Chapter 328: Vermilion Bird Bathing in Fire

Chapter 328: Vermilion Bird Bathing in Fire

Beyond the mountain, the morning sun gradually rose; within the cave, time was unknown.

Huangfu Qing had been refining the sword pellet for over half the night.

If Zhao Changhe were awake, he would realize what a terrifying woman this was.

The world had not yet begun cultivating immortality... What people called "fire-attribute cultivation" meant that the nature of their true qi was fire; perhaps when their true qi erupted, one could feel waves of heat, but it did not mean they could actually conjure a fireball... Even if an expert could conjure a fireball, it did not mean they could sustain a palmful of true flame for hours on end, inexhaustible.

Previously, when seeing all sorts of burning outside, it could be attributed to the manifestation of heart flame, but now it was entirely the Vermilion Bird's own power, elevating her a dimension above ordinary martial artists. Even He Lei, who was once ranked seventh, could not have performed like this. If the group led by Guichen had been besieging the Vermilion Bird back then, they would likely have been defeated and killed long ago...

Touching upon the third-level secret treasury marked the difference between the Heavenly and Earthly Lists, a literal gap between heaven and earth.

Once one broke through, it would be the vast sky.

But she had not yet broken through.

The flame in her palm began to waver from stability, and Huangfu Qing's face grew paler and paler, barely able to sustain such prolonged refinement.

Extracting specific components in reverse from the already refined sword pellet required not only sufficient flame power but also extremely delicate control; the loss of true qi was secondary, but the mental strain was even harder to bear.

Just a little more...

Huangfu Qing could almost feel that the component of Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng within the sword pellet had condensed into a drop of blood-colored ginseng essence, slowly and painfully being expelled.

One more push of strength would do it...

Unfortunately, physical exhaustion could still be endured with effort, but mental fatigue and scattered attention could not be overcome by willpower alone.

Especially when the heart flame was burning beside her, which already required a significant portion of her focus to resist. Normally, keeping the spiritual platform steady was not a big problem, but what about when mentally exhausted?

Once the mind was not focused enough, it was easy for the external heart flame to influence the internal, giving rise to a myriad of distracting thoughts.

One moment she thought, "I, the dignified Vermilion Bird, was actually kissed by this guy"; the next, "Does this count as seducing a disciple's man?"; then, "If people found out, would they laugh to death?"

Then she thought, "If he really were the Night Emperor, that would be fine, but why isn't he..."

If he were, then none of those thoughts seemed to matter; telling herself he was the divine servant would be a perfect excuse.

Then she thought, "Why am I thinking this? Do I actually have feelings for him?"

The heart flame flickered, and a thousand thoughts surged.

Actually, this inadvertently met the need to comprehend the heart flame. This was a flame that refined the heart, igniting inner fire. If one steadfastly guarded the spiritual platform and resisted with all their might, what could they gain?

It was precisely now, not deliberately seeking enlightenment, yet the spiritual platform was unguarded, allowing all kinds of thoughts to spread, that she could find the deepest obstacle hidden in her heart when facing a trial.

If one spoke of the fire deep within the human heart, besides anger, what else?

The fire of passion? The fire of desire? These were things Huangfu Qing had never experienced in her life.

And what else?

Huangfu Qing did not dwell on these; her thoughts naturally turned here: He worked hard to find things for Chichi, and what he found happened to be what he needed to refine. They complemented each other. What am I?

I am here helping them refine, exhausting my true qi, weary and exhausted. What am I doing?

—The fire of jealousy.

The heart flame behind her suddenly blazed and grew, external drawing from internal, internal manifesting external.

Unconsciously, Huangfu Qing's eyes began to take the form of flames again.

Fortunately, she was not an ordinary person. As soon as the negative emotion arose, she immediately became alert, quickly gathered her mind, and steadied her spiritual platform, just as before when she seemed to be possessed but still retained rationality.

Looking down at the sword pellet, a drop of golden and blood-mixed ginseng essence had already been expelled, just a little more.

Give up?

After all, it was someone else's thing, their affection. What was I doing? Draining myself dry, burning my potential for this pair of dogs and bitches?

Burning with jealousy, her flame-shaped eyes flickered.

"I have never given up halfway in my life. What I want to do, mere heart flame, thinks it can stop me?" Her dantian qi spun wildly, draining the last bit of strength, pouring it all out in one go.

"Boom!" The flames surged, and a drop of ginseng essence floated up.

Huangfu Qing spat out a mouthful of blood, which seeped into the ginseng essence and into the sword pellet.

What passion fire, desire fire, jealousy fire... none could overcome this lifelong, never-retreating, persistent and proud martial heart.

What heart flame, what inner demon, is nothing more than this... I understand now.

The commotion was too great; Zhao Changhe woke abruptly from his sleep, and the first thing he saw was Huangfu Qing spitting blood.

His heart leaped, and he rushed over, catching her body before she fell: "What happened?"

The words caught in his throat as the true qi he probed into Huangfu Qing's meridians clearly detected that her dantian was depleted, meridians dry, qi and blood both deficient, even threatening her foundation.

"How did it come to this?" Zhao Changhe was frantic. His Returning Spring Art was not cultivated to such a high level; it was only enough to heal minor injuries and resist poison.

At this moment, he could not care about that. He quickly took out a pill and stuffed it into Huangfu Qing's mouth, then desperately activated the Returning Spring Art, trying to revive her dantian.

Huangfu Qing stared at him without blinking, her eyes flickering.

She could feel his anxiety and panic, the feeling of exerting all his strength but to little avail...

