Chapter 821: Pinghu Xiaoqinghua Was Ravaged and Cried

“Come on!”

Endowed with a physique that could withstand the burning of Jinzhao Huozhong, Xu Xiaoshou had no fear of such flames. Upon reaching the Grandmaster realm, he could even directly confront Jinzhao Yuanzhong.

The most dominant flames in the world could be swallowed whole.

Something as gentle as Pinghu Xiaoqinghua, even if it contained the power of calamity, why not devour it?

“Break!”

With a light tap of his finger on the mechanism, the protective spirit array of the green lantern shattered instantly, causing the temperature in the cultivation room to surge rapidly.

His mastery of “Textile Proficiency” allowed him to treat the lantern’s spirit array as if it were nothing.

Freed from its constraints, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua began to expand in his palm.

Green fire serpents, accompanied by the humming of Dao patterns, started to spread and climb along the walls and doors of the cultivation room.

Xu Xiaoshou thought quickly, deploying the Ba Gua Chao Sheng Tu to shield the cultivation room and prevent the small heavenly fire’s power from damaging Tian Shang Di Yi Lou.

Even though he was wealthy, this building was far too expensive—he couldn’t afford to compensate for it.

“Let’s begin…”

Taking a deep breath and adjusting his technique, the enchanting Pinghu Xiaoqinghua transformed into a green arc of light, surging into Xu Xiaoshou’s mouth and nose.

“Hiss!”

An intense burning pain assaulted him, making Xu Xiaoshou slightly tense.

The flame’s temperature was extremely high, but unlike the overbearing nature of Jinzhao White Flame, it was merely hot and peaceful, not recklessly destroying his body.

With a simple guide, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua followed his meridians and flowed into his qi sea.

As “Sheng Sheng Bu Xi” activated and “Zhuan Hua” took effect, the injuries from the high temperature on his Sovereign Throne body were healed in an instant.

“Easier than expected…”

This first step of ingestion was completed by Xu Xiaoshou almost in a daze.

It was too smooth!

So smooth that he hadn’t dared to imagine it before!

After all, not long ago, Dong Ling had asked if he needed help from the Alchemy Association to swallow it.

That showed just how dangerous ingesting a small heavenly fire could be.

And indeed, it was.

But upon second thought, Xu Xiaoshou understood.

The risks applied to others, not him. Given his past experiences, plus his Sovereign Throne body and array of passive skills…

From the physical to the soul level, he had fully adapted to the agony of swallowing small heavenly fires.

So, this inhalation only felt like a mild itch through the boot—he sensed no other abnormalities.

“Little one, welcome to my world.”

Xu Xiaoshou used his intent to touch Pinghu Xiaoqinghua.

This green flame was truly one of the most docile spirit fires.

Unlike the wild rampages of other exotic treasures upon entry, it simply found a corner in his qi sea and coiled up like a model student, waiting quietly.

Xu Xiaoshou continued to probe it with his intent.

Out of pride as a small heavenly fire, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua merely stirred slightly, as if lazily stretching, then ignored him.

Normally, at this point, someone who had swallowed a small heavenly fire would either coax it with kind words or force it into submission.

This would inevitably spark a massive chaos in the qi sea, with scorching heat and rampant green flames.

The swallower could end up seriously injured at best, or dead at worst.

But Xu Xiaoshou’s qi sea was different.

It was crammed with Qí Wù, all of which had already acknowledged him as master.

Now, the master had brought in a new concubine, and the original wives were already displeased. Seeing the master actively communicating with this concubine, only for her to act aloof…

The qi sea exploded into turmoil.

Jinzhao Yuanzhong was the first to act, erupting with endless white flames that crashed like a tsunami.

“Boom!”

The first wave of battle in the qi sea erupted.

The oncoming wave of white flames jolted the drowsy Pinghu Xiaoqinghua awake.

“What’s happening?”

Xu Xiaoshou could almost feel Pinghu Xiaoqinghua’s startled emotions, but he didn’t even intend to stop it, just smiled as he watched the struggle in his qi sea.

“Whoosh!”

Beneath the white flames, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua suddenly expanded, turning into green mist and rising to hold it back.

“Rumble—”

The qi sea shook violently, with infinite qi erupting, causing Xu Xiaoshou’s body to sway abruptly.

For an ordinary person, this loss of control from the treasures could cripple half their body.

But for Xu Xiaoshou, with just a sway to dissipate the force, “Zhuan Hua” had already converted the damage from the qi sea’s eruption into vitality boosted by “Sheng Sheng Bu Xi,” fully healing the injuries.

