73: Chapter 73 Subduing the Twin Flames, Mid-stage Seven Stars

Deep within the earth's veins, the emerald sea of flames surged silently.

Hun Feng stood in the center of the sea of fire, five types of strange fire spread around him like a five-colored barrier, isolating the emerald flames of the Medicine Emperor's legacy fire three feet away. The Nine Nether Wind Flame hovered less than a zhang in front of him, its pitch-black flames struggling violently amidst the gale. With every leap, it flung out countless black wind blades, striking the five-colored barrier with harsh, grating sounds. Beside him, the giant brown turtle formed by the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame was being tightly suppressed by the dark golden fire curtain of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame. Its four limbs paddled slowly in the void, each stroke carrying the weight of a mountain.

Subduing the Nine Nether Wind Flame was more difficult than anticipated. The pink threads of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame had already entangled its main body, and the black filaments of the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame were also infiltrating its core layer by layer, but this tenth-ranked strange fire was clearly unwilling to be tamed so easily. It suddenly let out a sharp whistle, the gale surrounding it contracting violently, then exploding with several times the intensity. Countless black wind blades slashed out like a rainstorm in all directions, severing more than half of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame's pink threads, and even tearing several openings in the five-colored barrier.

Hun Feng did not retreat a single step. He formed seals with both hands, and the deep blue of the Sea Heart Flame erupted from his palms, transforming into an extremely thick pillar of fire that slammed directly into the Nine Nether Wind Flame. The pillar of fire collided with the gale, the deep blue and pitch-black colors intertwining wildly in the narrow space of the earth's veins, the resulting shockwave forcing the surrounding emerald flames back by several dozen zhang. The Nine Nether Wind Flame was suppressed head-on by the Sea Heart Flame, its main body trembling violently, but before it could counterattack, the dark golden lightning arcs of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame struck from the side, splitting a huge gap in the black gale surrounding it. The Purification Lotus Demon Flame seized the opportunity to re-entangle its main body, this time wrapping even tighter, the pink threads embedding deep into the core of the pitch-black flames.

"Submit." Hun Feng clenched his five fingers in the void, and the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame exploded into countless black filaments from within the core, completely devouring the last trace of the Nine Nether Wind Flame's will to resist. The pitch-black flame let out a very low, mournful cry, then slowly contracted, shrinking from the size of a fist to the size of a fingernail, and hovered obediently in his palm.

Nine Nether Wind Flame, tenth on the strange fire ranking list, subdued.

He looked down at the black flame dancing in his palm, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, then turned to look at the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame, which was still in a stalemate with the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame beside him. The giant turtle seemed to sense the fall of its companion; the flame patterns on its shell suddenly lit up, transforming into a brown fire wall that wrapped it tightly—it had abandoned the offense and shifted into a purely defensive stance. The Turtle Spirit Earth Flame was known for its defense; if it truly hunkered down, ordinary strange fires couldn't break through that shell.

"Do you think I can't do anything to you just because you're hiding in your shell?" Hun Feng pushed the newly subdued Nine Nether Wind Flame forward, the pitch-black flame transforming into a slender wind blade and slashing toward the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame. The wind blade collided with the brown shell; it failed to cut through, but it tore an extremely fine crack on the surface of the shell. The wind blades of the Nine Nether Wind Flame were specialized in breaking defenses. Although the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame's shell was thick, it couldn't hold out for long under the continuous attacks of a strange fire of the same level. Several wind blades slashed down in succession, each one precisely striking the same crack, and the crack spread at a speed visible to the naked eye. When the crack spread to the entire surface of the shell, the Purification Lotus Demon Flame and the Sea Heart Flame struck simultaneously, two pillars of fire, deep blue and pink, pouring into the interior of the shell along the crack. The Turtle Spirit Earth Flame let out a dull hiss, its shell shattered with a boom, turning into brown light spots that scattered across the sky. The brown flame main body was exposed in the void, shivering.

Hun Feng reached out his hand, not using force, just letting the pressure of the five strange fires envelop it simultaneously. The Turtle Spirit Earth Flame struggled for a moment, then finally floated slowly to his palm, quietly lying dormant. Turtle Spirit Earth Flame, thirteenth on the strange fire ranking list, subdued.

