Having adapted for a good while to the sudden surge of power within him, Heavenly Flame Honored One strode out from the raging flames.
Immediately afterward, without the slightest hesitation, he knelt straight down on one knee.
"Pavilion Master and Madam Cao's grace of rebirth, Heavenly Flame will never dare to forget in this lifetime!"
When a cultivator's strength suddenly skyrockets, it's akin to an ordinary person becoming rich overnight. If their heart isn't firm, they can easily become dizzy with success, even blurring their own self-perception.
But Heavenly Flame Honored One had been tempered by the long passage of time and had a clear understanding of himself.
He knew as clearly as looking into a mirror that if it weren't for Chen Xiao and Cao Ying, let alone his current strength far surpassing his peak, even being reborn would have been nothing but a pipe dream.
From the time he met Chen Xiao until now, only two years had passed, yet he had soared from a soul body on the verge of dissipating to a realm he never dared to imagine before!
Today's situation only made him more certain of how wise his decision to completely follow them back then had been!
He had undergone such a transformation in two years, so what about ten or twenty years from now?
Looking at the kneeling Heavenly Flame Honored One, Cao Ying opened her beautiful eyes and, with a slight thought, withdrew the flames.
Chen Xiao also walked forward from the side, quite appreciative of Heavenly Flame Honored One's attitude.
"Get up, what stage of rotation are you at now?"
He sized up Heavenly Flame Honored One, his eyes filled with both curiosity and a hint of envy.
He could clearly sense that the other's aura was even stronger than Qing Lin's, who was already a Nine-Star Dou Zun, but the sense of oppression it brought was slightly inferior to that of Xuan Kongzi, whom he had met twice.
Therefore, after a little thought, he could determine that Heavenly Flame Honored One must have already stepped into the Nine-Rotation compression stage.
In the Dou Qi Continent's cultivation system, there are two well-known watersheds.
One is Dou Zong.
The other is Dou Sheng.
There's no need to elaborate on the Dou Zong threshold; let's just talk about Dou Sheng.
Wanting to leap from the Dou Zun realm to Dou Sheng in one step is as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Even for the members of those ancient races, apart from a very few talented geniuses, the rest, even if they possessed Emperor bloodlines, would find no help in their impact on Dou Sheng, and it might even make the road more difficult.
Even the ancient races are like this, so one can imagine how difficult it is for ordinary people.
For this reason, some amazingly talented powerhouses in the past made detailed divisions between Dou Zun and Dou Sheng again.
This is how the Nine Rotations realm, and the three levels of Early, Middle and High stage Half-Saints came about.
The so-called Nine Rotations is a quantifier specifically used to measure the gap between the peak of Dou Zun and Half-Saint.
It's actually not complicated. Simply put, it can also be called nine condensations and compressions.
That is, when a powerhouse at the peak of Dou Zun has a fullness of Dou Qi in their body, and it cannot be increased, it is the beginning of the Nine Rotations. At this time, they only need to condense and compress all the Dou Qi in their body, and finally make the empty area in the full body again, which can accommodate new Dou Qi.
This is considered to be the completion of one condensation!
Then, by analogy, when the Dou Qi is full again, it is a cycle, continuing to condense!
After repeating this nine times, it is Paragon!
And the Dou Qi in their bodies will also undergo qualitative changes under this compression, and then leap over the immeasurable chasm, and enter the Half-Saint in one fell swoop!
Heavenly Flame Honored One stood up in response and replied truthfully, "It should be at the peak of the Second Rotation."
Chen Xiao nodded slightly. This result was lower than he had expected, but it was still acceptable.
After all, the reason why Yao Chen's revival was able to advance to Half-Saint was because Yao Chen's original foundation was very good, which allowed him to become a Half-Saint in one fell swoop with the blessing of a Dou Sheng's right arm bone.
As for Heavenly Flame Honored One, his peak in life was only a Four-Star Dou Zun, which was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from Yao Chen.
Another reason is that the Dou Sheng bone used by Heavenly Flame Honored One, the Dou Sheng Marrow in it, has been refined by Chen Xiao.
Based on the above, Heavenly Flame Honored One's ability to reach his current level is already due to the high quality of the materials used for his revival.
