High in the sky, experts from every side hovered in midair.
Their eyes burned as they stared at the desert below, where earthen-yellow flames were quietly burning.
Greed, wariness, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air, ready to ignite at any moment.
The Snake-People Tribe's warning had been thoroughly ignored.
Everyone's thoughts were fixed on the legendary "Mystic Yellow Flame."
But Lin Chen's expression grew increasingly strange:
Was this really the Mystic Yellow Flame?
At first, he too had been led astray by the crowd and believed it was the Mystic Yellow Flame.
Only after sensing it carefully did he realize that something seemed off!
If it were merely the Mystic Yellow Flame, its quality wouldn't be this high!
He hovered beside Hai Bodong, his expression seemingly calm.
But his deep-set eyes narrowed slightly.
His soul perception was like the finest of feelers.
Again and again, it swept over the strange flame below.
At first, he too had been influenced by the crowd's words and Hai Bodong's information.
He had assumed that this flame, which radiated the heavy aura of the earth, was the Mystic Yellow Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
But the more he sensed it, the tighter his brows furrowed.
Something was wrong.
The flame's energy was indeed majestic.
But its quality seemed almost identical to the endless vitality and searing heat that refined all things, which he had sensed from the Green Lotus Core Flame through the lotus platform fragment.
Could it be that they were nearly equal in quality?
And... there was even a hint of something else, a kind of nimble spirit?
Its essence was even a hair superior to the Green Lotus Core Flame!
The Mystic Yellow Flame could never reach that level.
Moreover, according to Hai Bodong's description, this Heavenly Flame had arrived "wrapped in a sandstorm, forming a gigantic whirlwind."
The Mystic Yellow Flame's nature was to bear weight and nurture all things, the essence of the earth.
How could it be so closely linked to the savage, unpredictable "wind"?
And how could it form a flame tornado that connected heaven and earth?
This was more like...
A vague thought flashed through Lin Chen's mind like lightning!
He suddenly focused all his attention.
Instead of relying on ordinary perception, he threw himself into communicating with the Twelfth-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus deep in his dantian, the one that represented the source of Wan Huo and the law of incineration!
The phantom of the Karma Fire Red Lotus swayed gently.
A supreme flame will passed through Lin Chen's body.
Like a king, it carefully "examined" the earthen-yellow flame below.
This time, his perception became incomparably clear and penetrating!
Beneath that heavy earthen-yellow shell lay a hidden core.
It was not the steady energy of the earth, but an incomparably violent, raging flame of wind that seemed capable of tearing everything apart!
Its sentience was far beyond anyone's expectations.
It even carried a hint of cunning!
By some ingenious method, it had imitated the earth aura of the Mystic Yellow Flame.
It had deceived nearly everyone!
"So that's how it is..."
A look of understanding and surprise flashed through Lin Chen's eyes as he murmured.
"It's not the Mystic Yellow Flame at all... This is the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"
Wind fueled the fire, and fire borrowed the wind's might!
That was how it could whip up such a terrifying firestorm!
Its nature and manifestations fit perfectly!
Just as Lin Chen saw through the truth,
the situation in the sky changed as well.
The few Dou Emperors from the Black-Corner Region seemed to have run out of patience.
One of them, a Dou Emperor shrouded in black robes, with an aura as cold as a venomous snake, spoke first.
His voice was hoarse and grating:
"Everyone, waiting around like this won't get us anywhere!"
"This Heavenly Flame has no small measure of intelligence and refuses to come out."
"Are we supposed to wait until other Dou Emperors and competitors arrive in person?"
Another Dou Emperor was burly, with bronze-colored skin and a fiery aura.
He spoke in a booming voice:
"Our friend from the Black Skull Tomb is right!"
"Why don't we join forces to break through the Heavenly Flame's outer defenses?"
"Force it to reveal its true form, then compete for it according to our own abilities. What do you say?"
The proposal immediately won the support of most of the experts.
After all, no one wanted to wait indefinitely.
Nor did they want the Snake-People to reap the benefits.
On the Misty Cloud Sect's side, its sect master, Yun Yun, wore a plain dress and a gauzy veil over her face.
Though her features could not be seen, she had a graceful figure and an extraordinary bearing.
She exchanged a glance with Pill King Gu He beside her and gave a slight nod.
Gu He spoke up in a clear voice:
"The Misty Cloud Sect agrees."
"But let's make one thing clear in advance: once we break through the defenses, we'll each compete according to our own abilities."
"No more joining forces to launch sneak attacks!"
"Hmph, of course!"
The Dou Emperors agreed one after another.
How much their words could be trusted was another matter.
Soon, six Dou Emperors—including Hai Bodong—
Yun Yun, the Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb, the Copper Flame Dou Emperor,
two others with obscure auras, and Hai Bodong reached a temporary agreement.
