Faced with Gai Shentong's threat.
Shen Shihuang not only didn't leave, but came right up to the three of them.
Chu Shanwang let out a low growl and was about to attack Shen Shihuang. But just as his fist was about to hit him, a flame appeared on Shen Shihuang's body—the exact same flame as the one inside them.
A black flame.
They would never forget that flame for as long as they lived.
They had thought this place held their chance to break through to Dou Zun. They never expected that what lay within would be the very thing that made them die faster.
"You..."
Chu Shanwang's eyes widened.
Shen Shihuang smiled faintly. "Senior, as it happens, I have a Heavenly Flame on me, and it seems the flames here are exactly the same as mine. Or rather, the flames here are a portion of the Origin Flame Seed of the Heavenly Flame I possess."
Chu Shanwang: "...!"
Gai Shentong: "...!"
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder: "...!"
Even old monsters like them were left speechless by this turn of events.
Could things really work like this?
"Please, seniors, don't worry. If the situation were any different, I'd be the first to run. But from the looks of it, this flame has no effect on me!" Shen Shihuang grabbed Chu Shanwang's hand.
"Senior, you'll have to bear with it."
Hiss!
In an instant, Chu Shanwang's face twisted in pain. He couldn't even speak.
The black flame flowed slowly from Chu Shanwang's arm like blood, entering Shen Shihuang's body.
Whoosh!!
As the black flame left Chu Shanwang's body, his condition improved in an instant. He wasn't back to how he'd been before, but at least he stopped growing older.
"So it's true?"
Gai Shentong looked at Shen Shihuang in delight.
But then—
Gai Shentong's voice rang out. "Kid, why save us? If we were gone, we'd still have plenty of treasures on us."
What kind of place was this?
The Black-Corner Region.
Saving people in the Black-Corner Region?
Did he think that would earn him gratitude?
Most of the time, it meant he was asking for trouble.
That was the chaos of the Black-Corner Region.
Shen Shihuang stepped 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 had me trapped, didn't you three come to save me instead of heading straight for the altar?"
"What an interesting little fellow." Gai Shentong chuckled, completely lowering his guard and letting Shen Shihuang draw the flame from his body.
After absorbing the Taisui Flame from all three seniors,
Shen Shihuang looked toward the altar, now engulfed in black flames.
"Seniors, what exactly is this altar? Why were you so sure that what lay inside could help you break through to Dou Zun?" Shen Shihuang asked.
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We found a record of it in some ruins. It said there was a Seven-Colored Altar in the Ancient Venerable Abyss, containing a mysterious power that could help a Nine-Star Dou Zong break through to Dou Zun."
"A mysterious power?"
Shen Shihuang slowly approached the altar.
Light gleamed in his eyes.
He could now confirm that the altar really did contain the Origin Flame Seed of the Taisui Flame.
"Please wait a moment, seniors."
"I'll absorb the flame seed first."
Shen Shihuang pressed one palm against the altar.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, black flames surged from the altar like a sea of fire, pouring into Shen Shihuang's body.
An immense power erupted within him.
The black flames seemed to reach their utmost limit. Right before Shen Shihuang, they burned a rift in space.
It was the same familiar scene.
"Tap!"
A ripple came from the rift. When Shen Shihuang turned around, he saw Heaven Eye Pupil Elder, Gai Shentong, Chu Shanwang, and Zi Yan behind them—all frozen in place.
Even the wind around them seemed to have stopped.
"Wu Ci?"
Shen Shihuang watched as a figure emerged from the rift, dressed in a gray robe and holding a book wreathed in black flames.
"My lord!"
Wu Ci bowed respectfully.
"What's going on? And what about the Taisui Flame?" Shen Shihuang asked.
As he walked, Wu Ci explained, "Time has stopped. This is one of the Taisui Flame's powers. Once you've fully mastered it, you'll be able to wield the power of time as well."
"Time has stopped?"
Shen Shihuang's eyes widened, unable to believe it.
Wu Ci smiled. "My lord, don't be surprised. The Taisui Flame you possess is indeed complete, but time is different. As a result, some of the Taisui Flame's Origin Flame Seeds have scattered across other spaces and times."
"But this won't affect you much."
"Of course, if you can gather them, you'll be able to master the Taisui Flame's abilities more quickly."
"Until, at last, you command time!"
"The flame seed you've encountered is one of them. It's an Origin Flame Seed. Here, 'origin' means the source of all things. Just as those people seek, you can use the Taisui Flame to help those at the peak of their realm break through to the next major realm."
"However, I still hope you'll fuse the origins of the three Heavenly Flames into the Taisui Flame as soon as possible. Only then will you truly unleash its power—and find the best path to strengthen yourself."
As he spoke, Wu Ci's figure slowly faded into the spatial rift. When the rift finally closed, Heaven Eye Pupil Elder, Gai Shentong, Chu Shanwang, and Zi Yan all came back to life at once.
They had no memory of time stopping.
"What terrifying power!"
Shen Shihuang was shaken to the core. If he used such a power in a fight to the death, would his opponent even know how they'd died?
And this power—
He might actually be able to wield it himself.
The flames in the altar gradually died out, a sign that Shen Shihuang had completely absorbed the flame seed within.
"Since you seniors want to break through to Dou Zun..."
"Why don't I give you a hand?"
As Shen Shihuang spoke,
the Taisui Flame surged forth and enveloped the three of them.
These three had meant him no harm. On the contrary, they'd stepped in when he was in danger, so they were worth cultivating. Three Dou Zun experts would be the greatest support Shen Shihuang could ask for at this point.
With three Dou Zun experts backing him in the Black-Corner Region, Shen Shihuang could finally cut loose.
Sure enough.
As Shen Shihuang controlled the Taisui Flame, the three Heaven Eye Pupil Elders stopped suffering and instead wore looks of comfort.
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Boom!!
A powerful aura burst forth, sending Shen Shihuang flying backward.
An aura far more terrifying than that of a Dou Zong erupted from the three of them. They still looked like old men, but the vitality radiating from them was worlds apart from before.
"Hahaha!!"
Sword shadows circled around Gai Shentong as his hearty laughter rang out. "Kid, thank you!"
Chu Shanwang tossed a scroll toward Shen Shihuang.
"I don't know how to thank you, so here's the Dou Technique I cultivated. It's yours now."
"If you ever need anything, just send someone to the Wild Courtyard to find me."
Gai Shentong and Heaven Eye Pupil Elder did the same, each presenting him with a Dou Technique.
"Same as old Chu. Send someone to Sword Mountain if you need anything, and I'll come at once."
Heaven Eye Pupil Elder was just about to speak.
Laughter rang out.
"Hahaha!"
"The Ancient Venerable Abyss really is a treasure trove!"
"I've broken through too!"
The Earth Demon Old Ghost emerged from a vortex, his aura having reached Nine-Star Dou Zong!!
"No wonder we didn't see that old fellow after he came in."
"He must have gained quite a lot!"
Shen Shihuang put away the scrolls the three had given him and looked toward the Earth Demon Old Ghost.