"It's the Mystic Yellow Flame!"
Hai Bodong's excited words trembled slightly, like a massive stone dropped into a still lake.
They stirred wave upon wave in Lin Chen's heart.
Even the chill surrounding the old man grew a little unsteady at the news:
"The Mystic Yellow Flame?"
Lin Chen paused, momentarily taken aback.
His brows knit unconsciously, and his fingertips absently rubbed at his sleeve.
This was completely beyond his expectations!
According to his hazy memories and what he knew, there should have been only one Green Lotus Core Flame in the Tagor Great Desert!
How had another Heavenly Flame, ranked twenty-third, suddenly appeared?
And why had it made such a grand entrance, wrapped in a storm as if afraid the whole world wouldn't hear about it?
This unexpected turn had splashed a blot of ink across his plan, which had been as clear as a painting.
He turned to look at Hai Bodong, whose fingers were trembling faintly with excitement.
Suddenly, the corner of his mouth curled into an amused smile, and his voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Old Man Hai, you'd rather risk a fight to the death against at least five or six Dou Emperors and a dozen or more Dou Wangs..."
"Just to fight over this unknown Mystic Yellow Flame, instead of coming with me to 'have a chat' with Queen Medusa?"
"Looks like being hunted by her back then left you with quite a bit of trauma."
The excitement on Hai Bodong's face instantly froze, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice chips over his head.
Only then did he realize that he had been so caught up in the appearance of a new Heavenly Flame that he had unconsciously overlooked the far greater danger involved.
Facing Medusa meant a one-on-one confrontation with a known enemy—terrifying, yes, but at least one whose methods he could anticipate.
He could even calculate which area she was most likely to appear in and what Dou Techniques she might use.
But competing for the Mystic Yellow Flame meant facing Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs from all directions—an unknown number of them, all liable to go mad for the Heavenly Flame!
The chaos and danger would rise by a geometric margin!
"Well..."
Hai Bodong sheepishly rubbed his nose, his fingertip brushing its cool tip as he spoke somewhat hesitantly:
"I just thought... it was a rare opportunity..."
"And having more people has its advantages, too. Maybe we can fish in troubled waters..."
"Besides, you know what Medusa's temper is like..."
Lin Chen chuckled and stopped teasing him.
He walked to the window with his hands behind his back, his wide robe stirring gently in the cross-breeze.
His gaze settled on the boundless sea of sand outside.
The setting sun gilded the dunes, turning the rolling waves of sand the color of molten gold.
Yet his eyes were deep as night:
Another Heavenly Flame was unexpected.
But for him, it wasn't bad news. It was an incredible opportunity!
The restoration of the Karma Fire Red Lotus required nourishment from a great deal of Heavenly Flame Origin!
He wanted the Green Lotus Core Flame, and he wanted this Mystic Yellow Flame that had practically been delivered to his doorstep!
As for the danger?
A flicker of confidence crossed Lin Chen's eyes:
Were Dou Emperors really that strong?
He was now at the peak of One-Star Dou Wang, and he carried the primordial Blood Scripture.
When Dou Qi flowed through his meridians, threads of blood-red lightning accompanied it, its quality far surpassing that of his peers.
His true combat strength was enough to crush an ordinary Dou Emperor!
And that wasn't even counting his two great killing weapons:
Yuantu and Abi!
They were only formed from fragments of their original essence, but their rank was extraordinarily high.
The innate killing aura coiling around their blades could tear through space with the slightest swing.
When unleashed at full power, they could even slay a Dou Emperor!
His greatest trump card, however, was the supreme divine ability he had only just begun to master:
Boundless Blood Sea!
Though he could currently manifest only a corner of it, its terrifying domain suppression, devouring and recovery, and the killing intent born from the very laws of the world...
Its power definitely surpassed the Heaven-Rank Dou Techniques of this world!
It was his ultimate support for challenging opponents above his level, and even for fighting crowds!
And on top of that, the Karma Fire Red Lotus had an innate ability to suppress and command all flames...
"Dou Emperors are terrifyingly powerful?"
Lin Chen murmured under his breath, a cold sneer of disdain on his lips. His voice was so soft that only he could hear it.
