146: Chapter 146 Nirvana Golden Flame: Playing with fire? Call me ancestor!

“Buzz—”

As the golden flame in Xu Chen's palm fully took shape, a visible storm of heat waves suddenly swept through the originally quiet Medicine Spirit Abyss.

This was no ordinary high temperature, but an absolute suppression originating from the very level of life itself.

Beneath the ancient bronze cauldron, the Earth Vein Spiritual Fire—which had been dancing cheerfully and burning tirelessly for tens of thousands of years—now behaved like a mouse encountering a cat.

“Puchi, puchi.”

Those purple-red tongues of flame not only withered instantly but also prostrated themselves in unison toward Xu Chen. The flames trembled violently, clinging to the ground as if performing a grand kowtow to a supreme sovereign of fire.

Ten thousand fires surrendering!

“This... this is...”

Liu Hanyan, who had been worried that Xu Chen's flame wasn't strong enough, was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that she retreated three steps, her back slamming heavily against the jade table behind her.

Her autumn-water eyes, which usually saw through the vicissitudes of life, were now wide with shock, staring fixedly at the harmless-looking little golden flower in Xu Chen's hand.

As a Wood Spirit Body, her perception of fire was acute to the extreme.

Before that golden flame, she felt the spiritual power within her body trembling; it was a fear born of facing the coexistence of destruction and rebirth.

“Nirvana Golden Flame?! The Source Ancestral Fire of the True Phoenix Clan?!”

Liu Hanyan's voice went out of tune, her usual dignified elegance shattering instantly.

Like a young girl who had never seen the world, her finger shook as she pointed at Xu Chen:

“How can such a legendary divine object be on you? Are you... are you human or a demon?”

“I am your future husband, so naturally, I am human.”

Xu Chen flicked his finger, and the golden flame danced nimbly on his fingertip like an obedient golden spirit.

“Tower Master Liu, do you think I'm qualified to melt that broken vine now?”

“Broken vine...”

Liu Hanyan's lips twitched. That was the Ten Thousand Year Dragon Blood Vine! A divine medicine prized by the entire cultivation world! In this guy's mouth, it had actually become a 'broken vine'?

However, looking at the golden flame radiating a supreme aura, she had to admit that before this thing, the Dragon Blood Vine was indeed no different from withered grass.

“Yes... more than qualified...”

Liu Hanyan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy waves in her heart, as her gaze gradually became fervent.

As someone obsessed with alchemy, being able to personally control this legendary divine fire to refine pills was the ultimate dream she could die for without regrets.

“Since the fire is sufficient, let's begin!”

She quickly adjusted her mindset and walked back to the alchemy platform, her expression becoming more serious than ever before.

“However, Young Master Xu, I'll state the ugly truth first. The Nirvana Golden Flame is incomparably overbearing; a slight mistake will burn the ingredients into nothingness. Since you don't know fire control techniques, you must follow my instructions completely.”

“We will use the 'Leading Fire into the Soul' method.”

At this point, two red clouds drifted onto Liu Hanyan's cheeks, and her eyes darted away.

“Leading Fire into the Soul?” Xu Chen raised an eyebrow.

“It means... you are responsible for outputting the flame and spiritual power, acting as the 'Fire Source'; while I release my divine sense to enter your Sea of Consciousness, guiding you to control the intensity and direction of the flame, acting as the 'Helmsman'.”

Liu Hanyan bit her lip, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz:

“During this process, our divine souls must blend together without reservation—I within you, and you within me... just like... just like the dual cultivation of Dao companions.”

“Oh—”

Xu Chen drew out the sound, a wicked smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

“So Tower Master Liu wants to have a soul-communion with me? You should have said so earlier; I'm a person who loves helping others.”

“You! Be serious!”

Liu Hanyan glared at him in shame and indignation. If looks could kill, Xu Chen would already be riddled with holes.

“I'm doing this for alchemy! For the Dan Tower! Can't you stop filling your head with such filthy trash?”

“Fine, fine, for alchemy.”

Xu Chen tucked away his smile, sat down cross-legged, and patted the spot next to him.

“Come on, Lord Helmsman. For this kind of physical labor, I'll definitely cooperate fully.”

Liu Hanyan took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her racing heart, and sat down cross-legged across from Xu Chen.

“Close your eyes and concentrate.”

At her command, both of them closed their eyes simultaneously.

Buzz!

The next moment, a divine sense as gentle as water and carrying a faint medicinal fragrance emerged from Liu Hanyan's brow, cautiously touching Xu Chen's vast, sea-like divine sense.

Upon first contact, Liu Hanyan couldn't help but let out a soft moan.

“Mm...”

The feeling was too strange. Xu Chen's divine sense was full of masculine strength and dominance, as hot as a scorching sun. Meanwhile, her divine sense was feminine and delicate. The moment the two met, it was like ice meeting boiling water, triggering waves of soul-trembling numbness.

“Don't move around... follow my guidance...”

Liu Hanyan endured that peculiar sensation, gritting her teeth as she took over control of the Nirvana Golden Flame from Xu Chen.

“Step one: Refine the Ten Thousand Year Dragon Blood Vine!”

Boom!

