Solar Trueflame

"It could be bypassed this way. I took the wrong path!"

Yan Kuan observed carefully for a moment and realized that he seemed to have gone in the wrong direction. The other side of the entrance he had come through was the path leading deeper into the underground palace, while the stretch he was currently on likely led straight to the main gate. No wonder he had run into that Sword Sharpening Stone.

He quickly changed direction and continued onward. Waves of celestial music drifted through the air, growing clearer and clearer as they reached his ears. They cleansed the soul, stirring the heart while bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

Yan Kuan descended the steps, treading upon the White Jade Stairs and feeling a chill seep into him. This jade was somewhat unusual, containing a trace of Supreme Yin Qi that even gave him the urge to sit cross-legged and cultivate on the spot.

But he did not stop. Instead, he continued forward and soon entered a vast underground palace. A sinister wind immediately rushed at him. The instant he looked up, he saw a creature diving down from above, its pitch-black claws snatching toward the crown of his head.

Puff!

The Trigram Treasure Box in Yan Kuan's hand released a divine beam. Though the Great Power Supreme Treasure could not display much of its might in his hands, it was more than enough to deal with such a monster. Blood sprayed as a black shadow fell to the ground—a bat over two meters long lay dead on the floor.

"Creatures like this are hard to find in this era. Its yin energy is a little heavy, though. It needs special processing before it can assist cultivation."

A divine beam shot from the Trigram Treasure Box in Yan Kuan's hand and stored it within the box's internal space. Although the bat was rather disgusting, encountering an Exotic Beast like this in the End of Dharma era was not bad at all. It counted as a special resource.

The Flame Emperor's Legacy Yan Kuan had obtained naturally included alchemy. Among its countless strange prescriptions were methods specifically meant to turn such sinister monsters from waste into treasure. To him, this Bat Monster was an excellent resource.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Just as Yan Kuan finished dealing with the Bat Monster and prepared to move on, patches of black clouds suddenly swept toward him. They were those same Bat Monsters, arriving in swarms. Naturally, he refused no resources delivered to his door. Divine light flickered from the Trigram Treasure Box, and dozens of bats were all sucked inside.

After all the bats had been dealt with, he smoothly reached the end of this level of the underground palace. White Jade Steps appeared ahead once more, continuing downward into the depths like a path leading step by step toward a legendary immortal abode. The scale of the construction was immense.

The moment he entered the deeper level, celestial music rang out in this place. A row of Chime Bells stood ahead, all sounding on their own. No one struck them; they simply trembled by themselves.

These Chime Bells were ancient yet perfectly preserved. After thousands of years, they had not suffered the slightest damage. They were objects painstakingly forged by cultivators.

Yet there were no Dao markings within them, only something akin to essence, energy, and spirit. The tomb's owner must have loved musical instruments in life; the bells' ringing was likely an unconscious act of the imprint he had left behind.

Yan Kuan stopped before the Chime Bells and quietly appreciated their pleasant celestial tones. He did not continue forward, because he knew his own limits. What lay ahead was not a place that a weakling like him could force his way through. Even with the Great Power Supreme Treasure that was the Trigram Treasure Box, it would not work. A King's Divine Weapon might have been enough.

Yan Kuan sat cross-legged before the Chime Bells, using his Fiery Golden Eyes to cautiously sense farther ahead. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as he felt a terrifying killing intent. Strands of sword light slashed and crisscrossed through the Void like bolts of silk. Golden, crimson, violet, blue, and other colors of Flying Swords tore through the air.

This was peerless killing intent. Yan Kuan merely watched from afar, yet goosebumps rose across his body. It was an incomparably powerful path of Flying Swords, left behind by an Ancient Saint.

Several streams of sword light drifted through the Void ahead. Among them, one crimson sword light shone the brightest. It was only palm-sized, yet it spun and danced incessantly in the air, while violet, blue, and golden sword lights followed behind, wantonly cleaving the Void apart.

These were not real Flying Swords, but strands of Sword Intent—Sword Intent left behind by an Ancient Saint. Merely observing them from afar made one's body feel as though it might split apart. Their power was enough to tear apart the Void and the heavens.

Not many lethal methods had been left within this tomb, but the Sword Sharpening Stone and the Sword Intent here alone were beyond what ordinary cultivators could endure. At the place outside where the Sword Sharpening Stone blocked the way, one needed the Cultivation of the Dao Palace Secret Realm to pass. This place was even more dangerous. Any cultivator below the Immortal Platform who dared to force their way through would die.

Yan Kuan knew full well how dangerous this place was, so naturally he would not charge in recklessly. Besides, the location of the Celestial Chime Bells was enough for him to make his plans.

Divine power circulated through him, and his Fiery Golden Eyes saw deeper within. Beyond the raging sword qi was a Stone Chamber used for sword practice. Seven palm-length Sword Sheaths hung on the walls. Their workmanship was unremarkable, made only from simple Beast Hide, so worn that they were nearly reduced to ash.

This Ancient Saint had been simple and unpretentious. No malicious mechanisms had been left within the Ancient Tomb. Aside from the Taiyin Qi spilling out from the Stone Gate, the Bat Monsters, and several places where Sword Intent remained, there was little danger.

After thousands of years, these Beast Hide Sword Sheaths had already decayed. The slightest external force could cause them to collapse on their own. Yet once those Sword Sheaths were destroyed, the seven streams of sword light slashing through the Stone Chamber would disappear as well. This supreme inheritance of Sword Intent would then be completely severed.

Yan Kuan did not use the power of his Fire Pupil to affect those Beast Hide Sword Sheaths from afar, because doing so would be far too wasteful. He greatly desired this Sword Intent. Given the chance, he naturally wanted to take it for himself.

Yan Kuan's gaze passed through the Stone Chamber and reached farther inside. That was the burial site of the tomb's owner, and also the goal of his journey: a place blazing with flames. A rolling sea of fire shimmered in the depths of the tomb chamber, and the temperature inside was terrifyingly high. It was a sea of Solar Trueflame.

Through the flames, he could see a Coffin ahead, entwined by an ancient vine and buried at the deepest point of the tomb. Its radiance filled the place with blazing brilliance.

This was the legendary Cremation Coffin. Those who could employ such a method were all figures of great origin. Ordinary people lacked the means to arrange it, for it required solar essence as well as a Firevine cultivated with Sage Essence Blood.

Deep within the sea of Solar Trueflame, that ancient vine was clearly thousands of years old. Its roots and stems resembled a Flood Dragon, while its leaves were like crimson gold, shining brilliantly and dazzling beyond compare in the firelight.

It had rooted itself within the Solar Trueflame, drawing nourishment from the Fire Essence and growing through it. It could be called an almost dreamlike Spirit Vine, a treasure used for refining artifacts and forging weapons.

Firevine seeds were exceedingly rare, especially those capable of taking root in Solar Trueflame. Such seeds were as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. They were beloved by Ancient Saints, and many powerful Sages chose the method of cremation and corpse release before death.

An ancient legend claimed that when powerful Sages learned that their deaths were near, they would use the purest yang essence of a Firevine to preserve the final trace of yang energy within their bodies, then bury themselves in a geomantically blessed land to await resurrection. Thus, anyone able to use a Cremation Coffin was an extraordinary figure.