"Mmm..."
Just as Yang Xiao was lost in memories of that well-behaved, small, thin, yet resolute bald child, a soft moan reached his ears.
Yang Xiao turned his head to look.
It was the woman in white.
Her brow was slightly furrowed.
From her blindingly white skin, wisps of black mist were now seeping out.
'This is bad,' he thought. 'I took the Profound Sun Token, and the Evil Qi in her body is starting to spread... I have to save her!'
Yang Xiao made his decision in an instant.
He stepped forward, circulating the True Greater Yang Fire within his body.
He intended to melt away the Evil Qi inside the white-robed woman.
The moment he made contact, the icy aura surged forth once more.
And compared to the simple touch from before, this time, it was clearly far more profound.
After the True Greater Yang Fire entered the woman's body, it unexpectedly resonated with the aura inside her. They blended, fused, and became intricately entangled in an instant.
This situation was not unfamiliar to Yang Xiao.
And it was precisely because it was not unfamiliar that Yang Xiao felt extremely awkward.
Because, this was the fusion of auras.
It was something that only happened between cultivation partners.
Since ancient times, there had been a shortcut for cultivation partners to improve their cultivation: the fusion of auras, allowing their internal energies to complement each other.
If they could take it a step further and achieve a union of hearts and minds, they could even reach a state of Spiritual Qi Fusion. In this state, not only would their auras and spirits benefit one another, but even their comprehension of the world's Great Dao Laws would be mutually absorbed, leading to a complementary effect or even a fusion that resulted in advancement.
Right now, this was happening between Yang Xiao and this strange woman in white.
Although it was unintentional and not initiated by either of them, it couldn't be called a true union of Divine Intent. Rather, it was a natural consequence of the auras within their bodies.
Still, it made Yang Xiao somewhat awkward.
Especially since the woman before him was unconscious, it made him feel like he was taking advantage of her helplessness.
However, he soon discovered that despite the awkwardness, this woman's constitution seemed very special—it was a Supreme Yin Body.
'After fusing with the True Greater Yang Fire, the Nine Nether Evil Qi should have vanished completely. But now, it's actually transformed into a type of absorbable power, drawn in by the aura in her body...'
'That's right! The Evil Qi has been melted away, and what's left is pure Supreme Yin Qi, which is incredibly beneficial to her.'
'And my True Greater Yang Fire seems to have been refined as well. Although it's still within the Ninth Grade, it's not far from a breakthrough.'
Yang Xiao observed this internally.
Gradually, he forgot his awkwardness, becoming immersed in the state of their fusing auras.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, with a BANG!
Yang Xiao felt the True Greater Yang Fire in his body sublimate further.
The Four Great Secret Patterns merged together completely and seamlessly.
It was impossible to tell them apart anymore.
It seemed a new Secret Pattern was about to be forged.
And as this new Secret Pattern emerged, Yang Xiao had a feeling.
This was a power of Supreme Yang and Firmness.
At the same time, it carried an Aura of Chaos.
It was as if it had experienced the union of Yin and Yang, and passed through earth, water, wind, and fire.
It possessed an aura that could encompass everything.
'Can this True Flame still be called the True Greater Yang Fire?'
Yang Xiao was doubtful.
But then, a terrifying sense of crisis washed over him, and his consciousness snapped back to full alert.
Yang Xiao sensed a terrifying, ice-cold Supreme Yin Power erupt from the woman's body and assault him.
This wasn't the fusion from before.
This was an invasion.
A bombardment.
'Huh? She's awake?'
Yang Xiao snapped out of his trance.
His figure drifted backward, instantly dodging the powerful blow.
He saw the dark earth become coated in Bing Shuang.
Immediately after, it cracked apart, shattering into a field of icy fragments.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao's expression changed.
'What terrifying Supreme Yin Power! The ground here has been eroded by Nine Nether Evil Qi for years, making it incredibly hard. Even I would have trouble damaging it with my True Greater Yang Fire. I can't believe she did it so easily. It seems her cultivation is far above mine!'
A chill ran through Yang Xiao's heart.
"Who are you? Why were you probing my Heart Spirit?"
The white-robed woman's face was an icy mask.
She shot to her feet and questioned Yang Xiao coldly.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized something was wrong.
The Evil Qi in her body had vanished without a trace. More importantly, her own aura had grown much stronger.
Although her master's Seal was still active within her, her power could now rival a being at the Peak of the True Realm. She was just half a step away from the Small Divine Ability Realm.
'Could it be... this guy saved me?'
The woman in white was puzzled.
The young man before her looked to be about her age, and his aura was only at the Peak of the Celestial Essence Stage—far weaker than her current strength.
Not to mention compared to her original power level.
Even she, with her innate Nine Yin Sacred Body, couldn't dispel the Nine Nether Evil Qi and needed the protection of the Supreme Yang Power from the Profound Sun Order. How could this brat possibly have saved her?
'Wait... his body seems to have an aura of Supreme Yang and Firmness. Could it be... No, impossible. Among Supreme Yang Bodies, one would need at least a Nine Yang Body, or even a Greater Yang Body, to help me resolve the Nine Nether Evil Qi. This brat's aura is clearly not that of a Nine Yang Body or a Greater Yang Body. It doesn't even qualify as a Pure Yang Body!'
'At best, it's just some strange Fire Yang Body. How could that possibly save me?'
'Hm? The Profound Sun Order is on him! That's it! He must have activated the aura on the Profound Sun Order to help me neutralize the Nine Nether Evil Qi.'
The woman in white felt she had finally found the answer.
She couldn't believe that a young man from some remote backwater, a boy around her own age whose aura was only at the Peak of the Celestial Essence Stage, could neutralize the Nine Nether Evil Qi with his own power.
It was too incredible.
Therefore, the woman in white concluded that it must have all been because of the Profound Sun Order.
'The Profound Sun Order is the key to the Profound Sun Emperor's Great Emperor Secret Realm. My aura is incompatible, so I can't open it, but this guy in front of me probably can.'
'Besides, he did technically save me...'
'Albeit with despicable methods.'
The moment she thought about how her aura had fused with this brat's, a blush crept onto her face.
What made her even more furious was that, after hearing her question, Yang Xiao didn't say a single word in response.
He just stood there watching her, as if he hadn't just taken liberties with her.
This made the woman in white grit her teeth in frustration.
'Hmph! If it weren't for the fact that you can activate the Profound Sun Order, and that you saved my life, I, Yue Lingxi, would absolutely not let you off the hook today!'
Thinking about how the aura inside her body had fused with this young man's, Yue Lingxi felt goosebumps all over.
If word of this ever got out, the prodigies and geniuses of the entire Divine Land would probably cough up blood from rage.
Especially those proud sons of heaven who adored Yue Lingxi—if they knew that the pure and chaste Saintess Lingxi had her aura fuse with a boy from some remote backwater, every last one of them would likely go insane.
Fortunately, however, there were only the two of them here.
'Judging by the look on this brat's face, he probably doesn't understand what just happened. Hmph, I'll spare his life for now!'
Though she seethed inwardly, Yue Lingxi felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
She was furious, but to actually kill the young man who had just saved her life went against her principles.
After all, she was not an unreasonable or bloodthirsty person.
However, she still had to get the Profound Sun Order back.
With this in mind, Yue Lingxi raised her hand and reached out to grab at Yang Xiao!
(PS: First chapter is here. Thanks to reader "Some Things Can't Be Replaced" for the tip, thank you! Also, thanks to everyone for your recommendation votes. Lastly, please keep adding this to your collection!)