He took both strange fires into his body. The seven strange fires mingled in his meridians for the first time, repelling and attracting each other. An unprecedentedly surging energy exploded from the depths of his dantian, rushing wildly along his extraordinary meridians. Hun Feng closed his eyes, guiding this energy to circulate through his body for several cycles. When the last trace of violent energy was forcibly suppressed by his God-Grade Bloodline, his aura had steadily settled at the mid-stage of the Seven-Star Dou Sheng.

Above the Yao Emperor Platform, the Void Swallowing Flame withdrew the last wisp of black flame. The figure of the Medicine Emperor's remnant soul had completely dissipated, leaving only the faint scent of emerald flames in the air as proof that it had once existed.

The Yao Emperor Platform was devastated. The corpse of Yao Dan lay quietly on the shattered green jade floor, the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler beside him dull and lusterless. The elders of the Medicine Clan were either dead or injured, and the remaining young disciples were driven to the corner of the square by the Hall of Souls Heavenly Venerables, shivering.

Medusa withdrew her long sword and sheathed it. Xiao Yan knelt on one knee on the ground, supporting his body with the xuan heavy ruler, gasping for breath, his right arm still emitting blue smoke. She did not turn back to look at him, but carried her long sword and walked toward the center of the Yao Emperor Platform, her gait still leisurely and elegant, though her footsteps paused slightly when she passed by Yao Yao.

"Is it over?" Yao Yao was counting the spoils on her bone whip—there were several new soul imprints on the seventy-two skulls.

"It is over." Medusa's tone was as flat as ever.

Xiao Yan stood up, supporting himself with the xuan heavy ruler. He was badly injured; his robes were torn in many places, and a very fine sword mark on his chest was still seeping blood—that was left by Medusa's final strike; had the blade been half an inch deeper, it would have pierced his heart. He looked at that fading purple back with an extremely complex gaze, his lips twitching several times. He wanted to call out to her, to ask her when she had become like this—not even blinking when holding a sword pointing at him, and speaking about the massacre of the Medicine Clan in a tone as flat as if discussing the weather. The Medusa who had blocked the siege of the Three Elders of Mu Lan for him in front of the Holy City of the Snake-People, the Cai Lin who had fought side-by-side with him in the Jia Ma Empire, the Queen of the Snake-People who had cultivated in seclusion alone at the bottom of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs—he couldn't reconcile her figure with the woman before him.

She still remembered that year in the Jia Ma Empire, when Yan Luotian of the Golden Goose Sect and the Three Elders of Mu Lan led a large army to besiege the Holy City of the Snake-People. Xiao Yan was trapped on the front line and could not free himself; it was she who had guarded the city gate alone with a sword, facing the successive fierce attacks of three Dou Zong and not retreating a single step. She was severely injured in that battle and almost perished. Afterward, she said to Xiao Yan on her sickbed— "Some things are not done because they can be done, but because they must be done. You said those were your people, your city. What about now? Now you stand on the side of the slaughterers, watching innocent people being massacred; do you not feel any guilt in your heart?" He had just asked her this, and she hadn't answered; when she swung her sword down, it was even more ruthless than before.

"Xiao Yan," Medusa suddenly stopped, not turning her head, her voice slightly blurred by the gale on the battlefield, "You ask me if I remember that year. I remember. But that year was that year, and now is now. Back then, I was protecting my people; now, I am protecting my husband. You say the Medicine Clan is innocent, but am I not innocent? Back when the Snake-People Tribe was being hunted, who among you stood up to block a sword for me?" She raised her sword, the tip pointing directly at Xiao Yan's throat, her voice as cold as the water of the Nine Serene Yellow Springs, "I will tell you one more time—the things Hun Feng wants, I will definitely help him get. If you stand in the way, I have to stop you. If you must rush over, kill me first. Xiao Yan, do you dare?"

Xiao Yan opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Medusa waited for a few breaths, then withdrew her long sword and sheathed it. Her voice returned to its usual coldness: "You dare not. Then step aside."

Xiao Yan's hand gripping the ruler trembled violently. He wanted to retort, to question her—how could he not dare? It wasn't because he couldn't beat her, but because she was right; he truly dared not. He dared not kill her, he didn't even dare to hurt her. She was Mu Xiao's mother, one of the people he owed the most in this life. He dared to wield his ruler against the whole world, but he dared not wield it against her.

