The matter of the Misty Cloud Sect had, with the deaths of the three Soul Hall Protectors and Yun Shan's return to his senses, finally come to a temporary end.
After this battle, the Misty Cloud Sect had suffered grievous losses. Most of its top fighters had fallen, and its reputation had plummeted.
Once he came to his senses, Yun Shan was filled with remorse and lingering fear.
If Lin Chen had not intervened in time, he would not only have fallen into darkness forever, but also dragged the entire Misty Cloud Sect into an abyss from which there was no return.
He was overcome with gratitude toward Lin Chen, and revered him to the very marrow of his bones.
Without needing Lin Chen to say a word, Yun Shan took the initiative and opened the Misty Cloud Sect's treasury, amassed over hundreds of years, to him.
Most of the rare medicinal ingredients, high-grade Magic Cores, precious metals, and cultivation method and combat skill scrolls had been personally organized by Yun Shan and respectfully presented before Lin Chen.
"Master Lin, the Misty Cloud Sect suffered this calamity because of my mistakes."
"Keeping these resources within the sect would only invite disaster. It would be better to give them to you, Master. Perhaps you can put them to better use. This is a small token of the Misty Cloud Sect's gratitude and apology."
Yun Shan spoke with heartfelt sincerity, adopting an exceptionally humble posture.
Lin Chen glanced over the resources. Among them were quite a few supplementary ingredients needed to refine seventh-grade pills, as well as some ancient objects containing special energy. They were indeed useful to him.
He did not refuse. With a wave of his hand, he took most of them into his Storage Ring, leaving behind some basic resources for the Misty Cloud Sect's future reconstruction and its disciples' cultivation.
"Let the past be a lesson. Take care of what comes next," Lin Chen said indifferently.
Yun Shan hurriedly bowed and agreed.
Nearby, Yun Yun watched the scene, her feelings too complicated to put into words.
The sect had undergone a great upheaval, and her teacher had nearly caused a catastrophe. Though everything had now settled, the Misty Cloud Sect was no longer what it once had been.
As its sect leader, she was utterly exhausted.
And the end of this ordeal, and the sect's salvation, had all hinged on the mysterious and powerful youth before her.
She looked at Lin Chen's still-calm profile. The hazy fondness and dependence she felt toward him had grown clearer.
But when she saw his youthful face, she could not help feeling a trace of absurdity and bitterness.
She parted her lips, seeming to want to say something, but she did not know where to begin.
After finishing with the resources, Lin Chen turned his gaze to Yun Yun, as if he had seen through her confusion.
"The balance of power in the Jia Ma Empire has changed. The Misty Cloud Sect will need to lie low for a long time."
"This place is too small a stage for you."
Lin Chen's voice remained calm, yet carried a force that seemed to point the way forward.
"Central Plains is where the truly strong belong."
Yun Yun's delicate frame trembled slightly. Her beautiful eyes turned to Lin Chen, and a trace of reluctance flickered within them, almost imperceptible.
She understood what Lin Chen meant. After this ordeal, she had also realized how inadequate her strength was. She needed a broader world in which to temper and improve herself.
But... after this parting, who knew when they would meet again?
"Central Plains... I'll think about it," Yun Yun replied softly, a hint of melancholy in her voice that even she herself had not noticed.
She had wanted to ask whether Lin Chen would go, but when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back.
Lin Chen glanced at her, as if he had seen through her thoughts, and said calmly,
"Cultivate in peace and stabilize the sect."
"When we meet again in Central Plains, there will be time to see each other."
Those words were like a promise. In an instant, they dispelled the gloom in Yun Yun's heart and made her eyes shine anew.
She nodded firmly.
"Mm! I'll definitely go to Central Plains!"
"Then... I'll thank you properly, Master!"
Lin Chen gave a slight nod and said no more.
After arranging the Jia Ma Empire's affairs going forward
(mainly to be maintained by Jia Xingtian, Hai Bodong, the Nalan Family, and the Mittel Family together, preserving the new order)
he did not linger.