"Nothing but a pack of rabble!"
His thoughts flashed, and he had already made his decision.
"Why wouldn't we go?"
Lin Chen turned around. His tone was calm, yet his commanding presence was enough to captivate:
"When meat is served up to your mouth, how could you refuse to eat it?"
At his words, Hai Bodong let out a breath of relief, as if he had finally expelled the stale air trapped in his chest.
Then his spirits lifted!
Though the road ahead was perilous, he didn't know why, but looking at Lin Chen's calm eyes, brimming with boundless confidence, somehow eased his apprehension.
This kid could work miracles!
There was no time to waste. The two of them set off at once.
Lin Chen returned to his room and briefly explained the situation to Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin.
Xiao Yi Xian was seated at the table, grinding herbs, the pestle held in her fair fingers.
At his words, her hand stilled, and the pestle gave a soft clink against the stone mortar.
Qing Lin was sitting on the edge of the bed, engrossed in a book of beast language.
At the words "Heavenly Flame," she immediately looked up, her emerald eyes full of worry.
"I'm going with Elder Hai to the depths of the desert to compete for a Heavenly Flame."
"The journey is dangerous. You two will stay at this inn. Don't go outside."
Lin Chen instructed them.
He placed a jade bottle on the table, containing several Qi-Nourishing Pills.
Then he took out a simple scroll of the Poison Scripture, which he had copied from the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.
He handed it to Xiao Yi Xian:
"Focus on your cultivation, and keep your poison body under control."
"The methods in this Poison Scripture can temporarily delay the backlash of your poison."
He then ruffled Qing Lin's hair, his fingertips brushing her soft strands.
"Take care of yourself and your elder sister Xiao Yi Xian."
"I've left that Fire Spirit Snake beneath the sand nearby, too. It can sense your presence."
"If anything urgent happens, it'll come out at once to protect you."
Though Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin were worried, they knew they would only become a burden if they went along. They both nodded obediently.
Xiao Yi Xian set down the pestle and rose, walking over to Lin Chen. She took a small sachet from her sleeve.
"Inside is some Clear Heart Powder I made myself. It can calm the mind and settle the soul."
"If you run into a maze or a hallucinogenic poison, it might come in handy."
"Big Brother Lin Chen, you have to be careful!" Her voice was soft, but full of concern, and the corners of her eyes were faintly red.
"My lord... come back soon..." Qing Lin said quietly, both hands clutching the hem of her clothes. Her emerald eyes were full of reluctance, like a kitten about to be abandoned.
Once everything was arranged, Lin Chen and Hai Bodong exchanged a glance and spread their Dou Qi Wings at the same time!
Behind Lin Chen, his wings of dark red, blood-crystal Dou Qi were covered in fine crimson patterns.
Faint ripples of space quivered along their edges.
Hai Bodong's icy-blue Dou Qi Wings looked as if they had been carved from cold jade, radiating a biting chill.
Even the air around them condensed into tiny ice crystals.
The two became streaks of light, rushing out of Mo City and racing toward the deepest part of the Tagor Great Desert!
As they flew, the wind howled, and the sand it swept up struck their Dou Qi shields with soft crackles.
"Elder Hai, where did you hear about the Mystic Yellow Flame?"
Lin Chen asked. Even at high speed, his voice remained clear and steady.
It was as if the surrounding gale couldn't disturb his voice at all.
"What exactly happened?"
Hai Bodong explained quickly as they flew.
"The news came from Shi Mo City, at the easternmost edge of the desert, about seven days ago."
"Apparently, an unprecedentedly massive sandstorm swept through the area."
"The storm covered a thousand li. It even scraped a layer off Shi Mo City's walls!"
"At its heart, a yellowish-brown flame could be seen rising, gathering without dispersing."
"In the end, it formed a giant flaming whirlwind that connected heaven and earth. It was moving straight toward the depths of the desert!"
"The flame radiated terrifying energy from heaven and earth, along with an ancient aura that made people's hearts tremble. It definitely wasn't an ordinary Beast Flame or unusual flame."
