Chapter 392: Samadhi True Fire

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Believing they had uncovered the secrets of the place, Xu Anchang and You Mu acted with great audacity. Once inside the tower, away from Shi Chun and his companions, they shed all pretense, openly pursuing their objective. Before long, they had captured two divine flames they encountered.

Chu Jingting and Fang Zicheng were still perplexed by the situation. They were somewhat surprised to see the divine flames in Xu and You's hands but didn't press for details. Feeling uneasy and anxious, they had no inclination to ask questions. Instead, as pre-arranged, they quickly led Xu and You to Wu Jinliang.

As Xu Anchang and You Mu ascended on their wind scales, they glanced back at the island on the frozen lake. Observing no movement whatsoever, they exchanged chilling smiles.

While their capture of the divine flames hadn't caused any significant disturbance, they found it hard to believe that those inside the tower heard nothing. Were they merely feigning ignorance?

They found the tower's lack of reaction amusing, fully understanding the situation. However, they chose not to reveal their knowledge. They also intended to keep the truth, as told by the boy, hidden from Shi Chun and his companions. This way, by maintaining their advantage of prior knowledge, they could maneuver freely.

Observing the two individuals leading the way on their wind scales, You Mu, riding behind on his own, leaned over and whispered, "We're about to see Wu Jinliang again."

Xu Anchang understood his implication. "Precisely," he responded. "That's also why I so readily agreed to Shi Chun."

The two men exchanged a knowing smile.

Shi Chun, who had been observing from a distance while hidden on the frozen lake, witnessed them capture the divine flames and depart. He also saw that the Ground Core Tower remained completely unresponsive. After a long period of quiet observation, he slowly rose to his feet...

In the lakeside valley, as soon as the guards reported approaching figures, Wu Jinliang immediately activated three cushion-like artifacts, manifesting a divine demon form for self-protection once more.

The moment they descended into the valley with their guides, Xu Anchang and You Mu instantly spotted Wu Jinliang, enveloped by his artifact defenses. They were somewhat dumbfounded, wondering what this person was trying to convey. Was he truly releasing the artifacts' power for protection all this time, or did he believe their energy wouldn't deplete?

Tong Mingshan, Zhu Xiangxin, and An Wuzhi immediately drew near to Xu Anchang and You Mu. They couldn't help it; the two divine flames in the men's hands were simply too conspicuous, one white and one blue.

Wu Jinliang, still protected by his artifacts, floated over to the two as well. Upon seeing the divine flames, he chuckled with delight, "Heh heh, you actually managed to get them."

He then turned to the three who practiced fire-elemental cultivation techniques and explained, "The chief has given instructions: this is a major event in the artifact-forging world. Our potential to win the championship will influence whether outsiders will exert themselves to help us escape. Therefore, these divine flames are first for Sect Master Tong Mingshan to supplement his needs. Any that he doesn't require will then be for the two of you. The chief also said not to worry, assuring us that there will be plenty more divine flames to come."

Indeed, these instructions came from Shi Chun, but they were contingent on the divine flames being acquired. Had the flames not been delivered, these words would not have been uttered.

Given the circumstances, Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi had no choice but to concede and let Tong Mingshan proceed.

Tong Mingshan attempted to politely decline, but Wu Jinliang was in no mood for formalities. He simply asked if the two divine flames before them were indeed what Tong Mingshan needed.

Upon receiving an affirmative, Wu Jinliang instructed him to take one flame immediately, while the other would be temporarily guarded by Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi.

And so, the arrangement was put into effect.

Xu Anchang and You Mu lingered for a while. Noticing that Wu Jinliang still hadn't lowered his defenses, Xu Anchang couldn't help but ask, half-jokingly, "Brother Wu, aren't you bothered by wasting the artifact's power like this?"

"Bothered? Of course, I am! It takes forever for them to recover," Wu Jinliang sighed. "But what can I do? Danger can emerge at any moment, and I must protect everyone. It's the burden of the capable, isn't it? Besides, I'm the only one here with artifacts."

Upon hearing this, many from the Mingshan Sect cast glances at him. From their previous interactions, this "Wu Heh Heh" had not been as generous as his words implied; he had only just adopted this defensive stance with his artifacts.

At his words, Xu Anchang gave an awkward laugh. "Right, right, that's very considerate of you, truly considerate."

You Mu's cheek, meanwhile, twitched involuntarily.