Essentially, no harm at all!

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou truly realized how much stronger he had become.

In the past, swallowing these things always tortured him nearly to death.

Now, as a Grandmaster, with his powerful passive skills shielding him, even with white flames raging wildly and battles erupting in his qi sea, they couldn’t inflict the slightest damage.

“Good one, keep fighting—I want to see who wins!”

Xu Xiaoshou relaxed even more and continued to observe.

In the qi sea, the green mist withstood the attack of Jinzhao White Flame.

But soon, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua tasted defeat.

The white flames were too domineering.

Under their frenzied erosion and assimilation, it was instantly engulfed and turned mostly white.

Just then, Xu Xiaoshou sensed a terrifying calamity power rising within Pinghu Xiaoqinghua.

“Here it comes…” His eyes lit up.

As the calamity power surged, a massive force surpassing Dao Severing burst forth in extreme heat, instantly burning away the white flames.

This was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had seen a flame that could counter-burn Jinzhao White Flame!

“Impressive…” he marveled.

Jinzhao White Flame was enraged, and almost simultaneously, a terrifying calamity fluctuation erupted from Jinzhao Yuanzhong.

Xu Xiaoshou had never noticed this fluctuation before—he couldn’t even access it.

“That’s the power!”

Xu Xiaoshou realized his earlier premonition was correct.

His sudden intuition was never wrong.

Jinzhao Yuanzhong and San Ri Dong Jie indeed contained a power he couldn’t mobilize with his current cultivation.

Previously, the abilities they displayed might not even be one-tenth of their full potential.

After all, these two were treasures that, just by clashing their ice and fire auras, could shatter Ling Rong Ze and nearly destroy the Bai Ku small world that birthed life.

“Just the tip of the iceberg!” Xu Xiaoshou sighed with emotion. Only by reaching Dao Severing could one harness calamity power, and he began to wonder if there were any shortcuts.

Inside him, after Jinzhao Yuanzhong erupted with calamity power, the two forces reached a stalemate.

But a stalemate favored the white flames’ assimilation nature, making Pinghu Xiaoqinghua suffer.

It was being constantly consumed and would undoubtedly lose if this continued.

“Help me…”

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou sensed an intent—it was Pinghu Xiaoqinghua seeking aid.

Xu Xiaoshou held back.

Little one, you were just ignoring me earlier. My qi sea is full of treasures; I don’t need one as arrogant as you.

Failing to get help, Pinghu Xiaoqinghua grew angry.

It erupted again, emanating faint threads of saint intent from within.

Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes widened in an instant.

Though it was just a trace, having witnessed saint manifestations, he knew exactly what this power meant.

“The small heavenly fire is furious; it’s calling on its father’s power…” Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua, born from Pinghu Qinghua, having a hint of saint power made sense.

But it seemed to forget that this qi sea wasn’t just home to Jinzhao Yuanzhong.

“Ding ling ding ling~”

The moment Pinghu Xiaoqinghua’s saint intent spread, San Ri Dong Jie, which had been silently detached from worldly conflicts, stirred.

In an instant, overwhelming chill enveloped everything.

The entire qi sea froze solid.

Even Jinzhao Yuanzhong was sealed in ice crystals in that split second.

“Crack!”

Jinzhao Yuanzhong’s core broke free first, erupting with its own saint intent.

From a faint thread to a sky-filling white flame.

It stood its ground!

In the qi sea, aside from the suppressed Pinghu Xiaoqinghua, Jinzhao Yuanzhong’s exploding saint intent actually matched San Ri Dong Jie evenly.

“What the heck?”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He had no idea his two treasures were this powerful!

Even knowing he couldn’t harness their calamity power without Dao Severing, he never imagined they possessed such saint force.

He had never noticed it before!

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua was dumbfounded too.

Accustomed to a life of luxury, even knowing its fate upon entering this human’s qi sea, it didn’t want to submit so quickly.

But witnessing the clash between Jinzhao Yuanzhong and San Ri Dong Jie, it was completely baffled.

These were two fathers!

It had just borrowed its own father’s power to gain saint intent, only to find a true heavenly fire here!

In front of it, it was merely a younger brother—or rather, a son!

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua trembled.

It lay still, not daring to move, feeling utterly suppressed.

In the chaos, it desperately sent another urgent intent to its future master.

“Save me, save me…”

Xu Xiaoshou burst out laughing.

