Falling Heart Flame Riot!

When Gu Long returned to the courtyard near Jia Nan Academy, it was already afternoon.

In the courtyard, Xun Er was still practicing formations with complete focus.

The runes spread across the stone table were even more intricate and refined than before. Clearly, she had not slacked off during this time.

The moment she saw Gu Long return, a delighted smile bloomed across Xun Er's face. She set down her rune brush and hurried over.

"Brother Gu Long, you're back!"

Gu Long nodded slightly. Just as he was about to speak, his brows suddenly furrowed, and he sharply turned toward the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy!

Almost at the same moment—

"Boom!!!"

A muffled, thunderous explosion suddenly rang out from deep within the Inner Academy!

The entire Jia Nan Academy, even its surrounding areas, clearly felt the tremor!

Even the stone table in the courtyard shook lightly.

Immediately afterward, an incomparably violent and terrifying aura surged into the sky from somewhere within the Inner Academy, like an ancient ferocious beast suddenly awakening from slumber!

The clouds overhead were instantly stained an eerie dark red. The temperature in the air rose abruptly, as though they were standing beside a furnace!

"That's the direction of the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower in the Inner Academy!"

Xun Er's lovely face changed slightly. She too had sensed that scorching fluctuation that made one's heart tremble.

"What terrifying energy! What happened?"

Gu Long's gaze was as sharp as lightning, his Soul Power already flooding toward the Inner Academy like a tidal wave.

In his perception, the iconic black giant tower deep within the Inner Academy—the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower—was currently wrapped in nearly uncontrollable dark-red energy!

The tower trembled violently. Deep beneath its base, something seemed to be madly battering against the seal!

"Falling Heart Flame has gone berserk!"

Gu Long's voice carried a trace of gravity, but a glint of expected realization flashed deep in his eyes.

The intensity of this riot had come a little earlier than he had expected, but it was still within an acceptable range.

"Falling Heart Flame?"

Xun Er's beautiful eyes narrowed. As the daughter of the Ancient Clan, she had naturally heard of this strange flame ranked fourteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

"Why did it suddenly go berserk?"

"It's been suppressed for too long. The seal is weakening; an eruption was bound to happen sooner or later."

Gu Long gave a brief explanation, his gaze still fixed tightly on the Inner Academy.

At this moment, the Inner Academy had already descended into chaos.

Countless students who had been cultivating or resting were startled by the sudden upheaval and rushed out of their residences.

They stared in horror at the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, shrouded in dark-red energy like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Some students near the tower even felt the Dou Qi within their bodies begin to stir uncontrollably, as if it were about to ignite!

"All students! Move away from the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower immediately! Return to your residences and activate the defensive formations!"

Urgent shouts rang through the skies above the Inner Academy. They belonged to the Inner Academy Elders.

At the same time, several incomparably powerful auras shot up from various parts of the Inner Academy like meteors, racing toward the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower!

At the forefront was a man in gray robes, his expression stern and his aura as vast as the sea.

It was the Great Elder of the Inner Academy—Su Qian! A genuine Dou Zong expert!

Su Qian and several other Elders floated above the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower, their faces incomparably grave as they watched the dark-red energy below continuously battering the tower's seal.

That energy was like living magma, churning and roaring as it radiated a destructive aura.

"Reinforce the seal!"

Su Qian did not hesitate in the slightest as he shouted in a deep voice.

He and the other Elders struck at the same time. Their vast Dou Qi transformed into enormous pillars of energy in varying colors, which poured fiercely into the ancient runes long engraved upon the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower!

"Buzz—!"

Stimulated by the powerful Dou Qi, the runes on the tower suddenly lit up with dazzling radiance, forming a massive energy net that firmly suppressed the violent flames beneath the tower that were trying to break through the seal.

"Roar!!!"

Faintly, it seemed as though an invisible roar rose from the bottom of the tower, and the dark-red energy slammed against the seal even more frantically!

The entire tower swayed more and more violently. Even the ground around its foundation began to crack.

Scorching heat waves swept outward, burning the surrounding buildings black.

Su Qian's beard and hair flared wildly as Dou Qi at the Dou Zong level poured out from his body without reserve. Together with the other Elders, he desperately maintained the seal.

His face turned slightly pale, clearly showing that he was under immense pressure.

Falling Heart Flame had been sealed for many years, and the power it had accumulated far exceeded that of the past. The ferocity of this riot had somewhat surpassed his expectations.

Before long, the two sides fell into a stalemate.

The dark-red Heart Flame Energy continued to strike, while the Rune Light Net flickered erratically. Every collision erupted with deafening booms and terrifying energy ripples.

This intense confrontation lasted for roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick.

In the end, under Su Qian and the Elders' all-out suppression regardless of cost, the violent energy beneath the tower seemed to temporarily run out of strength, and the force of its impacts gradually weakened.

The dark-red glow slowly receded back into the tower, and the tower's trembling gradually subsided as well.

The strange phenomenon in the sky vanished, and the temperature returned to normal. Yet the scorching heat and lingering dread in the air refused to dissipate for a long time.

Su Qian and the others let out sighs of relief, slowly withdrawing their Dou Qi before descending to the ground.

The faces of several Elders were filled with exhaustion and lingering fear.

"Great Elder, the seal..."

One Elder looked at the runes on the tower, which seemed to have dimmed somewhat, and spoke with deep concern.

Su Qian nodded gravely. "The Seal Power has indeed weakened. This Falling Heart Flame is becoming more and more restless.

Pass down the order. From today onward, the Heavenly Flame Refining Qi Tower will be temporarily closed. No one is permitted to approach it!

Assign additional personnel to patrol and guard it day and night!"

"Yes!"

The orders were swiftly relayed, but the atmosphere in the Inner Academy remained tense.

In the distant courtyard, Gu Long withdrew his Soul Power, his eyes calm and unruffled.

"Is it over?"

Xun Er let out a breath of relief. That destructive aura from earlier had left even her shaken.

"Only temporarily," Gu Long said blandly. "The seal has weakened. The next riot won't be far off."

He looked toward the Inner Academy, his gaze seeming to pierce through space and see the transparent flames dancing deep beneath the tower.

This riot of Falling Heart Flame confirmed his judgment.

The time was rapidly ripening.

Su Qian and the others could suppress it once, twice, but they could not suppress it forever.

When the seal completely failed and the Heart Flame burst out of the tower, it would be time for him to act.

"Brother Gu Long, you have your eye on Falling Heart Flame..." Xun Er seemed to realize something and asked softly.

Gu Long neither denied it nor explained in detail. He merely said, "This flame is useful to me."

Xun Er nodded thoughtfully and did not press further.

She only knew that if Brother Gu Long wanted something, he would certainly find a way to obtain it.

Gu Long returned to his room and sat down cross-legged.

Falling Heart Flame's premature riot had disrupted his originally rather relaxed timetable. He needed to speed up some of his preparations.

On the Dragon Domain side, he needed to ensure that support could be provided at any time.

Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun also needed to be told to prepare.

As for himself, he needed to bring his condition to its peak before Falling Heart Flame's next riot, and he could begin trying to make contact with the Inner Academy as well.

The calm before the storm had already been shattered.

Jia Nan Academy, this renowned academy of the continent, was about to be swept into a massive upheaval because of a Heavenly Flame.

And Gu Long, like a patient fisherman, quietly waited for the moment to draw in his net.