Controlling Time, the Terrifying Taisui Flame!

Faced with the threat from Gai Shentong, Shen Shihuang did not retreat; instead, he stepped forward to stand before the three of them.

Chu Shanwang let out a low shout and prepared to strike at Shen Shihuang, yet just as his fist was about to land, a flame identical to the one burning within their own bodies erupted from Shen Shihuang.

Black flames.

This was a fire that the three of them would never be able to forget.

They had originally believed this place to be their opportunity to break through to the Dou Zun realm, never imagining that the contents within would be the very thing to hasten their deaths.

"You..."

Chu Shanwang's eyes widened.

Shen Shihuang chuckled softly. "Three seniors, it just so happens that I possess a Heavenly Flame, and it appears that the flames here are exactly the same as mine—or perhaps, the fire here is actually a source seed of the very flame I carry."

Chu Shanwang: "...!"

Gai Shentong: "...!"

Heaven Eye Pupil Elder: "...!"

Such a turn of events left even old monsters like them speechless.

Could things really be like this?

"Rest easy, seniors. Under any other circumstances, I would be the first to run, but as it stands, this flame has no effect on me!" Shen Shihuang grabbed Chu Shanwang's arm.

"Senior, you must endure this."

Hiss!

In an instant, Chu Shanwang's face twisted in agony, rendering him unable to speak.

The black flames flowed like blood from Chu Shanwang's arm, slowly seeping into Shen Shihuang's body.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

As the black flames left Chu Shanwang's body, his condition improved instantly; although he had not returned to his peak, he had stopped aging further.

"It's actually true?"

Gai Shentong looked at Shen Shihuang with pleasant surprise.

However, Gai Shentong's voice followed, "Kid, why are you saving us? If we were gone, there would be quite a few treasures left on our bodies."

What kind of place was this?

The Black-Corner Region.

Saving people in the Black-Corner Region?

Do you think this is a kindness?

In most cases, you are simply courting death.

Such was the chaos of the Black-Corner Region.

Shen Shihuang took a step forward, grabbing Gai Shentong's arm with one hand and Heaven Eye Pupil Elder's with the other. "When the Earth-Fiend Heaven-Tearing Python trapped me, didn't you three seniors choose to save me instead of rushing to the altar immediately?"

"Interesting little fellow!" Gai Shentong smiled faintly and completely dropped his defenses, allowing Shen Shihuang to absorb the flames from within him.

Once the Taisui Flame had been drained from all three seniors, Shen Shihuang turned his gaze toward the altar, which had transformed into a mass of black fire.

"Three seniors, what exactly is going on with this altar? Why were you so certain that it could allow you to break through to the Dou Zun realm?" Shen Shihuang asked.

Heaven Eye Pupil Elder let out a sigh of relief and said, "We obtained the information from records in a ruin, which stated that there was a Seven-Colored Altar within the Ancient Venerable Abyss containing a profound power capable of helping a nine-star Dou Zong expert break through to the Dou Zun realm."

"Containing a profound power?"

Shen Shihuang slowly approached the altar, a gleam in his eyes.

He could now confirm that the altar indeed contained the source seed of the Taisui Flame.

"Wait here for a moment, seniors."

"I will absorb the fire seed first."

Shen Shihuang pressed a palm against the altar.

Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Suddenly, black flames surged out from the altar like a sea of fire, pouring continuously into Shen Shihuang's body.

A powerful force erupted within him.

The power of the black flames seemed to reach its limit, and before Shen Shihuang's eyes, it actually burned a rift into the space itself.

It was a familiar sight.

"Step!"

A ripple emanated from the rift. When Shen Shihuang turned back, he saw that Heaven Eye Pupil Elder, Gai Shentong, Chu Shanwang, and Zi Yan behind them all appeared as if they had been frozen in place.

Even the surrounding wind seemed to have come to a standstill.

"Wu Ci?"

