Yan Falls!

He took a step forward, crushing a glowing red rock beneath his foot.

"Hey! You bald guy!"

"Hand over the bead on your head, and I'll spare your life!"

Yan's voice echoed throughout the vast underground cavern.

At the same time, in the center of the magma lake.

The bald, muscular man in the red robe slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of displeased fire flashing within his pupils.

This was an underground fire vein of the Fire Burning Kingdom.

As a Foundation Establishment elder of the War God Temple of the Fire Burning Kingdom, he was in seclusion here, condensing fire spiritual energy.

He had not expected some ignorant mortal to barge in and start shouting.

The bald man looked Yan up and down.

Seeing the thick layer of magma armor covering Yan's body, the man frowned slightly.

"Where did this mortal come from? To have mutated after being tainted by a bit of geothermal poison, yet you dare to disturb This Seat's quiet cultivation?"

The bald man's voice was calm, yet it carried an air of aloof indifference.

Hearing this, Yan flew into a rage.

As a member of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall, a proud son of heaven, he was actually being called a mutated mortal by someone who didn't even possess spirit power.

This was an utter humiliation!

"You're courting death!"

Yan roared, and five spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black—rose directly from beneath his feet.

A powerful surge of spirit power instantly swept across the edge of the cavern.

"Let me show you the strength of a level fifty-two Spirit King!"

"Fourth Spirit Skill, Magma Surge!"

Yan slammed his hands violently onto the ground.

The magma at the edge of the cavern seemed to be pulled by some intense force, instantly boiling over.

A thick pillar of magma shot into the sky, carrying terrifying heat as it transformed into a clawing, snarling fire dragon, smashing fiercely toward the bald man in the center of the magma lake.

Across the Douluo Continent, countless Spirit Hall spirit masters watched this scene, unable to help but clench their fists and cheer loudly.

By utilizing the terrain advantage of the volcanic crater, this strike from Yan was already comparable to the power of a Spirit Emperor-level powerhouse.

That bald man, who didn't even have a martial soul, would surely be burned to ashes.

However, facing this massive, imposing strike.

The bald man didn't even dodge, nor did he shift his position by even an inch.

He simply raised his right hand slowly, spread his fingers, and made a light grasping motion toward the incoming magma fire dragon.

"Absorb."

Following the bland word uttered from the man's mouth.

The violent magma fire dragon seemed to be struck by a freezing spell, stopping instantly in mid-air.

Immediately after, in Yan's disbelieving gaze.

The magma fire dragon, which was over ten meters long, actually began to shrink rapidly, finally transforming into a wisp of pure red spiritual energy that burrowed into the man's palm.

The man withdrew his hand and even let out a satisfied burp.

"The quality of this geothermal fire is too poor, with too many impurities, but it's barely passable for warming up the body."

In that instant, the entire Douluo Continent seemed to have been pressed on a pause button.

Everyone stared at the Sky Screen, their minds blank, completely losing the ability to think.

Yan's most prideful ten-thousand-year spirit skill had actually been swallowed by the opponent as if it were a snack?

What kind of divine technique was this!

Inside the cavern, Yan stood frozen in place, unable to believe his own eyes.

"Who... who exactly are you?" Yan's voice began to tremble, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Hearing this, the bald man lowered his right hand and snorted coldly:

"Showing off your meager skills before an expert."

"Since you are so interested in fire, then This Seat will let you see what true fire is."

Having said that, the bald man flicked his finger.

A flame, only the size of a fingernail and entirely purple-blue, drifted lazily from his fingertip.

The flame looked incredibly weak, as if a gust of wind could blow it out.

However, the moment it left the man's fingertip.

The temperature throughout the entire cavern surged several times over in a single instant!

The originally dark red magma lake even began to churn, spewing out white bubbles.

That purple-blue flame drifted lightly through mid-air; it appeared slow, yet in the blink of an eye, it arrived right before Yan.

Yan tried to dodge, only to find that the surrounding space seemed to be locked down by this intense heat, his legs refusing to obey his commands.

"First Spirit Skill, Granite Rock!"

At this life-or-death moment, Yan could only channel his spirit power with all his might, reinforcing the magma armor before him with every ounce of his defense, attempting to block this fatal blow.

