Word Count: 2,693 Words
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Xiao Yan slowly raised his slender hand, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Raging cyan flames completely enveloped his hand. He added a layer of powerful Spiritual Strength over the cyan flames.
Curving his hand slightly into a claw shape, he smiled coldly toward the spot where the tiny flame serpent was hiding.
The tiny flame serpent—invisible to the naked eye—seemed to sense that something was amiss upon seeing Xiao Yan's cold smile and grew agitated. It spat out its Essence Heart Flame in a sudden burst.
A cluster of Essence Heart Flame shot toward Xiao Yan and instantly appeared within his body, intending to incinerate him from the inside out!
Xiao Yan saw the cluster of Essence Heart Flame appear within him, and a hint of black flame flickered in his eyes. He laughed, "Mao Wu, devour it!"
(>^ω^<) Meow!!!!!!!
Mao Wu's cry echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. A cluster of black flame appeared within him, flickering like a lamp's flame, swaying unsteadily as if it might extinguish at any moment.
However, this tiny black flame, flickering as though it might go out at any time, precisely acted as the nemesis of the Fallen Heart Flame. The black flame immediately began to incinerate the intangible Heart Flame as soon as the cluster of Essence Heart Flame from the Fallen Heart Flame approached.
If it were the entire Essence Heart Flame, perhaps the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame might not be able to devour it so quickly. However, since it was just a small portion, even the Seed Flame could annihilate it. After all, the Nihility Devouring Flame was ranked second among the Heavenly Flames.
The black flame sizzled as it burned the Heart Flame. The incinerated Essence Heart Flame transformed into wisps of intangible energy, which Mao Wu swallowed in one gulp.
Xiao Yan's figure flickered with lightning as his Dou Qi wings propelled him straight into the transparent Fire Python. He was wrapped in the Nihility Devouring Flame, making him unapproachable by any amount or strength of Heart Flame; all were incinerated and devoured by the black flames.
He had truly exhausted all his trump cards at this moment. Mao Wu was his final measure. He had kept it hidden all along, waiting for the crucial moment to capture the Fallen Heart Flame and prevent it from escaping.
"Come over here!"
With his entire body enveloped by the Nihility Devouring Flame, Xiao Yan could see the intangible tiny flame serpent's every move with exceptional clarity. He smiled coldly as a faint silver light appeared beneath his feet, accompanied by a subtle thunderous sound.
His body trembled slightly, and an almost tangible afterimage remained where he stood, while his real figure appeared in a ghostlike manner in front of a flame.
Borrowing the power of the Nihility Devouring Flame, his hand passed through a black hole and emerged on the other side, much like Zi Yan's ability to traverse space!
He thrust his hand out fiercely and grabbed the Essence Flame of the Fallen Heart Flame in one swift motion.
Truly, fortune favors the bold!
The transparent Fire Python let out an earth-shattering screech the moment he grasped the Essence Flame of the Fallen Heart Flame. The entire underground world shook violently.
"Xiao Yan!" First Elder Su Qian yanked the ice chains abruptly, trying to trap the transparent Fire Python and prevent it from erupting.
But even with the combined strength of all the Inner Academy's elders, restraining the transparent Fire Python remained difficult. It actually disintegrated, transforming into a volcano and a sea of fire.
The terrifying flames bore down heavily on Xiao Yan like a world-destroying tsunami, attempting to submerge him into the magma.
This was the Fallen Heart Flame's final counterattack!
Just as Xiao Yan was about to be engulfed by the flames and sink into the magma, a graceful figure suddenly appeared beside him. Seven-colored divine light burst forth from Medusa's body. The radiant seven-colored light illuminated the entire underground world, dyeing it in a myriad of colors.
"Rise!"
The light continued to expand and contract. Moments later, a roar that was part lion's roar, part tiger's howl, and part dragon's cry resounded majestically from within the seven-colored light. Shortly after, the dazzling light suddenly intensified.
Xiao Yan reflexively closed his eyes under the blinding light. Moments later, he opened them again, only to be shocked to find a hundred-meter-long seven-colored giant serpent hovering in the air.
The seven-colored giant serpent's body was slender yet powerful, exuding a subtle sense of elegant beauty. The seven-colored scales on its body shimmered with an extraordinary luster.
This was Medusa's soul—or rather, the soul form of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python!
Medusa's physical body hadn't completed its evolution, but her soul had succeeded. She was now a true ancient magical beast!
Without hesitation, she directly used the soul form of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python to withstand the Fallen Heart Flame!
Soul bodies were most vulnerable to Heavenly Flames, but Medusa's soul body had strong resistance to them because she had used a Heavenly Flame for her evolution.
Xiao Yan looked at Medusa beside him. Her beautiful face was tinged with paleness, her eyes solemn. One could imagine the immense pressure she was enduring at this moment.
