Chapter 821: Pinghu Little Blue Flower Was Trampled and Cried

"Come on!"

Devouring fire directly might require protection for others, but Xu Xiaoshou feared none of it. His innate physique could withstand the burning of a Cinderflame Seed, and his Grandmaster body could directly contend with a Cinderflame Primordial. He could orally ingest even the most domineering flames in the world. So, what was to stop him from devouring a docile flame like the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom, even if it contained the power of tribulation?

"Break!"

With a light tap of his finger on the mechanism, the azure lantern's protective spirit array shattered, and the temperature in the cultivation room instantly began to climb. Thanks to his "Weaving Mastery," Xu Xiaoshou viewed the lantern's spirit array as nothing.

Freed from its confines, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom began to expand in his palm. Azure fire serpents, undulating with the whispers of Dao patterns, began to spread and cling to the walls and door of the cultivation room. With a thought, Xu Xiaoshou activated the Eight Trigrams Pilgrimage Map to protect the cultivation room, preventing the Lesser Skyflame's power from damaging the First Heaven's Tower. Even if he was rich, this tower was too expensive for him to afford compensation.

"Let's begin..."

He steadied his breath, performed a breathing technique, and the alluring Tranquil Lake Azurebloom transformed into a blue arc of light, streaking into Xu Xiaoshou's mouth and nose.

"Hiss!"

A fierce burning pain assailed him, causing Xu Xiaoshou to stiffen slightly. The flame's temperature was extremely high, yet it was fundamentally different from the domineering Cinderflame White Blazes. Aside from the intense heat, it was only peaceful, causing no wanton damage to his body.

With just a single thought, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom flowed along his meridians and converged into his Qi Sea. As "Endless Life" circulated and "Transformation" activated, the damage inflicted by the high temperature on his Throne Physique was instantly repaired.

"Unexpectedly simple..."

Xu Xiaoshou completed this first step of ingestion almost in a daze. It was too smooth! So smooth that he had never dared to imagine it before! After all, just a while ago, Dong Ling had asked if he needed assistance from the Alchemy Association for the ingestion. It was clear that devouring Lesser Skyflames was extremely dangerous.

This was indeed the case. However, a moment of thought brought Xu Xiaoshou to a realization. The risks were for outsiders. His past experiences, coupled with his Throne Physique and numerous passive abilities—from physical to spiritual levels—meant he had already adapted to the pain of devouring Lesser Skyflames. Therefore, this intake, apart from feeling like a mere scratch of an itch, didn't cause him any other abnormalities.

"Little one, welcome to my world."

Xu Xiaoshou mentally touched the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom. This Azurebloom was indeed a very docile spiritual flame. Unlike the rampant behavior of other foreign treasures upon entering his body, it had just arrived and quietly found a corner in his Qi Sea, settling down like a well-behaved student.

Xu Xiaoshou continued to prod it with his consciousness. True to a Lesser Skyflame's pride, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom merely stirred slightly, as if stretching lazily out of boredom, then ignored him.

Normally at this point, those attempting to devour a Lesser Skyflame would either try to persuade it with kind words or use force to make it submit. At such times, the Qi Sea would inevitably erupt into chaos, with high temperatures burning and azure flames running wild. The devourer could suffer severe injuries, or even death, with high probability.

But Xu Xiaoshou's Qi Sea was different. His Qi Sea contained too many wondrous objects, and all of them had already acknowledged him as their master. It was like a master taking a concubine; the original partners were already displeased. But then, seeing the master openly engage with the concubine, who in turn remained aloof, they lost their temper!

This instantly set the Qi Sea ablaze. The Cinderflame Primordial was the first to lose its composure, erupting with endless white blazes that surged forth like a tsunami.

"Boom!"

The first battle within the Qi Sea had begun. The overwhelming wave of white blazes instantly jolted the drowsy Tranquil Lake Azurebloom awake.

"What's going on?"

Xu Xiaoshou could almost feel the frightened emotions of the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom, but he had no intention of stopping it, instead watching the struggle within his Qi Sea with a faint smile.

"Whoosh!"

Beneath the white blaze wave, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom suddenly expanded, transforming into an azure mist that rose to support it.

"Rumble—"

The Qi Sea vibrated, and endless vital energy erupted, causing Xu Xiaoshou's body to sway abruptly. For an ordinary person, this surge of out-of-control treasures in the Qi Sea might have left them half-crippled. But with that one sway, as he shed the force, "Transformation" had already converted the damage from the Qi Sea's eruption into vitality, boosted by "Endless Life," healing his injuries completely. Effectively, he suffered no damage at all!

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou truly realized how much stronger he had become. Previously, whenever he ingested such things, he was invariably tormented to the brink of death. Now, as a Grandmaster, with his powerful passive abilities bearing the brunt, even with the white blazes raging furiously and battles erupting in his Qi Sea, they couldn't inflict the slightest harm upon him.

