Dragon Flame Confounds the Masses, Twin Flames Arrive in the World!

High above, experts from all sides stood suspended in the air.

Their gazes burned as they stared down at the desert below, where earth-yellow flames burned in silence.

The air was thick with greed, vigilance, and the scent of gunpowder ready to ignite at a moment's notice.

The warnings of the Snake-People Tribe were completely ignored.

Everyone's thoughts were tethered to that legendary "Xuanhuang Flame."

Lin Chen's expression, however, grew increasingly strange.

The Xuanhuang Flame, is it truly the Xuanhuang Flame?

At first, he had indeed been led astray by the crowd, believing it to be the Xuanhuang Flame.

Now, after sensing it carefully, he realized something was amiss!

If it were merely the Xuanhuang Flame, its quality would not be this high!

He hovered beside Hai Bodong, his face appearing calm.

But those deep eyes of his narrowed slightly.

His soul perception acted like the most delicate of tentacles.

It swept over the strange flames below, over and over again.

Initially, he too had been influenced by the words of the others and the information from Hai Bodong.

He had assumed that this flame, radiating the heavy aura of the earth, was the Xuanhuang Flame, ranked twenty-third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.

But the more he sensed it, the tighter his brows furrowed.

Something was wrong.

The energy level of this flame, while vast, seemed to be on par in "quality" with the endless, all-consuming heat of the Green Lotus Core Flame that he had previously sensed through the lotus pedestal fragments.

Perhaps... it even possessed a hint of distinct agility?

Its essence was actually a notch higher than the Green Lotus Core Flame!

This was not something the Xuanhuang Flame could achieve.

Moreover, according to Hai Bodong's description, this Heavenly Flame had arrived "enveloped in a desert storm, forming a massive hurricane."

The characteristic of the Xuanhuang Flame was its heavy, earth-bearing nature, the essence of the land.

How could it be so closely linked to the wild and unpredictable "wind"?

And how could it form a fire tornado that connected heaven and earth?

This was more like...

A vague thought flashed through Lin Chen's mind like lightning!

He abruptly focused all his mental energy.

No longer relying on conventional perception, he channeled his full power to communicate with the Twelfth-Grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus deep within his dantian—the source of all fires and the law of incineration!

The phantom of the Karmic Fire Red Lotus swayed gently.

A supreme flame will permeated Lin Chen's body.

Like a monarch, it carefully "scrutinized" the earth-yellow flames below.

This time, the perception became incomparably clear and thorough!

Beneath that heavy, earth-yellow shell, the hidden core was not the steady aura of the earth, but a wildly violent, raging wind-fire that seemed capable of tearing everything apart!

Its spiritual intelligence was far beyond imagination.

It even carried a hint of cunning!

It had cleverly used a certain method to simulate the earthy aura of the Xuanhuang Flame.

It had deceived almost everyone!

"So that's how it is..."

A flash of realization and surprise crossed Lin Chen's eyes as he whispered to himself.

"It is not the Xuanhuang Flame at all... this is... the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!"

Wind fuels the fire, and fire borrows the power of the wind!

This was the reason it could whip up such terrifying firestorms!

Its characteristics and manifestations matched perfectly!

Just as Lin Chen saw through the truth, the situation in the sky also began to change.

The few Dou Emperors from the Black-Corner Region seemed to have run out of patience.

One of them, shrouded in a black robe with an aura as cold and venomous as a serpent, spoke first.

His voice was hoarse and grating:

"Everyone, dragging this out is not a solution!"

"This Heavenly Flame possesses high intelligence and is refusing to emerge."

"Are we to wait until other Dou Emperors and our rivals arrive in person?"

Another Dou Emperor, burly with bronze-colored skin and radiating a scorching heat, spoke in a booming voice:

"The friend from the Black Skull Tomb is right!"

"Why don't we join forces to break the outer defenses of this Heavenly Flame?"

"We force it to reveal its true form, then compete based on our own abilities. How about that?"

This proposal immediately received a response from the majority of the experts.

After all, no one wanted to wait indefinitely.

And they were even less willing to let the Snake-People Tribe reap the benefits.

On the side of the Misty Cloud Sect, Sect Leader Yun Yun was draped in a plain dress with a light veil covering her face.

Though her features were obscured, her figure was graceful and her temperament was ethereal.

She exchanged a glance with the Pill King Gu He beside her and gave a slight nod.

Gu He spoke in a clear, resonant voice:

"The Misty Cloud Sect agrees."

"But let it be understood beforehand: once the defenses are broken, the competition will be based on individual skill."

"No further joint sneak attacks will be permitted!"

"Hmph, that goes without saying!"

The several Dou Emperors agreed one after another.

Though how much credibility those words held was anyone's guess.

Soon, six Dou Emperors, including Hai Bodong, reached a temporary agreement!

Yun Yun, the Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb, and the Bronze Flame Dou Emperor.

Along with two other Dou Emperors with obscure auras and Hai Bodong, the pact was sealed.

