Chapter 360: Domineering

Crimson flames steamed the clouds; a sea of fire churned and surged.

The two Fire Qilins, condensed from the Earth Mother Qi, bore no trace of violence in their entire beings; it seemed that as long as Hua Changxi remained still, they would lie there until the end of time.

Lu Zhenting had said the key to opening the Fire Qilin Pavilion lay within the bellies of the two Fire Qilins; to obtain the key, either the beasts must willingly surrender it, or one must use overwhelming force to compel them to do so.

Yet if overwhelming force were required to compel them, Hua Changxi reasoned, that opportunity would not fall to her, for the Five Generals of Xuanyuan would have acted thus long ago.

Adding to this, Qin Feng had stated that Fire Qilins formed from Earth Mother Qi could neither be scattered nor destroyed; thus, obtaining the key seemed to leave only one option: devising a way to make the Fire Qilins surrender it willingly.

To make the Fire Qilins willingly surrender the key...

Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes in deep thought: Could these Fire Qilins, born of Earth Mother Qi, be subdued? If both beasts submitted to her, would they not then hand over the key?

The more Hua Changxi pondered, the more feasible this method seemed; yet, how could she make the Fire Qilins submit to her?

Fire Qilin...

Fire...

Hua Changxi recalled the divine ability 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage'; upon invoking this power, any flame existing between heaven and earth could become her "nourishment."

Hua Changxi gazed intently at the two Fire Qilins with burning eyes; Earth Mother Qi sounded like something extraordinary, so if she invoked 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage' to absorb these two beasts, she would surely gain immense benefits.

Moreover, since inheriting the divine ability 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage,' she had not yet truly employed it in battle.

She would use these two Fire Qilins to practice!

Hua Changxi immediately invoked 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage'; the first step of this divine ability was to construct a flame gravitational field centered on herself.

As soon as the ability activated, a vortex of fire appeared at the location of her dantian.

The moment the flame vortex manifested, the two Fire Qilins, previously lying motionless, simultaneously lifted their heads to look, then rose restlessly to their feet.

The devouring power of 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage' was a source-siphoning force that accepted no flame without taking it in.

Anything bearing "fire" would be siphoned toward the flame vortex; once within the gravitational range, it would be forcibly stripped of its original form, transforming into threads, specks, or streams of fire, ignoring spatial barriers and surging toward Hua Changxi like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

In an instant, all flames and fire spiritual energy within the fire domain converged upon Hua Changxi.

Feeling a powerful pulling force act upon their bodies, the two Fire Qilins retreated repeatedly, fleeing to the outermost edges of the fire domain space.

The second step of 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage' was the elimination of impurities and retention of essence through energy conversion and purification.

As flames from the fire domain rushed into the dantian vortex, Hua Changxi perceived the impurity of the fire spiritual energy; without conversion and purification, absorbing such tainted energy would lightly pollute the dantian or severely damage one's foundation.

However, under the effect of the divine ability, these impure fire spiritual energies underwent a process of "disassembly, purification, and reconstruction."

Impurities, violent auras, or anomalous energies contained within the flames were completely stripped away, leaving only the purest fire-attributed energy.

As the flames within the fire domain were continuously devoured, converted, and absorbed, Hua Changxi discovered her fire spiritual root resembled a river of molten gold, with tens of thousands of tiny flames seemingly burning within every drop of her blood.

The more flames she absorbed, the wider the upper limit of spiritual energy her fire spiritual root could contain became; even the devouring range and conversion efficiency of 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage' itself improved accordingly.

At this moment, she seemed to have become a walking furnace of fire.

What excited Hua Changxi most was that the cultivation bottleneck, which had long resisted breakthrough, seemed to be loosening.

With this major discovery, she immediately pushed the divine ability 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage' to its utmost limit.

Outside the fire domain, the Five Generals of Xuanyuan watched this scene with intense focus.

Lu Zhenting turned to Qin Feng: "Is Hua Changxi absorbing the fire spiritual energy within the fire domain?"

