https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-724-A-Billion-Dollar-Gamble-An-Invitation-from-the-Inferno-Stream/12942719/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-726-The-500-Year-Grand-Competition-Guardian-Cultivator-Luo-Chen/12942721/
Chapter 725: Devouring Darkfire, A Debt of Gratitude
Chapter 725: Devouring Darkfire, A Debt of Gratitude
On the serene flower garden path, two figures walked slowly, one in front of the other.
Lu Chen's gaze was fixed on the charred footprints left behind by the Darkfire Elder wherever he went.
The footprints were highly noticeable, but often, after three steps, they would disappear without a trace, as if nothing had happened.
But Lu Chen knew this was no illusion!
"A mid-stage Primordial Infant Cultivator like you, unable to suppress the True Fire within your body, allowing it to vent outside?"
Lu Chen's mind was filled with this incomprehensible thought.
As a master of the Fire Dao, he could tell that those charred footprints were caused by the leakage of a certain deathly True Fire.
Combining this with the Elder's Dao name, 'Darkfire', it was clear that the Darkfire Elder was also proficient in the Fire Dao and had refined a Sourceless Fire into a Primordial True Fire.
The strangeness lay in how a cultivator could fail to suppress their own Primordial True Fire?
Unless...
"Wilderness Loose Cultivator, have you figured out anything?"
Lu Chen nodded slightly, hearing the old man's hoarse voice in his ear, his expression calm.
The Elder's behavior was so deliberately 'pathetic' that it had to be intentional. If Lu Chen couldn't see through this, he wouldn't have been invited to the rear hall alone.
The Darkfire Elder let out a bitter laugh, "Perhaps you think I'm doing this on purpose, but the situation in my body is already as precarious as a hanging egg."
Lu Chen asked tentatively, "Could it be that the Primordial True Fire you refined has devoured you?"
"Hmm."
A simple 'hmm' that carried a myriad of complex emotions.
The Darkfire Elder sighed and began to recount the past.
"Even if Mu Lan Gaoxiong's path was severed, he still used my severe injury and Frostwillow's fall as a stepping stone to reestablish his formidable reputation."
"People thought Frostwillow and I were incompetent, but how could they know the truth behind it all?"
Lu Chen didn't interrupt as the Darkfire Elder became more and more talkative.
He knew Frostwillow; she was probably one of the many cultivators Mu Lan Gaoxiong had personally killed during his numerous battles, a Primordial Infant Streammaster.
However, in Lu Chen's opinion, the Darkfire Elder still exuded an inner strength despite his severe injury, and it was unbelievable that Mu Lan Gaoxiong could have severely injured him.
As expected, the Darkfire Elder revealed the reason behind the incident.
"With my strength, I might not be able to consistently defeat Mu Lan Gaoxiong, but overpowering him once shouldn't be a problem."
"When I heard that Frostwillow had died in battle, I personally joined the fight, but I didn't expect my True Fire to go berserk during the battle. I didn't lose to Mu Lan Gaoxiong; I lost to myself!"
"Now, the Darkfire is roaming my body, burning my five viscera, scorching my acupoints, and even nesting in my Purple Mansion, trying to usurp my body!"
Lu Chen's eyelids twitched as he listened, and his heart even felt a hint of hidden fear.
Indeed, this was eight or nine out of ten in line with his guess.
"Streammaster, has your Primordial True Fire become sentient?"
The Darkfire Elder let out a bitter laugh, "You've guessed it right. My Darkfire has indeed become sentient and gained its own consciousness."
Lu Chen was puzzled, "Even if the True Fire becomes sentient, it should still obey its master's will. How could it turn against you unless its spirituality..."
A crystal vase appeared in the Darkfire Elder's hand.
It was the very vase containing the Soul Essence!
"Before the Primordial Demon Sect's Soul Refining Branch willingly handed over the method of refining Soul Essence to the Northern Sea's side branch, they didn't pass down the method of utilizing it."
"After the Demon Sect's destruction, we side branch cultivators all pondered how to make use of Soul Essence."
"I don't know how others researched it, but I took a wrong turn. I tried to nurture the spirituality of my True Fire with a large amount of Soul Essence. This caused the spirituality of the Darkfire I refined to surge, and eventually, even my own divine soul couldn't suppress it."
"This is why it turned against me in the midst of battle!"
After hearing this answer, Lu Chen had a moment of enlightenment, but his expression remained as if he had expected it all along.
In the past, he had almost fallen into a similar predicament.
After all, the higher the spirituality of the True Fire, the greater the benefit to oneself, be it in pill refinement, artifact crafting, or combat.
But in the end, Lu Chen suppressed that impulse.
