I Have Medicine

Chapter 621 - (Subduing the Extraordinary Flame) Absorb, absorb, absorb

Previously, Lei Pengfei and the others had referred to this place as a “Fire Cave,” but that was only because Duan Yunbeng had obtained a strand of stray Azure Silk Fire from the area. Upon first entering, they had encountered a firestorm, leading to the name. As for the deeper regions, they had only caught a vague glimpse; they hadn’t actually seen clearly that a true expanse of fire grottoes existed here.

Upon seeing the fire caves ahead, Duan Yunbeng couldn’t help but sigh: “It seems that Azure Silk Fire must have originated from within these caves.”

It wasn’t the heat-blasted sandy waste he had previously mistaken it for.

One must realize that when everyone had entered together earlier and found no more heterogeneous flames in the sands, they had felt quite a bit of disappointment in their hearts.

Gu Zuo was also in high spirits: “Then shall we take a trip into the Fire Cave now?”

Duan Yunbeng nodded: “Naturally.”

And so, the group headed straight forward.

Ahead, there were no more specialized cultivation sites. However, the closer they got to the Fire Cave, the hotter it became. Eventually, their hair felt as though it were being scorched, beginning to curl slightly.

Unfazed, they simply swallowed an Bing Yun Pill.

This pill was effective outside, and its potency remained strong even in here.

Before long, the party arrived before the Fire Cave.

Gu Zuo peered inside, seeing only surging waves of heat and the flickering, indistinct silhouettes of caverns. Anything beyond that was impossible to see clearly. He tried to probe with his psyche power, but its range was severely restricted. He even sensed terrifying danger when exploring certain spots, making him afraid to rashly continue his scouting.

After withdrawing his psyche power, Gu Zuo informed Gongyi Tianheng and Duan Yunbeng of the situation, saying, “Senior Brother Duan, my entry into this place to search for a heterogeneous flame is quite dangerous. I wonder…”

Duan Yunbeng laughed: “I am someone who has weathered countless dangers. Since I said I would accompany you two Junior Brothers, I won’t go back on my word here. Junior Brother Gu, rest assured; I have certain means to offer some protection.”

Hearing this, Gu Zuo felt much more relieved.

Then, he and Gongyi Tianheng both donned their Black Robes, instantly blocking out the rolling heat waves. Beneath, they wore inner armor crafted from Taotie fur. With this double layer of protection, the danger was minimized.

Seeing them fully armed, Duan Yunbeng thought for a moment and then manifested a set of Silver Armor over his body. He was encased from head to toe, even wearing a helmet that concealed his entire face, with his eyes protected by a transparent substance.

Under such protection, the waves of fire were repelled by an invisible current of air before they could even approach his body.

Seeing this, Gu Zuo couldn’t help but marvel: As expected of a scion of a great clan; such a wealth of hidden resources is truly rare.

Now that both parties were ready, they hesitated no longer and headed straight into the Fire Cave.

The moment they stepped in, the three were completely surrounded by flames, feeling as if their bodies were being incinerated. Fortunately, they were well-protected, so no matter how fierce the fire was, it couldn’t harm them, and the burning sensation was extremely faint.

Gu Zuo looked around.

The Fire Cave looked like some sort of ruins; there were broken walls and debris everywhere, though some well-preserved caverns of varying heights were spewing flames.

They hadn’t walked many steps when suddenly a Fire Snake flew out from the side. It was small in stature, wreathed in flames with scales like pearls. As it charged, it spat tongues of fire from its mouth, appearing quite formidable.

However, no matter how fierce it was, its strength was only equivalent to a Immortal Realm martial artist. With Duan Yunbeng of the Celestial Realm and Gongyi Tianheng of the Ascendant Realm present, they only needed to flick their fingers to annihilate them all.

Gu Zuo followed behind to “pick up the scraps.”

Whenever a Fire Snake was killed by the two, he would collect the carcass and store it in the storage slots of the Medicinal Celestial Grand Hall. This was because he had heard of these fire snakes—they were unique wild beasts that only accompanied the birthplaces of heterogeneous flames. They consumed fire and humans alike; their gallbladders, eyes, scales, and meat were all top-tier medicinal ingredients. Usually, once they consumed humans, their bodies would contain impurities, drastically reducing their medicinal effects. However, since no one had visited this cultivation site for tens of thousands of years, these snakes had likely never seen a living human, living solely off the flames. Their purity was a rare find in this world.

Naturally, Gu Zuo wouldn’t miss a single one.

Seeing Gu Zuo collecting the fire snakes, Duan Yunbeng deliberately lightened his strikes, doing his best to keep the snake carcasses intact. Fire snakes were a specialty medicinal ingredient of the Fire Cave; since Junior Brother Gu wanted them, he would exert his full effort to hunt more for him.

Gongyi Tianheng had always doted on Gu Zuo. Seeing that even Duan Yunbeng was being so considerate, he naturally followed suit. He employed his techniques to draw out numerous fire snakes one by one, slaying them in rapid succession.

Gradually, the three moved past the outer perimeter. Gu Zuo had stored quite a few Fire Snake corpses—enough to refine many different types of pills.

At this point, the fire snakes they encountered were thicker and much older, making their carcasses even more precious. They killed as they walked, and as they approached the depths of the Fire Cave, they began to feel the powerful, surging waves of flame energy.

Gu Zuo suddenly came to a halt: “Eh?”

Duan Yunbeng and Gongyi Tianheng, who were there primarily to protect Gu Zuo, stopped as well.

“Junior Brother Gu, what is it?”

