Chapter 184: Help Me Make It Last Longer
In Little Golden Dragon's stunned gaze, an illusory long blade slowly took shape in Xiao Bai's hand.
Spanning dozens of meters, the blade was sleek and radiant with five-colored light. Its aura felt oddly familiar to the dragon, which forcibly suppressed the faint trembling of its origin energy.
Casting a wary glance at the illusory blade, Little Golden Dragon edged a step away. Then, catching something in its peripheral vision, it urgently shouted, "My lord, trouble! That thing's making a run for it!"
Xiao Bai's gaze swept over, spotting a palm-sized flame serpent, tinged with milky white. Its eyes darted nervously, clearly wary of the five-colored blade.
"Slash!"
Seeing the serpent's form begin to fade, Xiao Bai didn't hesitate. He swung the illusory blade, unleashing a cascade of five-colored light ribbons. The strike, deceptively slow yet swift as thunder, cleaved toward the flame serpent.
Silently, the massive blade descended, slicing into the magma. Most of the blade vanished beneath the surface without causing a ripple, as if the magma flowed undisturbed.
Was it just an illusion, devoid of power?
"Did you miss?" Little Golden Dragon wondered, keeping silent to spare its master embarrassment.
"Hisss!"
A piercing wail echoed from an unknown source, laced with rage, reluctance, helplessness, and fear. Little Golden Dragon shook its head, astonished at the emotions it discerned in the cry. Stranger still, it could no longer sense the Fallen Heart Flame's presence.
Suddenly, Xiao Bai's aura began to shift.
His jade-like face flushed slightly, his black robes billowed without wind, and his aura surged rapidly.
Peak Dou Wang!
One-star Dou Huang…
Two-star Dou Huang…
Three-star Dou Huang…
"What in the world did my lord take? Some miracle pill?" Little Golden Dragon gaped as Xiao Bai's aura climbed, stabilizing just shy of four-star Dou Huang.
"Hoo." Xiao Bai exhaled a turbid breath, flexing his fist to feel the surging power within. "Ten minutes," he murmured.
The slash, though seemingly ineffective, had struck true. The feedback energy confirmed that the Fallen Heart Flame had lost a sliver of its origin—not much, but enough to make it smart for a while.
"Master, what's ten minutes?" Little Golden Dragon asked, curious.
"My current state—it'll last ten minutes at most." Xiao Bai shoved away the dragon, which had leaned in to scrutinize him.
"Tch! I thought it was permanent!" Little Golden Dragon's ferocious face twisted in mock disdain, though its golden eyes gleamed with mischief. "Is this that Great Five Elements Divine Light you cooked up?"
"Exactly." Xiao Bai tilted his head, gazing toward a spot in the magma depths.
"My lord, ten minutes? This technique's far from perfect!" Little Golden Dragon crossed its claws, smirking slyly. "How about letting me take a look? I could help you… make it last longer."
"…" Xiao Bai shot it a withering glance. This guy's scheming is so obvious it's practically slapping me in the face.
"Hey, my lord, don't go!" Seeing Xiao Bai wave at the energy barrier above and flash away toward a direction at breakneck speed, Little Golden Dragon scrambled to follow, shouting, "I swear I just want to help refine it for endurance, no ulterior motives!"
"Scram!" Xiao Bai's voice echoed from afar.
___
The magma depths beneath the Heaven Incinerating Qi Refining Tower fell silent. Xiao Bai and his dragon were gone, and so was the invisible fire python.
Gazing at the empty expanse below the energy barrier, where only magma flowed, Su Qian let out a long breath. His aged face broke into a wide, joyous smile.
"He did it!"
Sweeping his gaze over the tense elders, Su Qian suppressed his excitement and announced loudly, his calm voice tinged with a tremor.
"Haha! Master Xiao lives up to his name! Not only a sixth-tier alchemist, but his cultivation leaves us in awe!"
"Having such a student is Jia Nan Academy's great fortune!"
"Still, it's a bit embarrassing. We've troubled him plenty, but the academy hasn't done much for him in return."
The elders chattered animatedly, the atmosphere warming as the earlier tension dissipated.
"Great Elder, after this, the energy barrier won't hold much longer," Hu Qian said, eyeing the faintly glowing barrier with concern.
"No matter." Su Qian waved dismissively. "The Fallen Heart Flame won't stir again anytime soon."
The elders couldn't see below, but he had. Xiao Bai's final slash, though understated, had elicited a wretched scream from the fire python. Coupled with Xiao Bai's aura spiking to four-star Dou Huang, it was clear the flame had suffered a significant loss. It would need time to recover.
Great Five Elements Divine Light, hm?
Five elements… no wonder he withstood the endless heart flame's scorching.
Su Qian mused, recalling Xiao Bai's exchange with the dragon. That must be the technique that had triggered the celestial phenomenon earlier.
An extraordinary technique for an extraordinary young man.
"Zi Yan! What are you up to?" Su Qian's peripheral vision caught a small figure sneaking toward the barrier, her body faintly radiating a familiar energy. He barked sharply.
"Hehe, just… looking!" Zi Yan's dark eyes darted, her tone evasive.
"Look at what? Xiao Bai's not down there anymore!" Su Qian sighed, exasperated by her uncanny spatial talent.
"What? He's gone?" Zi Yan froze, clenching her fists. She'd been counting on him to refine her herbs once he surfaced. Gritting her teeth, she muttered, "Big liar!"
"Enough. He has his own matters. Not everyone's as idle as you," Su Qian said, rubbing her head. "If you want his help, build a good relationship. You can't just rely on your fists all the time."
