Chapter 146: The Ingenious Use of the Solar True Fire

Chapter 146: The Marvelous Uses of the Sun’s True Fire

“All of them are Profound-grade techniques, hmm…”

“Oh, there’s even a Heaven-grade technique!”

Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up.

This was the first time he had ever seen a Heaven-grade technique.

This Heaven-grade technique came from Qian Yuan’s storage pouch.

It was called the *Sevenfold Dark Spirit Art*.

Qi Yuan was thrilled.

His own *Qi Yuan Sutra* had been stagnating; if he could obtain a Heaven-grade technique, the gains might push the *Qi Yuan Sutra* forward.

“I really want to go back and build him a grave… Forget it, the Bright Palace people will find him when they return and will bury him anyway. I’ll just pretend I did it.”

“What a haul—old geezers really know how to drop gold!”

“From now on, if I’m going to pick my white moonlight, I need to set some strict rules. Otherwise, scum like Po Lang could become my white moonlight, and that’s just too low-class.

First rule: they have to be old—the older, the better.

Second rule: they have to be powerful—the more powerful, the better.

Third rule: they have to have little lifespan left—old men die easier.”

Qi Yuan scanned through the technique and flew back toward Cloud City.

As night gradually fell, Xu Tongchen waited quietly outside the cave dwelling.

“I wonder if that fellow’s target is strong or not—maybe he needs my help.”

“What if he dies out there?”

“The enemy can’t be that hard to kill, can it?”

Many thoughts raced through Xu Tongchen’s mind.

He couldn’t stay outside too long; Huang Tu wouldn’t allow it.

Moreover, Huang Tu had secretly planted spies to watch him.

He felt nothing but disgust toward Huang Tu and the Bright Palace, yet he was powerless.

“You’re still here?” A crisp voice suddenly sounded.

Xu Tongchen quickly looked up and saw the familiar figure.

The Sun’s True Fire inside his body began to burn hot again.

“Did you finish the kill, fellow daoist?” Xu Tongchen asked.

He glanced at Qi Yuan, noting his neat clothes and steady aura.

The enemy must have been very weak.

“Yeah, all done. They were all old men—easy to kill.” Qi Yuan said casually, then looked at Xu Tongchen. “Come into my dwelling; let’s talk.”

He was quite interested in the Sun’s True Fire as well.

Without hesitation, Xu Tongchen followed Qi Yuan into the cave dwelling.

“Fellow daoist, could you let me have a look at your Sun’s True Fire?” Qi Yuan cut straight to the point.

This caught Xu Tongchen off guard.

Wasn’t he the one who came to ask this person for clarification?

But remembering that he needed a favor, he decided not to hide anything.

After all, manifesting it wasn’t a big deal to him.

He paused and said, “Be careful, sir—don’t let the Sun’s True Fire burn you.”

As Xu Tongchen spoke, he began to perform a technique.

In the cave dwelling, a round, gleaming golden core appeared.

The golden core radiated a powerful aura.

“Your golden core is a bit too small—it won’t hold up in a fight,” Qi Yuan remarked.

Xu Tongchen was taken aback.

His golden core was at least Earth-grade superior… in Cuiyun Continent, there was hardly anyone with a higher-grade core.

And now it was being called small.

Suppressing his thoughts, he let a wisp of flame leap out from the golden core.

The flame was tiny, no bigger than a candle flame, but its aura was terrifying.

Qi Yuan felt that even a Nascent Soul would struggle if ignited by this fire.

The Sun’s True Fire was dark within and bright without, radiating intense golden light. It danced before Qi Yuan, as if eager to break free from Xu Tongchen’s golden core and leap onto Qi Yuan himself.

Xu Tongchen could feel the fire’s urgency and its affinity for the man before him.

It made him, too, look at Qi Yuan with greater warmth and fervor.

[Sun’s True Fire, a divine flame; those with affinity may comprehend it.

This flame can devour all fires under heaven.

A sun possessing the Sun’s True Fire can devour the stars.]