Qin Feng sounded uncertain: "It seems so."

Yet not all fire spiritual energy could be absorbed, refined, and made one's own.

The Fire Qilins were manifestations of Earth Mother Qi, and the fire domain space they projected connected to the earth's qi; since earth qi is highly impure, Hua Changxi should have detected this, so why did she dare to absorb so recklessly?

Lu Zhenting also noticed some issues: "The fire domain space connects to the earth's qi; unless the Fire Qilins willingly dissolve it, it exists in a state that cannot be broken or destroyed. Let us see how long Hua Changxi can persist."

Time slipped away little by little; after half an hour, the Five Generals of Xuanyuan grew somewhat unsettled, and even the two Fire Qilins within the fire domain began pawing the ground irritably.

At this moment, the manes of both Fire Qilins leaned entirely toward Hua Changxi; not only had the flames on their fur dispersed, but the fiery luster on their scales had also dimmed considerably.

The two Fire Qilins lost all their previous laziness, replaced by a brimming fighting spirit.

Qin Feng was tongue-tied: "How strong must Hua Changxi's physical body be to absorb so much impure fire spiritual energy?"

Lu Zhenting frowned tightly: "It certainly isn't mere absorption; Hua Changxi must be employing some method unknown to us."

Within the fire domain, as the two Fire Qilins felt the fire spiritual energy on their bodies continuously rushing toward Hua Changxi, their forms began to show signs of fading; unable to sit idle any longer, they charged forward one after the other, launching a fierce assault on Hua Changxi simultaneously.

As the Fire Qilins ran, every hooffall shook the fire domain, causing it to hum and tremble.

Watching the attacking Fire Qilins, Hua Changxi felt no fear; instead, she felt eager to try, for she had been worrying about being unable to invoke the third step of 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage,' and now the opportunity had arrived.

The third step of the divine ability was strengthening and restoration, providing endless support for its operation.

The fire energy, once converted and purified, could repair damaged flesh and spiritual energy while replenishing consumption during battle; even severed meridians or exhausted spiritual power could rapidly recover under the nourishment of this pure energy.

Hua Changxi summoned her Floating Light Sword and launched an attack before the Fire Qilins could charge upon her.

In an instant, an earth-shaking, heaven-trembling great battle erupted within the fire domain.

Seeing the battle erupt, the faces of the Five Generals of Xuanyuan all trembled in shock.

The strength of the two Fire Qilins was incredibly formidable!

Whether it was the Earth Qilin that fought Chu Junyi or the Wood Qilin that battled the brothers Dongfang Hao and Dongfang Xu, neither had displayed combat power as formidable as these Fire Qilins now revealed.

Lu Zhenting remarked: "The strength of the Qilin beasts is determined by the challenger's power; it seems Hua Changxi's strength surpasses that of Chu Junyi and the Dongfang brothers!"

"Zeng~"

Within the fire domain, Hua Changxi struck a Fire Qilin with one sword slash, instantly cracking the scales on its body.

However, in the next moment, the scales restored themselves at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Bang~"

A Fire Qilin kicked Hua Changxi away; just as she stabilized her stance, the other Fire Qilin closed in.

Under the siege of the two Fire Qilins, her spiritual energy was consumed extremely rapidly, yet aided by the divine ability 'Myriad Flames Pay Homage,' her dantian remained full, and her combat power stayed at its peak.

Outside the fire domain, the Five Generals of Xuanyuan had fallen silent for a long time.

Hua Changxi had already fought fiercely under the siege of the two Fire Qilins for several hours; not only did she show no sign of weakness, but she grew even more valiant as the battle progressed.

All five were wondering: if they entered the Fire Domain, how long could they last under the assault of the two Fire Qilins?

After fighting for a day and a night, Hua Changxi's eyes sparkled; having unleashed the divine ability 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage,' she truly felt like the sovereign of flames.

Though the Fire Domain was naturally the home turf of the Fire Qilins, she felt it was her own territory.