"Those with broad knowledge speculated that it was most likely the Mystic Yellow Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"
"They say this flame contains a trace of the great earth's profound yellow energy. It's vast and weighty, with an extremely high level of intelligence."
"It can even influence the flow of the earth's ley lines within a hundred li!"
"Once the news spread, it immediately drew countless experts."
"According to the reliable information I received, Pill King Gu He of the Misty Cloud Sect in the Jia Ma Empire has already set out."
"He even persuaded their sect master, Yun Yun, to come with him. Apparently, he brought at least three Dou Wang elders from the Misty Cloud Sect as well!"
"That old fox Gu He has gone all out for the Heavenly Flame. He's clearly determined to claim it!"
"On top of that, no fewer than five Dou Emperor experts have been drawn here!"
"Most of them have sinister, chilly auras and carry the distinctive bloody stench of the Black-Corner Region. They're probably from that lawless place!"
"One or two others have calm, centered auras. They seem to be renowned experts from neighboring empires."
"As for Dou Wang experts, openly and in secret, there are probably more than a dozen!"
"I also sensed that two of the Dou Emperors carried a strong medicinal fragrance and spiritual fluctuations."
"They're probably high-ranking alchemists. Perhaps they're after the flame to use in alchemy!"
Hai Bodong's voice was grave, and his icy-blue Dou Qi Wings flickered several times as his emotions shifted.
"That Mystic Yellow Flame seems to possess an extremely high level of intelligence, and it's been around for an incredibly long time. Its strength is probably already nearing the Dou Zong level!"
"It travels wrapped in storms, moving extremely fast. It can also stir up sandstorms to hide its tracks, making it very difficult to catch."
"Over these seven days, although so many experts have been drawn here, it seems no one has managed to truly touch it, let alone subdue it."
"If we head there now, we should still make it in time!"
Lin Chen listened quietly, understanding dawning in his heart.
It seemed the Mystic Yellow Flame was even more extraordinary than he had imagined. It had drawn so many experts.
Even the people from the Black-Corner Region had come running at the news. It looked like a fierce battle was inevitable.
The two flew at full speed.
The sea of sand below them swept backward like yellow waves.
Even the desert lizards that appeared now and then only caught a glimpse of two blurry shadows flashing by.
They flew for who knew how long, and the temperature in the air grew higher and higher.
They could even faintly sense a chaotic, powerful energy fluctuation coming from the distance.
It was as though countless ferocious beasts were roaring and clashing far away.
Hai Bodong's expression tightened, and he slowed down.
"We're almost there! The outer reaches of the Snake-People Holy City are just ahead!"
"That energy fluctuation is chaotic. It looks like quite a few people have gathered already, and they may even have fought!"
Sure enough, after flying for a little longer, a mass of dark figures appeared on the horizon ahead!
In the distant sky, more than ten figures were suspended in the air!
They were spread out, forming a vast circle.
They had surrounded a wide stretch of desert below.
Their auras varied in strength, but even the weakest was at the Dou Wang level.
The light of their Dou Qi shone like stars of different colors, sparkling in midair.
The pressure radiating from five or six of them was especially terrifying, like dormant primordial beasts. They were clearly all Dou Emperor experts!
The desert below, enclosed by them, looked even stranger!
A stretch of sand thousands of meters across seemed to have been set alight.
It was burning with an unusual yellowish-brown flame!
The flames were not fierce; they lacked the leaping, frenzied quality of ordinary fire.
It instead gave off a heavy, solemn feeling, as if it bore the weight of the earth itself!
The flames burned quietly, scorching the sand below until it had turned faintly crystalline.
It had become something like glass, radiating astonishing heat and energy fluctuations.
Even the air was warped.
At the edge of that burning desert, five more figures hovered, faintly confronting the human experts in the sky.
All five had human torsos and serpentine tails. Their green scales gleamed with a cold, hard sheen in the firelight. They were experts of the Snake-People Tribe!
At their head was an elderly Snake-Person in a black robe, his face covered in wrinkles like the bark of an old tree.
He held a serpent staff set with a snake-shaped gem, and his aura had clearly reached Peak Dou Wang.
The four Snake-People behind him were Dou Wangs as well. One of them was a female Snake-Person, fine golden patterns running along her tail.
