The group raced onward for nearly ten minutes.
An ancient stone hall came into view on the vast plain.
The hall stood silent amid the boundless expanse, an ancient aura rippling from it and echoing through the world.
Before the hall lay an enormous plaza. On either side, pillars thousands of feet tall rose toward the sky, their imposing grandeur bearing down on everyone who approached.
Li Wan'er and the others landed cautiously on the plaza. Their footsteps made soft, scraping sounds against the stone.
Atop a nearby pillar, a deep yellow flame flickered. Li Wan'er recognized it at a glance: the Xuanhuang Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
Less than a hundred feet farther on, another towering pillar appeared. A flame burned atop this one too.
"The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking..."
Another hundred feet brought them to another pillar bearing a different Heavenly Flame. These flames held little power and looked almost like decorations, but Li Wan'er knew they were real.
Though each still possessed its original flame source, nearly all its power seemed to have drained away. Now they were little more than ordinary fires retaining their former shapes.
"These Heavenly Flames..." Gu Yuan and the others stared in surprise.
"The farther we go, the higher their rankings seem to be," Xiao Yan murmured.
They sped across the vast plaza. After a while, everyone stopped short.
The plaza was nearing its end. Beyond the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, two more towering pillars came into view.
Everyone immediately looked to their tops. This time, however, no flames burned there.
The tops were empty. Neither the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame nor the Nihility Devouring Flame was there. It seemed Tou She Ancient God