After the purple-blue flame drifted onto that layer of hard magma armor, under the gaze of everyone on the continent, Yan's Granite Rock—reputed to be invincible in defense at his level—was instantly dissolved.

In a split second, the flame drilled directly into his chest...

For a moment, Yan's charging body froze stiffly in place.

He opened his mouth wide, seemingly wanting to let out a scream, but not a single sound could escape his throat.

Only a thick plume of black smoke gushed out from his seven orifices.

His eyes instantly lost their luster, and his entire body began to emit a dark red glow from within.

It took only a single breath.

This member of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, a dignified level-52 Spirit King, didn't even leave behind a complete corpse; he was directly reduced to a pile of black ash that scattered onto the scorching rocks.

A breeze from deep underground blew past, and the pile of black ash was swept directly into the magma lake below, not even causing a single bubble to rise.

The light screen in the center instantly turned gray-white.

[Explorer Yan of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation has encountered an Elder of the Foundation Establishment stage from the Fire Burning Kingdom's War God Temple.]

[Incinerated by a strand of Natal True Fire; exploration failure confirmed.]

The blood-red text slowly emerged in mid-air, appearing exceptionally jarring.

Spirit City, the open-air training grounds behind the Pope Palace.

The sunlight remained bright, casting a faint luster upon the hard granite floor.

Yet, the atmosphere of the entire training ground had plummeted to freezing point.

It was so quiet that only heavy breathing could be heard.

Thump.

Hu Liena's legs went weak, and she collapsed directly onto the cold ground.

Her fox-like eyes, usually filled with charm, were now bloodshot, and large tears streamed down uncontrollably.

"Yan..."

Hu Liena's voice was terrifyingly hoarse; her hands gripped the stone floor so tightly that her nails tore and bled.

Just minutes ago, the companion who had patted his chest with such confidence, promising to bring back an immortal treasure for her, had vanished from before her eyes, alive and well.

He hadn't even had the chance to resist.

Xie Yue stood to the side, his face as pale as a sheet of paper.

His hands trembled slightly, and he couldn't even muster the strength to summon his Moon Blade spirit.

He stared at the line of blood-red text in mid-air, his mind filled with thoughts of disbelief.

Yan was the one with the strongest defense and the most explosive power among the three of them.

Let alone an ordinary person without a spirit, even if he encountered a powerhouse at the Spirit Emperor level, Yan could have retreated unscathed even if he couldn't win.

But now, the opponent had merely flicked his finger nonchalantly, and a tiny, unremarkable flame had killed Yan instantly.

"What on earth was that..." Xie Yue swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva, cold sweat rolling down his forehead in large droplets.

Standing at the very front, Bibi Dong's beautiful face was so gloomy it seemed as if it could drip water.

As a level-99 peak Douluo, Bibi Dong's perspective was naturally far higher than that of Hu Liena or Xie Yue.

She had seen it clearly.

That bald, burly man hadn't used any defensive spirit tools; the bead atop his head was at most a tool to assist in cultivation.

That man had truly sat in the magma with his physical body alone, and he had truly consumed Yan's ten-thousand-year spirit skill as if it were a snack.

"Fire Burning Kingdom, War God Temple, Foundation Establishment stage Elder..."

Bibi Dong's red lips moved, chewing over the unfamiliar terms that had appeared on the Sky Screen several times.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at Ghost and Yue Guan standing behind her.

"What do you think?" Bibi Dong's voice carried an unprecedented gravity.

Yue Guan wiped the cold sweat from his face, his shrill voice slightly distorted.

"Your Majesty, that bald man's method of attack is too bizarre."

"He has no spirit rings, and there isn't the slightest sign of spirit power fluctuations within his body."

"However, the purple-blue flames he released reached an absurdly high temperature, one that completely exceeded Old Black's understanding of fire-attribute elements."

Ghost also added in a hoarse voice, "Your Majesty, I believe the most terrifying part is not the temperature of those flames."

"That bald, burly man's control over fire has reached a point of absolute mastery."

"The fact that he could turn violent magma into mist and absorb it into his body proves that his very physical constitution is no longer that of a mortal."

Bibi Dong let out a cold snort, her gaze shifting back toward the sky.

"You are both correct."

"The cultivation system in this Renegade Immortal World completely subverts the logic of the Douluo Continent."

"They seem to have no need to hunt spirit beasts for spirit rings, nor do they require fixed spirit skills to launch attacks."

