Ransacking the Stronghold
The Old Ghost Di Mo was slain, but the chilling Corpse Qi and the stench of blood that lingered in the air had not yet completely dissipated. Mixed with the acrid smell of rocks scorched by flames, it created a nauseating lingering battlefield atmosphere.
However, Lin Ming and his companions did not linger there, nor did they even take a moment to adjust their breathing. Like four bolts of lightning tearing through the night, they sped off towards the Magic Flame Valley's lair. To nip the problem in the bud, they had to take advantage of the fact that the group was leaderless and had not yet received any accurate information. Only by uprooting them with lightning speed could they eliminate any future troubles!
Magic Flame Valley is located in a vast mountain range in the northwest of the Black Corner Region, perpetually shrouded in a faint Poisonous Miasma and fiery aura. The valley entrance is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Most of the buildings inside are constructed of black stone, with a rugged and eerie style. Braziers burning with ghostly blue flames can be seen everywhere, and the air is filled with a strange smell of sulfur mixed with the stench of blood.
When Lin Ming and his companions appeared above Magic Flame Valley like divine Divine Weapon descending from the heavens, the disciples and guards inside were still in a daze. It wasn't until Lin Ming's shout, imbued with boundless Dou Qi, resounded through the valley like Nine Heavens Thunderclap that they snapped out of their daze.
"The Old Ghost Di Mo has been slain! People of Magic Flame Valley, lay down your weapons and surrender to be spared! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!"
The sound boomed, echoing through every corner of Magic Flame Valley, like the proclamation of death.
"What? The Old Ancestor is dead?"
"Impossible! Our Old Ancestor is Seven-Star Dou Ancestor, who could kill him?"
"They're from the Jia Nan Academy! And that man in black robes too!"
Chaos erupted within the valley, filled with exclamations, questions, and roars. Most of the lower-ranking disciples looked terrified and uneasy. However, the core members and elders of Magic Flame Valley were all ashen-faced, filled with both shock and rage.
"Form ranks! Form ranks now!"
A piercing alarm blared through the valley as the remaining disciples of Magic Flame Valley frantically attempted to organize their fragile defenses. Three figures burst forth from the deepest palace within the valley, all possessing the Peak Dou Emperor —the three elders, Magic Flame Valley's strongest fighting force besides the Old Ghost Di Mo Three Great Elders!
Their eyes met, and they all saw the same ruthlessness and determination in each other's eyes. Without a word, they moved swiftly, instantly forming a triangular stance, their hand seals changing rapidly at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye!
The flames they were wielding were not the chilling corpse fire of the Old Ghost Di Mo, but a strange, grayish-brown flame! As this flame rose, it seemed to devour light, emitting a twisted, filthy yet intensely hot aura—it was another of the Magic Flame Valley's guardian flames, the "Life-Transforming Fire," forged from the fusion of various Beast Flame and strange fuels!
"With my Essence Blood as the catalyst! I will offer sacrifices to the fire and transform into a phoenix!" The leading Great Elder roared, his face contorted with rage.
"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"
Almost simultaneously, the three of them spat out a mouthful of crimson Essence Blood, which they precisely shot into the surging, grayish-brown Life-Transforming Fire! As the Essence Blood merged with the flames, they seemed to be infused with a violent soul, instantly boiling and expanding, their color becoming even deeper and more eerie!
"Li--!"
A sharp, piercing cry, seemingly capable of tearing apart the soul, erupted from the center of the flames! The next moment, the vast sea of grayish-brown Sea of Fire frantically contracted and condensed inward, eventually transforming into a gigantic fire phoenix with a wingspan of tens of feet, its entire body composed of constantly churning Brown Flame!
The Fire Phoenix's eyes were empty, yet it exuded a violent Destructive Aura. With each flap of its wings, a rain of gray-brown fire fell, scorching the rocks below and sending up hissing white smoke. It charged menacingly toward Lin Ming! This was a desperate attack that condensed the full Dou Qi of three Peak Dou Emperors and a portion of their life force, its power already touching the threshold of Dou Zong!
Facing the Life-Transforming Fire phoenix, a power that would make even an ordinary One Star Dou Ancestor take it seriously, Lin Ming's eyes remained calm, even carrying a hint of... amusement?
"Life-Transforming Fire? That's interesting, but unfortunately... it's too impurities, too mottled."
Facing the gray-brown fire phoenix, Lin Ming simply raised his right hand slowly, palm facing upward. The next moment, a wisp of eerie, noble, and purplish-red flame, exuding an aura that commanded Wan Huo to submit, quietly emerged from his palm like an awakened spirit and began to burn silently.
It is the Heavenly Flames that surpasses all other flames— the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame!
Just as the gray-brown fire phoenix, carrying overwhelming flames, lunged forward, the seemingly tiny purplish-red flame in Lin Ming's palm suddenly surged! It didn't transform into Sea of Fire to attack, but instead formed a rotating purplish-red Flame Vortex, with a terrifying devouring power at its center that surpassed all other Wan Huo!
The once menacing gray-brown fire phoenix, upon contact with the purplish-red Flame Vortex, was like a subject of an emperor, letting out a terrified cry. Its enormous fiery body twisted and shrank uncontrollably, being forcibly torn apart and absorbed by the vortex!
"No! Our Life-Transforming Fire!"
"How is this possible?!"
