C10 Devil Refining Spell!
Yu Yuan gradually came to consciousness.
The first sight that greeted him was Yuan Qiufang, bare-chested in the chilly confines of a stone chamber.
His gaze fell upon the ice-silver chains binding Yuan Qiufang, prompting a frown as he instinctively inquired, "Are you also a captive of the Cold Yin Sect? How long have I been tossed in this place?"
Yuan Qiufang, who had just managed to settle himself, wore a peculiar look upon hearing these words.
"Hu!"
A crimson beam erupted like a geyser from the crown of his head.
Within the column, numerous fiery talismans swirled around a fierce and malevolent flame sprite.
Gasping for breath and growling, Yuan Qiufang fought to suppress the fire toxin, desperately clinging to his sanity.
"Ah, a Red Devil Sect cultivator," Yu Yuan realized, taken aback. "But you're quite underwhelming, aren't you? To be afflicted with fire toxin at the Penetrating Stage while practicing the Red Devil Sect's Spiritual Spell?"
He shook his head, a mix of pity and disbelief for the man before him. "To think, a Red Devil Sect member succumbing to fire toxin is one thing, but to also be captured and imprisoned by the Cold Yin Sect is a whole new level of disgrace."
The Red Devil Sect was a formidable force of the Devil Dao on the Quietus Continent, surpassing even the Cold Yin Sect in might.
On the Heavenly Source Continent, the seven lesser sects wouldn't dare cross the Red Devil Sect.
Even on the Profound Sky Continent, disciples of the Cold Yin Sect would tread lightly around members of the Red Devil Sect.
In his past life, Yu Yuan belonged to the Medicine God Sect on the Quietus Continent.
During his studies of poison pill techniques, he often traveled north, forging deep ties with many from the Devil Palace and Demon Palace.
He had old friends within the Red Devil Sect, which is how he recognized the Devil Refining Spell in Yuan Qiufang's fiery display, a signature technique of their sect.
"You, you?"
Yuan Qiufang nearly choked on his own blood, the frustration in his heart nearly overwhelming.
This man, whom his daughter had dismissed as the simpleton of the Yu family, was now looking at him as if he were nothing more than a pathetic wretch.
"Hmm, how did he come to know about the Red Devil Sect? And how did he find out that I practice the Devil Refining Spell, leading to my affliction with the fire toxin?" Yuan Qiufang, his mind clouded by the poison's torment, struggled to maintain his composure and demanded, "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm Yu Yuan."
"Yu Yuan?" Yuan Qiufang inhaled sharply, his eyes darting around as a thought struck him. "Aren't you the one who was recently brought back from the dead?"
"Yes," Yu Yuan confirmed with a nod, then pressed on, "Which member of the Cold Yin Sect brought me here?"
He had assumed that after eliminating Yinn Jue, a representative from the Cold Yin Sect who had come to Darkmoon City had personally apprehended him and secretly transported him to this location.
He had been wracking his brain for a strategy to get the Cold Yin Sect to 'cool off' and not rush into executing him.
"I wasn't captured by the Cold Yin Sect. It was the agony of the fire toxin that made me fear losing control to the madness, so I bound myself with Ice Silver Cold Iron," Yuan Qiufang admitted after a moment's reflection. Then, with a hint of probing, he inquired, "I've heard you've concocted a Channel Opening Pill, and... another kind of poison pill?"
"Not the Cold Yin Sect?" Yu Yuan's tension eased instantly. A spark of realization hit him, "So it was you who probed with your spiritual sense last time?"
"That was me," Yuan Qiufang admitted without hesitation, his gaze fixed on Yu Yuan with a look of earnest hope. "Since you're familiar with the Red Devil Sect, the Devil Spell I practice, and my fire toxin affliction, do you... have a solution?"
"Absolutely!" Yu Yuan cut in before he could finish, "Right now, I have a method that can temporarily suppress the fire toxin, allowing you to leave this stone chamber for a short while."
"Is that so?" Yuan Qiufang exclaimed, elated.
"It is," Yu Yuan reassured him, then added, "Ahem, given that you're at the Penetrating Stage, you must be aware of a Cold Yin Sect master present in or around the city, correct?"
"I am aware," Yuan Qiufang responded.
"I'll teach you a technique to temporarily hold back the fire toxin, enabling you to step out of this stone chamber for a brief time," Yu Yuan offered thoughtfully, "However, be warned that you'll still spend a considerable period in that condition afterward. The fire toxin isn't something that can be eradicated quickly; it requires extensive preparation."
Yuan Qiufang was thoroughly roused, a fiery blaze seemed to surge deep within his eyes. "You can eliminate my fire toxin?"
"I've already told you, I can eliminate your fire toxin," Yu Yuan replied confidently, a smile on his face. "But first, I need a favor from you."
"What would that be?"
"Help me take care of the visitor from the Cold Yin Sect."
"Done! I'll deal with her first," Yuan Qiufang quickly agreed. "Now, how can I temporarily suppress the fire toxin? I'm capable of breaking free from these Ice Silver Chains while I'm lucid, but I must return here before I lose control of my senses."
"Pay close attention," Yu Yuan instructed in a low voice. "Channel the chill from the Ice Silver Chains into these specific acupoints..."
As Yu Yuan spoke, streams of icy light obediently coursed into Yuan Qiufang's acupoints within the frosty chamber.
Yuan Qiufang, a practitioner of the Devil Refining Spell, felt his inner spiritual power blaze. Channeling the chamber's frigid energy into acupoints like the Jade Pillow, Heavenly Pillar, and Light Bearing, he was struck by a sudden rush of cold that quelled the tumult in his mind, allowing him to maintain clarity.