Xu Anchang and You Mu didn't linger. They soon bid farewell and departed. Chu Jingting and Fang Zicheng didn't join them this time, having already led the way once; there was no need for them to do so again.

The moment the two departed, Wu Jinliang immediately turned his head and signaled to Lao Changtai, who was nearby, to confirm if they had truly left.

Understanding the cue, Lao Changtai climbed out of the valley. After a thorough observation, he returned and reported, "They've truly left; they're indeed heading towards the island in the center of the lake."

With confirmation received, Wu Jinliang immediately dispelled his divine demon form, put away his artifacts, and began idly whistling a little tune.

The few others present exchanged glances. They weren't fools, and Wu Jinliang's behavior had been far too transparent.

Lao Changtai immediately approached and asked, "Brother Wu, what was that about? Were you wary of those two?"

Earlier, they had noticed Shi Chun and his companion always speaking privately with Xu Anchang and You Mu, which had left them feeling a bit slighted. Now, it was clear that wasn't the case at all; there had truly been no real precautions taken against them, but rather against those two newcomers.

"Oh," Wu Jinliang said, slapping his forehead. "I almost forgot to tell you: the chief specifically instructed me to warn you about those two, saying they have ill intentions. Please also inform the other brothers on duty."

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

Chu Jingting leaned closer and questioned, "You don't trust them, yet you still collaborate with them?"

Wu Jinliang chuckled, "If you avoid everyone you don't trust, how would anything ever get done? When Spring and I were children, we were raised as emergency meat provisions. We grew up among people we couldn't trust."

Upon returning to the lake island, Xu Anchang and You Mu met Shi Chun again. Seeing that the tower remained unresponsive, the two felt it was time to make their move, but Shi Chun intervened.

The reason was readily available and true: rushing things would jeopardize their gains.

With so many divine flames inside the tower, how many would escape if they acted rashly? They had worked so hard to find them before; it made no sense to abandon readily available ones now.

In any case, there was still time. It wouldn't be too late to first ensure Tong Mingshan and the other two were well-supplied before making their move, thereby maximizing their gains.

Meanwhile, the elders within the Ground Core Tower were repeatedly pressing them, asking when the formal proposal would occur.

Shi Chun, knowing the elders were "useless," felt confident in delaying. His excuse remained that he was still preparing the betrothal gifts, explaining that the limited conditions in the Divine Flame Domain required extra time.

Ninth Master suggested that 'good enough' would suffice, but Shi Chun declared that they couldn't be hasty, or it would be unfair to Zhen'er. This genuinely touched Zhen'er, who believed him.

A day later, after Tong Mingshan had fully absorbed the two divine flames, Shi Chun received word and promptly instructed Xu Anchang and You Mu to re-enter the tower and acquire more.

This time, the two were rather excessive. To expedite their progress, they brazenly seized four divine flames, causing such a commotion that even Zhen'er detected that something was amiss.

However, Zhen'er was easily deceived; whatever Shi Chun told her, she believed without question.

For Shi Chun, as long as the elders inside the tower dared not resist, everything was acceptable.

To Xu Anchang and You Mu's disappointment, Wu Jinliang was still continuously protected by his artifacts when they saw him again. They longed to ask if he ever tired of maintaining such a defense day and night.

With more divine flames procured, including some with properties similar to those Tong Mingshan had absorbed, Shi Chun's promise seemed to be realized: Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi also began absorbing divine flames.

Days turned into weeks. When the total number of divine flame types absorbed by Tong Mingshan reached twenty-six, Xu Anchang and You Mu ceased bringing him new, distinct types. All subsequent deliveries went instead to Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi.

If a divine flame was similar to what all three already possessed, its spiritual essence was simply extinguished, and it was released, effectively wasted. One could only imagine what other artifact-forging sects would think if they witnessed such a scene.

One day, a somewhat bored Tong Mingshan, inspired by observing the stars in the Divine Flame Domain, approached Wu Jinliang. He claimed to have had a revelation and wished to enter seclusion to test it.

Wu Jinliang allowed him, noting that there were sufficient personnel and his absence wouldn't be a problem. However, he warned, "I cannot guarantee how long you'll be able to remain undisturbed in seclusion; I might summon you out at any moment."

Tong Mingshan acknowledged this and proceeded into a cave.