"Not bad. Now that you've been revived and have such strength, it would be a bit of a waste to let you continue handling matters within the Pavilion."
Chen Xiao pondered for a moment and made a decision, saying, "Hand over the matters in your hands to Elder Qiu Cheng. From now on, you and Qing Lin will advance on two fronts, collecting resources for Purple Firmament Pavilion."
Qiu Cheng was the Seven-Star Dou Zong whose disciple died at the hands of Wind and Lightning Pavilion and came to join them after the Wind and Lightning Pavilion was destroyed. His strength was good, and he was loyal and available.
The reason for this arrangement was that Chen Xiao was thinking that with Heavenly Flame Honored One's current strength, it wouldn't be appropriate to have him under Hai Bo Dong.
In addition, now that Purple Firmament Pavilion has the methods left by Grand Elder Green Mountains, it is safe and sound, and there is no need to leave too many strong people to guard it.
As he spoke, Chen Xiao handed over a letter, which detailed the news of the Volcanic Stone Flame, the seventeenth-ranked Heavenly Flame.
The Yan Xin Cave in the northeastern region of Central State!
As for the information on the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, which ranked eighteenth, Chen Xiao had already given it to Qing Lin.
"As the Pavilion Master commands!"
Heavenly Flame Honored One took the letter and happily agreed.
Even among people in the same camp, there will inevitably be some biases in their hearts.
In the past, the several Madam Pavilion Masters of Purple Firmament Pavilion had the same status in Heavenly Flame Honored One's heart.
But now it's a little different. He was able to be revived, and Cao Ying contributed a lot, so he will definitely remember Cao Ying's kindness.
And the Heavenly Flame that Chen Xiao had collected was undoubtedly for Cao Ying, so the Heavenly Flame Honored One was very happy to take on this task.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now..."
Just as he was speaking, Chen Xiao suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, sensing two familiar auras entering the Purple Firmament Pavilion.
Pulling Cao Ying up beside him, Chen Xiao smiled and said, "Let's go, it's time to go back. We have guests at the door."
Tearing open a spatial rift, he stepped into it, and when they reappeared, the three of them were back in the main hall.
Chen Xiao had the Heavenly Flame Honored One go and deal with Qiu Cheng, but stopped Cao Ying when she wanted to return to the backyard first.
"No rush, someone's here to deliver a gift. Stay and see."
Cao Ying felt a bit curious, but didn't ask much, nodding slightly and returning to her seat.
It was also at this moment that Hai Bo Dong walked in hurriedly.
He smiled and bowed, saying, "Pavilion Master, Madam Cao, Wind Honored One and Xiao Yan from Starfall Pavilion have arrived."
Hearing these two names, Chen Xiao wasn't surprised at all.
He immediately nodded, "Old Hai, let them in."
Hai Bo Dong responded and quickly left.
Before long, he led Xiao Yan, who was wearing a Black Robe, and Wind Honored One, whom he had met once before, into the hall.
It could be seen that both Xiao Yan and Wind Honored One had slightly heavy steps and rather serious expressions, and their smiles were very forced when thanking Hai Bo Dong for leading the way.
"Wind Honored One, we meet again."
From the main seat, Chen Xiao and Cao Ying got up to greet them, neither too enthusiastic nor impolite.
He wasn't that familiar with Wind Honored One.
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, had more contact with him.
But in this kind of situation, a Dou Wang wasn't qualified to speak.
Wind Honored One smiled wryly, cupping his hands in return, and took a seat with Xiao Yan at Chen Xiao's gesture.
"I apologize for the intrusion, Chill Sky Honored One. I'm here for two reasons. First, to thank you for saving Xiao Yan last time, preventing them, master and disciple, from falling into the hands of the Soul Hall together. Second, it's about Yao Chen, that old fellow."
After taking a seat, Wind Honored One cupped his hands again, then went straight to the point, without any beating around the bush.
As for the so-called Chill Sky Honored One, it was just a title given to Chen Xiao by some busybodies in Central State, combining his Ice Attribute, his name, and his identity as the Pavilion Master of the Purple Firmament Pavilion.
