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

Chapter 352 The Curtain Falls

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint spoke frankly, but it was clear that the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, knowing it had no way out, wouldn't listen at all.

"Stop talking! You never believed me from the beginning. If you had, why would you have thought of sealing me away? Even if I am doomed today, your remnant soul will not have an easy time!"

"The Ancient Refining Heaven Formation, appear!"

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame glared resentfully at the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, its hand seals suddenly changing, and streaks of milky white fire shot out in all directions, eventually penetrating the entire Demon Flame Space.

As these fire lines shot into the depths of space, a thunderous roar suddenly resounded. The next moment, a magnificent fire array, nearly tens of thousands of feet in size, slowly appeared from the void in the sky!

"Boom!"

As the grand formation appeared in the sky, the boundless sea of ​​lava churned, and finally, under the watchful eyes of the group, a massive fire formation slowly emerged.

Two enormous fire arrays, one above the other, resembled a world-destroying millstone, their power overwhelming, enveloping the group in the center.

"This great formation was set up by you yourself back then. Today, I will let you taste its power!" The Pure Lotus Demon Flame roared, making its last struggle.

"Refine!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame roared angrily, and two beams of light containing destructive power shot out from the two formations of heaven and earth, and then shot towards the Pure Lotus Demon Saint's location with lightning speed.

However, none of the people in the sky changed color in the face of this ancient formation that was enough to make even an eight-star Dou Sheng solemn.

After all, they had two nine-star Dou Sheng present!

This sense of security is unparalleled!

Although the Pure Lotus Demon Saint was only a remnant soul, he was the creator of the Refining Heaven Ancient Array and personally set up this great array. No one would believe that he had no backup plan.

"call out--!"

A dazzling beam of light streaked across the sky like a meteor, plunging down with earth-shattering force and locking onto the four people.

Seeing the approaching pillar of destructive light, Chen Xiao did not make a move, but pulled Cao Ying aside.

Xiao Chen was quick-witted and followed suit.

"Anyone with eyes can see that this is a family matter between the Demon Saint and the Demon Fire." Since the Pure Lotus Demon Saint has appeared, it is more appropriate for him to send the Pure Lotus Demon Fire off on his final journey.

Ahead, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint stood calmly, slowly raising her fingertip and uttering a single word: "Freeze!"

Before the words were finished, the two beams of light that were about to touch the four people suddenly froze, hovering less than five feet in front of and behind the Demon Saint.

Even as the destructive energy surged and spread, it could not cross the line, let alone harm them in the slightest.

"I created the Heaven Refining Ancient Formation myself. As for your understanding of it, little demon, you are no match for me."

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint's lips curled into a faint smile as he looked at the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, its face ashen, in the sky. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Outrageous! Outrageous!!"

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame roared furiously, but before its angry curses could subside, it was horrified to discover that its control over the great formation was rapidly slipping away.

"Boom—!"

Between heaven and earth, the two giant fire arrays trembled violently, and then layers of milky white flames burst out from the arrays, surging into the body of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame like a tide.

As these flames eroded him, his control over the Refining Heaven Ancient Array vanished completely.

"Pure Lotus Demon Saint! You despicable villain, is this what you call trusting me? Even if I burn my very essence today, I will never let you have your way!"

The moment the great formation went out of control, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame went completely berserk, its eyes turning blood red.

He knew all too well the terrifying power of this Heaven-Refining Ancient Formation; once the Pure Lotus Demon Saint gained complete control, he would have no chance of escape.

At that time, whether he is sealed again or falls into the hands of Chen Xiao and others, it is an outcome he absolutely cannot accept.

"Demon fire will destroy the world!"

A roar shook the universe as the body of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame rapidly expanded before exploding into a raging sea of ​​fire that swept across the heavens and earth.

All the energy within this space was instantly evaporated under the extreme heat.

Above the sky, the milky white flames surged ever more fiercely, and eventually, wisps of pink gradually appeared at the center of the flames.

These pink flames slowly coalesced, and a crimson, eerie fire lotus slowly rotated and bloomed in the void.

This fiery lotus exudes a captivating and eerie aura. With each rotation, its color shifts between dark red and milky white, both strange and dazzling.

"Buzz—!"

The spinning fire lotus finally settled in pure white, but all the petals were covered with fine red veins, winding and intersecting like human blood vessels. Occasionally, red light would flash, adding a touch of eerie and sinister feeling to this fire lotus that should have been beautiful.

