Chapter 9: Blazing Inferno

  Can't help but let the person in his arms fall asleep, touching the gentle and crazy sleeping face, Mo Jiu was also heartbroken. He thought he had to wait for a long time before Xiao Liu would confess her feelings to him, but unexpectedly such astonishing words were spoken at this critical moment, just looking at the small face in front of him covered with tears, his original joy was also offset by his family's panic.

  He held the person tightly in his arms, and Mo Jiu Yu was still softly comforting him. He would protect the person in his arms; nothing was impossible for the master of the demon realm. Even if it meant overcoming countless difficulties, he had to make sure that his little servant could smile happily. Now, the most important thing was to find out why Little Servant had changed. But if he went to the divine realm, would he leave Little Servant here? No, no, it was precisely because he left before that Little Servant got hurt. Should he take Little Servant with him then? However, the spiritual energy in the divine realm was much stronger; wouldn't there be danger? Then should he let Little Servant fall into a deep sleep and stay within his domain? That wasn't feasible either; one or two days were fine, but if it went on for too long, not only would her body suffer, but humans couldn't go without food for that long. What to do, what to do? When had Mo Jiu Yu ever been so hesitant? He smiled wryly; all his hesitation was for the person who had captured his heart.

  Forget it, let Wu You and them handle this matter. Also, I need to communicate with that little thing, so he can be mentally prepared.

  Nowadays, I still have to think of a way to suppress the dark spiritual power in Yaotou's body. Wait! Dark system? Thinking back to when Xiaoyaotou suddenly changed, those red dots in her eyes and the demonic aura around her... could it be because she drank his blood?! In the past, no demon has ever tried feeding their blood to a human, and he is the most powerful demon of all... so could this be the reason? Investigate! I must let Wuyou investigate as soon as possible!

  But speaking of suppression, let's see if there are any rare treasures in the mortal world that can be used to balance her spiritual energy. Good things can be taken out in large quantities, but it's like a chronic illness where "virtuality cannot accept supplementation". Treasures abound, but consideration must be given to whether Xiaoyu can withstand them; ideally, a direct cure would allow her body's spiritual energy to reach equilibrium.

  Until nightfall, the puppies finally caught up with difficulty, and before they could catch their breath, they found that the master's face was terribly frightening. Suddenly, the little guys tiptoed and chose a position not too close or too far from him, and sat down obediently.

  Although Xiao Tuan was a foodie, he was the first among these contract beasts to have seen Mo Jiu You. The little guy naturally knew that he wasn't someone to be trifled with. Looking at his furrowed brow and ugly expression now, he became even more silent than a cicada in winter.

  The reason why Mo Jiu's face turned ugly was that he had been too reckless, and last night he slept for so long. Although it was his clever plan that made Xiaoyao sleep for so long, now no matter how he called her, she couldn't wake up. As a result, the man's face became increasingly ugly as time passed.

  Unbeknownst to him, even if Qing Kuang fell into a deep sleep, the dark system's spiritual power did not stop at all. Instead, it continued to quietly absorb the external spiritual energy, slowly converting it into spiritual power, and finally sealing it within the spiritual pearl. It even forcibly pushed the excess spiritual energy into the other spiritual pearls, whether they wanted it or not! As a result, Qing Kuang's spiritual foundation became very lively for a time.

  Looking at the pale and exhausted little face, Mo Jiu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy, yet he still called out to her one sentence after another. If she continued sleeping like this, he was afraid that the little girl would never wake up again.

  "Girl, girl..." He patted her small face gently, but his voice was already laced with anxiety.

  After a long while, Qing Kuang finally opened his eyes, but his complexion was still not good. His originally bright and shiny black eyes were now red and swollen, it could be seen that he had cried bitterly just now.

  "How are you?" Moyao's eyes were fixed on Qingkuang's body for a moment, and she asked anxiously.

  "Just a bit tired..." A hoarse voice came out, and the man handed her water in time as she frowned slightly.

  Moistening her throat with water, she propped herself up lightly and sat up, with an inexplicable fatigue all over her body. However, when she looked inward, she was still shocked and lost color, the various spiritual beads on her spiritual foundation were rotating rapidly, although there had been such situations before, but that speed could be ignored, how would it be like now, with a hint of breakthrough?

  "What's wrong?" Mo Jiu Yu asked tensely, his expression not relaxing in the slightest.