He had been suppressing the spirituality of the Withering Vigor Fire Spirit until he achieved the Primordial Infant Stage, only then did he let the intelligence of the Withering Vigor Fire Spirit grow freely.
If compared to human intelligence, the Withering Vigor Fire Spirit's spirituality had grown to that of a seven or eight-year-old child.
But its power was solid and without any discount.
He couldn't imagine how the Darkfire in the Darkfire Elder's body, after absorbing a large amount of Soul Essence, would grow in intelligence to the point of daring to turn against its master and even try to usurp his body!
However, what did this have to do with the Elder seeking him out for a private chat?
He didn't know that his Withering Vigor Fire Spirit, with the assistance of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, had gained the ability to devour other Sourceless Fires.
As if sensing Lu Chen's confusion, the Darkfire Elder stopped walking.
He turned to look at Lu Chen, and a surge of power rose from within him.
It was the Primordial Infant Domain!
Lu Chen's eyebrows rose, and he also released his Primordial Infant Domain.
The two domains drew upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and since both were of the fire attribute, they engaged in a tentative clash within the small garden.
Overall, Lu Chen was at a disadvantage.
But in terms of their domains, his Hellfire of the Netherworld was constantly melting away the Elder's domain.
Seeing this, the Darkfire Elder breathed a sigh of relief, "As expected, I didn't misjudge you. You have absolute control over your Primordial True Fire and can even resonate with it, causing your domain to undergo a qualitative change. One can imagine that your True Fire itself possesses even greater melting power."
The Primordial Infant Domain was released and then retracted.
Lu Chen also retracted his domain and frowned, "Streammaster, what do you mean by this?"
"It's simple. I need you to use your Primordial True Fire, which can melt all things, to help me eradicate the Darkfire within my body! If this is accomplished, this vase, which contains the Soul Essence of a thousand people, will be my reward to you!"
Lu Chen's expression changed slightly, "Streammaster, are you joking? When the two True Fires collide, the battlefield will be inside your body. Are you not afraid..."
"They won't collide!"
The Darkfire Elder shook his head, "At that time, I will suppress the spirituality of the Darkfire to the utmost, allowing your True Fire to gradually eliminate it."
Even if there are minor injuries, I can endure it."
Luo Chen opened his mouth, as if this was indeed the case.
He had experienced the pain of two true fires colliding within his body.
The Nine Refinements Warfire and the Nirvana Holy Flame!
But at that time, the main reason was actually because he didn't have the ability to suppress either of the true fires, which led to the tragic collapse of his body.
If the Darkfire Elder could truly suppress the Darkfire within his body and perfectly cooperate with him, then he would indeed have the ability to completely eradicate the Darkfire within the Elder's body.
However, this inevitably led to considering another matter.
In that situation, the Darkfire Elder was almost completely defenseless, exposing everything to Luo Chen.
With the power of life and death, he could take whatever he wanted.
Luo Chen hesitated and asked, "Before today, you and I were strangers. Why would the Streammaster trust me so much?"
In response, the Darkfire Elder laughed.
"Of course. I'm not some naive child who is defenseless against others. I don't trust you, but I trust Fellow Daoist Fu."
Just then, the back hall's doors opened slowly without any wind pushing them.
"Please!"
Luo Chen took a deep breath and stepped into the hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw a plump old man holding a yellowing bronze mirror, and a smile appeared on Luo Chen's face.
The old man looked at Luo Chen and smiled, bowing slightly.
"Fu Chaosheng of the Heavenly Yuan Commerce Alliance, greetings to Fellow Daoist Luo Chen!"
He emphasized the words 'Luo Chen' with a heavy bite.
Luo Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he returned the gesture, "Loose Cultivator Luo Chen, greetings to Fellow Daoist Fu."
After the introductions, the Darkfire Elder spoke, "Elder Fu is the mediator for this Demon and Immortal Ceasefire Conference on behalf of the Central Land Heavenly Origin Dao Sect. With the reputation of the Saintly Land and the Heavenly Yuan Commerce Alliance, you need not worry about any harm during the healing process, and I need not fear any sudden attacks from you. Unless, of course, we all wish to abandon our cultivation paths."
"Wilderness Loose Cultivator, how do you feel?"
Luo Chen glanced at Fu Chaosheng and smiled, nodding.
"In that case, this Loose Cultivator will give it a try!"
"Good!"
The Darkfire Elder waved his hand, and the crystal vase fell into Fu Chaosheng's hands.
The intention was clear.
Once this matter is successful, Luo Chen will seek compensation from Fu Chaosheng.
With the reputation of the Heavenly Yuan Commerce Alliance spanning the five continents, they would not be stingy with this.
