Chapter 431: Primordial True Fire
Chapter 431: Primordial True Fire
Sizzle!
A faint sound, and a wisp of azure flame appeared.
Luo Chen stared at the mysterious azure flame on his finger.
After three years, with the help of the Extreme Cold Ice Prison, he had finally refined the Withering and Flourishing Wonder Fire that he had dared to ingest in the past.
From now on, he was one of the few, like Dan Yangzi, who had mastered the Primordial True Fire during the Foundation Establishment Stage.
However, the price he paid was so heavy that it was difficult to bear.
The azure flame dissipated.
Luo Chen's hand to his loose hair behind his back.
The hair was dry and grayish-white.
If not for his still smooth and rosy skin, from a distance, he would have looked like an old man on the brink of death.
Such a situation was rare among Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
Only those whose lifespan was nearing its end, whose qi and blood had deteriorated to the point where they couldn't control their spiritual energy, would exhibit such a state.
Moreover!
Luo Chen possessed an Ancient Third Stage Body.
Even if he couldn't achieve blood regeneration, he still had the skin of a baby and hair as black as ink.
But his hair had turned into this unsightly grayish-white color.
And the reason for all this...
"It's all my fault in the end!"
Luo Chen's voice was hoarse as he muttered to himself.
"Sometimes, progressing too fast in cultivation is also a bad thing."
Recounting the time since he had seriously started cultivating with all his might.
At the beginning of his journey, he was twenty-six years old.
He spent a year to max out his proficiency in Fasting Pill.
By the time he turned twenty-seven, he started taking Ten Thousand Wonders Pills.
With the huge profits from these pills, he began to enjoy the accelerated cultivation brought about by the pills.
In the thirty years that followed, at the age of fifty-seven, he reached the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, and was infinitely close to the eighth layer!
Such a rapid cultivation speed.
Even among Primordial Soul Master sects, he would be considered an exceptional talent.
According to rumors, even a Heaven Spirit Root cultivator would take ten years to establish their foundation and a hundred years to form their core.
Luo Chen's cultivation speed was indeed too fast.
There were difficulties along the way.
His inferior Complete Quintessence Root, pill endurance, residual Boundary-breaking Poison, and more.
He overcame these challenges one by one.
Logically, there shouldn't be any major issues.
Even with the acceleration from pills, under his seemingly inferior but actually robust Five Elements Spirit Root, he was still in control.
Moreover, he had also made up for the shortcomings in his body and divine soul.
With these three advantages, he was capable of withstanding high-speed cultivation.
But!
Even with such a fast cultivation speed, Luo Chen was still not satisfied and took another shortcut.
"Weak Third Stage Spirit Ground!"
"I now understand why major sects, despite being able to set up Weak Third Stage Spirit Grounds to provide ample cultivation resources for their disciples, choose to be stingy and only provide them to their direct disciples."
"The so-called limitation of body and meridian endurance is not the biggest problem."
"The biggest issue is that this type of Spirit Ground is beyond the cultivator's current realm!"
"It can be used for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's short-term sprint, but not for long-term accumulation."
Only Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer cultivators were most suitable for cultivating in this Spirit Ground.
Not only could they sprint towards Grand Completion, but they could also adapt in advance to the Authentic Third Stage Spirit Ground environment required during Core Formation.
However, like Luo Chen, who had used the Weak Third Stage Spirit Ground at the fifth and seventh layers of Foundation Establishment, lacked the accumulated effort of day after day. Even if his body could withstand the spiritual energy's wash, and his divine soul's foundation didn't show fatigue.
But the rapid cultivation speed brought about restlessness in his mentality.
Mentality had nothing to do with the foundation of the divine soul or the strength of willpower; it was only concerned with one's outlook on common matters.
Unfortunately, Luo Chen's cultivation time was too short.
Along the way, he believed that although his path was difficult, it was also smooth sailing.
There were many powerful enemies, but they were no more than a wisp of a soul under his sword.
No matter how challenging the adversity, with a resilient heart, he could always overcome it.
However, being too smooth would make one arrogant and lose one's sense of reality.
As his cultivation realm soared, powerful enemies fell one after another, even Di Wanyun died by his hand, and Qin Taoran had no means to deal with him outside of Crimson Cloud Peak.
As these events accumulated, unknowingly, Luo Chen's mentality became unsteady.
Therefore.
When the Yan Meng was slaughtered and suddenly fell into decline, he realized that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he wanted to seize it at all costs.
Even with people advising him and obstacles ahead, Luo Chen, under the support of Tianlan Peak's Hao Ranzi's Third Stage Spirit Mansion, with his rapidly advancing realm, still disregarded everything.
He believed that he could do it!
He believed he was capable!
In the end, he did achieve it.
But thinking back to the process now, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
To roam the four directions alone, manipulating the hearts of major sects, was a bold and reckless act.
To personally go to the Yan Meng's Immortal City as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was like a lamb entering a tiger's den.
In the Incense Fragrance Valley battle, he crossed a major realm to confront Qin Taoran, not knowing the value of his own life.
