From Cold Palace Princess to Celestial Empress Ch. 151
Ye Ruoshui slowly opened her eyes, her pupils seemingly burning with tiny sparks, flickering with dazzling flames.
“Did I succeed?”
Ye Ruoshui murmured with joy in her eyes.
“Yes! You succeeded.” Xiao Minghuang nodded gently: “Now, you are an innate fire spirit body.”
Moreover, the aura emanating from Ye Ruoshui had unmistakably reached the first level of the Divine Sea Realm, placing her on the same level as Xiao Minghuang.
Ye Ruoshui raised her palm and felt it.
She sensed a warm, cool, and vibrant fire attribute spiritual energy slowly flowing out from her palm, dancing and moving on the back of her hand, forming the shape of a fire lotus, blooming with brilliant radiance.
“I can feel them.”
Ye Ruoshui’s eyes shone with joy. She could sense the vast and majestic fire attribute spiritual energy, almost making her one with the heavens and the earth, intimately connected, as if she had always been a part of the great Dao.
“This way, whether it’s alchemy or cultivating fire-based divine abilities, it will be much easier in the future.”
Xiao Minghuang nodded with satisfaction.
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Ye Ruoshui’s eyes slightly reddened as she whispered.
“There’s no need for thanks between us. Besides, you are mine.”
Xiao Minghuang’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Yes!” Ye Ruoshui nodded shyly, her cheeks flushing with two shades of red, her heart pounding wildly.
“Let’s go, we should leave this place.”
Xiao Minghuang took Ye Ruoshui’s hand, and with a flicker of their figures, they darted into the distance.
It was also around this time.
In Xiao Minghuang’s mind, the system’s notification sounded.
【Ding! Detected that the host has successfully gifted an opportunity, compensation returned: The Flaming Skyfire of the Red Emperor!】
Hearing the notification, Xiao Minghuang was startled.
She hadn’t expected that Ye Ruoshui’s fusion with the innate fire would also count as gifting an opportunity.
The Crimson Flame clearly wasn’t something she owned, yet it still triggered the compensation return.
After inquiring further, she gained a deeper understanding of the system’s compensation mechanism.
The so-called “gifting” wasn’t limited to just giving physical objects.
It was closer to the concept of “transferring ownership.”
Or perhaps, it was something she could have possessed but chose to transfer.
As long as either of these two conditions was met, it would trigger the compensation return.
Moreover, the compensation triggered by the Crimson Flame didn’t specify the multiple of the return.
This indicated that the system couldn’t determine the value difference between the Crimson Flame and the Flaming Skyfire of the Red Emperor.
If interpreted from another angle, did it mean that these two were of equal value?
Xiao Minghuang couldn’t be sure.
Additionally, the innate fire returned by the system also needed to be refined; it couldn’t be directly controlled at will.
“Why can’t this system just give me everything in one go?”
A trace of helplessness flashed in Xiao Minghuang’s eyes. With her Divine Sea Realm cultivation, forcibly refining the innate fire would be as difficult as reaching the heavens.
The reason Ye Ruoshui could easily refine the innate fire was because she possessed an innate affinity for fire, making her immune to its harm.
But Xiao Minghuang didn’t have such a trait. Once she came into contact with the innate fire, she probably wouldn’t last more than a few breaths before turning to ashes, let alone refining it.
“Forget it, I’ll ask the Medicine King when I get back. He might have a way.”
Xiao Minghuang steadied her mind and pondered. The Medicine King, a life-and-death sovereign who emerged from the Holy Academy, was well-traveled and resourceful. Surely, he must have a method to refine the Primordial Fire.
When she ventured deep into the sea of fire, Xiao Minghuang expended a great deal of spiritual energy, but upon leaving, she encountered no obstacles.
Firstly, it was because the Primordial Fire had previously been present here, continuously emitting high-temperature flames that scorched the surroundings.
Now that the Primordial Fire had vanished, the sea of fire also dissipated.
