Hai Bodong was momentarily stunned before murmuring, "Could this be fate?"
"Hm?" Gu He looked at Hai Bodong in confusion.
"I know who has a Heavenly Flame."
Hai Bodong sighed softly and slowly spoke.
Upon hearing about the Heavenly Flame, Gu He immediately became agitated, his voice even growing a bit hurried.
Hai Bodong exhaled the name and then recounted the entire situation.
"The Green Lotus Core Flame, ranked 19th on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Queen Medusa..."
Gu He furrowed his brows deeply, his expression grave as he said, "Queen Medusa is infamous for her ferocity, and with the backing of eight tribal chiefs, taking the Heavenly Flame from her won't be easy."
"You don't need to worry about that, Alchemy King. That day, Queen Medusa was severely injured by the Heavenly Flame's backlash. On top of that, she fought a tough battle against me, worsening her condition. She won't recover anytime soon," Hai Bodong explained.
Gu He's eyes lit up, but he still voiced concern. "But it's already been a few days. That human you mentioned might've already refined the Heavenly Flame."
"So what if he has? Don't tell me a renowned Alchemy King like you can't extract a Heavenly Flame from someone's body?"
Hai Bodong said this in a sinister tone.
Gu He hesitated. Doing so would go against moral conduct—but the temptation of the Heavenly Flame was simply too great. In the end, he made his decision:
"To be absolutely safe, I'll have to invite a few more friends to help."
"You mean the Sect Leader of Cloudmist?"
Cloudmist Sect, Main Hall
The sect's elders had gathered in full.
Yun Yun wore an elegant teal dress. Her demeanor was refined and otherworldly, exuding a natural grace. Her beautiful eyes shimmered, and her presence was as pure and noble as an ice lotus.
After hearing Gu He's proposal, her graceful brows slightly furrowed. She pondered for a long while before sighing lightly, her voice soft as orchid breath:
"Fine, I do owe you a favor. But let me be clear—I will only protect your safety. As for seizing the Heavenly Flame, that's on you."
Gu He was overjoyed and said, "Of course. Once I acquire the Heavenly Flame, my alchemy skills will improve, and all of Cloudmist Sect will benefit."
Hearing this, the elders' eyes gleamed with anticipation.
But Yun Yun remained unmoved, replying calmly, "Let's hope so. When do you plan to depart?"
"Once the rest of my friends arrive, we'll set out." Gu He smiled.
Several figures raced toward the Tagor Desert.
Snake-People Tribe – Royal Capital – Palace
Inside the royal bedchamber.
In a corner not far from the bed, a half-meter-wide green lotus hovered an inch above the ground. Seated cross-legged atop it was a naked man.
A small crack suddenly split open on Chen Mo's face, and blood began to stream out, dyeing half of it crimson.
With his eyes closed, Chen Mo couldn't see how terrifying he looked, but he could feel a sharp, sudden pain flash across his face.
He immediately resumed focusing all his attention on circulating his Dou Qi, dragging the resisting Green Lotus Core Flame toward his Qi Cyclone.
The overwhelming energy it emitted was being continuously suppressed by the Tai Shang Hun Yuan Art, but even so, some still leaked, putting Chen Mo's body through immense physical torment.
The intense heat had long since incinerated the robe he'd been wearing.
Had it not been for the Green Lotus he was sitting on—and the protective measures he set outside—this entire palace would've likely gone up in flames.
Time passed unknowingly.
Day turned into night and back again.
Atop the lotus, a spherical barrier of flame encased Chen Mo, emitting a faint green glow. The surface of the barrier flickered like a heartbeat.
Inside, Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes and murmured, "Breaking through again so soon? Could there be any side effects?"
"But I compressed the energy to its limit... It should be fine."
Having made his decision, Chen Mo chose to proceed with the breakthrough.
He closed his eyes once more, first focusing on healing the internal and external injuries caused by the Heavenly Flame.
The Green Lotus Core Flame flowed through his meridians, revitalizing the withered pathways.
Fractured bones and burned skin rapidly began to recover at an astonishing rate.
Outside, the blood-stained body of Chen Mo gradually began to heal. The cracks on his skin fused together, scabs forming and falling off without leaving any scars.
Underneath the surface, his muscles strengthened at a rapid pace. Though he didn't turn into a bodybuilder, a powerful explosive force quietly gathered whenever he bent his arms.
Layer after layer of dead skin peeled off his body, revealing new skin as smooth as a woman's—but with far greater toughness and sensitivity to natural energy than before.
After the healing was complete, Chen Mo began his breakthrough.
To ensure success, he used a single stick of Enlightenment Incense.
A massive silver moon hung high in the sky, casting a soft glow across the desert, draping it in a silvery veil.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The calm desert was suddenly pierced by sharp gusts of wind. Moments later, several dark shadows tore through the air at high speed.
"There's a seal placed on me by Queen Medusa. The moment I step deep into the Tagor Desert, she'll sense it. We must move quickly."
The others nodded. Auras of different colors flared up around their bodies. With a faint bang, their speed increased dramatically as they shot toward the heart of the desert.
Back in the Royal Palace
On the bed, Queen Medusa, who was in seclusion and attempting a breakthrough, suddenly fluttered her long eyelashes.
A massive surge of Dou Qi erupted from within Chen Mo's body.
At the same time, his spirit reflexively scanned his internal world.
Suspended in the center of his Qi Cyclone was a small green dot. Inside the dot was an unfathomable blackness.
And beneath that darkness—an endless, deep ocean.
His dantian had expanded.
His Dou Qi had turned liquid.
A look of awe crossed Chen Mo's face. At this moment, he felt as though he had boundless energy.
He even sensed that with his current Dou Qi reserves, he might be able to fight on par with a Dou Wang.
The next moment, thick black and white Dou Qi enveloped his entire body. When the energy dispersed, a set of black-and-white Dou Qi armor had formed over him.
Chen Mo touched the armor and found it felt as real as steel.
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