539: The power of divine fire

Yao Delong was caught between laughter and tears by the gaze of the artifact spirit girl, who was scrutinizing him like a criminal.

Rubbing his nose, he felt the embarrassment of having his secrets stripped bare in public. "Senior... you truly have a Wisdom Eye."

He gave a helpless smile and decided to be honest—after all, this beautiful artifact spirit was effectively his "accomplice."

He slowly spread open his right palm.

Buzz!

A tiny point of light, like the flame of a candle wick, quietly ignited in the center of his palm.

Golden-red! Pure! It carried a supreme, noble aura that could incinerate all things while simultaneously nurturing life!

The moment that light appeared—

"Waaah!!!"

Bi Yao let out a short cry of alarm!

Her emerald-green figure, usually so lively and unflappable for ten thousand years, seemed to be violently yanked back by an invisible giant hand.

With a "swish," she retreated thirty feet out of thin air! She was so fast that a blurred afterimage momentarily remained where she had stood!

The relaxed playfulness was gone from her small face, replaced by genuine horror!

Her beautiful eyes stared fixedly at the weak flame in Yao Delong's palm, which she instinctively felt was a fatal threat!

Her petite body even subconsciously shifted into a defensive posture, as a faint layer of emerald sword light emerged around her for protection!

"This... could this be..."

Bi Yao's voice carried a hint of unbelievable trembling.

"The aura of the Origin of life mixed with the most primitive Dao Principles of destruction... the Great Sun Divine Fire?! You kid—"

She suddenly looked up, staring intently at Yao Delong as if she were truly seeing this boy for the first time!

"Not only have you refined such a terrifying Saint Body... you've also ignited the fire that only the supreme powerhouses among ancient Body Cultivators could—"

"Upon touching some unspeakable ultimate 'threshold' of the Physical Body, there is a sliver of a possibility to ignite it—your own unique Origin Divine Fire?!"

Her voice rose several octaves, and her eyes looked as if she had seen a prehistoric Vicious Beast gnawing on a radish.

"Good heavens! Divine fire protection! This isn't an external force; this is your natal flame evolved from your life imprint! Rootless and boundless, burning forever!"

She was so excited her small hands began gesturing wildly:

"This fire is your life! It is your Dao! It can evolve on its own! It will accompany you through the desolation of heaven and earth!"

"Even if you can only light a wick now, when you grow to be a Peak powerhouse, the power of this fire... I'm afraid it could truly go toe-to-toe and hold its own against the legendary Chaos Fire Seeds nurtured by stellar cores or the Pure Yang Immortal Fires tempered by the Nine Heavens!"

Yao Delong smiled slightly and clenched his palm.

The golden-red spark of divine fire that had made Bi Yao's hair stand on end instantly extinguished, as if it had never existed.

He admitted frankly: "Senior overpraises me. I just had good Luck and obtained a technique."

"I was just feeling my way across the river and luckily managed to ignite a tiny spark."

"A tiny spark?!"

Bi Yao was like a cat that had its tail stepped on, pouncing back to within seven feet of Yao Delong.

Ultimately, she didn't dare get too close, standing with her hands on her hips and eyes wide; her face was flushed with excitement, though it was hard to tell if it was from anger or shock.

"Luckily? Like hell I believe you! You brat, you really know how to talk big! A fragmented technique?"

"This is absolutely a top-tier Legacy that can stand alongside my Master's 'Heart Sword Without Trace', or might even be more unreasonable!"

"All paths of the Great Dao lead to the same destination! Whether it's the Heart Sword severing thoughts or your 'Divine Fire Tempering the Body'—"

"When practiced to the depths, they are both bastardly things that point directly to the source!"

She stared at Yao Delong with big eyes, wearing an expression that said 'I know everything, don't even try to lie to me'.

But a moment later, she nodded in realization: "No wonder! That explains it!"

"When that dead wood's Primordial Spirit transformed into a sword and stabbed at you... no wonder it was like an egg hitting a steel plate!"

"The Primordial Spirit is also a convergence of Divine Power and will! When it encounters your natal divine fire, which counters many techniques and protects your Primordial Spirit... it simply couldn't break your defense!"

