Chapter 52 - 52: Spirit Fusion(1)

A/N: Sorry for the late update. Had to write weeks of module and projects within a couple of hours. Why? Cause I have to passed it by Monday afternoon. P.S. This chapter is a bit rushed as I still had to write my modules and more, so expect some mistakes. I also didn't expect to finish this. I really did a great job on following my schedule, albeit later into the evening. Enjoy the chapter!

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You know, some people say that women are beautiful when their crying....whoever said that is a dumbass.

Is what Xiao Yan thought as he used his heavenly flame to evaporate his soaked clothes filled with tears and snot. While Ma Xiaotao was cleaning herself up.

Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao had finally separated after ten minutes of hugging and cleaning themselves up. The two looked away from each while sporting fl.u.s.tered faces.

Xiao Yan scratched his right face cheek as the situation a while ago finally hit him.

'I hugged senior Ma Xiaotao... Holy. Shit. I just hugged a girl that I admire in the middle of a forest.' A dumb smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face. Unknown to him, however, Flame Emperor's spirit form appeared behind him.

Like a ghost, Flame Emperor watched him with a dark look.

'Shit. He's now officially going through puberty once more. One of the least favorite things that I, and this Xiao Yan, had once gone through. Though the latter seem to have not noticed. Haiz, emotions are going to fly around. Drama and action all around. With Xiao Yan in the middle of it all.' Flame Emperor paused. Before a shit eating grin appeared on his face.

'Which me and flame brain will enjoy with every fiber of our being. Hehehehe...' Chuckling evilly, Flame Emperor spirited back within Xiao Yan's mindscape. The former enjoying the future to come for the latter.

Xiao Yan shivered as he suddenly felt chills running down his spine.

He looked around warily for the sudden cold feeling.

"So, how do we do this?" Ma Xiaotao's shy voice sounded in Xiao Yan's ears.

"Before that though, let's go someplace more secure." Ma Xiaotao nodded.

Xiao Yan offered Ma Xiaotao his hand, saying, "We can go there much faster with my movement technique. Or-", which the latter unhesitatingly accepted with a small smile. Which dazed the former from the latter's beauty. Especially since she wasn't wearing her veil anymore.

Her face, cleaned from all the tears and snot, was spotless and polished, looking as beautiful as a peerless white jade. Her red hair and eyes was like the embers of a phoenix, which is kinda true.

"At this point, do I even need to hesitate?"

Xiao Yan let out a resigned sigh, thinking, 'Yes senior Ma Xiaotao. You shouldn't easily trust someone.'

As Xiao Yan stared at the beautiful redhead that was Ma Xiaotao, a girl that would make any guy's heart skip a beat.

But he was not like any of those guys.

Xiao Yan's heart remained slow and calm, although it would sometimes run erratic, but it wasn't like the times he thought of a certain someone.

Memories of a girl with long silky hair, walking besides him with that ever calm and beautiful smile flashed within his mind.

Shaking his head, Xiao Yan held Ma Xiaotao's hand tight and made her body come more closer to his. Which made the latter blushed once more but didn't complained at the sudden intimacy.

Without saying anything, Xiao Yan controlled his spirit power and internal strength to use his instant movement technique.

The hidden expert that was monitoring *cough* stalking *cough* them, was shocked to find the two vanished and moved as fast as two speed type spirit sages with high tier spirits.

'What the f.u.c.k...? Where did those lovebirds go?' Despite losing sight of them, the hidden figure didn't panicked.

Using his spirit power to enhanced his senses that covered hundreds of kilometers in diameter around him. The stalker-I mean expert was able to pinpoint their location.

But he frowned under his hood. He kept sensing them moving, in that same speed that surprised him, to a more secluded and secure location.

"What are they doing..." The man hidden in a dark cloak muttered with narrowed eyes. His thoughts going through countless possibilities and scenarios. What would a couple of young teens would do when they-!?

"No..." He said with a completely shocked tone. He shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"Haiz, the young master truly is his son and that person's grandson. To do this kind of debauchery in broad daylight..." The man turned towards the sun with blank empty eyes.

...

Within the outer area of Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao could be seen appearing and disappearing all around the said forest.

They'd been like this for an entire minute before stopping in front of a small rock cave. It was as tall and wide to fit three a.d.u.l.ts.

By the surrounding vegetation growing around it, it meant that it was naturally made and had been around for quite some time.

Xiao Yan, using his spiritual power, scanned the insides of the cave.

Due to Xiao Yan's years of training in alchemy, memories and experiences of Flame Emperor, his control of his spiritual power could be said on par with tier 5 alchemists. Which is said that they are able to use their spiritual power to perceived the area in diameter around them, like seeing it from a bird's view but with X-ray.

However, they are limited by how much spiritual power they have to sensed and perceived the area around. Currently Xiao Yan could only do so within a 10km area in diameter, which is astonishing at his current reserves, but only if he uses all of his spiritual power.

