While in Battle Through the Heavens, one can pre-appoint oneself as an emperor.

Chapter 122 Zi Yan is not lying to me!

In the following days, Chen Xiao did not rush to spend money in advance, but instead immersed himself in cultivating his battle qi and soul power.

Unfortunately, no matter how focused he was, he could never enter that rare and precious state of enlightenment again.

As for the idle advance payment opportunities, the Heavenly Demon Puppet is an alternative.

A Dou Zong level combat power is the foundation for survival in the Black Corner Region!

However, since Elder Cao Xi is still in Fengcheng and there is no threat around him, Chen Xiao is not in a hurry to advance the Heavenly Demon Puppet. In any case, there is no delay in advance payment, and there will be no problem in advance payment when needed.

It just so happens that Chen Xiao can use this time to think about whether there are other things that are urgently needed.

Xiao Yixian was close to a breakthrough, and she had been in seclusion most of the time these days. After Fengcheng gradually got on the right track, piles of poisonous materials and poisons were sent to the bamboo building, which became the basic food for her promotion.

Seeing Chen Xiao and Little Fairy Doctor so engrossed, even the usually carefree Zi Yan was deeply moved and felt a sense of urgency. Moreover, she knew very well that once Cao Ying finished refining the Sea Heart Flame, she would probably have to return to Zhongzhou.

Therefore, Zi Yan has been sticking to Cao Ying these days, asking her to help condense and stockpile pills.

For a fifth-grade alchemist, condensing the pills needed for Zi Yan is just a basic skill and doesn't require much effort at all.

Unfortunately, the sheer volume was overwhelming.

For five consecutive days, Cao Ying's medicine cauldron was almost smoking from the heat, but the little dragon's medicinal reserves showed no signs of running out.

"Zi Yan, just how many medicinal herbs have you hidden away?"

"There's only a little left."

Hearing this familiar reply, Cao Ying was speechless.

After raiding Maple City, the Kui Wolf Gang, and the Beast Taming Sect—three long-established forces in the Black Corner Region—this little dragon woman is now incredibly wealthy, and no one knows where her limits lie.

Each time I asked her, her answer was only a few words.

These past few days of overtime work have made Cao Ying realize just how much her fiancé spoils this little dragon man.

Even within the Cao family, she had never handled so many rare medicinal herbs before, yet here, they were merely Zi Yan's rations...

"Ziyan, let's stop here. The output from these past few days is enough for you to eat for at least half a year. When your fourth uncle and I return to Zhongzhou, we'll have the Cao family keep an eye out for the Transformation Grass. Within six months, they should be able to send you the Transformation Pill. Then you won't have to struggle with these pills anymore."

Cao Ying stood up, put away the medicine cauldron, and said.

She really liked Zi Yan, the group's darling.

But as an alchemist, she always felt like she was wasting precious resources by personally refining rare medicinal herbs into pills that were not presentable.

Therefore, estimating that Zi Yan's pill reserves were enough to last for more than half a year, Cao Ying did not want to do such a painful thing anymore.

Zi Yan looked up at Cao Ying, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling into tiny slits with laughter, her soft voice brimming with joy: "Yes, thank you, Sister Cao Ying!"

Cao Ying smiled, gently stroking Zi Yan's hair as she teased, "Are you being so formal? Don't you consider me your older sister?"

Just as the atmosphere was getting along well, Cao Ying's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a secret voice transmission suddenly rang in her mind.

"Let's go, Fourth Uncle is all set. Call Chen Xiao, let's go take a look."

The two had just come out of the room when they saw Chen Xiao already waiting outside.

Obviously, he also received the message.

Little Fairy Doctor was in seclusion and it was best not to disturb her, while Hai Bodong needed to stay in Fengcheng. The three of them went downstairs to say hello to him, and then headed towards the back of Fengcheng.

After crossing a high peak, they arrived at a rather large mountain valley, where they found Cao Xi standing there quietly waiting.