Secondly, Ye Ruoshui had now become a Primordial Fire Spirit Body, harmonizing with the Dao of Fire, and no longer needed her protection. In fact, she could even protect Xiao Minghuang in return.
Just like now, Xiao Minghuang didn’t employ any techniques; she simply held Ye Ruoshui’s hand tightly, and she was unaffected by the surrounding high-temperature flames.
Ye Ruoshui held Xiao Minghuang’s soft, delicate hand, feeling an indescribable sense of security.
The warmth and smoothness of Xiao Minghuang’s fingertips seemed to transmit directly through her skin, reaching the depths of Ye Ruoshui’s heart.
The two of them held hands in silence, flying outward without a word.
Before long, they caught sight of a glimmer of white light.
“We’re almost there!” Xiao Minghuang whispered. They had ventured deep into the nest of the Crimson Flame Sparrow, not only stealing its young but also refining the Primordial Fire it had guarded for countless years.
If the Crimson Flame Sparrow returned and encountered them, a cataclysmic battle would be inevitable.
Having just gone through a fight, Xiao Minghuang’s strength had not yet recovered, and she feared she would stand little chance of victory.
But.
It was almost at this moment.
An extremely scorching wave of heat suddenly swept over them.
This wave of heat was like a massive surge of magma, searing and blistering. Even from a distance, Xiao Minghuang could feel a stinging pain, as if she were about to be scorched by something.
Xiao Minghuang quickly activated her protective spiritual energy, intending to pull Ye Ruoshui behind her.
But at this moment, Ye Ruoshui, facing the scorching heat, remained completely unaffected.
“As expected of a Primordial Fire Spirit Body. Such high temperatures, yet she’s completely unaffected,” Xiao Minghuang murmured to herself in surprise.
Immediately after, a shrill bird cry echoed from afar.
“Screech!”
Xiao Minghuang turned her gaze toward the sound and saw a burst of flames spreading across the sky, surging toward them.
At the center of the flames was a large crimson bird, its entire body engulfed in raging fire. Its blood-red eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous intent, and it exuded an extremely dangerous aura, as if it could incinerate all living beings before it at any moment.
“The Crimson Flame Sparrow, she’s back!”
Xiao Minghuang’s pupils contracted, and she quickly grabbed Ye Ruoshui, flying straight up and speeding toward the exit of the nest.
Their speed was astonishing, and in the blink of an eye, they reached the sky above.
Xiao Minghuang looked around. Perhaps due to the disappearance of the Primordial Fire, the once vast sea of fire had vanished, leaving the land covered in blackened, charred soil, devoid of any trace of life.
Just as the two of them steadied themselves in the sky, the scorching flames erupted completely within the nest, surging upward and instantly transforming the once barren land into a fiery domain.
“Roar…”
A furious roar erupted from the nest, shaking the heavens.
Xiao Minghuang saw a massive firebird soaring out of the nest, its enormous body blotting out the sky. Its golden-red wings, ablaze with fire, stretched out to a span of several hundred zhang.
A pair of enormous golden wings flapped, stirring up an endless sea of fire. Layers of scorching flames surged and washed over the sky. A pair of blazing eyes gazed at them from afar, as if ready to attack at any moment.
“Is this the peak Divine Sea Realm Crimson Flame Sparrow?”
Xiao Minghuang was inwardly shocked. She had anticipated that this demon beast would be powerful, but she hadn’t expected it to be this formidable.
Even at her peak, she would likely have to avoid its brilliance.
Not to mention, her current strength was nearly depleted, and she hadn’t yet recovered.
But.
Even if she couldn’t match it, she would still draw her sword and face the battle!
Xiao Minghuang’s gaze was resolute. A golden sword shadow materialized in her hand, and her strength surged back to its peak as she prepared for a life-or-death struggle.
But at that moment.
Ye Ruoshui suddenly took a step forward and hesitantly said:
“Your Highness, I feel that it might not harm me.”
