Shrouded Sky

Chapter 161 - Purple Qi From The East

The sixth layer of the Flame Domain was shrouded in misty, ethereal purple fog. It appeared precious and noble, a color traditionally seen as auspicious, but in this place, it meant terror.

The intensity of the fire here was beyond measurement. Even powerful figures had been reduced to ash. Danger hung in every breath. Despite possessing the Bodhi Seed, Ye Fan dared not be careless.

After searching thoroughly, Ye Fan finally settled in a stone forest. The area was relatively quiet, and the purple fog was thin, suitable for temporary refuge. Around him were scattered stones in various shapes, some like reclining cattle, others like bamboo shoots, all bizarre and twisted.

“How exactly should I use the Purple Fire to refine a cauldron?” he muttered, frowning. Should he draw the Purple Fire into his Oceanic Wheel? That would be incredibly dangerous.

The human body couldn't withstand such heat. Introducing it internally might lead to unknown horrors. But without taking the fire into his body, how could he forge the cauldron?

The godrune artifact must be forged within to merge with the body completely, there was no other way. Only then could it unleash its greatest power.

“I'll just try drawing a wisp,” he decided.

Sitting cross-legged with the Bodhi Seed, he created a three-meter radius of pure land, free of any purple flames.

Ye Fan placed the seed on the ground and moved to the edge, cautiously drawing a sliver of Purple Fire, not daring to take more. He used godpower to strip off only a wisp.

Hiss... The purple wisp began to dance, igniting the godpower and quickly dissolving a small portion of it.

Ye Fan was shocked. This Purple Qi was too intense, even godpower could be burned away. No wonder it posed a threat to even powerful beings.

When he brought the wisp close to the Bodhi Seed, it stopped moving and no longer harmed his godpower. It calmed completely.

“What kind of fire is this? Just a wisp of Purple Qi can slice through spiritual treasures and pierce my flesh, it’s shocking,” he murmured.

Carefully, he guided the wisp toward his skin, allowing it to touch a thread of the Motherly Energy of All Things leaking from him.

Ripples spread. The thread of primal yellow energy instantly became more active, flowing slowly along his skin. The purple mist followed, flowing in sync above it.

“There’s hope!” Ye Fan smiled.

Everything now was preparation for forging the cauldron. Only by understanding Purple Qi could he bring it into his body. Holding the Bodhi Seed, Ye Fan focused all his attention, guiding the Purple Fire to interact with the Motherly Energy of All Things.

Like a breeze brushing a lake, ripples spread as the Motherly Energy pulsed and absorbed the purple mist.

Ye Fan felt warmth but no burning pain, like warm water flowing across his skin. It was surprisingly comfortable.

The initial attempt succeeded. He smiled faintly and activated the ancient technique recorded in the Dao Scripture, guiding the Motherly Energy along his body, from fingers to arms, to chest, abdomen, and thighs.

The Purple Qi, now fused with the Motherly Energy, remained calm and did not lash out.

He then infused godpower into the Motherly Energy. Still calm. No abnormalities.

The Motherly Energy flowed like a warm spring breeze, gently massaging him. Everything was normal, no danger.

After half an hour, Ye Fan slowly guided the Motherly Energy into his body. Step by step, he introduced it into the flesh of his arm so that, in case of danger, he could halt it immediately.

He had to be cautious. The Purple Fire could kill even great cultivators. If it were absorbed into the Oceanic Wheel and something went wrong, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Flowing through his flesh, it felt like energy coursing through him, warm and slightly pulsing. Still no danger.

After repeated trials, Ye Fan drew the Motherly Energy back into his Oceanic Wheel to merge with its origin. The portion near the purple mist became noticeably more active. However, with only one wisp, the change was minimal.

In this early phase, everything proceeded smoothly. Ye Fan decided to absorb more Purple Fire, one thread was simply too little to forge a cauldron.

In the “Purple Qi from the East” region of the Flame Domain, the Motherly Energy was more active and easier to control. On his second try, Ye Fan absorbed three threads and brought them into the Oceanic Wheel.

With each attempt, he confirmed the danger was real, but manageable. It was possible to refine a cauldron using this fire.

In the days that followed, he sat in meditation, drawing in Purple Qi with godpower, then absorbing it through the Motherly Energy into the purified land he created.

He gradually increased his intake. Dozens of wisps flowed with the Motherly Energy into his Oceanic Wheel, gathering bit by bit.

After two days, his Bitter Sea took on a purplish tint, warm, but far from enough. To refine the cauldron, the fire needed to blaze intensely.

On the third day, Ye Fan increased the intake. He sat still on a rock, like a statue, surrounded by hazy purple mist.

On the fourth day, a flame the size of a chicken egg danced in his Oceanic Wheel. The Purple Qi had finally condensed into fire, burning fiercely. Even cloaked in primal yellow energy, its heat could be felt.

At this point, Ye Fan dared not absorb more. The fire had reached its peak, like a miniature purple sun.

“This is it!” He began forging the cauldron.

Holding the Bodhi Seed and sitting atop a boulder, he calmed his mind. In his Sea of Consciousness, an image appeared: a small cauldron, three-legged, two-eared, ancient and natural.

This was the cauldron he envisioned. It must be forged exactly as he imagined, flawless and perfect.

