58: Rock-solid will

Fire burning the body, pain piercing to the bone marrow.

Even the pain Hong Yu felt outside when he had to Cultivate the Body Tempering Art without medicine wasn't even one percent as intense as this.

Pain, pain, pain, pain, pain!

Hong Yu's Soul wailed; it felt as if countless pincers inside his body were gripping his bones and blood vessels, slowly crushing them to powder.

He didn't even have the strength left to curse the System, only wanting it all to end quickly.

Although his Soul was in so much pain it wanted to roll around on the ground, his body, under the System's control, maintained a serious expression and unhurriedly continued to guide the Cultivation Technique. The white flames wrapped around him grew more numerous and intense. Strangely, his Physical Body didn't seem to be severely burned; surrounded by flames, Hong Yu looked like a god or demon at this moment.

This place wasn't far from where Guan Yi and the others were fighting. The current anomaly was like a spotlight, quickly drawing the gazes of Guan Yi, Cheng Xi, and the others.

When they saw this scene, they were all stunned.

Cheng Xi muttered in disbelief, "That kid actually found the true body of the flower in the mirror? How is that possible?"

Yao Cheng also spoke with a voice full of envy and hateful jealousy, "Looking at this, he's already started refining the pill fire. Let him refine it. It's one thing for a Qi Refining kid to get lucky and find the true body, but he's greedy enough to try refining it. I can't wait to see the fireworks display."

Lei Su stood up and tried to walk toward Hong Yu, his eyes full of madness as he said, "It's over. Even if he fails, the pill fire will surely go berserk, and none of us will survive. Instead of being buried with him, I'll kill him myself first. This whole mess started because of this anyway."

Hearing Lei Su's words, Cheng Xi and Yao Cheng belatedly followed behind him, the same madness appearing in their eyes.

Yes, that kid was the cause of all this!

Facing a certain-death situation, even if they were Cultivators at the Peak of Qi Refining and only one step away from Foundation Establishment, they couldn't help but go mad in despair.

However, their Spiritual Qi had already dissipated, and many illusory and real fires were watching them greedily from the side. This made them afraid to recover their Spiritual Qi, lest they be burned to death before reaching Hong Yu. Thus, their speed wasn't very fast.

Guan Yi, lying nearby, watched the trio's movements and began to grow anxious. The slight joy he felt earlier from Hong Yu's attempt to absorb the pill fire had vanished, replaced by immense worry for Hong Yu's safety.

But he could do nothing. The massive Spiritual Qi in his body, which had been released when his restraints were broken, had now been completely sucked away by the Secret Realm. The backlash of his Cultivation Technique was beginning to manifest. Forget moving, he couldn't even speak. Guan Yi's life was counting down; he was only conscious now because of his extraordinary willpower.

Time passed slowly. Hong Yu really felt like he was going crazy. This pain was truly indescribable. Yet, because of the System, he couldn't even faint and could only suffer through the agony repeatedly.

"No, if this continues, even if my body holds out, my consciousness might be driven mad. I need to distract myself quickly."

Hong Yu barely managed to control his mind and started thinking about other things to distract himself from the pain.

"What should I think about? Right, Fairy Xu!"

"Xu Jing's face, those legs, tsk tsk."

As Hong Yu began to recall the specific details of that day, the maddening pain actually seemed to lessen slightly. Seeing that this method worked, Hong Yu was ecstatic and racked his brains to remember every detail.

This caused a memory that was already deeply etched in his mind to become even more vivid!

Cheng Xi and the other two drew closer to Hong Yu. As everything in their vision became clearer, the shock in their eyes intensified.

Although they were on opposite sides and had accidentally become mortal enemies, they couldn't help but admire the current Hong Yu.

For no other reason than that Hong Yu stood proudly amidst the flames, his entire body in an extremely relaxed and comfortable posture as he operated the Fire Absorption Guiding Technique. Wisps of flame were inhaled through his nose and mouth. The entire process was steady and calm, neither hurried nor slow. He seemed to merge with the environment, exuding elegance and majesty, like a refined noble savoring a delicious meal.

"If this boy is not eliminated, he will surely become a great threat in the future!" Cheng Xi said warily, his grip on his weapon tightening.

"Indeed. I once saw a Foundation Establishment Elder use pill fire for Body Tempering. Even a tiny wisp of Divided Fire made him break out in a cold sweat, with tears and snot running down his face; he was just short of rolling on the ground. It was said he only endured it because he was usually dignified and cared about his reputation.

Some Disciples who couldn't handle the pain even fainted while using pill fire for Body Tempering, ending up in a pathetic state of incontinence." Lei Su added from the side, "Now this Hong Yu only has a Body Refining cultivation, yet he's absorbing pill fire and remains so composed. Such a will is like a monolith. If he truly succeeds, he will surely soar to the heavens in the future, with limitless prospects."

Yao Cheng licked his lips and said in a grim tone, "Then we definitely can't let him live."

Hearing this, the three fell silent, but their pace involuntarily quickened.

Pain, it was too painful.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain finally lessened. A hint of coolness and comfort came from between his eyebrows, like a person dying of thirst in a desert seeing an oasis. Hong Yu captured it instantly.

The surrounding flames gradually shrank, and after a final sudden expansion, they were all absorbed into Hong Yu's body, leaving only an illusory white flame between his eyebrows, like a tattoo.

The coolness at his brow gradually spread to his whole body, and soon reached every corner. The pain receded like a tide. Hong Yu was so moved he wanted to cry.

"Ding! This AFK session is complete. Thank you for using the System, Host. Please rate your satisfaction with this service."

As the System notification sounded, Hong Yu regained control of his body. His mind was filled with many insights regarding the flower in the mirror.

"So, this fire is used like this. Senior Brother Guan Yi can be saved!"

Thinking of this, Hong Yu snapped his eyes open, a sharp light flashing within them. Just as he was about to look for Guan Yi, three attacks arrived one after another.

Subconsciously, he parried them with his seven absolutes sword. He saw Cheng Xi and the other two popping Medicinal Pills, their Aura slowly increasing as they continued their assault.

Although he was a bit puzzled as to why the attacks of Ninth Layer Qi Refining Cultivators were so weak, Hong Yu knew he shouldn't think too much and should deal with the enemies in front of him first.

So, he channeled the flower in the mirror that had just been refined into his body and instinctively used his strongest technique.

"Mirror Flower Water Moon!"

Hong Yu, who had originally planned to fight if he could and run if he couldn't, was soon left jaw-dropped by the scene before him!