His figure flashed, turning into a streak of light as he vanished from the peak of Misty Cloud Mountain, heading straight for Jia Nan Academy in the Black-Corner Region.
Jia Nan Academy, Inner Academy.
When Lin Chen appeared again, Great Elder Su Qian came out to greet him at once, his manner even more respectful than before.
The few scattered reports from the Jia Ma Empire—though lacking in detail, major events like the Misty Cloud Sect changing hands and the deaths of Soul Hall experts were enough to offer a glimpse of the full picture—had given him a new understanding of Lin Chen's influence.
"Master Lin, you're back," Su Qian said respectfully.
"Mm." Lin Chen nodded and got straight to the point.
"Great Elder Su Qian, I've come for the Fallen Heart Flame."
Su Qian's expression turned solemn at his words, but he did not answer at once.
The Fallen Heart Flame was, after all, one of the foundations of Jia Nan Academy.
Lin Chen continued,
"I know how important the Fallen Heart Flame is to the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower."
"I don't intend to take it by force. I want to make a deal with it."
"By chance, I obtained a young Fallen Heart Flame."
He turned his hand over. A faint but genuine little transparent flame, radiating the pure aura of heartfire, danced on his fingertip.
This little flame was something he had obtained after sensing the Fallen Heart Flame's aura at the bottom of the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower.
He had simulated it with the Karma Fire Red Lotus!
Naturally, this was an "empty promise" based on what he knew from the original story.
But he was absolutely certain he could make good on it immediately.
"A young Fallen Heart Flame?"
Su Qian's eyes suddenly lit up. He stared fixedly at the little flame, sensing the pure heartfire energy within it. Even his breathing grew hurried!
"Is what Master Lin says true?!"
"Of course."
Lin Chen's tone was certain.
"Replacing the mature Fallen Heart Flame in the tower with this young one might make its effects somewhat weaker at first."
"But it has greater potential for growth and is easier to control. It can keep the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower running, and even keep it stable for longer."
"And I can take away the mature flame, which has already gained sentience and is on the verge of rampaging, solving a major threat to the academy."
"A win-win arrangement. What do you think, Great Elder?"
Su Qian's heart raced!
This proposal was an incredible boon for Jia Nan Academy!
As the years passed, the Fallen Heart Flame in the tower had grown more intelligent, and its energy had become increasingly violent.
In recent years, the frequency and force of its assaults on the seal had steadily increased. It had even made him, a Dou Zong, feel uneasy. It had long been a sword hanging over the academy's head.
If they could replace this ticking time bomb with a stable, obedient young flame and still preserve the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower's effects, it would be a godsend!
As for how Lin Chen would subdue the mature Fallen Heart Flame, that was not something Su Qian needed to worry about.
He had long since been thoroughly convinced by this master's methods.
"Good! We'll do as you say, Master!" Su Qian nodded emphatically, hardly hesitating at all.
"On behalf of Jia Nan Academy, this old man thanks you for making this possible!"
"No need for thanks. We each get what we need."
Lin Chen put away the disguised little flame.
"There's no time to lose. I'll go to the bottom of the tower now."
"This old man will guide you and guard the perimeter. I won't let anyone disturb you!"
Su Qian said at once.
The two quickly arrived at the Heaven Burning Qi Refining Tower in the depths of the Inner Academy.
The students had been evacuated in advance, leaving the tower empty and quiet.
The farther down they went, the denser the heartfire energy became. Even an ordinary Dou Huang expert would have found it uncomfortable.
Passing through the passage at the tower's base, they were met by a wave of scorching heat.
Before them lay a boundless red Magma World, its molten rock flowing slowly like an ocean.
From time to time, enormous bubbles rose from the bottom and burst, releasing terrifying heat.
The air shimmered here, and even Dou Qi seemed liable to catch fire.
Lin Chen could clearly sense that deep within this Magma World, an enraged, violent sentience was awakening.
Its energy had clearly reached the threshold of a Dou Zong!
The Fallen Heart Flame!
