Chapter 529: Bone You Sheng's Devouring Void Flame!
Xiao Yan observed the emergence of the Blood Demon Flame, fully aware of the stark difference between himself and someone born into privilege.
This flame required an immense amount of manpower and resources to create. Without the backing of an exceptionally powerful faction, gathering the blood of a thousand fire-attribute magical beasts would have been an impossible feat.
Even hunting these beasts was beyond the capability of ordinary individuals, let alone ensuring they were of the right rank to form such a flame.
As Xuan Kong Zi's disciple and the future pillar of the Cao family, Cao Ying naturally had the full support of both her family and Xuan Kong Zi himself.
Thus, it was no surprise that she possessed the Blood Demon Flame. For a force as powerful as the Pill Tower, obtaining even multiple such flames would be a trivial matter.
Xiao Yan sighed inwardly.
At one point, he had considered himself privileged, as if Heavenly Flames simply gravitated toward him.
Yet in reality
He never truly owned them.
Every time he got close to one, it was snatched away before he could fully claim it.
And the worst part?
It was always the same person who took them.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
Now that Song Qing, one of the three great prodigies of the Pill Tower, was gone, the spotlight had fully shifted to Dan Chen.
She had always kept a low profile, but now, she was finally revealing her true brilliance.
Her jade-like hands moved gracefully as she conjured a flame.
Though it wasn't Blood Demon Flame, it was still one of the most powerful Beast Flames in existence, placing it among the top-tier flames at this competition.
Fwoosh!
A sudden surge of sinister black flames erupted atop one of the highest stone platforms.
The moment this black fire appeared, everyone's expressions changed.
A chill ran down their spines.
The serpentine black fire coiled around the user's body, exuding an ominous aura that sent shivers through those who merely laid eyes on it.
"What kind of flame is that? Black? I've never heard of a black fire before!"
"I don't know... But look at the other flames! The moment that thing appeared, their size shrank considerably. Could it be a Heavenly Flame?"
"That's impossible! If it were a Heavenly Flame, the other fires wouldn't just shrink they'd go completely berserk. But they only trembled slightly…"
"Wait a second… Could it be ?!"
As countless gazes locked onto the mysterious black fire, exclamations erupted across the arena.
Even the three Pill Tower Giants sitting atop their elevated seats visibly tensed.
Their expressions darkened.
That black flame bore an uncanny resemblance to a legendary fire.
Of course, they could tell it wasn't the real thing but even a mere imitation was still enough to shake the entire battlefield.
Atop one of the highest platforms, a handsome young man smirked coldly.
Bone You Sheng.
The black flames coiled around his body like a serpentine monarch, exuding an unrivaled dominance.
A moment later
Boom!
A wave of black flame energy erupted outward, causing the other flames to bow in submission.
Many alchemists who had just ignited their Qi Flames found them extinguished instantly.
"Black flames?! Wait… Could this be ?"
For Xiao Yan, this flame was far too familiar.
Back in the Jia Ma Empire, at the Cloud Mist Sect
He had witnessed the sheer horror of this fire firsthand.
It was ranked second on the Heavenly Flame List.
The Devouring Void Flame.
Xiao Yan's face darkened.
This was no longer a simple competition.
But
There was one saving grace.
This wasn't the true Devouring Void Flame just a fragment of it.
If the real Devouring Void Flame were here, every single flame present would have been instantly devoured.
The black flame serpent slithered around Bone You Sheng, hissing ominously.
His presence was unquestionably dominant.
Bone You Sheng.
The Second Venerable of the Soul Hall.
Unlike others who came to forcibly steal the Three Thousand Burning Flame, he had legitimately entered the competition, seeking to claim it through official means.
His original Windfury Dragon Flame had been stolen by Wu Tian, so he had reported it to his superiors
And as compensation
He was granted a fragment of the Devouring Void Flame.
Of course, he knew the hierarchy of these flames:
The Soul Hall's Leader possessed the Child Flame.
The true Devouring Void Flame was wielded by its main body.
As for Bone You Sheng's current fire?
It was merely a sub-fragment, split from the Child Flame.
Though it wasn't a real Heavenly Flame, it was still powerful enough to suppress most Beast Flames.
Even weaker Heavenly Flames would struggle against it unless wielded by someone with superior mastery.
Which was why
When it emerged, all flames bowed before it.
Even the flames of Dan Chen, Cao Ying, and Xiao Yan trembled in submission.
Xiao Yan clenched his teeth.
His flames bowing to the Soul Hall?!
Unacceptable.
The mere thought made his blood boil with fury.
"ACHOO!"
A loud sneeze suddenly echoed across the sky, shattering the tense atmosphere.
Everyone turned, confused.
Who the hell was sneezing at a critical moment in the Alchemy Competition?!
"Ugh… I guess this blanket was too thin… I actually caught a chill."
A lazy voice muttered.
Then
Fwoosh.
A hand lazily waved.
A second blanket materialized, covering his body.
The sheer casualness of this act left everyone speechless.
The absolute disregard for the competition was infuriating.
At first, the black flame serpent had been coiling majestically like an emperor among flames.
But now
It suddenly shrunk back into the cauldron.
Peeking out cautiously, it trembled as if it had just seen a monster.
Could it be…?
Was this really because of the sneeze?!
Xiao Yan's expression darkened.
That bastard did it on purpose!
He had plenty of chances to sneeze earlier, but he waited until Bone You Sheng unleashed the Devouring Void Flame.
That was deliberate timing.
It was attention-seeking.
It was shameless.
It was absolutely infuriating.
Cao Ying and Dan Chen covered their mouths, chuckling.
They knew Wu Tian's casual sneeze wasn't ordinary.
After all
He possessed over a dozen fused Heavenly Flames.
It was only natural that his mere presence would make other flames fearful.
But what they didn't know was
The Devouring Void Flame's fear wasn't just because of Wu Tian's flames.
It was because of Wu Tian himself.
He was a flame.
Flames instinctively feared him.
His sneeze was akin to a volcanic eruption
And Devouring Void Flame's fragment simply wasn't strong enough to endure it.
Xuan Kong Zi and the other Pill Tower Giants sighed.
"Can we just get on with the competition already?"
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan had taken out a scroll, listing his ingredients and refining steps.
After carefully reviewing it, he retrieved three precious medicinal ingredients, their importance evident from how he handled them.
These had cost him dearly to obtain.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright… Let's begin!"
(End of Chapter)
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