"Alright, keep fighting! I want to see who wins!"

With this, Xu Xiaoshou felt even more at ease watching the battle. Within the Qi Sea, the azure mist held back the Cinderflame White Blazes' attack. But soon, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom tasted bitterness. The white blazes were too domineering. Under relentless erosion and assimilation, it was swiftly incinerated and dyed white over most of its body.

Just then, Xu Xiaoshou sensed a terrifying power of tribulation surging within the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom.

"Here it comes..." His eyes lit up.

As the power of tribulation ignited, the immense, transcendent power of "Slaying the Dao" unleashed high temperatures that instantly incinerated the white blazes. This was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had seen a flame capable of burning away the Cinderflame White Blazes!

"Impressive..." he marveled.

The Cinderflame White Blazes were also enraged. Almost simultaneously with suffering damage, a terrifying tribulation fluctuation erupted from the Cinderflame Primordial as well. This fluctuation was something Xu Xiaoshou had never noticed before; he couldn't call upon it at all.

"It's this power!"

Xu Xiaoshou understood his previous premonition. His intuitions were never wrong. As expected, the Cinderflame Primordial and the Three-Day Frost Calamity indeed possessed a power he couldn't currently command with his cultivation. The abilities he had previously displayed from them might not even be a tenth of their true power. After all, those two objects, simply by clashing their ice and fire energies, could shatter the entire Spiritual Melting Marsh and cause the small world within the White Cave, which had given birth to life, to crumble.

"Just the tip of the iceberg!" Xu Xiaoshou mused. Only by "Slaying the Dao" could one wield the power of tribulation, and he began to wonder if there was a shortcut.

Within his body, after the Cinderflame Primordial also unleashed its power of tribulation, the two forces reached a stalemate once more. But a stalemate meant a deadlock. And in a deadlock, the assimilating nature of the white blazes made the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom very uncomfortable. It was constantly being devoured; in a short while, it would undoubtedly be defeated.

"Help me..."

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou perceived a thought. The thought was formless and voiceless, but its intent was crystal clear: the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom was asking for help.

Xu Xiaoshou remained unmoving. "Little one, weren't you too proud to bother with me just now? My Qi Sea has plenty of treasures; I don't really need a haughty one like you."

Its plea for help failed, and the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom grew angry. It flared up again, and within it, wisps of Sacred Intent actually began to emanate. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes instantly widened. There was only a trace of Sacred Intent, but Xu Xiaoshou had witnessed Saint Effigies; how could he not know what this power signified?

"The Lesser Skyflame is angry; it's calling upon its father's power..." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. The Tranquil Lake Azurebloom originated from the Tranquil Lake Azureflame, so possessing a trace of Sacred power was understandable. But it seemed to have forgotten that the Cinderflame Primordial wasn't the only entity within this Qi Sea.

"Ding-a-ling ding-a-ling~"

Almost the instant the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom's trace of Sacred Intent diffused, the Three-Day Frost Calamity, which had been quietly aloof from worldly struggles on the other side, stirred. In an instant, an overwhelming chill enveloped everything. The entire Qi Sea froze. Even the Cinderflame Primordial, in that very instant, was encased in ice, turning the color of ice crystals.

"Crack!"

The first to break free from the ice was the Cinderflame Primordial's main body, and Sacred Intent began to erupt from within it as well. From wisps and threads to boundless white blazes, they stood in equal opposition! Within the Qi Sea, apart from the suppressed Tranquil Lake Azurebloom, the Sacred Intent that instantly burst forth from the Cinderflame Primordial actually matched the Three-Day Frost Calamity in strength.

"What in the world?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. He truly hadn't known that these two treasures within him were so powerful! Even though he knew he couldn't "Slay the Dao" and thus found it difficult to wield the tribulation power of these two objects, he had never imagined that, besides the power of tribulation, these two objects also possessed such immense Sacred power. He had never detected it before!

At this moment, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom was also stunned. It had always been accustomed to a pampered existence, and upon entering this human's Qi Sea, even knowing its impending fate, it didn't want to submit so quickly. But witnessing the struggle between the Cinderflame Primordial and the Three-Day Frost Calamity, it was utterly dumbfounded. These were two 'masters'! Just now, it had borrowed its father's power and gained a Skyflame's Sacred Intent, but who would have thought that in this strange place, there was a *real* Skyflame! In front of them, it was just a junior... oh no, a child!

At this, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom trembled. It lay motionless. It neither dared to move nor was it able to, feeling utterly suppressed. Amidst the chaos, it could only send another urgent thought to its future master.

"Save me, save me..."

Xu Xiaoshou burst out laughing. The Tranquil Lake Azurebloom had clearly provoked the big shots. The Cinderflame Primordial and the Three-Day Frost Calamity were on par in strength. The Three-Day Frost Calamity was a Skyflame, and yes, the Cinderflame Primordial was originally something only an elder of Sang's caliber would be qualified to covet! Why wouldn't it possess Sacred power? But why hadn't it revealed itself before?

