Chapter 25

Ren Tianzang walked forward expressionlessly, the paper figure behind him returning to calm, showing no signs of life. Occasionally, a mountain breeze would blow by, causing the paper figure to sway as if it might break at any moment.

Tang Yan followed at a leisurely pace, his attention always on the paper figure. If he hadn't seen and felt it with his own eyes and body, he would never have believed that this thing could move, let alone emit such an evil aura.

Is this a weapon? Or some special martial technique!

After putting a considerable distance between himself and Zhou Linglu, Tang Yan stopped. "I thank you for saving me just now. I, Tang Yan, will remember this kindness. But I'm really sorry, I don't know anything about the Yōumíng Qinghuo, let alone the Chényuán Pavilion. I've never even heard of it."

Ren Tianzang turned around and looked at Tang Yan coldly.

Tang Yan met his gaze and said seriously, "It's the absolute truth."

"Don't move, calm your mind, and focus on summoning the Yōumíng Qinghuo." Ren Tianzang reached out and grabbed Tang Yan's head, closing his eyes as if he was silently sensing something.

According to legend, the Yōumíng Qinghuo is one of the three most mysterious heavenly fires in the world, born in the mysterious Yōumíng realm, the clan fire of the Qingling Clan. It can both refine all living things and devour the evil in the world. It once produced several peak experts, making the Qingling Clan a formidable force on the Qitian Continent. However, due to a racial war a thousand years ago, the Yōumíng realm guarded by the Qingling Clan was lost, and the Yōumíng Qinghuo subsequently disappeared.

Later, there were records of the Yōumíng Qinghuo appearing in various countries on the continent, as well as in the endless sea and the life禁区 (forbidden zones), but they were all fleeting and merely rumors, with no real confirmation.

It has been nearly a thousand years since then!

Ren Tianzang had never seen the Yōumíng Qinghuo, or rather, very few people had truly seen heavenly fires. However, when he saw the blue flames, the paper figure behind him emitted a peculiar sensation, which made him suspicious. He tracked and observed Tang Yan, witnessing him burn corpses to refine spirit source liquid. This deepened Ren Tianzang's suspicion.

Even if these blue flames were not the Yōumíng Qinghuo, they were likely related.

Tang Yan allowed him to investigate, neither struggling nor able to struggle in front of this person.

After a while, Ren Tianzang released his hand, his gaze on Tang Yan filled with a complex mixture of emotions.

"Where is the Yōumíng Qinghuo hidden? I can't sense its presence. Just by channeling your spirit energy, they should appear." Tang Yan was equally curious about these blue flames.

"This isn't the Yōumíng Qinghuo, it's just a seed of blue fire."

"Seed of blue fire? What do you mean?"

"It can also be called a primal fire seed. I never thought that the Yōumíng Qinghuo, which once shook the continent, would fall to this. If my guess is correct, its main body may have already perished. But as one of the heavenly fires in the world, it cannot truly disappear. It will return to its primal form and develop from its initial state. You are the host, the soil in which it grows, and you are nurturing it."

"What heavenly fire? What host? What nurturing?" Tang Yan was getting more and more confused.

"Heavenly fires are the spiritual fires that accompany the heavens and earth, possessing the terrifying power to destroy the world. Some even have intelligence and can transform into living beings. Their initial form might be ordinary flames, but after countless years of growth and refinement, they transform and grow, known as the flames that never extinguish. They are proud and unyielding, never bowing to any living being. Any living being that tries to tame them will only become their food."

"You are very lucky. The Yōumíng Qinghuo was severely injured for some reason, almost destroyed, and had to return to its primal form to regrow. On a future day, when it truly grows, it will see you as family, its only family. At that time, you will be the only person in the world who can control the heavenly fire at will, and it will do its utmost to protect your safety."

Heavenly fire? Primal fire? Tang Yan vaguely understood, feeling a surge of excitement.

"However..."

"However, what?"

"The Yōumíng Qinghuo took billions of years to transform from ordinary flames into a heavenly fire. You... can you last that long? Perhaps what you possess is its primal seed, carrying the memory of its transformation process and some primal energy. The time it takes to grow might not be as long, but it will definitely be longer than your life, hundreds, thousands, or even ten thousand times longer. By the time it recovers, you will have long since died and become its nourishment."

Tang Yan was not discouraged but instead asked, "Is there any way to promote the growth of the primal seed?"

"Feeding it with rare treasures, nourishing it with the essence of life, or other methods, but unfortunately, I am not omniscient."

Essence of life? Tang Yan敏锐地 (sharply) caught this term. The Immortal Heaven Technique could absorb the essence of life from spirit source liquid and was known as the companion technique of the Yōumíng Qinghuo. Could there be a connection? Could the life essence pill he was nurturing be used by the Yōumíng Qinghuo? Was the blue qi sea in his dantian also related to the Yōumíng Qinghuo?

Tang Yan's gaze flickered, a sharp light appearing in the depths of his eyes. This series of questions would need to be explored and solved by himself.

