Chapter 217

Chapter 217: Devouring Heavenly Fire Storm

Shui Lingluo watched helplessly as Lou Yun’s body instantly turned crimson red. His face especially looked like it had been boiled, steam rising straight from the top of his head. She could even smell a scorched aroma at her nostrils.

This sudden sight terrified Shui Lingluo. With a shriek of "Ah!", she immediately reached out to touch Lou Yun’s face. But the moment her hand drew near, without even touching his skin, an intense heat radiated out, forcing her to snatch her hand away. Looking down, she saw blisters had already formed on her fingers!

What kind of terrifying temperature was this? Shui Lingluo had never encountered anything like this before. Her face a mask of anxiety, she stared at Lou Yun, utterly at a loss!

However, her earlier scream had drawn the others over. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed as Wen Hou, Tie Sha, Cai San Gong, and Zhao Zhanpeng all arrived in quick succession.

"What happened, what happened? Miss Shui, what’s the matter?"

"Yes, has something happened to Lou Yun?"

Everyone bombarded her with questions. Yet the moment they saw Lou Yun’s condition, their mouths snapped shut instantly. The question became redundant – Lou Yun was clearly in trouble.

"Miss Shui, what happened to him?" Wen Hou asked, the usual smile gone from his face, a slight frown appearing instead.

Shui Lingluo quickly recounted the events: "I truly don’t know what happened! He just asked me one question, I answered him and told him to lie down quickly. Then his body suddenly became like this, as if fire was burning him from the inside!"

"Fire burning inside?"

As Wen Hou spoke, he also reached out, intending to touch Lou Yun’s skin. His reaction mirrored Shui Lingluo’s, though he protected his fingers with spiritual energy. Feeling the scalding heat, he instantly recoiled, thus avoiding injury.

"So incredibly hot!" Wen Hou pondered for a moment. "Does the ship have ice? Forget it, forget the ice. Let’s get him into water directly, cool him down!"

With no one else taking the lead, and someone finally proposing a course of action, everyone naturally agreed. However, Lou Yun’s body radiated so much heat that ordinary people simply couldn’t get close. In the end, Tie Sha produced his enormous sword. Like flipping a pancake, he slid the blade beneath Lou Yun, gave a gentle lift, deposited him onto the flat surface of the giant sword, and then carried it out horizontally.

The group arrived on the deck. Zhao Zhanpeng frantically ordered the sailors to fetch water, but Shui Lingluo stopped him.

She walked directly to the ship’s railing, closed her eyes, and formed a strange gesture with her hands. Immediately, the seawater below began to churn, forming a swirling vortex. Then, a massive column of water erupted from the sea, arching through the air in a parabolic curve before crashing directly onto Lou Yun’s body.

Instantly, Lou Yun’s entire form was engulfed by the water column. The tortured expression on his face eased slightly; it seemed the cool seawater was indeed helping to lower his dangerously high temperature.

However, except for Tie Sha, Wen Hou, and Cai San Gong, everyone else, including Zhao Zhanpeng, stared at Shui Lingluo as if seeing her for the first time!

Indeed, none of them had ever witnessed Shui Lingluo act before. Even back at the harbor when they faced the City Lord’s men, she had merely stood beside Cai San Gong. To them, she seemed like nothing more than an ordinary person!

But the scene unfolding before their eyes now left them utterly dumbfounded. Shui Lingluo could control seawater!

To ensure Lou Yun constantly received the coolest seawater for cooling, Shui Lingluo didn’t just dump a pile of water on him. Instead, she maintained a flowing parabola. Amidst a roaring sound, fresh seawater surged up continuously from the sea’s surface, traveling along the arc and impacting Lou Yun’s body.

In essence, seawater was relentlessly cascading over Lou Yun. Likely, the batch covering him hadn’t even had time to heat up from his body before being swept away by the next surge of incoming water.

Naturally, this consumed substantial spiritual energy. Yet in her desperation to save Lou Yun, Shui Lingluo neglected this cost entirely.

Had the circumstances not been so bizarre and Shui Lingluo completely engrossed in cooling Lou Yun, most of the sailors aboard would have likely prostrated themselves before her instantly!

For these men who spent their lives at sea, constantly dealing with the ocean’s power, someone who could command water before their eyes transformed Shui Lingluo in their minds into something akin to a deity – a sacred and inviolable presence!

Shui Lingluo, however, didn’t give this a moment’s thought. Her only wish was for Lou Yun’s body temperature to drop quickly, for him to return to normal.

What Shui Lingluo didn’t realize was that her actions were indeed saving Lou Yun’s life! Without this constant stream of flowing seawater to lower his temperature, Lou Yun would have long ago been reduced to ashes by the heavenly fire storm raging within him!

The heavenly fire storm had once lived freely within the dark clouds above the storm sea – an existence of perfect ease. Yet now, it had been captured by Lou Yun and swallowed into his belly! How could it possibly accept this? Naturally, it was determined to throw a fit, to kill Lou Yun and regain its freedom!