As he pondered, he saw the Sacred powers in his Qi Sea clash. Soon, a complex, ineffable emotion appeared in both. The Cinderflame Primordial and the Three-Day Frost Calamity simultaneously retracted their Sacred power, becoming somewhat listless as if drained.

"Aggrieved?"

Xu Xiaoshou sensed their emotions. Was this Sacred power forcibly withdrawn? His heart instantly pounded wildly.

"No way!"

Xu Xiaoshou had previously speculated why treasures like the Cinderflame Primordial and the Three-Day Frost Calamity were left in the Spiritual Melting Marsh of the White Cave, untouched by the Red Coats. Even if they intended to abandon the treasures for the fated one, objects of this caliber, even if Rao Yaoyao wasn't envious, those below Rao Yaoyao's level should surely be drooling over them, right? Why would they neglect the White Cave?

"Are they up to something?"

"Have these two little ones been tampered with, had Sacred power seals placed on them, preventing them from revealing too much power?"

"Or, as long as these things are in my body, the person who placed the seals can constantly sense me?"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by this thought. But he quickly dismissed it. That's unlikely. If they could trace him through such means, the Red Coat army would have long since overwhelmed the First Heaven's Tower, besieging it impenetrably.

The only explanation...

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly recalled a phenomenon on this continent. This world rarely had Saints. Saints were divided into Half-Saints and Saint Emperors. Ninety-nine percent of the Half-Saints Xu Xiaoshou had seen or encountered were orthodox members of the Holy Divine Palace. Thus, according to common belief, Half-Saints represented the peak of martial power in this world, and those not from the Holy Divine Palace couldn't even break through to Half-Saint. Were treasures the same?

"It's as if this world has a great shackles, not targeting anyone specifically, but imposing such a restriction on all existences on this continent—living beings and spirits alike."

"Those who become Saints die!"

"And so, people comprehend the Dao on their own, geniuses dare not become Saints, and the weak cannot touch Sainthood; treasures also learn to conceal themselves, the powerful avoid Sacred power, and the weak hide their brilliance..."

The emergence of this bold idea deeply shocked Xu Xiaoshou. The definitions of "freedom" by the Saint Servants, Holy Divine Palace, and others, and their pursuit of "life and death," seemed to indeed carry a hint of this implication!

Soon, Xu Xiaoshou frowned, realizing a blind spot. If that were truly the case, there was still something that didn't make sense. Why couldn't one become a Saint? Immediately, Xu Xiaoshou thought of Mr. Si. The scene of their conversation that night was still vivid in his mind. Even though Mr. Si hadn't answered the questions he asked back then, Xu Xiaoshou knew that Mr. Si was also a genius. A genius couldn't possibly have failed to become a Saint for so long; even his juniors had become Saints.

"He doesn't dare..."

"So why not?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt that he was just one step away from the truth. And this step was the very motive behind Bazun An's establishment of the Saint Servants, the root cause of why Void Island became a prison for ghost beasts, and likewise, the sole reason for the Holy Divine Palace's continued prominence.

"The answer lies on Mount Guizhe."

Xu Xiaoshou remembered Bazun An's words from back then, inside and outside the Eight Palaces. They couldn't speak of these matters, but as long as his cultivation reached a certain level and he truly made it to Mount Guizhe, even without being told, he should be able to grasp the truth. So, that was the answer... Xu Xiaoshou felt a dawning realization. Each time he gained a new epiphany, he felt that every word spoken by Elder Sang, Bazun An, and others contained profound meaning. Sometimes, even more than one layer!

His thoughts returned to the present. Within the Qi Sea, the two ice and fire treasures, having retracted their Sacred power, calmed down. The Tranquil Lake Azurebloom was scared half to death, constantly trying to drag Xu Xiaoshou into its struggle and form an alliance with it. But even while pleading for help, the creature remained remarkably haughty, its stubbornness still unyielding.

The battle's aftermath had clearly startled the quietest, most silent entity in the Qi Sea—the Sword Intent. Both the Elder's Sword Intent and Xu Xiaoshou's Sword Intent simultaneously turned, like human beings, to glance at the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom, seemingly annoyed by this instigator of the Qi Sea's turmoil.

With just one look, the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom cracked. It genuinely cracked, from physical fragmentation to complete spiritual collapse.

"Master..."

Only then did the Tranquil Lake Azurebloom fully submit, actively sending a summoning voice that was so pitiable it could bring tears to anyone's eyes. Xu Xiaoshou smiled. Throughout the entire battle, he hadn't even needed to exert an ounce of energy. The several overlords within his Qi Sea had simply tormented the poor little Tranquil Lake Azurebloom until it cried.