Chapter 208: Flame Can Only Make Me Reborn Through Fire
And before this, Xie Yanning had already suffered countless injuries. Her entire robe had long since turned from light pink to bright red, fluttering in the wind.
She felt somewhat drained.
Her cultivation was still far from sufficient.
If only her cultivation could reach the Void Refinement mid-stage, then even if she couldn’t defeat the Huan Bird, she could completely hold it back. But as it happened, she had used the Golden Jade Rotten Cotton Technique, and her cultivation was only at the Early Void Refinement stage.
The further one progresses, the more each advancement in realm is like crossing an insurmountable chasm.
Early Void Refinement, Void Refinement mid-stage; a single word difference, a world of difference.
But Xie Yanning lowered her eyes and looked towards Ming Zhaoshuang, who, amidst the flames and despite the pervasive thunder, persisted in setting up the formation. She then once again raised her sword and headed in the opposite direction.
The long sword in her hand ignited again.
Blood dripped from the sword’s edge, like water dripping from eaves.
The blazing fire beneath her feet surged with her movements, pattering against the lava below, as if to evaporate this place entirely.
She swung her sword again, transforming into Zhurong and controlling all flames.
Sparks flew from Xie Yanning’s eyes.
“Four clouds of fire scatter across the sky, turning it red, now I, with all my might, whip the red dragon!”
Thousands of waves rose, surging towards the Huan Bird as if to engulf it completely. The blazing firelight, reaching towards the sky, ignited the Huan Bird’s fiery red feathers, causing it to let out a long cry.
Rumbles–
Thunder Power then descended, falling around Xie Yanning. She held the Qingyan Sword, her gaze indifferent, and blocked these bolts of thunder without hesitation.
Her heart meridian ached intensely, and she felt increasingly drained and powerless.
Xie Yanning bit her lip tightly, refusing to retreat even half a step. Her long hair had been straightened by the thunder, and her hands were also stained with inches of blackness.
She cannot retreat; if she retreats, the people behind her will have nowhere to go.
Looking at the Huan Bird being burned by the extreme flames, Xie Yanning moved again, running towards its front and arriving at the center of Ming Zhaoshuang’s formation.
The Huan Bird let out a screech. After being burned by the blazing fire for a long time, it was in immense pain.
Xie Yanning watched with cold eyes.
Yan Ao, however, watched in stunned silence. Although he didn’t know what technique Xie Yanning was using, he also knew that the flame power she used was extremely pure and clean, something only the Phoenix race of ancient times could wield.
But, weren’t phoenixes already extinct?
Although some demonic beasts inherited the Phoenix Bloodline, to his knowledge, their purity did not reach this level.
After all, although he himself was a Wind Attribute demonic beast, he belonged to the closest lineage to the Phoenix Bloodline, and no one understood the difficulty of reaching this purity better than he did.
And the Huan Bird itself possessed the Phoenix Bloodline, albeit only Heaven Rank Low Grade, its flame purity was definitely far superior to that of ordinary demonic beasts. However, Xie Yanning, even if she were a Fire Phoenix, the closest to the Phoenix Bloodline, should not possess such powerful flame control ability.
What kind of demonic beast was she?
Yan Ao, of course, would not have thought that Xie Yanning was never of the demon race, but a genuine member of the Human Race, possessing the most powerful Innate Fire Spiritual Root in the world.
After all, their demon race only valued bloodlines, not spirit roots.
He was stunned for quite some time until Xie Yanning, forced by the thunder, coughed up blood again, her shoulders blackened. Only then did he react, rushing to her front and helping her block the layers of thunder.
Xie Yanning took the opportunity to swallow two pills and rest for a while.
The flames continued to burn, the thunder continued to surge. Xie Yanning hung high in the air, feeling a surge of blood, a bloody taste in her throat, and a sense of numbness throughout her body.
Continuously releasing two Zhurong Fire Control Techniques was not merely overexertion; it was depletion.
Fortunately, she was accustomed to depletion.
For the sake of this demonic beast struggling in the sea of fire for several hours, she felt it was very worthwhile.