In fact, there were other titles as well, such as Purple Firmament Honored One, Chen Honored One, and so on, but more people called him Chill Sky Honored One.
Some people even stirred up trouble, suggesting he be called Ice Honored One.
It was after hearing these rumors that Chen Xiao gradually understood why Ice River Valley was the only one that didn't come to offer gifts back then.
After all, being of the same Ice Attribute, they would definitely be competitors if there were opportunities in this area in the future.
In addition, the title that people in Central State were randomly calling him made it normal for Ice Honored One to be unhappy.
"Rescuing Yao Chen is no small matter. Is Starfall Pavilion prepared?" Not minding Wind Honored One's title, Chen Xiao asked, raising his head.
Hearing this, Feng Xian nodded solemnly, saying, "These days, I've been secretly contacting those powerhouses who once owed Yao Chen favors. Some can't be contacted, or they've actually received the news and are playing dumb, but there are also some who value their promises and are rushing over one after another."
"Those below Dou Zun can't help. Let's talk about Dou Zun. How many Dou Zun have arrived?"
"So far... only Sword Venerable, but I haven't notified Pill Tower and Flower Sect yet. I wanted to discuss it with you first."
Having been busy for so many days, he had only managed to invite one Dou Zun, and Feng Xian felt a little embarrassed.
Although he understood that the Soul Hall was powerful and not many people dared to offend it rashly, and that many of the powerhouses behind them had families or sects and had too many concerns.
But being able to understand didn't mean there were no thoughts in his mind.
Fortunately, what he could make up for was that Flower Sect and Pill Tower were his last reliance for rescuing Yao Chen.
Yao Chen had an extraordinary relationship with these two forces, or rather, with certain people within them. If Feng Xian asked for help, the probability of being rejected was very small.
"You want to know how long the mark inside the Star-Picking Old Ghost's body can last, right?" Chen Xiao smiled.
His relationship with Yao Chen wasn't good enough for Feng Xian to feel comfortable coming to discuss it with him.
The reason he came today was mainly because only Grand Elder of Green Mountains could find the Star-Picking Old Ghost in the shortest amount of time, so as to know which sub-hall Yao Chen was imprisoned in.
And Grand Elder of Green Mountains hadn't exposed their identity, so Feng Xian and Xiao Yan both thought they were Chen Xiao's people.
So, what Feng Xian called discussion was to find out if there was enough time.
If there was enough time, they could wait a little longer and gather more powerhouses.
Conversely, if time was tight, they would have to act as soon as possible, and if they didn't have enough people, they would call on the two from Pill Tower and Flower Sect.
Being seen through by Chen Xiao, Feng Xian looked slightly embarrassed, but didn't deny it.
"You don't have to worry about the mark. It's intact. Even if it lasts another year or two, it probably won't be discovered. However, rescuing Yao Chen really needs to be done as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Because the one who left the mark on the Star-Picking Old Ghost isn't from my Purple Firmament Pavilion. They're just here as a guest. In a few days, they'll be leaving, and even I won't be able to contact them at that time. Moreover, Yao Chen will inevitably suffer torture in the Soul Hall. You don't want him to suffer too much, do you?"
Meeting Feng Xian's gaze, Chen Xiao spoke half-truths.
The main thing is to implement the benefits as soon as possible.
Opportunities to fleece the Soul Hall aren't common!
For Chen Xiao, the faster his strength increases, the higher the cost-effectiveness.
His current situation is actually a bit awkward.
Chen Xiao hasn't sought any benefits for himself from the Pre-pay in his mind for quite some time.
The reason for this is the rapid increase in his wealth and foundation.
Today, Chen Xiao's configuration has far exceeded the average level of a Dou Zun powerhouse. There are only a few things he wants in his heart right now.
A high-level Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, a Bodhi Heart, a Frost Bloom Spirit Crystal…
Unfortunately, none of these things can currently be Pre-payed.
"I see. To be on the safe side, it seems I must notify Xuan Yi and the others. After all, we only have three Dou Zuns now, and we know nothing about how many powerhouses the Soul Hall has," Feng Xian nodded, his expression becoming more solemn.
Notify Xuan Yi?
That won't do!
If Xuan Yi goes, how can I reap all the benefits?