Xiao Yan hadn't expected that in the end, it would be Medusa who would risk damaging her soul to block the Fallen Heart Flame's final retaliation for him.
"What are you spacing out for?!" Medusa's inverted triangular snake pupils glanced coldly at Xiao Yan as she scolded.
Xiao Yan instantly snapped back to his senses. He softly said, "Thank you," and without further words, took out a Ground Spirit Pill and tossed it directly into his mouth. Then he swallowed the Fallen Heart Flame, which was enveloped by the Nihility Devouring Flame.
As the Fallen Heart Flame entered, his body instantly stiffened!
The Fallen Heart Flame unleashed an extremely terrifying temperature as soon as it entered his body. Even with the protection of his own Heavenly Flames and the Ground Spirit Pill, his body gradually became scorching hot under such intense heat and began to feel the sting of burns. Although the Essence of the Fallen Heart Flame wasn't large, its temperature was extraordinary, having taken countless years to form.
However, the burning pain that reappeared in his body was not unbearable to Xiao Yan—who had experienced the excruciating agony of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame, which had made him feel that death would be better than life.
He immediately steadied his mind. The four kinds of Heavenly Flames surged out from within his body and formed an inescapable net, surrounding the Fallen Heart Flame that was rampaging inside him from four directions.
Four against one!
Although the Fallen Heart Flame had been absorbed into Xiao Yan's body, it clearly still retained its own consciousness. Therefore, it cunningly darted around to evade Xiao Yan's encirclement. The terrifying high temperature could no longer make Xiao Yan feel unbearable pain, but after a prolonged period, it inevitably made one feel irritable.
The Heavenly Flame energy that formed the transparent Fire Python instantly lost its command after losing its Essence Flame and, with a boom, scattered in all directions.
"Did... did we succeed?!" The elders stared dumbfounded at Xiao Yan at the center. They could sense that he was currently refining the Fallen Heart Flame.
First Elder Su Qian shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. He's refining it now, but success isn't guaranteed. Those who can successfully refine a Heavenly Flame are one in ten thousand. However, the spirit of the Fallen Heart Flame should have been eliminated regardless. The crisis of the Inner Academy is thus resolved."
The First Elder immediately breathed a sigh of relief. The accumulated Heavenly Flame energy of the Fallen Heart Flame had been completely dispersed in any case, and the terrifying Heavenly Flame energy permeated the entire Heavenly Flame space.
This Heavenly Flame energy would be the Heart Flame used to accelerate cultivation in the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower once purified. However, without the Essence Flame, this Heavenly Flame energy would be gone and unable to regenerate once used up.
The First Elder glanced at Xiao Yan, then looked at Medusa standing beside him. He slowly shook his head and withdrew from this underground world, remembering what Xiao Yan had said.
"Seal the entrance temporarily to prevent the Heavenly Flame energy from escaping." The First Elder formed a hand seal, and an energy barrier appeared to block the entrance, preventing energy leakage.
"First Elder, what about Xiao Yan and that mysterious Dou Ancestor... how should we handle them?"
"Wait. Wait until there's a result from Xiao Yan refining the Heavenly Flame. As for that mysterious Dou Ancestor, just don't provoke her."
Medusa wasn't the least bit alarmed when she sensed that the First Elder had sealed the entrance. An energy barrier of that level could be shattered with a single palm strike from her; it was merely to prevent energy from leaking out.
'He actually succeeded...' Medusa stood suspended in the air, her beautiful eyes studying Xiao Yan, who was sitting cross-legged refining the Fallen Heart Flame. A hint of admiration couldn't help but appear in her gaze.
She had some experience in refining Heavenly Flames herself and understood the pain involved. It wasn't merely a matter of burning the flesh and meridians; even the soul would be continuously tempered. It was a process both dangerous and excruciating.
She shook her head lightly, and her figure flashed as she arrived at the place where the Heavenly Flame energy was most concentrated. The bloodline of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python within her began to boil.
Magical beasts did not cultivate Qi Methods; their methods were their bloodline strengths.
Medusa's red lips parted slightly. She directly opened her mouth and began to swallow, frantically absorbing the Fallen Heart Flame's Heavenly Flame energy into her body. This rapidly condensed her physical form, striving to elevate her body to Rank 7!
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan's mind gradually calmed. The powers of the four kinds of Heavenly Flames seeped out from various parts of his body and eventually permeated every corner to pursue the Essence of the Fallen Heart Flame.
No matter how cunning or clever the Fallen Heart Flame was, it ultimately had nowhere to hide when surrounded by four kinds of Heavenly Flames. Xiao Yan seized the opportunity to use the Nihility Devouring Flame to completely envelop it.
Inside his body, the cluster of Fallen Heart Flame did not give up even though it was heavily surrounded by black flames. It struggled violently like a cornered beast, continuously releasing terrifying heat. A hint of pain gradually surfaced on Xiao Yan's previously calm face under the increasingly intense temperature.
