Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

"What...what happened?!"

On the outside, Qing Youhe stared wide-eyed at what lay ahead in disbelief.

Just now, the domineering and scorching residual power of the imperial fire, which had existed since before her birth, vanished!

Although the air still retained an uncomfortable residual heat of extreme yang, Qing Youhe clearly felt that the oppressive aura originating from the source of the Emperor Fire was rapidly waning. Before long, this area would completely return to its normal state as the Underworld.

"This guy... could he have taken the 'original fire' of the Emperor Fire?" A thought that even Qing Youhe found absurd popped into her head.

There seems to be only one possibility that could have caused this situation—the Imperial Fire has been taken away.

But... what about taking away the Emperor's Flame and the Primal Flame?

Qing Youhe had never even considered such a thing!

Even her father, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, a quasi-saint, could only approach the Emperor Fire and carefully collect a wisp of its flame for cultivation or trade. There was absolutely no way he could subdue and take away the entire original fire.

The domineering power and might contained in that flame were simply beyond the control of beings at this level.

And now, Qin Le, a young man whose cultivation level is even lower than hers, has actually managed to do it?

This completely overturned Qing Youhe's understanding.

Her brows furrowed, and with a single step, her figure transformed into a streak of light, hurtling towards the core area where the Emperor Fire had originally been located.

We must find Qin Le immediately and get to the bottom of this! The Emperor's Fire is of great significance to countless ghost cultivators in the Underworld; if it is truly taken away, the impact will be immeasurable!

However, she hadn't flown far when she suddenly crashed into an invisible barrier.

"Um?"

Qing Youhe stopped and reached out her hand in confusion. Her palm touched an incredibly tough barrier that completely blocked out space.

"This is... a spatial blockade? What's going on?"

She tried to bypass or penetrate the barrier, but found it to be endless, completely isolating her and preventing her from taking another step forward.

Could it be Qin Le who did this?

No, it doesn't seem like it. The level of this blockade is extremely high, carrying an indescribable sense of weight and order.

In desperation, Qing Youhe immediately took out the Divine Jade and tried to contact her father, the Emperor of Fengdu.

However, the message seemed to disappear without a trace, receiving no response. This made her even more anxious, and she paced back and forth in a hurry.

We can't get in touch with my father either.

Could something have gone wrong?

After anxiously waiting for about ten minutes, the invisible spatial barrier disappeared quietly, just as it had appeared.

Qing Youhe dared not delay and immediately moved forward at full speed.

Soon, she spotted Qin Le near the original location of the Imperial Flame.

Opposite Qin Le stood a woman dressed in magnificent palace attire, exuding an air of elegance and nobility, with a face so perfect that one dared not look directly at her.

Upon seeing the woman, Qing Youhe was startled and immediately stopped, bowing respectfully: "Junior Qing Youhe greets the Goddess Houtu."

It turns out to be the Goddess Houtu!

Qing Youhe felt much more at ease in an instant.

As the actual ruler of the underworld and one of the supreme saints, Houtu Niangniang's appearance here must be to deal with the matter of the Imperial Fire.

With her involvement, regardless of the outcome, the interests of the underworld can at least be protected. The spatial blockade just now was likely also her doing.

Houtu Niangniang nodded slightly, her gaze never leaving Qin Le, and simply said to Qing Youhe, "No need for formalities. I have already reached an agreement with him on the specifics. You can assist him with the follow-up matters."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I will obey your decree." Qing Youhe replied respectfully, finally feeling a sense of relief.

It would be best if the agreement were personally approved by the Goddess Houtu.

Otherwise, if she or her father were to negotiate with Qin Le, a variable with such powerful connections, it would be difficult to know how to strike the right balance—to protect the interests of the underworld while avoiding offending the person behind him.

Houtu Niangniang gave Qin Le another instruction, and then her figure seemed to merge into the void, quietly fading away.

Only after the aura of a saint had completely disappeared did Qing Youhe straighten up, look at Qin Le, and ask, "What did Your Majesty say? What are the specific contents of the agreement?"

The Goddess Houtu only said that an agreement had been reached, but the specific terms still needed to be asked of the parties involved.

Qin Le scratched his head and said, "What Her Majesty means is that I took away the Emperor Fire Origin and need to bear the corresponding responsibility. She wants me to... provide a stable supply of Emperor Fire Sub-Fire for at least twenty major ghost cultivation cities in the Underworld."

