Chapter 176 Chapter 176 "I'm here."

After returning from Yingxi Cloth Shop, I sensed that Jiuzhao's emotions were fluctuating.

When no one was around, Wu Zhu appeared in front of her:

"If the Nirvana Phoenix Fire breaks through its upper limit, it could truly possess the miraculous power of resurrection. The Divine Emperor suffered divine wrath, his soul shattered, so this might not be effective. However, Prince Yingluo was only seriously wounded and died. Perhaps there's hope of calling back his soul from the heavens and earth and recreating his body."

Wu Zhu's words always easily hit the part of Jiu Zhao's heart that he avoids.

Seeing her unfocused gaze, her right hand half-raised, fiddling with the jewelry and clothing she'd bought today from South Street, he approached the situation from another angle, "However, since you've been abandoned by the immortals, there's no need to worry about this. Zhu Yan also said this is just a conjecture Xing Yao wrote in her notes. There's no solid evidence to support it, and no one has ever succeeded. You certainly shouldn't risk your life trying it."

Shouldn't you try?

Through the techniques learned in the Phoenix Tree.

Remove from your mind all the emotions that are driving you crazy.

Jiu Zhao thought again of the face of the God Emperor, as well as the truth and confession he revealed before his death. The suffocating pain in his heart no longer came.

She went over all the people and events that Wu Zhu mentioned in her mind.

But somehow, the words Yingluo had said to her in those days kept echoing in her ears:

"Whatever I do for Your Highness is my duty.

“This is my duty.

"Even if it costs my life, I am willing to do it."

In the end, he finally confirmed his promise with his actions.

He guarded her until he gave his life.

Jiu Zhao's heart began to ache again.

This pain made her feel confused.

Mingming, when she decided to give up love and feelings, she no longer felt pain.

Why.

Why——

Wu Zhu waited for a long time, but there was no response from Jiu Zhao.

I only saw the disguise that had been floating on that face fade away.

She seemed to have transformed back into a flesh-and-blood goddess, a look of sorrow etched on her face as she muttered to herself, "As long as we live in this world, we can't escape the word 'owe'."

…

The day before going to worship at the Sacred Fire Altar, the female official should have come to check the etiquette learning progress again.

Jiu Zhao received the imperial edict, and half a moment later, it was Lan Qi who came.

"Why, are you surprised to see me?"

Not wanting to infect Jiu Zhao with the cold air, Lan Qi stood under the eaves, lowered his eyes and carefully brushed away the frost and snow on his shoulders.

He took off his cloak and cast a spell to warm his cold palms. Then he folded his arms and slowly walked into the hall.

Jiu Zhao's gaze lifted from the table filled with gorgeous clothes and crowns for tomorrow's use and fell on the young man walking against the light. Facing the palace maids and servants kneeling and bowing in the hall, she leaned against the table, shifted her posture, and lazily said, her chin resting on her hand:

"It's not surprising, but Your Majesty, you are not as interesting as Qiong Xing and the others."

Comparing a dignified industry leader with a mere female official in the harem.

They also concluded that Ye Zun was not as good as them.

Jiu Zhao's rudeness made everyone silent and gasp.

Although Lan Qi is often so gentle that he is incompatible with the style of the entire Burning Sea, after witnessing his thundering methods when he was fighting for the throne in his early years, even the most arrogant and conceited lords of the thirty-two cities can only bow respectfully and speak to him tremblingly when they see him.

What's more, Jiu Zhao was not favored.

The two of them, one busy in the front court and the other leisurely wandering in the harem, rarely met each other, and Lan Qi never stayed overnight in Lianli Palace.

Just as the maids were imagining how Jiu Zhao would be scolded and punished.

Lan Qi suddenly raised the corners of his lips and laughed softly.

"They all dislike you, the uninvited guest who suddenly appeared and took away the queen's position, but you long for their company day and night."

He raised his hand and waved, signaling the outsiders to retreat, and walked slowly towards Jiuzhao.

...Just that?

There was no punishment, and His Majesty actually smiled at her?

The moment the palace door closed, a maid bravely looked towards the gap and saw two figures overlapping.

Lan Qi's slender fingers grasped the corner of the hairpin on the bun, and he straightened it carefully as if he were handling a fragile porcelain vase. With a hint of unknowing pity in his mouth, he whispered a rebuke: "I told you to stay idle these few days and practice more in the hall. Are you being lazy again?

"Look at you, even your hairpin is crooked when you sleep."

…

The demons are a race that values ​​profit over courtesy.

The complexity of the worship rituals is less than one-tenth of the Sanqingtian festival ceremony.

Jiu Zhao learns quickly.

He only stumbled occasionally when reciting the ancient language prayers.

Lan Qi turned into a meticulous and strict teacher, staring at her and repeating it over and over again until she got the pronunciation right.

Half an hour later, Jiu Zhao, whose throat was smoking from reciting, pretended to be exhausted and lay down on the bed pretending to be dead.

"stand up.

“Don’t be lazy.

"The prayer is most important. I must memorize it by heart so I can feel at ease."

Lan Qi sat down on the edge of the bed, urging her and trying to pull her sleeve.

Suddenly, he was pulled back and fell between the quilts.

Holding the young man's arms with both hands to prevent him from resisting, Jiu Zhao took advantage of the situation to press half of his body on him and buried his head in his chest.