The very next day after he entered the cave, a dazzling white light suddenly permeated through the crevices of the stone-sealed seclusion chamber. This was no ordinary light; it was a dense, palpable white radiance that seemed to emit with remarkable precision.

In essence, despite being an intense white light, its illumination didn't spread widely, creating a truly remarkable visual effect.

Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi were preoccupied with absorbing divine flames and missed this spectacle. However, Wu Jinliang and the others turned their heads, staring in stunned silence.

The penetrating white light quickly receded, and the cave entrance returned to darkness.

Chu Jingting asked, "Is Sect Master Tong practicing some extraordinary martial art?"

Wu Jinliang replied, "How would I know?"

Despite his words, he began to take Tong Mingshan's seclusion seriously, assigning two individuals to guard the cave entrance.

Two more days passed. Suddenly, Chen Wuji and Hao Ji, who were on duty at the cave entrance, began to wail like ghosts, jumping, flailing, and rolling on the ground, screaming for help in agony. This startled everyone, who appeared in full alert. Wu Jinliang immediately activated his cushion artifacts for protection.

Yet, the others saw no enemy, only the two men, Chen Wuji and Hao Ji, writhing in painful agony.

Just as everyone stood perplexed, *boom*, the entrance to Tong Mingshan's seclusion cave suddenly pushed open from within. He flew directly towards the two men writhing in agony, waving his hand and absorbing something that clung to their bodies.

It was then that everyone noticed Tong Mingshan was enveloped in a layer of thick black flame-energy. What he had absorbed from Chen Wuji and Hao Ji was precisely that same black flame, which had been indiscernible earlier in the dim light of dusk.

This time, Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi witnessed it as well.

After the black flames were drawn away, Chen Wuji and Hao Ji ceased writhing but still trembled on the ground in agony. In the blink of an eye, both their faces were unrecognizable, swollen like balloons and still rapidly expanding. Everyone was aghast.

Wu Jinliang pointed at Tong Mingshan and demanded, "What is happening?"

No sooner had he spoken than Tong Mingshan flicked his sleeve, dissipating the black flames. With a flip of his palm, a dense white flame materialized.

Holding the flame in his palm, he exhaled a long breath of true energy towards the two suffering men. Immediately, a blinding white light emanated, and a stream of colored mist drifted from the flame. It then split into two, entering the bodies of the still-expanding Chen Wuji and Hao Ji, while any excess swirled around them.

Changes were instantaneous: Chen Wuji and Hao Ji immediately ceased their wails, even emitting sounds of comfort. Their swollen bodies visibly deflated, and within moments, they returned to their normal appearance, only to begin convulsing as if gasping for air.

Tong Mingshan abruptly extinguished the white flame, flashed forward, and produced two ice sheep, placing them over the two men's mouths and noses.

The two men, who had been gasping frantically, gradually steadied their breathing and slowly opened their eyes. Only then did Tong Mingshan fully cease his actions, allowing them to recover independently.

Without waiting for others to inquire, Chen Wuji spoke first. "Sect Master, what happened? We were guarding you during your seclusion; why did you set us ablaze?"

Tong Mingshan quickly clasped his hands in apology. "My apologies, my apologies. The divine flame had just been refined, and I wasn't careful during its activation; it seeped out through the stone crevices."

While others were confused, Zhu Xiangxin and An Wuzhi were particularly insightful. They knew well that, based on the recent events, the black and white flames just seen didn't appear to be among the thirty-six divine flames, even though that collection did include black and white variants.

The two keenly picked up on the word 'refined.' An Wuzhi quickly approached him, disregarding his companions' injuries, and eagerly pressed Tong Mingshan, "Refined? What do you mean refined?"

Naturally, everyone else was also curious and fixed their gazes on Tong Mingshan.

Tong Mingshan hesitated, seemingly at a loss for how to explain. He inverted both palms, and the black and white flames reignited, each occupying one side. He pondered, "I'm not sure how to put it. That day, I suddenly had a realization and decided to refine the divine flames within my body. Twelve of them merged to form this white flame, and another twelve merged into this black one. The remaining two aren't enough to be refined further. If I could find ten more different divine flames, perhaps I could forge another one."

Zhu Xiangxin asked skeptically, "Can thirty-six divine flames truly merge into just three?"

"Not divine flames!" An Wuzhi suddenly cried out, as if a realization had struck him, his voice filled with excitement. "They are True Flames! They are the legendary 'Samadhi True Flames'!"

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