Supreme of the Heavenly Realm
Chapter 521 - 516: Unexpected Gains

Chapter 521: Chapter 516: Unexpected Gains

After the selection process for the Deputy Sect Master was suspended, Ye Xuan, Fei Yue, and the others left the plaza and returned to the Spirit Frost Pavilion.

As the selection had not yet concluded, there was much speculation within the Sect about the direction it might take. Everyone was guessing the reason, but no matter who it was, they could not ascertain why the process was being delayed until tomorrow.

"Ye Xuan, during the time you were away, you didn’t really barge into the back hall, did you?"

Back at the Spirit Frost Pavilion, Ouyang Tie finally thought of the previous events and turned to Ye Xuan to ask.

"Why do you say barge? I went in openly and aboveboard. I went to check on the Sect Master’s condition, and indeed, it’s not looking good."

Ye Xuan had no intention of hiding anything, he leaned against a big tree in the courtyard and spoke lazily.

"Oh? You saw the Sect Master? What exactly happened?"

Hearing this, Xue Lingzi and Fei Yue were also slightly surprised. They had only heard that the latter was seriously injured; now, even Xue Lingzi could not see Qin Tian and did not know his current state.

"I’m not clear on the specifics, but Sect Master Qin was afflicted by a powerful curse mark. If the curse mark cannot be resolved, I’m afraid not even the greatest deity could save him. Fortunately, the curse mark has been partially removed today, and there’s a chance Sect Master Qin might recover in three days."

Ye Xuan didn’t elaborate, nor did he mention that he was the one treating Qin Tian. He simply brushed over the subject lightly.

"That’s a relief, I heard the Sect invited a renowned Alchemy Master to treat the Sect Master. It must be his effort that played a role," Ouyang Tie said with a sigh of relief.

"Are you talking about Tong Yuan? He did indeed play a significant role, but I’m afraid it was counterproductive." Ye Xuan’s lips curved slightly, revealing a slightly teasing smile.

"What do you mean?"

All three of them were taken aback, but Ye Xuan did not elaborate any further and went back to his own side hall.

"What is he doing, being all secretive? Does he know some insider information, and why won’t he share with us?"

Fei Yue furrowed her brow; Ye Xuan’s cryptic words had piqued her interest.

"Elder Brother Ye Xuan knows when to speak and when not to. Since he’s chosen not to tell us, he must have his reasons. I’m going to rest now; we still have a battle tomorrow."

Xue Lingzi’s focus was all on the Deputy Sect Master selection; he had no desire to concern himself with other matters for now.

"Let’s disperse, then."

As everyone had left, Fei Yue, Ouyang Tie, and the others also dispersed one after another, each returning to their rooms.

...

After returning to the side hall, Ye Xuan sat cross-legged on the bed and rubbed his tired face. Extending his palm from his sleeve, he frowned as he glanced at his slightly blackened fingertips, then slowly formed Cultivation hand seals and gradually closed his eyes.

As he entered the Cultivation state, Ye Xuan’s consciousness swiftly dove into his Dantian. With a small mental effort, a streak of red and white flame spouted from the Qiankun Ring, enveloped by True Yuan, and then slowly hovered in mid-air before him.

With his consciousness fixed on this churning ball of red and white flame, after a long while, under Ye Xuan’s control, the flames violently surged, their temperature soared suddenly, and as the temperature increased, a faint black mist emerged out of nowhere at the center of the flames.

"What a fierce curse mark. Not only can it resist the temperature of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, but it can also merge into it so quietly. Had I not already merged these two Spiritual Fires, even I might not have noticed... Indeed, it is the curse mark that can even claim the lives of Seventh Grade Martial Venerate Experts," he murmured to himself, gazing at the black mist.

"It seems I’ll have to make an effort to erase it; otherwise, with this thing inside my body, it’s like a ticking bomb, never knowing when it might suddenly explode. That would have serious consequences..." After pondering for a moment, Ye Xuan’s consciousness stirred, and the red and white flame, encasing the black mist, began to ripple like boiling water, and the scorching temperature continued to climb.

As the temperature of the red and white flames rapidly heightened, the swirls of black mist also began to ripple. However, this curse mark of death was no ordinary thing, and even under such high temperatures, it remained quite resilient, not vanishing immediately.

Under the intense heat, the volume of the black mist slowly diminished. After a while, those strands of black mist actually began to merge together, forming a deep black bead. Within the bead, faint light flickered, seeming to contain surging energy.

"Is this Death Qi so rich?"

Muttering with curiosity, Ye Xuan tightly focused on the pitch-black bead as the temperature of the red and white flames suddenly soared again. The consumption caused by that temperature also made his soul power begin to strain slightly.

"Unexpectedly, this curse mark, parasitizing inside Qin Tian’s body, absorbed a large amount of his True Yuan, and condensed into this thing..."

As Ye Xuan worked on removing the Death Qi, he gradually comprehended that this curse mark of death was not only going to slowly extinguish the vitality in Qin Tian’s body but was also absorbing his True Yuan. Over half a month, drawing energy each day, it had already formed a striking black bead, its energy impressively powerful.

"Didn’t expect such an unexpected gain, well, let’s just consider it extra interest."

After the initial shock, Ye Xuan came to terms with it. He had treated Qin Tian without taking any payment for medicine; this energy could be considered the medical fee.

With the movement of his consciousness, a strand of red and white flame solidified into a tiny needle of flame, which gently touched the black bead. Suddenly, the bead burst open, a large amount of liquid energy emanating death fluctuations pouring out from within. It would have scattered in all directions, but Ye Xuan, well-prepared, forcibly controlled it, beginning to circulate along the meridian pathways.

After one complete circulation of the abundant energy, the blackness was completely extracted, thoroughly transformed into a pure energy that could be absorbed by anyone.

However, such intense incineration and purification also took up a good half-day’s effort from Ye Xuan.

But even after several bouts of refinement, there was still a tenacious strand of Death Qi that proved difficult to eliminate. Ye Xuan could only force it to his right index finger, and gradually, as the Death Qi surged, the joint of his finger turned rapidly darker.

"I can’t seem to force this Death Qi out."

Ye Xuan tried hard to push the Death Qi out of his finger joint, but he could not expel it from his body; instead, half of his index finger was covered in dark patterns, shriveled and lifeless. However, he slowly gained control over this Death Qi.

Frowning, Ye Xuan’s finger suddenly thrust forward, and in an instant, a beam of black light burst forth, piercing through the hall’s wall, tearing multiple cracks. Wisps of black Qi slowly wafted within those cracks, eerily unsettling.