294: Chapter 294 Receiving the Fire Celestial Venerable

Relying solely on his weak True Qi for protection, Ye Tian endured the biting cold and slowly dove deeper.

The lake water was crystal clear, and the visibility was decent.

The bottom of the lake was not flat; instead, it was covered with unknown aquatic plants.

Ye Tian swam toward the direction he had sensed earlier.

After diving about twenty zhang, a strange sight appeared on the lakebed ahead.

Dozens of stalagmites rose from the lake floor, forming a circle. The central area was barren, and the rocks on the bottom showed traces of being charred and melted.

In the center of that circle of stalagmites sat a crimson humanoid skeleton!

The skeleton remained in a meditative posture. Even after countless years, it still radiated a heart-palpitating, scorching pressure.

Even weirder, the water surrounding the skeleton was boiling due to the residual high temperature, yet it was confined within a certain range and did not spread.

"Human remains?!"

Ye Tian's heart tightened, and he immediately stopped, becoming vigilant.

Judging from the pressure emanating from this skeleton, its owner must have been an extraordinary existence during their lifetime—at least a Late Stage Sea Transformation Realm expert!

Much stronger than Ling Juexiao!

Just as he was hesitating whether to approach and investigate, golden flames suddenly ignited within the eye sockets of the crimson skeleton!

Immediately after, a voice filled with vicissitudes and pain echoed in Ye Tian's mind: "How many years has it been... Finally, another living person has come to this 'Ember Lake Heart'..."

As the voice sounded, golden flames rose above the skeleton, slowly condensing into the phantom of an elderly man made of fire.

The old man's hair and beard were all crimson, his face ancient and simple. Between his brows was a domineering aura capable of incinerating the eight directions.

He "looked" at Ye Tian, seemingly able to pierce through everything.

"Junior, you are heavily injured, but your Foundation is quite good.

Your Sword Intent is condensed and does not dissipate, and there is even the Origin of lightning and fire dormant within your body... Interesting."

The voice of the fire phantom sounded again, tinged with surprise.

Ye Tian was greatly shocked; this was actually the remnant soul of a powerful expert!

And he had seen through part of his background at a single glance!

He immediately went on full alert, but he didn't sense any killing intent from the other party—more of a sense of loneliness.

"Junior Ye Tian was pursued by enemies and accidentally entered this place. I hope Senior will forgive me for disturbing your rest."

Ye Tian bowed slightly in the water.

When facing such an existence of unknown depth, it was always right to be perfectly polite.

"Rest? Heh..."

The fire phantom gave a bitter laugh. "This venerable one's name is 'Jiehuo,' known in life as Venerable Jiehuo.

I am merely lingering on here; there is no talk of rest."

Venerable Jiehuo?

Venerable?!

Ye Tian's heart shook violently.

In the True Spirit Continent, only great experts of the Yuan Dan Realm were qualified to be addressed as 'Venerable'!

The one before him was actually the remnant soul of a Yuan Dan Realm expert?!

"Senior is..." Ye Tian asked tentatively.

"In my life, I had reached the tenth level of the Yuan Dan Realm, Great Perfection. One foot had already touched the threshold of the Cave-Heaven Realm!"

Venerable Jiehuo's phantom straightened slightly, his tone carrying pride, but then it dimmed again. "Unfortunately, I failed at the final step.

All my life, I meticulously studied the Great Dao of Fire. To seek a Breakthrough, I absorbed and refined too many Heaven and Earth Exotic Fires, causing an unresolvable accumulation of fire poison in my body.

Ultimately, at the critical moment of charging into the Cave-Heaven Realm, the fire poison erupted, backfiring on myself and causing Qi Deviation...

If not for the fact that at the last moment, my Divine Soul attained a sliver of indestructible property due to touching upon the mysteries of the Cave Heaven and the Golden Core's transformation into a Nascent Soul, my soul would have likely flown away and spirit scattered long ago.

But because of this, I am trapped here, unable to leave this 'Ember Lake Heart' which is influenced by my final power."

His words were full of unwillingness and regret.

An expert who once stood at the pinnacle of the Northern Region had fallen miserably due to a flaw in his Cultivation Technique, his remnant soul trapped in a desolate land. The sorrow in this was moving.

Ye Tian remained silent.

He could understand this feeling.

The path of martial arts was a struggle against heaven for one's life, full of danger at every step.

"Junior, you and I are fated."

Venerable Jiehuo's phantom "looked" at Ye Tian. "I observe that your injuries are a combination of new and old, and your Origin is deficient. If not treated in time, I fear it will damage your Dao Foundation, making it difficult to progress even an inch in the future.

