Immortal Fire

Shen Ye and Hua Yue naturally noticed the Crow Daoist as well. They gave him a courteous nod before continuing deeper into the Fire Domain.

The Crow Daoist's mind went blank. He instinctively returned the gesture, then suddenly realized in horror, "Those two little ones are actually heading for the ninth layer of the Fire Domain?"

Though the eighth and ninth layers of the Fire Domain were separated by only a thin boundary, the difference between them was like that between immortals and mortals!

Not to mention him—even Ancient Saints who rashly entered would be reduced to ashes!

Ancient legends claimed that the tenth type of flame in the Fire Domain had even burned immortals to death!

Standing at the edge of the eighth layer, Shen Ye said softly, "I came to the Fire Domain this time to create my own cultivation art. It won't take a short time. Yue'er, use this time to explore this world on your own."

Hua Yue, who had always been obedient, shook her head this time. "I want to guard the place closest to you!"

Although she believed that anything Shen Ye wished to accomplish would surely be achieved, the flames within the ninth layer of the Fire Domain were simply too dangerous. Even standing at its edge made her heart pound with fear!

She would not stop Shen Ye, but no matter what, she wanted to guard the place closest to him!

Shen Ye was briefly lost in a daze, recalling the final battle of his previous life. Hua Yue had said the very same words back then!

"As you wish!" The depths of Shen Ye's sea-like gaze softened. He tapped his glabella with a fingertip, then pressed it against Hua Yue's forehead. Once she was stained with the same aura, the surrounding flames retreated considerably. "Though the flames here are violent, this is also an excellent place for cultivation!"

With that, Shen Ye stepped into the ninth layer of the Fire Domain without looking back!

Nine-colored flames flickered endlessly, as though they had transcended the mortal world, yet also as though they burned within another Great Thousand World. They appeared dreamlike and terrifying.

It was here that Shen Ye first felt his physical body being tempered!

The nine-colored mist threads contained an aura of destruction. They seeped into his body through his pores, directly grinding away his flesh and blood!

Though Emperor Yan's Essence Blood was of an extremely high level, it was not fire itself. Moreover, he was currently only a minor cultivator in the Sea of Wheels Realm. Being able to enter the ninth layer of the Fire Domain was already like a fantastical myth!

Fortunately, ninety-nine percent of the nine-colored flames' power was offset by the fire lotus formed from divine blood. Furthermore, while his cultivation was only at the Sea of Wheels Secret Realm, his physique belonged to the Star Core System. His physical body was comparable to that of a cultivator in the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm!

Though the flames burned his body, he could still endure them.

In the desolate ninth layer of the Fire Domain, Shen Ye wandered alone, nearly losing all sense of time.

After advancing more than ten kilometers, Shen Ye finally discovered the ultimate goal of this journey at the very end of the Fire Domain—a strange tree formed from a cluster of flames!

In the deepest reaches of this eternally silent Fire Domain, Little Flame was incredibly excited by the sudden arrival of a "guest." It circled Shen Ye nonstop, sometimes in front of him and sometimes behind him, its movements impossible to predict!

Then, the strange tree formed from flames transformed into a fire dragon. A moment later, it became a little phoenix, flying joyfully through the Fire Domain like an elf!

"So this is the tenth type of flame!" Shen Ye let out a long breath. Even with his temperament, his emotions could not help but surge at this moment.

He knew that Little Flame's affection toward him actually came from the fire lotus formed by the Emperor Yan's divine blood, which made the Immortal Fire regard him as one of its own kind.

But if he appeared too eager, he might frighten the flame away.

Therefore, Shen Ye did nothing unnecessary. He merely sat cross-legged and continued accepting the divine blood's inheritance.

As expected, Little Flame was drawn to the fire Dao laws within the divine blood and cautiously approached Shen Ye.

Then, an incomparably scorching and violent blaze instantly swept over Shen Ye's entire body. His brows and hair were singed, while his skin and flesh were nearly roasted to the point of dripping oil!