Before him floated a cluster of deep blue flames, about the size of a peach pit. Aside from the intense heat it emitted, it was difficult to notice from its appearance without careful observation.

"This is Han Feng's Sea Heart Flame? How come it's so weak?"

Approaching, Zi Yan looked surprised and doubtful.

In her perception, this Sea Heart Flame seemed to be inferior to the Blue Lotus Earth Heart Fire seen in the Tagor Desert.

"The energy of a strange flame cannot be judged solely by its ranking; it is also related to the time it was born. For example, a newly born Fallen Heart Flame is far inferior to the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, which was born a thousand years ago. Tagor's flame is over a thousand years old."

"This Sea Heart Flame must have been born no more than a thousand years ago, otherwise Han Feng would have had a hard time refining it. Moreover, it has been refined and devoured by Han Feng once, and now it has been consumed by the Fourth Elder for five days. It is normal that it looks a bit weak."

Chen Xiao explained that he was very satisfied with the current situation.

In the original timeline, every time Xiao Yan refined and devoured a different kind of fire in the early and middle stages, the target was far beyond his strength, and he was always risking his life.

Although Xiao Yan succeeded by sheer luck each time, this life-risking approach was not suitable for Cao Ying.

Chen Xiao viewed Cao Ying as a genius alchemist who could continuously provide him with medicinal pills from behind, rather than a combatant capable of fighting.

Under this premise, all he needs is for Cao Ying to be able to refine three kinds of strange fires with extremely low danger levels, which are ranked low on the Strange Fire Ranking.

There's no need to aspire to rankings that are too high.

At the very least, there's no need to be too fixated on it in the short term.

"That being said, the fusion of the two different flames is still not something to be taken lightly. As I said before, we must act within our capabilities."

Cao Ying nodded slightly in response.

Chen Xiao had already reminded him more than once, so Cao Xi didn't need to elaborate further.

"Let's do it the same way as last time. Please ask Ziyan to keep an eye on things while we wait outside."

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, took a step forward and then withdrew.

Under the questioning gazes of the three, he swiftly formed hand seals, and an Ice Soul Talisman, shimmering with strange runes, gradually materialized in his hands.

As the Ice Soul Talisman appeared, the Sea Heart Flame, which was suspended in mid-air, was greatly affected, like a candle flickering in the wind, looking as if it might be extinguished at any moment.

"go!"

With a low shout, Chen Xiao unleashed the Ice Soul Talisman in his hand. After traveling several hundred feet, it exploded with a bang to the astonishment of the three.

laugh!laugh!laugh!

An extreme cold burst forth, causing the temperature in the mountain valley to plummet. In just a few breaths, the entire valley transformed into a frigid zone, freezing everything in sight!

"I had an epiphany a few days ago and had a lot of inspiration. I have refined the Heavenly Cold Qi, and my battle qi is somewhat special. This Ice Soul Talisman contains all my battle qi, which should help you refine the strange fire."

Seeing the three looking at him with surprise, Chen Xiao smiled and gave a simple explanation.

The Ice Soul Talisman was a unique feature of his cultivation technique. After careful consideration, Chen Xiao was no longer satisfied with using it as a backup hidden energy source and began to explore more uses for it.

For example, like right now, let's unleash it all at once!

Its power, while not comparable to a nine-star Dou Wang self-destructing on the spot, is not far off.

What pleased Chen Xiao the most was that he could control the burst of the Ice Soul Talisman, and as his own strength grew, the power of the Ice Soul Talisman would also increase!

This undoubtedly gives him another powerful weapon when facing enemies!

Now that the actual experiment has been conducted, the results have greatly satisfied Chen Xiao.

"It is indeed a brilliant idea, and its power is quite remarkable. No wonder Queen Medusa was in such a hurry to find you a few days ago, but she stayed for so long before coming out. Enlightenment is indeed something that can only be encountered once. I only had an enlightenment once thirty years ago, and it only lasted for half a day before being interrupted."

