The altar, the plaza, and the surrounding heavenly pillars formed the core array disk of the Fire Refining Starry Sky. Orbiting it were one hundred and eight massive stars: some blazed fiercely like suns, others glowed like dying embers, some were frozen solid with biting chill, and others were pitch-black voids like black holes.
Chen Xi flew straight toward the celestial body housing the Starlight Glazed Fire and landed first on its surface, which resembled shimmering seven-colored glaze. She tilted her head back to gaze at the pursuing Yan Zhen.
It was clear Yan Zhen was in a state of utter rage now—contrary to her expectations.
To restore Yan Zhen’s memories, Chen Xi had prepared three Black Jade Evil Scale Pills. The Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame was only Half-Saint level, after all. To refine a sacred item like Yellow Springs Water, it needed multiple activations of its power.
With the Yellow Springs Water to contend with, the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame shouldn’t have run rampant. Yan Zhen’s state ought to have been more stable than last time. So why was he completely out of control, bordering on berserk?
Boom!
A pitch-black flame dragon plummeted from the sky, smashing into the seven-colored glazed ground. It left a shallow crater and spiderweb cracks.
Chen Xi immediately formed mudras with her hands, channeling power from the Starlight Glazed Fire within her to commune with the Glazed Star beneath her feet.
Multicolored flames erupted from all around, forming an enormous inverted bowl that enclosed both master and disciple, isolating them from the outside.
Without hesitation, Yan Zhen kicked off powerfully and rushed at the beautiful master, craving slaughter and combat.
Chen Xi’s mudras shifted as her slender jade fingers thrust outward.
Space around Yan Zhen instantly stagnated. The invisible force visibly turned into clear, seven-colored glaze, trapping him like he was mired in quicksand. His speed slowed drastically. No matter how he struggled, it was useless. He came to a complete halt, unable to move a muscle.
Yan Zhen stood rigidly on the ground, roaring in impotent fury. He kept surging his inner power to break free, heedless of whether his body could endure it.
“Zhen’er, that’s enough. Don’t push yourself any harder.”
Heart aching for him, Chen Xi floated gracefully to her precious disciple’s side. She reached out with a white jade hand to caress his ferocious face.
“It’s all right now. Just leave everything to your master. Be good.”
She cupped his face and leaned in slightly to kiss him. Before he could bite, she drew out his little tongue and suckled it firmly, instantly making him hold back.
With his head under control, Chen Xi freed one hand and stealthily moved it downward.
Yan Zhen wore a loose black robe with nothing underneath, so she easily slipped inside and grasped his handle.
Under the boost of the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame, the Evil Dragon Mark had come alive, radiating scorching heat that burned her hand.
Gently twisting her snowy wrist, Chen Xi soothed her disciple’s agitation.
With both upper and lower vulnerabilities seized, the berserk Yan Zhen calmed a fraction. Disjointed grunts rumbled from his throat.
It was quite a while before Chen Xi released his lips. Her blue eyes brimmed with affection as they reflected her precious disciple’s handsome features. In a soft voice, she said, “Feeling better now, Zhen’er? Don’t be afraid. Your master will take care of you.”
She knelt gracefully, arching her slender waist as she eyed the eerie Evil Dragon Mark coiled around his pillar. Pursing her tender red lips, she blew a puff of multicolored mist onto it.
Rainbow light sprinkled down, and the lifelike Evil Dragon Mark instantly reverted to a simplistic doodle. It no longer looked so savage and terrifying.
A slight smile curved Chen Xi’s lips. “Naughty thing. After all, your master is the Flame Saint. How could she let you bully her forever~”
Chen Xi’s heart burned with fervor. She lifted her gaze to meet Yan Zhen’s, only to find him staring at her with anxious intensity. A wave of shyness washed over her, tinting her exquisite features with a delicate blush that made her all the more enchanting.
“Zhen’er, don’t look at your master like that,” she said softly. “I’ll do whatever you wish.”
