Yan Zhen was wrapped head to toe in blood-red Great Crimson Heaven Flame. Without a moment’s hesitation, he leaped into the volcano crater and plunged into the boiling Yang Source magma below.
Protected by the Hottest Extreme Flame, he had no fear of such intense heat. Leisurely, he descended deeper, soon spotting the entrance to a cave along the mountainside.
He swam inside, passing through a gently sloping tunnel, then burst out of a magma pool into a flat, spacious chamber.
This was the lair of the Yang Pole Secret Realm’s overlord, a Sixth-Tier Magma Fox. The air was thick with potent Yang Source energy. Any other disciple who dared breathe it in would likely scorch their lungs with a single inhale.
Everywhere he looked, red-hot fire crystal ore glittered. Scattered among it were fire spirit crystals that seemed to burn eternally.
But the most eye-catching sight was the shallow, fiery-red pool ahead.
Drip. Drip.
Liquid flames occasionally fell from crimson stalactites overhead, merging into the small pool and sending ripples across its surface. Tiny tongues of fire flickered up, accompanied by an enticing aroma.
Yan Zhen swallowed hard.
It was the Seventh-Tier treasure medicine known as Yang Flame Spiritual Milk, brimming with vast energy. If he consumed it and spent ten days or half a month refining it fully, he stood a good chance of breaking through to the Mystic General Realm in one go.
Sadly, he couldn’t take it. The Yang Flame Spiritual Milk belonged to Long Ying.
In the script, after he sent Long Ying off to gather fire crystal ore and she got lost, he arrived here fleeing pursuers. That’s when he found her sprawled at the edge of the fiery-red pool, lapping greedily at the lingering spirit milk at its bottom.
She devoured the entire pool’s worth, the overwhelming energy leaving her drunk and sprawled on the ground, rubbing her round belly as she passed out.
Just then, the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox—temporarily driven from its nest by the volcanic eruption—returned. Enraged, it lunged at Yan Zhen and Long Ying.
Knowing he was outmatched, Yan Zhen scooped up Long Ying and tried to escape into the Fire Refining Starry Sky.
But within the secret realm, activating the Star Shifting Fire Seal was tricky; it demanded his full focus to teleport.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox gave him no such chance. Yan Zhen had no choice but to set Long Ying down and fight it head-on.
He got beaten badly, enough to rouse even Chen Xi.
At the critical moment, Long Ying awoke—and reverted to her true form. Her power surged to the Mystic Ancestor Realm, and she obliterated the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox with a single punch, ending the crisis.
Yan Zhen’s injuries were severe, beyond short-term recovery. So Long Ying sliced her wrist and fed him her blood to heal him.
Through that misfortune, Yan Zhen gained a cultivation breakthrough. Long Ying, however, who had briefly regained her mature, alluring figure, lost too much blood and shrank back to her original state.
That event marked a turning point in their relationship.
Before it, Long Ying saw him only as a meal ticket, while he lusted after her divine blood. Each schemed for their own gain. Afterward, she grew far more obedient, and Yan Zhen… well, he seized the chance to make her his mount.
…
—Ahem. The script’s the crappy one, not me.
Yan Zhen steadied his emotions, then ducked behind a large boulder, suppressing his aura. Gritting his teeth against the temptation of the Yang Flame Spiritual Milk, he waited for Long Ying to arrive.
He pulled up the system interface and saw the old quest panel had updated. He tapped to claim the reward.
【Special Trump Card: Black Hand: The host’s next attack becomes an undetectable assassination strike, effective only against those below Supreme.】
Yan Zhen stowed it away. Then a new quest panel popped up. The role-playing requirements were just two: block the enraged Sixth-Tier Magma Fox while Long Ying slept, and after taking damage, turn misfortune into fortune by advancing to Six-Star Mystic Master.
Yan Zhen read over the requirements, a twinge of unease in his heart.
The first was manageable; he had trump cards aplenty and could hold out for a while. The second was dicey. What if Long Ying was too scared of pain to feed him her blood? Without her dragon blood’s stimulus, freshly advanced to Five-Star Mystic Master as he was, he couldn’t possibly rocket to Six-Star Mystic Master right away.
Anxious, Yan Zhen didn’t have to wait long before Long Ying appeared.
The Loli Dragon Girl burst from the same magma pool he’d entered through, her bare little feet pattering on the ground as she made a beeline for the Yang Flame Spiritual Milk pool. Her emerald eyes sparkled with excitement at the supreme treasure before her.
“That’s the one! Hehe, once I eat it, I’ll get my original killer figure back and make Yan Zhen Zhen see me in a whole new light!”
Hidden in the shadows, Yan Zhen frowned at her words. He peeked out cautiously and saw Long Ying, her little butt arched up as she lay at the pool’s edge, gulping down the spirit milk noisily. The pool’s level visibly dropped.
Yan Zhen swallowed, tempted himself. The natural treasure smelled divine, tasted amazing too. He regretted not snagging a bit to try.
After downing more than half, Long Ying paused and let out a burp.
“That should do it. I’ll pack up the rest for Yan Zhen Zhen.”
She produced a small jar and scooped up the remaining Yang Flame Spiritual Milk.
Yan Zhen felt a surge of warmth—and surprise.
In the script, she hadn’t done that. She’d guzzled it all and licked the pool clean. Was real-life Long Ying just a bit more thoughtful?
“Mmm, so much energy. Feeling kinda sleepy.”
Long Ying smacked her lips. Just as Yan Zhen figured the Loli Dragon Girl was full and ready to crash, she sat cross-legged instead, closed her eyes, and began circulating her energy to refine the spirit milk treasure she’d just consumed.
Cherry-pink dragon qi and shimmering golden phoenix qi rose from her body, coiling around her with soft hums. Faint dragon might and phoenix might radiated outward, inspiring awe.
Yan Zhen furrowed his brow. Something felt off.
“Wielding both dragon Mystic force and phoenix Mystic force at once—that’s got to be the Dragon Phoenix Divine Art, right?”
Long Ying should be cultivating the Dragon King Art right now, producing dragon Mystic force and relying on it. She couldn’t handle phoenix Mystic force yet, let alone control both simultaneously.
The Dragon Phoenix Divine Art came much later in the script, a saint Mystic art they developed together. It fused dragon and phoenix Mystic forces for far greater power.
Why was she using it now?
…
—Maybe I’m mistaken?
After all, Yan Zhen had only read descriptions of the Dragon Phoenix Divine Art in the script.
“Emmm…”
As he pondered, Yan Zhen sensed another powerful aura that shook him to his core, rapidly approaching.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox was coming back.
Sure enough, waves surged in the magma pool. A massive fox silhouette burst forth, landing heavily on the open ground.
Its body was like the lava snakes and lava apes—magma fused with crystal ore—but shaped like a huge fox with six tails. Foxfire blazed on its ears, paws, and tails.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox’s strength rivaled a High-Star Mystic Lord’s. Simply standing there, it exerted a faint pressure on Yan Zhen!
As soon as the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox appeared, the cavern’s temperature spiked. It spotted the now-empty pool depression at a glance, then saw Long Ying meditating. Understanding dawned in an instant, and it unleashed a furious roar.
