CHAPTER 292: CHAPTER 279: PURIFYING BLUE LOTUS FLAME

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire!

When Zhouyang heard these four words from Ma Shaoyang, even though he had some guesses beforehand, he was still taken aback.

The value of "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire" was something he was extremely clear about.

Back then, even a portion of "Kan Yuan Spiritual Water," which was valued less than "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire," sold for two hundred fifty-five thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Now, Ma Shaoyang suddenly mentioning the news of "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire" left him shocked.

"Are you sure it’s Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire? Do you know which kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire it is?"

His voice was filled with excitement as he looked at Ma Shaoyang and asked, his face full of delight.

Hearing his question, Ma Shaoyang showed a troubled expression and whispered, "Forgive me, senior. This junior has shallow knowledge and can only recognize that the flame is Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire. As for which kind, this junior is not sure."

Zhouyang, however, waved his hand gently and said kindly, "It’s okay. Just tell me about the shape, color, and environmental conditions of that flame."

"Understood," the junior replied.

Ma Shaoyang nodded and immediately began to describe the specific characteristics of that "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire."

Zhouyang listened while comparing it with the "Spirit Fire Atlas" he had purchased from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm, quickly identifying the information of a particular "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire."

"Green and purple in color, resembling a lotus taking root on earth fire lava... that’s it, it’s the Purifying Blue Lotus Flame!"

Zhouyang murmured to himself, his face suddenly beaming with a smile.

In terms of power for magical combat, the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame" might not match many Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fires, but its role in alchemy is incomparable for 90% of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fires.

The two words "purifying" and "blue" in its name actually highlight the true meaning of this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire.

If an alchemist could refine this Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, they would leave other alchemists using earth fire and true flame far behind, at least in the aspect of material purification.

This is a hardware difference that cannot be compensated with experience and technique.

Material purification is also universally acknowledged as the hardest part of alchemy!

As long as an alchemist can purify materials well, even if they lack talent in other aspects, it does not hinder their becoming a good alchemist.

This is different from artifact refining.

Elixirs, after all, are meant to be consumed by people. Even the slightest flaw in quality might lead to alchemy failure or significantly reduced efficacy, and in some cases, may even poison the taker.

However, with a magical artifact, even if there is a minor flaw in material tempering, as long as the final forbidden technique is successfully arranged, it may only slightly affect the artifact’s power, or lower its defense.

This underscores the immense value of the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame" to an alchemist.

"I agree to this trade, but I can’t give you the Foundation Establishment Pill now. I will give it to you after you take me to the place where you found the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire. Plus, you need to tell me in detail about what dangers, aside from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, are present there!"

Zhouyang suppressed his inner excitement, looking seriously at Ma Shaoyang as he made the promise.

If the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire was truly the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame," then giving Ma Shaoyang a Foundation Establishment Pill was indeed not a major issue.

Upon gaining his promise, Ma Shaoyang’s face showed extreme joy. He then immediately recounted how he originally discovered the existence of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire and how he was forced to leave.

It turned out that the suspected Purifying Blue Lotus Flame was located at the place where Ma Shaoyang previously found the Earth Fire Reishi, a place in the Underground Fire Abyss amidst the vast Desert Sea.

The Underground Fire Abyss is not exposed, but located in an underground cavern. According to Ma Shaoyang, that underground cavern was huge, and he had known of its existence for decades but had yet to explore even half of it.

This was partly due to many powerful demon beasts blocking his exploration, but also partly because of the sheer size of the cavern itself.

And near the suspected Purifying Blue Lotus Flame, there was coincidentally a Tier Four Middle-Grade Demon Beast, the Fire Qilin Beast, residing.

It was due to the presence of this Fire Qilin Beast that Ma Shaoyang was unable to collect the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire by himself and instead used the information to trade with Zhouyang for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Otherwise, even if he was unclear about the value of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, he wouldn’t think that an illustrious Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire would only be worth a Foundation Establishment Pill.

"Alright, I understand the situation. Wait on Red Tiger Mountain for a while, and after I handle some affairs, I’ll go with you to that Underground Fire Abyss!"

After listening to Ma Shaoyang’s recount, Zhouyang’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light, and with a wave of his hand, he made a decision on the spot.

Immediately, he first found Zhou Guangxiang, who was cultivating in another A-level Cave Mansion, and informed him about his plan to leave with Ma Shaoyang. He asked Zhou to stay alert and guard the family’s Spirit Mountain in his absence.

Then Zhouyang found his Dao Companion Xiao Ying and explained everything to her, advising her not to leave Red Tiger Mountain during this time and to study the refinement of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire.