She bit her lip, then leaned forward with exquisite tenderness to plant a gentle kiss on him. Like a kitten or a puppy, she extended the tip of her tongue to meticulously cleanse the gray flames clinging to him.
Yan Zhen tilted his head back toward the sky, his breaths coming in heavy gasps. The wild frenzy in his eyes had diminished only slightly, but at least he was no longer forcing his power to surge in desperate struggle.
Only after drawing away every trace of the gray flames did Chen Xi finally attempt to regulate her breathing.
Though she and her disciple had shared intimacy many times before, it had always been proper and restrained—at least, they had never serviced each other in such a manner.
Yan Zhen still held Mystic respect and affection for his master, unwilling to humble her or impose any such demands. Likewise, Chen Xi had always been mindful of her position as his teacher, too proud to voice her desire to serve him wholeheartedly.
A strange thrill stirred within her now—unease from her inexperience mingled with the satisfaction of a long-held wish fulfilled. Kneeling before her own disciple as his master evoked a delicious sense of taboo deviance.
She tried to recall the appropriate techniques, her emotions rising with each stifled groan of endurance from Yan Zhen. Soon, she lost herself completely in the act, oblivious to the approach of the other women.
Though Chen Xi had instructed them to remain on the altar without moving, how could they simply stand by when Yan Zhen seemed on the verge of madness?
Spurred by Little Yan Yan’s innocent suggestion, the women boldly followed the trail of his raging aura, descending toward the Glazed Star.
From afar, they spotted a colorful flame barrier enveloping the land, with Yan Zhen and Master Chen Xi clearly inside.
“We can’t see what’s happening in there. Are they all right?”
“There doesn’t seem to be much activity…”
“Let’s take a closer look.”
They drew nearer and reached out to touch the colorful flame barrier—only to yank their hands back as if scorched by lightning, tiny blisters bubbling up on their fingertips.
This was the true Starlight Glazed Fire, ranked seventh on the Extreme Flame List, wielding might rivaling that of a Mystic Saint. Even in its milder form, it was no trifling thing to handle casually.
Cai Lian, Yi Xian’er, and Jiu Youyue, all with yin-attribute constitutions, hurriedly circulated their energy to dispel the blisters on their fingertips.
Jiu Youyue sucked on her finger. “We can’t see inside, and we can’t get in. What do we do, Sister Cai Lian? Little Sister Xian’er?”
“Let’s just wait out here for a bit,” Cai Lian pondered. “We can’t force our way through. It might disrupt Master Chen Xi’s efforts.”
“Could Master Chen Xi be no match for Yan Zhen?” Yi Xian’er asked with concern. “It’s unlikely under normal circumstances, but if she’s holding back out of affection… that could be trouble.”
“This…”
“No, it couldn’t be, right?”
The three women exchanged uneasy glances, each imagining a scandalously irreverent scene that made them shake their heads vigorously in denial.
At that moment, the Little Princess spoke up. “I can control Ancestor Chen Xi’s flames. If everyone wants to go in, I can open a hole in the barrier up top.”
Instantly, the gazes of four—er, three and a half grown women fixed on Yan Yan. Cai Lian recalled that her daughter had inherited her father’s extraordinary gift for fire control, and exclaimed with excitement, “Then give it a try, Yan’er. Be careful, and don’t push yourself.”
Long Ying cheered, “You got this, Yan Yan!”
Yan Yan took a few steps forward and placed her small hand on the barrier’s surface, then closed her eyes.
Moments later, ripples spread across the colorful flame barrier, and a small opening slowly formed.
It wasn’t large—barely big enough for a child to squeeze through.
Yet it was enough for them to glimpse the scene within: one standing, one kneeling—the roles reversed, the hierarchy upended. Utterly sacrilegious!
The two little girls immediately clapped their hands over their wide, sparkling eyes, while the three adults stood frozen in shock, jaws dropped in disbelief.
Was that really Master Chen Xi?!
