Chapter 1648: Wind and Fire Separation

In Li Luo's fifth Dwelling, as Jiang Jiang Qinge poured in her light phase power, the "Nihility Black Qi" released from the black light rays was suppressed and did not continue to wreak havoc within the Dwelling.

But the black light covering the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase" did not recede; instead, it wrapped around the former and attempted to depart.

"Qing'e, attach your light phase power to my silk threads. I'll intercept the power of this 'Nihility Phase.'" At this moment, the Pill Saint's voice rang out simultaneously in the hearts of Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

Her voice seemed to carry a gentleness that had never appeared before.

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Qinge paid no heed to the Pill Saint's suddenly familiar way of addressing her. After all, the most important thing right now was to rescue Li Luo from his perilous situation.

So with a single thought, she condensed her own light phase power to its utmost, transforming it into an incomparably dense holy light. The holy light descended and attached itself to the Pill Saint's silk threads, which had been stained with her own essence blood and had turned crimson.

The Pill Saint's slender ten fingers flicked in rapid succession, and countless silk threads laden with dense holy light shot forth, surging once more toward the Nihility power that covered the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase."

In the previous clash, the silk threads condensed with the Pill Saint's rank power had been utterly unable to resist the erosion of the "Nihility Phase" power, but this time, the situation was markedly different.

The holy-light silk threads not only withstood the erosion, but even gradually peeled away that deep and terrifying black light, slowly revealing the opening, and once again exposing the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase" within.

In that instant, the holy-light silk threads whistled out and wound around the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase," beginning to form a tug-of-war with the power of the "Nihility Phase."

Boom!

The black coffin erupted with an unprecedented roar and tremor, faintly carrying what sounded like a voice of shock and fury.

"This is... light!"

Within the black coffin, dim light seemed to flow. The next moment, the "Nihility Phase" power in Li Luo's Dwelling that had been contesting the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase" suddenly veered sharply and slashed viciously down at the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase."

The light of absolute extinction descended, and before Li Luo's shocked gaze, it split the "Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase" cleanly in two.

This dual phase was directly cleaved apart—one half became wind, the other fire—flowing with vast, endless rank power, transforming the entire Dwelling into a world of wind and fire.

Then the black light swept through, scooped up the fire phase, flickered once, and fled from Li Luo's Dwelling.

"Eh? It ran?"

This sudden turn of events greatly startled Li Luo. He had never imagined that the terrifying power of the "Nihility Phase" would suddenly retreat, as if it feared something.

Moreover, it had only managed to snatch away the "Fire Phase."

Phase power light gathered within the Dwelling and transformed into Li Luo's figure. He appeared within his own Dwelling, his gaze fixed on the "Wind Phase" suspended within.

Although it had been cleaved, the wind rank power emanating from it remained vast and ethereal, boundless and endless.

And although only half remained, this was the true Divine Fruit Wind Phase.

The Divine Fruit crystal phase from the Heavenly Mirror Pagoda had ultimately had its most important Divine Fruit seized away by Void Heavenly King through the power of the "black coffin," and Li Luo had only obtained a portion of the crystal phase energy.

Yet even so, it had helped him forge a mid-ninth-grade Crystal Ice Phase.

If he could refine this half of the Divine Fruit Wind Phase... Li Luo felt he could at least forge a top-ninth-grade phase nature, couldn't he?

However, such a divine object might not necessarily fall into his hands. After all, even now both Jiang Heavenly King and Zhang Heavenly King had come. If other Heavenly Kings obtained such a divine object, they might in the future be able to create a Divine Fruit Heavenly King for the ten Outer Shenzhou.

Furthermore, with Li Luo's current strength, he likely could not swallow it either. The "rank power" upon the Divine Fruit Wind Phase was not something he could wear down and refine.

As Li Luo was feeling regret over this, a wisp of colored silk thread surged before him, and then the light shifted, transforming into the figure of "Bai Bai Mengmeng."

"Senior Pill Saint, how should this Divine Fruit Wind Phase be handled?" Li Luo saw this and immediately coughed violently. The face of this figure, transformed from phase power, turned deathly pale, looking as though he had paid a tremendous price in this battle and been severely wounded.

The Pill Saint saw straight through his little scheme at a glance, and immediately said with a half-smile: "What? You've grown some ulterior motives?"

