"No... It can't be..."

"Second Senior Sister, why on earth... did you end up like this?"

At the entrance of the Holy Lotus Hall, Luo Xiu knelt on the ground, his eyes brimming with tears. His shoulders twitched uncontrollably as he trembled and reached out, gripping tightly onto the shoulders of Ai Hongye's corpse.

After enduring untold hardships, he had come here just to find her.

To finally find her, only to be met with her lifeless body.

In that moment, Luo Xiu felt his heart shattering into pieces, the pain nearly suffocating him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand how his mysteriously powerful Second Senior Sister could have fallen here.

There were no signs of a battle, either. It seemed as though Ai Hongye had simply sat down, lit a bonfire, and then quietly left this world.

Time ticked away.

The sounds of grieving suddenly pulled Luo Xiu back to his senses.

Yaya was clinging to Ai Hongye's waist, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ever since her mother died, Yaya had lived a lonely existence in the sea near Kun's Tomb. Without family, without kin, she had been all alone for many years. It wasn't until she met Ai Hongye, the Sword Master of the Whale Crying Sword, that her life began to change.

To her, Ai Hongye was both a strict sister and a gentle mother, the pillar of her life.

"Sister Hong Ye, why don't you want Yaya anymore?"

"Yaya won't be naughty anymore. I'll never put sea slugs in your pocket again..."

"Don't be angry. Please come back and stay with Yaya, alright?"

"Yaya will never make you angry again."

"..."

Luo Xiu reached out to wipe away his tears. Pulling himself from his grief, he took Yaya into his arms. Then, Dou Dou also plunged into Luo Xiu's embrace and began to cry loudly.

...

...

"Big Brother, although this is sudden, I know you can't accept it for the moment and it's a blow, but no matter what... the dead are gone, and the living must go on."

「At the entrance of the Holy Lotus Hall.」

Luo Xiu was tending to Ai Hongye's remains when Lin Tong's comforting words suddenly echoed in his mind. After spending so much time together, Lin Tong knew that Luo Xiu was a man of deep emotions. He could accept his own death with equanimity, but he couldn't bear the departure of those close to him.

Luo Xiu said, "I understand what you're saying. Don't worry, I'm not that fragile, and I won't be brought down by this."

"Why did Second Senior Sister come here, and how did she die... I will find out."

A moment later, Luo Xiu moved Ai Hongye's body into the Land of Lawlessness. He planned to bury her remains on Ghost Valley Mountain after he returned.

Lin Tong said, "Looking at her body, it seems she has been dead for a long time, at least two months. But this bonfire... it's very strange."

Luo Xiu stared at the bonfire that remained perpetually burning before him and frowned slightly. In fact, he had noticed it from the start. The small bonfire, with only a few sticks of wood, just wouldn't burn out. This fire must have been lit by Ai Hongye before she died, and since she had been dead for at least two months, the fire had been burning for two months as well. This defied all reason.

Just as he was lost in thought, Luo Xiu suddenly saw a large crab leg appear over the bonfire.

Dou Dou was squatting in front of the fire, her eyes red. She sniffled and said, "Yaya, don't cry anymore. I know you're sad, so I'm roasting a crab leg for you. You'll feel better after you eat."

Yaya pursed her little lips, tears welling in her eyes and a clear stream of snot running from her nose. She sobbed, "Don't burn it! If it's burnt, it will ruin the deliciousness and the texture of the crab meat. If I eat that... I'll be very sad."

Luo Xiu looked at the two little girls, momentarily speechless. What was Dou Dou thinking, comforting someone like that? And Yaya, to actually be comforted by such words. The world of foodies is truly beyond the understanding of ordinary people.

"AH!"

Just as Luo Xiu was making his silent commentary, Dou Dou cried out. She quickly dropped the crab leg and withdrew her hand as if she had been scalded.

Luo Xiu hurried over and pulled Dou Dou back. Then, to his shock, he saw that the crab leg, which had only been roasted for a few seconds, had turned into a pile of ash.

"This fire seems unusual."

Lin Tong said, "Indeed. It contains a terrifying aura."

At that moment, Master Ping flew out from the Holy Lotus Jade Pendant and said, "Kid, this is the Indestructible Divine Flame! You'd better not mess with it, or you won't even know what killed you."

"However, this wisp of Indestructible Divine Flame seems to have just developed sentience. Let Master Ping snuff out its nascent mind and claim it!"

"This is a great treasure! It's inextinguishable, can incinerate all things, and has many other wonderful uses."

"But this thing is vicious. Apart from a great hero like myself, it's extremely difficult for ordinary people to tame it. We must take advantage of the fact that its sentience is newly born and not yet strong. Subdue it quickly!"

Master Ping seemed very excited. Spinning around in The Void, he aimed the mouth of his bottle at the mass of Indestructible Divine Flame, ready to suck it inside.

"How dare you!"

To his surprise, a childish, feminine voice emerged from the Indestructible Divine Flame in the next moment.

Then Luo Xiu saw the flames surge and twirl, transforming in mid-air into a little girl no bigger than his palm.

"You dare launch a sneak attack while I'm sleeping? You stinky bottle, I'll burn you to a crisp!"

"Ahem... my apologies for the offense. I shall take my leave!"

Master Ping's cowardice was decisive. He promptly fled back into Luo Xiu's Holy Lotus Jade Pendant without another sound. It seemed he really couldn't afford to provoke this fire.

Afterward, the palm-sized little girl circled and whirled around Luo Xiu, beginning to size him up. Luo Xiu could feel a terrifying aura swirling around him, as if he might be turned to ash at any moment. He was too frightened to make a single move.

"You stinky fire, give me back my crab leg!" Dou Dou suddenly shouted angrily, leaping up to grab the palm-sized girl.

The tiny girl skillfully dodged, looking down at Dou Dou with disdain.

"A mere human dares to disrespect this Divine Flame? Be careful, or I'll burn all your hair off!"

Looking fiercely cute, Dou Dou held out her hand. "The crab leg is gone! You owe me fifty bucks!"

Yaya clenched her little fists, also putting on a fiercely cute expression. "Right, pay up! Fifty bucks!"

The palm-sized girl laughed. Ignoring Dou Dou and Yaya, she transformed into a thread of light and shot into the space between Luo Xiu's eyebrows.

Luo Xiu felt a wave of disorientation wash over him. He then found an odd flame floating above his Spiritual Ocean.

Immediately afterward, Luo Xiu felt a scorching heat spread throughout his body. He discovered a hot current coursing through his entire being, giving him the bizarre sensation of being seen through from the inside out.

"Master said that from now on, I am to follow you," the childish voice of the little girl echoed in Luo Xiu's mind.

"I just examined your body and found that you're quite remarkable. You're actually the same type of being as I am, and even more powerful than me."

Luo Xiu was stunned for a moment. He paid no heed to the flame's last sentence and asked tentatively, filled with anticipation, "Your master... is she the woman who was sitting in front of you earlier?"

"Correct. She's the one who found me in that place and ignited me, so she is my master."

Luo Xiu hurriedly asked, "Why did she die?"

"Die? How could she possibly die?"

"What you saw was merely the master's Divine Husk. She went to another world long ago, because she never belonged to this one in the first place."

"Alright, kiddo, don't ask so many questions. You two might even meet again in the future. I'm sleepy and need to rest now."

"Oh, one more thing. I'll leave my true fiery essence with you, and you can use it as you please. To repay me, whenever you find something good in the future, just use my true fiery essence to burn it as an Offering."

"Hey, wait, don't sleep yet! I still have questions! Ai Hongye, what exactly..."

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