"Attack!"

Following the command, six terrifying auras of Dou Emperors erupted simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

They surged straight into the heavens!

Six massive torrents of Dou Qi, each a different color, seemed capable of destroying the world.

Tearing through the sky, they struck the earthy-yellow fire domain below from six different directions!

"Rumble!!!"

A heaven-shaking explosion resounded across the entire desert!

The energy shockwave spread wildly in all directions like a tsunami.

It whipped up thousands of layers of sand!

The few Snake-People Dou Kings were forced back repeatedly, their faces filled with horror!

The combined full-force strike of six Dou Emperors possessed power enough to level a city or destroy a nation!

The burning earthy-yellow fire domain below shattered like broken glass.

It collapsed instantly.

Large swathes of the desert were violently overturned along with it.

Revealing a massive, bottomless pit!

However, the very moment the fire domain shattered:

"ROAR!!!"

A furious roar, as if from an ancient dragon, erupted violently from the depths of the earth!

It was filled with the ferocity of one disturbed!

Immediately following, the shattered flames did not extinguish.

Instead, they gathered frantically as if stimulated!

Endless dust and sand were whipped up, merging with the earthy-yellow flames.

In an instant, they formed a colossal fire-sand tornado, composed entirely of sandstorms and raging fire!

It roared and twisted, carrying a terrifying momentum capable of tearing everything apart.

It surged upward, slamming violently into the six Dou Emperors in the sky!

The power of this sudden counterattack far exceeded everyone's expectations!

It was not the least bit inferior to the joint strike just unleashed by the six Dou Emperors!

"Watch out!"

The expressions of the six Dou Emperors shifted slightly as they each employed their own methods to defend or evade!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Terrifying explosions rang out in succession high in the air.

Energy collided and annihilated crazily!

The entire sky was rendered bizarre and kaleidoscopic by the various colors of Dou Qi and the sandstorm flames!

After the strike, the fire-sand tornado seemed to exhaust its power, slowly dissipating.

Yet, at the center of the explosion, a speck of incomparably pure, bright yellow flame, pulsing like a beating heart, remained.

It hung there silently!

It radiated even purer and more terrifying flame energy and spiritual essence than before!

"The main body of the Heavenly Flame!!"

Someone let out a roar!

In an instant, all agreements and all caution were cast to the winds!

Greed instantly devoured reason!

"Seize it!"

The six Dou Emperors, along with the dozen or so Dou Kings nearby who had long been unable to restrain themselves.

Like sharks smelling blood, their eyes turned red.

They charged madly toward that speck of bright yellow flame!

A great battle erupted instantly!

Dou Qi crisscrossed, and energy rampaged!

In order to snatch the Heavenly Flame that was within reach, the superficial peace that had barely been maintained was completely shattered!

The Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb insidiously struck a poisonous palm at the Copper Flame Dou Emperor beside him;

Yun Yun's cyan wind blades collided violently with the earthy-yellow giant fist of another unfamiliar Dou Emperor;

Gu He was entangled by two Dou Kings;

Hai Bodong also roared as he swung his ice spear, repelling a Dou King who had attempted a sneak attack...

The scene descended into total chaos!

Everyone was attacking anyone who approached the Heavenly Flame.

Everyone wanted to exclude the others!

Only Lin Chen remained motionless where he stood.

A mocking sneer even played at the corners of his mouth.

The moment the fire-sand tornado counterattacked and everyone's attention was fully drawn, he used the clear perception of the Karma Fire Red Lotus to "see" an extremely faint, lightning-fast streak of bright yellow fire.

It slipped silently out from the center of the explosion.

It instantly dove into the ground, moving at an inconceivable speed.

It fled madly in the direction of the Snake-People Tribe's Holy City!

As for the "Heavenly Flame" hanging in the air, which had captured everyone's gaze.

It was nothing more than a sub-fire, cleverly shaped and containing only a trace of the original essence!

A lure!

A trap!

"Such high intelligence! What a brilliant golden cicada shedding its shell!"

Lin Chen could not help but marvel in his heart.

This Wind Fury Dragon Flame was absolutely the Heavenly Flame with the highest intelligence he had ever seen!

He grabbed Hai Bodong, who was about to rush up and join the melee, and transmitted his voice:

"Don't go!"

"That's a fake!"

"The real body has already run toward the Holy City!"

Hai Bodong froze abruptly, forcing his body to a dead stop.

He looked at Lin Chen with suspicion and uncertainty:

"A fake? How is that possible?"

"That aura..."

Just then, amidst the chaotic melee, the Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb, whose movement technique was the most devious, managed to miraculously break through layers of obstruction by weaving through a strange black mist.

He was the first to reach that point of "Heavenly Flame"!

A look of wild ecstasy appeared on his face.

His withered palm was covered in dense black Dou Qi.

He reached out to grab the "Heavenly Flame," while simultaneously letting out a sharp shriek.

