Sky Fire Venerable's Resurrection and a Spar

Seeing that Yao Tianhuo had taken the pill, Tang Chen took out a jade bottle from his Storage Ring.

The bottle was filled with dark red blood that faintly radiated violent energy. It was the essence blood of a seventh-tier magical beast seized from Demon Flame Valley.

With a squeeze of his palm, the jade bottle shattered. Under his precise control, the violent magical beast essence blood spilled entirely over the corpse.

The instant the essence blood touched the flesh, it sizzled, and the corpse began to rot at a visible rate.

Tang Chen summoned Heavenly Flames to envelop the corpse, then slowly raised the temperature. As the flames grew hotter, the corpse and essence blood gradually began to fuse. The originally pale skin regained its color, and the stiff muscles were once more filled with vitality.

After more than half an hour, the essence blood finally merged completely with the corpse, and a faint trace of life began to emerge from the shell.

Then, the corpse's eyes suddenly flew open, releasing a soul aura extremely similar to Yao Tianhuo's.

The moment those eyes opened, Tang Chen shouted in a deep voice, "Now!"

Yao Tianhuo had long been poised to act. At the command, his figure flashed, and his soul became a streak of light that shot toward the corpse. The moment it touched, his soul entered the body without the slightest obstruction.

Once Yao Tianhuo entered, the shell came "alive" as well, the muscles on its face twisting in pain.

"Yao Tianhuo, the rest is up to you. Only by enduring the tempering of the Heavenly Flames can you be reborn from the fire!" Tang Chen said solemnly.

The Heavenly Flames burned for three full days. The corpse's expression gradually changed from initial agony to numbness, until it had almost completely adapted.

Tang Chen could clearly sense a vast aura brewing within that body.

"It seems it worked." At the sight, some of the gravity finally faded from Tang Chen's face.

Another day passed before the Heavenly Flames surrounding the corpse slowly dispersed.

As soon as the flames vanished, a powerful surge of life burst forth from the body. With its appearance, the corpse's features began to change and flesh regrew. Before long, the lingering aura of death disappeared completely. The body had now become a living, breathing person.

When the body opened its eyes, its aura suddenly surged, and the pressure of a Dou Venerate erupted.

"A four-star Dou Venerate. Not bad." Feeling that aura, Tang Chen remained calm, quite satisfied with the result.

"It has been so long since I last felt what it was like to have a physical body." Yao Tianhuo clenched his fists, feeling this living body of flesh and blood. His face was filled with irrepressible excitement.

Once his excitement subsided, he strode up to Tang Chen and dropped to his knees without hesitation. "Thank you, my lord, for saving my life! I, Yao Tianhuo, am willing to follow you for the rest of my life and await your commands!"

"Not bad." Seeing that Yao Tianhuo had remained so respectful even after his rebirth, Tang Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Looking at Yao Tianhuo before him, Tang Chen suddenly felt the urge to spar. He stepped forward, patted the other's shoulder, and said, "Get used to your new body first. Once you have, the two of us will have a spar."

"Yes." Though Yao Tianhuo was somewhat surprised, he agreed without hesitation.

Tang Chen could not help but feel a little anticipation. He had never fought a Dou Venerate stronger than himself before, so this was the perfect chance to test just how strong he currently was.

Although Lu Yan was a Dou Venerate, she was old and frail, far inferior to a true powerhouse like Yao Tianhuo. Besides, Yao Tianhuo was two stars above him, making him the perfect sparring partner.

After Yao Tianhuo spent some time adapting, the two left Heavenly Snake Mansion together and found an uninhabited area. Battles between Dou Venerates were too destructive, so naturally they needed an open place to avoid harming the innocent.

The two faced each other in midair.

"Do not hold back. Come at me." Tang Chen spoke indifferently.

Before his words had even faded, both figures vanished at once. When they reappeared, they had already collided head-on.

Boom!

The instant fist and palm met, the shockwave from the collision swept wildly in all directions. Wherever it passed, the earth split apart and space shattered inch by inch.

The speed of Dou Venerates had already reached the extreme. Ordinary eyes could not catch it at all.

The moment they clashed, Yao Tianhuo was instantly pushed into a disadvantage. Tang Chen's terrifying strength sent him flying backward, his blood and qi churning violently within him.