Yao Yao swept over from the flank and landed in front of him, her bone whip tapping her palm lightly. She looked down at Xiao Yan, her face devoid of mockery, only a faint trace of sympathy: "Brother Lucky, sister has made it clear enough. If you still have strength, you might as well go see your teacher—Aunt Qing is guarding the exit; you can't force your way through alone. Husband said he didn't intend to exterminate everyone, he just wanted to keep you all as witnesses. The Medicine Clan is finished, but you and Yao Chen can still leave alive."

Xiao Yan clenched his fists, looked up at Yao Yao, and then glanced at Medusa, who stood with her hands behind her back in the distance. He finally turned and stumbled toward the exit. The xuan heavy ruler dragged on the ground, leaving a long scorch mark. The anger that had accumulated in his chest turned into powerlessness little by little. He could not take the Medicine Clan away, could not protect Yao Chen, could not call back Cai Lin, and even needed her mercy to save his life. After walking a few steps, he looked back at Medusa—she was still standing with her back to him, her figure slender, the silver-white long sword he had personally forged for her in the Jia Ma Empire hanging at her waist. She did not turn back.

His heart felt like it had been tightly gripped by someone. When he came, he had been full of confidence to save the Medicine Clan; now, he couldn't even save himself. She said "everyone must pay the price for their own choices," so what about her own choice? Marrying Hun Feng, blocking swords for him, guarding the flank for him, watching the Medicine Clan be massacred for him while remaining indifferent—is this the price of the choice she made? Who has she really become? Or is this her true self, and he had just never seen it clearly?

Medicine World exit. Hun Qinger was still standing with her hands behind her back, and the ice wall in front of her had already frozen to a thickness of three feet, trapping dozens of the Medicine Clan's remaining disciples and two elders inside. Yao Yao landed beside her, pulling her bone whip back to her wrist: "Aunt Qing, Husband has subdued the twin flames, it's about time to wrap things up." Hun Qinger nodded slightly, her ice-blue eyes devoid of excess emotion.

"Lord Void Swallowing Flame said these young disciples of the Medicine Clan can be released; only if they leave alive will the news of the Medicine Clan's destruction spread. When other ancient clans hear the news, they will be more cooperative with the Hun Clan's actions in the future." Yao Yao glanced at the shivering young faces inside the ice wall, hung the bone whip at her waist, and shouted to those inside the ice wall, "Listen well—the Hun Clan did not come to exterminate the clan, but to take the strange fires. Yao Dan refused to give them even at the cost of his life, which is why he met this end. After you go out, tell the other ancient clans that what the Hun Clan wants is very simple—those who submit will prosper, those who resist will perish." She waved her hand, and the ice wall shattered with a boom, turning into ice crystals that dissipated across the sky.

Dozens of young Medicine Clan disciples stumbled out of the exit and fled into the void without looking back. Hun Qinger watched their panicked backs and suddenly spoke: "Xiao Yan is still inside. Are you going to let him go?"

"Of course not." Yao Yao turned to look toward the Yao Emperor Platform, a glint of sharpness flashing in her peach-blossom eyes, "Husband said he and Yao Chen are the best witnesses to this great play of the Medicine Clan. But whether they can leave, that's up to Husband."

In the center of the Yao Emperor Platform, Hun Feng walked slowly out of the earth's vein crack. Seven strange fires intertwined around his body into a gorgeous, almost terrifying curtain of fire—the pink of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, the deep blue of the Sea Heart Flame, the dark gold of the Eight Desolation Destruction Flame, the pitch-black of the Void Devouring Flame Sub-flame, the ink-black of the Nine Nether Wind Flame, and the brownish-red of the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame—six colors spread out behind him into six wings of fire. With every step he took, the green jade floor beneath his feet melted into a scorched black footprint. Medusa and Yao Yao walked to his sides and stood still. Soul Yuan Tian and Elder Hun Tu swept over from the direction of the high platform, while Hun Sha and Hun Jing brought the Hall of Souls Heavenly Venerables to surround them from all sides. The Void Swallowing Flame transformed back into human form and landed in front of him, its eyes burning with black flames scanning him once before nodding slightly.

