The universe was cold and dark, surrounded on all sides by boundless Void. The occasional glimmers of light came from countless miles away.
The vast universe, the boundless starry sky, buried far too many secrets. This was a lifeless region at the edge of the outer universe, where space was twisted within infinite time and space, and heaven and earth assumed the form of Chaos.
Gale winds ravaged the starry sky. Even Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereigns, the universe's foremost experts, did not dare set foot here lightly. Then, a streak of light suddenly swept across the Void, wholly ignoring those chaotic gales.
Roar...
As the streak of light strode through the air, a deep sound followed. Sound had actually appeared in the dead silence of space. Dazzling flames shot into the heavens, their scorching blaze seemingly capable of burning the world to ash.
The instant the figure halted, billions of flames surged toward him. The sea of fire that stretched between heaven and earth seemed to have directly opened up a world of flames, and at the center of that world stood a handsome young man.
He was tall and slender, with a hint of laziness and an uninhibited air about him. Dazzling firelight surged within his pitch-black eyes, making him appear exceptionally gentle yet unfathomably profound. Upon his forehead was a flame mark shimmering in countless brilliant colors.
"By the name of the Flame Emperor, Xiao Yan, I command all the flames beneath heaven to unite as one!!!"
With that young man's thunderous cry, strange firelight erupted from countless planes in the depths of the boundless cosmic starry sky. Endless living beings across billions of planes heard the Flame Emperor's name and bowed in worship, chanting his title.
Flame Emperor Xiao Yan was one of the foremost experts in this boundless universe. Twenty-seven years ago, as one of the Great Thousand World's Twin Heroes, he became known, praised, and revered throughout the world alongside two other supreme experts as a main force in the battle against the Heavenly Evil God.
Twenty-seven years had passed. The Great Thousand World flourished, and this supreme expert of the Great Thousand World had finally reached the pinnacle of his life.
Roar.
Endless blazing flames condensed before the Flame Emperor into a furnace of supreme medicine. The dazzling Empyrean Flame burned fiercely, transforming into a radiant fire lotus that spun as it rose, releasing billions of strands of firelight and driving away the endless darkness.
A dazzling lotus bloomed beneath the Flame Emperor's feet as endless flames poured into the furnace. At the same time, an indescribably rich medicinal fragrance spread madly through the air.
Everyone knew that the Flame Emperor had attained the Dao through fire, but his even more renowned skill was the Dao of alchemy. His alchemical arts ranked first in the Great Thousand World, allowing him to refine peerless medicines beneficial even to Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereigns.
After remaining silent for twenty-seven years, the Flame Emperor acted once more. Taking billions of mountains and rivers as his Cauldron, the world's power as fuel, and the thoughts of All Beings as flames, he sought to refine an unprecedented Sovereign Emperor Pill for himself.
When the Emperor Pill was completed, the Great Dao would be secured; when the Laws were whole, the Firmament would emerge.
As the hazy medicinal fragrance appeared, threads of strange fluctuations also arose within the endless Void. Boundless Spiritual Light descended like a curtain of radiance.
The cloud-like Spiritual Light poured down from above, shaking heaven and earth before gradually gathering together. At last, everyone beheld in shock what appeared to be a spiritual energy curtain of light with no visible end slowly emerging in the Void of the Great Thousand World.
The curtain gave off a hazy, mysterious feeling. It seemed to bear the imprints of countless mountains, rivers, sun, moon, and stars, like a world unto itself.
A terrifying majesty radiated from it. Under that majesty, the hearts and minds of countless living beings trembled faintly in fear of that power.
The Firmament Billboard was the tangible manifestation of the Great Thousand World's will, and it represented the Great Thousand World's recognition. As long as one could imprint their true name upon this world's will, they would gain the Great Thousand World's recognition and command its world power.
The Firmament Billboard was hazy and mysterious, impossible to peer into. Yet at one spot upon it, Spiritual Light condensed into four divine streaks. The first line bore a complete name: 'Mu Chen.'
Mu Chen was the first Grand Overlord in the history of the Great Thousand World to completely engrave his true name upon the Great Thousand World's will. Beneath his true name were three surnames: 'Xiao,' 'Lin,' and 'Ye.'
The three experts represented by these surnames had also attempted to engrave their true names over countless years. However, their strength had proved insufficient, and they ultimately failed, taking only half a step forward.
Among them, the Immortal Great Emperor represented by the surname 'Ye' had sacrificed himself countless years ago to save the Great Thousand World. As for the other two, they were the Flame Emperor Xiao Yan and the Martial Ancestor Lin Dong, known together as the Great Thousand World's Twin Heroes. Today was the day the Flame Emperor would complete his true name.
"Twenty-seven years. The time is now."
A peerless Emperor Pill suddenly flew from the Sea of Fire furnace and entered the Flame Emperor's body. In an instant, heaven and earth became scorching hot, like a blazing furnace, as though even the world itself showed signs of melting.
Roar...
Dazzling flames suddenly swept forth from within the Flame Emperor's body. The flames were colorful and resplendent, yet they exuded boundless profundity and carried the aura of an emperor, like the emperor of all fire—majestic and supreme. This was Empyrean Flame, the legendary emperor of all flames.
The Flame Emperor swept his hand, and the blazing Empyrean Flame gathered together, transforming into an enormous flaming brush. He held his hands before him as though embracing something, and the flaming brush pierced the boundless Void, descending toward the Firmament Billboard.
Boom! Boom!
As the flaming brush formed from Empyrean Flame approached, mysterious mist seemed to stir upon the Firmament Billboard. The mist appeared thin and insubstantial, yet it possessed a mysterious power capable of blocking all things.
Yet at that moment, the character 'Xiao' upon the Firmament Billboard suddenly shone with brilliant Spiritual Light. The flaming brush instantly broke through everything with ease, its tip touching down as it began to write.
Spiritual Light flickered upon the Firmament Billboard like sparks. With every flowing stroke, the character 'Yan' appeared after the surname 'Xiao,' completing the name Xiao Yan. A streak of firelight instantly shot out and entered the flame mark upon the Flame Emperor's forehead.
A complete true name drifted upon the Firmament Billboard, as though it possessed an indescribable majesty that made everyone who saw it unable to resist kneeling in worship.
Boundless Spiritual Light shone down, enveloping the Flame Emperor. At that moment, he could feel his perception seeming to spread throughout the entire Great Thousand World.
"Alas! After all these years, do I still want to go back?"
The Flame Emperor stood at the pinnacle of the cosmic starry sky, receiving the praises of billions of living beings. Yet no one noticed his gaze flying toward a corner of the universe, where a plane radiating chaotic fluctuations lay. It was his homeland, the Battle Qi Continent plane. But no one knew that he had another homeland as well.
"After all these years, why did I suddenly think of that? Could it be that I still haven't forgotten..."
The Flame Emperor suddenly muttered to himself. Countless past experiences surfaced in his mind. Though he had been famous for centuries and lived through a long span of years, that experience of less than fifty years, buried in the deepest corner of his memories, remained so unforgettable. After all, that had been his previous life!
"Perhaps I should go back and take a look."
A faint stirring suddenly arose in the Flame Emperor's heart, but he understood even more clearly that he was no longer who he had once been. Even if he wished to return, it would be immensely difficult. As the thought echoed in his mind, a figure of flame suddenly split away from his body.
Go! Go in my place, and take just one look. Just one look...
The Flame Emperor spoke silently in his heart. The Origin avatar he had split off charged into a vortex in the depths of the universe, and then, for a long time, there was no further movement.