  Suppressing the shock in her heart, she couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. But then came an even greater sense of panic. The thrill was that she had always yearned to be strong, and now her promotion speed was indeed very fast, indicating that she would soon be able to transcend to the level of the strong. However, what made her panicked was that such a speed was clearly abnormal, and it had already affected her emotions. What's more, under the emotional turmoil, even though she knew it was wrong, she still felt excited, and if reason hadn't kept her in check, she wouldn't have known whether she would go crazy or not.

  Suppressing all her thoughts, she raised her head slightly and looked at the person in front of her. For a moment, she was hesitant about whether to mention her physical condition or not. If she mentioned it, would it make him even more worried? If she didn't, would this situation continue to develop and lead to unpredictable consequences?

  "What's wrong, uncomfortable or where does it hurt?" Seeing that she didn't speak, Mo Jiu Yu became more anxious, he was most afraid that something would happen to Xiao Ya Tou.

  "There's no discomfort, it's just that I've discovered a trend of upgrading the spiritual beads on my spiritual foundation."

  "Promotion? Is promotion not good?" Upon hearing this, the man's heart slightly calmed down. He just couldn't understand why humans had to be so complicated; unlike their demon tribe, which only needed magic cores, what was the point of suffering so much now?!

  "But this speed is not normal, and it's mainly based on dark spiritual power. I'm afraid the previous situation will happen again. Do you have any solution?" His body gradually recovered, and he sat up lightly to ask, noticing the Gluttony on one side, and took out two Life Fruits to hand over to him.

  The little guy's eyes lit up instantly, and he stole a glance at Mojue You. He quickly snatched the fruit away, took one for himself, and handed one to Pixiu. As for Ben Lei on the side, he let out a cold hum, twisted his butt, and started eating the fruit with Pixiu in a friendly manner.

  The frolicking between the demons was not even in Mo Jiu's eyes, pulling Qing Kuang to his side, the man stroked her hair, closed his eyes and began to perceive the situation of Lingyuan Continent.

  "Is there a way?" There was no response, lightly arrogant and looking up at him, waiting for his answer.

  "We'll rest for a night first, and head to Fenggu Valley tomorrow." Mo Jiu opened her eyes and made the decision directly. Now that things were getting a bit tricky, they could only search for the suppressed spiritual treasure on one hand while letting Wu You think of a solution on the other.

  "Burned to ashes?"

  "Hmm, Burning Valley! It's a valley in the Yuexing Empire of the Spiritual Origin Continent. You've been using fire-based spiritual power all along, see if you can use the flames there to suppress the dark-based ones. Oh right, I saw that fruit of yours seems quite useful, don't just let them eat it."

  "You say life is fruit?" Got a response from the man, Light also took out one to eat, however... hopefully it's useful!

  Watching Xiaoyao eating the fruit mouthful by mouthful, Mo Jiu You also felt slightly at ease, licking the juice off her lips clean, and repeatedly whispered reassuring words into Qingkuang's ear.

  "It's okay, I'll be fine..."

  "No matter what happens, it's always good to be prepared. Don't worry, I'll take care of you, I'll protect you..."

  Listening to the man's firm words, her tense and nervous mood also relaxed, but the relaxation only lasted for a short moment, as the changes in her spiritual base soon made her change color.

  "What's wrong, you look so terrible?"

  Pushing open the man's chest, her face was already extremely pale, and the spiritual power that had been slightly off track before was now boiling over. The Life Fruit she had just eaten was like adding fuel to a raging fire, making the dark spiritual power even more rampant.

  The Life Fruit absorbed by her body instantly transformed into spiritual power, which was then absorbed by the various spiritual beads. The upgraded magic array flashed into existence, with the dark spiritual bead as its core, and the others also leveled up accordingly. During this time, the growth rate of her spiritual stars had been accelerating, and it wasn't until they reached seven that the magic array slowly dissipated. This upgrade was almost too fast for her to control.

  But, as the saying goes, "things will inevitably reverse when they reach an extreme", who can say for sure whether this is a good thing or not?

  He stumbled and almost fell, but fortunately was caught by Mo Jiu You, and ended up safely in his arms.

  "Girl, how are you?"

  Deep, heavy gasps, an unprecedented fatigue, and this was only the effect of her eating a Life Fruit. If she were to be like Sheng Ye, with her life elements directly connected to her Spiritual Pearl, wouldn't this medium collapse and die? However, even though she had just advanced, the Spiritual Pearl on her Spiritual Foundation still didn't show any signs of stopping its descent.

  "Mojū yōu...... I'm so tired......" Although not to the point of exhaustion, the physical fatigue and mental stimulation were almost more tiring than going through a major battle.

