Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

Chapter 323 I am the Pure Lotus Demon Saint. By the time you see these words, I will already be dead!
Gu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart pounded wildly in his chest, and he even unconsciously slowed his breathing.

What I see before me is a secluded and cramped ancient cemetery.

The walls of the tomb chamber are made of ancient, dark blue-green rocks, covered with mottled marks of time and engraved with some strange runes that have long since become indistinct.

A chilling, deathly aura permeated the air, mixed with the faint warmth of the strange fire, making it both mysterious and sinister.

"This is……"

Gu Yuan glanced around briefly, then suddenly looked up.

In the very center of the tomb chamber stood a crystal-clear ice coffin!

The ice crystal coffin, made of an unknown material, was as clear as glass, yet it exuded a chilling aura, perfectly sealing the person inside.

Inside the coffin, a man dressed in a plain white robe lay quietly, his long hair cascading down like a waterfall, his face strangely handsome, his eyebrows like distant mountains, and his eyes like cold stars.

Even in slumber, it possesses an unparalleled elegance that commands respect.

What shocked Gu Yuan the most was that the strange fire aura that he had been pursuing all along was actually emanating from the man in the ice crystal coffin!

"Gulu..."

Gu Yuan unconsciously swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

When perceived from a distance, the strange fire's aura was only perceived as vast and violent, but its level was never imagined to be so high.

Now that he was facing it up close, he could clearly perceive the terrifying power contained in that aura!
Pure, domineering, eerie... and possessing a power to purify everything, even stronger than his Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame!

"It shouldn't be..."

Gu Yuan frowned deeply, his eyes filled with doubt: "The Void Devouring Flame has been subdued by the Dragon-Phoenix Son."

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame should still be trapped in the Demon Flame Space, only to appear in the world at the specific moment when the two moons appear simultaneously and the nine stars unite. How could there be such a powerful and unusual flame in this world?

He leaned on a black wooden crutch and limped slowly toward the ice crystal coffin, taking each step with extreme caution.

Gu Yuan's remaining battle qi quietly circulated, and his soul power, like a fine spider web, cautiously swept across the man's body in the coffin, trying to find out the origin of this strange fire.

But upon this discovery, Gu Yuan was even more shocked, and he almost couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

The man's body contained an unimaginably vast power, like a dormant volcano that, though not yet erupting, was enough to terrify any strong person.

Even at his peak, his physical strength could only be compared to that of others!

"This corpse was definitely a peerless expert at the peak of the nine-star Dou Sheng level in life!"

Gu Yuan was utterly shocked: "Moreover, judging from the integrity of this physical body and the power it contains, it is probably even more terrifying than my peak condition back then!"

What alarmed him even more was that, under the probing of his soul power, he could vaguely sense that there was still an extremely faint trace of life remaining in this body!
This peerless expert is not completely dead yet; he is merely in a strange state of suspended animation!
Gu Yuan's expression instantly became extremely solemn, and the fighting spirit around him circulated even faster.

However, he did not have the slightest thought of escaping from this place.

It is by no means easy for a peerless expert of this level to be resurrected; it would require a specific opportunity and a long period of time, making it difficult for him to pose a threat.

He took a deep breath and released his soul power again. This time, the investigation was more detailed, covering not only the man in the coffin but also the entire ice crystal coffin.

After a moment, Gu Yuan gradually formed some guesses in his mind, and his eyes became complicated.

"That strange fire is no longer within his body." Gu Yuan murmured to himself, a hint of realization in his voice: "What I sensed along the way was merely a trace of his original essence, a remnant deep within his body from his long association with the strange fire..."

The fact that this aura could linger for so long and remain so clear is enough to demonstrate just how terrifying the power of that strange fire was back then...

The Void Devouring Flame is arrogant and unruly, and there are few records of it being subdued throughout the ages, at least not in the last ten thousand years.

However, there were rumors that the Pure Lotus Demon Flame had been subdued thousands of years ago, and judging from the material of this ice crystal coffin and the style of the runes, its existence coincides with that record…”

The identity of the person in the coffin is already obvious.

Pure Lotus Demon Saint!
"But what if there isn't a real strange fire here..."

Gu Yuan's heart sank, and he couldn't help but sigh: "Then all my efforts in searching all this way have been in vain?"

He was seriously injured and desperately needed the help of a strange fire, but in the end he only found a corpse that was pretending to be dead. How could he not be frustrated?

"In fact, even the remains of a saint are a treasure, let alone a complete body. Perhaps there is still some essence blood left in the Pure Lotus Demon Saint..."

But since he was only feigning death, rashly breaking the ice coffin and attacking his body might alert the hidden forces within…

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint is not just a nine-star peak Dou Sheng, but has taken a step beyond that, and is known as a half-emperor. Even ancient clans and ancient books are very secretive about this powerful figure.

If such a powerful figure's backup plan is discovered, even in his prime, he would be at risk of perishing, let alone now.

Gu Yuan shook his head. Disappointed, he finally had the leisure to examine the simple cemetery.

Hopefully, besides his own corpse, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint will leave behind some other treasures, preferably some high-quality healing pills...

The cave was dark, with only the ice crystal coffin emitting a faint chill.

Gu Yuan raised his hand and waved it. A wisp of golden battle qi overflowed from his fingertips, turning into a small flame that hovered in front of him, illuminating the surrounding environment.

By the light of the fire, he quickly noticed a tattered animal hide map lying quietly on one side of the ice crystal coffin.

The fragment of the painting was yellowed and brittle, with considerable wear and tear on the edges, indicating that it had existed for an extremely long time.

"This is……"

Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow, leaned on his wooden crutch, stepped forward, and reached out his slightly trembling right hand to pick up the incomplete map.

The moment his fingertips touched the fragment of the map, he clearly sensed a faint aura of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame within it, exactly the same as the aura remaining in the man's body in the coffin.

Clearly, this fragment must also be something closely related to the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

Gu Yuan examined the fragment several times, only to find that the patterns and text on the fragment were incomplete and their purpose was impossible to discern. It could neither directly provide energy for healing nor enhance strength.

"That's all."

Gu Yuan smiled bitterly and casually stuffed the incomplete map into his pocket: "To me now, this thing is no different from a piece of waste paper."

He looked up, preparing to turn and leave the cemetery where all his joy had been in vain, but his gaze inadvertently swept over the rock wall above the broken map.

In the firelight, lines of ancient and vigorous characters were clearly carved on a corner of the rock wall!
Its brushstrokes are sharp and fierce, carrying an arrogant air of looking down upon the world, as if it were written casually by its master, yet it contains boundless Daoist charm.

Gu Yuan's gaze was instantly drawn to it. He stared intently and saw that the first line of text read: "I am the Pure Lotus Demon Saint. By the time you see this line, I will already be dead!"

(End of this chapter)