I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 330 - 314: The Chubby Little Flame

But either condition was more than the current Holy Hall could bear.

This had all happened too suddenly. No one could have imagined that Luo Xian would get involved.

’Could this be another one of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s desperate, scorched-earth tactics?’

After learning that the Ten Thousand Demons Sect had come under the protection of the Demon Refining Faction, the Holy Hall had already ceased all further action. But then the Ten Thousand Demons Sect suddenly tried to kidnap Fan Hong, only to fail and be annihilated... This...

Demon Cultivation Disciples were known to use such spiteful, self-destructive tactics. According to Wang Meng, Tian Feng hadn’t been among those killed that day, and now he had vanished. If this was some ploy where he sacrificed his own sect to frame them, it had clearly succeeded.

Hex Zui wanted to discuss the matter with Wang Meng, but he was nowhere to be found.

The Fire God Little Thousand World was silent. No one would come here to keep Wang Meng company, making it a peaceful place to cultivate. However, this method of Cultivation wasn’t suitable for everyone.

Wang Meng was right beside the Sea of Fire, yet he felt no scorching heat. He was surrounded by all kinds of Exotic Beasts, which eyed him menacingly but were unable to attack.

Gradually, Wang Meng’s body began to levitate, drifting toward the center of the Sea of Fire, this Forbidden Land for Cultivators.

Once he reached the center of the Sea of Fire, Wang Meng’s body came to a halt. The surrounding waves of fire swirled in circles, as if protecting him.

"Little Flame, when did you first become conscious?" Wang Meng was currently inside his own Sea of Heart, and Little Flame had somehow been drawn into it by his Divine Sense.

Inside Wang Meng’s Sea of Heart, Little Flame had taken on the shape of a small, humanoid flame.

"Master, I don’t know. I just suddenly woke up one day, and I knew things. Later, the Cultivators discovered this and started attacking us. We began to fight back, led by the Heart of Fire."

Little Flame was filled with endless curiosity about this wondrous place, acting just like a curious child.

Wang Meng scratched his head. He’d discovered that being in the Sea of Fire strengthened his Five Elements Flame, and his Pill Flame was growing stronger as well. Within his Sea of Heart, the Pentagram Power that represented the Five Elements Flame was being continuously replenished.

He had drawn Little Flame in by accident. Wang Meng was immensely curious about it, but Little Flame’s curiosity was even greater. Perhaps because it could sense his Divine Sense, Little Flame naturally deferred to him.

"Little Flame, that Flame Encyclopedia... did it belong to a Cultivator from the past?"

Little Flame shook its head. "I don’t know where it came from, Master. It’s always been sitting at the bottom. It’s very powerful."

Wang Meng nodded. ’More than just powerful,’ he thought. ’That book has given me a massive headache.’

Wang Meng didn’t intend to miss this opportunity. At the very least, he had to completely replenish the Power of Fire in his Five Elements pentagram.

’If that’s the case, since a Fire God Little Thousand World exists, the other four elemental realms must exist as well. If I can replenish my power in each of them, then reaching the third stage of the Five Elements Technique will be no problem at all.’

The Five Elements Body gave him immense power, but it also created huge obstacles to his advancement. Wang Meng sometimes wondered if Wangtian would have been so lucky if he didn’t have the support of the Demon God Sect.

Little Flame loved staying in Wang Meng’s Sea of Heart. It held the towering pillar of light within it in great awe. While Wang Meng cultivated, Little Flame would obediently sit to the side, mimicking his posture as if it were cultivating too.

Around the Sea of Fire, the Exotic Beasts, after a brief period of quiet, grew agitated once more. Wang Meng and his two companions had left too early last time to witness the great war between the Exotic Beasts of the Sea of Fire—a sky filled with all kinds of natural Flame Magic and ferocious attacks as they clashed in a chaotic, brutal melee.

Every law has its own way of maintaining balance. The Exotic Beasts of the Fire God Little Thousand World possessed tenacious Vitality and great strength. Their fertility was also high, leading to a high birth rate. But nature had its own culling methods. Aside from when they rested by the Sea of Fire, they were almost constantly engaged in battle. A violent, aggressive nature was the very essence of the Five Elements Flame.