  He had always seen everything, and Mo Jiu's heart ached unbearably. He knew about Xiao Nuo's efforts over such a long period of time, and he also knew about the suffering she had endured. Just looking at her like this made his heart feel unbearable pain. Even if he were just an ordinary person, he would still be able to provide the best protection and give her endless pampering. After thinking for a moment, the man still said something that made Xiao Nuo's anger surge up like thunder.

  "Girl, don't be angry, whatever you do, don't be angry... In my opinion, it's better to abandon your spiritual foundation... Even if you were an ordinary person, I would still treat you the same way... I..."

  "What... are... you... talking... about?" She stared at him in an unbelievable and slightly crazy tone, enunciating each word slowly.

  "I just want you to be better off, I don't want to see you suffer. Now that you're only at the Huangqian boundary, you're already exhausted like this, what about in the future? I just don't want anything to happen to you, even if you are an ordinary person, you are still you, still my little girl in my heart..."

  "What if I gave up on all my cultivation, wouldn't I cease to be myself? And what would all my efforts over the years amount to? Why did I do so many things? How could you say such a thing, how could you..." She shouted out loud, still finding it hard to believe, but her heart was even more filled with indescribable pain.

  "Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong, don't get agitated, there will be a way, there will be a way!" The man didn't care what he thought, and tightly hugged the sorrowful child in his arms, comforting him again and again.

  "Devil... devil Jiuyou... If I really give up, this lifetime of humans, a hundred years pass by in the blink of an eye, how much longer can I live? When the time comes and I become an old man, how long can I stay by your side, how long can I stay with Huoer, and what about these contract beasts of mine, do I have to let them accompany me to extinction as well? So I can only look forward, no matter how much suffering I endure, I must keep seeking a breakthrough. Why can't you understand my hard work? Didn't we agree to be together? We clearly agreed...". Choked with sobs, Qingkuang just let him hold him, but his words were filled with too much bitterness.

  "Alright, it's my fault, I said the wrong thing..." How could this little fool bear to let go? Did Little Ya Tou really think that way in her heart?

  The long silence made the nearby Gluttons unsure of what to do. Because of the contract between the beast and the person, they could feel the bitterness and discomfort in Qingkuang's heart. So, the Gluttons stopped eating too, and under great pressure, they rubbed against Qingkuang's side, their small paws secretly tugging at Qingkuang's clothes, blinking their big eyes as they said, "Master~ don't be sad, Glutton is well-behaved, do you want some delicious food?"

  The past is gone, and the Qiong Qi can no longer care about its own golden fur. With the demeanor of a young rich woman, it sat on the ground, rummaging through a pile of treasures with a clatter, and then pushed them all in front of Qing Kuang. The amber-colored big eyes stared at her like that.

  "Don't cry, little master... I have a treasure for you..."

  As for the Thunder Beast beside him, he was surprised to raise an eyebrow. From their encounter until now, he finally understood that this human young master's body had a problem. He said so, this promotion speed is too fast, and there is also the person next to him, whose strength is simply immeasurable! Where did this human young master come from?

  Light Kanae, who was still immersed in sorrow, broke free from Majo Yuu's arms after feeling the concern of the two little ones and saw Foodie contributing food and Wealthy contributing treasures, couldn't help but burst into tears and laugh. There will be a way, there must be a way!

  "Master~ you're feeling sad, huh? Are you thinking of little master?" Scratching his own little head, he asked doubtfully.

  "No, the master just encountered some trouble, but it will be resolved soon." Looking at the two little guys in front of her, Lian Huang had already made the worst preparations. If one day it really came to the point where there was no other choice, she would rather hurt herself than dissolve the contract with these contracted beasts.

  "Trouble? Then isn't it solved, and the master will be happy?" He likes it when the master is happy because the master looks good when they smile, and when the master is happy, they make him lots of delicious food.

  She pulled the little black thing into her arms, calmed down a bit, and tried to trim its torn nails, but it dodged in fear of pain, then let her arrange it obediently.

  "Yes, once the trouble is solved, the master will be happy, and then I'll make many delicious dishes for Gluttony." For Gluttony, she always had a different feeling, and could pamper her more.

  "Really?" As expected, upon hearing this, the little guy was delighted and his big tail wagged back and forth.

  "Pi Xiu, come here." He beckoned with his hand and once again pulled the small, charred creature into his arms. "Pi Xiu, put these away, Master doesn't want them."

  "Master, you don't like it?" Amber-colored big eyes looked at Qingkong with a puzzled expression. If he didn't like these, she could go find more treasures.

  "The master doesn't dislike, it's just that these are all Qiu Qiu's, otherwise Qiu Qiu will help the master collect them first, okay?" Rubbing the little guy's head, it seems she still needs to think of a way to help her get rid of this messy hair.

