Chapter 683: The Secret of Heavenly Flames, Xiao Yan's Opportunity to Become a Dou Emperor
"Create a Dou Emperor?"
As soon as Zhu Kun uttered these words, it felt like the air itself had frozen. Everyone—except for Mu Yu, who had some idea of what Zhu Kun meant—was left in stunned silence. Even Gu Yuan, usually composed, gaped in disbelief at Zhu Kun.
The silence lasted for what seemed like forever, until the shock started to fade slightly. When the others finally came to their senses, the room filled with a sense of absurdity.
Create a Dou Emperor? Even coming from Zhu Kun, such an idea seemed impossible. For tens of thousands of years, no Dou Emperor had been born. This alone made it clear that reaching that legendary realm was far beyond ordinary understanding.
"Old Dragon Emperor, you must be joking," Yan Jin said, his voice dry. Even though he didn't believe it, a small part of him couldn't help but hope. The situation for the alliance had reached a critical point—if the Soul Heavenly Emperor successfully became a Dou Emperor, there would be no hope left for them. A Dou Emperor was beyond the power of any human resistance. But if Zhu Kun's words held any truth, then perhaps there was still a way out of this crisis.
"Senior Zhu Kun, now is not the time for jokes," Xiao Yan cautiously asked after a moment's hesitation.
Gu Yuan remained silent, but his gaze was firmly fixed on Zhu Kun, waiting for him to confirm or deny what he had just said.
Seeing everyone's doubtful expressions, Zhu Kun chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not joking. If luck is on our side, someone on our side may indeed become a Dou Emperor."
"Could you explain this more clearly?" Gu Yuan asked, his voice trembling slightly.
Zhu Kun slowly raised his head and looked toward the large plaza of Heavenly Flames that he had brought out from the Ancient Emperor's Mansion. He remained silent for a moment before finally speaking. "The embryonic Emperor Pill that the Soul Heavenly Emperor stole is not the most precious thing in the Ancient Emperor's Mansion."
"Senior Zhu Kun, are you referring to... that?" Xiao Yan seemed to realize something, gesturing toward the massive plaza of Heavenly Flames floating in the air.
"Why do you think I went through so much trouble to bring this thing out? You think it was for fun?" Zhu Kun rolled his eyes, then waved his sleeve. Space distorted, and in the blink of an eye, everyone found themselves standing atop the massive Heavenly Flame Plaza.
Everyone looked around at the pillars of Heavenly Flames surrounding the plaza, but none of them seemed to sense any particular energy fluctuations. After scanning the area, their attention was drawn to the towering stone statue that stood at the center.
"What's special about this place?" Lei Ying asked after a while, unable to find anything unusual.
Standing with his hands behind his back, Zhu Kun gazed up at the towering Ancient Emperor statue with a complex expression. "Do you know the origin or identity of the Tou She Ancient Emperor?"
Hearing this, everyone was taken aback. They exchanged puzzled looks but remained silent, indicating they had no idea.
Seeing their confusion, Zhu Kun continued, his voice shifting topics slightly. "There are 23 Heavenly Flames ranked on the Heavenly Flame list, representing the most powerful flames in the world. But do you know the name of the flame ranked first on the list?"
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. The first Heavenly Flame—none of them knew what it was called. In fact, even the top experts of the continent had no knowledge of it because that spot on the list was always left blank.
The 23 Heavenly Flames were well-known, but the first flame had no name. No one knew what it was, but there was a strange feeling that many alchemists shared: something beyond the Void Swallowing Flame seemed to exist, though they couldn't explain what it was.
Mu Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. He had a feeling that Zhu Kun was about to reveal the origin and secret of the Tou She Ancient Emperor.
Zhu Kun, seeing their curiosity, continued, "According to what I've learned, there was once a Heavenly Flame born from the heavens and earth. It took shape over a thousand years, gathered spiritual energy over ten thousand years, and refined itself for tens of thousands of years, undergoing a mysterious transformation."
"Typically, once a Heavenly Flame is formed, it rarely leaves the place of its birth. But this flame was different. After it gained intelligence, it roamed the earth through underground magma, wandering for a thousand years and feeding on other flames."
"The flames it devoured were all ranked on the Heavenly Flame list. It consumed twenty-one flames in total."
"Devouring other flames? Isn't that something only the Void Swallowing Flame can do?" Xiao Yan, who possessed several Heavenly Flames himself, asked.
"Heavenly Flames, like human empires, have their own hierarchies. Even if one is born into privilege, they can still be overthrown. Devouring is a natural instinct for Heavenly Flames, although it usually occurs when stronger flames consume weaker ones," Zhu Kun explained. "What made this flame unique was its ability to devour weaker flames and grow stronger, gradually becoming something far more dangerous."
"After devouring twenty different flames over thousands of years, even the Void Swallowing Flame and Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame had no choice but to bow before it."
The crowd couldn't help but gasp at the thought. Heavenly Flames were incredibly rare and powerful. The idea of devouring twenty such flames was staggering. Even for a human, locating and absorbing these flames would be nearly impossible, as each flame was immensely dangerous on its own.
"Are you saying that the flame ranked first on the Heavenly Flame list has no specific name? It's simply whichever flame survives after devouring all the others?" Mu Yu asked, stroking his chin as he pieced together the logic.
It seemed that the Tou She Ancient Emperor had once been an ordinary Heavenly Flame, but through unimaginable perseverance, cunning, and effort, he had become the last Dou Emperor, making his journey a story of inspiration and ambition.