Hun Feng looked around—the Yao Emperor Platform had become ruins, the corpse of Yao Dan lay quietly in front of the high platform, and the Ten Thousand Medicinal Ruler was inserted into the rubble beside him, emitting a faint mournful sound. The entire Medicine Clan, apart from the young disciples who were deliberately let go, was left with only dozens of remnants shivering in the corner of the square.

"The Medicine Clan has been broken, the twin flames have returned to their place." Hun Feng's voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire square, "Withdraw troops."

He turned and walked toward the exit. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and tilted his head to look at the edge of the square. Xiao Yan was supporting Yao Chen, standing by a broken pillar, with the White-haired Little Girl curled up in Yao Chen's arms, looking at him timidly with those purple eyes. Hun Feng did not walk over, just met Xiao Yan's gaze from afar for a moment, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, then withdrew his gaze and continued walking toward the exit. He stopped after a few steps, not turning back, just tilted his face and said indifferently: "Right, you can go now."

Xiao Yan clenched the xuan heavy ruler, staring fixedly at the back of the black-robed youth. He wanted to rush over, wanted to use the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus to blow that composed face to pieces. But the little girl in his arms gently tugged at his lapel, tilted her small face, and said timidly: "Daddy, let's go."

He looked down at the little girl's purple eyes, then looked at the heavily injured Yao Chen and Xuan Yi behind him, his knuckles gripping the ruler handle turning white. Finally, he slowly relaxed his hand, re-inserted the xuan heavy ruler behind his back, supported Yao Chen, and turned to walk toward the exit. He did not look back when he took the first step. When he took the second step, he knew he would never forget today for the rest of his life—the destruction of the Medicine Clan, the strength of Hun Feng, and those cold words Medusa had pressed against his throat.

"Xiao Yan, do you dare?"

He dared not. Not because he was afraid of death, but because every word she said was correct. He dared not kill her, dared not hurt her, and didn't even dare to prove her wrong in front of her. The only thing he could do was to take his teacher and the little girl away, and then carve every scene of today into his heart, waiting for some day in the future to settle the score one by one.

At the Void Ferry, Hun Qinger watched the last batch of Hall of Souls Heavenly Venerables escorting the Medicine Clan captives disappear into the crack. She turned around and found Hun Feng standing alone at the edge of the ferry, his dark black robe flapping in the void currents, the seven strange fires around his body having completely converged, but the light surging in those eyes was more scorching than any strange fire.

"Aunt Qing, thank you." Hun Feng did not turn his head, but he knew who was standing behind him.

Hun Qinger walked to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looking at the Hall of Souls warboats moving further and further away in the void, and remained silent for a long while before speaking. Her voice was still that cold tone, but Hun Feng could hear a faint trace of curiosity suppressed beneath that coldness: "The Nine Nether Wind Flame and the Turtle Spirit Earth Flame are in hand, plus the previous four, you have seven strange fires now. How far are you from the Emperor Realm?"

"I don't know." Hun Feng was very frank, "But when I came out of the earth's vein, I could feel the bottleneck of the Seven-Star mid-stage had loosened. Once I completely refine the origins of these strange fires, reaching the eight-star level shouldn't be a problem. As for the Emperor Realm—that step cannot be crossed just by the number of strange fires."

"But you don't seem to be in a hurry."

"Being in a hurry is useless." Hun Feng took out the pitch-black Nine Nether Wind Flame from his sleeve and held it in his palm, watching it dance silently at his fingertips, "Let's walk the path in front of us well first. Although we won this battle against the Medicine Clan, Xiao Yan is still alive. That little girl with the Grade 9 Profound Pill is by his side, and his opportunities will only increase. I have exhausted every advantage and taken every step carefully, yet he can always come up with new tricks in desperate situations. I am not afraid of him, but I will not underestimate him either. Next time we meet, I'm afraid he won't just have four strange fires in his hand."

Hun Qinger tilted her head slightly, a trace of faint approval flashing in her ice-blue eyes. She didn't say anything more, just raised her hand to tuck a strand of silver hair that had been blown messy by the void currents behind her ear, then turned and walked toward the teleportation array.