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The surrounding flames blazed fiercely, with endless fire surging like towering waves, painting everything in sight a vibrant red, as if it would burn away all in the world.
Li Hong sat cross-legged in the flames, striving to focus his mind, murmuring, "Fire is the essence of Yang, tangible yet intangible, giving life and taking it away... There are four types of heavenly fire, five types of earthly fire, and three types of human fire..."
As he recited, it seemed as if the flames responded to him, closing in from all sides. At that moment, the Fire Separation Pearl in Li Hong's arms and Azure Light erupted with a loud bang, colliding with the approaching flames. The fire serpents recoiled, lingering three feet away but gradually encircling him. A fierce fire dragon took shape, glaring at Li Hong within the fiery circle, ready to pounce at any moment.
Li Hong licked his parched lips; his scalp throbbed painfully from the heat, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. He forced himself to calm down and continued reciting the Fire Scripture.
This was the Li Fire Formation.
The Li Fire Formation enveloped an area of five hundred miles around the Nine Li Cave Heaven and served as the protective array of the Nine Li Sect, possessing immense power. Anyone attempting to break through would surely get lost in the Boundless True Fire; even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would be reduced to ashes. Yet Li Hong had to endure inside for fifteen days.
During these fifteen days, he could not drink water or eat food and absolutely could not fall asleep. If he became too hungry, he could only consume Elixirs provided by Spirit Stones. These Elixirs were indeed effective; one could stave off hunger and thirst for a long time. However, no Elixir could alleviate mental fatigue. Li Hong had already been inside for three days; if it weren't for the Fire Separation Pearl in his arms, he would have been burned to ashes long ago.
The Fire Separation Pearl created a three-foot diameter safe zone around Li Hong, continuously emitting a gentle coolness that permeated his body, keeping his mind clear. Even so, it was still quite uncomfortable.
Li Hong never understood how being roasted by raging flames for fifteen days without food or sleep would enhance one's so-called Divine Consciousness. Even now, he did not comprehend what Divine Consciousness truly was. However, that senior from three thousand years ago used this method; he had no choice but to follow suit.
Li Hong took out the Fire Separation Pearl from his arms and examined it closely. Thank goodness for this treasure!
The Fire Separation Pearl was about the size of an egg and weighed heavily—at least ten taels. Its strange tangible Azure Light flickered unpredictably and shone brilliantly; Li Hong's entire palm was illuminated with a bluish hue, and the cool sensation reached his face, providing relief to the scorched skin.
He recalled how painful and worried Spirit Stone had looked when handing him the Fire Separation Pearl upon his entry. Spirit Stone had said, "Kid, this is our sect's treasure. If it weren't for that Ancestor's record from three thousand years ago stating that it must be used during foundation building, neither our sect nor even the sect leader could take it out for use. You better be careful! Also, if you let it leave your body by three feet—" Spirit Stone gestured dramatically, implying that Li Hong would instantly turn to ash.
Thinking of this made Li Hong smile wryly again; just as he prepared to put the Fire Separation Pearl back into his arms, an unusual phenomenon occurred before him.
The fire dragon that had been circling outside suddenly lunged forward and broke through the three-foot safe zone.
Startled, Li Hong's hand trembled, causing the Fire Separation Pearl to roll off his palm.
His scalp tingled with fear; he absolutely could not let the Fire Separation Pearl leave his body! In a moment of quick thinking, he threw himself down sideways; the Fire Separation Pearl landed perfectly between his legs. He quickly clamped his legs together. Feeling the coolness of the Fire Separation Pearl pressing against his inner thigh brought him a long sigh of relief.
At last, it hadn't left his body.
He reached for the Fire Separation Pearl. Before he could touch it, a wave of heat surged rapidly along his Ren Meridian straight to the Baihui point, then down his back along the Du Mai. Li Hong was shocked—his recently gathered Innate True Qi had actually activated on its own!