Their faces were grim and furious, wariness flickering in their serpentine eyes.
Clearly, they were deeply displeased by such a large number of human experts intruding into the Holy City's territory.
"Humans! This is the forbidden ground of our Snake-People Holy City!"
"Leave at once! Otherwise, if you disturb Her Majesty the Queen, you'll die without a burial place!"
The elderly Snake-Person Dou Wang shouted sternly.
His voice hissed with the distinctive sound of a serpent. He thumped his staff hard, sending the sand grains on the ground bouncing.
But he seemed somewhat lacking in confidence. After all, the opposing forces were far too strong.
Just the auras of those Dou Emperors left him struggling to breathe.
Most of the human experts in the sky merely shot them a cold glance and ignored them.
Nearly all their attention was fixed on the earthy-yellow flames below.
Their eyes were filled with greed and wariness, like a pack of hungry wolves eyeing a hunk of meat.
Only a few showed impatience at the Snake-People Tribe's warning.
One burly, bald Dou Wang even clenched his fists, producing a crackle of popping joints.
Just then, the arrival of Lin Chen and Hai Bodong immediately drew everyone's attention!
Two powerful auras sped toward them without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Hai Bodong's icy Six-Star Dou Emperor aura was especially impossible to ignore.
Like a block of ice thrown into the scorching desert, it stood out sharply.
Even the waves of heat burning in midair were torn open.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Almost everyone's gaze shot toward them at once, scrutinizing them with wariness and even hostility.
A few gazes lingered on Lin Chen. Seeing that his aura was only at the Dou Wang level, they disdainfully turned away.
Then they fixed their attention on Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong snorted coldly, intent on backing Lin Chen up.
He now considered himself the subordinate!
He abruptly raised his aura even higher, icy-blue Dou Qi surging skyward like a column of smoke.
Its piercing chill brought him to the very brink of Six-Star Dou Emperor:
"Hmph. Since when did the Tagor Great Desert become the Snake-People Tribe's domain to rule as they please?"
Hai Bodong's icy voice rang out.
His Dou Emperor pressure swept over them like a cold wind in the dead of winter.
The faces of the Snake-People Dou Wangs instantly paled. Their tails trembled faintly as the pressure on them mounted.
"Heavenly Flames emerge from heaven and earth, nurtured by nature. Naturally, they belong to whoever has the fortune to claim them!"
"Does your Snake-People Tribe mean to keep them all to yourselves?"
Among the human experts, those who sensed Hai Bodong's formidable Dou Emperor aura tempered their disdain, their expressions turning more serious.
There were only two newcomers, but a Six-Star Dou Emperor was enough to shift the balance of power.
The temporary agreement that had nearly been reached seemed destined to be reshuffled.
Riding on this momentum, Hai Bodong brought Lin Chen openly to the outer edge of the encirclement.
They stopped and hovered in an empty spot, establishing a foothold for the moment.
Lin Chen remained calm from beginning to end, paying no heed to the probing, faintly hostile gazes cast his way.
The instant he entered this area, all his attention had been drawn to the earthy-yellow flames quietly burning in the desert below!
Deep in his dantian, the phantom of the Karma Fire Red Lotus grew more restless than ever.
Its petals swayed gently, giving off a faint red glow.
It conveyed a desire that was unmistakable and overwhelming!
Several times stronger than when he had sensed the Green Lotus Core Flame before!
It was as if the Mystic Yellow Flame were a close relative it had lost long ago, and it wouldn't rest until it had drawn it into its embrace!
This was it! The Mystic Yellow Flame!
And he could sense it clearly: the source of this Heavenly Flame was hidden far beneath the burning desert:
The flames on the surface were merely a Fire Domain formed by the lingering power it gave off!
Its intelligence really was astonishing!
It even knew how to conceal itself, laying down this sea of flames to keep these so-called experts circling around a mere illusion!
Lin Chen's gaze grew deep and sharp, as if he could pierce through layer upon layer of sand and see the true form of the Heavenly Flame sleeping below.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into a smile of absolute certainty. He had only one thought:
What a marvelous Mystic Yellow Flame... it was meant to be mine!
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