He Qingman's voice was cold. With a sharp Heng, her bright eyes radiated iciness. She glared fiercely at Shi Yan, "Sister Xinyan became like this because of you, and you still manage to be happy? Do you have any conscience at all?"
This woman had been watching Shi Yan, and she had just caught a flicker of joy on his face.
Naturally, she did not know that Shi Yan had already found a way to treat Xia Xinyan after communicating with the Profound Ice Cold Flame. He Qingman only assumed Shi Yan was secretly celebrating, and her heart immediately filled with anger, causing her to instantly accuse Shi Yan of being heartless and ungrateful.
In the valley, the surrounding Asura Blood Guards were also bewildered. Seeing the joy on Shi Yan’s face, they too found it strange. Even Mo Duanhun had stated that Xia Xinyan would be extremely difficult to heal, which was tantamount to concluding that her soul had suffered a critical injury. For Shi Yan to show joy at such a time made his motives highly suspect.
Only Mo Duanhun frowned deeply, glancing at the Blood Patterned Ring on Shi Yan’s hand, his expression becoming thoughtful.
Shi Yan heard He Qingman’s reprimand but paid it no heed, sinking his consciousness back into the Blood Patterned Ring to continue communicating with the Profound Ice Cold Flame. “How must the Soul Gathering Orb be refined so that the souls within can be transformed into pure, flawless Soul Force?”
“It’s very simple.” The Profound Ice Cold Flame had been waiting for this question from Shi Yan. “You only need to burn the Soul Gathering Orb in a special flame. The flame will burn away all impurities of the souls inside the Orb, and what remains will be a pure Soul Force ready to be absorbed.”
“A special flame?” Shi Yan paused. “You are one of the Heavenly Flames; surely your flame will suffice?”
“No, no, no!” The Profound Ice Cold Flame immediately responded. “It requires extremely high temperatures to completely burn away the soul impurities within the Soul Gathering Orb.”
Although the Profound Ice Cold Flame was a Heavenly Flame, it was exceptionally unique. Most Heavenly Flames carried the high heat capable of burning everything, but this entity’s flame was bone-chillingly cold, capable of freezing everything instead—their attributes were diametrically opposed.
If the Soul Gathering Orb truly needed to be incinerated by high heat, the icy flame of the Profound Ice Cold Flame would indeed be useless.
“Could it be that another Heavenly Flame is required to burn away the impurities of the souls in the Soul Gathering Orb?”
Shi Yan’s heart sank. “Heavenly Flames are the most wondrous flames in the world. If a Heavenly Flame is truly needed, where on earth am I supposed to find one?”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Heavenly Flame,” the Profound Ice Cold Flame replied after a moment of silence. “The Earth Core Fire from the heart of a ten-thousand-year volcano should also work. As long as you find a ten-thousand-year volcano, enter its core, and place the Soul Gathering Orb inside, I can see if it works.”
“Enter the core of a ten-thousand-year volcano?” Shi Yan’s expression shifted slightly. “I’m afraid I would be reduced to ashes midway.”
The Earth Core Fire in the heart of a ten-thousand-year volcano was intensely scorching. Not to mention martial artists in the Tribulation Crossing Realm, even experts at the Status or Nirvana Frame Realm would likely be unable to withstand entering the heart of such a volcano rashly.
The Profound Ice Cold Flame’s suggestion left Shi Yan feeling deeply frustrated.
“Hey! I’m talking to you!” He Qingman stood before Shi Yan, her voluptuous and alluring chest thrust forward, coldness blazing in her peach blossom eyes as she stared directly at him, hating him fiercely. “Are you mute? Or are you just guilty?”
Shi Yan, who had been deep in discussion with the Profound Ice Cold Flame, snapped back to attention with He Qingman’s sharp cry. He looked at her blankly and asked, “What did you say?”
His attention had been entirely focused on the Profound Ice Cold Flame, and he hadn't noticed He Qingman at all, naturally missing everything she had said.
Shi Yan held a degree of goodwill toward He Qingman. After all, when Xia Xinyan fell from the sky, it was this woman who had used a monstrous beast to catch her. Otherwise, falling from such a height while her soul was critically injured, Xia Xinyan would likely have been smashed until every bone in her body was broken. If that had happened, even if her soul recovered in the future, half of her body might have been permanently crippled.
Therefore, Shi Yan felt grateful toward He Qingman and understood her urgency stemmed entirely from concern for Xia Xinyan, so he did not take offense at her poor attitude.
“You’re satisfied now that Sister Xinyan has become like this, aren’t you?” He Qingman gritted her silver teeth. “I’ve never seen a man as ruthless and faithless as you! In the Galuo Sea Region, Sister Xinyan was a favored daughter of heaven; countless young talents were infatuated with her. There were plenty more handsome and powerful than you! Yet, for your sake, she fought against the Gu and Dongfang families for three years. As soon as she learned you were in Yunxia City, she rushed to find you, risking her life! It is all because of you that she is in this state now! And you, you are secretly gloating! Truly ungrateful! Utterly shameless!”
The more He Qingman thought about it, the angrier she became, finding everything about Shi Yan repulsive as she cursed him coldly. Shi Yan found her barrage of scolding almost laughable; he felt this woman had some kind of problem—to jump to conclusions without understanding anything was far too presumptuous. Thus, Shi Yan fell silent again, choosing to ignore her.
“How can one enter the core of a ten-thousand-year volcano?” Shi Yan sent a mental message. “Have you forgotten me?” the Profound Ice Cold Flame replied haughtily. “With my freezing power to protect you, what volcano can you not enter? A mere Earth Fire—how could it compare to my power? With me guarding you, what do you have to fear?”