Seeing the last line, Qi Yuan was stunned.

Then he was overjoyed.

Was this like some kind of strange flame from a certain story?

Had his great fortune finally arrived?

If he could comprehend the Sun’s True Fire and attach it to his stellar golden core, wouldn’t that mean his stellar golden core could feast endlessly in that universe?

He stared at Xu Tongchen with blazing eyes. “How about giving me that fire?”

Xu Tongchen was dumbfounded.

That was too blatant, wasn’t it?

Wariness rose in his heart. “This fire cannot be given away.”

“Give it to me, and name your price.

Do you have any enemies? I’ll kill them for you.

Do you have a white moonlight? I’m an expert at chasing people.” Qi Yuan spoke rapidly.

He was the embodiment of justice—he wouldn’t take by force or kill for treasure without cause.

Xu Tongchen looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. “This fire truly cannot be given away.”

The Sun’s True Fire was the very foundation of his existence; naturally, he couldn’t part with it.

Moreover, this was something he had realized, akin to a divine ability—how could he give it away?

“Look at your Solar True Fire; it’s almost calling me its father.” Qi Yuan stared at the Solar True Fire, his gaze piercing with longing.

Xu Tongchen, resigned, did not dwell on the topic: “Sir… do you know why this is happening?”

This, too, was a puzzle in his heart.

For some reason, when near this person before him, he could feel the Solar True Fire within him burning more fiercely.

His Solar True Fire was growing stronger.

“Because… I am the sun.” Qi Yuan answered matter-of-factly.

“…”

“If I contemplate your Solar True Fire every day, could I realize my own Solar True Fire?” Since he could not seize it by force, Qi Yuan sought another path to possess the Solar True Fire.

“It is likely possible. Back then, I contemplated for twenty years before I realized the Solar True Fire.

If I manifest the Solar True Fire for half an hour each day for you to observe, and if your talent is high, you might realize it in twenty years as well,” Xu Tongchen replied earnestly.

Qi Yuan’s proposal was absurd, but he answered patiently.

“How about this: every day I use your Solar True Fire to contemplate, and in return, I help you kill people?” Qi Yuan inquired. “I’m quite skilled at killing—anyone who deserves death, I won’t spare a single one.”

Xu Tongchen, hearing this, found the man before him… truly strange.

Kill people?

Those he wished to kill but could not—Qi Yuan likely could not kill them either.

Those he could kill, he had already done so himself.

“Fellow Daoist, there is no need for such courtesy. Manifesting the Solar True Fire near you also benefits me. For now, I will come to see you each day,” Xu Tongchen said, ultimately choosing not to take advantage of Qi Yuan.

First, it was his nature.

Second, because of the Solar True Fire, he felt a closeness to Qi Yuan.

“Then it’s settled. Come see me for half an hour each day.

Until I realize the Solar True Fire, from now on… I’ll have your back,” Qi Yuan declared.

Xu Tongchen smiled: “Then I hope you realize it slowly, so you can have my back for longer.”

He was, of course, joking.

Facing the Bright Palace, even a Purple Mansion grandmaster could not protect him.

Let alone this strange, eccentric cultivator before him.

“Don’t worry, my talent rivals that of a high school genius class. Realizing the Solar True Fire is no problem!”

His star was still a golden core—shouldn’t realizing the Solar True Fire be effortless?

“Come, let me see what this thing really is.”

Qi Yuan gazed at the manifested Solar True Fire, studying it intently.

After about half an hour, Qi Yuan slumped in dejection: “Too hard.”

He had contemplated for half an hour and realized nothing.

Xu Tongchen smiled: “Fellow Daoist, this is only normal.”

His Solar True Fire had grown a little stronger.

He felt a bit embarrassed.

“No matter, I’ll come again tomorrow.”

…

One day later.

In the grand hall of the Bright Palace.

Over a dozen Purple Mansion cultivators gathered, led by the Third Palace Master.