Xiao Minghuang frowned, “How do you know?”
Ye Ruoshui pursed her lips, her eyes flickering, “It’s just my intuition, but I trust it.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ll accompany you in this attempt!” After a moment of silence, Xiao Minghuang finally nodded in agreement.
“Mm!” Ye Ruoshui nodded, then stepped forward toward the Crimson Flame Sparrow.
As she watched Ye Ruoshui gradually approach the Crimson Flame Sparrow, Xiao Minghuang’s heart rose to her throat.
She knew full well that the reason Ye Ruoshui felt the Crimson Flame Sparrow wouldn’t harm her was likely because Ye Ruoshui had fused with the Primordial Fire, achieving the Primordial Fire Spirit Body.
And since the Crimson Flame Sparrow was a pure fire-attribute demon beast, it was no surprise that it would feel an affinity for the Primordial Fire Spirit Body.
But this was only a possibility. If the Crimson Flame Sparrow went berserk, with Ye Ruoshui’s mere Divine Sea First Realm cultivation, she probably wouldn’t last a single breath before being reduced to ashes.
Now, Xiao Minghuang could only hope that her intuition was correct.
As Ye Ruoshui drew closer to the Crimson Flame Sparrow, Xiao Minghuang’s heart nearly leaped out of her throat.
The Crimson Flame Sparrow seemed to sense something and suddenly let out a piercing cry that echoed through the heavens, deafening and shaking Xiao Minghuang to her core.
But.
Even as Ye Ruoshui came within close proximity, the Crimson Flame Sparrow still didn’t unleash any attacks. Its earlier cry seemed more like a greeting.
In an instant.
Xiao Minghuang understood.
This Crimson Flame Sparrow must have awakened a trace of intelligence!
Generally, when demon beasts advance to the Spirit Seed Realm, they awaken intelligence, much like human cultivators.
As for why it had gained intelligence so late, it was because for demon beasts, the Spirit Seed Realm marked the end of their infancy.
Before that, they were akin to human infants.
This Crimson Flame Sparrow before them was clearly on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Seed Realm, needing only a final push to fully awaken its intelligence.
At that moment, Ye Ruoshui successfully made her first contact with the Crimson Flame Sparrow.
Ye Ruoshui moved close to the Crimson Flame Sparrow.
The Crimson Flame Sparrow’s fiery eyes shifted, and after a moment, it lowered its head, drawing closer to Ye Ruoshui as if speaking to her.
After a while.
Ye Ruoshui turned her head and looked at Xiao Minghuang, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, as if she was in a dilemma.
At that moment, Xiao Minghuang received a voice transmission.
“Your Highness, the Crimson Flame Sparrow is asking if we’ve seen her children. All of them have gone missing.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang’s expression remained unchanged, but her heart trembled.
The offspring of the Crimson Flame Sparrow naturally refers to the eggs in the nest.
One of the purposes of their journey was naturally to steal the eggs of the Crimson Flame Sparrow.
“This Liu Yan, how could he take all of their children!”
Xiao Minghuang sighed inwardly. Among cultivators, there was a common saying.
When heaven sends down a killing intent, it still leaves a thread of hope. How much more so for cultivators, who must not easily resort to eradicating everything.
This does not mean that cultivators should show mercy in life-and-death struggles.
Rather, it means that no matter what kind of rare treasure is harvested, one must not uproot it entirely. These spiritual resources must be allowed to develop sustainably, leaving a path for future generations.
Otherwise, if the senior cultivators exhaust all the spiritual resources between heaven and earth, wouldn’t the younger generations have no treasures to use?
The same principle applies to dealing with demon beasts.
In the Eastern Pole today, the human path is flourishing, while the demon path is in decline.
For humans, demon beast cubs are almost equivalent to rare treasures, so they must be treated with caution.
Thinking of this, Xiao Minghuang pondered for a moment and then spoke:
“I know a little about this matter. Could you wait for a moment? After I find out more, I will inform you in detail.”