A brutal slaughter unfolded around the Sea of Fire, continuously spreading to every corner of the Fire God Little Thousand World.

Yet this vicious battle was like mere background noise for Wang Meng’s Cultivation. He felt absolutely fantastic.

While Wang Meng was undergoing his hellish training in the Fire God Little Thousand World, Hex Zui and the others were at their wits’ end.

The Holy Hall Faction was successfully established. Jiangg Qingqing arrived, and Hex Zui found two Cultivators with Life Marks over the thirtieth level just to make up the numbers. They first had the faction registered at the Hundred Battles Pavilion. Having come this far, they couldn’t possibly give up. They named their headquarters the Little Holy Hall.

But unexpectedly, just as the faction was established, they were met with a declaration of war from the Demon Refining Faction. The two Cultivators Hex Zui had recruited immediately quit, completely disassociating themselves from him.

Inside the Little Holy Hall, everyone wore a worried expression.

"If they want a war, we’ll give them one! What’s there to be afraid of? I’ll be the vanguard!" Li Tianyi declared, his brow furrowed.

Once the Demon Refining Faction declared war, many of its members immediately began launching all-out challenges. For now, the challenges were out in the open, but if they refused to accept, who knew what dirty tricks lay in wait.

"Where did Wang Meng go? For him to be gone at such a critical time..." Ning Zhiquan said with a bitter smile.

"Brother Ning, we can’t rely on Wang Meng for everything! The Holy Hall belongs to all of us. If we have to fight, so be it. It’s no big deal!" Li Tianyi said. He knew Wang Meng was reliable, but they couldn’t expect him to handle everything. He’d noticed everyone was becoming a bit too dependent on Wang Meng, which wasn’t a good sign.

"I agree with Junior Brother Li," the usually gentle Ma Tian’Er said, her voice firm. "If they want a war, then we’ll give them one. It’s not like the Holy Hall is afraid of them!"

Hex Zui pondered for a moment. "We fight. But for the time being, no one is to leave the Cultivation Academy. Don’t take any missions in other Small Thousand Realms, either. We need to prevent anyone from being followed."

"Senior Sister Jiangg, I’m sorry," Fan Hong said. "You just arrived and we’ve already dragged you into this mess."

Jiangg Qingqing smiled faintly. "I’ve joined the Holy Hall, so we should all stick together through thick and thin. They’re just the Demon Refining Faction. Who’s afraid of who!"

The Holy Hall began to face the challenges from the Demon Refining Faction. Their choice was to either smile and let themselves be bullied, or to fight back. As for the consequences of fighting back, no one could say.

In the Fire God Little Thousand World, within one of its tens of thousands of seas of fire, the flames burned with a strange color. A Cultivator levitated above them, his aura matching that of the Sea of Fire.

Time passed quickly for those in the midst of cultivation. Wang Meng opened his eyes.

He rose to his feet, still levitating above the Sea of Fire. His Five Elements Flame was completely full; he could not absorb another drop. In the past month, he had finally conquered the Flame Encyclopedia, and for the first time, he truly understood the power of a Magical Artifact.

"Little Flame, do you really want to come with me?"

The Sea of Fire churned, conveying a resolute, affirmative intent.

Wang Meng’s Heart Spirit began to strengthen until his Divine Sense emerged and merged with the Sea of Fire Consciousness. Monstrous waves of fire surged across the Sea of Fire, churning and condensing. The surrounding Exotic Beasts were startled and scattered in a panic. Those that couldn’t escape in time were swept into the blaze, becoming part of the Sea of Fire itself.

Above the blazing Sea of Fire, Wang Meng looked like a Celestial God who had descended to the mortal world. A book had appeared in his hand.

"In the name of a god, I grant you a body of life. Be free from your bonds, and henceforth, follow the Law of Life."

