The sudden voice brought all the Great Li dignitaries present to complete silence.
The Emperor of Great Li turned deathly pale.
To an immortal master, mortals like them were essentially no different from ants.
What was the fate of an ant that dared to make demands?
The blood that had filled the skies over the Great Li capital twenty years ago was the best answer.
They bowed their heads one after another, sweat pouring like rain as they stole glances at Li Fan from the corners of their eyes.
Yet that voice, seemingly unafraid of death, repeated loudly once more: "Immortal Master, please save my sister!"
Li Fan looked in the direction of the voice, seeing none other than the ten-year-old Su Changyu.
A middle-aged man finally snapped back to his senses and rushed forward, forcing the boy to his knees.
"Yu'er, what madness is this!" the man cried in panic, kneeling down beside him and pressing Su Changyu's head to kowtow before Li Fan.
Knocking his head against the ground, he stammered, "The child is ignorant, please forgive him, Immortal Master!"
Li Fan fell silent.
At this, every Great Li noble panicked. Led by the Emperor, they all dropped to their knees as well.
Xiao Heng also kowtowed, pleading cautiously, "Immortal Master, please save little sister Su."
After a long silence, Li Fan finally spoke slowly. "If that is the case, take me to see her. But let there be no next time."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd.
In truth, Li Fan had intended to examine Su Changyu's terminally ill sister all along; he simply could not agree too readily on the surface.
Hence the posture he had just assumed.
A moment later, Li Fan saw Su Xiaomei in an underground chamber.
The temperature in the cellar was frigid, making many of the accompanying officials shiver.
An infant who looked barely newborn lay quietly upon a small jade bed.
Piles of ice blocks were stacked beside it.
The baby's body seemed scorching hot, requiring a maidservant beside her to ceaselessly chip away ice and apply the crushed pieces to her body to cool her down.
Seeing this bizarre sight, Li Fan narrowed his eyes.
He stepped forward, sweeping his divine sense over Su Xiaomei, and his expression instantly froze.
"All of you, withdraw for now!" he commanded coldly.
The nobles promptly retreated from the chamber, leaving only Li Fan and Su Xiaomei.
Li Fan placed his hand on Su Xiaomei's burning body and channeled an exceedingly fine wisp of spiritual energy into her.
After it circulated once and returned, Li Fan confirmed his suspicion, his face showing shock.
"There is actually no immortal-mortal miasma within Su Xiaomei's body?"
"And what kind of physique is this? The wisp of spiritual energy I sent in was actually strengthened after one circulation?"
Li Fan gathered that wisp of spiritual energy onto his fingertip.
Its nature was starkly different from his own original spiritual energy, carrying a scorching sensation.
Yet this was different from the heat brought by the Crimson Flame he had encountered before.
It was not the heat of fire, but...
Li Fan analyzed the cluster of spiritual energy at his fingertip carefully. Only after a long while did he form a rough judgment.
His expression turned peculiar.
"A heat born of anger?"
Li Fan looked at the sleeping infant, an inscrutable look appearing on his face.
"Could this be the legendary Natural Immortal Physique and one of the Heaven-Envied?"
Having walked the cultivation world across two lifetimes, Li Fan was no longer a clueless novice.
He had picked up a fair share of common knowledge in the cultivation world.
First, the Natural Immortal Physique.
As was widely known, mortals in the cultivation world were burdened with the immortal-mortal miasma from birth. To cultivate, one had to purge this miasma.
However, when two cultivators conceived a child, there was a certain chance of producing offspring born entirely without the immortal-mortal miasma.
Such individuals were known as Natural Immortal Physiques.
A Natural Immortal Physique possessed peerless affinity for all manner of techniques and Daoist arts.
Their innate talent for cultivation was also exceptionally high.
Combining both traits, a Natural Immortal Physique not only cultivated at a frightening speed, but their techniques also received a natural boost in power.
They were far beyond what ordinary cultivators could compare to—truly the favored children of heaven.
In the distant continents, the legends of geniuses forming a Golden Core in just over a decade were all authored by those with Natural Immortal Physiques.
Then, there were the Heaven-Envied.
In the cultivation world, there was a class of people born with innate divine abilities.
Some were born with a third eye capable of seeing through all illusions; some were born with extraordinary bones, possessing limitless potential and near-inexhaustible vitality.
Others were born with mastery over water, fire, thunder, or lightning.
Such individuals born with innate divine abilities often suffered corresponding envy from heaven according to how powerful their abilities were.
From birth, they would be plagued by all manner of tribulations.
If they could neutralize these tribulations one by one, the trials would only temper them into beings of immense power.
Yet if they failed to endure, they would naturally take their divine abilities with them to the grave.
This was heaven's restriction upon them, as well as its test.
Those with innate divine abilities did not necessarily cultivate quickly.
Yet in battle, they were often invincible among their peers.
Quite a few with exceptionally powerful innate abilities could slaughter cultivators of the same realm as easily as butchering chickens, and they could even hold their own against opponents an entire major realm higher.
Without exception, such figures in the cultivation world built fierce reputations and illustrious battle records.
Both constitutions were one in a hundred million, exceedingly rare.
And what was Li Fan looking at now?
Both constitutions were present in a single infant!
Without a trace of immortal-mortal miasma, she was undoubtedly a Natural Immortal Physique.
Though he did not know why a Natural Immortal Physique—which could only be born from the union of two cultivators—would appear in a minor world teeming with mortals, Li Fan was certain he had not misjudged.
And that power burning endlessly within Su Xiaomei had to be her innate divine ability.
Li Fan guessed that her physique was tied to the emotion of rage.
As the fury in her heart burned hotter, her strength would multiply exponentially—
until the flames of wrath reduced both herself and her enemies to ashes.
Her current state of relentless burning was very likely caused by her innate divine ability losing control, with her unable to contain the fury within her heart.
"A Natural Immortal Physique and one of the Heaven-Envied. No wonder she faced such a lethal tribulation from birth."
"With the rage within constantly consuming her vitality, she could never have lived to adulthood even if kept in an ice cellar day and night."
"No wonder Su Changyu was so desperate in my previous life. He was willing to become a test subject for the immortal-mortal miasma just to become a cultivator as quickly as possible."
"In his eyes, perhaps becoming a legendary immortal master was the only way to save his sister's life."
"A pity..."
Li Fan looked at Su Xiaomei, and within his sea of consciousness, the Blue Flame phantom spirit suddenly awoke from its slumber.
"If not for meeting me, not even a Golden Core cultivator would necessarily be able to save her life."
A faint blue figure appeared before Li Fan.
Like a veil of thin mist, it drifted slowly toward Su Xiaomei's tiny body.
It reached out and rested a hand upon her head.
The scorching heat on the infant gradually dissipated.
Her tightly knitted brows relaxed. Su Xiaomei smacked her lips and rolled over gently.
Chapter 72