

Xiao Yan did not panic. He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the Poison Powder from the corner of Xiao Yixian's mouth, his movements very tender.

Xiao Yixian hadn't been able to hold out.

The Eternal Calamity Poison Body only needed to consume poison to grow stronger. For Xiao Yixian, poison was like food — when she was hungry, she had to eat.

Xiao Yixian suppressing herself from taking poison was like a person being starving but unable to eat. That terrifying hunger would make a person lose their reason.

Not to mention this valley was full of medicinal herbs everywhere, so Xiao Yixian could refine poison with a casual wave of her hand, making it even harder for her to restrain herself.

Actually, last night Xiao Yan had already noticed something was off. Xiao Yixian's Cultivation Realm had reached Nine Star Dou Zhe, a four-star increase in half a month — a speed that left Xiao Yan dumbfounded.

"Dou Master already..." Xiao Yan's Soul Force Perception detected that Xiao Yixian's Cultivation Realm had broken through to Dou Master, and the seven-colored marks on her face slowly faded.

Xiao Yixian, who had her eyes tightly shut on the bed, finally slowly opened them. Turning her head, she happened to see Xiao Yan sitting quietly on a chair not far away.

Her Jade Hand moved slightly, touching the corner of her own mouth, and a hint of bitterness gradually welled up.

After a moment, the bitterness gradually spread. Xiao Yixian bit her lip tightly, suddenly pulled the blanket over her face, and some choked, broken sobs came from beneath the covers.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Yan, I... I couldn't hold back. I really deserve to die."

Sitting on the chair, listening to those faint, soft sobs, Xiao Yan's heart was also somewhat heavy. After thinking for a long time, Xiao Yan seemed to have made some kind of decision.

He slowly stood up, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently patted Xiao Yixian's blanket-wrapped body with his palm.

"I have a way to help you control the Eternal Calamity Poison Body."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xiao Yixian threw off the blanket, wiped the tears from her eyes, and asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice: "Is what you're saying true?"

Xiao Yan nodded, took out a gray Scroll with a dark, dull color from his storage ring, and Xiao Yixian opened the Scroll.

"Poison Pill Method? It requires an Alchemist of Seven-Grade or above to use Soul Force to enter the body, gather all the toxins accumulated in the Eternal Calamity Poison Body, condense them completely, and finally transform them into a Poison Pill within the body. If the Poison Pill is formed, the Eternal Calamity Poison Body will truly become a terrifying constitution."

But when Xiao Yixian saw the materials required, her eyes immediately dimmed. She shook her head self-deprecatingly and said: "A Magic Core from a Seven Rank Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast, Puti Huati Yan, and Three Infernal Flames. A Seventh-Stage Beast is equivalent to a Dou Zong, and Puti Huati Yan is something I've never even heard of."

"Not to mention Three Infernal Flames. A Supreme Treasure of heaven and earth like an Infernal Flame — finding even one is an supreme fortune, let alone three. It's impossible."

Just as Xiao Yixian was in utter despair, with a whoosh of a flame igniting, suddenly a deep white flame illuminated the room.

Sensing the appearance of the flame, Xiao Yixian slowly raised her head and looked at the forest-white flame floating in the air.

In Xiao Yixian's eyes, the flame was very beautiful. That cold yet scorching feeling made one curious — a vast expanse of white, like a snowy landscape.

"When the mountain is high, there will always be travelers who find a way; when the waters are deep, there will always be boatmen to ferry them across."

"Difficulties always exist, and solutions will always be found. Look, haven't we already gathered one kind of Infernal Flame? And conveniently, there's an Alchemist right here."

Seeing Xiao Yan's brilliant smile, the warm firelight slowly swept away the gloom in Xiao Yixian's heart, shining completely into her innermost being.

Tears could no longer be held back and fell from her eyes. Xiao Yixian threw her arms around Xiao Yan and burst into loud weeping.

The events of these past few months had long since broken this girl who had no family. The pain brought by the Eternal Calamity Poison Body was something only she herself understood.

As if grasping a ray of light in the darkness, Xiao Yixian clutched tightly at Xiao Yan's clothes, her tears soaking his garments.

A snow-white butterfly flapped its wings and landed on the table from outside the window. Xiao Yan had not expected that his advance warning to Xiao Yixian of the Poison Pill method would cause the world line to deviate severely once again.