The Motherly Energy surged, wrapping the Purple Fire. Ye Fan tempered it with his mind, forged it with his spirit, tightly focused, like a taut bowstring.

The fire burned. The Motherly Energy flowed and transformed, slowly taking the shape of a cauldron. One day... two days... seven days later, the sound of clanging metal echoed, like real blacksmithing, it carried far.

Previously, forging a cauldron took only half a month, maybe a month, but it would collapse once removed from the green bronze block, it couldn’t hold its shape.

Now, under the intense fire, it was hard to even form. It was like shaping the hardest divine metal in the world, after endless refinement, it was still just a lump.

Ye Fan wasn’t discouraged. This was how it should be. Before, he hadn’t truly forged anything, just gathered Motherly Energy. That was like building skyscrapers in sand, it was bound to fall.

Now, forged in ultimate fire, this was true artifact crafting. Once complete, it would be unbreakable.

On the ninth day, the Purple Fire weakened, then suddenly went out, it had burned out completely.

The Motherly Energy had been tempered into an irregular shape, not yet a cauldron.

“No wonder this is the Motherly Energy of All Things,” he muttered. “Even fire that could kill mighty cultivators couldn’t fully shape it.”

He stood, stretched, ate, and drank. “I wonder what’s happening outside. Are there still people waiting at the Flame Domain’s edge?”

He didn’t resume refining immediately. Holding the Bodhi Seed, he headed outward.

Passing through multiple fire zones, he reached the red-fire region. Through the flames, he spotted some cultivators in the distance.

He concealed himself and extended his divine sense. Everything around was laid bare before his mind.

He waited a long time before overhearing them.

“It’s been so many days. Can we leave now? This is unbearably boring.”

“The sixth layer of the Flame Domain is a place for top-level artifact forging. He’ll turn to ash the moment he enters, why are we even posted here? What a waste of time.”

Ye Fan quietly withdrew into the depths of the Flame Domain, ignoring them. Right now, forging the cauldron was all that mattered.

He resumed drawing in Purple Fire, now with practiced ease. In just half a day, he had gathered enough. The purple flames, blazing and intense, were wrapped in Motherly Energy.

Clang, clang, clang, the sound of smithing rang out once more. Ye Fan focused with everything he had, tempering the Motherly Energy into shape.

This time, the Purple Fire burned out in only three days.

“The Motherly Energy of All Things is truly unbelievable…”

Ye Fan realized he needed to absorb more Purple Fire. Otherwise, it would keep burning out midway. Who knew how long it would take to finish the cauldron?

Eventually, he gathered a fist-sized mass of fire in his body, so bright it dazzled. The Motherly Energy barely contained it. A little more, and it would spill.

The Purple Fire blazed. The forging began again.

Suddenly, pop!

An accident occurred. This time, the Purple Fire was too abundant. During the forging process, a portion spilled out from the Motherly Energy.

This was no mere wisp, or even a few dozen wisps, it was a small mass, the size of a longan fruit, burning like a condensed solar core!

Ye Fan’s face turned pale. He wasn’t a Grand Elder of the Ji Clan, nor the Radiant Sage Lord. His ability to forge here relied entirely on the Bodhi Seed. Now, with the Purple Fire breaking loose, disaster was imminent.

Sure enough, it went berserk, trying to incinerate the heavens and reduce him to ash.

Boom!

Suddenly, his golden Bitter Sea surged into massive waves, blocking the Purple Fire and sealing it within.

What happened next stunned him, the purple flames were submerged by golden waves and nearly extinguished.

“What…”

Ye Fan was shocked. He hadn’t known his unique Bitter Sea held such power, it had suppressed the Purple Fire.

The flames flashed once, then retreated into the Motherly Energy, avoiding destruction.

“Hahaha…”

Ye Fan laughed loudly and stood tall.

Wrapping the flames in Motherly Energy had always been a last resort. Ideally, the fire should envelop the Motherly Energy.

Until now, he’d worried that the slow forging would never finish. But now, he had a solution.

He moved directly to the hottest part of the “Purple Qi from the East” Flame Domain, where the mist was so thick it resembled liquid. Human-shaped ashes on the ground showed that even top experts liked this place.

Sealing it off, he began absorbing vast amounts of Purple Fire, gathering it in his Oceanic Wheel. The Motherly Energy was fully enveloped, and his golden Bitter Sea suppressed any leaks.

The Purple Fire blazed in his sea, endlessly refining the primal yellow essence. Clang after clang echoed continuously.

One day. Two days…

Ye Fan lost count of how much fire he absorbed. It felt like endless smithing. The local Purple Mist even began to thin.

Finally, after three months, the clanging stopped. He stopped drawing fire.

Hovering above his Bitter Sea was a newly-formed small cauldron, ancient and natural. Its two ears represented yin and yang. Its three legs stabilized heaven and earth. Its round shape embraced chaos.

It embodied both Dao and Law, now manifested with form. It could contain all things, radiating a feeling of creation and natural law.

The cauldron, refined with Purple Qi, was finally complete!

But Ye Fan wasn’t satisfied. He considered it just a rough prototype. He wanted to temper it further with stronger fire sources.

He had another idea: once the cauldron was complete, he would inscribe profound Dao Runes inside it, only then could it become the strongest weapon.

“I’ve never studied Dao Runes... but I possess hundreds of ancient characters, each a priceless treasure…”