Yao Delong's brow furrowed slightly as he recalled the perilous moment of fighting the sword-heart Incarnation, and said seriously:

"Senior is absolutely right. This move's power is matchless, catching the opponent off guard to attack their Primordial Spirit when it's undefended; it indeed has the power to sweep away those of the same rank."

"But... it's also too extreme and forceful. Transforming oneself into a Primordial Spirit sword is a complete one-shot deal."

"If one encounters someone who can truly defend their Primordial Spirit with powerful means, they only need to block or trap it..."

Before he could finish, Bi Yao understood his meaning and waved her hand to interrupt, resuming her lofty posture as a ten-thousand-year-old artifact spirit.

"Tsk! Perspective! You need to broaden your perspective, Kid Yao!" She puffed out her undeveloped little chest and spoke with earnest gravity:

"Do you think everyone is like you? A Prodigy blessed by Luck, possessing a Saint Body and divine fire to protect their Primordial Spirit?"

"Even my Master, during his lifetime, spent a long time searching for a soul-protecting treasure and couldn't find a suitable one!"

"How many Body Cultivators in an era can ignite their own natal divine fire? You wouldn't even need all your fingers to count them!"

"Even if they have a Soul-Protecting Dao Artifact... ha! That's just a dead object! How could it be as flexible and intuitive as your 'Divine Fire is the Origin of Life'?"

She rolled her eyes cutely. "Rest assured a million times over!"

"If you truly encounter a top-tier opponent where you need to use 'Primordial Spirit Sword Transformation', then first of all, it must be a death feud!"

"Either you kill them in a desperate counterattack! Or... hey, at worst, you perish together!"

"In such a situation, you're still thinking about holding back or discussing flaws? Ridiculous!" She gave a sneer.

"And for enemies who can defend against it, are you stupid? Why wouldn't you use other stronger, more hidden methods?"

"Keep this trump card for fun? Those who truly can't withstand that sword move are already beneath your notice! Stop worrying blindly!"

Yao Delong felt a sudden sense of enlightenment!

Indeed, he had been spoiled by the System, always feeling that his combat methods had to be perfect and without flaws.

But the art of killing was inherently about taking risks; it involved the combination of the orthodox and the unorthodox!

There were desperate moves kept at the bottom of the chest, and there were endless layers of suppression!

He had more and stronger trump cards! Why fear the flaws of this ultimate killing move?

"Senior's words have awakened me!" He cupped his hands in gratitude.

"It was this Junior who was too demanding of perfection, forgetting that the fierce path of the sword is also a path of trade-offs!"

"It's good that you understand!"

Bi Yao nodded with satisfaction. Her small stature couldn't quite pull off the look of a gratified elder, so she simply stood on her tiptoes and patted Yao Delong.

"You've been in this Secret Realm for nearly a month; you must be bored to death. Hurry up and get lost to Cultivate and consolidate your gains!"

"This Junior indeed should return; the Sect is likely worried." Yao Delong bowed slightly.

Bi Yao became slightly more serious for once: "Remember! When you reach the Void Refining Realm, come back once more!"

"At that time, the opponent Master left behind will be on a whole different level! When you one day touch the edge of the true Peak Integration Realm..."

An emerald light flashed in her eyes, revealing a meaningful and mysterious smile.

"That great Opportunity reserved for you... tsk tsk, I guarantee it will surprise you so much your scalp will tingle!"

"Work hard on your cultivation, little monster! This old lady is going to sunbathe and catch up on her beauty sleep. Off you go!"

Before she finished speaking, Bi Yao's small, green hand casually made a stroke in the Void Realm, as if she had touched some rule.

Yao Delong laughed in spite of himself, but his movements were lightning-fast. He instantly pulled out that Spatial Jade Token and injected essence energy—

Buzz!

A stable and smooth spatial rift, like an open doorway, appeared directly showing the scene of the outside courtyard!

Yao Delong did not hesitate and stepped into the spatial gate.

The shifting light and shadows instantly froze.

The soft and familiar courtyard scene came back into view. The stream gurgled, and the bamboo forest swayed.

Everything seemed exactly as it was when he left; even that Jade Slip on Formation Studies that he hadn't finished reading, which he had casually placed on the stone bench, was still there.

But the feeling... was completely different!