Devouring the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame

The next morning.

The rising sun slowly climbed into the sky, and a ray of sunlight passed through the living room window, falling across Xiao Ling's profile.

Xiao Ling slowly opened his eyes and awoke from his dreams to greet a brand-new day. He glanced at the sun outside. It had only just risen above the horizon, while most people were still asleep.

Lowering his head, he looked at Xiao Xun'er in his arms. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she seemed to still be immersed in sleep.

The warm sunlight filtered through the window, making her gentle profile appear even more beautiful and captivating. Her lips parted slightly as she breathed out a fragrance like orchids. She slept soundly, like a newly born pure spirit basking in the candlelight of a greenhouse. It made one want to step forward and have a taste.

Xiao Ling slowly raised his left hand and brushed several strands of hair from Xiao Xun'er's cheek behind her ear. He carefully caressed her fair, tender face, then gently kissed her forehead before slowly laying her flat on the sofa.

Taking a blanket made of Fire Fox Fur from his Storage Ring, Xiao Ling gently covered Xiao Xun'er with it.

He picked up the porcelain bottle containing the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame from the tea table in the living room. After turning back to take one last serious look at Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Ling quietly left the room and headed for his own dormitory.

Xiao Ling had never been very good at partings. After so many years together, it would probably feel strange for the person who had always been by his side to suddenly no longer be there. Leaving quietly also spared them from too much reluctance. That was not so bad.

After Xiao Ling left the room, Xiao Xun'er, who was lying on the living room sofa, slowly opened her eyes. Having slept in Xiao Ling's embrace, she had woken the moment he made even the slightest movement. She simply did not know how to speak, so she pretended to still be sound asleep.

Touching her forehead, where a trace of lingering warmth remained, she felt somewhat empty and unaccustomed to it.

Letting out a long sigh, Xiao Xun'er softly murmured, "Brother Xiao Ling, Xun'er will wait here for you to return."

After returning to his dormitory, Xiao Ling entered the Training Room, sat down cross-legged, and released the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame from its porcelain bottle.

A scorching heat immediately rushed toward him, seeming capable of destroying even the void and burning everything to ashes.

After leaving the porcelain bottle, the flame did not recklessly release its heat. Instead, it floated quietly in midair, looking exceptionally docile. Xiao Xun'er must have given it instructions beforehand, which was why it was being so obedient. Inherited Heavenly Flames truly possessed some strange qualities. Without the cooperation of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, even Gu Yuan, at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm, would likely have been unable to seal it within Xiao Xun'er's body during her childhood.

Feeling the temperature soar in an instant, Xiao Ling could not help but marvel, "As expected of the fourth-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame. Even a sub-flame possesses such extraordinary might. Without the strength of a Dou Wang, I would not even be qualified to absorb and refine it."

Drawing his gaze away from the Heavenly Flame, Xiao Ling had no intention of absorbing and refining it directly. Even if this Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame did not resist, he would still have to endure considerable torment to complete the absorption. Xiao Ling was not afraid of pain, but if suffering could be avoided, it was best avoided.

Xiao Ling lightly touched his Storage Ring and took out a transparent little jade bottle. Inside lay a blood-red medicinal pill the size of a longan, resting quietly. Through the reflection on the bottle, faint shadows could be seen within the blood-red pill. When he lightly shook it, there even seemed to be liquid sloshing inside.

This round, blood-red pill was one of the essential items for devouring a Heavenly Flame: the Blood Lotus Pill!

Xiao Ling had prepared it long ago. He had originally planned to use it when devouring the Green Lotus Core Flame, but unexpectedly, he would be using it first on this Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame. The Green Lotus Core Flame, before Medusa had used it, possessed energy roughly at the Dou Emperor level. This Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame was only between the Dou Ling and Dou Wang levels. The Blood Lotus Pill should be sufficient.

After taking out the Blood Lotus Pill, Xiao Ling retrieved a small jade box from his Storage Ring. He gently placed it on the smooth floor, and a faint chill immediately condensed into a thin layer of ice across the ground. Opening the jade box, he found a snow-white jade bottle carefully placed within. A faint white mist coiled around the bottle, giving it a vaguely ethereal and mysterious appearance.

