The fire, which continued to expand, had now engulfed an area the size of half a city and was still growing.
Within the flas, Wen Yan ignored the damage and made his way to the very center.
He jumped directly into the huge fire basin and pulled out the Serpent Crown Cult Leader. The cult leader’s soul had already scattered, and his body, full of resentnt, had beco kindling.
Unfortunately, even after being removed from the fire basin, the body relentlessly continued to emit flas.
The prompts in Wen Yan’s eyes had also changed.
"Demon of Fire (In Transition)"
This signified that the sprout born from the embers had been influenced by the Serpent Crown Cult Leader and was transforming into a Demon of Fire.
Dragging the Serpent Crown Cult Leader by the legs, Wen Yan returned to Auntie’s side.
As the body, continuously spewing flas, drew near Auntie, the fire began to falter sowhat.
In the end, only the head, which was furthest from Auntie, continued to spurt flas into the sea of fire outside.
Only after confirming he would not be burned did Wen Yan resolutely switch to his second Temporary Ability: Cold Ice Qi.
He stretched out his hand, covering the Serpent Crown Cult Leader’s body. An intense chill spread, seeming to absorb all the heat.
The cold air gradually enveloped the Serpent Crown Cult Leader’s body, eventually cutting off the last point from which flas burst forth and completely extinguishing the fire.
In that instant, the sea of fire outside, which had been expanding and churning, imdiately ceased its growth. Losing montum, it began to recede gradually back into the fire basin.
As the last bit of fuel was consud, the flas in Wen Yan’s eyes slowly returned to their original state.
"Spirit of Fire/Demon of Fire."
Auntie was sowhat surprised by Wen Yan’s actions. She had thought Wen Yan would press forward like her to extinguish this last flicker of hope—this fla.
However, she hadn’t expected Wen Yan to seemingly want to preserve this Spiritual Fire.
"Auntie, this is no longer the Sacred Fire of the Sacred Fire Sect," Wen Yan said. "The original Sacred Fire has been extinguished. This is a new sprout, born from different embers, and it still has a choice."
Auntie looked at Wen Yan and smiled, a sense of relief washing over her.
Wen Yan was different from her and from Fuyu Thirteenth. She hadn’t been mistaken; he was a good child who harbored kindness towards others. Even if they weren’t human, he was willing to offer compassion.
Auntie glanced at the warhorse, which had been scared stiff. Upon seeing Wen Yan, it shivered and struggled to its feet, inching closer to him.
She felt relieved in an instant, and even happier.
Her sister was fortunate to have such a good child by her side—a child much luckier than she herself had been. This ti, she could truly be at ease.
"This corpse contains an enormous amount of resentnt. It’s a great calamity that can’t be dealt with unless it’s burned. I can suppress it but not destroy it," she said. "How do you plan to handle it?"
"I will help them transcend," Wen Yan replied. "There is a mountain that has turned demonic, full of the Lost Souls of those killed in battle, whom I have been helping to find peace through Purification. I think I should be able to purify this resentnt as well, right?"
An even broader smile appeared on Auntie’s face. She reached out, and with a grasp at the air, the corpse began to shrink until it ford a sphere in her hand.
She looked at Wen Yan and said with a smile, "Not everyone is worthy of transcending. You, child, are just too kind-hearted. Rember, in the future, when you encounter this kind of situation, *this* is what you should do."
As she spoke, her hands ca together, and she exerted sudden force. A terrifying pressure emanated from her, and a succession of muffled CRACKLING sounds resounded from her palms, like thunder exploding within them.
Wen Yan’s heart raced. The destructive power in Auntie’s palms is truly terrifying! The re shockwaves make feel as though I’ve already died once.
Three breaths later, Auntie spread her hands, and wisps of ash scattered on the wind.
Wen Yan was slightly dumbfounded. Wasn’t it impossible to destroy?
"I was just teasing you," Auntie said. "This kind of trouble isn’t for you to handle. I already have enough blood on my hands; I don’t mind bearing a bit more. But you’re different."
Everything around them was collapsing. After the flas receded, it was as if they had returned to the Netherworld—a dark, colorless world, with only shades of black, white, and grey.
The yellow sand at their feet was gone, and in the city below, there were no more Ghosts either.
The colors gradually receded, shrinking towards Auntie, whose body also began to grow increasingly transparent.
She extended a hand and placed it on Wen Yan’s head.
Even though they had only just t, I’m very satisfied with and fond of this junior. He’s different from everyone else I’ve t—kind-hearted. When faced with problems, his first thought isn’t destruction.
Although destruction and bloodshed can solve most problems, they can’t solve all of them.
"Live well. From here, walk west, and you should find a river. I sense a vast amount of water vapor there; that should be the way out."
Finally, her body grew even more transparent. Amid Wen Yan’s sorrowful gaze, she spoke her last words.
"May you, henceforth, never be lost again."
As Auntie’s final words faded, the Yang Energy from the Blessing that had sustained her returned to Wen Yan.
And Auntie vanished before his eyes.
At the sa ti, Wen Yan’s Natural Enemy Profession also displayed a prompt.
"A Peak Executor, with her fading consciousness, has bestowed upon you her greatest blessing."
"Acquired additional fixed ability: Nevermore Lost (Passive).
You can easily discern directions and are immune to various negative effects that confuse your sense of direction."
Wen Yan felt a swirl of complex emotions. The two Big Executors I’ve encountered were both such pure individuals.
This ti, even though it was just a wisp of Auntie’s consciousness, I know what kind of person she was. She even gave her blessing before leaving.
She probably feared I wouldn’t accept it, which is why she gave it only at the very end.
"Thank you, Auntie..."
Wen Yan sighed. Facing the place where Auntie had vanished, he bowed respectfully.
He stood up and turned back. The withdrawn flas had shrunk back into the Fire Basin.
He walked over to the Fire Basin. It was empty inside; all the fuel had been consud.
Above the ashes, the fire had gradually shrunk to the size of two fists. The flas extending from either side of it looked like two small hands waving at him.
Wen Yan jumped into the Fire Basin and examined the fire.
"Don’t say I didn’t give you a choice," Wen Yan said to the fire. "Relying on external forces isn’t always dependable; it can even lead to regression.
Now, choose for yourself: will you beco a Spirit of Fire or a Demon of Fire?
You only have one chance to choose."
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