Chapter 459 Swallowing the Fire

"What you said makes sense, and your worries are well-founded. Although your strength is already considerable, the power of this Void Devouring Flame is indeed not at its peak. However, even so, it still hides many hidden dangers."

"First, we need to absorb this strange fire into our body and refine it. This process is full of dangers and challenges. Furthermore, since this fire originates from the devouring nature of the Void Devouring Flame, it can easily trigger unpredictable changes."

The spirit of the ancestral stone slowly shifted its gaze away from the ball of dark flame in Xiao Ling's palm. It met Xiao Ling's gaze and continued in a steady and deep tone.

"From what you said, does it mean that I am not suitable to absorb the sub-fire of the Void Devouring Flame at the moment?" Xiao Ling frowned slightly, and there was a hint of imperceptible disappointment in his voice.

He had originally planned to completely refine the Void Devouring Flame Fire within these few days, which would be the time for the final round of the Alchemy Competition to begin.

"That's not the case. If you try to refine it alone, there are indeed considerable risks, which may bring you unexpected troubles. But if I am by your side to assist you, these problems will naturally be solved."

Seeing the worry on Xiao Ling's face, the spirit of the ancestral stone continued to speak calmly. Although its voice was calm, it contained a hint of confidence and composure.

After hearing what the Ancestral Stone Spirit said, Xiao Ling's expression changed like dark clouds clearing up, and disappointment was instantly replaced by joy.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the Ancestral Stone Spirit, and complained with a somewhat resentful tone: "Yan, you always like to keep people in suspense when you talk, you have to change this habit. If you had told me earlier that I could swallow and refine it smoothly, wouldn't it have saved me a lot of worry?"

There was a hint of helplessness in Xiao Ling's words, but there was also trust in the spirit of the ancestral stone.

In response, the Ancestral Stone Spirit only nodded lightly, at least on the surface, it still showed its approval. As for whether it really took Xiao Ling's words to heart, it was like its unfathomable inner world, and only the Ancestral Stone Spirit itself could know clearly.

The character of the spirit of the ancestral stone has always been as calm as water, with few emotional fluctuations, and it always acts at a leisurely pace.

In this Douqi continent, it no longer needs to worry about the responsibilities and obligations of being an ancestral stone, so its temperament is more indifferent and calm than before.

The indifferent attitude of the Ancestral Stone Spirit made Xiao Ling stop talking. He turned his head slightly and his eyes fell on the little mink sitting cross-legged on his shoulder.

Xiao Ling stretched out his finger and gently poked the mink's furry head. A hint of teasing flashed in his eyes, and his tone was a bit teasing:

"What's wrong, Xiao Diao? Facing my current predicament, you, who claims to be as powerful as a fighting saint, don't you have any unique way to help me? Tsk tsk, it seems that you are also helpless."

The little mink raised his head slightly after being poked by Xiao Ling, and a hint of dissatisfaction seemed to flash in his smart eyes.
The little mink raised its furry little paw in dissatisfaction, and gently slapped away Xiao Ling's fingers that were poking its head.

It retorted with a bit of displeasure in its tone: "Don't underestimate your Master Diao. I'm just not very good at dealing with this kind of thing. Besides, there really is no direct solution for me to the situation you're facing right now."

"Zu Shi is better at this. Why don't you let him help you solve it? With his skills, it's easy for him to deal with this small flame."

What Xiao Diao said was indeed reasonable. Although the Heavenly Demon Marten Clan was known for devouring everything under heaven, they were born with the power of devouring.

However, the devouring power they rely on comes from their blood, and is not exactly the same as the devouring power contained in the Void Devouring Flame. If the two devour each other, Xiao Diao is not afraid at all. But as for controlling and restricting this power, Xiao Diao does not have the ability to do so.

As the previous holder of the ancestral stone, Xiao Diao is capable of mobilizing the power of the ancestral stone to suppress the devouring power of the Void Devouring Flame. However, since the spirit of the ancestral stone has personally agreed to take action, the effect is naturally incomparable to that of Xiao Diao's activation.

Therefore, there was no need for Xiao Diao to take any further action. After all, the action of the Ancestral Stone Spirit was undoubtedly more direct and effective.

Seeing Xiao Diao in this state, Xiao Ling stopped teasing him. His eyes refocused on the spirit of the ancestral stone. His previous relaxed expression gradually faded, replaced by a serious look.

He took a deep breath, and then said in a trusting and serious tone: "Yan, I will need your help with the next thing. Please lend me a hand. I'll take care of this first."

"Don't worry, no matter what, I will make sure you are unharmed and won't let anything unexpected happen to you." The spirit of the ancestral stone nodded slightly, his tone still maintaining the previous indifference, but underneath that indifference, Xiao Ling could feel an unquestionable seriousness and commitment.

As soon as the words fell, the ethereal figure of the spirit of the ancestral stone slowly rose up and merged into the ancestral stone suspended in the air like a wisp of smoke.

