The moment the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal fused with the pendant, Tang Xiao Qi felt as if he had been thrown into a furnace composed of pure laws. It was no longer the energy infusion of a single soul crystal's entry, but a deeper-level resonance and integration originating from the four extremes of heaven and earth.
The jade pendant at his chest was no longer a simple container, but transformed into a miniature, balanced cosmic core. Azure Dragon's flourishing vitality, White Tiger's stern sharpness, Black Tortoise's heavy defense, Vermillion Bird's scorching creation—four distinctly different yet fundamentally identical source powers, no longer acting independently but interweaving, cycling, and coexisting in a mysterious, unfathomable manner.
Within Xiao Qi's dantian sea, that golden core originally showing cyan-gold color now had four fine lines faintly appearing on its surface, corresponding to the Four Symbols Divine Beasts' phantoms, slowly circulating. His spiritual power nature underwent fundamental transformation. No longer pure single attribute, but carrying a trace of chaotic prototype that embraces all things and evolves heaven and earth. Though extremely faint, it meant his dao foundation had surpassed ordinary Golden Core cultivators, stepping onto a broader yet more arduous path.
Vast energy surged through his meridians, not only stably pushing his cultivation to mid Golden Core peak, but continuously widening and reinforcing his meridian and dantian walls, enabling them to bear greater power. The minor hidden injuries from battling the demonic fire were instantly healed under the Four Symbols source power's scouring, even better than before.
However, the most significant change was his perception and control of "fire."
When the Vermillion Bird Soul Crystal completely fused with the pendant, becoming an indispensable part of the Four Symbols balance, Xiao Qi felt an unprecedented intimate connection with the "fire elemental primordial qi" omnipresent in heaven and earth. In the past, when he activated fire techniques, he mainly relied on his own spiritual power transformation, or used artifacts like the Flame Sword. But now, with merely a thought, the fire spiritual qi in the surrounding space would willingly gather around him, responding to his summons.
He could even "hear" flame's "breathing," "see" the tiniest trajectories of energy flow. The earth-fire surging deep in earth veins, the yang flames jumping in the air, even the vitality fire contained within living beings... all fire's forms, natures, temperatures, intensities became extremely clear to his perception, as if reading patterns on his palm.
subconsciously, he pressed his fingers like a sword. Withoutuse much of his own spiritual power, he merely summoned a thread of fire spiritual qi from the surroundings.
"Hum!"
A cluster of crimson flames generated on his fingertip, jumping and burning. This flame appeared ordinary, yet its stability, contained heat, and minimal spiritual power consumption far exceeded anything he could previously achieve. His thought changed again. That flame cluster instantly elongated, transforming into aabout a foot-long flame short sword, condensed as substantial, edges causing slight air distortion. The next moment, the flame short sword dispersed, transforming into warm light covering his entire body, dispelling the last traces of yin-cold dampness lingering in the stone cavern.
Like arm directing body, control at will!
This profound understanding and absolute control over fire's essence could not be directly granted by any cultivation method. Only origin-level fusion could bring such transformation.
He removed the Flame Sword he had always carried on his back. The blade remained covered in cracks, its spirituality dim. Xiao Qi attempted to transmit a thread of his new spiritual power fused with Four Symbols source, especially summoning Vermillion Bird power, slowly into the blade.
"Clang—!"
A clear, melodious sword cry suddenly rang out! The Flame Sword seemed awakened from slumber. From within those menacing cracks, threads of crimson-gold light shone! The originally dormant sword spirit transmitted an excited, overjoyed emotion, like parched land receiving rain. Though far from complete repair, the blade's fire affinity and carrying capacity seemed stimulated by Xiao Qi's enhanced spiritual power nature. Xiao Qi could sense that if he now wielded the Flame Sword to execute fire sword techniques, power would increase by at least thirty percent! If this sword were fully repaired... its might was unimaginable.
But this was far from his complete harvest.