Indeed, Zhouyang was planning to give the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, suspected to be the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame," to Xiao Ying for refinement to enhance her alchemical skills.

He already possessed the much more powerful "Qianyang True Flame," which meant the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame" had little use for him.

However, if Xiao Ying could refine the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame," she could attempt to make Foundation Establishment Pills and might soon ascend to a Tier Three High-grade Alchemist with the aid of this fire.

After all, when it came to alchemical talent, Xiao Ying was definitely the most gifted person he had ever encountered. Even the Chen Family Ancestor of the past might not compare to her in alchemical talent.

When Xiao Ying heard that Zhouyang was risking danger to obtain the "Purifying Blue Lotus Flame" for her, she felt moved and worried. She grabbed his arm and softly advised, "Zhou Lang, please be careful. I’d rather not have that [Purifying Blue Lotus Flame] than see you hurt a single finger!"

Zhouyang held her delicate hand tightly, patted her gently, and gave her a reassuring look before smiling brightly, "No need to worry, my dear. The mere [Fire Qilin Beast] can’t harm your husband. Just wait at home for my good news!"

"Yes, I’ll be at home awaiting Zhou Lang’s triumphant return!"

Xiao Ying nodded slightly, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at him and nodded firmly.

After bidding farewell to his family and wife, Zhouyang left the Eagle Lion Beast stationed at Red Tiger Mountain and immediately, with Ma Shaoyang, rode his sword towards the underground cave he mentioned.

The two departed from the Red Tiger Mountain Oasis and flew westward for about twenty or thirty thousand miles before finally landing on a flat sandy ground.

"Please look, Senior, that cave is located beneath the Desert Sea here. We need to descend a thousand feet through that ground tunnel over there to reach the depths of the underground cave."

As soon as they landed, Ma Shaoyang pointed at the boundless yellow sand desert and explained to Zhouyang.

Zhouyang looked in the direction he pointed, seeing this sandy area was unusually flat, with not many sand dunes within a few hundred miles visible to the naked eye, quite different from the undulating dunes elsewhere.

"I’m curious. Since the underground cave is located a thousand feet deep, how did you discover it initially?"

Zhouyang withdrew his gaze and, with a hint of curiosity, looked at Ma Shaoyang and asked.

Ma Shaoyang, since he intended to take Zhouyang to the underground cave, naturally had nothing to hide, and immediately answered, "Senior, the reason I discovered it was because I was chasing a Tier Two High-Grade Demon Beast [Flame Fire Lizard] there. I stumbled upon an underground passage created by the beast, leading me to find the underground cave."

"I see."

Zhouyang nodded, not feeling surprised.

Finding secret realms or treasured lands while chasing demon beasts is common in the Cultivation Realm, as demon beasts often choose places with dense Spiritual Qi to reside, and those places are likely to produce treasures.

Many reptiles, particularly demon beasts, enjoy digging, and many hidden underground secret realms and treasures are often first found and utilized by these demon beasts.

Cultivators often find these demon beasts on the surface and, during the pursuit and slaying, discover those deeply hidden secret realms.

Ma Shaoyang’s discovery of the underground cave was a stroke of luck, and in the Cultivation Realm, such events likely occur daily.

This is the charm of the Cultivation Realm—the hope of countless loose cultivators, who often become immensely wealthy overnight by discovering an undiscovered secret realm, opening the path to a higher realm.

Of course, more often than not, those loose cultivators who discover secret realms end up dead due to inadequate strength or carelessly leaking the information, allowing others to benefit.

This is the cruelty of the Cultivation Realm.

Ma Shaoyang taking Zhouyang for a deal was a risk too, as Zhouyang could easily eliminate him once they reached the destination without paying him any reward.

Such incidents are also very common in the Cultivation Realm.

However, over the years, Ma Shaoyang gradually understood Zhouyang’s character through inquiries and knew him to be upright during their encounters. Zhouyang didn’t seem like a ruthless, treacherous individual, which made Ma decide ultimately to trust him.

Of course, he didn’t leave himself completely defenseless.

When he sought Zhouyang, he had already arranged for one of his sons to take refuge at another oasis.

If he didn’t return, and Zhouyang did —

Then his son would spread the news about the "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire" across the Cultivation Realm and expose Zhouyang’s treachery, ruining his and the Zhou family’s reputation, making them untrusted by any loose cultivator.

Any major family or sect values its reputation. Regardless of how many dirty deeds they do privately, they must maintain a good public image to assure the vast number of loose cultivators to trade with them.

The Zhou Family, naturally, is no exception.