"Master, be careful!" Su Qian stopped at the entrance to the passage and warned him gravely.
Even though he was a Dou Zong, he did not dare venture deep into the magma to face that furious Heavenly Flame.
Lin Chen nodded and looked toward the churning magma.
He patted the Seven-Colored Little Snake coiled around his wrist.
"Little one, what's down there will do you good. Get ready."
The Seven-Colored Little Snake seemed to understand him. Its tiny body twisted slightly, giving off a hint of anticipation.
At that moment, Medusa's consciousness had yet to awaken!
In the next instant, blood-red Dou Qi Armor surged around Lin Chen. He stepped forward and plunged straight into the roiling magma, hot enough to melt fine iron!
As soon as he entered the magma, terrifying heat and pressure pressed in on him from every direction.
But Lin Chen's Dou Qi Armor was incomparably sturdy, its crimson light keeping the magma at bay.
Like a fish, he sped toward the source of energy he had sensed.
The deeper he went, the greater the pressure and the higher the temperature. Strange fire creatures even began to appear.
But when they felt the terrifying aura emanating from Lin Chen, they fled in terror.
After an unknown distance, the magma around him gradually shifted from crimson to a nearly translucent blue-white.
The heat here was enough to vaporize an ordinary Dou Huang in an instant!
Suddenly:
"ROAR!!!"
An invisible roar that struck directly at the soul erupted from the deepest part of the magma!
The magma below surged violently, and an enormous Invisible Fire Python burst out from the depths!
The python was made entirely of invisible flames, yet its form was incredibly solid. Its body was thick enough to crush a mountain with ease.
Its enormous pupils brimmed with savagery and fury. It was the Fallen Heart Flame's true form!
It had sensed the intruder, and it felt an immense threat coming from him!
The Invisible Fire Python opened its jaws. An invisible shockwave of flame, powerful enough to incinerate souls, hurtled toward Lin Chen with a searing blast that tore through space!
The magma along its path instantly evaporated into nothing. Even space rippled and twisted!
"Hmph. Stubborn fool."
Lin Chen snorted. He neither dodged nor even blinked.
At a thought, the eerie, exquisite Red Lotus Karma Fire rose from within him. Crimson flames bloomed like a lotus, instantly enveloping his body!
The moment the Karma Fire appeared, the violent fire-attribute energy in this Magma World seemed to have its pause button pressed. It all turned docile!
The Red Lotus Karma Fire was the king of ten thousand flames, far above the Fallen Heart Flame in rank. Its mere aura made the entire Magma World tremble!
The invisible shockwave of flame struck the Karma Fire, only to vanish like a stream flowing into the sea, unable to raise even the slightest ripple.
It was instantly assimilated and absorbed by the Red Lotus Karma Fire, leaving not even a trace of energy behind!
The fire python formed by the Fallen Heart Flame visibly froze, its enormous body rigid in place.
For the first time, uncertainty filled its enormous eyes, along with a hint of instinctive fear!
It could clearly sense that the crimson flames before it were the bane of all its fire-attribute energy.
If they touched it, it would likely be incinerated in an instant!
"Subdue!"
Lin Chen gave it no time to react. His hands formed a seal.
His vast Spirit Realm soul power surged out like a tsunami, fusing completely with the Red Lotus Karma Fire.
Together, they formed a blood-red net that blotted out the sky, its majesty carrying the weight of judgment over all things as it descended upon the Invisible Fire Python!
The Red Lotus Karma Fire blazed across the net. Every strand of flame contained the power to purify everything.
The magma parted automatically wherever it passed, while the air sizzled as it burned!
"ROAR!!!" The Fallen Heart Flame sensed the mortal threat and struggled and roared frantically.
It summoned the energy of the entire Magma World. Countless arm-thick spears of fire shot up from the magma.
They gathered into dozens of enormous fire pythons, which hurled themselves at the blood-red net!
RUMBLE!!!
The Magma World erupted into chaos!
The terrifying collisions of energy sent the magma surging like a tsunami. Towering waves hundreds of feet high swept in every direction.
