117: Xiao Yan, possessed by a ghost, is a fake Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Flame!

The moment Xiao Yan's words fell, the ethereal, hollow voice of an old man rang out in his mind.

"Rest assured, leave it to me."

The next moment, a vast, ancient, and majestic Soul power, filled with endless alchemical charm, suddenly awakened and erupted from within Xiao Yan's body!

Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly. After a brief moment of confusion in his eyes, it was replaced by a sense of vicissitude and indifference that had seen through the world.

His aura climbed steadily, passing through the Early, Middle, and Late Stages of the Soul Transformation Stage, all the way to Perfection... like a hot knife through butter, he broke through the barriers and stabilized directly at the Great Perfection of the Void Return Stage!

He even felt slightly more solid than the three people across from him!

Then, the possessed "Xiao Yan" looked up, his gaze like lightning as he looked at the three people opposite him. His voice changed to an old and calm tone: "This item is fated to be with this old man. You three, please return."

Nangong Yun's brow furrowed slightly. At this moment, the familiar feeling from the opponent had vanished, and his tone sounded like that of a crusty old man. It seemed that the opponent was not the Yan Xiao she knew.

She snorted coldly. Sensing the opponent's cultivation at the Void Return Great Perfection, she showed no fear on her face.

"Void Return Great Perfection? This level of cultivation is not enough to snatch the Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire from us! Form the Formation!"

The two people behind her moved in response. The three of them instantly formed a triangular Formation. Blazing spiritual energy gushed out, weaving into a huge phantom of a flame furnace in the air, pressing down towards the possessed Xiao Yan!

The Formation's power was immense, causing the surrounding space to crackle from the heat. It was clearly a powerful method they had prepared for collecting the Immortal Fire.

"Trivial tricks."

The possessed Xiao Yan's eyes were indifferent. Without any apparent movement, he simply waved his sleeve. An invisible but extremely condensed Soul power, mixed with pure fire spiritual energy, surged out, transforming into a giant flame palm that slammed fiercely against the furnace phantom!

BOOM—!!!

A terrifying explosion erupted at the mouth of the rift valley!

Flames splattered and airwaves billowed. The ground was plowed into deep furrows, and charred rocks turned into molten lava, splashing everywhere.

A clash at the level of the Void Return Great Perfection, even if it was just a probe, was incredibly awe-inspiring.

Taking advantage of the earth-shaking battle below, where energy was chaotic and Divine Sense was difficult to use for clear investigation, Lu Yu gave Li Miaoer and Lin Xiaoyou a meaningful look.

Lu Yu had already used the high-grade concealment Talisman given by Su Rouxue. Coupled with the perfect aura concealment of his Sword Heart Illuminating Clarity Realm and the innate concealment bonus of Li Miaoer's Nine Li Heavenly Cat Clan...

The auras of the three of them almost blended into the violent and scorching environment.

"Go!"

Lu Yu transmitted his voice. The three of them were like three blurry shadows, hugging the scorching rock walls and avoiding the destructive energy turbulence at the center of the battle.

They silently crept towards the depths of the rift valley, in the direction where the pure fluctuations were coming from.

The true oriole had begun its move.

Meanwhile, above them, the battle between Xiao Yan and Nangong Yun's group was reaching a fever pitch, and no one had time to worry about anything else.

Coming to the interior of this volcanic crater and looking at the Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire floating in the center of the boiling magma, he did not hesitate for a moment!

"Crimson Flame Emperor Phoenix Manifestation!"

He instantly activated his Dharma Body Divine Ability. However, instead of manifesting a body over twenty zhang tall, it was only two meters in size, covering his own body. This crimson Phoenix True Flame transformed into a Manifestation Divine Ability; at this moment, he was like a flame emperor!

By using this Crimson Flame Emperor Phoenix Manifestation, he himself did not fear this terrifying magma that was enough to burn even those at the Soul Transformation Stage into nothingness.

He took a step forward!

Lu Yu grabbed towards the clump of cyan-blue flame floating in the center of the magma lake, which emitted a pure and crisp aura.

It felt cold to the touch. The flame's form was lifelike, and he could even feel the powerful purification and life-giving power contained within.

However, just as his five fingers closed and he was about to scoop it into his hand—

That clump of Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire suddenly distorted. Like a bubble, with a "poof," it vanished without a trace!

Only a faint, cool lingering charm remained, quickly dissipating in the scorching air.

"A fake?!"

Li Miaoer cried out in alarm, her small face full of astonishment.

"How is that possible! It felt so real!"

Lin Xiaoyou's paper doll Clone floated closer. Her tiny finger pointed at the spot where the flame had vanished. Her voice remained steady but carried a hint of gravity:

"It is a very sophisticated 'Fire Spirit Illusion.' It uses pure fire spiritual power to simulate the charm of an Immortal Fire, making it almost indistinguishable from the real thing. The one who set this illusion has reached the Transcendent level of fire control."

Lu Yu's expression was also somewhat unsightly.

After putting in so much effort to sneak in, what he saw was actually a fake?

It felt like being hungry all day and seeing a big chicken leg, only to realize it was made of plastic when biting into it.

But the Realm of Sword Heart Illuminating Clarity allowed him to quickly calm down.

If the fake flame seed was here, where was the real one?

The purpose of setting the illusion was clearly to confuse and delay intruders.

He closed his eyes and pushed his perception to the limit.

The Crimson Flame Emperor Phoenix Manifestation gave him extreme affinity and control over fire. The Haoyang True Fire and Phoenix True Flame slowly circulated within his body.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat!

Haoyang True Fire and Phoenix True Flame both belonged to the level of Immortal Fire. Instantly, he sensed an extremely weak resonance originating from an exotic fire, coming from the depths of the dark red magma sea beneath his feet—a sea that seemed boundless, slowly churning and emitting terrifyingly high temperatures!

That resonance faintly echoed with the Haoyang True Fire and Phoenix True Flame in his body, carrying the quality of a top-tier flame, but its nature was completely different. It was purification, it was rebirth, it was the clarity of ages past!

"It's down there!"

Lu Yu snapped his eyes open and looked at the terrifying magma beneath his feet, which was enough to instantly vaporize ordinary Soul Transformation Cultivators.

"The real Pure Lotus Heavenly Clear Fire is hidden deeper in this magma sea!"

He immediately made a decision: "Yun Shu, Fifth Senior Sister, Sixth Senior Sister, the temperature in the depths of this magma is too high. My Crimson Flame Emperor Phoenix Manifestation might not be able to fully protect you for long. You should either retreat to a safe area above first, or... create some commotion up there to delay anyone who might chase us down. I'm going down to find it!"

Liu Yunshu showed a look of worry, but she knew it was hard to change Lu Yu's mind once he decided on something, and his resistance to fire indeed far exceeded that of ordinary people.

She bit her lip and said decisively, "Miaoer, Xiaoyou, and I will go up. We'll act as backup or lure away pursuers depending on the situation."

"Good!"

Time was tight. Lu Yu no longer hesitated. He nodded to Liu Yunshu and Li Miaoer. The red-gold Phoenix True Flame around him surged again, forming a condensed but even more solid phantom of a flame emperor.

Then, without hesitation, he plunged headfirst into the thick, scorching, and destructive dark red magma below!