"That's right. However, devouring so many Heavenly Flames carries great risk. Two flames might clash, causing a catastrophic explosion. Only by successfully devouring all twenty-one flames and surviving can a flame earn the title of the number one Heavenly Flame," Zhu Kun said.
"Who would've thought the first flame on the list had such a secret?" Everyone sighed, realizing for the first time that the strongest Heavenly Flame wasn't a specific flame at all. Instead, it was the result of one flame successfully absorbing and merging with twenty-two others to become the ultimate flame.
"After this flame completed its journey, it declared itself the Emperor Flame. It trained for another thousand years before finally emerging into the world as a true power," Zhu Kun said, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"When the Emperor Flame emerged, people across the Dou Qi Continent gave it another name."
Zhu Kun took a deep breath, then softly spoke words that boomed like thunder in everyone's ears.
"They called it... the Tou She Ancient Emperor."
"The Tou She Ancient Emperor... is the first Heavenly Flame on the list."
Once again, the entire Heavenly Flame Plaza fell into stunned silence. Everyone's faces reflected their shock. The revelation was simply too astonishing.
"Zhu Kun, is what you're saying true?" Even Gu Yuan, usually calm and collected, was struggling to maintain his composure. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"If we're going by age, you're all younger than my grandchildren. If anyone knows the ancient secrets of the Dou Qi Continent, it's me," Zhu Kun replied with a grin.
Hearing this, the group let out a bitter laugh. There was no reason for Zhu Kun to lie to them, so after the initial shock wore off, they began to accept this unbelievable truth.
"But how does this connect to creating a Dou Emperor?" Gu Yuan asked, getting to the heart of the matter.
"There are two incredibly precious treasures in the Ancient Emperor's Mansion. One is the embryonic Emperor Pill that the Soul Heavenly Emperor now possesses, and the other is..." Zhu Kun paused, his eyes fixed on the massive statue of the Ancient Emperor before him. He slowly said, "The Emperor's Origin left behind by the Tou She Ancient Emperor!"
"The Emperor's Origin?!" Everyone gasped.
"It's the true legacy of the Tou She Ancient Emperor. Compared to it, the embryonic Emperor Pill is of lesser value," Zhu Kun explained with a smile. "If we can obtain the Emperor's Origin, we too can produce a Dou Emperor. At that point, it won't matter if the Soul Heavenly Emperor becomes a Dou Emperor using the Emperor Pill. We'll have our own!"
At this revelation, everyone's eyes lit up. Just when they thought all hope was lost, a new opportunity had emerged!
"Where is the Emperor's Origin? How can we obtain this power?" Gu Yuan asked, his face flushed with excitement.
However, Zhu Kun shook his head with a bitter smile. "The Tou She Ancient Emperor's legacy won't be easy to claim. I've tried countless ways, but I haven't been able to obtain it."
Gu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Where exactly is this Emperor's Origin?"
Zhu Kun walked up to the massive statue and patted it. "It's inside here, but no one can get to it. Even if we attacked with all our strength, we wouldn't be able to destroy this statue."
The group approached the statue, feeling it for themselves. Despite its unremarkable appearance, it was utterly impervious to their touch. To their surprise, it felt like an ordinary rock.
"Boom!"
Lei Ying, frustrated, punched the statue with all his strength. But the result shocked everyone. He was sent flying backward, crashing into the ground hundreds of meters away.
"It's protected by the Emperor's Origin..." Gu Yuan muttered, his face filled with disbelief.
Zhu Kun nodded. "The Emperor's Origin is inside, but we can't break the statue to reach it."
"There must be a special method," Gu Yuan mused, frowning.
"I believe Xiao Yan is the best candidate for this task. His Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame is already at a stage where it has developed a fire spirit. If anyone can unlock the statue, it's him," Mu Yu suggested suddenly.
He knew that in the original timeline, Xiao Yan had indeed inherited the legacy of the Tou She Ancient Emperor. Out of everyone present, Xiao Yan was undoubtedly the most suitable choice.
Xiao Yan was surprised by Mu Yu's suggestion, but before he could respond, a small pink flame appeared on his shoulder—it was Xiao Yi.
"I can open the statue," Xiao Yi said quietly, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
Zhu Kun and Gu Yuan were at Xiao Yan's side in an instant, their eyes fixed on Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go ahead, but don't push yourself too hard if you can't do it."
Xiao Yi nodded, then floated up toward the statue. Under everyone's gaze, he stopped at the heart of the statue.
Suddenly, the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame erupted from Xiao Yi's small body, forming a beam of fire that shot straight at the statue's chest.
Buzz! Buzz!
As the beam hit the statue, strange waves of energy rippled across its surface, spreading out in circles.
The statue began to tremble, the frequency of the vibrations increasing. Then, with a loud creaking sound, the statue's chest cracked open, revealing a small chamber inside.
Soft light streamed out from the chamber, gently enveloping everyone on the plaza. The light brushed past Mu Yu, Gu Yuan, and the others before gathering around Xiao Yan, who was standing in the center.
"Looks like it's your lucky day, Xiao Yan," Zhu Kun said with a bittersweet smile. He had once been trapped here for thousands of years, seeking the Emperor's Origin, but now, it had chosen Xiao Yan.
Mu Yu also smiled. "Cousin Xiao Yan, we're counting on you to succeed..."
As Mu Yu watched Xiao Yan receive his opportunity to become a Dou Emperor, he clenched his fists. If Xiao Yan had found his path to becoming an Emperor, then he couldn't afford to lag behind.
(End of Chapter)
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