Brian Cooper couldn't help but ponder as he underwent the tempering of the Heavenly Fire. It was said that this Celestial Purifying Fire could cleanse all things in the world, so after being refined by the Heavenly Fire, nothing in the world could destroy such an object—it would become a divine artifact. Being able to harness the Celestial Purifying Fire would surely bring him immense benefits in the future. Moreover, the Sevenfold Purple Flame Annihilation could immediately be cultivated to its highest level. However, for him, it was ultimately a loss rather than a gain, since he was not truly cultivating the Immortal Dao.

At this moment, Brian Cooper couldn't come up with any solution and could only set the issue aside for now.

Not long after, the tempering was complete. The Celestial Purifying Fire contracted within Brian Cooper's body, condensing into a faint cluster of seven-colored flames, which appeared to Brian Cooper as a beautiful yet dangerous thing. For now, Brian Cooper was helpless against this seven-colored heavenly flame and could only let it be.

Withdrawing the spell that flowed away like water, Brian Cooper frowned. The previously empty fourth floor was now crowded with twenty or thirty people. Besides the five he had seen that morning—Haitian, Mingyue, and Liu—there was also the female paladin Catherine, and the rest were strangers.

Brian Cooper asked impatiently, “Where did William Brooks go, and who are all of you?”

“Old Cooper, I’m right here! These are all my little brothers; I’ve already called them all back.” The speaker was actually an elderly man over fifty.

Brian Cooper looked closely and said indifferently, “You got close to me just now, didn’t you? That’s why you were affected by my spell. It’s not a big deal.”

William Brooks gave a wry smile. “I thought something was wrong with you just now. You were all aflame, and I thought you were self-immolating! I’m fine, but can this be reversed?”

Brian Cooper shook his head. Earlier, he had withdrawn the Two Elements Microdust Array of the Twelve Banner Sect’s Escape Transformation, leaving himself unprotected. William Brooks had entered the range of the flowing spell, resulting in this outcome. Fortunately, he hadn’t touched Brian Cooper's body; otherwise, the Celestial Purifying Fire would have been far beyond what he could withstand. Most likely, Brian Cooper would now be looking at nothing but air. Brian Cooper said, “There’s nothing I can do. You’ll just have to chalk it up to bad luck.”

“Do you have any humanity at all? He was worried about you, and you just say it’s his bad luck. And of all the spells you could practice, you choose one that harms others without benefiting yourself. Do you have any conscience left?” The one speaking up indignantly was the handsome girl Grace Bennett, who was clearly displeased with Brian Cooper's lazy attitude.

For once, Brian Cooper didn’t retort. William Brooks was indeed concerned about him. Judging by how much he had aged, he must have stayed by Brian Cooper's side for quite a while; otherwise, he wouldn’t have aged decades in such a short time. Brian Cooper couldn’t help but feel a bit moved. He had always been a loner, and even the few companions he’d had were not close. William Brooks was a rare friend.

Brian Cooper's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil. Still, he didn’t show it and kept up his usual demeanor.

Seeing that Brian Cooper didn’t answer her, Grace Bennett grew even angrier and was about to scold him further. Someone beside her reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. The hand belonged to the beautiful paladin from Europe, Catherine.

After stopping Grace Bennett, she spoke gently herself: “Little Cooper, I don’t know what just happened, but the European Church strictly forbids spells that siphon others’ life force. I hope you have a reasonable explanation.”

Chapter Three: The Demon Is Born, the Winged One Emerges

So it was a misunderstanding. Brian Cooper had no intention of explaining to these people. He had never really cared about these few mortals before him.

Brian Cooper got up and walked over to William Brooks, reaching out to press his pulse point. He channeled the newly cultivated immortal energy through his finger into William Brooks's body. As the energy circulated within William Brooks, Brian Cooper immediately understood his physical condition. After all, William Brooks was also a monster, with vitality more than ten times that of an ordinary human, so things weren’t too bad.

Brian Cooper didn’t have the ability to reverse time; the flowing spell could only accelerate time, not turn it back. But there were plenty of ways to restore youth. Altering one’s body to break through physiological limits was precisely the basic goal of Brian Cooper and any cultivator. In Brian Cooper's hands, there were at least twenty or thirty effective methods.

He quickly considered which method would be the fastest and most effective. All things considered, using elixirs was the most universal approach. Brian Cooper himself had never refined any elixirs, but during his last visit to the underground palace, he had acquired quite a few, many of which were top-grade immortal pills coveted by cultivators. However, he hadn’t examined them closely yet and didn’t know which one would be best to use.

Brian Cooper kept calculating in his mind, but couldn’t very well rummage through those things in public. After thinking it over, he finally said, “This is a defensive illusion spell. Its effects will wear off soon and won’t have any real impact. I can’t undo it right now.” He decided to tell a white lie for now and deal with it later, Brian Cooper thought.

With this, Catherine and David Harris had nothing more to say. Using illusion spells wasn’t a big deal. Although Brian Cooper's magic was rather strange, the gap in their cultivation levels was so great that with their meager skills, they couldn’t possibly find fault.