Immediately afterwards, the ancestral stone flickered with a faint light, turned into a brilliant stream of light, and went straight into Xiao Ling's dantian.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling acted without hesitation. He raised his right hand suddenly and opened his mouth. As if guided by an invisible force, the ball of inky black Void Swallowing Flame was swallowed by him in one gulp, going down his throat and straight into his body.

With Xiao Ling's current level of cultivation, coupled with his superb skills in controlling fire and the powerful force of the fused strange fire in his body, he does not feel too much fear of the power of the Void Swallowing Flame.

This is very different from the situation in the past when absorbing strange fire required careful preparation of various rare materials and elixirs to assist.

What Xiao Ling was worried about at the moment was not the power of the flame itself, but the mysterious devouring power and the unknown risks that might be hidden in this Void Devouring Flame.

As soon as the inky black ball of Void Devouring Flame touched Xiao Ling's body, it seemed to immediately sense his intention to refine it and immediately burst out with astonishing power.

The terrifying high temperature spread from the core of the flame, as if turning everything it touched into ashes. The scorching breath was enough to distort the surrounding air, making people feel a terrible force that was about to devour and burn everything.

However, how could Xiao Ling tolerate this burning power raging wildly in his body?

He immediately mobilized the surging fighting spirit in his body, and rushed towards the location of the Void Swallowing Flame Fire like a raging tide, intending to restrain it.

At the same time, the strange fire in Xiao Ling's body also responded and turned into an invisible fire net, tightly wrapping the Void Swallowing Flame Fire.

The strange fire burned fiercely, releasing its power, and began to suppress the violent Void Devouring Flame Fire.

However, how could this Void Devouring Flame be easily subdued? Although it only had a trace of the essence of the Void Devouring Flame, and although it was thin, it was extremely difficult to tame due to its extremely high quality.

Faced with the strange fire released by Xiao Ling, it did not show the slightest fear. Instead, it tried its best to resist fiercely.

Even though it was inferior in strength, the Void Devouring Flame did not retreat. Like a furious fire dragon, it raged and raged inside Xiao Ling's body, trying to break free from the restraints of the strange fire.

But in the end, due to its own weak power and the lack of sufficient energy supply in Xiao Ling's body, this Void Devouring Flame Fire was ultimately unable to resist the dual suppression of Xiao Ling's strange fire and fighting spirit.

After a fierce struggle, it gradually lost its violent momentum, the flame shrank, and was finally compressed into a black flame bead only the size of a thumb.

Xiao Ling stared at it intently. The color of the small flame bead was so deep that it was frightening, like an endless black hole. Just by looking at it, it seemed as if a mysterious force was pulling at his soul, trying to suck him into the small flame bead.

Not only that, when Xiao Ling sensed carefully, he could even realize that the fighting spirit in his body and the soul power controlled by his mind were subtly attracted by this small flame bead.

It seems like it was born with an invisible suction force that silently devours and refines everything around it.

Even the power emanating from the giant flaming net formed by the strange fire was unconsciously absorbed by the little black bead, as if it was increasing its strength in some mysterious way.

Realizing this, even Xiao Ling couldn't help but marvel in his heart at the extraordinary power of the Void Swallowing Flame.

Void Devouring Flame, this legendary flame is famous for its ability to devour everything in the world, whether it is physical, energy, or fighting spirit. Its overbearing power is awe-inspiring. The unique devouring power is even more enviable. What is even more exciting is that once you can refine this wisp of Void Devouring Flame, you will have the opportunity to gain a trace of this ability.

Although the power obtained cannot be compared with the real Void Devouring Flame, if used for cultivation, it is undoubtedly a sharp weapon that can greatly accelerate the process of cultivation.

This possibility is enough to make anyone excited, and Xiao Ling is no exception.

Without further hesitation, Xiao Ling acted quickly. He controlled the flame net woven by his own strange fire and tightly bound the small bead condensed by the dark flame.

Afterwards, he began to circulate the Burning Technique technique in his body, preparing to start the process of refining and devouring.

Under his precise control, the flame net slowly shrank, as if it wanted to completely integrate the small flame bead into its blood and soul. Meanwhile, it seemed as if a contest of flame and power was unfolding in Xiao Ling's body, filled with tension and anticipation.

However, in this refining process that seemed to be a foregone conclusion, suddenly, something strange happened.

The Void Devouring Flame, which had been tightly suppressed, seemed to have sensed the familiar aura of the Burning Art, and it suddenly erupted in Xiao Ling's body with an unprecedentedly strong resistance.

This force of resistance, like a sleeping beast being awakened, instantly boiled over with an instinctive sense of rejection.

This is an obsession deeply rooted in the essence of fire. Even facing the fate of being subdued and refined by Xiao Ling, the Void Devouring Flame is unwilling to succumb to the devouring and fusion of the Burning Art.

At the same time, an inexplicable aura of terror spread from the fire of the Void Devouring Flame.

This aura was so strong that the originally arrogant and unruly strange fire in Xiao Ling's body could not help but feel an indescribable sense of fear when facing it.

At this moment, they seemed to have returned to the distant past and faced again the horrifying existence that once made them tremble.

In this sudden feeling of fear, the performance of the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire was the most obvious. Its flames curled up involuntarily, as if avoiding some invisible threat.

