Chapter 671: Chapter 632: Returning Fully Loaded

Within the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land, the Spiritual Qi was gradually growing thin.

True Master Primordial Fire sat cross-legged on the Puduan, his face ashen and bleak.

The aura that had once been blazing like a furnace was now like a guttering candle in the wind, flickering uncertainly.

He suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Shen Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged opposite him, a childlike, smug smile appearing on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Profound Ice, that Ming Yu Saintess of the Hehuan Sect was quite passionate toward me back in the day."

There was more than a little boastfulness in his tone.

"Several times, Ming Yu Saintess borrowed the pretext of discussing the Dao to invite me out to wander together, to admire flowers and gaze at the moon..."

"How could I not understand her intent!"

"I only wished to achieve the Nascent Soul Great Dao."

"The more dazzling and alluring the Female Cultivator, the more profound the Cultivation of the Immortal, the greater the tribulation of love. I would rather alter my appearance in Disguise, go to a restaurant to buy wine and drown myself in that fleeting illusion, than ever fall into that gentle trap and ruin the bitter cultivation of several hundred years!"

Speaking of this, a complicated look flashed in True Master Primordial Fire’s eyes.

There was pride in it, and also a trace of barely discernible loneliness.

"In this life, I formed my Golden Core and once reached the Realm of Perfection, breaking the record of the Zhou Family and the Fire Cloud Sect throughout history!"

"In this life of mine, I poured all the blood and sweat of my life into the path of the Dao, casting aside the myriad entanglements of the mortal world. I do not know whether it was right or wrong. If only..."

True Master Primordial Fire’s eyes grew lost.

As if he had fallen into some fantasy of a beautiful life.

A faint smile involuntarily surfaced upon his aged face.

After a while, True Master Primordial Fire jolted awake from his fantasy and let out a long sigh.

"Enough, in this world, where are there so many ’if only’s!"

As though to drive away the gloom, his voice suddenly rose.

"My Scarlet Cloud Primordial Fire was refined by extracting the marrow essence of a Tier Three Top Grade earth-core Fire Vein, tempered through two hundred years of bitter effort. Supreme Yang and Firm, its might peerless. In nurturing this fire, what matters most is one’s primordial yang; it is best to maintain a virgin body."

He looked at Shen Xuan.

"Hehe, even if I had accepted that Ming Yu Saintess, I fear she would not have been able to endure this body of mine that is so extremely Firm and extremely Yang."

A faint flush rose on True Master Primordial Fire’s face; like an old child, he revealed a somewhat sickly pride.

At this time, seeing that True Master Primordial Fire’s aura was growing ever more feeble, Shen Xuan had no mood to listen to him recount these old affairs.

He wanted to steer the topic away and discuss a deal with him, to have him willingly offer up his Golden Core and Scarlet Cloud Primordial Fire.

Only, Shen Xuan discovered that he ultimately still retained a bit of kindness and was not that kind of cold and ruthless person.

His skin was too thin; facing a dying, lonely old man like True Master Primordial Fire, he felt a trace of reluctance and could not bring himself to say the words.

True Master Primordial Fire was a scion of a fire-lineage clan within the fire Sect, cultivated with great care by the Fire Cloud Sect from childhood. The Sect had exhausted its strength to support him all the way to condensing his Golden Core and cultivating to Perfection, making him the de facto number one person of the Sect.

His teachers, relatives, friends, and juniors were all disciples of the Fire Cloud Sect.

True Master Primordial Fire’s feelings toward the Fire Cloud Sect were not something an ordinary person could compare to.

Although Shen Xuan could not truly feel the same, he could understand.

In his previous life, when a certain superpower disintegrated, a marshal who had rendered outstanding service suffered a collapse of faith and chose to commit suicide for his country.

The marshal would rather perish together with the nation he had fought for his whole life than live on in disgrace.

Shen Xuan patiently listened to True Master Primordial Fire’s rambling, occasionally responding with a few words.

Until True Master Primordial Fire grew tired of speaking and paused to catch his breath.

Seizing the moment, Shen Xuan said, "Brother Primordial Fire, now that the Fire Cloud Sect is on the verge of decline, I fear it is about to fall apart."

"Even if the Sect can continue, it will become the Puppet of a great Sect."

"To be frank, I am currently dual cultivating in Fire Technique, intending to use the path of harmonizing water and fire to assault the Nascent Soul Great Dao. Brother Primordial Fire, you know in your heart that your time is running out."

"If Brother Primordial Fire is willing to lend your aid, I will surely repay you."

Weighing his words, Shen Xuan spoke solemnly, his clear gaze fixed on True Master Primordial Fire.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Profound Ice, how could I not understand your meaning?"

"In the entire Fire Cloud Sect, only this Golden Core of mine, this wisp of Scarlet Cloud Primordial Fire, and this Primordial Fire Sword still have some value. As for the other things, they surely won’t catch your eye."

"We Cultivators are, by nature, thieves of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, concealing the Heavenly mechanisms and acting against the heavens. Between Cultivators, what talk can there be of ties of affection."

True Master Primordial Fire’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Shen Xuan; the aura of his Golden Core erupted all of a sudden, his Magic Robe snapping in the air.

His bearing was imposing, worlds apart from before, nothing like a dying old man.

"Mm."

Shen Xuan did not have such a thick skin and felt slightly awkward.

True Master Primordial Fire had not spoken wrongly.

The facts were just so.

He had risked coming to the Fire Cloud Sect precisely for True Master Fire Cloud’s Golden Core and Anomalous Fire.

The Primordial Fire Sword was of little concern; he had no use for it right now.

In the future, he would naturally obtain even better Fire Attribute Spiritual Artifact Magic Swords.

As for the Demonic-Winged Roc, Shen Xuan knew very well in his heart.

Even if its Realm Cultivation had been suppressed by the rules of Heaven and Earth of the Xuanyuan Realm and had fallen, it was not something Shen Xuan could kill.

"Fellow Daoist Profound Ice, if you want my Golden Core and Scarlet Cloud Primordial Fire, it is not difficult. You only need to swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao and help me accomplish three things."

Shen Xuan’s expression was solemn.

"Please speak, Brother Primordial Fire."

"The first matter: help my junior brother, Ming Shen True Master, rally his strength and revive the Fire Cloud Sect. In the future, find someone fated within the Fire Cloud Sect and pass on my Primordial Fire Sword as an Inheritance."

Shen Xuan did not agree immediately; instead, he pondered for a moment.

He asked, "To what extent must the revival of the Fire Cloud Sect you speak of reach for it to be considered accomplished, Brother Primordial Fire?"

True Master Primordial Fire’s expression froze for a moment, then he said in a negotiating tone, "For a Golden Core True Master to appear within the Sect, to possess a Tier Three Upper Grade Spirit Vein, and to have over ten thousand Sect Disciples—how about it?"

Shen Xuan nodded. "Alright."