The Third Palace Master, Zi Ru, had phoenix eyes calm and unreadable, betraying no thought.

“Qian Yuan died in the Bright Palace. What do you all think?”

The Purple Mansion cultivators present stirred slightly at the words.

Qian Yuan’s strength ranked among the top ten in the Bright Palace.

He was also the one most likely to reach the late Purple Mansion stage.

Yet he had died in the Ming King Palace, at the hands of the Blood-Robed Sword God.

“Five Purple Mansion cultivators in a row—this Blood-Robed Sword God’s strength… must have reached the late Purple Mansion stage,” one Purple Mansion elder remarked, his eyes heavy with gravity.

In the entire Bright Palace, only the three Palace Masters were at the late Purple Mansion stage.

“Elder Qian Yuan had immense potential, and he was killed without hesitation. Does this Blood-Robed Sword God truly hold the Bright Palace in no regard?

If he dares to come, we will all attack together, with the three Palace Masters—we will ensure he never returns!” another elder said angrily.

Accustomed to their lofty position in the Bright Palace, they felt the threat of life and death for the first time, and the elders present were all furious.

“Killing Elder Qian Yuan without leaving a single survivor—this Blood-Robed Sword God has torn all pretense with the Bright Palace.

It’s either his death or ours.”

The dozen or so Purple Mansion cultivators on the field almost reached a consensus.

The Bright Palace was the overlord of Cuiyun Continent.

The Prodigy Battle was about to take place on Cuiyun Continent.

If the Bright Palace’s prestige was cowed by a single late Purple Mansion cultivator,

how could the Bright Palace stand firm in the Eastern Lands?

The Third Palace Master, Zi Ru, spoke: “All Purple Mansion cultivators in various regions, be cautious during this time and do not go out alone.

If you receive news of the Blood-Robed Sword God, send it back to the palace, and I will personally suppress him!”

“As you command!” the Purple Mansion cultivators on the field echoed in unison.

The Bright Palace had over sixty Purple Mansion cultivators.

How could a single Blood-Robed Sword God, one Purple Mansion cultivator, stand against over sixty?

Having barely killed Elder Qian Yuan and the other four Purple Mansion cultivators, the Blood-Robed Sword God’s current state was surely not good.

Of course, they judged by common sense, which was not wrong.

The only mistake was that Qi Yuan was not an ordinary man. Then, as if struck by a thought, the Third Palace Master Zi Ru ordered: “Send word: Huang Tu should prioritize the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle.

There’s no need for him to return for his master’s funeral.”

In the Eastern Lands Prodigy Battle, finishing in the top twenty was crucial.

Second only to the Hundred Nations Blood War.

Even more important than slaying the Blood-Robed Sword God.

……

The next day, Xu Tongchen arrived outside Qi Yuan’s cave dwelling, his heart heavy with worry.

Huang Tu’s master had fallen, and today Huang Tu was in a furious rage.

Even when he stepped out, he did so with caution, hoping to avoid any unwarranted calamity.

The Blood-Robed Sword God had slaughtered three Zifu cultivators of the Bright Palace, filling Xu Tongchen with admiration.

He longed to know what kind of great cultivator would dare to strike at such a colossus as the Bright Palace.

Many powers in Cuiyun Prefecture had long harbored grievances against the Bright Palace.

Yet he held little hope for the Blood-Robed Sword God’s future.

After all, the Bright Palace was far too mighty.

A late-stage Zifu could not shake the Bright Palace’s standing.

If they clashed head-on, the Bright Palace might suffer grievous wounds, but the Blood-Robed Sword God would surely perish.

“Fellow Daoist, I have come,” Xu Tongchen called out from outside the cave.

“Oh, you’re here. Come in.”

The cave opened, and as Xu Tongchen entered, he saw Qi Yuan, his face etched with exhaustion.

Qi Yuan set down the jade slip of the cultivation manual, looked at Xu Tongchen, and spoke slowly: “Fellow Daoist Tongchen, you may need to wait here a while. I must go out—to kill a man… ah, no, to meet my moonlight.”

