201: Chapter 201 Shennong the Elder

Hun Feng's Law of Time and Law of Space unfolded simultaneously, tightly suppressing the Ice Soul Dou Qi within Hun Qinger that was about to spiral out of control at the edge of the Emperor Realm bottleneck.

Threads of Heaven-Slaying Flame darted rapidly through her meridians, wrapping and soothing those violent energies strand by strand.

Several Emperor Realm experts behind her struck simultaneously, their various Emperor auras weaving into a massive energy net to help her shoulder the backlash force capable of tearing apart the prototype of her Emperor body.

It is unknown how much time had passed, but the surging Ice Soul Dou Qi around Hun Qinger gradually calmed down.

No new blood seeped from her paper-pale face, and the violently trembling Emperor Realm bottleneck had temporarily ceased its collapse.

However, Hun Feng's heart sank—he had only used the Law of Time to forcibly slow down the backlash and the Heaven-Slaying Flame to temporarily suppress the rampaging energy within her.

Hun Qinger's Ice Soul origin had suffered irreversible damage during her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm, and that damage was eroding her meridians and soul from within.

Once he withdrew the suppression, the backlash force would return, and she would undoubtedly die.

Hun Tiandi withdrew his palm, his brows furrowed tightly.

The black flame at the tip of Void Swallowing Flame's finger flickered violently. After a long silence, he spoke: "Her Ice Soul origin is too severely damaged; the Emperor Realm backlash has already begun to erode her soul. Your Law of Time can hold it off for a while, but not for a lifetime. Unless there is a way to repair her origin damage in a short time—otherwise, she will not last through today."

Hun Feng did not speak; his Emperor Realm Soul was frantically searching his sea of consciousness for every possible solution.

Repairing origin damage required ultimate vitality—not ordinary vitality, but a massive life force capable of acting directly upon the origin of an Emperor Realm expert, compatible with Ice Soul Dou Qi, and capable of completing repairs in an instant.

A long-buried memory suddenly flashed through his mind.

Fifth on the strange fire ranking list—Living Spirit Flame.

Known as the fire of longevity, it possesses ultimate vitality, can instantly ripen various medicinal herbs, and can allow its holder to possess a lifespan comparable to top-tier Magical Beasts known for their longevity.

Old Man Shennong, that white-haired elder who had voluntarily given up the nascent pill energy at the Yao Clan Ceremony.

"Watch over her. I will return soon." Hun Feng dropped this sentence, and his figure vanished from the spot.

The Law of Space unfolded to its limit beneath his feet, turning a distance of ten thousand miles into a single step within the folded space.

He had no time to explain, nor even time to think too much. He vaguely remembered Old Man Shennong's location. After the great war of the Medicine Clan, the old man had vanished without a trace, having neither joined the Flame Emperor Alliance nor submitted to the Hun Clan.

No one knew where he had gone, but Hun Feng knew—he was definitely still alive, because the holder of the Living Spirit Flame would not die easily.

In the northwest of the Central Plains, deep in a mountain forest far from the hustle and bustle.

A simple thatched cottage was hidden among towering ancient trees, its thatched roof stained a dark brown by the passage of time.

In front of the cottage was a small herb garden where the herbs were growing exceptionally well, each one exuding a rich medicinal fragrance.

A white-haired old man was squatting by the herb garden, using a wooden trowel to loosen the soil for a ten-thousand-year-old Lingzhi.

His movements were very slow, so slow it was as if he were caressing his own child.

He was still wearing the same coarse linen clothes, and his hunched back was even more bent than before, but those cloudy old eyes still held a sense of indifference and composure that came from seeing through the ways of the world.

A figure appeared before him without warning.

The figure had arrived too quickly, so fast that the spatial rift had not had time to close, so fast that the surrounding air had been stirred into a violent gale.

Old Man Shennong raised his head and recognized the visitor—Emperor Shitian.

The master of the continent, the most powerful existence on the Fighting Qi Continent.

Old Man Shennong did not stand up; he remained squatting by the herb garden, merely tapping the soil at the roots of the Lingzhi with his wooden trowel, his tone calm: "Emperor Shitian, your presence honors me. May I ask what business you have with this old man?"

Hun Feng did not exchange pleasantries or offer any preamble, getting straight to the point: "Senior Shennong, this junior requires the Living Spirit Flame."

The wooden trowel in Old Man Shennong's hand paused slightly.

He looked at the young man before him. In those deep eyes, there was no arrogance of an Emperor Realm expert, only an extremely urgent seriousness.