The Flame Encyclopedia radiated a brilliant light. A ball of flame gradually emerged from within the Sea of Fire. The moment it appeared, it began to dissipate, but Wang Meng’s Divine Sense immediately enveloped it, allowing its form to slowly solidify.

Its color gradually deepened, and a chubby, humanoid ball of fire was born.

The ball of fire that was Little Flame stared at its new hands and feet in astonishment, then began to jump around with joy.

This was the essence of the Five Elements Flame, the very consciousness of the Sea of Fire. The Flame Encyclopedia contained a Magic for extracting it, but doing so required an incredibly powerful Heart Spirit. Wang Meng’s Divine Sense, however, was more than up to the task.

’...This little fire person looks a bit like Zhang Xiaopang...’

"Little one, from now on, I’ll just call you Little Flame." Wang Meng couldn’t resist patting the three tufts of flame on Little Flame’s head. It was so cute it was lethal.

Little Flame looked at its own body with ecstatic joy and nodded happily.

Having lost its consciousness, the Sea of Fire instantly grew calm, becoming an ordinary sea of fire. The surrounding Exotic Beasts seemed lost and confused. The Sea of Fire’s consciousness was connected to their gathering, and before long, the horde of Exotic Beasts began to grow restless.

Wang Meng had seen what happened when these Exotic Beasts rioted. The current Little Flame was a nascent life form, a type of Spirit Beast. Having lost the support of the Sea of Fire, its power was greatly diminished, but its intelligence had improved significantly.

"We need to get out of here." Wang Meng knew this horde of Demon Beasts could erupt at any moment. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d become snacks. A Five Elements Essence like Little Flame was a powerful tonic for all kinds of Fire Attribute Exotic Beasts.

Tossing out the Broken Heaven Edge, Wang Meng shot into the sky. As he looked down on the landscape of the Fire God Little Thousand World, Little Flame bounced around excitedly. It had never seen anything beyond the Sea of Fire and had never imagined that one day it would have its own hands and feet and be able to leave.

"Don’t get too excited. If you fall, you’ll become their dinner."

Wang Meng touched the flame on Little Flame’s head. It was pleasantly warm.

Little Flame immediately clung tightly to Wang Meng. As a newborn, it was still quite timid.

Suddenly, several shrill screeches tore through the sky, accompanied by the whistle of displaced air. The Broken Heaven Edge immediately executed a wide, arcing turn as a fiery red Demon Beast shot past them like a sharp sword.

The beast screeched to a halt, let out a howl, and sprayed a torrent of flame toward them.

Wang Meng stowed Little Flame in his Qiankun Bag as the Broken Heaven Edge dove sharply. The Exotic Beast behind gave chase relentlessly. It was about the size of a Nine Heavens Fire Simurgh, but far more ferocious and ugly in appearance, and it was madly spitting out streams of fiery projectiles.

Although Wang Meng didn’t know its name, he had seen this creature during the chaotic battles between the Exotic Beasts. It was incredibly domineering, treating the other beasts on the ground as its personal pantry, taking whatever it wanted.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ground exploded as flames billowed up. Wang Meng dodged the instant he landed. The massive flying Exotic Beast, however, was surprisingly agile. Instead of diving after him, it strafed the ground with attacks. Wang Meng weaved through the trees to evade, but the beast seemed to track his every move, relentlessly pressing its assault.

Just as Wang Meng was focused on evading the ferocious creature in the sky, patches of fire thorns suddenly shot up from the ground.

Even with his good temper, Wang Meng had had enough. The Broken Heaven Edge lashed out, shattering the monster in his path. But that single strike was a mistake. The surrounding Fire Thorn Trees immediately swarmed him. The Exotic Beast in the sky showed no signs of letting up. Its target wasn’t Wang Meng, but Little Flame; the essence of the Five Elements Flame was an irresistible temptation for these beasts.

Wang Meng hacked and slashed relentlessly. His Curved Sword Qi crisscrossed through the air, wiping out swathes of them, but the more he killed, the more they came. His ferocious attacks only seemed to attract more Fire Thorn Trees. In the distance, the roars of other Exotic Beasts could be heard, clearly drawn by the commotion.