C1575 The Inner Wall of the Serpentflame
Mo Baichuan nodded affirmatively, then furrowed his brow in deep contemplation.
Yu Yuan watched in surprise, waiting patiently for him to speak.
But as time dragged on, Mo Baichuan remained lost in thought.
"There's no need for formalities between us," Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit finally broke the silence. "Besides, given the state of your Sunlit Order, I doubt Han Miaoyuan would object to me lending you a hand."
Lee Tianxin had passed away, and it was at Han Miaoyuan's urging that Yuwen Hao chose to shatter his own divine status.
Han Miaoyuan's stern warnings to Qin Luo upon his return from extraterrestrial realms, along with his actions concerning the Crimson Sun Empire, indicated that Han, burdened by guilt, would surely defend the Sunlit Order.
In light of this, Boss Han wouldn't hold Mo Baichuan accountable for our close interactions.
Yu Yuan suspected that Mo Baichuan was concerned about the enmity between their factions.
"It's not about being polite; my mind is just cluttered. I can't seem to recall certain things," Mo Baichuan admitted, shaking his head as if to dispel his inner turmoil. "Never mind, the more I try to remember, the fuzzier it gets. Perhaps it's because my Solar Spirit was recently reduced to ashes, and my heaven soul needs to be reconstituted."
While speaking, the bleeding from the nine wounds on his abdomen ceased.
He produced a bottle of pills and ingested them in front of Yu Yuan, immediately beginning to assimilate their healing properties to expedite his recovery.
"My master?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in confusion.
"The former leader of the Order of Healing," Mo Baichuan clarified. "The matter I was about to discuss is somewhat related to him, but I've found that my memories of him are becoming increasingly vague."
Yu Yuan felt a pang of astonishment at this revelation.
He, too, realized that as his own power and prowess had grown, and with the revival of Zhong Chichen, his recollections of his former master had grown dimmer.
It was as if he instinctively overlooked his past, sparing little thought for his old mentor.
His memories of Zhong Chichen remained vivid, as were those of Xia Nan. The same went for Chu Yao, Luo Yue, and others—all etched deeply in his mind.
When he thought of his master, only a few fragmented images surfaced in his mind, the majority of his memories shrouded as if by fog.
He had never given it much thought before, but now, prompted by Mo Baichuan, he found himself reflecting deeply.
In his past life, his master had always shown him great affection and imparted extensive knowledge of medicinal lore.
Moreover, he felt that his master seemed to have a particular fondness for him over Zhong Chichen, who didn't seem to be a favorite...
"Could you let me have a look at your old Forge of the Sun?" Mo Baichuan asked.
"Serpentflame?"
Yu Yuan gave Mo Baichuan a peculiar look. "The Serpentflame isn't even of heavenly grade, nor does it possess an artifact soul. It's merely a tool for pill refinement. What made you bring it up all of a sudden?"
While speaking, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit connected with his real body in the marsh.
At that moment, his Solar Spirit was in the midst of melting the Kylin Heart on the Dragon Slaying Stage.
His real body was dispersed beside a lake, observing Green Willow as it harnessed the spiritual energy of water and fused it with primal energy to forge his Bloodline Gem.
According to Untamed, if he took the Kylin Heart and left the marsh, the Dark Phoenix would immediately target him, and he risked losing the Kylin Heart.
So, he decided to remain in the marsh until the Kylin Heart was fully refined before venturing out.
"The Serpentflame is within the Cosmos Ring of my real body, which is currently in the Godsblight Marsh. If you truly wish to see it, I can arrange for the consortium to deliver it," Yu Yuan explained through his Lunar Spirit.
Mo Baichuan, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly rose to his feet and said, "In that case, have Zhou You bring the Serpentflame directly to the Order of Healing. Please arrange this for me. We'll use the rune circle from Celestial Isle to travel to the Skyreach Consortium's headquarters and then directly to your Order of Healing's Fireheart Mountains."
"Fireheart Mountains..." Yu Yuan's thoughts flickered.
"I am on Sunlit Isle because my Solar Spirit traveled deep into the earth through the nearby Frozen Hellscape. At the edge of the Earthfire, my Solar Spirit was reduced to ashes. Yet, I discovered that from the Fireheart Mountains, there are flames that, although greatly diminished in strength, still contain the essence of the Earthfire."
Mo Baichuan explained, "I perused the scroll left by the Sect Master and found that the most potent Earthfire in the entire Everlands emerges from the Fireheart Mountains, where the Order of Healing is situated. Aside from your Order, the only other place is the Ruby Hand. Since I can't possibly go to the Ruby Hand, the Order of Healing is my only option, and indeed, it's the best choice for me."
As he spoke, Mo Baichuan, now in the Spirit Walk state, and Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit made their way toward Celestial Isle.
Elsewhere.
Zhou You, stationed at the Skyreach Consortium's headquarters, set off for the Marsh upon receiving his orders. Upon arrival, he quickly met with Yu Yuan's real body and obtained the Serpentflame furnace that Mo Baichuan had specifically requested.
...
Hours later.
At the base of a dormant volcano within the Fireheart Mountains, home to the Order of Healing, Yu Yuan and Mo Baichuan stood together on the crimson volcanic stone.
Whoosh!
Zhou You arrived, gracefully presenting the Serpentflame and placing it before them.
With a slight bow and a respectful tone, he addressed Mo Baichuan, "Lord Mo."
Mo Baichuan remained unmoved.
Undeterred by the lack of response, Zhou You, understanding Mo Baichuan's temperament, turned to Yu Yuan and inquired, "Anything else?"