"When I first met you, you were as pure as a newborn baby. I gave you intelligence, allowing you to have human thoughts. But the path you ultimately chose went against my initial expectations—"

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint gazed at the eerie and strange fire lotus in the sky and sighed softly, "Little demon, let's end it here."

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave the Pure Lotus Demon Flame no room to continue its rampage, and his hand seals suddenly changed.

In an instant, the two colossal formations that enveloped the heavens and earth rapidly closed in, one above the other, and a massive curtain of fire burst forth from the center of the formations, weaving together like lightning to form a prison of fire pillars in all directions, sealing the demonic lotus within.

"I will take back the intelligence and memories I gave you today. From now on, you will return to the purity I had when I first met you. You will have a new master. I was not good at teaching you. Perhaps I should not have taken you away in the first place."

"Pure Lotus Demon Saint! You heartless and ungrateful bastard!"

Inside the demonic lotus, a furious roar exploded once more.

Immediately afterwards, the demonic lotus suddenly spun rapidly, and streams of strange and terrifying blood-red flames shot out.

Faced with this strange fire, the fire curtain formed by the great formation began to twist violently, as if it were about to collapse.

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint remained expressionless as he gazed at the frantically struggling Pure Lotus Demon Flame. After a soft sigh, his hand seals changed once more.

The massive array, which covered an area of ​​tens of thousands of feet, began to collapse layer by layer from the outside in. However, as the outer perimeter of the array crumbled, the fire pillars sealing the demon lotus became even more solid and unbreakable.

The Pure Lotus Demon Flame crashed wildly against the fire curtain, creating a deafening roar that seemed to shake the heavens and earth.

"Refining Heaven Ancient Formation, peel it away!"

With a gentle wave of his somewhat ethereal hand, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint unleashed a dense barrage of fire lines that wove together into a massive fire net, deeply imprinting itself into the heart of the demon lotus.

Then, the fire net slowly tightened and pulled upwards, and wisps of blood-red mist were forcibly peeled away from the demon lotus's body.

"ah--!"

A piercing scream tore out from the demonic lotus. The pure lotus demonic fire spun and struggled wildly, but no matter how much energy it unleashed, it could not break through the fire curtain's barrier.

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint manipulated the fire line, slowly extracting the blood-red mist that carried the memories and intelligence of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame from its body.

As his mind gradually went blank, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame's previous fearlessness in the face of death crumbled instantly.

Once its memories and intelligence are completely stripped away, it is truly dead. Even if it regains intelligence in the future, it will never be the same as it is now.

"Master! Master! Master, spare me! I know I was wrong! Give me a chance, I promise I'll change for the better this time!"

It struggled frantically but to no avail. Seeing that its intelligence and memories were about to be completely stripped from its original form, the Fire Lotus, it immediately transformed into human form, knelt down with a thud, and repeatedly kowtowed to the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, begging for mercy.

Looking at its humble and pleading appearance, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint simply sighed softly and slowly shook his head.

Seeing that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint had made up her mind, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame immediately turned its gaze to Chen Xiao.

He knew very well that as long as Chen Xiao was willing to intervene, given the Demon Saint's current state, there was absolutely no way he could continue to strip away its memories.

"My lord! I am willing to submit to you! I will serve you faithfully without hesitation! I know countless secrets and can control thousands of fire slaves! Keeping me is far more useful than keeping a mindless Pure Lotus Demon Flame!"

Although it's true that people often try anything when they're desperate, that's not entirely untrue.

Unfortunately, the words of a fickle traitor are utterly unreliable.

"Go in peace. How can I let Ying'er control you if I don't remove your intelligence?" Chen Xiao shook his head firmly.

At this moment, even a demon saint wouldn't show mercy, let alone Chen Xiao, who has no connection with the demon fire.

Cultivating demonic flames from scratch already requires caution; it's best to eliminate this kind with a history of such activity as soon as possible.

As soon as Chen Xiao finished speaking, the Pure Lotus Demon Saint gave the demon fire no more chances to beg for mercy. With a wave of his sleeve, the huge fire array that had been covering the demon fire completely collapsed, turning into two extremely dazzling beams of light that shot out like sharp swords and struck the phantom formed by the demon fire's spirit.

"boom--!"

A terrifying storm swept across the heavens and the earth, and a huge chasm hundreds of thousands of feet long suddenly split open in the boundless sea of ​​lava. Such a terrifying crack could not be filled even by the surging lava in a short time.

At the edge of the sky, as the raging energy storm gradually subsided, Chen Xiao and his companions finally looked up.

Above the sky, the vast Refining Heaven Ancient Array had long since vanished without a trace, leaving only a weathered figure standing in the void.