  After hearing this, the little guy nodded and returned all his treasures to his own treasure trove.

  Mojue Yu had always been holding onto his gentle and crazy personality, although he was dissatisfied in his heart, he didn't say anything. The little girl is not in a good mood now, he can't go and add to her troubles again.

  And Ben Lei on the other hand was shocked, a feeling of being out of place slowly rising, as if they were a family, but he himself was left out.

  "Mo Jiu You, let's not give up, okay? After we rest, we'll head to Fenggu Valley." How could they give up? She had too many things she couldn't bear to part with. No matter what was said, she couldn't give up. She had endured so much hardship and suffering, and now this difficult situation would also be overcome!

  "Alright! Whatever you say, I'll do. Only, little girl, did you know that I'd spend my whole life just to be with you..." Little girl said so, what could he possibly object to?

  "Hmm..." Making the worst assumptions and putting in the greatest effort, thinking this way also relaxes my mind a lot.

  But their troubles are far from over. The general who injured Xiaye, the super divine beast that was robbed from the gods' realm, neither side will let the matter rest.

  The next day, early in the morning, Qing Kuang except for a slightly pale face, didn't have any other abnormalities, lazily lying in Mo Jiu You's arms, opened his eyes.

  "Hey kiddo, are you hungry?"

  "Don't want to eat..."

  "Come on, eat a little bit, I'll feed you..." Mo Jiu Yu understood that if this matter wasn't resolved today, Xiao Jie wouldn't be happy for the whole day.

  She forced herself to finish a small bowl of porridge, but Qing Kuang shook her head and couldn't eat anymore. The Lingzhu on the Spirit Base was still desperately absorbing the external spiritual energy, and she couldn't put her mind at ease.

  Mo Jiu You didn't force it either. After cleaning up, they waited until Qing Kuang had collected all the contract beasts into the Demon Beast Realm and then left this place instantly.

  Because the spiritual energy of the Lingyuan continent is very rich, the fire in the Burning Valley is not comparable to other places. After years of accumulation, it can even surpass the big fire on the cliff where Guijiang pushed her down in the Void Ghost Realm.

  Within nearly a hundred miles of the Burning Valley, there was not a single soul to be found. The temperature here was enough to roast a person alive, so when Qing Kuang and Mo Jiu You suddenly appeared, they were immediately engulfed by the flames, instantly covered in sweat from head to toe. Mo Jiu You had no choice but to set up a barrier to block out the heat.

  Looking around, Liang was also shocked. The whole area was filled with red, and there were numerous craters-like depressions everywhere. Looking down, it was pitch black, and the intense heat waves were coming from this direction. At this moment, they were standing in the central position of the Burning Valley. Looking down, it felt like being on top of a volcano, with large areas of red "plants" covering the surface. It was hard to imagine that such high temperatures would still support plant life. Wouldn't they lack water? Truly, the world is vast and full of wonders.

  "Is this Burning Valley?" She didn't see a single flame anywhere.

  "That's right, it's Huo Gu." Pulling Qing Kuang forward a few steps, Mo Jiu You's face also became increasingly solemn.

  "But there is no fire..."

  With a whoosh, as if in response to her words, the fire dragon burst out of the huge circular crater behind them, giving Qingkuang a big fright.

  "Is anyone hurt?" Fortunately, it was within his barrier, otherwise this fire would have turned people into ashes in an instant.

  "No, but what's going on?" Still shaken, he looked back at the massive crater behind him, and Light Yagami had to force himself to focus, constantly aware of his surroundings.

  "The origin of the Burning Valley is that every hundred years, the fierce flames inside will erupt once, causing widespread destruction and reducing everything in its path to ruins. That's why it's also called 'Burning Bones'. However, danger and opportunity coexist, and each time an eruption occurs, a flame core appears, which is exactly what we're after!"

  "But it's only been a hundred years, and the Burning Valley doesn't even show any signs of eruption. How are we supposed to find the Flame Core?" Just as her words fell, another fire dragon suddenly sprang out from her right side, its body a fiery red color with a faint yellow tint in the middle.

  "Those are just human ignorance, after all, there aren't many humans who can withstand high temperatures." From this sentence, Mo Jiu's superiority is revealed without a doubt. "They only know how to pick up the leftovers after the eruption in the Burning Valley, but they don't know that in the flames of these eruptions, the heart of the fierce flame is hidden, wait obediently, I'll find it for you in a moment."

  "Will it be dangerous?" If because of her reason, this person gets hurt, then she would rather not know the news at all, and would rather become someone else.