The snow-white jade bottle contained the Ice Spirit Cold Spring that Xiao Ling had exchanged for from Jia Nan Academy's treasure vault.

After setting these two items aside, Xiao Ling took another stone from his Storage Ring.

It was a thumb-sized gray stone, smooth as jade and without the slightest flaw. Within its core, a faint blue glow slowly wriggled like a tiny living worm.

This was a Spirit Absorption Stone, an exceptionally rare natural treasure. Only high-grade Storage Stones had a minute chance of yielding one.

Though the Spirit Absorption Stone was only this small, its value far surpassed that of the Blood Lotus Pill and the Ice Spirit Cold Spring. If Xiao Ling had not previously asked Elder Huo for help and relied on Jia Nan Academy's connections, it would have been difficult to obtain it.

After placing his belt and Storage Ring aside, Xiao Ling took a deep breath and calmed his somewhat restless emotions. Once his mind had settled, he prepared to begin devouring the sub-flame.

Xiao Ling curled his palm slightly and drew the little jade bottle into his hand with the Suction Palm. Tilting the bottle, he let the round, longan-sized pill, faintly gleaming, roll into his palm.

Holding the Blood Lotus Pill, Xiao Ling brought it beneath his nose and sniffed it lightly. A strange scent lingered at the tip of his nose, and the icy sensation made even his soul tremble slightly.

His eyes fixed tightly on this fifth-tier medicinal pill. Xiao Ling suddenly clenched his fist, then closed his eyes and shoved it into his mouth.

The moment the Blood Lotus Pill entered his mouth, it transformed into a slightly chilling energy that swiftly burrowed into the Meridians throughout Xiao Ling's body. In the end, it slowly seeped into his Meridians and bones like layers of blood membranes.

As the blood membranes seeped in, Xiao Ling's body suddenly shuddered violently. Threads of blood continuously seeped from his pores. In the blink of an eye, his body was coated in a layer of dark red blood, looking extremely terrifying.

Not long after appearing, the blood rapidly coagulated, eventually forming a crimson horny layer. This layer not only enveloped Xiao Ling's hands and feet, but completely sealed over even his eyes.

The crimson horny layer formed an airtight suit of blood-red armor, protecting Xiao Ling completely within it.

Slowly extending a hand wrapped in the crimson horny layer, Xiao Ling aimed it at the Heavenly Flame floating in midair and activated the Suction Palm. A powerful force of attraction surged forth.

As the suction force appeared, the golden flame in midair flew toward Xiao Ling.

Once the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame floated before him, Xiao Ling extended his palm toward it and thrust his hand into the golden flames, intending to retrieve the flame seed within.

Even though the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame did not resist at all, the instant Xiao Ling's hand touched the flames, he still felt an incomparably scorching heat. The crimson horny layer coating his arm actually began melting at a rapid pace. Drops of blood-like liquid continuously fell, and the moment they left his arm, they were swiftly burned into nothingness by the golden flames.

Although the crimson horny layer melted extremely quickly within the Heavenly Flame, the medicinal power of the Blood Lotus Pill within Xiao Ling's body continuously released chilling energy as it melted. That energy traveled through his Meridians and swiftly repaired the melted crimson horny layer on his arm.

Gritting his teeth against the intense burning pain, Xiao Ling released Soul Power from between his brows. Since the flame did not resist, he quickly found the precise location of the flame seed and seized it firmly. His palm tightly gripped something that seemed almost tangible. Xiao Ling did not dare waste any time. Enduring the searing pain in his hand, he slowly withdrew his arm from the golden flames.

As his arm emerged from the golden flames, a wisp of something resembling a golden lump floated quietly in his palm.

Xiao Ling stared deeply at this source flame seed. Without hesitating further, he shoved it into his mouth.

Once the flame entered his body, even without deliberately releasing its power, it burned the surrounding blood vessels into nothingness. Whenever injuries appeared within his body, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor's Trunk Bone released a clear stream that began healing them. Feeling a scorching heat burn within him, Xiao Ling picked up the Ice Spirit Cold Spring beside him and drank it all in one gulp.