Under Liu Hanyan's guidance, the golden flame within Xu Chen's body roared out, instantly enveloping the crimson, iron-hard spiritual medicine.

Chii—!

There was no need to laboriously refine it for seven days and nights as before.

In just the blink of an eye, the Ten Thousand Year Dragon Blood Vine that gave countless alchemists headaches had its outer skin fall off instantly. Impurities dissipated into green smoke, leaving only a glob of crystal-clear, ruby-like pure medicinal liquid floating in the furnace.

“This... so fast?!”

Although Liu Hanyan was mentally prepared, she was still frightened by this exaggerated efficiency.

Is this the power of a divine fire? This was like using a divine sword that cuts iron like clay to slice tofu; it was so smooth it made one want to cry.

“Don't daze off, continue!”

Xu Chen reminded her in the Sea of Consciousness. That voice, carrying a hint of a smile, rang directly in the depths of her mind, making her divine soul sway.

“I... I know!”

Liu Hanyan hurriedly composed herself and continued to throw herself into the intense refining process.

“Step two: Nine-Leaf Ice Heart Grass! Note, use a gentle fire and let it penetrate bit by bit!”

“Step three: Celestial Star Sand...”

Time flew by in their tense and efficient cooperation.

Inside the Medicine Spirit Abyss, the medicinal fragrance grew richer, even condensing in the air into visible phantoms of dragons and phoenixes that circled and danced.

As for Xu Chen and Liu Hanyan, their states underwent subtle changes as time passed.

To maintain this high-precision 'Leading Fire into the Soul', their divine souls remained in a state of tight intertwining.

In the Sea of Consciousness, their divine senses were like two fish swimming together. Each other's joys, sorrows, and even some subconscious thoughts were passed to the other without reservation through this blending.

Liu Hanyan felt the rock-solid heart of a powerhouse beneath Xu Chen's seemingly cynical exterior, as well as his extreme protectiveness toward his family. This powerful masculine charm made her, a strong woman who had always been alone, feel the urge to 'rely' on someone for the first time.

And Xu Chen also felt the weakness and loneliness beneath Liu Hanyan's cold mask, as well as her pure, moving obsession with the Dao of Alchemy.

Outside.

Liu Hanyan was already drenched in sweat.

Her simple, loose alchemy robe was soaked with fragrant sweat, clinging tightly to her body and outlining a breathtakingly voluptuous curve. A few wet strands of hair stuck to her slender neck, rising and falling slightly with her rapid breathing, exuding an indescribable allure.

“Young Master Xu... spiritual power... is it still enough?”

Liu Hanyan's voice was somewhat raspy, carrying a trace of fatigue.

Although the Nirvana Golden Flame was powerful, its consumption was astronomical. They had been refining continuously for three hours; any ordinary Quasi-Saint would likely have been sucked dry long ago.

“You just keep moving. Even if I'm squeezed dry, I can't say I'm not up to it.”

Xu Chen grinned. Though his face was slightly pale, his eyes remained terrifyingly bright.

“Boom!”

With a thought, a blurry phantom of the Hongmeng Grotto-Heaven vaguely appeared in the void behind him, crazily devouring the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy, instantly replenishing his depleted spiritual power.

The Hongmeng Creation Body was just that unreasonable.

“Monster...”

Liu Hanyan cursed inwardly, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

This man was truly a bottomless treasure trove.

Finally.

Another three hours passed.

As the final auxiliary herb was refined, hundreds of globs of colorful pure medicinal liquid floated inside the qingming cauldron like a sky full of stars—beautiful beyond compare.

“Final step.”

Liu Hanyan opened her eyes, which were bloodshot, but her spirit was excited to the extreme.

“Nine-Cycle Pill Condensation!”

“This is the hardest and most dangerous step! Young Master Xu, you must stay steady!”

“The Nirvana Golden Flame needs to undergo nine extreme compressions and bursts, like a phoenix nirvana, to grant the pill spirituality!”

“Bring it on!” Xu Chen took a deep breath and shoved his hands forward.

“Rise!”

Rumble!

The hundreds of globs of medicinal liquid in the furnace suddenly converged, turning into a fist-sized embryonic pill.

Terrifying energy fluctuations erupted instantly. The qingming cauldron began to vibrate violently, emitting bursts of tooth-aching metal friction sounds.

“First Cycle! Compress!”

The golden fire dragon roared inside the furnace, fiercely squeezing the embryonic pill.

“Second Cycle!”

“Third Cycle...”

As the cycles increased, the embryonic pill grew smaller, but the light it emitted became more blinding. The energy fluctuations also became more terrifying, like an exploding star being forcibly stuffed into a small box.

When they reached the Eighth Cycle.

Crack—

A tiny but clear cracking sound suddenly rang out in the dead silence of the Medicine Spirit Abyss.

Liu Hanyan and Xu Chen's expressions changed at the same time.

The qingming cauldron, which had remained intact after thousands of years of earth fire roasting, finally reached its limit under the overbearing devastation of the Nirvana Golden Flame.

A fine crack appeared on the body of the cauldron.

Immediately after, the crack spread rapidly like a living thing.

“Not good...”

Liu Hanyan's pupils constricted.

The Ninth Cycle hadn't even started, and the furnace... was about to explode!