Chapter 690: Ground Fire Body Forging

He Pingsheng worried his cultivation base might not interest anyone, forcing him into unnecessary complications.

After all, the other party was a major sect.

So he revealed Zhou Qingmei's cultivation level instead.

The truth proved He Pingsheng wrong.

Though called the Immortal Flame Sect, it was not a powerful force; its sect had no Body Integration experts, not even a Void Refinement one.

Even its highest-ranking Elder was merely at the eleventh layer of Soul Transformation.

Just one layer above He Pingsheng.

"Please, please, come in quickly!"

"Follow me!"

The Elder of the Immortal Flame Sect personally led He Pingsheng into the sect: "Master He, your name is renowned throughout Zhu Que Imperial City—I've long heard of you. To meet a legendary prodigy like you today, I, Immortal Flame, am truly honored!"

The Elder's name was True Fire Daoist.

He Pingsheng smiled and said, "You're too kind."

As they spoke, they arrived at one of the Immortal Flame Sect's grand reception halls.

Take your seats—host and guest!

Cups of spirit tea were served.

True Fire Daoist chuckled: "I've read the jade slip. Master Mo Sang said you wish to borrow our sect's ground fire?"

He Pingsheng nodded: "Yes—I cultivate with flame, and I lack a fifth-rank flame."

"But rest assured, True Fire Daoist, I won't take advantage of your sect!"

"That's not the main concern," True Fire Daoist said, inhaling deeply and staring at He Pingsheng. "I must ask—if you use our flame to cultivate your body, will you end up devouring it entirely?"

"That flame is the very foundation of our Immortal Flame Sect!"

True Fire Daoist looked deeply concerned.

He Pingsheng replied: "No need to worry. When cultivating the body with true flame, you forge yourself with it—not consume it. The flame will naturally deplete, but adding fire-elemental primordial essence can easily replenish it."

"You needn't fear this."

"It won't seriously harm the flame itself."

"Oh!" Hearing this, True Fire Daoist exhaled in relief: "Good, good… then there's no problem!"

After speaking, he stared expectantly at He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng said: "A mere elixir, a small token of respect."

A porcelain vial was placed before True Fire Daoist.

True Fire Daoist scanned it with his spiritual sense and gasped: "This… this is a Soul-Shedding Elixir?"

"And… a supreme-grade one?"

The Soul-Shedding Elixir was an extremely precious elixir for Soul Transformation cultivators.

Not rare, but extraordinarily valuable.

The key was—it was supreme-grade.

A supreme-grade Soul-Shedding Elixir guaranteed advancement to Void Refinement, unless you were utterly devoid of wisdom.

Though True Fire Daoist was still at the eleventh layer of Soul Transformation, he would eventually need this elixir.

"Good, good… I won't refuse this Soul-Shedding Elixir!"

"Thank you, Master He!"

After further polite exchanges, True Fire Daoist led He Pingsheng to the sect's flame.

It was a ground fire.

At the summit of the back mountain lay a hundred-zhang-wide pit, bottomless in depth.

Within the pit burned a vast, roaring flame.

Seeing the pit, He Pingsheng recalled the 【Heavenly Flame Ruins】 on Doumi Mountain.

Very similar!

Yet the flame in this pit was even more powerful than that of the Heavenly Flame Ruins.

"You two, wait here for me," He Pingsheng said to Zhou Qingmei and Xihu True Person.

Both nodded.

He Pingsheng leapt directly into the flame.

Crimson flame forged his body.

His form vanished entirely into the roaring inferno.

The deeper he went, the fiercer the flame—and the better the body cultivation.

When he sank into the pit's depths, his outer robes were fully incinerated; He Pingsheng, naked, began forging his body in the endless fire.

Inside, the 【Bathing in Flame Golden Body Scripture】 activated.

He Pingsheng immediately felt it—the body cultivation that had stalled for so long on Gushong Mountain now resumed its ascent.

Time passed slowly.

One day!

Two days!

One year!

Two years!

On a certain day after three years, He Pingsheng's body cultivation finally broke through to the tenth layer of the Soul Transformation chapter.

It had caught up to his cultivation base.

Fire-elemental and poison-elemental body cultivation were now equal.

Moreover, after dual-elemental cultivation, his body's resilience and strength had surged dramatically.

Far stronger than single-elemental cultivation.

His body's strength and resilience were now fully maximized—whether he could now fuse the 【Nine Heaven Mystic Flame】 remained uncertain.

I'll try later.

Boom…

He Pingsheng shot out of the pit as a streak of light; the moment he emerged, his robe reappeared on his body.

He did not emerge naked.

"Young Master, you've succeeded? Congratulations!" Zhou Qingmei stared at He Pingsheng, eyes alight with excitement.

He Pingsheng said: "Success, but nothing to celebrate. Let's go."

After bidding farewell to True Fire Daoist, He Pingsheng immediately launched the Silver River Sky Shuttle across the sky toward Gushong Mountain.

Because the Silver River Sky Shuttle was swift and they flew around the imperial city without stopping, they returned to Gushong Mountain in only half a day.

Three years had passed, yet Gushong Mountain remained unchanged.

But it was far busier now.

"Master Longzhe!" A woman in green Daoist robes bowed deeply toward He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng recognized her—she was one of the four cultivators who had once searched for the Nine Heaven Mystic Flame: Longyue Immortal.

After being slain by Zhou Qingmei, she escaped using the 【Death-Substitution Puppet】.

Later, upon hearing He Pingsheng had reestablished the sect on Gushong Mountain, she had long sought to join; eventually, He Pingsheng agreed, and she became a member.

But when she joined, He Pingsheng was not at the sect.

"Young Master…"

"Young Master!"

Seeing He Pingsheng's return, Hao Cang and Zhou Qingmei's clone hurried over.

"Inside," He Pingsheng gestured to the hall, then invited Zhou Qingmei's clone and Hao Cang in.

Only these three remained in the hall.

"How is it?" He Pingsheng asked Hao Cang, eyes hopeful: "Did you find them?"

"Yes, Young Master," Hao Cang bowed: "After we traveled to the human realm's Imperishable Imperial Domain, we searched and inquired. After about half a year, we found two of them."

As he spoke, Hao Cang produced the jade slip listing the names.

He Pingsheng stirred with excitement: "Who?"

Hao Cang said: "One is Second Lady Su Zhenzhen… the other is your son, He Tianya!"

Both had ascended from the lower realms to the Spirit Realm and now both cultivated at the Soul Transformation level.