Ye Ruoshui relayed Xiao Minghuang’s words to the Crimson Flame Sparrow.
Hearing this, the Crimson Flame Sparrow seemed to temporarily lower its guard. It retracted the vast flames, shrank countless times in size, and perched on Ye Ruoshui’s shoulder, leaning close to her ear as if whispering something.
A moment later.
Ye Ruoshui spoke:
“Your Highness, she says she wants to go with us.”
Hearing this, a trace of awkwardness flashed in Xiao Minghuang’s eyes.
If it was indeed Liu Yan who took all of her children, how should they explain it?
Return them all?
If they don’t return them, the powerful demon beast at the peak of the Divine Sea realm would not let it go.
But since things have come to this, she could only take one step at a time.
Xiao Minghuang sighed inwardly, took out a communication talisman from her pocket, and infused it with some information. The talisman burned with white flames in the air and was soon completely consumed.
At the same time.
In a valley hundreds of miles away.
The group involved in the egg-stealing operation had gathered here.
Lin Wanqiu, who was sitting under a tree, suddenly opened her eyes and took out a talisman from her storage bag.
The talisman burned in mid-air, revealing lines of text.
After reading the text, Lin Wanqiu frowned slightly. She remembered Liu Yan saying that he had only taken two-thirds of the sparrow eggs from the nest.
That is, eight eggs.
There should still be four eggs left in the nest.
But the Crimson Flame Sparrow said there were none left.
Could it be… Liu Yan was lying?
Lin Wanqiu did not believe this.
After all, Liu Yan was the True Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. There was no need for him to lie about such a thing.
“It seems I need to have a good exchange of information with Her Highness.”
Thinking of this, she called out to the group.
“Everyone, Her Highness has come out of the nest, but she has encountered some problems and needs help. Let’s go together.”
Hearing this, the group, who were resting, opened their eyes.
Present were not only the subordinates of the Fifth Prince and Xiao Minghuang but also disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect and the Beast Taming Sect.
The three forces combined numbered nearly a hundred people.
Even facing a Crimson Flame Sparrow at the peak of the Divine Sea realm, they had the strength to fight.
“Are we going to fight the Crimson Flame Sparrow?”
Liu Yan stepped forward and asked.
“Hard to say.”
Lin Wanqiu responded and then added:
“We’ll know when we get there. In any case, be prepared for battle.”
After a brief exchange, the group flew into the sky, heading towards the sparrow’s nest.
Before long, the group arrived above the nest.
Xiao Minghuang spotted Lin Wanqiu and the others from afar and immediately flew up into the sky.
Her gaze swept around and quickly landed on Liu Yan. She immediately sent a voice transmission:
“True Disciple Liu, did you steal all the Crimson Flame Sparrow eggs?”
“Absolutely not!”
Liu Yan was taken aback and immediately refuted.
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang smiled and said:
“I believe you, but the Crimson Flame Sparrow said her children are all missing. If it wasn’t you, then who could it be?”
As she spoke, she suddenly had a thought.
After they entered the nest, there was one more person who entered.
Xue Wushang!
Xiao Minghuang quickly understood.
The remaining Crimson Flame Sparrow eggs were probably stolen by Xue Wushang.
“Alas! It’s just a pity that this person has already perished in the sea of fire. Even if the eggs were indeed on him, there’s no way to recover them now.”
But right now, the Crimson Flame Sparrow is desperate to find her children. If she doesn’t provide an explanation, the sparrow might turn hostile immediately.
Xiao Minghuang’s gaze was as calm as water as she quickly thought of a plan.
When her eyes fell on Ye Ruoshui and the Crimson Flame Sparrow, a novel idea suddenly popped into her mind.
The corners of Xiao Minghuang’s mouth slightly curled up, and a hint of a smile appeared in her eyes as she softly murmured:
“Got it!”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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