Right now Xiao Yan limited it to see what was inside the cave. Which wasn't much really. Just rocks and even more rocks.

But to be safe, Xiao Yan doubled and tripled checked the cave. Just to be sure that he didn't missed any random heavenly treasure lying around.

"I just checked the cave with my spiritual power, it's unoccupied and empty. I think this would be a safe place for us to be, to see if we have spirit harmonization." Ma Xiaotao nodded. Knowing that this place was the Star Dou Great Forest that has numerous dangers and spirit beasts lurking around to pounced on them.

Walking inside the cave, which is a totally normal one made with rocks by the way. Xiao Yan summoned ten fist sized green lotus flames to light the inside of the said cave.

Lighting it up in a strange green glow, with the small lotus floating all around the cave, making it looked mystical and beautiful.

It made Ma Xiaotao gasp and loudly complimented the light show that Xiao Yan had made.

Xiao Yan, a smug expression, turned to looked at Ma Xiaotao, who was looking around like a child in a candy or toy store, and said.

"You like it?" Ma Xiaotao turned towards me with a huge smile and said.

"Like it? I love it!" Xiao Yan smiled.

Turning towards back to the inside of the cave, Xiao Yan looked around and had his eyes landed on a giant rock.

Letting go of Ma Xiaotao's hand, Xiao Yan, who didn't say anything, summoned his spirit Heavy Xuan Ruler and changed it to its second form; Ryūjin Jakka.

Nothing happen for a moment, before the rock in front of the teens had gained a thin, almost unnoticeable, horizontal line just dozens of inches away from the ground.

Suddenly, the upper part of the rock was set ablaze in green and red flames. Engulfing and turning the entire upper part of the rock into ashes.

Xiao Yan, swiping his katana to blow the ashes away, turned towards a slowly clapping Ma Xiaotao and asked.

"So?"

Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow and replied.

"I'd give it a 9 out of 10. It would have been great if there weren't any ashes." Xiao Yan chuckled. He turned to regard of what remained of the now sliced rock.

It was a 3 meter wide in diameter oblong shaped, spotless and unnaturally cleaned sliced rock.

Nodding in satisfaction, Xiao Yan went to sit cross-legged at the said sliced rock with Ma Xiaotao following him.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan asked.

Ma Xiaotao nodded.

Nodding back, Xiao Yan raised both of his arms up and open his hands into palms. With Ma Xiaotao following him and relaxed her palms into his.

Slowly, with sweat dripping their foreheads, Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao sent their spirit power out to meet the other.

They had to do this carefully and slowly, after all, this isn't about having the other send their spirit power to either empower or recover their own.

No, this is about mixing entirely two different energies from two clearly different people.

Imagine two person having two different beers of their own, mixing the said drinks contents with the other, and they simultaneously drunk the mixed drinks.

Now normally nothing would happen right? Well, what if those said mixed drinks would unknowingly caused severe negative effects on the drunks.

The single smallest mistake they make on connecting their spirit power with each other, the higher risk of having their spirit power deviate from order. Causing untold consequences to their bodies, or worse...

This was one of the many reasons why there a small number of people having a spirit fusion ability, much less have spirit harmonization.

Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao, despite both completely knowing this knowledge, wanted to continue. Especially the latter, as she had been waiting help for the last couple of years for her condition.

Thankfully Ma Xiaotao had some experience in sending her spirit power to someone else.

Because almost unknown to everyone else, Ma Xiaotao and her little brother has a spirit fusion ability, with a 90% spirit harmonization, that fuses both of their spirits into one gigantic demonic phoenix made of blazing evil fire.

They were siblings after all, even having almost the same spirit as the other, so it shouldn't really surprised anyone if they do have a spirit fusion ability. With Ma Xiaotao having the more spirit power than her brother, while Ma Hongjun having the more potent flames than her big sister.

Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao simultaneously took deep breaths, they quickly calmed down their racing hearts. The spirit power of the former was colored green with tints of red and silver. While the latter was colored in a darkish-red color.

Their spirit power had simultaneously pushed from their wrists, then to their palms. Slowly, a small dose of their spirit powers were expelled and quickly enter into the other person's palm.

Unexpectedly and fortunately, there weren't any complications. Which made the two released sighs of relief.

But they didn't let down their guards. Ever so slowly, they would at first send wisps of their spirit power and then into threads into each other.

Unknown to Xiao Yan and Ma Xiaotao, however, a small lit up flame symbol had appeared on the former's forehead and a tear in the middle between a pair of golden wings appeared on the latter's forehead as well. Though the two strange symbols only appeared for a moment before disappearing.

While Flame Emperor, in spirit form, watched behind Xiao Yan with serious narrowed eyes.

'So her blessing is helping you... Heh, even in another life that troublemaker would find some way to help me out.'

'Also, I really hope to myself, that the comment about the dark phoenix was just a mere joke.'