Shi Yan suddenly understood. Because of Xia Xinyan’s injury, his mind had been unsettled, and he had completely forgotten how terrifying the cold energy of the Profound Ice Cold Flame was. Back on Monroe Island, a place dense with volcanoes, even such an area could be turned into an ice island under the flame’s chill. What volcano in the world would it dare not penetrate?
“I understand.” Shi Yan’s mind settled, and a hint of joy returned to his face. “Utterly shameless! Truly utterly shameless!” He Qingman’s teeth ground together audibly. “I’ve really never seen anyone like you. To think Sister Xinyan always praised you! Today, I’ve truly had my eyes opened! How could someone as intelligent as Sister Xinyan fall for someone like you! I truly feel it’s not worth it for her!”
He Qingman cursed for a long time, and seeing Shi Yan smile again, she was almost emitting smoke from all seven orifices. If Mo Duanhun hadn’t been nearby, she might have even struck Shi Yan.
“Uh, are you talking to yourself, and finding it amusing?”
Shi Yan withdrew his consciousness from the Blood Patterned Ring and glanced coolly at He Qingman, his tone neither warm nor cold. Anyone wrongly accused and then scolded for so long would naturally feel some annoyance, and Shi Yan was no exception. He Qingman hadn’t understood the situation at all, subjectively branding him as a cold-hearted, unfaithful cad.
She had cursed him with gritted teeth for several minutes, and seeing that he wouldn't speak and kept scolding him, Shi Yan began to think the woman had some kind of mental issue.
“You! You!”
He Qingman pointed at Shi Yan, breathing heavily, her alluring chest heaving and outlining captivating curves. She was so angry she was temporarily speechless.
Shi Yan looked at her sidelong, knowing the woman had a fiery figure and must be quite beautiful, but his focus was not on that right now, and he couldn't be bothered with her. He glanced at He Qingman, then turned his head away. He asked Mo Duanhun standing beside him, “Is there a ten-thousand-year volcano nearby?”
“There isn’t one in the immediate vicinity.” Mo Duanhun looked surprised, then pondered. “There is one in the Galuo Sea Region. The largest one is on Fire Cloud Island, controlled by the Heavenly Evil Cave Heaven. Miss He here should know the most about this; the current Island Master of Fire Cloud Island, He Luo, is her father.”
Shi Yan froze, his expression immediately becoming strange. He turned back to look at He Qingman. He Qingman was still angry, gritting her teeth and staring fiercely at Shi Yan. “No matter what you plan to do, I won’t help you! Looking at a faithless man like you just irritates me!”
With that, He Qingman’s fiery, graceful figure moved gracefully. In a flash, she was seated on the Thunder Wind Flying Lion. She adjusted her slender legs and let out a sharp cry, “Let’s go.”
“Wait a moment.”
Shi Yan frowned. He suddenly stepped in front of the Thunder Wind Flying Lion and looked up at He Qingman seated high above him. “You can go, but Xinyan must stay behind with me.”
“On what grounds?” He Qingman’s gaze turned icy. “Sister Xinyan came with me, and now her soul is severely injured. I must send her back to the Xia family as quickly as possible. The Xia family will surely spare no effort to find a way to save her when they learn how gravely injured she is! Not like you, who does nothing and even gloats!”
The Thunder Wind Flying Lion had already risen, and He Qingman, sitting above, looked down at Shi Yan with disdainful ridicule. The Sixth-Rank monstrous beast, the Thunder Wind Flying Lion, keenly sensed its mistress’s rage. Its copper-bell-sized, dark red pupils glared ferociously at Shi Yan, and it let out a furious roar upwards.
A Sixth-Rank monstrous beast is comparable to a martial artist in the Nirvana Nest Realm. After the Thunder Wind Flying Lion roared, two Wind Blades instantly materialized and shot towards Shi Yan.
“Stupid beast!” He Qingman cried out, her expression shifting slightly.
Mo Duanhun snorted and appeared like a ghost in front of the Thunder Wind Flying Lion. He grabbed the Wind Blades with one large hand and glared at He Qingman, saying coldly, “Should I help you discipline your monstrous beast?”
“A misunderstanding,” He Qingman said, startled. She hurriedly stamped her foot on the Thunder Wind Flying Lion’s head, secretly cursing the beast for not knowing its limits.
After Mo Duanhun appeared, the Thunder Wind Flying Lion immediately quieted down. It quickly lay back down, not daring to lift its head or look at Mo Duanhun, terrified that Mo Duanhun might inflict harsh punishment upon it. A Sixth-Rank beast already possessed some level of intelligence.
“Leave Xinyan with me,” Shi Yan said, his face grim, his cold eyes fixed on He Qingman in front of the Thunder Wind Flying Lion.
“Even if you are from the Yang family, you have no right to command me!” He Qingman bit out. “Sister Xinyan came with me, and she leaves with me! I absolutely will not hand Sister Xinyan over to a faithless brute like you!”
“I can save her!” Shi Yan stated gravely.
“You can save her?” He Qingman paused, then scoffed dismissively. “Even Lord Mo has no solution; what solution could you possibly have? Your strength isn't much, but your tone is certainly arrogant.”
“Young Master Yan, are you planning to go to Fire Cloud Island?” Mo Duanhun, seeing that the situation was becoming endless, couldn't help but interject. “If you are going to Fire Cloud Island, then there’s no need to move Miss Xia. Miss He should also be returning to Fire Cloud Island, so you can travel together.”
Mo Duanhun’s suggestion made Shi Yan ponder for a moment before nodding. “I am going to Fire Cloud Island. Lord Mo, what about you?”
“I will follow you until I return to Undying Island,” Mo Duanhun replied.
“Very well then.” Shi Yan nodded, then proactively walked toward the only Sixth-Rank Azure Blood Demon Bat. “Then, escort me to Fire Cloud Island.”
“Agreed.”