"Twenty cities?! Really?" Qing Youhe's eyes lit up instantly, her tone filled with unbelievable surprise.

It should be noted that, in the entire underworld, there are only eight cities with a stable supply of Emperor Fire and Sub-Fire!

Moreover, the power and duration of the sub-fire are limited. If Qin Le could provide a stable supply of sub-fire covering twenty cities, the boost to the overall strength of the underworld's ghost cultivators would be immeasurable!

In comparison, the fact that the Emperor Fire and the Primal Fire had been taken away, which had originally worried her, now seemed acceptable—after all, the Primal Fire had been there for hundreds of millions of years, and the Underworld could only make limited use of it.

But now, they have gained broader and more stable benefits!

"Yes, really." Qin Le nodded, then added, "However, the firewood needs to be provided by your underworld, I don't have that stuff."

Special firewood containers are required to collect and store embers.

"No problem! We have plenty of these!" Qing Youhe agreed without hesitation, her face beaming with joy.

Although firewood is considered a precious material, it is insignificant compared to the stable supply of Emperor Fire.

Looking at Qin Le again now, she felt much more at ease with him—although this guy took away the original fire, the compensation he brought might be more worthwhile for the underworld!

"Alright, let's go back to Fengdu City first," Qin Le said, but a troubled look appeared on his face.

Qing Youhe keenly noticed this and asked with concern, "What's wrong? You...you wouldn't be going back on your word and not want to honor the agreement, would you?"

Her heart jumped again.

"No, that's not it." Qin Le quickly shook his head and explained, "I will definitely fulfill the agreement. I was thinking about something else... I originally planned to use the Emperor Fire sub-fire I collected to exchange for those five tons of Netherworld Grass. But now, providing the sub-fire has become my 'obligation,' so it seems I can no longer use it for exchange. I'm having a headache about how to get those five tons of Netherworld Grass to report back to..."

He sighed, looking distressed, as if his mother would nag him if he didn't finish the task.

"..."

Qing Youhe was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing, her heart finally at ease. She waved her hand and said, "I thought it was something serious! Just this? The Netherworld Grass is easy to handle. As for the five tons... we'll give them to you from Fengdu City! Consider it... well, consider it a small token of our appreciation for reaching an agreement!"

She thought Qin Le was going to back out, but it turned out he was just worrying about this little thing.

Five tons of Netherworld Grass is an astronomical figure for an individual, but for Fengdu City, which controls a region, although it is also a considerable sum, it is absolutely worthwhile to use it to befriend Qin Le and gain his favor and smooth fulfillment of the agreement.

Moreover, this agreement was personally agreed upon by the Goddess Houtu.

Upon hearing this, Qin Le breathed a sigh of relief and a sincere smile appeared on her face: "Thank you so much! This has finally solved a major problem for me."

"We should be thanking you," Qing Youhe said with a smile, this time the smile was much more genuine.

The ability to reliably obtain Emperor Fire and Sub-Fire is of great significance to the Underworld.

Without further delay, the two quickly returned to Fengdu City.

Qing Youhe quickly brought twenty pieces of firewood and handed them to Qin Le.

Qin Le took it and, without saying a word, immediately activated the technique he had just mastered. He carefully separated wisps of pure white flame from the Emperor Fire in his Qi Sea and injected them into each of the fire-nurturing woods.

The flame entered the wood, but instead of burning it, it seemed to be sealed in amber, burning quietly and emitting a gentle and pure yang energy.

Unlike the original fire, the secondary fire is more like a spark with limited energy, which will gradually be consumed over time and with use.

If sealed with firewood, it can maintain stable burning for about a hundred years.

For immortals and gods who live for thousands or tens of thousands of years, a hundred years is a very short time.

But for Qin Le, who was only in his early twenties, a hundred years... was still quite a long time.

After successfully separating twenty fire streams, Qin Le asked Qing Youhe for five more blank fire-nurturing woods and carefully put them away.

Next, Qing Youhe ordered his men to hand over the five tons of Netherworld Grass, which had been prepared in advance and piled up like a mountain, to Qin Le.

After everything was settled, Qin Le bid farewell to Qing Youhe and stepped into the spatial portal that had been waiting for him, leading back to the mortal realm.

With a flash of light, his figure disappeared from Fengdu City.

Looking at the empty teleportation point, Qing Youhe thought of the desolate land that no longer possessed the oppressive power of the Emperor's Fire. With mixed feelings, she shook her head, then smiled.

The underworld may be about to undergo some new changes.