Xiao Yan's mind stirred, enduring the burning pain. The other Heavenly Flames also joined the pursuit, howling within his body. Finally, they surged rapidly and condensed into a four-colored fire lotus. The four lotus petals closed together!
Inside the lotus was the Fallen Heart Flame frantically struggling to escape.
The Essence of the Fallen Heart Flame could no longer stir up any trouble once enveloped. Xiao Yan smiled coldly, and his Spiritual Strength pierced through the fire lotus like a divine sword, stabbing into the tiny serpent-like Fallen Heart Flame.
"I'm giving you two choices now. First, I'll use my Spiritual Strength to directly erase your intelligence. Second, I can preserve your intelligence if you submit to me and obediently follow the Flame Mantra into the Acceptance Soul."
Xiao Yan had previously refined the Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, which possessed intelligence. He naturally knew that when refining a Heavenly Flame, it was possible to preserve its intelligence.
However, preserving its intelligence required the other party's willing submission. If he forcibly devoured it and aroused the Fallen Heart Flame's resistance, leading to an eruption, the first to suffer would be himself.
He knew all too well the consequences of Heavenly Flames colliding.
But a Heavenly Flame Spirit was not easily born, and possessing one would be a tremendous help, especially in terms of fire control. Even if Xiao Yan were a Di Tier Alchemist, his control over fire would never match that of a Heavenly Flame Spirit. After all, the Fallen Heart Flame controlling itself was like controlling one's own arm.
The Fallen Heart Flame understood Xiao Yan's intentions, so it struggled desperately. However, it had become a fish on the chopping block at this point. Whether to kill or flay it was entirely up to Xiao Yan.
After a moment, the Fallen Heart Flame ceased its resistance. Having intelligence had this one disadvantage—it feared death.
It didn't want its intelligence to be directly erased. Although becoming a servant hurt its pride, the Fallen Heart Flame lacked that kind of courage in the face of death.
Xiao Yan sensed that the Essence of the Fallen Heart Flame had given up resistance and revealed a faint smile. He slowly released the lotus while controlling the four kinds of Heavenly Flames, and the intangible little serpent slowly raised its head.
It flicked its tongue, no longer displaying any hostility.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, quite satisfied with this outcome. Being able to preserve its intelligence was naturally the best.
With a thought, he circulated the Flame Mantra to guide the Fallen Heart Flame through his meridians. After circulating for one full cycle, it slowly merged into the Acceptance Soul, signifying that Xiao Yan had finally succeeded in refining the Fallen Heart Flame!
"Phew..." Xiao Yan let out a long breath. Unaware of the passage of time during cultivation, he had spent a full month chasing and refining the Fallen Heart Flame.
'The Flame Mantra has evolved again.'
The evolution of the Flame Mantra was in line with Xiao Yan's expectations. After refining the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame at the Gate of Life and Death, the Flame Mantra had approached the intermediate level of the Di Class. However, the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame was only ranked 21st, whereas the Fallen Heart Flame was ranked 14th. This directly elevated the Flame Mantra to the high level of the Di Class!
'Di Class high level, huh...'
Xiao Yan's gaze turned to the enchanting beauty amidst the flames. Looking at the human-bodied, snake-tailed Medusa, he recalled that a month ago, it was entirely thanks to Medusa risking damage to her soul to help him block the Fallen Heart Flame's final counterattack that he could proceed so smoothly.
'It seems Medusa is progressing well too. Elevating her physical body to Rank 7 is just a matter of time.'
Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze and looked up toward the entrance. First Elder Su Qian had rushed over upon hearing the news. Knowing that Xiao Yan had successfully refined the Heavenly Flame, he revealed a pleased smile.
Just as the First Elder was about to open the energy barrier to let Xiao Yan out, a spiritual voice transmitted over: "First Elder, I plan to cultivate here for a while longer."
The First Elder was slightly startled but soon nodded inwardly. This Heavenly Flame space was filled with fire poison for others, and staying here for an extended period would inevitably lead to death. But for Xiao Yan, it was an excellent place.
However, the First Elder misunderstood Xiao Yan's intentions. Xiao Yan's greater purpose for staying wasn't just to cultivate. He still needed to merge the Heavenly Flames before it could be considered complete.
And most importantly, he planned to refine a second Heavenly Flame!
Buzz!
Xiao Yan spread open his palm, and a cluster of eerie, pale white flames flew out from his mysterious storage ring!
Looking at this Heavenly Flame, which was the first one he had obtained and, to date, the highest-ranked complete, mature Heavenly Flame he possessed, he resolved to refine it!
'A Di Class Qi Method isn't enough. For Dou God Clans like the Gu Clan and the Hun Clan, the Di Class is far from sufficient!'
'Tian Class!'
'Flame Mantra, evolve once again!'