They were enough to swallow an entire mountain!
Yet before an absolute counter in power, all of the Fallen Heart Flame's resistance was futile.
The net formed by the Red Lotus Karma Fire was like a red-hot iron meeting snow. It ignored the charging energy pythons.
It pierced through and purified them with ease!
The moment the fire pythons touched the net, they melted into nothing like snow, without even a chance to fight back!
At last, the blood-red net settled firmly over the Invisible Fire Python's true form!
"Sss... sss..."
The Karma Fire scorched the Invisible Fire Python's body, making a sound that set one's teeth on edge.
The python let out a scream of unbearable pain, its enormous body thrashing violently.
The Seven-Colored Little Snake lashed its tail wildly against the surrounding magma, sending towering waves surging into the air, but it still couldn't break free of the fiery net. The net clung to its body like a bone-boring maggot.
The Red Lotus Karma Fire continued to seep into its energy core, rapidly refining and stripping away its energy and intelligence!
The Fire Python shrank at a visible rate, its once-solid body growing thinner and thinner.
The savagery and fury in its eyes gradually gave way to fear.
It tried to gather its last wisp of energy and self-destruct, only to find that the karma fire had already sealed away all the energy in its body. It didn't even have the means to blow itself up!
The process lasted for several breaths.
At last, the enormous Invisible Fire Python vanished completely, leaving behind only a mass of the purest, constantly flickering invisible flame essence:
The core flame of the Fallen Heart Flame!
Lin Chen opened his mouth and sucked the invisible flame seed into his body.
The Red Lotus Karma Fire surged into action, swiftly beginning to refine this powerful energy.
Just then, the Seven-Colored Little Snake coiled around his wrist suddenly let out an eager hiss.
Its tiny body glowed with a rich, seven-colored light.
Lin Chen's heart stirred. He separated out a small portion of the gentlest Fallen Heart Flame energy and slowly channeled it into the Seven-Colored Little Snake.
"Hiss!"
The Seven-Colored Little Snake's body shuddered, and its seven-colored light blazed brighter.
The scales on its body grew even more lustrous and translucent, while a powerful suction force rose from within it.
It greedily absorbed this pure heart-fire energy. The energy brought it indescribable benefits, strengthening its soul and accelerating its fusion with the body of the Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing Python!
Its aura grew stronger at a visible rate. Its eyelids trembled, as if it might awaken at any moment.
Feeling the little snake's change, Lin Chen smiled faintly.
At the same time, after completely refining the Fallen Heart Flame, the Red Lotus Karma Fire in his body suddenly sent some of its pure energy back into his dantian!
A warm current coursed through his body, and Lin Chen could clearly feel his cultivation steadily rising.
His aura, which had been at the peak of One-Star Dou Emperor, quickly broke through to Two-Star Dou Emperor, then steadily advanced toward Three-Star Dou Emperor.
It finally stopped at the early stage of Three-Star Dou Emperor!
The increase wasn't enormous, but it had undeniably strengthened him.
After all, Lin Chen's cultivation system was different from other people's. He relied mainly on killing powerful foes and devouring their souls and energy to break through quickly.
The cultivation boost from the Heavenly Flames giving energy back was more icing on the cake than a primary method.
Even so, rising directly from One-Star Dou Emperor to Three-Star Dou Emperor was proof enough of how pure the Fallen Heart Flame's core energy was.
Yet just as he was about to completely absorb this energy,
the Red Lotus Karma Fire in his body suddenly sent him a strange ripple.
The ripple pointed toward the depths of the magma below!
Lin Chen's eyes snapped open, a flash of surprise in them.
"As expected!"
"There's... another Fallen Heart Flame aura down there!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Chen carefully tucked the Seven-Colored Little Snake, which was on the verge of awakening, into his clothes.
He moved at once, bracing against the even more terrifying pressure and heat!
Following the direction sensed by the Red Lotus Karma Fire, he continued diving toward the deepest part of the magma!
Before you continue