Stop it, Taoist, Your Fight almost Ruins the DAO!

The fair-skinned beauty exchanged a glance with Xue Luosha, both detecting the confusion in each other's eyes. However, it was not the time to dwell on such doubts. Having reached their level of cultivation, they were both of firm mind and would not easily give up. Gritting their teeth, they once again channeled their mana and attacked the colossal flesh flower.

Yet in doing so, the two of them unintentionally drew closer to each other, widening the distance between themselves and Yi Chen.

Yi Chen, dividing his attention, was fervently attacking the huge purple flower in the sky, delaying the descent of the fleshly membrane, while simultaneously delving deeply into the memories in his mind.

As if glimpsing a passing landscape, his memories unfurled.

A pavilion under the moon, shadows of flowers all askew, suitable for a light drink seated on the ground.

Ten miles of green hills, bird song intermittent, fitting for seeking spring and singing of ages past.

In a small courtyard among the mountains, a Daoist held a gold-bound scroll in his hands. By the light of the moon, he lifted his cup in solitude, and the title "Dragon God Flame" was clearly visible on the scroll.

Though jade may be fashioned from the stone of other mountains, how to extract its essence and merge it with one's True Technique, to transform it into nourishment for one's own journey forward, is truly difficult! Difficult! Difficult!

The sixteenth level of True Technique, a stage beyond the ordinary and into the realm of the sanctified—how could it be so easily broken through?

For thirty years in the mountains, a venerable man exhaustively searched the classics. The Daoist tried many methods, but to no avail.

Enough! Enough! Enough! With a sigh of resignation, the Daoist rose to his full height and began to wander the world.

What is the ultimate fire in the world?

Perhaps it is the natural fire of heaven and earth.

The Daoist stood atop a golden peak during a thunderstorm, refining his body with the lightning, yet he remained unsatisfied.

Although the fire of heaven and earth was mighty, it was not the Pure Yang he was searching for.

Or could it be the fire inherent in nature itself?

The Daoist sought the abyssal regions, observing the heart of the earth's purple flames, only to return disappointed; he witnessed the fire within the sea, coming back disheartened. One day, he heard of flammable ice in the farthest north, and he went there eagerly, but this fire was fundamentally no different from the fire in the sea, so he returned,

He took out his notebook, jotting down: "Polar bear paw must be steamed to preserve its original flavor, which is preferable. Bean sauce ranks second, and deep-frying third."

Though this journey did not yield the ultimate fire of heaven and earth, the Daoist's culinary skills improved slightly.

"Eh, where is the path?" The Daoist looked around bewildered, in the vast world there was no one to accompany him on his journey.

His gaze wandered until suddenly, it intensified. Atop a precipice with a severed arm, a withered tree sprouting new life captured his attention. The tree bore the blackened scars of a lightning strike.

He was startled, and in a flash, the Daoist had an epiphany.

He was mistaken; the path he had taken before was wrong.

The dragon is the true spirit of heaven and earth, and divinity is the order of the cosmos. The ultimate fire born of this must be the most potent essence between heaven and earth.

Physical fire is, after all, inanimate. It is the myriad creatures of the universe that are the miracles of creation.

Therefore, the mightiest fire should also lie amongst living beings.

As soon as the veil of confusion lifted, the world suddenly seemed vast and spacious!

For a while, the Daoist stood there, eyes nearly closed, lost in thought.

The sun rose in the east and set in the west, the moon waxed and waned brightly.

After three cycles of day and night, the Daoist opened his eyes, and the world he saw had changed dramatically.

"Marvelous! Marvelous! Marvelous!"

"Who would have thought that the most crucial enlightenment on my path of cultivation would come today?"

Now, when the Daoist looked at the mountains and trees, he could see the fire of life they nurtured within.

He approached a stream, scooped up water in his hands, and saw his own reflection.

As humans are the most intelligent of all creatures, what then is the fire of humanity?

Upon reflection, the Daoist already knew the answer.

It is the heart, the invisible and intangible fire of emotions.

"The fire of heaven and earth is the wrath of the natural world, executing Heaven's punishment. The human body is a microcosm; the thunder within humans is emotion. Igniting emotion can unlock tremendous power!"

"The tangible fires of the outside world are ultimately the fires of others; to achieve perfect harmony with oneself, one must draw from within!"

Humans have seven emotions and six desires. The fire of life is but one born from the desire to live. To fully grasp its mysteries, one must understand oneself.

Now that the path ahead is clear, one should hold the lamp and proceed.