"Heh..." She smiled faintly: "Don't waste your effort. Don't you see what this drop of ginseng essence beside you is?"

"Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng?" Zhao Changhe was both angry and anxious: "If it took this to hurt you so badly, I would rather not have it! Ah, wait..."

Given Huangfu Qing's current state, wasn't she weak in qi and blood? Could this be used to replenish her?

He suddenly reached out, grabbed the ginseng essence, and slapped it into Huangfu Qing's mouth.

Huangfu Qing's eyes widened: "You came to Kunlun for this! If you miss it, it may never come again, and my injuries can still be treated..."

"Compared to that, I only want you to be well."

Huangfu Qing held the ginseng essence in her mouth, staring at him fixedly.

Inside her body, the effect of his Returning Spring Art continued, penetrating the depleted dantian and meridians, bringing a sense of rebirth like withered trees blooming in spring. Though weak, it was exquisite... Yes, earlier outside, he had also used this power to try to soothe her heart flame, but at that time, her mind was chaotic, and she could not fully appreciate it.

Now, savoring it carefully, this was the Azure Dragon's Returning Spring, one of the fundamental laws of the Four Symbols...

Combined with the catalysis of the ginseng essence, vast qi and blood energy spread through her body, and the depleted dantian revived with vitality.

With him like this, what was there to be jealous of?

The flame shape in Huangfu Qing's eyes faded again, disappeared, and returned to her original bright pupils.

The fire of jealousy vanished completely, and the flame of passion gently kindled.

The heart flame within was nothing more than this.

No matter what kind of fire, it could not dominate me... I am their master.

Zhao Changhe anxiously activated the Returning Spring Art, but suddenly noticed with surprise that the heart flame Huangfu Qing had claimed "I simply cannot take away" began to shrink, shrink, slowly turning into a tiny spark, drilling into her spiritual platform.

Inside her body, the depleted dantian, which had just begun to revive under the effect of the ginseng essence and Returning Spring Art, suddenly changed meaning entirely. The sense of rebirth from grass and wood transformed into a mass of flame, rekindling from the ashes in the dantian, from a single spark gradually spreading into a prairie fire.

If Zhao Changhe's divine sense were strong enough, he would hear a phoenix cry from deep within Huangfu Qing's spiritual platform. In the vast sea of consciousness, a fire bird was reborn, soaring through the sky, with blazing flames covering the heavens and the earth.

The Azure Dragon's Returning Spring, the Vermilion Bird's bathing in fire—they were meant to mutually confirm and transform into each other.

At Cloud Mountain, a woodcutter climbing the mountain to gather firewood suddenly stopped and gazed into the distance.

Far away at Kun Ridge, a fire bird seemed to emerge from the mountains, shooting up into the nine heavens, piercing through the clouds and rosy clouds.

"Kunshan jade shattered, Vermilion Bird reborn, Heartflame bows its head... The secret cache to ascend to heaven is proven." The old woodcutter sighed: "Another one joins the path of gods and demons."

In the secret realm, Zhao Changhe stared dumbfounded at Huangfu Qing, whose condition had fully recovered in an instant. Are you believing in the Four Symbols or the Spring Lord?

Originally soft and weak, leaning helplessly in his arms, now she was fierce and imposing, pressing him down beneath her with one move.

Zhao Changhe felt he was no match for even half her strength; pinned down effortlessly, he was weak, pitiful, and helpless.

"Little brother, don't always think you can hold up the sky..." Huangfu Qing extended her jade-white finger, gently lifting his chin, her beautiful eyes full of laughter: "Do you still want the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng?"

Zhao Changhe stammered: "Isn't... isn't it gone?"

"What I used to recover wasn't the effect of the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng, nor even your Revitalization Art..." Huangfu Qing gently leaned down, kissing the corner of his lips and murmuring: "The medicinal effect hasn't been absorbed in my body; I can give it back to you... and I can give you even more..."

"Ah? Mmm mmm..." His lips were sealed, and he couldn't utter a word.

The medicinal effect of the Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng was transferred into Zhao Changhe's body, perfectly matching his need for vast, surging blood energy. Having previously eaten the Blood-Congealing Vermilion Fruit gifted by Xia Longyuan, which laid part of the foundation for the so-called Blood Asura Body, now it seemed to supplement the other half. The dragon-elephant power permeated his limbs and bones, an immense energy surging and billowing.

Both internal and external skills burst forth, charging straight through the Ninefold Mysterious Barrier, reaching the very threshold.

"Idiot..." Huangfu Qing kissed him lightly, murmuring indistinctly: "Don't you know dual cultivation? Breath transfer through mouth and tongue can also be dual cultivation... You're not afraid, are you?"

"Damn it..." Zhao Changhe suddenly arched, flipping her beneath him, and kissed her fiercely: "If it's dual cultivation, then I take the lead!"

Huangfu Qing did not struggle; she closed her eyes, feeling his kiss, slightly parting her crimson lips to cooperate with the back-and-forth transfer of dual cultivation breath.

She could clearly feel his muscles, bursting with explosive power, as if containing the strength of a dragon and elephant, so imposing.

Whether internal breath or external force, the Ninefold Mysterious Barrier shattered with a roar, almost without any resistance.

Who said only he and Chi Chi achieved mutual fulfillment?

I am the same.

"Hey wait! Who allowed you to undo my clothes? Don't let your blood energy run so wild!"

"Are you never going to stop?"

"Don't... don't... ah... what kind of strange physique is this? Who taught you to practice like this?"

"I really can't do anything with you. How about I use my hand, okay?"