As for the Golden Emperor Burning Sky Flame given by Xun'er, although it was not the most powerful among the many strange fires in Xiao Ling's body, its reaction was the calmest under this inexplicable suppression.

Just as this terrifying aura filled the air and many kinds of strange fires inexplicably lost consciousness at the same time, the Void Devouring Flame Fire seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, struggled to break free from the shackles of the flame net, and regained its freedom.

It was like a hungry beast, craving for endless devouring in an attempt to restore its original power.

But at this critical moment, the ancestral stone in Xiao Ling's dantian suddenly burst into dazzling light, and a white halo surged out like a tide, quickly spreading in Xiao Ling's body.

This halo, carrying supreme pressure, went straight towards the Void Devouring Flame that was trying to wreak havoc, like a divine punishment from heaven, suppressing it harshly.

The white halo and the dark flame collided in Xiao Ling's body, forming a vivid and fierce confrontation picture. The contest between the two reached its climax at this moment.

Realizing the crisis, the Void Devouring Flame began to resist violently. It was like a trapped beast, struggling desperately, trying to break free from the suppression of the white light of the ancestral stone.

However, the white halo released from the ancestral stone seemed to possess some kind of mysterious power. It was like an invisible cage, locking up every resistance of the Void Devouring Flame and preventing it from exerting its due devouring power.

The flame that had swallowed everything suddenly became powerless under the cover of the white light. Each of its attacks was easily resolved, like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing any waves.

At the same time, Xiao Ling also regained control of his previously almost out-of-control strange fire. He skillfully manipulated these flames and once again tightly wrapped the Void Swallowing Flame.

With the help of the white halo emitted by the ancestral stone, Xiao Ling took a deep breath and activated the Burning Technique again, starting a new round of refining on this stubborn Void Swallowing Flame.

Feeling that he was once again surrounded by this familiar and powerful refining power, the Void Swallowing Flame Sub-Fire erupted in a more ferocious resistance. It struggled desperately like a trapped beast, trying to break through the siege.

However, under the ancestral stone's unwavering suppression, every time it resisted was like a stone thrown into the ocean, failing to cause any waves.

Under Xiao Ling's precise and powerful guidance of the Burning Technique, the violent power of the Void Swallowing Flame Fire began to be gradually tamed.

Its power was refined inch by inch and swallowed by Xiao Ling bit by bit.

Not only was this power not wasted, but it was gradually transformed under the effect of the Burning Technique and became nutrients to nourish the strange fire in Xiao Ling's body, enhancing their power.

At the same time, this process also fed back to Xiao Ling, and his cultivation was also improved little by little invisibly.

With the continuous feedback of energy, Xiao Ling could also clearly feel that he had been stagnant at the peak of the four-star Dou Zun realm for several months, and it seemed that an opportunity for a breakthrough was brewing.

This feeling was like a force that was ready to burst forth, quietly gathering within his body, like a volcano about to erupt, calm on the surface but filled with surging power within.

Under the baptism of this power, every cell in his body became more active and resilient, as if as long as that moment came, he would be able to break free from the shackles and move to a higher level.

Sensing the signs of a breakthrough, Xiao Ling felt an irrepressible joy in his heart. He quickly took out a few essence pills made from high-level medicinal materials from his ring and put them into his mouth without hesitation.

As the medicinal power spread rapidly, he also strengthened the operation of the Burning Art. The heavenly level Burning Art surged in his body like a tide, unleashing unprecedented power.

At this moment, the surrounding energy of heaven and earth seemed to be attracted by Xiao Ling's existence, and a vortex of energy formed with him as the center. The energy between heaven and earth, as if pulled by some mysterious force, gathered towards Xiao Ling and rushed endlessly.

These energies were absorbed into Xiao Ling's body without screening, and his strange fire refined the impurities in them without hesitation, transforming them into the purest energy, which penetrated into every cell of his body and nourished his limbs and bones.

The energy between heaven and earth was like the waves at high tide, gathering towards the secret room where Xiao Ling was practicing. The scene of this energy flow was so spectacular that it seemed as if the power of the entire world was attracted by his practice.

The commotion caused by Xiao Ling's practice was naturally extraordinary. Even Xun'er and a few other girls who were chatting in the courtyard felt this unusual fluctuation.

Their conversation couldn't help but pause, and their eyes all turned to the direction where Xiao Ling was practicing.

Although separated by thick stone walls, they seemed to be able to feel the strange changes taking place in the secret room. The surge of energy caused ripples in the air.

Sensing the movement, Xun'er slowly stood up. Her figure swayed slightly, causing slight ripples in the air, and her figure appeared in front of the secret room door.

Seeing this scene, Medusa and the other two stood up and followed Xun'er's actions.

"With such a big commotion, it seems that Brother Xiao Ling's cultivation is about to have a major breakthrough."

As she said this, Xun'er lightly raised her jade-slender fingertips and waved them gently, creating an invisible barrier around her, blocking all the fluctuations and sounds in the area, making it impossible for outsiders to spy on her or interfere with her.

(End of this chapter)