Xu Tongchen was stunned.

He felt that Qi Yuan was truly strange.

The first time they met, he killed someone.

And now, he was going out to kill again.

“The one I’m killing this time is not far; I’ll be back soon. Make yourself at home in the cave.”

With that, Qi Yuan left the cave.

Xu Tongchen was left alone, helplessly shaking his head.

He felt that this Qi Yuan was far too mysterious.

He wondered just how many enemies the man had to kill, that he would speak of going out to kill the moment they met.

……

In the mountain forest, Qi Yuan wore a blood-red robe, his long hair flowing, giving him a handsome, almost demonic air.

He stood beneath a giant tree, and no one would take him for a mighty Zifu cultivator.

“Did you bring the suona?” Qi Yuan asked, looking at Xu Yeli behind him.

“I did,” Xu Yeli replied, his voice trembling as he gazed at Qi Yuan’s unnervingly youthful face.

He had never imagined that yesterday… the Blood-Robed Sword God had truly slain all five Zifu cultivators of the Bright King Palace.

Such terrifying strength ranked among the top five in Cuiyun Prefecture.

Placed in the Eastern Lands, it would likely be among the top hundred, a figure of great renown.

Yet the Blood-Robed Sword God had emerged suddenly from the Hundred Kingdoms, and no information about him could be traced.

All that was known was that he hailed from the Divine Flower Society and bore a grudge against the Bright Palace.

“Can you play it now?” Qi Yuan asked, turning to Xu Yeli.

“Reporting to the senior, I studied all last night—I can play it,” Xu Yeli answered earnestly.

“In that case, when I go to slay the Bright Palace’s Zifu, you will play music for me,” Qi Yuan said casually.

He had achieved the Heavenly Dao Foundation and the Stellar Golden Core.

When he fought, he needed a Zifu to play music, to match his status and caliber.

“Senior… should we not plan this carefully?” Xu Yeli couldn’t help but say. “Senior just killed five Zifu yesterday—why not rest a while before striking again?

If you act now, you may expose your whereabouts. Once the Bright Palace surrounds you, escape will be difficult.”

“What, are the words spoken yesterday no longer valid?” Qi Yuan glanced at Xu Yeli, a faint smile in his eyes.

Xu Yeli’s heart jolted, feeling as though he faced a demon god.

“No… everything will be as you command, senior.” Xu Yeli dared not say more.

In truth, he was also curious about what methods this senior used to slay Zifu cultivators.

After all, Zifu cultivators were notoriously hard to kill.

Unless the quality of their innate divine abilities was vastly different, or they happened to counter each other.

In other battles, one had to exhaust the Zifu cultivator’s innate divine abilities.

“Come, this time my moonlight is Mei Yang, who is alone,” Qi Yuan said, his form transforming into a streak of rainbow light.

Xu Yeli followed closely behind.

By now, he had given up all caution.

Since the Bright Palace was already plotting against him,

he might as well follow the Blood-Robed Sword God and do something great.

A quarter of an hour later.

Fenglin City.

Mei Yang of the Bright Palace looked at the message from the palace, a cold expression on his face: “So it’s a late-stage Zifu—this Blood-Robed Sword God… is somewhat troublesome.”

But thinking of the three palace masters and the Bright Palace’s treasured artifact,

his worries vanished completely: “But he’s just a cornered beast, struggling in vain.”

“Elder, should we return to the palace now?” a Divine Infant steward asked cautiously.

“We haven’t yet collected the three hundred yin-born infant boys’ hearts—why rush back?

Are you worried about the Blood-Robed Sword God?

He just destroyed the Bright King Palace; he’s likely still recovering his strength, hiding somewhere to heal.

He won’t show himself. Even if he does, he’ll only expose his hiding place.” Mei Yang reasoned logically.

The Divine Infant steward said no more.

But at that moment, a mournful, solemn suona sound suddenly rang out across Fenglin City.