"Attack!"
At the command, six terrifying Dou Emperor auras erupted with a roar.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
They shot straight into the clouds!
Vast streams of Dou Qi, each a different color, surged like six torrents capable of destroying heaven and earth.
They tore through the sky from six different directions
and slammed into the earthen-yellow Fire Domain below!
"Rumble!!!"
A world-shaking explosion rang across the entire desert!
Shock waves spread wildly in every direction like a tsunami,
kicking up a thousand layers of sand!
The several Snake-People Dou Wangs were jolted backward again and again, their faces stricken with shock!
The combined full-force attack of six Dou Emperors was powerful enough to level cities and topple kingdoms!
The burning earthen-yellow Fire Domain below shattered at once,
like glass smashed to pieces!
A vast stretch of sand was flung into the air with it,
revealing a gigantic, bottomless pit!
Yet at the very moment the Fire Domain broke apart:
"Roar!!!"
An enraged roar, as though it had come from an ancient dragon clan, suddenly rang out from deep underground!
It brimmed with the fury of something violently disturbed!
Then the shattered flames did not go out.
Instead, as if provoked, they frantically converged!
Endless sand rose into the air and fused with the earthen-yellow flames.
In an instant, they formed a colossal fire tornado made entirely of sandstorm and raging flames!
Roaring and twisting, it surged upward with a terrifying force that could tear everything apart,
slamming straight into the six Dou Emperors in the sky!
The sudden counterattack was far beyond anyone's expectations!
Its power was in no way inferior to the combined strike of the six Dou Emperors just moments ago!
"Watch out!"
The six Dou Emperors' expressions shifted. They each used their own methods to defend or evade!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Terrifying explosions rang out in quick succession high above.
Energy collided and annihilated itself in a frenzy!
The entire sky was painted in a dazzling, bizarre patchwork of colored Dou Qi and sandstorm flames!
After that one strike, the fire tornado seemed to have exhausted its strength and slowly dissipated.
At the center of the explosion, a tiny, incomparably pure flame, bright yellow and pulsing like a heart,
floated quietly in the air!
It radiated flame energy and sentience even purer and more terrifying than before!
"The Heavenly Flame's true body!!"
Someone roared.
In an instant, every agreement and every trace of wariness were cast away!
Greed swallowed reason whole!
"Get it!"
The six Dou Emperors, along with more than a dozen Dou Wangs nearby who had long been unable to hold back,
rushed toward the bright-yellow flame with bloodshot eyes, like sharks that had smelled blood!
The battle erupted in an instant!
Dou Qi crisscrossed as energy ran rampant!
In the struggle for the Heavenly Flame, now within arm's reach, the fragile peace they had maintained shattered completely!
The Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb treacherously struck the Copper Flame Dou Emperor beside him with a poisonous palm;
Yun Yun's green wind blades clashed violently with the earthen-yellow giant fist of another, unfamiliar Dou Emperor;
Gu He was tied up by two Dou Wangs;
Hai Bodong also roared and swung out an ice spear, driving back a Dou Wang who had tried to ambush him...
The scene descended into utter chaos!
Everyone attacked anyone who drew near the Heavenly Flame.
Everyone wanted to force the others out!
Only Lin Chen stood completely still.
There was even a mocking sneer at the corner of his mouth.
At the very moment the fire tornado counterattacked and everyone's attention was drawn to it,
through the Karma Fire Red Lotus's clear perception, he "saw" an extremely fine, lightning-fast strand of bright-yellow flame.
It slipped silently out from the center of the explosion.
Then it plunged underground in an instant, fleeing at an unbelievable speed
in the direction of the Snake-People Holy City!
The "Heavenly Flame" floating in the air, drawing everyone's attention,
was merely a Child Flame, cleverly shaped from a trace of its origin aura!
A decoy!
A trap!
"What incredible intelligence! What a perfect trick to escape by shedding its shell!"
Lin Chen couldn't help exclaiming inwardly.
This Wind Fury Dragon Flame was definitely the most intelligent Heavenly Flame he had ever seen!
He grabbed Hai Bodong, who was about to charge into the melee, and sent him a voice transmission:
"Don't go!"
"That's fake!"
"The real one has already run toward the Holy City!"
Hai Bodong froze in shock, forcing himself to a stop.
He stared at Lin Chen, uncertain and suspicious.
"Fake? How is that possible?"
"That aura..."
Just then, amid the chaotic battle, the Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb—the one with the most bizarre movement technique—
slipped through the encirclement with the help of a strange black mist, miraculously breaking through the layers of obstruction.
He was the first to reach the "Heavenly Flame"!
His face lit up with wild joy.
His withered palm was cloaked in dense black Dou Qi.
He reached for the "Heavenly Flame," letting out a shrill cry as he did.