His eyes sparkled with newfound confidence, and he began to believe in Yu Yuan's ability to cure his fire toxin.
"The Spiritual Spell you practice from the Red Devil Sect naturally generates intense heat within you, which will eventually dissipate the cold energy in your acupoints. But this will take time, and you'll remain lucid throughout," Yu Yuan observed him carefully before continuing, "You've got about half a day to move freely. When you act, the fire toxin will cause you pain, but it won't drive you into a frenzy."
"So, please keep your word."
"Ha! We've already pinpointed the Cold Yin Sect's hideout!" Yuan Qiufang laughed boisterously. "That Lyu Yue, she was wounded recently. I'll have no trouble taking her down!"
With a series of "crack" sounds, the ice chains shattered away from his body. He strode to the center of the chamber and with a forceful stomp, a stone pathway emerged. "Follow me!"
Seizing Yu Yuan's arm, they both vanished into the stone corridor.
Moments passed.
Yuan Lianyao, having attended to some city affairs, gracefully entered the secret room, eager to discover how many secrets her father had extracted from Yu Yuan.
"Where is he?"
She was taken aback to find the icy chamber empty. Noticing the central stone path was now clear, her face paled, "Oh no! What's he up to? His previous departures nearly cost me my life!"
Without a second thought, she hurried down the stone path, determined to locate Yuan Qiufang and drag him back if necessary.
She feared Yuan Qiufang might once again err grievously, unleashing unspeakable crimes upon Darkmoon City.
Even before her father's spiritual intelligence waned, he was no saint. If he succumbed to madness, the havoc he could wreak in Darkmoon City was enough to make her skin crawl.
...
Beyond the city lay the barren Dwarf Mountain.
Within the shadowy, chill of the cave, Lyu Yue was surrounded by cold crystals and dozens of silver-white venomous serpents. They writhed amongst the crystals, drawing in the frigid spiritual energy with satisfied hisses.
Gazing at the serpents, Lyu Yue murmured, "We can't delay any longer. We must deal with the Yu family swiftly and ensure their return to the sect for advancement."
She had been nourishing these serpents with her own life force, hoping they would be ready to level up upon their return to the Cold Yin Sect.
The more advanced the serpents, the greater their intelligence and the more they could reciprocate, empowering her further.
Suddenly, the serpents began to slither restlessly.
Lyu Yue's expression turned icy as she dispersed her chilling spiritual sense outward.
"Ah!"
She screamed the next instant.
Her spiritual sense, upon leaving the cave, felt as though it had plunged into molten lava!
The agony of her spiritual sense being scorched was unbearable. She instantly realized that an equally powerful, or even mightier, expert had stealthily infiltrated their midst.
"I am Lyu Yue of the Cold Yin Sect. Who goes there?" she called out urgently.
"Whoosh!"
Like a blazing inferno, Yuan Qiufang burst into the cave with Yu Yuan in tow!
At the cave's entrance, the concealing rocks were shattered by Yuan Qiufang's intense inferno.
"Greetings to the esteemed master of the Cold Yin Sect." Yu Yuan, braving the sweltering heat emanating from Yuan Qiufang, bowed deeply to Lyu Yue amidst the icy crystals. "I hail from the Yu family, my name is Yu Yuan. Oh, and in case the master doesn't recall, I am the 'foolish boy' from the Yu family whom you directed Yin Jue to eliminate on multiple occasions."
Lyu Yue's complexion drained of color.
She glanced between Yu Yuan and Yuan Qiufang, realizing all too clearly that their visit boded ill.
"How does the Yu family have such a formidable ally?" she wondered in alarm. Blame for the Lim family crept into her thoughts, and as regret welled up, she hastily pleaded, "Hear me out, let me explain!"
"My apologies," Yuan Qiufang said, his mouth curving into a broad grin.
From the crimson beam bursting forth from his crown, tiny flaming talismans whirled out like scintillating stars.
These enigmatic talismans, brimming with intense heat and terrifying demonic might, scattered like embers around Lyu Yue.
The dozens of silver venomous serpents she had nurtured caught fire in an instant, emitting desperate shrieks as they perished one after another.
With each death, Lyu Yue reeled as if struck, her cries of agony turning to pleas for mercy. "Fellow practitioner of the Red Devil Sect, I beg of you, forgive me! I truly had no knowledge of the Yu family child's connection to your esteemed sect!"
"Whether you knew or not is irrelevant," Yuan Qiufang stated, offering no further explanation as he swept his hand through the air, a fan of flames in its wake.
"Chi! Chi!"
A blade, forged purely from searing flame, cleaved downwards.
"The cave is unbearably hot; I'll step outside," Yu Yuan remarked, sparing no further glance as he exited the stone grotto.
Behind him, Lyu Yue's anguished screams crescendoed before abruptly ceasing.
Before his fall, Yuan Qiufang had been at the zenith of the Penetrating Stage, even attempting to break through to the Yin God Stage. Despite his failure and subsequent descent to the Middle Period of the Penetrating Stage, his combat prowess remained superior to that of an average practitioner at that level.
In Yu Yuan's estimation, Lyu Yue had only recently advanced to the Penetrating Stage. Moreover, Lyu Yue had suffered a backlash from the Blood Worm not too long ago, and had been using his own vital energy to nurture a Silver Poison Python, which further diminished his combat prowess. Trapped in the cave by Yuan Qiufang, what chance did such a weakened Lyu Yue have to escape?
