Nearby.
Only then did Shen Shihuang notice the flame insignia embroidered over the chest of the man's black robe.
There was even a flickering black flame between his brows, giving him an especially mysterious and strange air.
Listening to the man before him,
Shen Shihuang was puzzled at first, but soon killing intent and wariness surfaced in his eyes.
This man
actually knew what his bone wings were.
"Who are you?"
Shen Shihuang asked coldly.
The man spread his palm, and a Flame Bamboo Scroll appeared. He slowly unrolled it before Shen Shihuang. Inside, it was filled with black flames. Shen Shihuang was exceptionally familiar with those flames.
Taisui Flame.
The man pointed to the first line on the scroll.
The black flames there scattered, revealing five large blue characters.
Green Lotus Core Flame.
"My king, do not be alarmed."
Holding the Flame Bamboo Scroll, the man bowed respectfully again. "I am your most loyal subject. Only because your Taisui Flame advanced a rank was I able to come before you for this brief moment."
"I cannot stay by your side for long, so I'll be brief."
"This Flame Bamboo Scroll records your journey of growth. Since the Green Lotus Core Flame has appeared on it, that means the first Heavenly Flame Origin you fused with was the Origin Flame Seed energy of the Green Lotus Core Flame."
"Every time your Taisui Flame fuses with the Origin Flame Seed energy of another Heavenly Flame, you will gain something from the Taisui Flame."
"This Taisui Bone is one such benefit."
"Although the Taisui Bone is a Dou Technique, it is also the beginning of your bone replacement. Only after your entire skeleton has evolved into Taisui Bone will its true power manifest."
Shen Shihuang listened to him.
Yet he still did not let down his guard. The Taisui Flame was closely tied to his transmigration, and this man...
The man seemed to sense Shen Shihuang's wariness.
He smiled and said, "My sudden appearance would naturally make you uneasy."
"However,"
"please rest assured. You can trust me unconditionally, as well as the others who emerged from that Sea of Flames. We are all your most loyal subjects."
Shen Shihuang's mouth twitched.
That...
"Then tell me who you are. From what you've said, it sounds like there are quite a few people in there?"
"Exactly!"
The man replied proudly. "That place is your greatest trump card. Once your Taisui Flame advances to the third stage, you'll understand."
"But for now, I cannot tell you."
Shen Shihuang asked, "Why?"
"Because your strength is too weak. We have yet to awaken."
Shen Shihuang: "...!"
"But you only need to remember one thing: whether it's me or anyone else, all who emerge from that place will be loyal to you."
With that,
"My name is Wu Ci!"
Wu Ci straightened his clothes.
His expression turned solemn. "I don't have much time left. Let me complete my task before I go!"
Atop the mountain,
Shen Shihuang looked at Wu Ci and frowned. "Your final task?"
This time, Wu Ci did not answer Shen Shihuang.
Instead, after circling Shen Shihuang once, he held the Flame Bamboo Scroll in one hand and suddenly raised the other into the air, proclaiming,
"Celebrate!!"
Then,
he lowered his raised hand before Shen Shihuang
and continued,
"He is the Emperor of Time who commands the past, present, and future!!"
"At this very moment, the Emperor of Time's story begins..."
With that, Wu Ci's figure slowly faded away along with the spatial rift.
"I hope it won't be long before Wu Ci meets you again."
Watching Wu Ci and the spatial rift vanish,
and especially remembering Wu Ci's words,
Shen Shihuang felt unbearably embarrassed.
"Damn!!"
After a long while, all Shen Shihuang could manage was those two words.
"It looks like there's more to the connection between the Taisui Flame and me than I thought," Shen Shihuang muttered, looking at the Taisui Flame in his hand.
He had originally thought it was simply because he had transmigrated.
But now,
it seemed he had been rather shallow in his thinking.
Putting away the Taisui Flame, Shen Shihuang looked toward the Black-Corner Region again.
"If that's the case,"
"then let me learn a little more."
Once the Taisui Flame advanced a rank,
Wu Ci would appear.
The Origin Flame Seed of the Sea Heart Flame was just what he needed.
And it wouldn't take long.
It would happen soon.
As for Xiao Yan, Shen Shihuang wasn't worried at all. Yao Lao would awaken this time and naturally help Xiao Yan escape his predicament. All Shen Shihuang had to do now was wait for Xiao Yan to subdue the Fallen Heart Flame. Then he could get his hands on the Origin Flame Seed energy of the Fallen Heart Flame.
By then,
the Taisui Flame would have advanced three times. Whether Wu Ci's words were true would soon become clear.
Having settled on what to do,
Shen Shihuang did not hesitate. He spread the Taisui Bone Wings behind him and gave them a slight beat, shooting toward the Black-Corner Region like a streak of light.
Maple City.
The city had been named after a man. It was only because of him that Maple City had become a peculiar presence in the Black-Corner Region—not a faction, yet somehow a faction all the same.
The Medicine Emperor.
Han Feng.
It all came down to the fact that Han Feng was a sixth-grade alchemist.
A sixth-grade alchemist could be honored as the Pill King in the Jia Ma Empire and the Medicine Emperor in the Black-Corner Region. That was enough to show the status of a sixth-grade alchemist.
Even the Dou Zong powerhouses of the Black-Corner Region
did not dare offend the Medicine Emperor lightly.
That was how one could see the status of alchemists.
Alchemists might not represent strength, but they were synonymous with endless trouble.
If you offended an alchemist,
you might not even get a good night's sleep, because countless people would come looking for trouble.
That was the influence of an alchemist.
In a waterside pavilion,
a handsome man stood by the pond, gazing into the distance. He wore a blue robe with a large "Feng" embroidered on the back. If not for the gloom in his eyes ruining his appearance, he might have seemed even more approachable.
"That aura just now..."
"It seemed like a Heavenly Flame."
The man was Han Feng.
After sensing that aura in the distance, Han Feng had been unable to sit still.
"It didn't come from the direction of Jia Nan Academy."
A smile appeared on Han Feng's face.
"Looks like an extraordinary figure has come to the Black-Corner Region!"
"It seems my teacher's 'Flame Mantra' is due for an upgrade."
As Han Feng muttered these words, hatred filled his eyes.
"You old bastard. You'd rather die than give me the complete 'Flame Mantra.' You deserve what happened to you!"
Turning around,
Han Feng was just about to call someone over
when his expression suddenly changed.
"This aura..."
"Is it a Dou Zong powerhouse?"
Han Feng looked up at the sky.
A young man in a black robe was smiling down at him. A pair of black bone wings stood out sharply behind him.
"Medicine Emperor Han Feng?"
Han Feng understood immediately.
That Heavenly Flame aura
had come from this man.
"That's right. What business do you have with me?" Han Feng asked. He suppressed his greed. His opponent was a Dou Zong powerhouse, so he could set aside his plan to seize the flame by force.
He would have to think of another way.
"It's nothing major."
"I just want to..."
"borrow your Sea Heart Flame. What do you think?"