"Hmph! I've already changed a lot. I only talk about hitting people now, not actually doing it!" Zi Yan pouted, shaking her head in dissatisfaction.
"Spend some time with Purple Sky. That's Xiao Bai's faction. Get to know them," Su Qian suggested gently, his gaze warm as he looked at the white-clad girl.
He recalled when he first brought her back—wild as a beast, fighting and snatching whatever she wanted. Under his guidance, she'd changed significantly.
Su Qian treated Zi Yan like a granddaughter, but he had his motives. Xiao Bai's tone suggested he was fond of her. Zi Yan's mysterious origins, exceptional talent, and high-grade bloodline, coupled with her being an orphan, stirred faint worries in him. The continent was rife with tales of grudges among top clans.
His Dou Zong strength was respectable in the northwest, but among the continent's elite forces, it was lacking. He feared he couldn't protect her if that day came. But Xiao Bai's potential might just be the key to aiding her in a crisis.
Building ties with him now was a low-risk move with potential rewards—why not?
___
Xiao Bai was unaware of Su Qian's plans.
He now traversed the boundless magma, surrounded by endless crimson. In such a place, one truly felt the insignificance of self against the vast might of nature.
"This magma pales compared to the Fallen Heart Flame's birthplace," Xiao Bai remarked, his five-colored Dou Qi shielding him from the fiery flow.
"My lord, what are we looking for out here?" Little Golden Dragon paddled leisurely through the magma, circling Xiao Bai like a swimmer.
"No idea." Xiao Bai glanced at the relaxed dragon and shook his head. "After absorbing the Fallen Heart Flame's origin from the technique's feedback, I felt a faint pull, like something calling me. So, I came to check."
He wasn't lying. He sensed the call but knew it stemmed from a resonance between the Fallen Heart Flame and Yao Tian Huo's resting place. That's why he'd insisted on striking the flame despite its retreat.
The magma world was too vast. Without this guiding pull, finding Yao Tian Huo's fall site would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The duo chatted as they traveled.
"How much farther? At our speed, we've dived over ten miles in a few minutes!" Little Golden Dragon groaned, bored by the monotonous scenery.
"No clue," Xiao Bai said flatly, leaving a thick Dou Qi marker to avoid getting lost in the disorienting magma, where direction was impossible to discern.
"Hm? Something's approaching!" Little Golden Dragon snapped to attention, shedding its lazy demeanor.
Xiao Bai halted, frowning as he looked in a direction.
His time was limited—ten minutes. After that, the pull might fade, and he wasn't sure it would persist.
Just then, the magma in their line of sight churned, and a scorching gust surged toward them.
"Damn, talk about ugly! And no manners—sneaking an attack!" Little Golden Dragon fumed, its tail flicking out a bolt of golden lightning.
Bang!
A muffled explosion rocked the magma, sending waves of pressure outward.
As the tremors subsided, several blurry outlines emerged.
Crimson-bodied, they blended seamlessly with the magma, nearly invisible without close inspection.
"What are these things?" Little Golden Dragon sneered at the upright creatures. "I thought lizards were bad, but you lot are uglier than those freaks! Rounder heads, thicker necks, bigger feet, and squinting eyes—you grew all wrong!"
"…" Xiao Bai blinked. Didn't expect this guy to be so obsessed with looks.
He wasn't sure if the fire salamanders understood, but their tiny pupils, once faintly hostile, flared crimson with feral rage.
"Hisss!"
Their wide mouths, stretching to the back of their heads, parted to reveal jagged teeth. Forked tongues flicked as they unleashed furious, ear-piercing screeches. Their tails—half their body length—lashed, and their sharp, stubby claws sliced through the magma, charging straight at Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai raised his right hand, his slender palm glowing with white fluorescence. He thrust it into the crimson magma, unleashing a surge of robust Dou Qi.
"Thunder Shock!"
A five-colored palm print formed instantly, blasting forward and smashing into a salamander. The fierce force sent it flying dozens of meters, carving a long magma tunnel that slowly closed as the flow resumed.
The other salamanders rushed to check. The struck creature, crackling with five-colored lightning arcs, lay limp, its eyes dimming.
"Hisss!"
Furious and anxious screeches rang out. The remaining three salamanders' eyes blazed with madness. Their toothy maws opened, and three foot-wide magma balls shot toward Xiao Bai like cannonballs.
"Courting death!"
Xiao Bai flicked his sleeve, summoning a massive energy whip that shattered the incoming magma balls, which melted back into the flow. The whip didn't stop, streaking through the crimson monotony with five-colored brilliance and striking an unprepared salamander.
With a soft thud, another magma tunnel formed.
The two remaining salamanders, furious yet wary, exchanged a glance. Their fierce eyes flickered, and sharp chirps erupted, rippling through the magma like water waves.
Xiao Bai's face darkened. In a flash, he appeared before the two salamanders. His hands, sharp as blades, plunged into their chests like lightning.
The fatal blow silenced their cries. Their eyes widened in disbelief, struggling briefly before their pupils dulled, lifeless.
Xiao Bai withdrew his hands, each holding a crimson bead pulsing with faint heat.
"What are these?" Little Golden Dragon leaned in, inspecting.
"No time for that!" Xiao Bai stored the beads from the remaining salamanders. "They sent a signal. Next time, it won't just be a few Dou Wang-level foes!"
"These crooked freaks have backup?" Little Golden Dragon gawked, noting Xiao Bai's rare urgency. It was a look it seldom saw, hinting their backup was no small fry.
As they spoke, both sensed a formidable aura rapidly approaching.
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