The Three Great Elders were furious. They felt their connection with the Life-Transforming Fire being forcibly severed by an irresistible force. The flame that contained most of their power was being easily taken away by the other party!
In just a few breaths, the astonishingly powerful gray-brown Starry Sky Fire Phoenix was completely swallowed up by the vortex formed by the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame and disappeared without a trace. In Lin Ming's palm, there was a gray-brown flame that was constantly struggling and trying to resist, which was the origin of the "Life-Transforming Fire".
Lin Ming felt the mottled yet powerful flame in his palm, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. Although the quality of this Life-Transforming Fire was far inferior to that of Heavenly Flames, the violent fire attribute energy contained within it was quite considerable.
"Perfect, I'll use it to feed you." Lin Ming thought to himself, then manipulated the Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame to forcibly compress and seal the struggling source of the Life-Transforming Fire, and then directly incorporated it into his body's vortex.
There, besides the dominant Purple Extreme Annihilation Flame, there was also a wisp of flame with a blue exterior and a golden interior, which was the Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire. This wisp of Life-Transforming Fire became the perfect nourishment for the latter.
After doing all this, Lin Ming turned his indifferent gaze to the Three Great Elders below, who were coughing up blood and weakened by the backlash caused by the suppression of their flames.
"Playing with fire leads to self-destruction; there is no greater consequence than this."
Without holding back, he flicked his fingers in quick succession, and three condensed purplish-red Finger Wind, like invitations from the Grim Reaper, instantly pierced through the void and precisely entered the brows of the Three Great Elders.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Three powerful elders at the Peak Dou Emperor, notorious in the Black Corner Region, died with endless terror and resentment on their faces, their bodies collapsing limply to the ground.
The sudden annihilation of the Leader and top elders was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely destroying the last shred of resistance in the hearts of the remaining disciples of Magic Flame Valley. Panic spread like a deadly plague, and large numbers of disciples began to abandon their armor and weapons in a desperate rush, like headless flies, towards the valley entrances and secret passages they thought might be a place to escape. The scene was completely out of control.
The rest was much simpler. With Zi Yan's Ancient Void Dragon, almost instinctive, perception of the Heaven and Earth Energy and earth and treasures, all the hidden treasure troves, secret chambers, and hidden compartments that Magic Flame Valley had set up over hundreds of years were precisely located, like lighthouses in the night. Whether hidden behind waterfalls, buried deep underground, or concealed by sophisticated illusion arrays, none could hide from them.
Standing in the largest treasure vault, looking at the mountain of resources before him, even Lin Ming, with his composure, couldn't help but feel a hint of satisfaction.
Lin Ming first picked up the ancient black scroll that recorded the method for refining the "Heavenly Demon Puppet," examined it briefly, and then carefully put it away after confirming that it was correct.
Next, his gaze swept over the powerful Magic Core placed on the jade platform to the side. It was the main material that the Old Ghost Di Mo had painstakingly prepared to use to refine the highest-level "Heavenly Demon Puppet"—a Seventh Order Magic Core, which Lin Ming naturally accepted without any hesitation.
In addition, Lin Ming also acquired a copy of the <Flame Dealing Technique>, which the Old Ghost Di Mo had researched and improved over many years. Although this secret technique was evil, its ingenious ideas on flame fusion and manipulation, especially the part on how to cultivate and control "Life-Transforming Fire," might provide him with some alternative references for his future attempts to temper and improve the quality of "Flame Gold Earth Heart Fire."
The Magic Flame Valley, accumulated over hundreds of years, possesses a vast array of resources, far exceeding those of ordinary sects. Therefore, aside from the aforementioned items he was determined to obtain, and some rare medicinal herbs needed for refining High-Grade Pills, he allocated the largest quantity of finished pills, a large number of standard weapons and armor, and most of his Gold Coin and treasures to Great Elder Su Qian.
"Great Elder, consider these resources from Magic Flame Valley as Lin Ming's way of giving back to the academy, a small token of my appreciation," Lin Ming said sincerely. He knew that Jia Nan Academy also needed a massive amount of resources to train students and maintain its operations.
Su Qian was shocked by the mountain of supplies piled up before him; he hadn't expected Lin Ming to be so generous. After a moment's hesitation, he didn't refuse, as these resources were indeed crucial for the academy.
"In that case, I will accept it on behalf of the academy. Lin Ming, thank you!"
Regarding Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills, Lin Ming and Great Elder Su Qian reached a consensus.
All the original scrolls of Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills will be brought back to the Inner Academy of the Jia Nan Academy for safekeeping, enriching its foundation. However, the academy is also responsible for making complete copies of the Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills of the Xuan Tier and above. When the academy goes out to recruit students each year, a reliable team will take these copies to the Jia Ma Empire and deliver them to the Mittel Family. This is a win-win situation for both parties, and Great Elder Su Qian readily agreed.
"Now that this matter is settled, we should head back." Lin Ming put the last batch of selected medicinal herbs into his Storage Ring and said to Su Qian, Xiao Yi Xian, and Zi Yan beside him.
Afterward, the four of them no longer lingered in the Ruins filled with the smells of gunpowder, blood, and wealth. They transformed into four streams of light of different colors, soaring into the sky as swiftly as they had come, leaving behind this valley that was destined to leave a significant mark on the history of the Black Corner Region, and sped off towards the Jia Nan Academy, a symbol of peace and order.