"Don't rush me... I'm really tired. I've only been out of prison for a few days, and my body hasn't recovered yet."

When this was mentioned, Lan Qi stopped moving.

Medical officers often performed treatments on her and reported the situation to him.

The external injuries have mostly healed, but the long-term thunder punishment has damaged the immortal veins. Not only has he fallen from the immortal realm, but his body has been unable to release immortal power to this day.

The reason why he couldn't release his immortal power.

The medical officer speculated that on the one hand, the immortal spirit in the Burning Sea was too thin to support Jiu Zhao's large-scale absorption to heal his internal injuries.

On the other hand, only the highest-level Nirvana Phoenix Fire can continue to revive the damaged immortal veins.

He would naturally heal Jiu Zhao.

But not now.

Only when the two of them get married and form a covenant, achieving the unity of body and soul, can he truly feel at ease.

The person under her stopped talking, as if acquiescing to her request to rest.

Jiu Zhao crouched for a moment, then spoke casually, "The structure of your Burning Sea is truly bizarre. Don't other karmic fires erupt irregularly from the ground? How come the karmic fire of the Holy Fire Altar stays put?"

The other party changed the subject, and Lan Qi was happy to conceal the current state of her body: "The karma fire of the Holy Fire Altar is different from those outside the city. It was once the weapon of Que Chang, the first generation of Karma Lord who was exiled to the Burning Karma Sea. With it, when the Ancestral God first collapsed, the Burning Karma Sea once competed with the Three Pure Ones.

"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Although Que Chang was gifted and had mastered the method of refining the Karma Fire, the cold and gloomy power of the Karma Fire also eroded her vitality while she was controlling it. At that time, the Immortal Clan and the Karma Clan were engaged in repeated battles, and she overexerted herself, ultimately ending up dying young.

"The Karma Clan also declined, leaving only the eternal Karma Flame of the Holy Fire Altar as a symbol of its former greatness."

Has karmic fire ever been used by humans?

Jiu Zhao's eyes flashed when he suddenly learned the secrets of the past of Burning Sea.

The Three Pure Ones had long ago destroyed all the history related to the demon clan, and even forbade the immortals to speak of the fact that they had the same origin.

If Lan Qi hadn't mentioned it today, she would never have known that the demon race had such a genius—

In addition, this also adds an indirect proof to Xingyao's conjecture.

Jiu Zhao pondered for a few breaths, then asked again, "Since the First Generation Ye Zun was able to do it, why didn't he pass this technique down to future generations?"

Lan Qi shook his head. "I don't know either. Que Chang died suddenly on the battlefield, leaving no words behind. After her death, countless members of the Karma Clan tried, but none succeeded, as they were all consumed by the Karma Fire. I think perhaps her ability to control the Karma Fire was just a coincidence."

“In addition, no ruler would not value his life; once in office, everyone would want to stay in that position for a long time.

"Who would want to see the fruits of their victory, won by themselves, be reaped by those who come later?"

Recounting the events of thousands of years ago, he sighed deeply, "The karmic fire of the Holy Fire Altar can now only transform the immortal race. It no longer holds the glory it once did. If it could be harnessed by humans, the Burning Karma Sea wouldn't have been at a disadvantage for so many years, nearly being wiped out by the Three Pure Ones."

"Don't think so."

In order to continue the conversation, she casually comforted him, "Without the help of the karmic fire, you are leading the army and are about to capture the Three Pure Heavens—"

"You are a Karma Master even greater than Que Chang."

Jiu Zhao's praise made Lan Qi fall silent.

Although he was about to hold the crown of victory, there was no joy on his face.

One person was lying on his back, the other was lying on his stomach, and both missed each other's expressions.

Lan Qi stared at the top of the bed curtains and said calmly, "Believe it or not, I've never considered exterminating or enslaving the immortals. What I want more is to return to the era when the ancestral gods ruled, where there were no immortals or demons, no one was superior, and no one was discriminated against, and all living beings could live freely."

If Lan Qi's thoughts were to be heard by the immortals, he would be called a hypocrite, and if the demons learned of them, his rule would be immediately shaken.

Fortunately, at this moment, the person facing him was Jiu Zhao.

Once upon a time, Jiu Zhao was also regarded as an "outlier".

She raised her face, found the place where Lan Qi's hand fell, climbed over, and interlocked her fingers with his:

"...So, at the grand court meeting three thousand years ago, we truly had a resonance. I don't want to be a divine concubine, nor do I want to live in the upper realm with its distinct hierarchies of immortals and immortal slaves... Unfortunately, before I could achieve anything, I've become a heinous criminal."

They had shared more intimate, deeper moments together.

Lan Qi felt that no matter how intertwined their bodies were, it was nothing compared to the intimate understanding of their souls at this moment.

Inseparable, like a dream.

He wanted to touch Jiu Zhao's long black hair that was winding on her side, but he was afraid that any movement would ruin this rare and tender scene.

He suppressed his desire and heard Jiu Zhao ask, "So tomorrow, I will also pass through the karmic fire of the Holy Fire Altar and complete the transformation ritual?"

My heart skipped a beat.

A thought that was the opposite of the first one emerged silently: "Do you want to?"

The source of making an exception for love had been opened. After asking the question, he couldn't help but continue: "If you don't want to, I'm here, and no one can say anything."