All of these actions, without exception, were akin to a child wielding a large blade, recklessly courting death.
Although this style of conduct somewhat resembled Luo Chen's past tendencies, it was far too excessive!
Luo Chen's approach to matters was typically cautious with a hint of boldness, maintaining stability while retaining decisiveness.
But this time, he was bold with only a trace of caution, and his decisiveness lacked any semblance of stability.
He had only one thought in mind: to charge ahead recklessly!
If it succeeded, fine, but if it failed, he'd simply say, "It's no big deal, we can just disband."
But!
How could anyone let you off so easily!
As Luo Chen reflected on this recent course of action, his mouth went dry.
A sudden realization dawned on him.
"It must be a demon obstacle!"
In the path of cultivation, there exists a tribulation known as the "Heart Demon."
This tribulation is formless and intangible, yet countless cultivators have fallen to it over the millennia.
No one can clearly define what the Heart Demon truly is.
However, over such a long period, some have managed to summarize its nature.
Obsession, demon obstacles, loss of direction, chaos, stagnation...
These negative emotions, when they envelop a cultivator's heart, can unknowingly lead to the Heart Demon tribulation.
Luo Chen, this time, had fallen into the trap of demon obstacles.
The rapid pace of his cultivation, the smooth sailing he experienced along the way, and the frustration of being blocked at home by Qin Taoran, all unknowingly contributed to his demon obstacle.
Especially during his cultivation in the weak third-stage Spirit Land.
As his cultivation level continued to rise, his desire for revenge intensified.
This ultimately led him to take that fateful step.
Fortunately, he succeeded, and no major mishaps occurred along the way.
Otherwise, even with ten thousand lives, he would have perished within the Ense Fragrance Valley.
Qin Taoran was not someone to be provoked so easily.
At the time, he fought two opponents of the same level single-handedly and held his ground.
To kill Luo Chen, he willingly endured two attacks from a fellow Core Formation Cultivator, sustaining serious injuries.
Later, he withstood a strike from the Thunder Immortal Pearl, nearly resulting in his demise.
Even under such circumstances, Luo Chen almost failed to defeat him.
Recalling the dangers now, Luo Chen's heart still raced with fear.
"Moreover, my recklessness this time was not limited to this."
Luo Chen rubbed his grayish-white hair, his face filled with bitterness.
Tian Xingzi had initially provided a wealth of information!
From the number of Yan Meng cultivators to the formation arrays and the terrain, no detail was too small or too big.
It was with this intelligence that Luo Chen confidently stormed the mountain gate.
Among the intelligence, one piece stood out as particularly special.
It came from the Supreme Elder of the Falling Cloud Sect, Master Han Zhan!
Han Zhan seemed certain that Luo Chen had saved his grandson, Han Zheng.
As a token of gratitude for saving his grandson's life, he provided this unique piece of intelligence, not for the exchange of Century Lightning Essence, but solely to repay Luo Chen for his kindness.
This intelligence was directly related to the Withering and Flourishing Wonder Fire, a unique flame that had been cultivated by Yan Meng for three hundred years.
Master Han Zhan stated that the Wonder Fire had reached the third stage after three centuries of cultivation.
Only those with a body and spirit that had also reached the third stage could forcibly absorb it.
Luo Chen happened to meet this condition.
As an alchemist, he naturally desired to possess his own Primordial True Fire, a genuine "True Fire"!
It must be said that Master Han Zhan's gift had struck a chord with Luo Chen.
Therefore, he immediately began planning to acquire this flame.
Min Long Yu, who was not originally part of the plan to attack Yan Meng, was specifically reassigned by Luo Chen.
The purpose was to allow him to infiltrate Ense Fragrance Valley amidst the chaos and locate the Wonder Fire using his array mastery.
Following the intelligence, Min Long Yu indeed found the Wonder Fire and set up the corresponding array in advance.
This was why Luo Chen was able to venture into the underground cave during the battle.
For Luo Chen, absorbing the fire into his body was not a difficult task.
Many years ago, in his pursuit of alchemy, he had specifically studied the techniques and secrets of fire control.
It was a four-stage process: controlling the fire, merging the fire, absorbing the fire, and transforming the fire.
With his Flame Manipulation Art, he had mastered the control stage.
He then became proficient in the merging stage through the Du Clan Fire Fusion Secret Art and the One Breath Flame Transmission technique. Over the years of alchemy practice, he gradually perfected this stage.
He also delved into various aspects related to fire absorption.
Whether it was the Sunfire True Sutra from Huo Hu's legacy or the Azure Sun Art, a second-stage fire-based cultivation method he had obtained, both contained corresponding secrets to accommodate the originless flame within the body and cultivate the Primordial True Fire.
However, while the originless flame was not rare, it was not something that ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators could casually handle.
Most Yan Meng disciples only absorbed a small amount of the Wonder Fire into their bodies and then nurtured it separately with their lifebound spiritual energy.
Even those who did this were few.
It did somewhat hinder their cultivation progress.
For Yan Meng's Core Formation Cultivators, the combat power gained from absorbing the Wonder Fire was far less significant than using the flame to mass-produce magical treasures and accumulate wealth and resources.