Replenished by the Mother Qi of the Earth, the Fire Qilins could not be scattered or destroyed, yet suppressed by Hua Changxi, the two beasts grew increasingly listless as the battle wore on.

After being knocked flying once more by Hua Changxi's Floating Light Sword, the two Fire Qilins ceased their attacks, reverting to their previous posture of lying flat and giving up.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi, though not entirely satisfied with the fight, quickly pushed her 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage' divine ability to its limit, mindful of the Mother Qi of the Earth.

The Fire Qilins no longer resisted, and the fire spiritual energy within them was continuously drawn into Hua Changxi's body.

The fire spiritual energy emanating from the Fire Qilins contained more earthy yellow gas than what she had absorbed before; it resembled Profound Yellow Qi, yet was denser.

"Is this the Mother Qi of the Earth?"

As the Mother Qi of the Earth surged into her body, Hua Changxi clearly felt the foundation of her physical form being reshaped and reinforced.

To put it simply, if Hua Changxi's previous physique was a small clay figure, then after absorbing the Mother Qi of the Earth, she had become a small iron figure.

This elevation of her foundation raised the upper limit of her physical body by a significant margin.

This filled Hua Changxi with immense joy.

Outside the Fire Domain, the Five Generals of Xuanyuan did not relax despite the ceasefire between Hua Changxi and the Fire Qilins; instead, they grew even more solemn than before.

"The true trial has begun."

Within the Fire Domain, although the fire spiritual energy of the Fire Qilins was being constantly devoured and absorbed by Hua Changxi, causing their forms to fade, the energy seemed inexhaustible, and there was no sign whatsoever that the beasts could be subdued.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi frowned slightly.

If this continued, would she never be able to obtain the key?

Another day and night passed before Hua Changxi ceased exercising 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage.'

For no other reason than her cultivation bottleneck remained unbroken, and her physical body had reached its capacity limit.

Trapped within the Fire Domain, Hua Changxi could not simply idle away her time doing nothing, so she launched another offensive against the Fire Qilins.

Having gained a certain understanding of the Fire Qilins' strength, she did not use the Floating Light Sword this time, intending instead to rely on her own power to engage the beasts in a genuine spar.

The Fire Qilins were manifestations of the Mother Qi of the Earth, essentially earthly fire; since she cultivated the Dao of Fire, she wished to see what spectacle would unfold when fire met fire.

"Bang!"

In this renewed clash between Hua Changxi and the Fire Qilins, both sides were enveloped in flames; to the eyes of the Five Generals of Xuanyuan, it appeared as two balls of fire colliding violently.

The two masses of flame collided, separated, collided again, and separated once more.

"Bang!"

Amidst the fierce battle, Hua Changxi suddenly leaped onto the back of one Fire Qilin, riding it while engaging the other beast in combat.

"Hmm?"

During the intense fight, Hua Changxi noticed something unusual.

The flames covering her body and the flames on the Fire Qilin she was riding showed signs of merging.

Due to this fusion of flames, she actually 'saw' the key hidden within the belly of the Fire Qilin!!!

In that moment of distraction, Hua Changxi failed to pay attention and was knocked flying by the other Fire Qilin.

Hua Changxi landed and slid a considerable distance across the sea of fire before stabilizing her stance.

Next, a ceasefire.

Hua Changxi sat cross-legged between the two Fire Qilins, recalling the previous battle scene; the fusion of flames had somehow allowed her to see through the Fire Qilin and spot the key inside its belly.

What principle was at work here?

"Using brute force to seize the key is not the way; the purpose is fusion?"

"Fusion?"

Hua Changxi shook her head; it was not a complete merging, but a fusion of 'you within me and me within you, harmonious yet distinct.'

"What exactly is this trial meant to test?"

Hua Changxi had not considered 'Fire Virtue' at all; although she could not figure it out, she still needed to retrieve the key.

Acting on her speculation, Hua Changxi unleashed 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage' again; once her consumed spiritual energy had fully recovered, she immediately raised both hands palms forward, from which pillars of fire gushed forth, winding toward both Fire Qilins simultaneously.

