The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

A flood of fire control techniques, mental cultivation methods, and even some long-lost advanced pill formulas poured into his mind. This knowledge was incredibly detailed, as if it had been personally imparted to him by the Supreme Pill Saint of the Void.

It took Xiao Fan a full hour to digest all this information. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had become deep and reserved.

"How is it?" Liu Changgeng asked when he saw that he had come to his senses.

Xiao Fan stood up and bowed deeply to Liu Changgeng: "I will forever remember this kindness. There is indeed a fire control technique left by a senior on this altar, which I have mastered completely. If you ever need my help in the future, please just let me know."

Liu Changgeng waved his hand, a relieved smile on his face: "I have guarded this place for thirty years, all for one person to unravel the secrets of the altar. Now that you have obtained it, I have a weight lifted from my heart. But..."

At this point, his expression darkened again: "Besides controlling the fire, there was also a warning left on the altar. Did you see it?"

Xiao Fan was stunned. The information he received did indeed contain parts unrelated to fire control; it seemed that the Grandmaster of the Void had added a sentence years after setting up the altar. It was a short passage:

"Beneath the crimson glow, with flames as the guide, the Southern Sea Divine Realm can be reached. But deep within the South Sea, there is a spying force, neither enemy nor friend; caution is advised."

Xiao Fan read the sentence aloud softly.

Liu Changgeng nodded: "I can't see through the meaning, but the line 'There are those who spy on the fire in the depths of the South China Sea' has stirred up some memories for me."

More than thirty years ago, a man came from the South China Sea and said that in that sea area, there was a cultivator who was proficient in fire control. His method of controlling fire was very strange and did not seem to be of the orthodox path. I suspect that the object sealed by the Grandmaster of the Void back then is related to that group of people.

Xiao Fan's heart pounded. The Black Fire Sect cultivated fire-based techniques, and there were also Fire Seekers in the South Sea. Was there any connection between these two sects? And the warning from the Grandmaster of the Void, "neither enemy nor friend," was even more perplexing.

He bid farewell to Liu Changgeng and returned to the inn to meet up with Master Guyuan and others.

After listening to his words, Yun Ruoxi thought for a moment and said, "The warning from the Grandmaster of the Void is well-founded. He said that there are Fire Stalkers lurking in the depths of the South Sea, so we must be extra careful when we head south."

Xiao Fan nodded and said, "I'll go to the secret realm tomorrow to pick some Crimson Flame Ganoderma and some fire-attribute spiritual materials. We've already lingered in Crimson Cloud Mountain for a few days; we can't delay any longer."

The entrance to the Chixia Mountain Secret Realm is a natural canyon.

Holding the pass given to him by Liu Changgeng, Xiao Fan walked alone into the rift valley. The entrance barrier seemed to sense something and slowly parted to reveal a stone staircase leading underground.

Fluorite lamps are embedded in the stone walls on both sides of the stone steps, emitting a faint glow that illuminates the path beneath our feet.

As we went deeper, the temperature rose and the air became drier, as if we had entered an underground furnace.

About half an hour later, a huge underground space appeared at the end of the stone steps.

Xiao Fan stopped and looked at the scene, and couldn't help but gasp.

Before your eyes lies a vast underground fiery domain—dark red fissures cover the ground, from which lava gushes forth, illuminating the entire space as if at dusk.

Between the lava rivers, dense red herbs grew, their leaves swaying gently in the heat, emitting a strong fire-attribute spiritual energy.

This place contains many herbs that are hard to find on the market, including Red Flame Ganoderma, Flame Marrow Grass, Fire Pattern Vine, and several small trees that are entirely reddish-gold, covered with bright red fruits the size of pigeon eggs, exuding a wonderful aroma.

Xiao Fan didn't rush to pick the fruit. Instead, he first released his divine sense to observe the entire secret realm. The secret realm wasn't large, only two or three miles in circumference, but the spiritual energy was extremely dense, with the fire element spiritual energy being the most abundant.

He carefully picked the mature herbs one by one along the river of lava.

The Creation Fire thrives here; it doesn't need to bend down to examine the herbs carefully. It can tell which herb is the oldest and has the strongest medicinal effect simply by observing the fluctuations in spiritual energy.

Half an hour later, he had filled two large bags and obtained three thousand-year-old Crimson Flame Mushrooms, which was more than the first place reward.

Just as he was about to return, the flame of creation within his sea of ​​consciousness suddenly began to flicker violently.

Xiao Fan stopped and looked into the depths of the secret realm. At the end of this space was a narrow crevice, from which a faint blue light emanated.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided to go and take a look.

The crevice was very narrow; he could only squeeze through sideways. Beyond the crevice was another small cave, in the center of which was a pool of clear spring water.

The spring water has a strange color; half of it is fiery red, and the other half is azure blue. Although these two colors blend together, they are still distinct, as if two incompatible rivers meet here.

A crystal the size of a fist floats in the spring.

The crystal was crystal clear, and a flame was sealed inside. The flame was red and blue, and looked like a spring.

As soon as Xiao Fan's divine sense touched the crystal, it resonated with an unprecedentedly strong force, something he had never seen before.

He even felt that the true energy in his dantian was like a person who had been starving for a long time, smelling the aroma of food, and beginning to stir.

"This is……"

He recognized it. The "Dan Jing" records that fire crystals are formed by the fire created by heaven and earth in extremely cold places, and the spiritual power contained within them is a hundred times purer than that of ordinary fire-attribute spirit stones.

If one can refine it, not only will the power of the Creation Fire increase greatly, but it may also allow one's cultivation to advance further.

Without hesitation, he immediately sat cross-legged by the spring, his palm facing the fire crystal, and began to circulate the Qiankun Refining God Technique, channeling the power of the flame into his sea of ​​consciousness.

The flames within the primordial crystal seemed to awaken, suddenly bursting forth with a beam of red and blue light.

The combined forces of extreme cold and extreme heat surged into his meridians, and Xiao Fan felt as if his body had been split in two, one half burning in a sea of ​​fire and the other half frozen in an icy abyss.

But he gritted his teeth and desperately urged his true energy.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Qiankun Creation Cauldron shone with golden light, layer upon layer enveloping the surging fiery power, constantly refining it, and finally transforming it into strands of pure spiritual energy that entered his body.

With each refining process, the true essence within the dantian grows stronger, and the previously blocked meridians are gradually cleared.

After a long time, Xiao Fan opened his eyes again and saw that the fire crystal had dimmed and the flame inside had completely disappeared, leaving only an empty shell.