What was happening? Before Li Hong could regain his composure, he realized he was completely immobilized, unable to move even a finger. This was alarming. Sweat beads unexpectedly broke out on his forehead.
The heat rushed into the Vital Point of the Du Mai and suddenly stopped there. Just as Li Hong felt relieved, he noticed a cool sensation slowly rising from between his legs, reaching the lower back Vital Point, where it also halted—it was the familiar coolness of the Fire Separation Pearl.
In the Vital Point, cold and heat clashed instantly, as if thousands of ants were biting him, causing pain, itchiness, soreness, and numbness that made him feel like fainting from discomfort.
He tried hard to focus his mind, attempting to push his Innate True Qi back to the Dantian sea. He tried again and again; whether his eyes were open or closed, the Innate True Qi completely refused to obey.
Li Hong fearfully discovered that he had completely lost control over his body and could only lie stiffly in the boundless Fire Sea of the Li Fire Formation.
Above him, the fire dragon became increasingly lifelike, swirling around him continuously. He could clearly see the two large eyes formed by True Fire and a dozen vivid Dragon Whiskers. The fire dragon seemed to grow angrier, its mouth wide open as a torrent of flames surged directly toward Li Hong's face.
I don’t want to die! I still want to cultivate!
A knife-like pain shot through his lower back Vital Point; everything went dark before him as the fierce flames rushing toward him suddenly vanished. Li Hong fainted straight away.
********
After an unknown amount of time, Li Hong slowly regained consciousness. Looking around, he found himself still in the familiar Li Fire Formation. The fierce fire dragon continued to circle around him. However—he suddenly realized he could move. He quickly rolled over and reached between his legs.
This touch sent chills through him; the Fire Separation Pearl was gone!
He frantically searched all over his body and carefully felt around on the ground nearby but found no trace of the Fire Separation Pearl. Li Hong was driven nearly mad with anxiety.
After a long while, he suddenly realized—without the protection of the Fire Separation Pearl, how had he not been burned to death? Recalling what happened before he lost consciousness, a terrifying thought gradually took shape. He hurriedly sat cross-legged and looked inward at his meridians.
Indeed, there had been changes. The small silver vortex in his lower abdomen Dantian had vanished, replaced by a broad expanse of meridians. It was empty there; all the Innate True Qi he had painstakingly gathered had completely disappeared. Li Hong was stunned; his scalp felt like it was about to explode as he quickly examined all his meridians and discovered another strange phenomenon.
When he looked inward at the location of the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, he found an expansive space that resembled a black hole appearing there.
Upper Dantian Purple Palace corresponds to the position on an ordinary person's forehead, and it is originally called Upper Dantian. However, cultivators typically do not gather Qi here; they usually cultivate in the Lower Dantian. Li Hong was no exception. Yet, just moments ago, while he was unconscious, the Upper Dantian unexpectedly opened.
Upon careful examination of this seemingly vast black space, it took a long time to realize that it was not an empty void. A small silver Qi mass was hanging alone in the center of the black space, looking pitifully small like a weak flame. This was the Innate True Qi mass that had been cultivated in the Lower Dantian. How did it end up here?
In the center of the Qi mass, there was a tiny green dot emitting a faint familiar aura. It should be the Fire Separation Pearl. But how could it have entered his body and shrunk to such a small size in the Upper Dantian Purple Palace? Li Hong was bewildered.
He tried to push the Innate True Qi, and a familiar warmth slowly flowed out from the Upper Dantian Purple Palace, beginning to operate the Great Circulation. The energy route felt normal while circulating through the twelve meridians, but when it returned to the Ren Meridian, it ascended to the Du Mai and then to the Upper Dantian Purple Palace. Previously, it had descended to the Ren Meridian and then to the Lower Dantian. Aside from this difference, the sensation during cultivation felt the same.
Now, his meridians were much wider, especially at the lower back Vital Point, which had expanded tremendously. The Innate True Qi now flowed like a trickling stream in a vast riverbed, appearing quite insignificant.