Yan Ao threw two more Monster Cores at her and said, “Don’t say I don’t have the bearing of a gentleman. These pills are Heaven Rank and are highly effective for restoring demonic power.”
If it weren’t for these pills, he would have likely been killed by the Huan Bird long ago.
Xie Yanning hesitated slightly.
To be honest, Yan Ao was indeed warm-hearted and gentlemanly. He gave away Heaven Rank pills so readily, clearly a very generous person.
But the problem was, he was giving her Monster Cores, and she was of the Human Race.
Although Alchemists do not have racial boundaries, the pills refined by Alchemists do have racial boundaries. When pills are refined, a certain usage scope is designated. Some pills can be used by any race, but some pills are exclusive to a single race.
This was precisely why Ming Zhaoshuang, despite having Heaven Rank pills, had not sold them.
Was it that she didn’t want to sell them?
No!
It was that people of the Demon Realm couldn’t use them!
The Heaven Rank pills in Ming Zhaoshuang’s possession could only be used by the Human Race. If given to a demonic beast, they would not only be ineffective but could also cause a backlash.
Therefore, when faced with Yan Ao’s pills, Xie Yanning coughed lightly and said, “No need, I have some.”
Yan Ao immediately expressed understanding: “Alright then!”
In truth, he was also reluctant to part with the Heaven Rank pills, as they were extremely precious. If not for his grandfather doting on him, he probably wouldn’t have been so generous.
The two had a moment of respite in mid-air. Ming Zhaoshuang and the others, taking advantage of the Huan Bird’s preoccupation with the flames and its inability to attend to them, quickly completed the formation.
After an unknown amount of time, a long cry suddenly came from the sky.
The Huan Bird, its wings spread, broke free from the flames and charged towards Xie Yanning and Yan Ao. Its sharp beak flashed with a fierce, blinding light, like a long spear.
Xie Yanning struggled to maintain her stance, blood dyeing the sky.
Yan Ao blocked several attacks for her, but ultimately his cultivation was insufficient, and he could only retreat step by step.
However, no matter how much they retreated, they could not again draw the Huan Bird away from Ming Zhaoshuang’s formation and towards Wen Ye.
After Xie Yanning exhausted all her spiritual power to block the Huan Bird’s final blow, she finally became powerless and was swept into the fire sea below by the flap of its wing!
The sea of fire boiled, like blood.
Yan Ao’s eyes widened.
Yet, as Xie Yanning fell, she showed no fear. She said to him, “You hold on, I’m not afraid of fire. Fire can only make me reborn from the ashes!”
A Phoenix’s rebirth inherently requires being bathed in fire.
Xie Yanning fell into the sea of fire.
The sea of fire burned fiercely, licking at her skirt hem, illuminating her face, adding a touch of vibrancy to her formerly cool demeanor.
Yan Ao watched with a shocked gaze. He turned to look at Ming Zhaoshuang, whose eyes watched Xie Yanning. With a sigh, she was instantly stunned. Just as she was about to rush towards Xie Yanning, she suddenly seemed to be called back by something, and continued to lower her head, drawing the formation in her hands.
The System was still comforting her: “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Xie Yanning has an Innate Fire Spiritual Root. For others, a sea of fire is a terrible ordeal, but for her, it’s just like taking a bath. No need to worry, no need to worry.”
Ming Zhaoshuang felt a slight sting in her nose but suppressed it.
A woman like Xie Yanning truly embodied loyalty and righteousness to the extreme. She had overexerted herself twice, only thinking of enabling her to defeat the Huan Bird and obtain the Nine-Orifice Lotus Root Silk.
When she had initially said she wanted to accept the Heaven-Grade Mission, a large part of the reason was that she simply did not understand how vast the gap between the Body Integration Stage and the Void Refinement Stage would be. She had thought it was similar to the gap between her Golden Core Stage and Nascent Soul Stage, not insurmountable, hence her arrogance then.
But Xie Yanning was not only in the Void Refinement Stage now; she had previously reached the Body Integration Stage. How could she not understand the difference between the two cultivation levels? Yet, when she heard she wanted to accept the Heaven-Grade Mission, Xie Yanning still fought for her.
And she completely risked her own life.