After all, the originless flame belonged to Yan Meng as a whole, not to any individual.
This was why the Wonder Fire had been preserved.
In the end, it fell into Luo Chen's hands.
"Where is this a bargain?" Luo Tian sighed deeply.
He never expected that after absorbing this fire into his body, it wasn't a third-stage level at all!
Instead, it seemed to have just entered the fourth stage.
Moreover, it was clearly at the initial and unstable fourth stage, where even the spirit intelligence hadn't had a chance to form yet—a bizarre phase.
Thinking back now, when Feng Ming broke through the Fire Annihilation Array, it seemed so effortless.
This was probably related to the transformation of this inherited wonder fire.
At that time, someone must have used the Fire Annihilation Array to secretly promote the Withering and Flourishing Fire to a higher stage.
Just like how Min Long Yu used the Nine Revolutions Flaming Dragon Array to help Luo Tian refine the Black Fire Sword back then.
The fourth-stage Withering and Flourishing Fire, although it hadn't developed spirit intelligence yet, had strict bonding conditions.
First, it was the powerful physical body that Han Zhan initially proposed.
Only an exceptionally strong physical body could bear the Originless Flame and transform it into the Primordial True Fire.
Second!
It was the unique characteristic of the Withering and Flourishing Fire, alternating between withering and flourishing.
To achieve flourishing through this fire, one must supply corresponding vitality.
And those whose vitality is extracted will naturally fall into the 'withering' aspect.
These were the conditions for advancement.
Without advancement, it was uncontrollable, and it would only extract more vitality.
Over these three years of refinement, Luo Tian came to understand this fire's characteristics better and gradually realized why none of the Yan Meng Golden Core Cultivators had attempted to refine this fire, and why no one from the outside world coveted it.
Refining it would result in the loss of vitality and a reduction in lifespan.
But without refining it, one could use the Incense Burning Soul Seizing Array to plunder the vitality of other creatures and infuse it into this fire. Not only would this enhance its quality, but one could also utilize the transformed vitality to support some Golden Core Cultivators with insufficient lifespans, allowing them to barely survive.
This was also the reason why Yan Meng was able to suddenly produce over a dozen Golden Core Cultivators with profound cultivation bases.
Of course!
This method also had significant drawbacks.
Those who relied on this fire for longevity couldn't move freely, and upon death, their essence would be offered to the Withering and Flourishing Fire.
Now, Luo Tian, with his robust physical body and the extreme environment of the Extreme Cold Ice Prison, managed to refine the Withering and Flourishing Fire in three years.
Thus, he obtained a Primordial True Fire unique to him.
The price was that this fire devoured half of his vitality! In the system, under the lifespan column, it should have been [57/260], but now it had become [57/160].
In other words, half of his remaining two-hundred-year lifespan had been devoured.
One hundred years!
"I really don't know if Han Zhan gave me a great gift or a poison."
"But at that time, I was in the midst of a demon obstacle, and I thought I had everything under control. I forced myself to swallow this poison."
Luo Tian's face wore a complex expression.
It was as if he was both laughing and crying, bitter yet sweet, relieved but with a hint of regret.
Even those veteran actors from his past life might not be able to portray such an expression.
After years of arduous cultivation, he had finally managed to extend his lifespan, only to lose half of it in an instant. Who wouldn't feel the pain?
If it were an ordinary cultivator, they would probably be heartbroken and unable to accept this reality.
But Luo Tian was different!
With his resilient willpower and having just overcome the demon obstacle, his mind was clear, and he didn't dwell excessively on the pain.
He understood very well that with his current cultivation speed, even without the support of a third-stage Spirit Ground, he could complete the Foundation Establishment stage within a hundred years.
Once he formed his Golden Core, his lifespan would surge again after breaking through to a higher realm!
Additionally!
At the Foundation Establishment stage, he was a little different from others.
His lifespan limit wasn't fixed by his race.
Instead, it would increase slightly with each minor realm advancement.
Although it seemed like he only had a hundred years of lifespan left, the next two minor realms of the eighth and ninth layers could provide him with an additional twenty years.
"If nothing unexpected happens, there's still enough time."
Luo Tian stood up, washed himself, and changed into clean and refreshing clothes.
He then gathered his loose grayish-white hair and tied it behind him with a Dao hairpin.
After tidying up, the handsome and elegant Luo Tian reappeared.
Beneath his extraordinary demeanor, compared to the past, he exuded an extra sense of composure and steadiness.
The grayish-white hair added a touch of vicissitudes to his youthful face.
Combined with his profound dark eyes, anyone who saw him would praise his good looks.
Luo Tian's grooming wasn't for vanity.
He knew that he would soon have visitors, and this was just a show of respect for others.
After arranging his appearance, Luo Tian held an object in his hand.
It was a jade ring finger.
Although it looked like a ring, it was actually a treasure storage magical treasure.
This was his only other gain from the battle that destroyed Yan Meng, aside from the Withering and Flourishing Fire.
Qin Taoran's legacy.
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(End of Chapter)
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