Amidst his hearty laughter, the Daoist sealed all his cultivation. There was no other way, for to ascend to divinity, one must first become mortal.

How could he, with his True Technique at the fifteenth level, free from most joys and sorrows, ever fully grasp its true meaning?

The next day, a peddler who roamed the streets and alleys settled down in Stone Moat Village and adopted an abandoned baby.

He was happy, wearing thin clothes in the fresh snow, running without feeling the cold. He thought of the child he was raising, who would be warm and well-fed tonight.

He saw others happy, on their wedding nights amidst floral candles.

He was sad, selling coal in the snow without feeling the cold, a half-piece of red fabric, a length of silk tied to the ox's head, making straight for the coal.

He saw others' sadness, when three children were not their own...

He was angry, sleeping in Stone Moat Village, when officials came at night to seize people.

He saw others' anger, some drew their swords against the strong, some drew their swords against the weaker.

...

With white hair, the Daoist sat in the prison cell without a hint of joy or sorrow on his face, having joined the rebel army and been captured. Now alone, he had experienced the full spectrum of human warmth and coldness.

After the night the officials took his adopted son, who then died in battle, and he, unable to bear the officialdom's exploitation, angrily joined the rebel army, becoming the sixteenth of the Eighteen Rebel Kings with his silver hair. Unfortunately, his forces were defeated, and a meteor shower threw his army into disarray, a victim of circumstances not of his own making.

"Yi Zhongba, your time has come. Come out."

Shackled, the Daoist walked out of the prison cell to the vegetable market, where today he was to be beheaded.

At the second quarter of noon, the Daoist looked up at the golden sun in the sky and suddenly revealed a smile as the seals on his body shattered.

In the three months in the cell, he looked back at his mortal life and had finally perfectly integrated the true meaning of "Dragon God Flame" into his True Technique.

"I have understood!" he exclaimed.

The Daoist rose to his full height, his body radiating infinite golden flames, harnessing the power of emotions hidden in his heart. His True Technique finally advanced to the sixteenth level.

Stirring up emotions, suddenly the executioner, officials, and soldiers all turned into burning torches.

For him at this moment, intimidating others with Pure Yang energy, seizing the fire of their hearts, was all too easy.

"With the true meaning of the Dragon God Flame, I draw on the power of emotions, merging it with Extreme Origin. The fiery blaze I now command is no longer merely fire, but purest Yang Flame!"

The Daoist walked forward with his hands behind his back, heading towards the imperial palace.

In the shocked eyes of the crowd, anyone who bore him ill will was consumed by their own emotions, their rage burning them to ashes. Step by step he advanced, unflinching, and under the smelting of the pure Yang Flame, the mana on his body began to further transform, shifting from the color of gold to that of lustrous gold.

On that day, amid the attention of thousands, the Daoist entered the palace alone.

On that day, the fire lit up half the sky.

After that day, the dynasty began to investigate corrupt officials and abolished onerous taxes.

The scene ended abruptly there.

"Damn it, this won't do, the blood-colored placenta keeps falling!"

"What kind of monster is this, what bizarre magic, to be so troublesome!" Xue Luosha's breath was weak, her complexion pale. Even with her firm mind, she couldn't help showing a look of despair.

"My Blood and Flesh Boundary divine power, even my master praised it. Your attempts to shake the tree are laughable. Best to fuse with me, my fellow Daoists!" The face in the purple flesh flower couldn't help but laugh loudly.

"Sword Qi of Ice Extinction · Obliteration!"

The fair-skinned beauty, with an abnormal flush on her face, gathered all her mana and unleashed a mighty Sword Qi. However, after merging into the purple flesh flower's maw, it only managed to sever a few tentacles and achieved nothing more.

The blood-colored membrane was still slowly descending, now less than a hundred meters from closing.

Just as the fair-skinned beauty was about to despair, suddenly Yi Chen, holding his halberd, stood firm, his voice of delight spreading in all directions.

"Do not panic, my fellow Daoists. I have understood!" he announced.

What!

The fair-skinned beauty and Xue Luosha were both stunned, looking at the figure of the Daoist across from them.

The strength of this person's cultivation shocked them immensely, especially Xue Luosha, who, recalling her previous actions, was terrified.

"Burn the Seven Emotions, incinerate the Six Desires, all the thirteen layers of Pure Yang blaze empty!"

Suddenly, a flame pattern crawled onto Yi Chen's forehead as he looked up, and within the blood-colored placenta, there was nothing but fire!