"This… how is this even possible?"
Even someone as knowledgeable as Xiao Yan couldn't help but be stunned when he saw the blood-red flame in his hand, which now flickered with illusions of countless magical beasts. With his deep understanding of Heavenly Flames, he immediately recognized it—the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
But this was the crux of his disbelief: while the Blood Demon Flame he had forged was often considered a lesser version of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, it was worlds apart in true essence. After all, the Blood Demon Flame was an artificial construct made by refining the blood of thousands of fire-type magical beasts. In contrast, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was born from the fusion of both the souls and blood of ten thousand magical beasts.
Though both were related to magical beasts, the difference in quality and quantity was monumental. If an artificial flame like the Blood Demon Flame could compare to a Heavenly Flame, then Heavenly Flames wouldn't be so coveted. And yet, now—his artificially forged flame had somehow evolved into the genuine Ten Thousand Beast Flame. How could that not shock him?
Soon enough, Xiao Yan noticed that the crimson hue of the blood pool had significantly faded. He immediately began to form a theory: perhaps when he injected the blood fiend energy into the Blood Demon Flame earlier, it affected the blood pool as well. After all, the pool itself was made from the blood of countless magical beasts. And now, the demonic energy had essentially filled the missing component—the soul aspect—thereby completing the conditions necessary for evolution. Thus, the Blood Demon Flame had forcibly evolved into the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.
"Whatever the case… it's still a win for me." Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. No matter the cause, the evolution of this flame was undoubtedly beneficial. With the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and the Bone Chilling Flame now in his possession, his Flame Mantra would finally evolve into a Heaven Rank Dou Technique. At that point, he would no longer face situations like the last battle with Hun Mo Li, where he'd nearly exhausted himself despite victory.
With that thought in mind, Xiao Yan wasted no time. He carefully placed the Heavy Xuan Ruler on the ground and summoned his Green Lotus Platform. His current state was optimal—both his physical condition and mental clarity were at their peak. And since the Ten Thousand Beast Flame ranked near the bottom of the Heavenly Flame list, refining it with his current power shouldn't be too difficult.
But just as he was about to devour the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and circulate Flame Mantra to begin refinement, the Bone Chilling Flame, which had been dormant in his brow, suddenly stirred and surged into his meridians on its own. Xiao Yan's expression changed sharply. He had only intended to refine the Ten Thousand Beast Flame—why was the Bone Chilling Flame suddenly joining the process?
The answer came to him quickly. Due to the cultivation progress in recent days, the Bone Chilling Flame had lost its resistance toward him and had reached a fully receptive state—ready to be refined. Xiao Yan's action of refining another flame caused it to misunderstand the signal as an invitation, prompting it to participate voluntarily.
Unfortunately, the Bone Chilling Flame didn't anticipate that its eagerness might throw Xiao Yan into deadly peril.
Individually, neither flame was dangerous to refine with his current strength. But refining both flames simultaneously was another matter entirely. If their mutual repulsion exploded within his body, it could lead to catastrophic consequences.
In the past, Xiao Yan always refined each flame one at a time and only fused them internally after full subjugation. Even then, the process was risky, but his supreme flame control and Flame Mantra's unique structure had always ensured his safety. But now, he had no choice but to refine two Heavenly Flames together—a feat exponentially more difficult than anything he'd attempted before.
With no other choice, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and pushed on. Thankfully, though both flames had entered his body, they did so at staggered intervals. Thus, Xiao Yan focused on multitasking: accelerating the refinement of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame through his meridians while delaying the advance of the Bone Chilling Flame, ensuring they wouldn't collide within his body.
In an instant, opposing energies—one scorching hot and one bone-chillingly cold—raced through his meridians. The extreme temperature contrast would have torn any ordinary person apart. Had Xiao Yan's willpower been the slightest bit weaker, he might have lost control of both flames, causing them to clash and explode inside him—instantly turning his body to ash.
Fortunately, disaster was avoided. Through relentless concentration, Xiao Yan guided both flames through the Flame Mantra circulation paths, eventually merging them within his spirit core. There, the icy-white Bone Chilling Flame, the blood-red Ten Thousand Beast Flame, and the deep-blue Nine Nether Illusion Flame began to fuse together.
The fusion gave birth to a new flame—a pale gray fire, simple in appearance, almost dull. It lacked any striking flare or aura. If judged solely by appearance, one might mistake it for a mundane Dou Qi flame. But Xiao Yan could feel it—the terrifying power hidden within.
This new flame, born from the union of six Heavenly Flames, had undergone a complete transformation. Though it still likely couldn't rival the top three on the Heavenly Flame list, it had already surpassed the fourth-ranked Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame.
At the same time the gray flame emerged, a powerful energy surge erupted from Xiao Yan's body. After refining two flames in succession, his cultivation directly leaped to four-star Dou Zun! Compared to previous flame refinements, this wasn't a monumental leap—but Xiao Yan wasn't surprised.
The Ten Thousand Beast Flame ranked low and didn't contain much power, barely capable of propelling a Dou Zun beyond one star. The Bone Chilling Flame was stronger but could at most offer a two-star boost. That he reached four-star Dou Zun was mainly thanks to the steady progress he had already made at the one-star level.
However, strength wasn't the only gain. The most significant benefit was the evolution of Flame Mantra. Originally, even after refining four flames, Flame Mantra was still a High Earth Rank Technique—albeit at the peak of that level. But with the addition of two more Heavenly Flames, it finally made the leap across the massive chasm separating Earth and Heaven Ranks, becoming a true Heaven Rank Dou Technique!
This meant that some of Xiao Yan's most formidable techniques from his past life could now be reawakened.
Of course, the celestial phenomenon triggered by Flame Mantra's evolution was fully contained within his sealed space. Otherwise, the outside world would've been shaken by the heavens-altering event.
Meanwhile, far away, Nalan Yanran broke through to five-star Dou Zhe, and was now diligently cultivating toward six-star.
(End of Chapter)
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