Only after flying a great distance did Yao Tianhuo barely stabilize himself. Feeling the disorderly aura within him, his face was full of shock. "This body... is far too terrifying!"

Tang Chen gave him no chance to catch his breath. With a movement technique Dou skill, his whole body transformed into a bolt of lightning and flashed behind Yao Tianhuo in an instant, throwing a punch.

"So fast!" Yao Tianhuo's pupils contracted sharply. The battle instincts accumulated over countless years made him react in an instant. His hand seals changed rapidly, and as he turned, he spat out a huge torrent of flames.

Seeing the flames rushing toward him, Tang Chen curled his lips into a smile. Not only did he neither dodge nor evade, he charged directly into them. The flames instantly swallowed him whole.

Yet Tang Chen, standing in the heart of the blazing inferno, remained completely unharmed. The flames swirled around him affectionately, as though they had met their own father.

"H-how is that possible?!" Yao Tianhuo stammered in shock at the sight.

Seeing his expression, Tang Chen could not help but grin mischievously. "Sorry, but my physique is immune to fire."

At those words, Yao Tianhuo's expression became indescribably complicated. He no longer even wanted to fight.

"Take it back!" Tang Chen clenched his hand, gathering all the flames around him into his palm. Then he threw a punch through the air. Yao Tianhuo's flames condensed into a massive fist seal that smashed straight toward Yao Tianhuo's face.

Yao Tianhuo's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly drove his flames with all his might, condensing them into the phantom of a wolf-shaped beast. Only then did he barely manage to block Tang Chen's attack.

Immediately afterward, he quickly pulled away. His hand seals flew as he began activating his trump-card Dou skill.

In mere moments, a massive five-colored fire disk a hundred zhang across appeared behind him. Five flame beast phantoms of different forms hung above it: wolf, leopard, lion, tiger, and flood dragon. All five beasts appeared at once, their presence astonishing.

"The Five Wheel Separation Fire Disk?" Tang Chen's eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he looked at the enormous fire disk.

He did not delay either. With a clench of his hand, Heavenly Flames became nine fire dragons coiling around his palm. They then gradually converged and extended, ultimately forming a long Heavenly Flame spear covered in dragon patterns.

Flames coiled around the spear's shaft, while crackling lightning flashed unstably at its tip.

Yao Tianhuo raised his right hand, holding the enormous five-colored fire disk aloft from afar. Then he violently swung his arm, and the incomparably huge fire disk tore through the sky like a meteor, shooting forward.

Facing the five-colored fire disk crashing down with overwhelming force, Tang Chen's fighting spirit surged. He stomped the air and, rather than retreating, charged straight at it.

The spear was like a dragon, flames and lightning intertwining as the roar of a dragon resounded through heaven and earth.

Crack!

The instant the spear tip struck the fire disk, the disk shattered with a sharp crack. The five fire spirits within were also torn apart by the fire dragons.

Seeing his Five Wheel Separation Fire Disk shattered so easily by Tang Chen, Yao Tianhuo was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out.

Tang Chen's momentum did not diminish. The spear tip pierced through the air and stopped only when it pressed against Yao Tianhuo's throat.

Feeling the destructive aura emanating from the spear tip, Yao Tianhuo swallowed hard, his face filled with lingering fear.

They had exchanged only three moves before he was defeated, and that was only because Tang Chen had wanted to gauge his strength and had held back.

"Not bad. Keep working hard from now on."

Tang Chen put away his spear, patted Yao Tianhuo's shoulder, and said with a smile.

But to Yao Tianhuo, that smile was even more terrifying than the spear strike just now. He repeatedly waved his hands. "My lord, please spare this old man. These old bones of mine truly are no match for you."

Seeing how frightened he was, Tang Chen found it amusing and casually reassured him, "Do not worry. Next time, I will only use my physical body."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Yao Tianhuo standing there alone with a miserable expression.

Tang Chen returned to Heavenly Snake Mansion and stretched his limbs. He had more or less figured out his true combat strength among those of the same rank.

He was quite satisfied with his current strength, but it was still far from enough to make him stop moving forward.

He took out a map and looked at a location specially circled on it, excitement flickering in his eyes.

"Let's go and see whether there truly are any Heavenly Flames here."