Although Lou Yun kept the ice crystal jade weapon in his mouth the entire time, it could only shield against fire; it couldn’t subdue it. Trapped in Lou Yun’s belly, the heavenly fire storm unleashed its full power in its fight for liberation. Fortunately, Lou Yun’s body already housed the Fusang Fire. Even though the Fusang Fire’s rank was lower than the thunderstorm fire, it was fused with Lou Yun’s magical weapon.

To make an analogy, the Fusang Fire was like the master, while the thunderstorm fire was merely a guest. Though the guest might be temperamental and powerful, turning against its host was no easy feat!

The Fusang Fire used Lou Yun’s body as a battlefield, doing everything in its power to suppress the thunderstorm fire.

Compounding this was the continuous external cooling provided by Shui Lingluo’s seawater. As time passed, the thunderstorm fire’s strength was finally exhausted!

Lou Yun had actually been conscious the whole time. However, he was utterly focused on resisting the heavenly fire storm internally, unable to spare the effort to speak or make any external movements. He was acutely aware of everything happening around him – being carried out, Shui Lingluo pouring seawater on him to cool him down.

Now that the heavenly fire storm was subdued and with just a little more effort he could conquer it, Lou Yun was about to speak when Chang Xiang suddenly beat him to it: "How about you seize this chance to devour the heavenly fire storm as well? It would skyrocket your magical weapon realm by a whole major rank!"

This suggestion from Chang Xiang made Lou Yun hesitate. His magical weapon realm had advanced quite quickly lately, and he wanted to slow things down. Yet Chang Xiang also had a point – promoting his magical weapon realm was inevitable sooner or later. Now presented with this perfect opportunity, he should grasp it and devour the thunderstorm fire!

Having decided this, Lou Yun abruptly opened his eyes. Seeing him awake, Shui Lingluo instantly pressed: "Young Master Lou, are you alright now?"

Lou Yun nodded at her with a smile. "Miss Shui, thank you for your trouble. I’m much better now. However, I need to enter closed-door cultivation immediately!"

For Shui Lingluo and Zhao Zhanpeng, ordinary people as they were, the term "closed-door cultivation" naturally held no meaning. Wen Hou and Tie Sha, however, understood immediately. Wen Hou said with a smile, "Alright, I’ll take you back to your room right now. Can you walk by yourself?"

"I can!"

Wen Hou waved to the onlookers. "Alright everyone, Lou Yun is fine now. Thank you for your concern."

Lou Yun returned to his room. Wen Hou stood at the door, smiling. "Rest easy while you cultivate. Tie Sha and I will guard outside."

"Thank you!"

A simple "thank you" could never truly express the depth of Lou Yun’s gratitude towards Wen Hou and Tie Sha. The two had no vested interest in Lou Yun, sought no personal gain from him. Their care and help flowed solely from the bond of "friendship."

It was a friendship Lou Yun would cherish and protect with his life.

Lou Yun sat cross-legged on his bed. During his unconscious period, the Fusang Tree had absorbed copious spiritual energy, so his reserves were plentiful.

The heavenly fire storm, after half a day of its earlier rampage, seemed completely exhausted. It now lay quiet within Lou Yun’s body, unmoving.

The last time Lou Yun devoured fire (the Fusang Fire), he had already subdued it before swallowing it into his belly. He then used the same method employed for consuming beast souls to ultimately assimilate it. He intended to follow the same approach now.

Lou Yun began concentrating his spiritual energy, gently urging the heavenly fire storm towards his dantian. The thunderstorm fire seemed to sense something; the tiny bead within its flames flickered with blinding arcs of lightning. But perhaps truly spent, it offered no further resistance, allowing Lou Yun to guide it to his dantian.

Having the experience of devouring the Fusang Fire once made this process familiar territory. Back then, he had hesitated slightly. This time, however, he pushed forward without the slightest pause, directly forcing the thunderstorm fire onto the Dream Emperor Sword!

Likely because the thunderstorm fire had exhausted its energy earlier, the contact didn’t inflict upon Lou Yun the excruciating, soul-rending burning agony he remembered from last time.

Lou Yun was mistaken, however. The absence of burning pain wasn’t because the thunderstorm fire was now cooler. Rather, his magical weapon already contained the Fusang Fire. The mutual suppression between the two fires prevented the temperature from reaching unbearable heights!

Nevertheless, Lou Yun remained vigilant. He continued channeling the thunderstorm fire, urging it to fully integrate with the magical weapon!

In his mind, by his ears, Lou Yun seemed to hear a thunderous roar. Simultaneously, several strands of silver lightning, as thin as hairs, erupted from the bead at the heart of the thunderstorm fire. They wriggled and crawled at astonishing speed, spreading outwards. Their destination was unmistakable – Lou Yun’s magical weapon!