The pillars of flame possessed no aggression, merely approaching purely, so the two Fire Qilins did not counterattack.

Once the fire pillars began to 'fuse' with the flames on the Fire Qilins, Hua Changxi penetrated the fire with her sight and 'saw' two keys, one black and one white, hidden within the bellies of the two beasts.

Delight spread across Hua Changxi's face; could she permeate the Fire Qilins' bodies with these fire pillars to retrieve the keys?

Hua Changxi attempted this, but the action enraged the Fire Qilins, triggering their counterattack.

Ultimately, after multiple probes, Hua Changxi realized she could not penetrate the Fire Qilins' bodies to directly extract the keys, but she could 'massage' their bodies to gradually 'press' the keys out.

This discovery was truly...

Hua Changxi did not know how to react, completely unable to comprehend why such a trial existed.

Since she had found a method, Hua Changxi originally intended to proceed just like that, preparing to give the Fire Qilins a thorough 'massage' so they would spit out the keys.

However, as she continuously exercised 'Myriad Fires Pay Homage,' she absorbed increasing amounts of the Mother Qi of the Earth, causing some abnormalities to arise in her body.

The most obvious was her dantian; under her internal vision, she saw her dantian sea of qi rhythmically 'inhaling and exhaling,' as if something were about to burst forth from the sea.

This immediately reminded her of the Zhu Que spiritual shadow that had surged from her body when she battled the 'Great Sun Divine Flame' in Tang Gu.

Was it because she had absorbed the Mother Qi of the Earth that her Zhu Que bloodline was being strengthened once again?

Hua Changxi felt some worry, concerned that the Five Generals of Xuanyuan might discover she possessed the Zhu Que bloodline.

She did not know whether Dongfang Hao had revealed his Green Dragon bloodline when opening the Wood Qilin Pavilion, but she did not want to expose her possession of the Zhu Que bloodline within the Xuanyuan Manor!

Once the Zhu Que bloodline was exposed, her identity as the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall would most likely be impossible to conceal.

Merely being the Peak Master of Danyuan Peak had already caused her numerous troubles; she did not wish to invite even more upon herself.

Gazing at the two Fire Qilins, Hua Changxi narrowed her eyes; the seven-colored strange fire in her dantian converged with her spiritual energy into her palms, and as the seven-colored flames attached to one Fire Qilin, the strange fires suddenly fused, generating the Great Sun Divine Flame.

The pillar of fire from the Great Sun Divine Flame forcibly penetrated the Fire Qilin's body, pierced through its defenses, and before the creature could counterattack, snatched away the key.

"Wuu~"

A painful roar erupted from the Fire Qilin; the beast, which had previously resembled a living creature, visibly faded before finally dissolving into a clump of earth-yellow gas that sank into the sea of fire and vanished without a trace.

The space of the Fire Domain also began to shake and tremble violently, appearing as though it might collapse at any moment.

This scene left Hua Changxi stunned for a moment, but she quickly regained her senses and immediately launched an attack against the other Fire Qilin.

At this moment, only one thought occupied her mind: to seize the other key before the Fire Domain space collapsed.

The pillar of Great Sun Divine Flame shot forth once more; this time, because the second Fire Qilin was already on alert, obtaining the key proved exceedingly difficult.

In the end, Hua Changxi leaped onto the Fire Qilin's back again, forcibly suppressing the beast while using the Great Sun Divine Flame to burn through its body, only then managing with great effort to secure the key.

Once the key was in hand, the Fire Qilin transformed into earth-yellow Mother Earth Qi and vanished within the sea of fire; the next instant, the Fire Domain space collapsed.

The Five Generals of Xuanyuan: "......"

None of the five had expected Hua Changxi to employ such a violent method to retrieve the keys.

Lu Zhenting: "This method is far too domineering!"

To employ destructive means merely to obtain what one desires leaves no room for virtue!