The Taiyin Empress Wen Yaxian naturally had no reason to refuse.
If the North Ming Empress Leng Ruoxue remained a powerless person, saving her would be meaningless.
Thus, even without Leng Ruoxue's request, Wen Yaxian would have helped her recover her cultivation.
Fortunately, through the great divine power of the Reflecting Heavens, they could observe the scenes displayed in the Haotian Mirror from anywhere in the world.
While Wen Yaxian helped Leng Ruoxue recover her cultivation, they both watched what happened to Xiao Fan.
Inside the Haotian Mirror.
After Wen Yaxian left, the demonic consciousness within Xiao Fan surprisingly offered to teach him higher-level cultivation techniques.
But Xiao Fan knew that such an unusual offer must hide a sinister motive.
He quickly remembered that as Wen Yaxian's cultivation increased, the demonic consciousness's control over her also strengthened.
Xiao Fan deduced that if his cultivation increased, the demonic consciousness's power would also grow, potentially becoming strong enough to overpower his will, turning him into a puppet.
With this in mind, Xiao Fan decided not to let the demonic consciousness's plan succeed.
He thought of a perfect plan to perish with the demonic consciousness: enduring until he grew old and died.
Once his body was old and decayed, the demonic consciousness, even if it took over, wouldn't be able to cause much trouble.
The demonic consciousness realized his plan.
To force Xiao Fan into compliance, the demonic consciousness began to tempt him to harm innocent people.
Whenever the demonic consciousness tempted him, Xiao Fan would stab himself to stay awake.
Before long, he was covered in scars.
The demonic consciousness seemed delighted by his miserable state, becoming more excited in urging him to harm innocents.
To avoid losing control someday, Xiao Fan hid deep in the mountains, living a secluded life.
Time passed.
One day, the mountains trembled, and the earth shook. A brilliant divine light erupted from the mountain.
Animals in the forest were alarmed, including Xiao Fan.
He didn't know what was happening, but the demonic consciousness was ecstatic, "Boy, this is a great opportunity. If I'm not mistaken, this is the legacy of at least a Sage."
"Opportunity?" Xiao Fan chuckled, "What does it have to do with me?"
"You..." the demonic consciousness was speechless with anger.
"Don't you want to become stronger?"
"No," Xiao Fan replied decisively.
"Don't think I don't know your plan. Since you entered my body, you've tried to make me increase my cultivation."
"You think I don't know that if my cultivation increases, your power will also grow?"
The demonic consciousness felt frustrated. She had been a peerless prodigy, unmatched in her time.
But she had never encountered someone as stubborn and difficult as Xiao Fan.
After spending so much time with him, she knew he was a stubborn boy who wouldn't listen to reason.
But she couldn't let this opportunity slip by.
If she could gain the Sage's legacy, her power might increase enough to fully control Xiao Fan's body, potentially restoring her cultivation to the Sage level.
But Xiao Fan wouldn't let her succeed easily.
She had to find a way.
"Boy, how about a deal?"
"No deal."
"At least listen to my proposal!"
"No need."
Xiao Fan's attitude was firm, giving no chance for the demonic consciousness to take advantage.
"What do you want?" the demonic consciousness was almost in tears.
She had never met such a difficult opponent.
"I don't want anything. I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Stop bothering me."
With that, Xiao Fan lay down and fell asleep, giving no chance for the demonic consciousness to influence him.
The demonic consciousness was completely frustrated.
She realized her hopes of revival were slim. She would have to wait for another descendant to awaken the Taiyin Demon Body.
Reluctantly, she decided to hide deep within Xiao Fan's body.
Whenever she was active, she would soon become weak and need a long time to recover.
Xiao Fan finally had some peace.
Meanwhile, the legacy site was ablaze with activity and the sounds of fighting.
Clearly, the site had attracted many cultivators vying for the legacy.
A Sage-level legacy was a rare opportunity, one that only Xiao Fan could ignore.
Days later, the divine light from the site dimmed.
Someone had likely taken the legacy.
But Xiao Fan remained uninterested, living a simple life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
One evening, he found a young girl in a red dress unconscious at his hut's entrance.
Xiao Fan checked on her. She was a beautiful girl, full of spirit, but gravely injured. He carried her inside.
Outside the Haotian Mirror, the Taiyin Empress Wen Yaxian's eyes widened.
She recognized the girl.
While seeking revenge and training hard, she had stumbled into this legacy site.
With her luck, she had reached the final trial.
The girl in red had been her companion in the trials.
But the legacy had chosen Wen Yaxian, casting the girl out and severely injuring her.
Remembering this, Wen Yaxian realized why the Heavenly Fire Empress bore her such animosity.
The girl in red was now the Heavenly Fire Empress.
Having lost the legacy to Wen Yaxian and being cast out, the Heavenly Fire Empress had harbored resentment.
Moreover, it seemed the Heavenly Fire Empress had a connection with Xiao Fan.
High above the Primordial Imperial City, the Heavenly Fire Empress watched the Haotian Mirror with a complicated expression.
Back then, the Heavenly Fire Nation was not the powerful Heavenly Fire Dynasty of today but a small, unknown country.
She hadn't wanted to be a naive princess. She had ambitions and dreams.
She wanted to seize the throne and make the Heavenly Fire Nation unparalleled.
While training and seeking opportunities, she had found the Sage's legacy site.
But she had lost to a nameless girl.
This failure had nearly broken her.
But then she met the unforgettable man, Xiao Fan.
He had pulled her from despair.
But he had also cast her into an abyss.
The Heavenly Fire Empress's eyes burned with rage.
People believed Xiao Fan had been controlled by the demonic consciousness to become the Netherworld Demon Emperor.
But she knew the truth. Xiao Fan had always been Xiao Fan, never controlled.
"Xiao Fan, you deserve to die! But you will only die by my hand!"