What could this mean? After pondering for a long time without understanding, Li Hong suddenly remembered he was still in danger and jumped up to run back.
The great fire around him remained three feet away and did not close in. He silently thanked his luck when suddenly a massive Fire Dragon head charged toward him, startling him into turning and fleeing. The Fire Dragon relentlessly pursued him, its Dragon Whiskers swaying just three feet behind him.
After running for an unknown duration, Li Hong was exhausted and sat down on the ground. The head of the Fire Dragon immediately closed in again. Tired and frustrated, he shouted, "Why are you following me? Get lost!"
The head of the Fire Dragon paused mid-air and actually retreated slightly. Then Li Hong noticed something strange: this fire dragon stopped five feet in front of him and kept moving its head side to side while leaning forward.
Huh? Could this illusory Fire Dragon have its own consciousness? Li Hong stared at the fire dragon with his mouth agape. He saw that the dragon's large eyes revealed some kind of expression, and he suddenly felt as if—perhaps—it liked him!
How strange! Gathering his courage, he asked, "Are you a real fire dragon?"
The Fire Dragon Head straightened up suddenly, releasing countless flames that startled Li Hong, causing him to retreat quickly while sitting on the ground. The fire dragon immediately halted its movements and obediently hovered in front of him.
"Are you a fake fire dragon?"
The fire dragon nodded.
"Can you understand what I’m saying?"
The fire dragon nodded vigorously, its massive fiery body rolling in mid-air, looking intimidating but clearly expressing joy.
"Do you live in the Li Fire Formation?" Li Hong scratched his head, feeling uncertain.
The Fire Dragon nodded vigorously.
"Are you a dead dragon or a living dragon? No, if you were dead, you wouldn't understand what I'm saying. If you're alive, how could you be transformed from fire..." Li Hong mumbled to himself, and suddenly had a flash of insight. "I understand now! You are both dead and alive; you are the soul of the Divine Dragon, having spirit but no form!"
The great dragon's head nodded twice, but it seemed heavy and not very pleased.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up your sad story," Li Hong said apologetically.
The Fire Dragon lifted its head again, as if to say it didn't mind.
"I was thrown in here by the Nine Li Sect to practice, but instead of training, I got lost. Can you help me get out?" Li Hong said boldly.
The great dragon shook its head vigorously.
That meant it was unwilling. Li Hong felt deflated and weak all over. He took out a small vial from his pocket and swallowed an Elixir. A warm sensation rose in his belly, and he felt strength returning to his body. He slapped his forehead helplessly and said, "Then how can Senior Dragon help me get out? Are we just going to waste time chatting?"
The great dragon tilted its head in thought and suddenly lunged towards Li Hong. Li Hong shouted in panic, "Don't come over here!"
The Fire Dragon halted abruptly in front of Li Hong. Then a thin fire tendril slowly extended towards him, as if it wanted to touch him. Li Hong was at a loss for whether to advance or retreat; he could only watch as the fire tendril approached.
As the fire tendril got closer, its tip brushed against Li Hong's clothing, and with a sizzling sound, it immediately burned a small black hole in his garment. The tendril continued to touch him all over, and in the blink of an eye, his clothes were riddled with holes. Before long, they turned into a pile of charred rags on the ground. The small vial containing the Elixir rolled away, puffing out wisps of blue smoke until there was nothing left.
Li Hong stood there completely naked, embarrassed as he covered himself and shouted, "Why did you take off my clothes?"
The great dragon opened its mouth in what looked like a smile, shaking with laughter as flames flickered wildly around it. It seemed to enjoy seeing Li Hong in such an embarrassing state.
Li Hong could no longer tolerate it; he stomped his feet and cursed, "You disrespectful creature! I can't be bothered with you; I'll find my own way out!"
After taking a few steps away, Li Hong suddenly realized something had changed—he found that he wasn't even afraid of True Fire anymore.
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