Li Luo revealed an awkward smile.

Meanwhile, the light phase power surging in from outside the Dwelling continued to pour down without cease, striving to cleanse Li Luo of the destruction caused by the absolute-extinction qi of the "Nihility Phase."

The Pill Saint gazed at that light phase power, her expression slightly sobering, and then said: "Actually, this 'Divine Fruit Wind-Fire Phase' has now been split. Even if it remains in my hands, it no longer holds much meaning."

Her gaze turned to the half Divine Fruit Wind Phase, and she sighed softly, saying wistfully: "You are the Myriad Phases Seed. In a sense, you can be considered a successor of our Faceless Holy Sect, and you have also cultivated the 'Ten Inscription Myriad Phases Wheel.' In terms of qualification, you are indeed the best candidate to inherit this 'Divine Fruit Wind Phase.'"

Li Luo had been feeling utterly hopeless, but he hadn't expected the Pill Saint to say something like this. His spirit immediately surged with renewed vigor.

"However, those Heavenly Kings outside—apart from your grandfather—the other Heavenly Kings may not agree to let such a divine object be controlled by you, a mere seventh-grade Unparalleled Marquis. Now that great changes are imminent in the world, such a divine object should, by rights, be given to those Heavenly Kings with deep foundations, to help them break through to Divine Fruit Heavenly King. That would be the way to consider the greater picture." But just as Li Luo was overjoyed, the Pill Saint doused him with a bucket of cold water.

Li Luo immediately showed a helpless expression and said: "This is understandable. So if Jiang Heavenly King truly intends to take this Divine Fruit Wind Phase, I have no objections."

Jiang Heavenly King was the leader of the Academy Alliance and one of the pillars of the ten Outer Shenzhou. His thoughts and actions naturally prioritized the greater good of the ten Outer Shenzhou.

And no matter how monstrous Li Luo was, he could not possibly ascend to Divine Fruit Heavenly King so quickly at this point.

Seeing Li Luo agree, the Pill Saint instead pursed her lips and said: "But then again, even though that Jiang Heavenly King outside is one of the leaders of this era, this Divine Fruit Wind Phase was left behind by the Sect Master. He has no right to decide the ownership of this object."

Although Jiang Heavenly King was a Divine Fruit Heavenly King of the present age, the Pill Saint clearly held no reverence for him. After all, not to mention that she herself at her peak had been at a realm no weaker than his, the mere background of the Faceless Holy Sect, which had once dominated an era, and its contributions to the ten Outer Shenzhou, were enough to let her look down with a sense of superiority upon all the organizations and powers of later generations.

Li Luo scratched his head, somewhat confused by the Pill Saint's self-contradictory words.

"Then how does Senior plan to handle this Divine Fruit Wind Phase?" Li Luo asked.

The Pill Saint's gaze seemed to rest on Li Luo's face, but in reality she was watching the descending light phase power. She was silent for several breaths, then said: "I will first seal this object within your Dwelling, and afterward find a way to help you refine it. When Jiang Heavenly King asks about it then, I'll be the one to put him off."

She had actually taken this matter upon herself.

Li Luo was somewhat taken aback by this, after all he had no particular relationship with the Pill Saint, yet she was willing to go this far for him. This was truly unexpected.

"Then thank you very much, Senior Pill Saint." After his surprise, Li Luo hurriedly expressed his thanks.

The Pill Saint shook her head and said: "Matters here are not yet concluded. Yin Heavenly King must have some grand scheme in the works. This Divine Fruit Wind Phase, if it remains with you, may play an even greater role in the future."

As her words fell, she no longer lingered. Her figure transformed into colored light and dispersed, withdrawing from Li Luo's Dwelling.

Li Luo's face turned solemn. With a thought, his figure also vanished, and the fifth, empty Dwelling once again returned to calm.

No, it couldn't truly be called empty, because at this moment, within the Dwelling, the half Divine Fruit Wind Phase drifted quietly. Vast and ethereal wind rank power flowed out, but was restrained by the surrounding colored silk threads and did not spread. Otherwise, once rank power of this level ran rampant, Li Luo's Dwelling would have been reduced to smoke on the spot.

When Li Luo's mind withdrew from the Dwelling, the scene outside once again came into view.

He happened to see that black light, which had scooped up the "Divine Fruit Fire Phase," falling into that black coffin.