Yu Yuan shook his head, replying, "You've done well. Thank you."
"It's no trouble at all," Zhou You said with a chuckle, sensing that the two had matters to discuss. He tactfully took his leave.
Yu Yuan's attention then settled on the furnace.
The gourd-shaped Serpentflame, supported by three legs, was adorned with the carvings of vermillion birds, fire dragons, Kylin, phoenixes, and other ancient alien beasts on its exterior, all appearing vivid and fierce.
Inside, the furnace's walls were etched with bizarre fire circles, as if engulfed by strangely burning, tumultuous flames.
Upon the Serpentflame's arrival, Mo Baichuan showed no interest in the outer wall's alien beast imagery.
Once Zhou You had departed, Mo Baichuan no longer hesitated. He soared into the air and descended directly into the furnace's interior.
His gaze was drawn to the inner wall, fixated on the enigmatic fire circles whose deeper meanings remained a mystery.
Mo Baichuan's pupils suddenly sparkled with an odd light, and his breathing quickened.
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, taken aback by his peculiar behavior, asked, "Baibai, has the fire circle on the inner wall affected you in some way?"
Without a word, Mo Baichuan continued to fixate on the fire circle, his attention seemingly locked onto it.
After a quarter of an hour, Mo Baichuan emerged from the "Serpentflame," appearing to have expended a great deal of his energy and somewhat weakened.
He closed his eyes to recuperate for a short time before reopening them. "This furnace is probably of no use to you now. You might as well give it to me," he said.
Yu Yuan was taken aback. Throughout their long acquaintance, Mo Baichuan had never once asked him for anything.
The "Serpentflame," lacking an artifact soul, didn't even qualify as heavenly grade. Its primary function was to harness Earthfire for pill refinement.
He had created the "Serpentflame" because, in his past life, he was unable to cultivate and couldn't refine pills with his own fire like his senior brother, Zhong Chichen. Thus, he had to depend on the "Serpentflame," drawing on the power of Earthfire within the Fireheart Mountains to melt magic items into pills.
"You can give it to me, but I need to know why," Yu Yuan responded.
"The fire circle etched into the Serpentflame's inner wall harbors the wonders of Earthfire. My Solar Spirit was incinerated almost instantly upon touching the fringe of the Earthfire. Yet, through that, I caught a glimpse of the Earthfire's burning patterns beneath the surface."
"The manner in which the Earthfire blazes deep within the earth struck a chord with me. It felt familiar, as if I should have encountered it somewhere before. After much thought, I realized..." Mo Baichuan looked up, meeting Yu Yuan's gaze, "I had seen it while you were crafting pills."
He had previously sought pills from Yu Yuan on numerous occasions, witnessing firsthand how Yu Yuan would concoct them using the very Serpentflame before them.
Yu Yuan's phantom quivered faintly.
"The spiritual spells and mystique related to Earthfire that Mr. Yuwen from my order bestowed upon me pale in comparison to the complexity of the fire circle inscribed within the Serpentflame. How could you, having not embarked on the path of cultivation as Hong Qi, possibly comprehend the workings of Earthfire?" Mo Baichuan's expression was ineffably peculiar.
"My Solar Spirit perished within, allowing me only a glimpse of the Earthfire's burning trajectory and method."
"Yet, the inner walls of your furnace are etched with a myriad of Earthfire patterns. If you had visited that place, you would have had to reside there extensively to witness such a range of Earthfire transformations."
Mo Baichuan paused before continuing, "Can you shed some light on this for me?"
Simultaneously.
Yu Yuan's real body in the Godsblight Marsh trembled abruptly, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the Ape crouched by the lake.
According to the Untamed, theoretically, only his first incarnation, with its immensely powerful soul, could traverse the Earthfire and access the enigmatic Heart of the Everlands.
Could it be that he had truly been there before?
But then...
No, that can't be right!
Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and said, "I recall the Artifact Sect didn't contribute much to the crafting of the Serpentflame."
"My master was the one who refined the furnace! The carvings of alien beasts on the exterior seem to be the work of the Artifact Sect, but the fire circle inside appears to be his handiwork."
These memories were hazy, fragmented, and seemed disjointed, as if they couldn't be pieced together.
"I remember your master wasn't particularly renowned for his realm. It stands to reason that he couldn't possibly have grasped the deep secrets of Earthfire. Moreover, I believe that without having truly reached the Earthfire, one couldn't possibly depict so many variations of its burning. Considering your master's realm..."
Mo Baichuan shook his head, clearly unconvinced that Yu Yuan's former master possessed the capability to reach the Earthfire.
"The Serpentflame is yours," Yu Yuan declared.
Without receiving an answer, Mo Baichuan huffed, "Once you find the answer, do let me know. I intend to use your Serpentflame to reconstruct the Solar Spirit within the Fireheart Mountains of your Order of Healing. And, if it's all the same to you, my chosen site for merging in the Unbound state will be the Fireheart Mountains!"
Yu Yuan was taken aback, "Are you serious?"
"I believe that to ascend to the highest level using the Earthfire, the Fireheart Mountains would be my optimal choice," Mo Baichuan stated earnestly.
"You're from the Sunlit Order. How am I to reconcile that with the Fireheart Mountains belonging to our Order of Healing?" Yu Yuan asked, clearly exasperated.
Mo Baichuan remained silent, simply watching him.
"Fine, fine. I'll take care of the external resistance for you," Yu Yuan said with a look of resignation on his face.