He was trying to use some kind of secret sealing technique!
But the moment his palm touched the bright yellow flame—
"Pfft!"
The seemingly mighty flame quivered lightly, like a bubble being pricked.
It instantly dimmed and shrank, turning into a tiny, feeble flame that looked ready to go out!
The energy and spiritual nature it contained were worlds apart from what they had been moments ago!
"What?!"
The Black Skull Tomb Dou Emperor's elation froze on his face, giving way to utter shock and disbelief!
He had paid a tremendous price—even taking two attacks head-on—to seize it...
and it turned out to be a counterfeit?!
"Stop!!! Stop fighting, damn it!!"
He trembled with rage and let out a shrill, piercing roar.
His voice brimmed with fury at having been tricked.
"We've all been played!"
"This is a Child Flame! It's fake!"
"The real Heavenly Flame ran off long ago!!"
His roar boomed across the chaotic battlefield like a thunderclap!
The powerhouses who had been fighting fiercely all suddenly faltered.
One after another, they stared in disbelief at the feeble little flame in his hand.
Then they sensed it for themselves...
Sure enough, the heart-stirring fluctuations of the Heavenly Flame Origin had all but vanished!
"How is this possible?!"
"When did it happen?!"
"Bastard!!"
Roars of shock and fury rose one after another.
All these powerful experts had been toyed with by a single Heavenly Flame?!
It was a disgrace beyond measure!
Yet the very next moment, just as this eerie silence and fury descended—
"BOOM!!!"
More than ten miles away, in the central district of the Snake-People Holy City,
an enormous bright yellow tornado of flame, connecting heaven and earth,
erupted from underground, shooting straight into the sky like a sleeping dragon awakening!
A terrifying storm and raging flames swept across the city,
shredding the clouds above the Holy City!
An aura of Heavenly Flame far purer, more violent, and countless times more powerful than that of the Child Flame before
surged across the world like a tsunami!
The eighteenth-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, Wind Fury Dragon Flame, had finally unleashed its full power!
But... that was far from the end!
Almost at the same time, another vast and terrifying aura of flame, utterly different from the first,
rose nearby, blooming slowly from the eye of the storm like a sleeping lotus opening its petals!
It was a blue-green flame brimming with the vitality of the earth and the scorching heat of destruction!
Though some kind of power seemed to be suppressing it, leaving it somewhat weak,
its inherent nobility and power were beyond doubt!
The nineteenth-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, Green Lotus Core Flame!
Two utterly different yet equally terrifying flames, both among the top twenty on the Heavenly Flame Ranking,
appeared in all their glory above the Snake-People Holy City, their radiance intertwining!
"T-Two Heavenly Flames?!"
"Green Lotus Core Flame?! Why is it there too?!"
"No, that's not the Mystic Yellow Flame!"
"It's Wind Fury Dragon Flame! It deliberately stirred up the Green Lotus Core Flame!"
All the human powerhouses, including the Black Skull Tomb Dou Emperor, who had just been raging in fury,
stood dumbstruck, their minds a blank!
The scene before them was utterly beyond their comprehension!
A flicker of immense surprise crossed Lin Chen's eyes, but then understanding dawned!
"So that's it... What a scheme! What a brilliant scheme!"
His heart shook as he instantly understood Wind Fury Dragon Flame's intent!
The intelligence of this Wind Fury Dragon Flame far exceeded all expectations!
It knew that, on its own, it would have little chance of escaping the pursuit and encirclement of so many powerful experts.
So, relying on the unique resonance between Heavenly Flames,
it had actually found the Green Lotus Core Flame, which Queen Medusa had sealed somewhere in the Holy City and had yet to fully refine!
Who knew how it had done it? It had either broken through the Green Lotus Core Flame's seal or stirred it up.
Now both Heavenly Flames had appeared at once!
That turned one target into two!
The temptation had doubled!
The competition and chaos among the human powerhouses would inevitably intensify!
And with two Heavenly Flames erupting at once, the Snake-People Holy City was bound to plunge into utter chaos.
Queen Medusa would be unable to deal with both fronts!
Only then would it have a heaven-sent chance to flee amid the chaos—or, rather... fish in troubled waters.
Perhaps even devour the other Heavenly Flame!
Wind Fury Dragon Flame must have existed for an unimaginably long time.
Its intelligence was almost demonic!
At this moment, whether they were the human powerhouses in the sky or the Snake-People Tribe members on the ground, pale with shock,
every eye and every sense locked onto the distant Snake-People Holy City, where the storm and blue-green flames intertwined!
Greed, shock, madness...
All kinds of emotions mingled in the eyes of every powerhouse.
A still more chaotic and brutal storm of competition over two peerless Heavenly Flames
was about to erupt in the heart of the Snake-People Tribe!
Before you continue