He was attempting to cast some kind of sealing secret technique!

However, the moment his palm touched the bright yellow flame:

"Pfft!"

That seemingly powerful flame, like a bubble being pricked, trembled gently.

It instantly dimmed, shrank, and turned into a wisp of a tiny flame so weak it was almost extinguished!

The energy and spirituality contained within were worlds apart from what they had been just a moment ago!

"What?!!"

The wild ecstasy on the face of the Black Skull Tomb Dou Emperor instantly froze, turning into extreme astonishment and disbelief!

The prize he had paid such a huge price for, even taking two attacks head-on to snatch...

Was actually a counterfeit?!

"Stop!!! Everyone, stop fighting, damn it!!"

He was trembling with rage, letting out a sharp, ear-piercing roar.

His voice was filled with the fury of being toyed with.

"We've all been played!"

"This is a sub-flame! It's fake!"

"The real Heavenly Flame body ran away long ago!!"

His roar exploded like a thunderclap over the chaotic battlefield!

The various experts, who had been locked in intense combat, froze in their movements upon hearing this.

One after another, they looked at the weak little flame in his hand in disbelief.

Then, they sensed it again...

Sure enough, the heart-palpitating fluctuation of the Heavenly Flame's origin had almost completely vanished!

"How is that possible?!"

"When did it happen?!"

"Bastards!!"

For a moment, roars of shock and anger rose one after another.

So many experts, and they had been collectively toyed with by a single Heavenly Flame!?

This was nothing short of a supreme humiliation!

However, in the very next second after this eerie silence and fury descended:

"BOOM!!!"

Far away, over ten miles away, in the central area of the Snake-People Tribe Holy City.

A massive, bright yellow flame tornado connecting heaven and earth, like a sleeping dragon awakening, erupted violently from the ground and shot straight into the sky!

The terrifying storm and raging flames ran wild.

Even the clouds above the Holy City were shredded to pieces!

An aura of the Heavenly Flame, far purer, more violent, and infinitely more powerful than the previous sub-flame, swept across the entire world like a tsunami!

Number eighteen on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, had finally revealed its full might!

But this... was far from the end!

Almost at the same moment, another aura of flame, completely distinct yet equally terrifying and vast, rose up.

Like a sleeping lotus slowly blooming, it ascended not far from the center of the storm!

It was a cyan flame that contained both the vitality of the earth and the scorching heat of destruction!

Although it seemed suppressed by some force, appearing somewhat weak, its inherent nobility and power were beyond doubt!

Nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the Green Lotus Core Flame!

Two terrifying flame auras, distinct yet both ranked within the top twenty of the Heavenly Flame Ranking, shone brilliantly in tandem at this moment above the Holy City of the Snake-People Tribe, making a shocking entrance!

"Two... two Heavenly Flames?!"

"The Green Lotus Core Flame?! How is it there too?!"

"No! That isn't the Profound Yellow Flame!"

"It's that Wind Fury Dragon Flame! It deliberately triggered the Green Lotus Core Flame!"

All the human experts, including the Dou Emperor from the Black Skull Tomb who had been furious just a moment ago, were now dumbfounded, their minds blank!

The scene before them had completely exceeded their understanding!

A flash of great surprise crossed Lin Chen's eyes, but he immediately realized the truth!

"So that's how it is... What a scheme! Truly a brilliant scheme!"

His heart trembled as he instantly understood the intention of the Wind Fury Dragon Flame!

The intelligence of this Wind Fury Dragon Flame far exceeded his imagination!

It knew well that as a single Heavenly Flame, it would be difficult to escape the pursuit and interception of so many experts.

Thus, relying on the unique resonance between Heavenly Flames, it had actually located the Green Lotus Core Flame, which Queen Medusa had sealed somewhere in the Holy City and had yet to fully refine!

It was unknown what method it had used to break or trigger the seal of the Green Lotus Core Flame, causing both Heavenly Flames to appear in the world simultaneously!

In this way, the target had shifted from one to two!

The temptation had doubled!

The infighting and chaos among the human experts would inevitably intensify!

Moreover, the Holy City of the Snake-People Tribe would certainly fall into massive chaos due to the simultaneous eruption of two Heavenly Flames.

Queen Medusa would be unable to attend to everything at once!

Only then would it have a heaven-sent opportunity to escape amidst the chaos, or rather... to fish in troubled waters.

It might even have the chance to devour the other Heavenly Flame!

This Wind Fury Dragon Flame must have existed for a terrifyingly long time!

Its wisdom was nearly demonic!

At this moment, whether it was the human experts in the air or the horrified Snake-People on the ground, all eyes and all senses were locked tightly onto the Holy City of the Snake-People Tribe, where the storm and the cyan fire were intertwined!

Greed, shock, madness...

Various emotions intertwined in the eyes of every expert.

A storm of even more chaotic and cruel contention, centered around these two peerless Heavenly Flames, was about to erupt violently in the heart of the Snake-People Tribe!