165: Chapter 165 This fire cannot be extinguished by water.

The summit of Qingyun Peak was locked away by clouds and mist.

The red light barrier of the mountain-protecting array resembled a giant inverted bowl, completely isolating it from the prying eyes and clamor of the outside world.

As Elder Su Ming departed on a cloud, this Spirit Peak, which had just changed owners, fell into a deathly silence.

Gu Yan pushed open the stone door of the secret chamber behind the main hall.

This place had once been Lin Canghai's cultivation retreat; the surrounding walls were built from ten-thousand-year cold jade, the floor paved with blue bricks known as "Calm Heart Stones," and the air should have been permeated with a bone-chilling cold.

But the moment Gu Yan stepped inside, the surrounding air distorted.

"Hoo..."

He opened his mouth and exhaled a breath.

That breath turned into white mist three inches from his lips, only to be instantly evaporated by the high temperature, emitting an extremely faint "hiss" sound.

Hot.

It was not just his skin that was burning; his internal organs were ablaze.

Previously, in the infirmary, to break through to the third level of the Wild Tyrant Body, he had swallowed ten drops of "blood marrow" and three stalks of Dragon blood grass in one go.

Although that violent medicinal power helped him recast his flesh, the residual Yang Sha Qi did not disappear; instead, like a herd of startled wild horses, it rampaged through his Meridians.

Gu Yan tore off the cumbersome Daoist robe that symbolized his status as an Elder and tossed it onto the floor.

On his bare upper body, his originally bronze skin was now frighteningly red, and his veins bulged like purplish-blue tree roots, throbbing with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

He walked over to the cold pool in the center of the secret chamber.

This was spring water drawn from an Yin meridian deep underground; normally, the surface would be covered with a thin layer of ice.

"Splash."

Gu Yan jumped straight in.

There was none of the refreshing relief of ice and fire that he had imagined.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—

The cold pool instantly boiled.

A large amount of white steam rose up, instantly filling the entire secret chamber.

The originally clear and cold pool water began to churn violently with Gu Yan at its center, just as if someone had thrown a red-hot branding iron into a pot of cold water.

"Still not working..."

Gu Yan leaned against the pool wall, his hands gripping the rocks on the edge tightly.

With force from his fingertips, five indentations were pressed into the hard cold jade.

The blood river bead inside his body seemed to sense the boiling of its host's blood and Qi, and began to grow excited in turn, continuously releasing waves of heat that assaulted Gu Yan's line of rational defense.

This heat was not fatal, but it was maddening.

He needed an outlet.

Either slaughter, or...

"Clang."

The door of the secret chamber was pushed open.

Jiang Wanrou walked in, carrying a pile of Spirit Medicine she had just organized.

As soon as she entered, the oncoming heat wave forced her to take a half-step back, and the jade bottles in her arms collided, emitting a crisp sound.

"Gu Yan?"

She waved her hand to disperse the white mist in front of her and saw the man soaking in the boiling water.

At this moment, Gu Yan's eyes were blood-red, his black hair plastered wetly against the sides of his face, and those eyes, which were usually filled with calculation and indifference, now resembled a beast in heat, filled with the most primitive aggression.

Jiang Wanrou's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively wanted to turn and flee.

But she stopped.

As a fourth-grade Alchemist, she could tell at a glance that Gu Yan's current state was wrong.

"You... has your blood and Qi reversed?"

Jiang Wanrou set down the Spirit Medicine and walked quickly to the edge of the cold pool.

She reached out, wanting to check Gu Yan's pulse.

Slap.

Gu Yan's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist.

Scorching.

Jiang Wanrou felt as if her wrist had been locked by an iron hoop, and that astonishing heat conducted through her skin, burning her so badly she almost cried out.

"Don't touch me."

Gu Yan's voice was hoarse and rough, like sandpaper grinding against the ground: "Get out."

He was still trying his best to suppress it.

If he didn't suppress it, he was afraid he would tear the woman before him to shreds.

"I'm not leaving."

Jiang Wanrou endured the sharp pain in her wrist; she did not struggle, but instead stepped forward and placed her other palm on Gu Yan's forehead.

"This is 'Blood Sha Burning Body'."

Her expression was grave, and a wisp of green flame ignited at her fingertips as she tried to guide out that violent heat: "You swallowed too much blood marrow and also performed Fusion with the blood river bead. That thing is an object of extreme Yang and extreme evil; your body right now is like a powder keg, and just soaking in cold water will only boil you alive."

The Green Lotus Fire drilled into Gu Yan's body.

But the next second.

Boom!

The Blood Sha Qi inside Gu Yan's body seemed to have been provoked and violently counterattacked.

Jiang Wanrou let out a muffled groan; that wisp of Green Lotus Fire was instantly devoured, and the backlash force caused a trace of blood to spill from the corner of her mouth, sending her reeling backward.

Gu Yan was quick-witted and grabbed her waist, pulling her back.

Their bodies collided.

Soaked clothes, a scorching chest, and the faint medicinal fragrance on Jiang Wanrou.

Gu Yan's pupils instantly contracted to the size of pinpoints.

The string of his rationality snapped.

[Warning: Host's Yang Qi value is off the charts! If Yin and Yang are not harmonized, you are expected to explode and die in thirty minutes... or turn into a beast that only knows how to mate.]

[Detected compatible target: Profound Yin Fire Body (SSR).]

[System suggestion: Don't hold back. This is to save your life; it's a proper medical procedure!]

Gu Yan's breathing became heavy, his breath spraying against the side of Jiang Wanrou's neck, burning her so much that her whole body trembled.

"You..."

Jiang Wanrou looked up and met those eyes filled with possessiveness.

She read the meaning within them.

No fear.

She had seen him kill in Shafeng Cave, seen him fight for his life in Fallen Demon Valley, and seen him swallow Dragon blood grass in the infirmary to become stronger.

This man had become like this because of her.

"I am hot, too."

Jiang Wanrou spoke suddenly, her voice very soft, yet it was like a spark falling into an oil drum.

She did not push Gu Yan away; instead, she extended her arms and wrapped them around his scorching neck.

"I have the Profound Yin Fire Body."

She looked into Gu Yan's eyes, her cheeks flushed, yet she was unusually firm: "My Primeval Yin Qi can neutralize the Blood Sha within you."

"Gu Yan, this fire cannot be extinguished by water."

"It must be extinguished by me."

Gu Yan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He no longer suppressed it.

Splash.

He stood up from the cold pool while holding Jiang Wanrou, kicking up a large splash of water.

Taking a few steps to the ten-thousand-year cold jade bed, Gu Yan laid her down.

The cold jade bed, the scorching body.

The extreme contrast made Jiang Wanrou unable to help but arch her body.

"This is what you chose."

Gu Yan leaned down, his fingers hooking the sash at her waist.

Rip.

That plain white Alchemist's robe was as fragile as paper in the hands of this violent man.

The sound of fabric tearing was exceptionally harsh in the secret chamber.

Jiang Wanrou closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling.

The next moment, the storm descended.