Shen Shihuang watched the figure stepping out from the rift; he wore a grey robe and held a book wreathed in black flames in his hand.

"Young Master!"

Wu Ci bowed respectfully.

"What is the meaning of this? And what about the Taisui Flame?" Shen Shihuang asked.

As he walked, Wu Ci replied, "Time stop—this is a fraction of the Taisui Flame's power. Once you have achieved complete mastery, you too will be able to wield this power over time."

"Time stop??"

Shen Shihuang's eyes widened in disbelief.

Wu Ci smiled and said, "Do not be surprised, Young Master. The Taisui Flame in your possession is indeed complete, but time itself is fragmented, which has caused some of the Taisui Flame's primordial seeds to scatter across different spaces and times."

"However, this has little impact on you."

"Of course, if you can collect them, it will help you master the abilities of the Taisui Flame as quickly as possible."

"Until, eventually, you master time itself!"

"The seed you have encountered now is one of these primordial seeds. The 'primordial' here refers to the origin of all things. Just as they pursue, you can utilize the Taisui Flame to allow those at the peak of their realm to break through to the next major stage."

"However, Wu Ci still hopes that you, Young Master, will fuse the origins of the three Heavenly Flames into the Taisui Flame as soon as possible, for that is the only way to truly unlock the power of the Taisui Flame and the best path to elevating your own strength."

As he spoke, Wu Ci's figure slowly vanished into the spatial rift. The moment the rift closed completely, Heaven Eye Pupil Elder, Gai Shentong, Chu Shanwang, and Zi Yan all recovered simultaneously.

They had no memory of the time stop that had just occurred.

Terrifying power!

Even Shen Shihuang himself felt his heart race. With such power, if one were in a life-or-death struggle, the opponent would likely not even know how they died.

And this was a power he actually had the chance to possess.

The flames within the altar gradually extinguished, signifying that the fire seed within had been completely absorbed by Shen Shihuang.

"Three seniors, since you wish to break through to the Dou Zun realm,"

"Why don't I lend you a hand!"

As Shen Shihuang spoke, the Taisui Flame surged forth, enveloping the three of them.

These three individuals harbored no malice toward him and had even stepped in to help when he was in danger, making them worthy of cultivation. Three Dou Zun powerhouses would be an immense asset to Shen Shihuang at this stage.

With the support of three Dou Zun powerhouses in the Black-Corner Region, Shen Shihuang could finally act with impunity.

Sure enough, as Shen Shihuang controlled the Taisui Flame, the expressions of Heaven Eye Pupil Elder and the others shifted from pain to comfort.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

BOOM!!

Accompanied by a powerful aura, Shen Shihuang was forced back by the shockwave.

Auras far more terrifying than those of Dou Zong powerhouses erupted from the three men. While they still appeared as elderly men, the vitality within them was incomparable to what it had been before.

"Hahaha!!"

Gai Shentong, surrounded by flickering sword shadows, let out a hearty laugh. "Kid, my thanks to you!"

Chu Shanwang tossed a scroll directly in front of Shen Shihuang.

"I don't know how else to thank you, so take this Dou Technique I have cultivated."

"If you ever need anything in the future, just send someone to the Wild Courtyard to call for me."

Gai Shentong and Heaven Eye Pupil Elder followed suit, each producing a Dou Technique.

"Same as old Chu. If you need anything, send word to Sword Mountain, and I will arrive at the first opportunity."

Just as Heaven Eye Pupil Elder was about to speak, a burst of laughter echoed out.

"Hahaha!"

"The Ancient Venerable Abyss is truly a treasure trove!"

"I have broken through as well!"

Within a vortex.

The figure of Earth Demon Old Ghost appeared, and his aura had shockingly reached that of a nine-star Dou Zong!!

No wonder I hadn't seen this old fellow since we entered.

He actually managed to obtain quite a few benefits as well!

Shen Shihuang tucked away the scrolls gifted by the three of them and turned his gaze toward Earth Demon Old Ghost.