Luo Chen asked about the healing time.
The Darkfire Elder seemed eager, and instead of waiting for a specific day, he decided to proceed immediately.
He had no objections, and the sooner it was completed, the sooner he would receive the Soul Essence.
As for the gathering in the Return Origin Palace, they had lost interest in it.
Fu Chaosheng simply said a few words and then fell silent. However, his small, squinting eyes kept roaming over Luo Chen, showing a keen interest.
...
In a quiet secret room.
The old man sat cross-legged, his mind elsewhere, like a walking corpse.
It seemed that all his attention was focused on the Nascent Soul in his Purple Mansion, as he struggled to suppress the Darkfire consciousness.
Luo Chen stood by his side, and with a thought, he released the Withering and Flourishing True Fire.
A tree of azure-gold fire extended its branches, slowly enveloping the old man.
"Is this the Darkfire?"
When a branch of the fire tree drew out a strand of lifeless, pale white flame, Luo Chen observed it carefully.
It was filled with deathly intent, and within it, countless mournful souls seemed to wail endlessly.
Luo Chen's expression turned solemn, never expecting that someone had elevated the most ordinary ghost fire to such a level.
Indeed, the Darkfire sounded unique, but it was not uncommon in the cultivation world.
In essence, it was a ghost fire formed from the blood and flesh of a spirit's soul after death.
In terms of rank, it was not even as good as the man-made Azure Sunfiend Fire.
But the Darkfire Elder, with his immense ability and vast resources, had forcefully pushed this fire to the fourth rank.
Moreover, he had infused a large amount of Soul Essence, greatly enhancing its spirituality! In Luo Chen's judgment, this fire was no less than most of the fourth-rank Sourceless Fires he had seen in the Fiery Inferno, it was just that it had not yet taken shape.
Unshaped, yet spiritually aware, it was no wonder the Darkfire had turned against its host, seeking to usurp its place.
Forcing growth is never a good idea.
Luo Chen shook his head, urging the Withering and Flourishing True Fire to extinguish the strand of Darkfire on his hand.
Just as he was about to continue, a sudden thought came to his mind.
"Why destroy it? Why not swallow it instead?"
With this thought, Luo Chen's heart stirred.
A Darkfire of such quality was rare in the world, and to destroy it would be a waste.
If he could swallow it, it might allow his Withering and Flourishing True Fire to advance further.
Moreover, this way, the Darkfire Elder's body would not be harmed, and he would even be grateful.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen immediately activated the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, changing the nature of the Withering and Flourishing True Fire. It then entered the Darkfire Elder's body, absorbing the scattered Darkfire throughout his flesh.
Time passed, moment by moment.
One day, two days...
The gathering in the Return Origin Palace ended that very evening.
After seeing that the Darkfire Elder and the Wilderness Loose Cultivator had not returned for a long time, everyone understood what had happened.
Among them, Old Ghost Nan Qi's face darkened, his anger unconcealed.
But Mo Lan Ting was ultimately the territory of the Mara Stream, and with his status, he dared not act rashly, leaving only with resentment.
In the rear hall of the Return Origin Palace, Fu Chaosheng wiped the bronze mirror in his hand, upon which a lifelike figure appeared, and seeing this, Fu Chaosheng's smile deepened.
...
The ninth day of healing arrived silently.
The Darkfire Elder also opened his eyes silently.
Sensing the situation within his body, he exhaled a turbid breath.
On his face, there was a smile of relief, but also a hint of regret.
With his illness cured, he only needed to recuperate for a while before he could continue his cultivation journey.
However, the hundreds of years of cultivation in the Darkfire had completely vanished, which was quite a pity.
"I didn't misjudge the person. That Wilderness Loose Cultivator's attainment in the Fire Dao is no less than mine. In just nine days, he completely melted away all my Darkfire."
"But what about him?"
The Darkfire Elder was surprised and walked out of the secret room.
Fu Chaosheng happened to be outside.
"Don't disturb him for now. The Wilderness Loose Cultivator suffered greatly to help you heal, and he's currently recuperating in Ten Thousand Streams Ravine."
"Is that so?" The Darkfire Elder smiled, "Indeed, I've troubled him. I wanted to thank him in person, but I have some matters I need to deal with urgently. Could you please pass on the Essence to him?"
"It's just a transaction, no need to be so polite."
Fu Chaosheng chuckled.
After the other party left in a hurry, he walked slowly along the intricate palace walkways and eventually reached a ravine where countless small waterfalls converged.
At that moment, the waterfalls hung like curtains of rain.
A white cedar cultivator with loose hair sat quietly there.