“Ah Zuo?”

Gu Zuo first waved his hand to signal them.

It was nothing else but the four types of Heterogeneous Fire he had previously absorbed into his body—they were suddenly stirring restlessly, as if… they had encountered one of their own kind?

Subconsciously, he realized that the Heterogeneous Fire bred in the depths of this Fire Cave was likely about to appear!

After sensing carefully for a moment, Gu Zuo’s gaze landed on a mountain cavern to their left.

Gongyi Tianheng understood instantly: “Ah Zuo, have you discovered a Heterogeneous Fire?”

Duan Yunbeng realized it too and moved to stand by Gu Zuo’s side.

Gu Zuo nodded and walked toward the cavern: “I reckon there’s a wisp of it inside this cave.”

The three headed straight for the mountain cavern.

Just as they reached the entrance, a fierce tiger lunged out from within!

Caught off guard, Gu Zuo sent the Silver Wheel flashing out from between his brows, slicing toward the tiger!

The tiger was instantly cut into two, but it didn’t disappear. Instead, it transformed into two tigers, though the flame power of each was slightly weaker than before. Furthermore, more energy surged out from the cavern to be absorbed by the pair, making their auras grow even more formidable.

Duan Yunbeng’s expression turned grave: “It’s a Fire Spirit.”

Gu Zuo was equally serious: “I didn’t expect the Heterogeneous Fire here to already be capable of manifesting Fire Spirits to fight.”

A Heterogeneous Fire is a spiritual wonder of Heaven and Earth, naturally possessing its own intelligence. As they age, they can develop their own divine abilities. One of the most common is using their own energy to manifest Fire Spirits to battle or restrict enemies.

The tigers before them were lifelike, yet remained unharmed even when split apart. Clearly, they were Fire Spirits condensed from pure flame energy!

These were… not easy to deal with.

Duan Yunbeng and Gongyi Tianheng flanked Gu Zuo, each blocking one of the tigers. However, their attacks were now restricted; they didn’t use massive force to cleave the tigers but instead continuously broke them apart, forcing them to reconsolidate in order to drain the flame energy of the hidden Heterogeneous Fire.

But this was a war of attrition. There was no telling how long it would take to exhaust the power inside. Since tigers made of flame were difficult to handle and they couldn’t think of a better trick, they could only use this clumsy method for now.

Gu Zuo pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing.

On the lotus platform within his dantian, every spot where a lotus seed resided seemed to leap with excitement. They seemed desperate to ignite and absorb even more Heterogeneous Fire…

Gu Zuo suddenly remembered a long time ago—back when he didn’t even have a dantian—he had dared to use fire-control methods to subdue Heterogeneous Fire for his own use. Why should he be afraid now?

He made a decision immediately.

While Gongyi Tianheng and Duan Yunbeng were keeping the tigers occupied, he took several quick steps forward and shouted, “Big Brother, lead that tiger over here!”

Hearing this, Gongyi Tianheng recalled Gu Zuo’s past experiences absorbing Heterogeneous Fire. He shifted his body rapidly, drawing the tiger backward. Immediately after, Gu Zuo flickered forward and pressed his hand onto the tiger’s head, rapidly circulating his cultivation technique to absorb the energy within the tiger into his dantian!

That energy was scorching hot. Even though Gu Zuo had swallowed pills and was protected by his black robe and inner armor, they couldn’t protect his internal organs. The blistering power surged through his meridians like threads of red light, quickly forming the faint phantom of a lotus seed atop the lotus platform.

During this process, Gu Zuo felt a stinging pain as if needles were being driven into his entire body. However, this only proved that his method was correct; as he absorbed the energy, the fierce tiger’s form rapidly shrank and soon vanished into nothingness. Without pausing, Gu Zuo immediately moved to Duan Yunbeng’s side: “Senior Brother Duan, help me pin it down for a moment!”

Duan Yunbeng had noticed the way Gu Zuo dealt with the tiger while by Gongyi Tianheng’s side. Although he was greatly astonished that Gu Zuo could absorb a Heterogeneous Fire so rapidly, he quickly coordinated his movements.

Gu Zuo immediately reached out again, pressing his hand against the tiger and circulating his cultivation technique once more to pull the energy in… With this absorption, the phantom lotus seed within him instantly became a degree clearer.

Duan Yunbeng couldn’t help but marvel: “Junior Brother Gu’s methods are truly miraculous.”

Gu Zuo smiled: “Shall we head inside and investigate? What do you think, Senior Brother Duan?”

Duan Yunbeng had no objections, and Gongyi Tianheng walked right by Gu Zuo’s side.

The three quickly entered the cavern, feeling the flame power inside grow increasingly potent, to the point of causing one’s heart to palpitate.

Without hesitation, Gu Zuo operated his cultivation technique at full tilt.

The flames within the cavern were scattered and had not yet re-formed into the shape of a tiger. However, even the smallest bit of meat is still meat—Gu Zuo didn’t snub any of it, absorbing every single strand of energy!

Gradually, following Gu Zuo’s actions, over half of the flames in the cavern vanished. The entire cave became much cooler than before, giving him the confidence to continue deeper into the grotto.

Of course, Gu Zuo remained vigilant in his heart.

Despite having absorbed a vast amount of flame energy, the lotus seed within his body remained extremely ephemeral, showing no signs of solidifying.

This meant… the degree to which the Heterogeneous Fire had been weakened was likely less than ten percent!

Just as this thought occurred, a surging force erupted!

Like a torrential flood, it came sweeping toward them!