The golden flames were bizarre.
They did not burn through Chu Feng's clothing, nor did they scorch his face.
Yet Chu Feng was still in tremendous agony. Even unconscious, he kept crying out in pain, his twisted expression heartbreaking to behold.
"Damn it — what the hell is this thing?!"
Xiao Yu and Xia Yan both realized how dangerous those golden flames were. They tried everything they could to extinguish them, but nothing worked.
This filled them with dread. They feared Chu Feng would be burned alive.
…
Within Chu Feng's spiritual world, he still stood across from the mysterious elder.
And here too, the golden flames consumed him, inflicting the same excruciating pain.
"Elder, I genuinely intended to help you. Why would you treat me like this?"
Chu Feng felt the flames devouring every inch of his soul. The sensation was deeply unsettling.
"Bear with it. I am saving you."
The moment those words left the elder's lips, the golden flames intensified rather than subsided.
The agony washing over Chu Feng grew even more vicious.
But Chu Feng stopped worrying.
He had already noticed that although the golden flames brought him tremendous suffering, they were not causing any real damage.
If the elder said he was helping, perhaps that was the truth.
The golden flames burned on for a long time with no sign of retreating, and the pain only grew fiercer. Yet the elder showed no reaction — he simply stared at Chu Feng the entire time, observing something.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, the elder swept his great sleeve. The golden flames on Chu Feng's body transformed into a wisp of golden light, extracted from within him, and vanished into the elder's sleeve.
Though the flames were gone, Chu Feng was left utterly drained. Drenched in sweat, he could barely stand — he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Elder… what were you just doing?" Chu Feng asked weakly.
If he had harbored any doubts before, he was now nearly certain the elder had not been trying to harm him.
Once the golden flames disappeared, something had been left behind inside Chu Feng's body — and that something could truly save his life.
But Chu Feng also knew that the golden flames and what the elder had left inside him were two completely different things.
That was why he was curious about the flames' purpose. What was the point of burning him with them?
"You have already grasped a sliver of the Thousand Transformations Demonic Force."
"But the Thousand Transformations Demonic Force is far more complex than you think."
"When you wield it, it can indeed amplify your power — but it comes at a cost."
"That cost is similar to the backlash of forbidden medicines, yet not quite the same."
"The backlash of forbidden medicines is temporary. The Thousand Transformations Demonic Force, however, could haunt you for the rest of your life."
"Moments ago, your barrier power was nearly depleted. That allowed the Demonic Force to seize the opportunity and begin corroding your soul."
"Had I not used this Demon-Subduing Sacred Fire to purge it entirely, you would never have left this place alive."
The elder spoke to Chu Feng.
"Thousand Transformations Demonic Force?"
"Does that mean what I mastered isn't simply the main formation's power?" Chu Feng asked.
"It is the main formation's power, yes — but the main formation here is no ordinary one."
"This Thousand Transformations Illusory Palace is controlled by the Thousand Transformations Demonic Fox. Every formation within it is infused with the fox's demonic power."
"Though the fox is dormant, its power still carries a demonic nature."