The cold current surged into his body, then flowed through his Meridians in every direction. Wherever the cold current passed, it rapidly covered the Meridians and bones with a milky-white layer of ice.

The bone-piercing chill that entered his body happened to neutralize the blazing heat caused by the Heavenly Flame. The sudden comfort made Xiao Ling let out a long breath, and his constantly taut nerves relaxed slightly.

Forming the hand seals for cultivation, Xiao Ling began circulating the Dou Qi within his body according to the cultivation route of the Fen Jue. Guiding a wisp of golden flame with his mind, he slowly circulated it. Everywhere the flame passed, the ice formed by the Ice Spirit Cold Spring continuously melted away. Fortunately, the Heavenly Flame's source did not resist, so controlling it went rather smoothly.

When the golden flame flowed out from one of his main Meridians, it finally completed a perfect circulation cycle. At that moment, Xiao Ling could clearly feel that the connection between his mind and the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame had become somewhat more harmonious.

After traveling through the cultivation route of the Flame Mantra, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame gradually restrained the destructive high temperature it released. A moment later, the heat had almost completely withdrawn into the flame seed, and a trace of gentleness faintly emerged.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling let out a breath of relief and murmured, "Looks like it will succeed soon. Good thing I prepared thoroughly, and this sub-flame has no intention of resisting. Unlike Xiao Yan, I did not have to narrowly escape death and suffer endless torment just to absorb a Heavenly Flame."

With a beckoning gesture, the tiny Spirit Absorption Stone on the floor turned into a gray streak and shot directly into Xiao Ling's body. Under Xiao Ling's control, it entered his Dou Crystal.

As the Spirit Absorption Stone entered Xiao Ling's body, a dazzling golden flame barrier suddenly burst out from within him in an instant, wrapping around him. The surging, scorching golden flames upon it blocked out all light.

At the center of the Dou Crystal floated a tiny gray point of light. Within that point lay endless, profound darkness, and at the end of the darkness seemed to be another hidden space, looking exceptionally mysterious.

The final and most important step in refining a Heavenly Flame into a source flame seed was to forcibly compress the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame into the space formed by the Spirit Absorption Stone. Only by fully storing the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame within the Spirit Absorption Stone could the refinement truly be considered perfect!

This step was originally extremely difficult. After all, the flame spirits within Heavenly Flames possessed a trace of Spiritual Wisdom and instinctively resisted dangerous things. If one failed to force it in, the Heavenly Flame that had already undergone preliminary refinement would likely backlash once again!

However, because of Xiao Xun'er's instructions, this Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame Sub-flame had no intention of disobeying Xiao Ling's control. Moreover, upon approaching the Spirit Absorption Stone, it seemed to sense something and actively entered that strange space.

As Xiao Ling successfully refined the flame seed, waves of energy ripples suddenly appeared rapidly across the surface of the golden barrier that had remained still. Immediately afterward, a powerful aura abruptly spread from within the flame barrier.

The energy ripples on the barrier fluctuated more and more violently. In the end, tiny cracks suddenly appeared across the rounded barrier. The cracks slowly spread until they covered the entire barrier, making it resemble a golden egg covered in fractures.

Crack. A crisp sound echoed through the Training Room. A small fragment of energy quietly fell from the golden barrier. Upon landing on the floor, the scorching heat it carried immediately melted a small pit into the ground.

Crack... crack. After the first fragment fell, the golden energy barrier suddenly began trembling violently. The trembling continued for a moment before, at a certain instant, the golden barrier exploded with a bang.

Xiao Ling, who had been sitting cross-legged within it, revealed his naked body.

Faint golden flames curled within his ink-black eyes. After a while, they suddenly surged up and covered his entire eyes. For a moment, Xiao Ling's pupils turned golden, giving him a faint air of one who ruled the world.

Opening his eyes, Xiao Ling lightly twisted his neck. Immediately, a smooth series of crackling sounds rang out from his bones. Listening to those crisp sounds, Xiao Ling drew a deep breath, his face filled with comfort and intoxication.