"There are very few people in the world who recognize and understand the Yōumíng Qinghuo, let alone a primal seed that has lost its aura. It won't cause you trouble in the short term. But the world is vast, and there are many capable people. I advise you not to easily display the power of the blue fire in front of others. Once discovered by certain important figures, you will become the 'soil for nurturing.' As for the spirit source liquid... don't reveal it even to your closest people." Ren Tianzang threw a blue liquid drop to Tang Yan, which was the spirit source liquid of the golden-haired violent monkey he had taken for investigation.

Tang Yan caught the spirit source liquid, feeling the abundant life force, and smiled. "No matter what, thank you."

"Kid, I don't know what has happened to you, but if you have the chance in the future, you can visit the Chényuán Pavilion." Ren Tianzang said and turned to walk into the dense forest.

"Chényuán Pavilion? Where is it? What does it have to do with me?"

Ren Tianzang did not respond, his slow steps disappearing silently into the forest.

"Hey!! Where are you going? Just leaving me here? Finish what you started, take me to the baptism altar!"

"Hey, hey, hey!! You just thanked me, and now you're so inhuman?"

"I'm just a third-rank martial artist!"

"Uh... okay... at least tell me which way to go?"

"North." A cold voice finally echoed through the quiet forest.

"Thanks." Tang Yan shrugged, looked around the dense forest, took a deep breath, and his expression returned to a sharp focus. He carefully put away the spirit source liquid, placing it with the one from the wild boar he had hunted earlier, and quickly left the area.

Heading north, Tang Yan was fully alert, darting through the forest. He didn't know the exact distance, but it would definitely be very long and very dangerous.

At the same time, it was an invaluable opportunity for training.

This place was filled with endless dangers and a variety of terrifying beasts. Whether it was the experience of life and death, the control of spirit energy, or the cultivation of the 'Secret Shadow' martial technique, it was an excellent opportunity.

A kilometer away, Tang Yan encountered a third-rank beast, the golden-backed bear, which was foraging for food. After a fierce battle, experiencing the bear's violent impact and the power of the earth spikes, he realized he couldn't kill it and decisively withdrew. With the help of the Secret Shadow Steps, he successfully escaped the pursuit.

In a turbulent river, he discovered three second-rank beasts, the four-legged battle turtles, landing. Tang Yan took the initiative to attack, fighting one against three. Using the Secret Shadow Steps and the Eight Extremes Fist in combination, along with the Yōumíng Qinghuo and the Extinction Eye, he managed to kill them all after a heavy toll.

That evening, Tang Yan hid to refine the spirit source liquid from the wild boar, the golden-haired violent monkey, and the four-legged battle turtles. He extracted the essence of life, condensed the evil energy, and refined the pure spirit source liquid. He recovered from his injuries, consolidated his strength, and enhanced the power of the Extinction Eye.

The next morning, Tang Yan accidentally entered the territory of a peak fourth-rank beast, the Fire Cloud Lion. A warm sensation appeared on his forehead, and he felt a sense of danger. Tang Yan decisively withdrew, narrowly avoiding a disaster.

At noon, he encountered a group of mercenary hunters. Tang Yan didn't greet these bloodthirsty madmen, avoiding them from a distance and continuing his journey. Along the way, he was attacked by a third-rank beast, the Thunder Pigeon. Using the power of the Extinction Eye, he repelled it and, during his escape, unexpectedly found two fourth-rank beasts fighting. Taking a risk, Tang Yan waited until one side won and the other was defeated and became food.

After everything was over, Tang Yan used the blue fire to refine the remaining half of the broken corpse, which had just died. He successfully refined a small amount of spirit source liquid, smaller in volume than that of a second-rank beast. What Tang Yan cared about was not the spirit energy or the dissipated essence of life, but the residual evil energy.

After moving a hundred meters away, Tang Yan found clear bloodstains. Following the trail, he discovered a severely injured third-rank beast. After a difficult and intense battle, he successfully killed and refined it.

Continuously absorbing spirit source liquid and devouring evil energy, Tang Yan finally activated the seven acupoints around his eye, and the Extinction Eye displayed its true power.

On this dangerous and exciting training journey, Tang Yan almost never stopped training his body, engaging in at least four life-and-death battles every day. His third-rank martial artist strength steadily improved towards its peak, and his control and use of spirit energy became increasingly proficient. What excited him the most was the successful cultivation of the 'Secret Shadow' martial technique and the 'Extinction Eye,' which provided a certain chance of survival.

Many times, he almost encountered terrifying fourth- and fifth-rank beasts, but he was always alerted by the warm sensation on his forehead. Overall, it saved his life at least nine times. If not for these danger signals, Tang Yan would likely have already become the meal of a beast.

Tang Yan vaguely felt that these warm sensations might be related to the golden light at the bottom of the deep pool. Whether it was related to the Chényuán Pavilion mentioned by Ren Tianzang was still uncertain.

After nine days and nine nights of long-distance travel and life-and-death training, Tang Yan finally arrived at his destination—Shenquan Town!