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua had provoked the big bosses.

With Jinzhao Yuanzhong and San Ri Dong Jie evenly matched in power, San Ri Dong Jie was a heavenly fire, and Jinzhao Yuanzhong was something even at Sang Lao’s level would covet—so why couldn’t it have saint power?

But why hadn’t it shown before?

As he pondered, he saw the saint forces of the two collide in the qi sea.

Soon, a complex, indescribable emotion arose from both, and Jinzhao Yuanzhong and San Ri Dong Jie retracted their saint power simultaneously, as if drained, becoming listless.

“Resentment?”

Xu Xiaoshou felt their emotions.

Was this forced retraction?

His heart raced.

“No way!”

Xu Xiaoshou had previously guessed why treasures like Jinzhao Yuanzhong and San Ri Dong Jie were left in Bai Ku’s Ling Rong Ze, with even Hong Yi not retrieving them.

Even if they were abandoning them for the fated one, such high-level items should have drawn covetous eyes from those below Hong Yi.

Why leave Bai Ku unattended?

“Sinister plot?”

“These two little ones have been tampered with, sealed with saint power restrictions, so they can’t reveal too much power?”

“Or, as long as these things are in me, the one who set the seal can keep tracking me?”

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by the idea.

But he quickly dismissed it.

If that were possible, the Hong Yi forces would have swarmed in, surrounding Tian Shang Di Yi Lou airtight.

The only explanation…

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of a phenomenon on this continent.

Saints were rare in this world.

Saints were divided into Half-Saints and Saint Emperors.

The Half-Saints Xu Xiaoshou had encountered were almost all from the orthodox Saint Divine Hall.

So, according to common saying, Half-Saints were the peak of power in this world; outsiders to the Hall couldn’t even break through to that level.

Did the same apply to treasures?

“It’s like this world has a great shackle that doesn’t target anyone specifically but imposes a restriction on all existences here—living beings, spirits, the dead.”

“Seal the saints, and they die!”

“Thus, people gain enlightenment through the Dao, geniuses dare not seal themselves as saints, the weak can’t touch it; treasures learn to hide, the strong avoid saint power, the weak conceal their edges…”

This bold idea made Xu Xiaoshou’s heart race.

The definitions of “freedom” and “life and death” pursued by Saint Slaves and the Saint Divine Hall seemed to carry a hint of this truth!

Soon, Xu Xiaoshou frowned, spotting a flaw.

If that were true, there was still something that didn’t add up.

Why couldn’t one seal as a saint?

The first thing Xu Xiaoshou thought of was Si Ren Mister; that night’s conversation was still vivid.

Even if Si Ren Mister hadn’t answered his question then, Xu Xiaoshou knew he was a genius.

A genius couldn’t have failed to seal as a saint after so long—his descendants had already done so.

“He doesn’t dare…”

“So, why?”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt he was just one step from the truth.

That step was the motive behind Ba Zun An forming the Saint Slaves, why Void Island became a prison for ghost beasts, and the sole reason the Saint Divine Hall stood unshaken.

“The answer lies in Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain.”

Xu Xiaoshou recalled the words Ba Zun An had said inside and outside the Eight Palaces.

They couldn’t speak of these things, but once his cultivation reached that level and he truly reached Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain, even without words, he should be able to uncover it.

So, that’s the answer… Xu Xiaoshou felt a sudden clarity. Every time he had a new realization, he found that Sang Lao, Ba Zun An, and the others had hidden profound meanings in almost every word.

Sometimes, even multiple layers!

His thoughts returned.

Above the qi sea, the ice and fire duo that had retracted their saint power settled down.

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua was terrified half to death, desperately trying to drag Xu Xiaoshou into its camp.

But even in desperation, it remained arrogant and unyielding.

The battle’s aftermath also startled the quietest, most silent entity in the qi sea—Jian Nian.

Both the elder’s Jian Nian and Xu Xiaoshou’s Jian Nian turned like people and glanced at Pinghu Xiaoqinghua, clearly annoyed by the instigator of this qi sea chaos.

Just one glance.

Pinghu Xiaoqinghua shattered.

It shattered from its physical form to its mental core.

“Master…”

Only then did Pinghu Xiaoqinghua fully submit, sending a pitiful, tear-inducing call.

Xu Xiaoshou laughed.

Throughout the entire battle, he hadn’t needed to expend any effort.

The major overlords in his qi sea had thoroughly beaten this little pitiful one into submission.