Thoughts surging in his mind, Chen Xiao chuckled and shook his head.
"There's no need for such trouble. Senior Xuan Yi is a Pill Tower giant. If she takes action, it may trigger a conflict between the Soul Hall and the Pill Tower. How about this? In addition to me, I'll bring a few Puppets from the Purple Firmament Pavilion. It won't be difficult for them to work together to hold back two Dou Zun powerhouses. In this way, it will be considered that my Purple Firmament Pavilion has dispatched three Dou Zuns. We will first determine the branch hall where Yao Chen is located, find out the number of Soul Hall powerhouses, and then formulate a rescue plan. What do you think?"
Feng Xian nodded slightly. In this way, five Dou Zun combat strengths are also a considerable force.
He has also been trying to find out information these days and already knows that each branch hall of the Soul Hall has a Dou Zun powerhouse stationed, but there are only a few of them, and the number will not be too large.
The only thing that worries Feng Xian is…
"But that Star-Picking Old Ghost's strength…"
"It's fine, leave this person to me."
Chen Xiao smiled confidently, his aura released and retracted in an instant.
"Six-Star Dou Zun?!"
Feng Xian's eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed in surprise.
But what followed was ecstasy. After all, Chen Xiao is participating in the operation. The stronger he is, the greater the chance of rescuing Yao Chen!
Xiao Yan, who was on the side, was bewildered and seriously doubted the concept that the stronger one became, the more difficult it was to improve.
You know, his Dou Wang is still standing still from the last time they separated until now, but Chen Xiao is a Dou Zun. Why can he break through so quickly?
This is not in line with common sense!
"Let's do as you said. We'll investigate the situation first, and it won's be too late to make a decision. If all goes well, we may be able to rescue Yao Chen directly!"
Time waits for no one. After a little thought, Feng Xian immediately made a decision.
Chen Xiao gave him an appreciative look. That's right.
He is determined to rescue Yao Chen this time. How can he accomplish great things if he hesitates?
Seeing Chen Xiao nodding with a smile, but not speaking.
Feng Xian immediately reacted and cupped his hands apologetically: "I was so anxious about Yao Chen's matter that I neglected it. This is the Eighth Grade Bodhi Pill and One Origin Pill pill recipe. They are all that old guy's things, so it can be regarded as a little thank you gift from my Starfall Pavilion. After rescuing Yao Chen, Starfall Pavilion will definitely offer a heavier thank you gift!"
"Of course, if Chill Sky Honored One has other conditions, please feel free to mention them. As long as my Starfall Pavilion can come up with it, we will definitely not hesitate!"
Bodhi Pill, One Origin Pill.
In the original trajectory, both were mentioned.
Chen Xiao recalled it slightly, and soon remembered it, and couldn't help nodding slightly.
This sincerity is indeed very sincere.
Raising his hand to introduce it into his palm, Chen Xiao directly handed it to Cao Ying on the side.
Cao Ying looked at it carefully and nodded lightly towards Chen Xiao.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao then looked at Feng Xian.
"I don't value rewards very much, but I have two conditions."
"First, after determining the branch hall where Yao Chen is located, you and that Sword Venerable must listen to my command. I will try my best to protect you, but if you act without authorization, I cannot guarantee your survival."
"It should be so."
Feng Xian directly nodded in response.
Whoever is stronger has the final say.
This iron rule applies everywhere.
Rescuing Yao Chen is not a child's play, and there will be life-threatening dangers at every turn. Otherwise, those powerhouses who owe Yao Chen favors would not have only sent one Sword Venerable until now.
Taking such a big risk to snatch someone from the Soul Hall, if they still don't listen to the command and act without authorization, then they deserve to die.
Chen Xiao nodded and continued: "Second, when rescuing Yao Chen, if there are gains, whoever kills the spoils will belong to whoever, if you find opportunities such as natural treasures, the same is true, whoever finds it belongs to whoever."
Hearing this, Feng Xian laughed with great ease.
When Chen Xiao first brought up conditions, he was a little nervous, worried that Chen Xiao would make exorbitant demands.
He never expected it would be so lenient.
These weren't conditions at all, but rather principles that anyone with integrity should abide by.
"It has always been this way!"
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