  "Foolish girl... how could I possibly have any troubles? Have you forgotten that I am the Demon King?" The man's expression paused for a moment, then he smiled as usual.

  "Really?"

  "Wait for me~" Some things he didn't say, the fierce flame of Yan Xin's heart isn't that easy to "pick up". Many people spend their entire lives without encountering it. The most troublesome thing about human affairs is that they emphasize sincerity and spirit, with strength and opportunity, only those who truly need it can find where Yan Xin is, but even if found, it's either death or injury.

  But such a danger, Mo Jiu You would never say it out loud, for Xiao Yan's sake he would gladly suffer injury!

  Right behind Mo Jiu You, Qing Kuang gazed at the man in front of her who held up a sky for her, sheltered her from wind and rain, and fought for her. Her slender hand tightly grasped the man's large hand, which immediately clutched hers firmly.

  As time passed, when the sunlight at noon shone on her head, the flames around her jumped more and more, also becoming denser and faster. Mo Jiu You dodged while carefully sensing the location of the Flame Heart.

  The sound of "Boom Boom Boom" continued unabated, if it weren't for his barrier being there, the light would have been burned to ashes long ago.

  The man who was still immersed in the feeling suddenly saw Mo Jiu's right hand move, and he directly rushed to grab the fire dragon that was about to erupt with his bare hands.

  "Mo Jiu You! What are you doing?" He wanted to pull him back, but it was already too late.

  The man's face changed, then turned around with a smile and looked at her. From behind, he switched to his left hand, and Mo Jiu You finally showed the flame core of Feng Tian Lie Yan in front of Qing Kuang. "Look, found it! Your man is awesome!"

  "Show me your right hand!" Before Mo Jiu You could respond, Qing Kuang hastily grabbed the hand that was behind his back.

  "Alright, alright, what's going to happen to me? Don't forget I'm the Demon King! During the tug-of-war, the demon clan's recovery ability had already allowed him to regrow his hand that had been reduced to ashes in an instant, but this still required a bit of time."

  When the light was shone on his hand, which had been pulled out, what was originally a well-articulated large hand now had a deformed shape, with red blood spots all over it, and countless blisters, some of which had already turned into pus.

  "What's wrong with you? Mo Jiu You, are you stupid or not? Don't you know it hurts? Did you already know and why didn't you tell me? If the price of curing me is to exchange for you, I'd rather be like this for a lifetime..."

  "Alright, stop crying, I'm a demon clan, it'll be fine in a bit." He tried to pull his hand out, but the stubborn Qing Kuang wouldn't let him move.

  "You're stupid, aren't you? What's wrong with the demon clan? The demon clan won't feel pain? Fine! You don't feel pain, I do! My heart aches... I'll listen to you, I don't want spiritual power anymore, I'll abandon my spiritual foundation. Mo Jiu You, you're the stupidest man under heaven..."

  Watching Xiao Yatou get so excited, Mo Jiu felt deeply helpless. Thinking that this wasn't a place to stay for long, he hugged the person and left.

  But even if I leave, the depression in my heart will only increase, but what's even more infuriating is myself, all of this is because of her, it's all because of her!

  "Alright, don't cry anymore, look, isn't it much better now?" Mo Jiu You used her uninjured left hand to continuously wipe away her tears.

  "Mo Jiu You, I want you to be good, don't use your own body as the price... I'm in pain, my heart is in pain..." He paced back and forth, his anger at himself, his guilt and self-blame towards the man making him restless.

  "Alright, alright, I know, my little girl is worried about me, no need to rush...no need to rush..." He grabbed the person with one hand, and the man still didn't forget to tease at this moment.

  "Let me see your hand..." All the pent-up frustration was stuck in his throat, but he forced it back down. He carefully took the man's hand, and his heart ached with tenderness that couldn't be stopped. It turned out this person wasn't invincible after all, it turned out this person could also get hurt. What happened to the Demon Clan? The Demon Clan isn't omnipotent either! He brought the hand to his own lips, softly pressing them against the wound, only wanting to soothe the man's pain.

  "Alright, I'm fine, just give me a moment... now let's see if this Flame Core works..."

  "Mo Jiu You... you're the biggest fool under the sky..." She pounced into the man's arms, directly kissing Mo Jiu You's thin lips, letting tears fall, but in the air was a stifled sob, "...also the man I love most in this life..."

  Digression

  Meow ~ Qing Kuang finally said it, finally said it, throw flowers ~ everyone, guess why Qing Kuang became like this, is Yan Xin really useful?