Mei Yang frowned.

A Zifu?

“Which fellow Daoist visits my Fenglin City?

I am Mei Yang of the Bright Palace!”

Mei Yang soared into the sky, looking toward the source of the sound.

His pupils contracted.

For he saw a figure in black robes playing the suona, a Purple Mansion cultivator, and also a man in a blood-red robe.

“B-blood... Blood-Robed Sword God...”

Seeing the arrival, a strong sense of crisis struck.

Without a second thought, he fled directly.

Though he had analyzed extensively that the Blood-Robed Sword God would not act for now, that he had yet to recover his strength.

But with him appearing before him, he knew that at this moment, only flight remained.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan frowned: “How does this feel like the police car sirens of Yaoyao Ling, scaring people away?”

Without any hesitation, the sword on Qi Yuan’s back left its sheath.

“The Bright Palace has committed heinous crimes, deserving of death!”

“I, the Blood-Robed Sword God, punish them in Heaven’s stead!”

The primal divine ability of Heart Demon Summoning, the Void Realm’s sovereign, was swiftly unleashed.

Mei Yang, fleeing madly, suddenly froze in place.

He felt as if he had fallen into a demonic realm.

All kinds of negative emotions flooded his soul.

“No... the Bright Palace is the true righteous leader!”

“They all deserve death, death!”

“Don’t come for me!”

Mei Yang lost his mind, in an instant becoming raving mad.

The suona’s sound suddenly grew shrill.

Xu Yeli watched Mei Yang, fear showing in his eyes.

This primal divine ability of the Blood-Robed Sword God... how could it be so terrifying.

It was the most terrifying primal divine ability he had ever seen.

This was no divine ability—it was clearly the seduction of a demon god!

“Ah, still need one more sword strike, how boring.” Qi Yuan looked at the dazed Mei Yang.

His primal divine ability could only cause Mei Yang to be plagued by heart demons for a time, unable to truly slay him.

He still needed to deliver the finishing blow.

The sword in his hand pushed forward gently.

Mei Yang, a Purple Mansion cultivator, thus met a miserable death.

The event happened extremely fast, in less than three breaths.

Xu Yeli watched this scene, his legs trembling beneath his black robe.

Who kills a Purple Mansion cultivator like this?

Shouldn’t it be... a slow contest of primal divine abilities?

He looked at the Blood-Robed Sword God, his fear deepening.

“Alright, the man is dead, the storage pouch taken, we’ll meet again next time.” Qi Yuan glanced at Xu Yeli, then his form vanished.

Xu Yeli quickly fled as well, how could he dare stay here?

...

Night had deepened. Watching Xu Tongchen leave the cave dwelling, Qi Yuan felt helpless.

“The Solar True Flame is truly difficult; I still have no clue.”

But Qi Yuan was not discouraged.

Nothing can be rushed.

As long as he made a detailed plan, the Solar True Flame could be comprehended.

He stopped thinking about the Solar True Flame and opened the jade slip of the Divine Flower Society.

He had received many friend requests but did not accept them. Instead, he posted another thread on the forum.

[With nothing to do, I killed a Purple Mansion cultivator to liven things up.]

After posting, he switched to his main account.

“Rogue Immortal Venerable, how much longer until you arrive?”

“Still on the road, ran into some trouble. Should be there in less than ten days.”

“Hurry up. I’m waiting for you to introduce me to prodigies and broaden my horizons.

Tell me, at the prodigy banquet, will someone look down on me for my poor origins and humiliate me?”

“Origin Heavenly Venerable, just don’t reveal your identity.” Rogue Immortal Venerable was terrified that Qi Yuan would expose himself.

If that happened, Huang Tu would surely arrest Qi Yuan.

“What you say makes sense.” Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then agreed with Rogue Immortal Venerable’s suggestion.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

“If I, a poor man, pretend to be rich, and at the banquet I fall in love at first sight with some female prodigy, what if they discover I’m just a poor kid?”

(Chapter End)