Although I only have a remnant soul left, with the remaining Yuan Dan Origin and my control over the Fire Spirit Energy here, it is not difficult to help you stabilize your injuries and recover seventy to eighty percent."

Ye Tian's heart stirred, but he didn't immediately feel overjoyed.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, especially when facing an old monster who once commanded the winds and clouds.

"What does Senior need me to do?" Ye Tian asked directly.

"Smart."

Venerable Jiehuo was very satisfied with Ye Tian's reaction. "I need a suitable body that can carry my remnant soul for Possession and Rebirth.

It must have a fire-attribute Spiritual Root, be no more than fifty years old, have a cultivation of at least the Sea Transformation Realm, and possess a flawless Physical Body and a pure Divine Soul.

In addition, I need five types of Heaven And Earth Treasures to help me stabilize my remnant soul, purify the fire poison, and complete the Possession."

He paused, and a wisp of small flame separated from the phantom, outlining the images and names of five items before Ye Tian: "Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Jade Marrow (to nourish the Divine Soul), Nine-Revolution Soul-Returning Grass (to repair the soul body), Ice-Heart Jade Lotus Root (to purify fire poison and reshape physical Meridians), Earth Core Fire Spirit Milk (to supplement the fire system Origin), and Void Gazer Stone (to stabilize the Sea of Consciousness space after Possession)."

Each one was a rare treasure that only existed in legends, things that could be sought but not easily found!

The value of any one of them was enough to make Sea Transformation Realm or even Yuan Dan Realm experts fight to the death!

Ye Tian sucked in a breath of cold air.

These conditions were too difficult!

Leaving aside the harsh requirements for the Possession body, just these five treasures might not be found even if one searched the entire Northern Region!

"I know this matter is extremely difficult."

Venerable Jiehuo's tone was calm, not surprised by Ye Tian's reaction. "But this is my only hope for Rebirth.

If you agree, I will not only immediately help you heal but also impart to you my lifetime's insights and experiences in cultivating the Fire Dao and charging into the Cave-Heaven Realm, and I will gift you a treasure suitable for your use.

During your growth process, my remnant soul can also reside in an object on your person. At critical moments, I might be able to resolve your doubts, give guidance, or even... take action once."

He added, "Of course, my remnant soul's power is limited, and the cost of taking action is enormous; it cannot be done unless it is a life-or-death moment.

As for the Possession body and those five treasures, you can search for them slowly. I am not in a hurry, nor can I afford to be.

But you must swear a Divine Soul oath that if you achieve success in the future, you will do your best to complete this matter."

Ye Tian fell silent.

Agreeing meant taking on a heavy promise, needing to risk his life in the future to find things that were almost impossible to find.

If he didn't agree, with his heavily injured body, whether he could leave Mist Dragon Ravine alive was a question, let alone seeking revenge on Ling Juexiao and Qiu Qianchuan.

The cruel figures of Ling Juexiao and Qiu Qianchuan flashed through his mind... the flames of hatred burned in his chest.

He needed power!

He needed to recover as quickly as possible!

The guidance of Venerable Jiehuo, the cultivation insights of a half-step Cave-Heaven Realm expert, was undoubtedly a huge Treasure Trove!

Moreover, with such a powerful expert by his side, he could avoid many detours on his future cultivation path.

As for those five treasures and the Possession body... things are done by people!

If he could really stand at a high enough level in the future, he might not lack the opportunity!

Weighing the pros and cons, Ye Tian raised his head and looked at the phantom of Venerable Jiehuo: "Senior, I, Ye Tian, am willing to swear a Divine Soul oath!

If it is within my power in the future, I will definitely find a suitable body and those five treasures for Senior, and help Senior be reborn!

If I violate this oath, my soul shall be destroyed, and I shall fall into Reincarnation forever!"

As his voice fell, he forced out a drop of essence blood, mixed it with Divine Soul power, and outlined a covenant rune in the air.

This was the most severe Divine Soul blood oath. Once violated, one would surely suffer a backlash.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Venerable Jiehuo's phantom said the word 'good' three times in a row, the flames flickering and showing his excitement.

He had waited for far, far too long!

"Little friend Ye Tian, as expected, I did not misjudge you!"

He also separated a wisp of Origin Soul Fire and merged it into that covenant rune.

The rune then split into two, sinking into Ye Tian's forehead and his own skeleton respectively.

The contract was established!

"Since the oath is sworn, I shall now help you heal!"