He had lived for hundreds of years and had seen countless people who wanted his strange fire; some threatened, some tempted, and some knelt down to beg him.

But the young man before him was different—he had come to inform him, not to beg him.

"Who are you saving?" Old Man Shennong asked.

"Hun Qinger. She failed her breakthrough to the Emperor Realm and her Ice Soul origin suffered irreversible damage. I need the ultimate vitality of the Living Spirit Flame."

Old Man Shennong was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up.

He did not ask Hun Feng why he did not seek out someone else, nor did he ask what return Hun Feng could offer him.

He merely looked down at the wooden trowel that had accompanied him for hundreds of years, then gently placed it on the edge of the herb garden.

He said that the Living Spirit Flame had been with him for most of his life and had never left him.

But he was an Alchemist, and an Alchemist's duty was to save lives.

Trading a strange fire for the life of an Emperor Realm expert was a deal that was not a loss.

Hun Feng looked at him deeply and said he would remember this favor.

Old Man Shennong shook his head, saying that he was old and would not live many more years; in his hands, this strange fire was just for growing medicinal herbs, so it was better to use it to save someone worth saving.

The old man pressed his rough palm against his chest, and a soft green light shone from his palm.

The green light was extremely faint and soft, like the spots of light falling on the ground when the first rays of early spring sunlight pierced through tender leaves.

A moment later, a fist-sized emerald green flame slowly floated out from his chest. The flame flowed like liquid and possessed high intelligence. The moment it left its host, it let out a low whimper, as if unwilling to leave the old man who had accompanied it for hundreds of years.

Old Man Shennong gently cradled the Living Spirit Flame in his palm, looking down at it. He extended his other hand and used his rough fingertips to gently stroke the green flame, as if caressing a child about to embark on a long journey.

Then he handed this emerald green flame to Hun Feng, saying: "Go, while its vitality is still vigorous enough, and while the person worth saving has not gone too far."

Hun Feng received the emerald green flame with both hands.

The Living Spirit Flame pulsed gently in his palm, and that ultimate vitality seeped through his skin into his meridians, causing his Emperor Realm Soul to tremble.

He carefully stored the flame within the Heaven-Slaying Flame and took out two jade bottles from his storage ring, placing them gently on the edge of the herb garden.

Two Ninth Grade Pills; these were the only stock he had on him.

"These are not enough." There was a rare touch of solemnity in Hun Feng's voice. "From now on, the medicinal herb supply of the Shennong Clan will be the responsibility of the Hall of Souls. If you have any needs, Senior, the Hun Clan will never refuse."

Old Man Shennong did not look at the two jade bottles; he simply squatted down again, picked up the wooden trowel, and continued to loosen the soil for the ten-thousand-year-old Lingzhi.

He waved his hand and said: "Go quickly. Saving a life is like fighting a fire; do not delay."

Hun Feng did not say anything else; he turned and stepped into the spatial rift. The Law of Space unfolded to its limit beneath his feet, and with a single step, he was ten thousand miles away.

The Void Sea.

Hun Qinger was still sitting cross-legged in the center of the cave dwelling, the blood trickling from her seven orifices already frozen into dark red ice crystals.

Those few Emperor Realm experts surrounded her, their various Emperor auras weaving into a net to tightly protect the Ice Soul origin within her that was on the verge of dissipating.

Hun Feng's figure appeared in the center of the cave dwelling.

He did not speak much; his hands suddenly formed seals, slowly drawing out the emerald green flame from within the Heaven-Slaying Flame.

The Living Spirit Flame hovered above Hun Qinger's chest, the green liquid flame emitting an extremely soft light.

The light shone upon Hun Qinger's pale face, casting a hint of warmth upon her cold and exquisite features.

The emerald green flame slowly sank and merged into Hun Qinger's chest.

The next moment, an indescribably vast vitality erupted from within her body.

That was the ultimate vitality the Living Spirit Flame had accumulated for tens of thousands of years, pouring into her limbs and bones without reservation at this moment, repairing the Ice Soul origin that had been torn apart by the Emperor Realm backlash.

Her meridians were regenerating, her soul was healing, and the Emperor Realm bottleneck that had been on the verge of collapse was re-stabilized under the nourishment of the ultimate vitality.

Wherever the emerald green light passed, the wounds torn by the backlash force healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and color returned to her pale face.

Hun Feng raised his hand and brushed away the ice crystals on her face one by one; his hand was very steady, without the slightest tremor.

Hun Qinger slowly opened her eyes, her ice-blue pupils reflecting his face, which was inches away.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Hun Feng had already stood up and said to the people behind him: "It is fine now."