Nether Flame

(Contracted, please read with confidence.)

Looking at the flame lying quietly there, Li Tianlan excitedly stepped forward and grasped it in his hand. But the instant he touched that flame, he felt his Sea of Consciousness suffer a violent impact.

He was immediately left dizzy and disoriented, with a splitting headache, frightening Li Tianlan into quickly releasing it.

"Teacher, what's going on?"

Xiao Yan pondered for a moment before saying, "This flame should be capable of striking another person's Sea of Consciousness. This is a good thing. Mental attacks are rare to begin with, and this is even a flame. Combined with your martial soul's abilities, if you absorb it with the Fen Jue, you'll be able to kill invisibly with mental attacks in the future."

At those words, Li Tianlan's eyes immediately filled with excitement. He hurriedly asked, "Then how can I prevent my soul from being impacted?"

"Circulate the Fen Jue and cover your palm with Bone Spirit Cold Flame. After that, you'll have to withstand the impact of the Heavenly Flame yourself."

Li Tianlan fell silent for a moment. "Alright."

"I barely endured the impact caused by absorbing a Soul Ring beyond my level. I refuse to believe I can't withstand a single Heavenly Flame."

Xiao Yan, within the Sea of Consciousness, seemed about to say something. He opened his mouth, then fell silent again before encouraging him, "Come on, Tianlan. I believe you can do it."

Following the method Xiao Yan had just described, Li Tianlan held the flame in his palm and rapidly circulated the Fen Jue, intending to absorb it.

But the moment he began, he felt as though his entire body were about to fall apart from the agonizing pain. His mind suffered a powerful impact, and he could pass out at any moment. Li Tianlan felt as if his body were burning.

"Ah!" Li Tianlan cried out in agony.

At this moment, Xiao Yan had long since set up an invisible barrier around him within the Sea of Consciousness to isolate the sound. He was the Flame Emperor and had absorbed many kinds of Heavenly Flames. No one understood the pain of absorbing Heavenly Flames better than he did. That feeling brought nothing but despair...

"Tianlan, hold fast to your heart and never stop circulating the Fen Jue! Otherwise, the Heavenly Flame will burn you until your soul scatters!"

Li Tianlan answered with difficulty, "Alright... I understand!"

At that moment, Li Tianlan's Sea of Consciousness seemed to be trembling all around him, as though it might shatter at any time!

But Xiao Yan did not help him this time, because he knew better than anyone that independence was always the most important thing. Someone who had to be propped up would never truly stand.

This pain could only be borne by Li Tianlan himself, because this was the path he had chosen. Even if he had to tread across mountains of blades and swim through seas of fire, he had to bear it.

Seeing Li Tianlan in such pain, Xiao Yan truly could not bear it. Over this period of time, he had long since come to regard Li Tianlan as his own disciple.

Even if he failed to absorb it this time, Xiao Yan would exhaust his own strength to preserve his life.

"Kid, it's up to you now. I believe in you!"

The pain continued without end. To the young Li Tianlan, every second felt like a year.

But when he thought of Xiao Wu, who was still waiting for him, and of his promise to help Xiao Yan return to his former world...

He still had to stand at the pinnacle of this world. Thinking of all that, he felt his body fill with energy.

Li Tianlan bit the tip of his tongue, struggling to keep his consciousness clear. He circulated the Fen Jue with all his strength and absorbed the energy of the entire flame.

As time passed, the pain on Li Tianlan's face gradually lessened, while the aura around him steadily strengthened. When Xiao Yan sensed Li Tianlan's changes within the Sea of Consciousness, his face filled with gratification.

By evening, Li Tianlan, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. He shook his arms and let out a loud cry. "Ah!"

From the body of a six-year-old child erupted an aura and strength far beyond what someone of his age should possess.

At that moment, Xiao Yan said excitedly, "Hahaha, kid, I knew you could do it! Well done!"

Li Tianlan felt the changes in his body. His Soul Power Level had reached Level 17, but his true strength was far from as simple as Level 17. The Heavenly Flame had tempered every meridian in his body until they became extraordinarily resilient.

"Hahaha, that feels amazing! Hahaha!" Li Tianlan laughed loudly.

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher," Li Tianlan said respectfully.

"What's this? Why are you suddenly being so polite?"

"Teacher, I know you understood that not helping me was the right choice. Without you, I don't even know where I would be now."

Looking at the well-behaved and sensible Li Tianlan, Xiao Yan's face was full of gratification. "Alright, alright. What exactly is this flame? Since you fused with it, you should know all of its information. Hurry and tell me."

Hearing that, Li Tianlan released his consciousness and sensed all the information and abilities of the flame. "Nether Flame, born in a place of extreme yin. It is a mental-attribute flame. When mental power is used properly, it can produce unexpected effects and kill invisibly. Among the 108 Heavenly Flames contained within Dao Tong Yan, it ranks eighty-seventh. This flame is quite special!"

After hearing Li Tianlan's explanation, Xiao Yan immediately revealed a satisfied expression. "Not bad, not bad. Flames capable of harming the Sea of Consciousness are rare to begin with. This flame is already quite powerful. Although its ranking is nowhere near as high as Bone Spirit Cold Flame's, it's still very good."

Li Tianlan nodded in satisfaction as well. "Teacher, the pain brought by fusing with a Heavenly Flame was truly unbearable. I felt like I was on the verge of collapse every moment."

"Of course. These flames naturally condensed by heaven and earth aren't so simple. That Man Faced Demon Spider was quite clever as well. Upon seeing such a powerful flame, it didn't immediately think of devouring it. Instead, it kept it by its side and slowly absorbed its energy to rapidly increase its cultivation."

"Teacher, if that Man Faced Demon Spider had reached the thousand-year level, we wouldn't have been able to obtain it."

"That's right. The Man Faced Demon Spider is already a formidable member among soul beasts. Once it reaches the thousand-year level and has the support of that spider Heavenly Flame, it won't be something you can rival at your current level."

Li Tianlan sensed the two Heavenly Flames within his body. He was certain that if he encountered that Man Faced Demon Spider again, the two flames working together could kill it instantly. There would be no danger or concern at all.

Absorbing Heavenly Flames was indeed the fastest method for him to grow stronger.

Leaving aside the increase in his Soul Power Level, simply strengthening the meridians within his body was already an incomparably fortunate opportunity.

One had to know that refining the body's meridians and making them more resilient required spiritual treasures of a considerable grade.

Afterward, Xiao Yan removed the invisible barrier he had set up, and Li Tianlan quickly left the area to avoid the arrival of any powerful soul beasts. That would have been troublesome.

And when Li Tianlan used Lightning Flash, he was startled as well. The strengthening of his internal meridians had made his comprehension and execution of Lightning Flash smoother and more powerful.