It was extremely rare for Cao Xi to show a hint of envy on his face.

Cao Ying's eyes sparkled. In this extremely cold environment, the strange fire was naturally suppressed, and her success rate in refining the strange fire was undoubtedly increased.

Zi Yan's face was pale from the extreme cold. Her eyes lit up, she tightened her shoulders, and suddenly had a good idea.

"Chen Xiao, why don't you stay and look after Sister Cao Ying? It's too cold here, I don't like it."

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished into the mountain valley in a flash, seemingly not wanting to stay for even a moment longer.

Xiaolongren's sudden action surprised Chen Xiao and Cao Xi, while Cao Ying seemed to be thinking of something and her gaze shifted slightly.

"It really won't do if no one is watching over you. Ziyan and I will be waiting outside for your good news."

Cao Xi reacted the fastest, stepping forward to pat Chen Xiao on the shoulder before laughing and striding away.

Before leaving, they didn't forget to add another barrier to this mountain valley.

Watching the two leave one after the other, Chen Xiao shook his head and turned his gaze to Cao Ying.

"Now, we really can't explain ourselves."

With Cao Ying's intelligence, she naturally understood what Chen Xiao meant.

An unnatural look crossed Cao Ying's face as she bit her lip.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I never thought of going back on my word. You protect me. I haven't stopped refining pills for Ziyan these past few days. I need to adjust my condition."

After uttering those words, Cao Ying lightly touched the ground with her toes and flew to the area below the Sea Heart Flame, where she sat cross-legged on the ice.

The icy chill that came from sitting down quickly brought her back to her senses. She immediately cleared her mind of all distractions and began to regulate her breathing using her internal energy cultivation technique.

Chen Xiao waited at a distance, not disturbing them.

He had done everything he could, and if Cao Ying still failed, then he had nothing more to say.

The silence lasted for about half an hour before Cao Ying, who was sitting cross-legged beneath the Sea Heart Flame, slowly opened her eyes.

She was already prepared, and now that she was in peak condition, she didn't hesitate any longer. She glanced at Chen Xiao in the distance, then suddenly reached out her jade hand and grabbed straight at the Sea Heart Flame.

"Bang!"

The dormant flames of the sea, provoked, instinctively surged forth.

Even though its energy has been completely depleted, the temperature it emits is still not to be underestimated.

Under Chen Xiao's watchful gaze, Cao Ying quickly took out an ice-blue pill and swallowed it. Immediately, a thick layer of frost appeared on her body, covering her entire body completely. This allowed her arms to withstand the extreme heat emitted by the Sea Heart Flame and continue to stir within the deep blue flames, searching for the origin of the Sea Heart Flame.

After about two minutes, she finally smiled and quickly withdrew her right hand.

One could see that in her palm, she was tightly clutching a cluster of flames as red as seawater; this was none other than the origin of the Sea Heart Flame.

Grasping the essence, Cao Ying was even more decisive than Chen Xiao had imagined, and without hesitation, she stuffed it directly into her mouth.

At that moment, a surge of heat, centered on Cao Ying, suddenly burst forth in all directions.

This was probably a unique manifestation of the Sea Heart Flame. This heat wave did not give people the stinging sensation that the Fallen Heart Flame and the Blue Lotus Earth Core Fire that Chen Xiao had come into contact with had.

It feels more like the burst of extremely hot steam that comes out after seawater boils.

The two are essentially similar, but have slight differences.

Under this extreme heat, Cao Ying's black dress quickly shrank until it completely broke off and was burned to nothingness.

And so, a stunningly beautiful body, a stark contrast to the black dress, entered Chen Xiao's field of vision, exuding an alluring temptation.

Chen Xiao circulated his internal fighting spirit to resist the oncoming heat wave. Looking at the alluring scenery, the words that Little Dragon Man had once said involuntarily came to mind.

"Zi Yan, you weren't lying to me!"

(End of this chapter)