Xiao Qisuppress his mind, sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness. There, one tiny yet incomparably pure crimson-gold spark, radiating eternal undying meaning, was quietly suspended. This was the Vermillion Bird remnant soul's final gift—the Southern Bright Separating Fire's origin fire seed and control method.
His divine sense carefully touched that spark.
"BOOM!"
Like a vast fire scroll unfolding in his consciousness! Countless highest truths about "fire" flooded his mind: how to ignite the first thread of dao fire from nothingness, how to use heart as furnace and intention as firewood to refine, purify, and strengthen this thread of origin fire, how to transform it into flame that burns heaven and demons, and how to turn it into life-nurturing fire... various profound mysteries, impossible to describe.
This Southern Bright Separating Fire was one of the fundamental reliance for the Vermillion Bird Holy Lord to traverse heaven and earth, burning demons and purifying worlds. Its rank was so high it far exceeded all fire Xiao Qi had ever encountered or could comprehend. It wasn't merely destruction, but contained the supreme law of "nurturing new life within destruction." Cultivated to extremes, legend said a single spark could burn mountains and boil seas, yet also revive withered trees and bestow creation.
Xiao Qi followed the method, attempting to condense in his palm.
The process was extremely difficult. This wasn't summoning external fire spiritual qi, but summoning, separating, and imparting a thread of Vermillion Bird divinity from his own origin to ignite this supreme divine fire. His divine sense power consumed at unprecedented speed. The Four Symbols source-fused golden core in his dantian also rotated violently, outputting pure spiritual power.
Beads of sweat the size of beans slid from his forehead. His face turned pale again. After a full incense stick's time, just as he felt his divine sense about to deplete, barely maintaining—
"Fwip!"
An almost inaudible soft sound. A tiny flame merely the size of a fingernail, colored pale gold with crimson-gold rosy glow at its edges, finally timidly appeared above his palm.
This flame was so weak, a gust of wind could extinguish it. But the moment it appeared, the stone cavern's temperature didn't rise. Instead, an indescribable "purification" and "majesty" aura pervaded. The fire spiritual qi in the surrounding heaven and earth, like subjects worshipping a monarch, became exceptionally docile and still. Xiao Qi could even sense the unceasing earth-fire flowing deep below, emitting a trace of reverent fluctuation.
Xiao Qi looked at this tiny yet containing unlimited potential pale-gold flame in his palm, heart filled with shock and joy. He knew this thread of Southern Bright Separating Fire would become one of his most important trump cards. Though currently limited in might, and extremely taxing on spirit and spiritual power to summon, its essence was too high. Its restraining power against evil fiends, yin-cold attributes was probably even superior to the Purification Source! At critical moments, it could achieve decisive effects.
He carefullywithdrawed this flame into his body, nurturing it with his own golden core. Intense exhaustion surged like a tide, but his spirit was exceptionally exhilarated.
Four Symbols returned to position, origin initially fused. Flame control, reached mastery. Gained Southern Bright Separating Fire, this supreme supernatural power.
At this moment, Xiao Qi, though his cultivation remained mid Golden Core peak, his true strength, potential, and depth had undergone earth-shaking changes. Facing late Golden Core, even pseudo-Nascent Soul realm experts, he truly possessed the confidence to contend, even defeat!
He slowly opened his eyes. At the depths of his gaze, Four Symbols phantoms seemed to circulate, finally returning to calm, yet appearing even more profound.
"Xiao Qi, how do you feel?" Third Senior Sister asked solicitously. Though she couldn't perceive the specifics, she could sense the transformative change in Xiao Qi.
Chief Lie Shan, Elder Wumeng, and Yan Lie also watched him nervously.
Xiao Qi rose smoothly. His aura was internally rounded and restrained. He smiled faintly. "Unprecedentedly well. Chief, Elder Wumeng, Leader Yan Lie, it's time... to go to that Molten Fire Heart, and meet that extraterritorial evil!"