A surging vitality and a chilling aura of death circulated within him, and a greenish-golden flame with sharp claws emerged from his body, distorting the void.
Upon seeing this, Fu Chaosheng took a deep breath, unable to suppress his composure any longer.
"Borrow the soul to merge with the heavens!"
Just then, the cultivator trembled, and all the flames were absorbed into his body.
Fu Chaosheng was astonished, "Did I disturb you?"
Luo Chen stood up with a frown, his face filled with bewilderment.
"No, I just feel that something is missing."
Fu Chaosheng heaved a sigh of relief, "That's a pity. I thought you were about to comprehend the true intent of the law."
"The power of the law is not that easy to comprehend. You're giving me too much credit, friend." Luo Chen smiled.
But Fu Chaosheng shook his head, "It is indeed difficult to comprehend the power of the law, but within the Sea and Mountain Realm, it's an exception. This realm is filled with abundant spiritual energy and overflowing spiritual essence. Powerful savage beasts can master the power of the law upon reaching adulthood, and our human race is no less perceptive. Moreover, in just a hundred years, you, the Azure Sunfiend Fire Lord, advanced from the fourth layer of the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul Stage. With such terrifying talent, it's believable that you could grasp the basics of the law's power in the early Nascent Soul Stage."
Luo Chen's bewilderment faded away.
He turned to look at the elderly man, "I believe I've disguised myself well enough. Whether it's my appearance, name, or even my essence energy, they are all different from a hundred years ago. How did you recognize me, Elder?"
Fu Chaosheng laughed, and the copper mirror reappeared in his hand.
"Your disguise is indeed good, but in a hurry, I wouldn't have recognized you. However, I have a deep impression of your shapeshifting beast maid."
On the copper mirror, Tianxuan's figure flickered in and out of sight.
"What's this?"
"The True Spirit Mirror! My original true artifact, a replica of a spirit treasure, can see through illusions and identify treasures. Especially for demonic beasts, once their aura is recorded, they cannot escape detection. This Ceasefire Conference is a top priority for Northern Sea cultivators, so I've been keeping it activated to prevent shapeshifting beast emperors from infiltrating."
Luo Chen looked at the copper mirror, suddenly understanding.
He had done his best to conceal Tianxuan's whereabouts, fearing that Nascent Soul Cultivators would discover her true form as a seagull and cause unnecessary trouble.
Usually, when there were matters to attend to, Sang Jing He would handle them.
But he hadn't expected that someone had noticed the clues.
However, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Luo Chen had come to the Ceasefire Conference with the intention of finding Fu Chaosheng.
He wanted to use the Heavenly Yuan Commerce Alliance's connections to travel to Central State and then return to Donghuang.
Moreover, the fact that Fu Chaosheng knew the name Luo Chen but didn't associate it with the events in Donghuang also relieved Luo Chen.
The matter of his connection with the demon race didn't seem to have caused much of a stir, at least not yet.
Back then, he had just entered the Golden Core Stage, and his reputation might have been known within the Jade Cauldron Region, but not throughout Donghuang.
That incident was also quite secretive, and for now, it seemed that no outsiders were aware of it.
At this moment, since he had already been recognized, Luo Chen no longer tried to hide. He bowed to the elderly man.
Fu Chaosheng stepped aside, "What's the meaning of this?"
Luo Chen straightened up, "Your guidance back then greatly benefited me. I should at least express my gratitude."
Fu Chaosheng responded with an 'oh' and then waved his hand, "A few words are nothing."
But Luo Chen didn't think so, "Blood Nightmare Demon King actively recruited me back then. If it weren't for your kind reminder, I might have entered the demon's den."
"You're talking about this..." Fu Chaosheng smiled slightly, and indeed, he was the first to discover this.
No one else knew that the Blood Nightmare Demon King was attempting to merge the three streams and even refining his Primordial Demon disciples into Blood Divine Sons.
Only he, with the True Spirit Mirror by his side, had noticed some clues.
That's why he could remind Luo Chen to stay away from the Mara Stream.
"There's more. Whether it's your guidance in cultivation, the treasure you gave my maid, or introducing me to fellow cultivators, all of these have greatly benefited my cultivation. I owe you a debt of gratitude for my current Nascent Soul Stage attainment."
Luo Chen was heaping praise upon Fu Chaosheng, and while he spoke the truth, now that he had become a Nascent Soul Cultivator, such praise made anyone feel good.
Seeking help from others is often easier when you're asking someone to whom you're indebted.
But what Luo Chen didn't expect was that Fu Chaosheng would 'repay a favor'!
"Since you feel so grateful, why not help me with something?"
Luo Chen was stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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