Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Successful Refinement

As he circulated the Divine Wood Technique, the Sky Burning Earth Fire slowly entered his meridians, sending waves of tearing agony through them.

At the same time, as if the Sky Burning Earth Fire knew its fate was to be devoured, it struggled desperately. Flames spewed forth, scorching Ye Qingchen’s meridians and bringing a heart-piercing pain with them.

Fortunately, thanks to the powerful protection of the vein-protecting pill, Ye Qingchen’s meridians were spared the initial brunt of the assault.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Ye Qingchen carefully guided the Sky Burning Earth Fire through his meridians, forcing it toward his Dantian.

”Merge!”

Finally, Ye Qingchen managed to lead the Sky Burning Earth Fire to his Dantian. With a low shout, he used the immense pressure of his Spiritual Power to force the Sky Burning Earth Fire inside, bit by bit.

Unwilling to be assimilated, the Sky Burning Earth Fire struggled even more fiercely, its powerful flames billowing violently within his Dantian.

”Ah!”

Ye Qingchen could not help but cry out in pain. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His heart seized, and the sheer agony almost made him faint.

At that critical moment, the mighty power of the Heart-Protecting Pill surged out, enveloping Ye Qingchen’s heart.

”Calm down!”

Ye Qingchen bit the tip of his tongue to jolt himself awake. With another low shout, he frantically suppressed the Sky Burning Earth Fire within his Dantian.

As one force waned, the other waxed. The Sky Burning Earth Fire’s struggles weakened.

As Ye Qingchen continued to circulate the Divine Wood Technique, the Sky Burning Earth Fire gradually became docile, ceasing to release its unbearably intense heat.

DING!

A crisp sound echoed from within his Dantian. Ye Qingchen could clearly feel that the Sky Burning Earth Fire had completely become a part of his body, perfectly in tune with his will.

At the same time, the surrounding Spiritual Energy began to furiously converge into his body.

Spiritual Energy flowed along Ye Qingchen’s meridians and poured into his sea of qi. Instead of being directly absorbed, it was first tempered by the Sky Burning Earth Fire. The fire then slowly released the refined energy, which was transmitted through the meridians to every corner of Ye Qingchen’s body.

To his surprise, Ye Qingchen discovered the Spiritual Energy tempered by the Sky Burning Earth Fire had become incredibly pure. The spiritual energy that emerged was less than a tenth of the original volume, but it contained the same amount of power.

This meant that, even though the size of the sea of qi in his Dantian was unchanged, his body could now hold more than ten times its original power.

This was a terrifying prospect. Thinking about the qualitative leap in his combat strength, Ye Qingchen could not help but feel excited.

Furthermore, this purified Spiritual Energy continuously repaired Ye Qingchen’s body, which was covered in wounds from the Refinement of the Sky Burning Earth Fire.

The process was swift. In just a moment, Ye Qingchen’s body returned to its peak condition. Yet, the influx of Spiritual Energy did not weaken in the slightest; instead, it surged in at an even more fearsome pace.

In a mere three minutes, Ye Qingchen felt his Realm starting to loosen. Then, without any pause, he broke through to the third level of martial master.

But the Spiritual Energy continued to flood into Ye Qingchen’s body relentlessly. This change caught the attention of Xiao Xiao, who was engaged in a fierce battle.

Young Master, you’ve succeeded.

Xiao Xiao noticed that blood was no longer seeping from Ye Qingchen’s body, and his aura was rising nonstop. Just a moment ago, he was a second-level martial master. Now he had reached the third, with the fourth level not far off.

Xiao Xiao, you must hang on for the Young Master. Now that he has successfully refined the Sky Burning Earth Fire, it’s the perfect opportunity for his strength to surge. You have to push through and protect him in this final step!

Xiao Xiao encouraged herself continuously. Her exhausted body erupted with a burst of power far beyond its limits, blocking the overwhelming swarms of Fire Rock Beasts and keeping them ten meters away from Ye Qingchen.

Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen’s Realm continued to climb rapidly, reaching the fourth level of martial master as the surrounding Spiritual Energy gathered at a swift pace.