"As long as they master a certain method, they can directly harness the natural powers of heaven and earth for their own use."

As she spoke, a flicker of deep apprehension flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes.

A so-called elder, merely meditating in an underground cavern, could instantly kill a top-tier genius of Spirit Hall.

Then what of the Hall Master of the War God Temple in the Fire Burning Kingdom?

To what terrifying extent would his strength reach?

Bibi Dong felt a chill run down her spine.

In the Heaven Dou Empire, on the central plaza of Blazing Fire Academy.

The scorching sun beat down on the massive flame statue, keeping the temperature of the entire plaza naturally high.

Yet now, over a hundred teachers and students in red uniforms were shivering uncontrollably.

Everyone looked as if they had been drained of all strength, staring blankly at the gray-white screen in mid-air.

Huo Wushuang's mouth hung open; he wanted to say something, but his throat felt painfully dry.

Just moments ago, he had been confidently asserting that the bald man was relying on a treasure for protection.

The reality, however, had dealt him a harsh slap in the face.

Not only did the man not rely on any treasure, but he had even swallowed Yan's magma fire dragon as if it were a snack.

"Brother..."

Huo Wu stood nearby, her delicate body trembling incessantly.

The Repulsion Fire Ring she took such pride in had always been, in her mind, the most perfect defensive skill.

But after witnessing the scene where Yan's Granite Rock was instantly melted by those purple-blue flames, Huo Wu's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"What kind of fire is that..."

"It can even melt magma; is that even fire anymore?" Huo Wu sobbed, her legs giving way until she collapsed onto the ground.

The Dean of Blazing Fire Academy, a usually prestigious level-70 Spirit Saint, leaned dejectedly against the base of the flame statue.

"On the Douluo Continent, we always assumed the limit of a fire-attribute martial soul was to raise its temperature to the extreme."

"But those people from the Renegade Immortal World aren't playing with temperature at all."

Hearing the Dean speak, the surrounding students turned their heads, looking at him with bewildered eyes.

The Dean let out a long sigh and pointed a trembling finger toward the sky.

"That purple-blue flame spat out by the bald, burly man contains an incredibly pure aura of destruction."

"He didn't use high heat to burn Yan to death."

"He used that destructive power to directly decompose the very structure of Yan's body."

"What they call 'true fire' is fundamentally different from the mundane flames we see every day."

"This is a higher form of energy that stands above all elements on the Douluo Continent."

The Dean's words struck the hearts of every student at Blazing Fire Academy like a heavy hammer.

They had always believed that Blazing Fire Academy was the best in the land when it came to playing with fire.

Now, it seemed they were nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well, brandishing torches in front of a master.

Many young students began to weep openly; the despair of having their beliefs shattered was more painful than death itself.

For a time, a sorrowful atmosphere permeated the central plaza of Blazing Fire Academy.

In Fasno Province, at Shrek Academy.

The breeze on the dirt training ground died down, and the air felt heavy and stifling.

Ma Hongjun sat heavily on the ground, the fat on his face quivering.

The moment his Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul caught sight of those purple-blue flames, it had uncontrollably retreated deep into his dantian.

It was a fear and submission that stemmed from the very depths of his soul.

"Too terrifying..."

"My evil fire is afraid; it doesn't even dare to harbor a single thought of resistance." Ma Hongjun swallowed hard, his voice laced with a distinct, tearful tremor.

Dai Mubai clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging.

He stared at the grayish-white light screen in the center, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

A level fifty-two Spirit King, Yan, who possessed top-tier defensive skills, hadn't even managed to last a single round.

Tang San stood where he was, the glow of his Purple Demon Eye already retracted.

His brows were locked tightly together, his mind replaying that horrifying scene over and over again.

"Teacher..."

Tang San turned his head to look at Yu Xiaogang, who was standing not far away.

"You said earlier that the bald man was just a fraud playing tricks with some treasure."

"But he swallowed magma and unleashed true fire; those actions were performed entirely by himself. That bead didn't provide any power support at all."

Tang San's tone was calm, yet it landed like a resounding slap directly across Yu Xiaogang's face.

Yu Xiaogang's expression at this moment was nothing short of spectacular.

Turning from green to white, that stiff face, usually so stern and unyielding, now looked as unsightly as a painter's palette.