With Shen Ye's temperament, even divine fire tempering his body was nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet this Immortal Fire was no ordinary flame. It actually ignited his "Heart Fire"!

The five aggregates blazed fiercely like burning flames. Boundless fury surged into his heart, seeming ready to burn him completely clean from within and without, from the intangible to the tangible!

"Hiss! This really has some kick!" Shen Ye's face twisted in pain, but a smile rose at the corners of his lips.

When his Dao Injury first flared up in his previous life, nearly all the blood in his body had turned into flames.

Though that pain had not necessarily been more intense than this, he had still been very immature back then, and his Dao heart had been far less steadfast than it was now. That agony had nearly killed him alive!

Compared to that soul-deep suffering, this pain was nothing!

Though Little Flame did not understand the concept of injury, it could sense Shen Ye's life flame continuously weakening.

For a moment, even the flame floating above the little phoenix's head wilted considerably, and it drifted away in dejection.

Shen Ye said nothing, merely conveying a delighted thought: Come, keep burning me!

With Little Flame's instinct-driven and feeble intelligence, it naturally could not understand such a complex concept as "masochism," but it could still sense the meaning of delight.

Thus, Little Flame quickly fluttered back in high spirits and circled at his side.

His Heart Fire rose again. Shen Ye suppressed the pain through immense willpower, keeping his spiritual platform clear. His gaze was incomparably resolute. "It's time to create the cultivation method for the Dao Palace Secret Realm!"

The greatest objective of this trip to the Fire Domain was naturally to subdue this wisp of Immortal Fire.

If he could take this Immortal Fire out with him, it would be like carrying a mobile nuclear bomb. Forget Immortal Two Great Powers—even Great Saints would be terrified upon seeing it.

Of course, the Immortal Fire itself possessed little intelligence. If it truly faced those great powers, it would most likely struggle to hit its target. It could only be used to ambush people or bluff them!

His second objective was to use the Immortal Fire to temper his body and comprehend the fragments of immortal Dao laws within it.

The scripture he cultivated for the Sea of Wheels Scroll was the "Dao Scripture," so the Dao Palace Scroll could not be too far behind.

But creating a cultivation art was no simple matter.

Even if his comprehension was extraordinary and his perspective lofty, the Imperial Dao Extreme Realm was still a realm he had never reached in his previous life. Wanting to create a method of that level while still in the Dao Palace Realm was simply a fool's dream!

Following Ye Fan's example—cultivating the strongest methods at every stage, then creating one's own method upon reaching the Saint King Realm—was the approach of a smart person, but it did not suit him.

His greatest opportunity was his ability to travel through countless worlds. Yet just as the Shrouding the Heavens Universe possessed the Law Creation Tribulation, some universes also suppressed the cultivation systems of other universes.

Unless he could break the iron laws of a Great World, cultivating multiple systems from different universes was inevitable!

Therefore, the scriptures he cultivated had to prioritize inclusiveness.

The sea accepted all rivers; tolerance made greatness.

At the same time, only with a cultivation art he created himself would he know what could be altered and where new systems could be integrated.

He did not seek to create an Imperial Dao-level method while still in the Dao Palace Realm, but if it was merely a matter of conceptual height, it was not impossible.

It was like the Heavenly Emperor Fist Ye Fan created in the Saint King Realm. Though the scripture was still crude, its conception was already extraordinarily lofty!

Though his current cultivation was low, his realm of laws even surpassed Ye Fan's when Ye Fan had created his own method. What he lacked was merely insight into this world.

That was why he had set his sights on this wisp of Immortal Fire!

If he could comprehend the fragments of immortal Dao laws within it, then from such a commanding height, he might truly be able to create a method whose conceptual level reached the Imperial Dao level!

However, the Immortal Fire's interference with him was also immense.

He had to devote most of his attention to suppressing the pain. Under such circumstances, the time needed to create his method would inevitably be greatly prolonged.