Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Beyond the riverbank stood the towering Marsh King Mountain.

However, a stretch of forest lay between the riverbank and Marsh King Mountain.

The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire was, in fact, within this very forest.

With a single movement, Ling Fei disappeared into the forest.

...

Near Marsh King Mountain, a Fire Flame darted through the forest.

The Fire Flame was small, only about a foot long, but it was shaped like a True Dragon and radiated a powerful Dragon's Might.

It weaved through the woods, occasionally opening its draconic mouth to devour one Spiritual Essence after another.

This was, of course, the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire.

Evidently, it had exhausted a great deal of its Essence Qi after being trapped by Zheng Yang and now needed to replenish itself with Spiritual Essence.

'The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire is searching for Spiritual Essence... Perfect.' From a distance, Ling Fei sensed the trail of the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire.

Now that he was here, his Heart Spirit was no longer suppressed.

'Now, let's see if this Soul Condensing Flower works.' Ling Fei's gaze sharpened, and he took out a Soul Condensing Flower.

He carefully planted the Soul Condensing Flower in a valley the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire had yet to visit.

Additionally, he used the Dragon Bone Pen to perform a Spirit Awakening on the flower.

As a result, the Soul Condensing Flower pulsed with vitality, showing no signs of having just been transplanted.

After covering the area around the Soul Condensing Flower with fallen leaves, Ling Fei departed.

However, Ling Fei's Heart Spirit remained, sensing everything in the area.

Half an hour later, the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire finally sensed the Soul Condensing Flower's aura.

'It's coming!' Seeing the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire approach, Ling Fei felt a surge of joy, and the blood in his veins began to boil.

'Success or failure this time all depends on the Soul Condensing Flower.'

'If I succeed, the path to becoming a powerful expert in the Dual Cultivation of Alchemy and Martial Arts will open before me.'

Even with his resolute nature, Ling Fei couldn't suppress a flicker of excitement and nervousness.

The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire drew ever closer.

Finally, it appeared next to the Soul Condensing Flower.

Upon arriving, the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire hesitated, not immediately moving to devour the Soul Condensing Flower.

It seemed to find it strange that such a Spiritual Essence would exist here.

It sensed the area carefully, even brushing away the fallen leaves beside the Soul Condensing Flower.

There were clear signs that the soil had been disturbed.

The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire was sentient. Although it hadn't yet formed a soul, it was still a Spiritual Object of heaven and earth, and it instinctively knew how to seek fortune and avoid calamity.

But despite its suspicions, it didn't leave right away, as its intelligence was simply too low.

Its current search for Spiritual Essences was also just an instinctive reaction.

WHOOSH!

After a brief hesitation, the Fire Flame on the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire's body curled into the shape of a draconic mouth and devoured the entire Soul Condensing Flower.

'It swallowed it!' Seeing this, Ling Fei was overjoyed.

After swallowing the Soul Condensing Flower, the Fire Flame on the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire's body flickered, pulsing with excitement.

The Soul Power within the Soul Condensing Flower allowed it to recover some of its Essence Qi.

With a swirl of its Fire Flame, it fully refined and absorbed the flower.

But just as it finished absorbing the Soul Condensing Flower and prepared to leave, its Fire Flame began to flicker erratically, and it started to look unsteady.

It looked just like a person who had gotten drunk and was losing consciousness.

'It worked!' Ling Fei was overjoyed.

The Soul Condensing Flower was clearly taking effect!

WHOOSH!

The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire fell, and a wave of scorching Fire Flame swept out, setting the nearby trees ablaze.

However, the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire was completely oblivious. It just lay on the ground, its already faint consciousness growing hazy.

This was because the Soul Condensing Flower had stupefied its consciousness.

'Time to make my move.' After sensing the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire's aura, Ling Fei immediately flew toward the area.

When Ling Fei arrived, the valley was already engulfed in flames. The Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire lay in the inferno like a drunken man.

'The Soul Condensing Flower really is a miracle worker.' Ling Fei reached the edge of the valley and couldn't help but smile upon seeing the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire within the blaze.

He couldn't help but marvel at the profound mysteries of heaven and earth.

'I have to secure it now.' Ling Fei didn't hesitate. He quickly took out a Treasure Cauldron, and with a thought, activated the Dao Patterns within it.

In the next moment, a Qi Vortex formed. From within it, a net of Light Patterns shot out, binding the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire and pulling it into the Treasure Cauldron.

Ordinarily, no one would be able to capture the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire so easily.

But with the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire's consciousness muddled and unable to resist, Ling Fei was naturally able to capture it with ease using such a Supreme Treasure.

The cauldron was a Profound Spirit Treasure, lent to Ling Fei by Grand Alchemist Yuan Chun.

'I have to merge with the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire now. If I wait for the Soul Condensing Flower's effects to wear off and it wakes up, I won't be able to do it.' A glint in his eye, Ling Fei summoned his Golden Eagle and flew deep into the mountain range.

'This place will do.' Ling Fei found a valley shrouded in mist and descended.

'This is a Five Elements Array. With it, I can merge with the Celestial Fire in peace. However, because I'll be focused on merging with the Celestial Fire, I won't be able to sustain the array myself. I just hope there are no problems before I finish merging.' After landing, Ling Fei took out five Array Flags and an Array Disc to set up his formation.

This was the grand array that Grand Elder Fang had prepared for Ling Fei, specifically so he could merge with the Celestial Fire in peace.

The Array Disc was loaded with numerous Elemental Crystal Stones. Once activated, the Array Patterns inside would automatically draw power from the stones to keep the Array running.

But once the Essence Qi within the Elemental Crystal Stones was depleted, the Array would collapse on its own.

Therefore, Ling Fei had to merge with the Celestial Fire before the Elemental Crystal Stones ran out of energy.

Once the Array was in place, the Light Patterns on the five Array Flags flashed, and the entire valley was enveloped by the formation. Even if someone were to find this place, they would be unable to enter.

With all preparations complete, Ling Fei entered a cave in the valley's cliff face.

Inside the cave, Ling Fei brought out the Treasure Cauldron. With a flash of its Dao Patterns, the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire appeared on the floor.

As the Celestial Fire touched the ground, the rock beneath it melted into lava, a testament to its incredible temperature.

'A Celestial Fire like this... even unconscious, it's not something an ordinary person could ever hope to merge with.' Ling Fei's eyelid twitched as he felt the intense heat.

Only now did he truly understand why everyone in the Sect spoke of merging with a Celestial Fire as if it were a suicide mission.

'It really was far too dangerous.'

'No matter how dangerous it is, I won't give up.' But Ling Fei's eyes filled with a determined light.

Then, with a thought, Yiyi appeared.

"Yiyi, I need you to stand guard for me," Ling Fei said.

'Even though the Array is protecting this place, what if it fails before I've finished merging?'

Having Yiyi stand watch would give him some peace of mind.

YAH! YIYAH!

The little creature nodded repeatedly, patting its chest with its small paws as if to say, 'No problem, leave everything to me!'

Ling Fei smiled at the sight.

Yiyi might look adorably naive and completely harmless, but its abilities were far beyond those of any Human Race Cultivator at the same level.

Seeing Yiyi agree, Ling Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

'It's time to begin.' His expression turned solemn as he gazed at the Dragon Spirit Celestial Fire before him.