Fortunately, this was the Heavenly Pond Sea of Fire, where the Spiritual Energy was almost inexhaustible. Otherwise, given his current absorption rate, any other place would have been insufficient to support such a breakthrough.

This breakthrough continued for an hour before it stopped. By then, Ye Qingchen’s Cultivation had risen to the fifth level of martial master, and only then did he stop absorbing Spiritual Energy.

When Ye Qingchen opened his eyes again, he felt an astonishing surge of power within him, giving him a sense of invincibility.

However, before he had a chance to carefully comprehend this new power, he saw Xiao Xiao, who was on the verge of collapse.

Without hesitation, Ye Qingchen ran to her side.

”Young Master, did you succeed?”

Seeing Ye Qingchen approach, the last sliver of Xiao Xiao’s persistence gave way, and she collapsed into his arms.

Ye Qingchen looked at the corpses of Fire Rock Beasts scattered all around. It was not hard to imagine the tremendous pressure Xiao Xiao had faced alone.

Xiao Xiao was merely a fourth-level martial master. Facing other fourth-level Fire Rock Beasts, even with her powerful Vermilion Bird Holy Soul, the sheer numerical advantage of the beasts was something most people could not withstand.

Moreover, the terrain here was open, allowing a large number of Fire Rock Beasts to attack Xiao Xiao simultaneously—far more than just ten or twenty.

Thus, the pressure Xiao Xiao had experienced was several times greater than what Zhao Jiehui had faced.

But Xiao Xiao had stubbornly held on for so long, driven by her determination to protect Ye Qingchen.

Ye Qingchen was deeply moved, and his heart ached for the little girl. Before this, Xiao Xiao had never faced so many Monster Beasts at once.

Ye Qingchen lifted Xiao Xiao onto his back, tore off a piece of his clothing, and used it to secure her to himself.

Perhaps sensing the powerful aura emanating from Ye Qingchen, the Fire Rock Beasts actually stopped their advance, not daring to attack.

”Xiao Xiao, you’ve worked hard. Thank you! Now, your Young Master will get you out of here!”

Ye Qingchen affectionately stroked Xiao Xiao’s hair again. Even unconscious, she seemed to feel his tenderness, and a contented smile graced her lips.

”Now then, let me test my new strength on all of you.”

Ye Qingchen walked slowly toward the group of Fire Rock Beasts. With each step he took, the horde involuntarily retreated.

If Ye Qingchen merely had the strength of a fifth-level martial master, these Fire Rock Beasts might not have been so afraid. But now that he had fused with the Sky Burning Earth Fire, the aura it emitted instilled an instinctive dread in them.

”Picking Leaf Hand!”

Ye Qingchen did not care whether these Fire Rock Beasts were frightened. Their ferocious assault on Xiao Xiao had touched his reverse scale, and now it was time for him to avenge her.

Therefore, his opening move was the Mysterious Rank Martial Arts, Picking Leaf Hand. Previously, this technique could barely break a Fire Rock Beast’s defense. Now, with his advanced strength, the moment it touched a beast’s body, a fierce Fire Rock Beast was instantly turned to ash.

Ye Qingchen did not hold back. Each attack claimed the life of a Fire Rock Beast, and the Energy within him now seemed inexhaustible, surging mightily.

In just a short time, a large number of Fire Rock Beasts had fallen. The ground was littered not just with their corpses, but also with the precious Fire Essence they dropped.

Ye Qingchen knew the value of Fire Essence, so while he dispatched the Fire Rock Beasts, he also collected the essence from the ground.

Before long, the terrified Fire Rock Beasts broke ranks and began to flee in all directions.

Ye Qingchen gave chase for a short while but decided to stop, worried about Xiao Xiao’s injuries.

After cleaning up the battlefield and collecting all the Fire Essence, Ye Qingchen headed in Zhao Jiehui’s direction.

Any Fire Rock Beast he encountered along the way was effortlessly slain. Advancing with this unstoppable momentum, he quickly reached the Formation he had set up.

Seeing the Formation was still intact, Ye Qingchen sighed in relief. If anything had happened to Zhao Jiehui because of him, he would have felt guilty for a lifetime.