He held a pure white fire lotus with pink veins in his palm, his eyes filled with an unyielding sorrow.

It is no exaggeration for the Pure Lotus Demon Saint to regard the demon fire as his own child.

Silence lingered between heaven and earth for a long time before the Pure Lotus Demon Saint slowly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the chaotic emotions surging in his heart.

He held the fire lotus in his palm and walked towards Chen Xiao and the other two.

"Fellow Daoist, the little demon is gone. You may handle this Pure Lotus Demon Flame." His voice was slightly hoarse, and his gaze fell on the fire lotus, devoid of any warmth.

Because even if the demon fire were to regain its sentience, it wouldn't be the little demon he knew anymore.

Some things, once gone, are gone forever.

Chen Xiao raised his hand and led the Fire Lotus to his side. He bowed slightly to the Pure Lotus Demon Saint and comforted him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry too much. It's better to get rid of an ungrateful wolf sooner rather than later. In a few days, I will send you to the Yellow Spring Demon Saint's place to be nurtured."

The Pure Lotus Demon Saint nodded slightly, cupped his hands in greeting, and his figure transformed into a ray of spiritual light, merging into the map.

Clearly, Chen Xiao's words of comfort could not ease the knot in his heart; the melancholy and loneliness still lingered and needed some time to dissipate.

If you put yourself in the Demon Saint's shoes, this feeling is actually quite easy to understand.

The fact that he, whom he regarded as his own child, ended up in this state is ultimately a regret that is hard to let go of.

Chen Xiao didn't say much about it, put the map away for the time being, and then his gaze fell on the fire lotus beside him.

This fiery lotus is the very source of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame!

If it were thrown outside the Demon Flame Space, it would probably ignite a bloody melee among Dou Sheng powerhouses in an instant.

"Ying'er, let's take this demonic fire back to Dragon Island first and deal with it. Before refining it, you can use the energy of the Bodhi Ancient Tree to break through once. This way, the refining will be smoother and will save a lot of time."

At this point, the word "defeat" no longer existed in Chen Xiao's mind.

With favorable timing, location, and human factors all in place, the difficulty for Cao Ying in refining the Pure Lotus Demon Flame has been greatly reduced.

Even if he fails to successfully refine it once or twice, he is fully confident that he can protect Cao Ying.

Cao Ying nodded slightly. "That's what I think too."

With the matter settled, Chen Xiao turned to Xiao Chen and said, "The situation in Zhongzhou today is completely different from that a thousand years ago. You should come back to Dragon Island with me first, and we can learn about it slowly after we leave. I promised Xiao Xuan some things, and I will take you to see him when I have some free time."

Having just comforted the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, Chen Xiao had no interest in appeasing Xiao Chen further, so he wasn't in a hurry to tell him about the Xiao Clan.

Anyway, once he gets back, Xiao Chen will soon know everything.

Then, find another opportunity to send Xiao Chen into the Heavenly Tomb, and Chen Xiao will have fulfilled his promise to Xiao Xuan.

"I understand, thank you!" Xiao Chen cupped his hands in thanks and murmured his gratitude.

He longed to return to the Xiao Clan and reunite with his family as soon as possible, but he also knew that Chen Xiao, now that he had obtained the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, would definitely take the flame back first to avoid attracting unnecessary trouble.

After all, this level of strange fire is enough to tempt ancient races.

As for the Nine-Star Dou Sheng, the Xiao Clan, the Soul Clan, and the Ancient Clan all have them, so Chen Xiao is not without opponents.

Compared to that, it's not so important for him to spend a little more time returning to the Xiao clan.

"Well, if that's the case, then let's go."

Chen Xiao smiled, raised his hand and gently tapped the passage of the Demon Flame Space. The invisible seal at the entrance and exit immediately dissipated and receded like a tide.

Immediately, he placed several seals on the source of the demonic fire, and without further delay, quietly left with Cao Ying and Xiao Chen.

At that very moment, the group of powerful figures waiting outside the Demon Flame Space keenly sensed that something seemed different about the entrance to the passage, and immediately approached it with some suspicion.

Only when the first person to approach successfully entered the Demon Flame Space did the group of powerful figures realize that the invisible barrier had disappeared!

"Could this also be a tactic of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?"

"Let's go in! We absolutely cannot let the demonic fire fall into the hands of the Soul Clan!"

"Hehehe, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, my Soul Clan is determined to possess it!"

The ancient races still lead the way, with various sects and factions in the Central Plains following closely behind.

In the chaos, no one noticed that several teams stopped just as they were about to set off, as if they had suddenly received some inside information.

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