Must Seize by Force

"Heavenly Flames!"

With a bang, the dragon scales all over Zhu Jin's body bristled. Those two words had directly touched the reverse scale in his heart.

He had been reborn for eleven years and had been a dragon for eleven years, constantly keeping an eye out for information on Heavenly Flames. He had originally thought that even if the Ancient Void Dragon Clan did not possess any Heavenly Flames, they would at least have information about them.

Yet North Dragon Island was now busy fighting a civil war, and they knew even less about Heavenly Flames than he did. At the very least, he knew where Heavenly Flames mentioned in the books, such as the Three Thousand Burning Flame, Falling Heart Flame, and Green Lotus Core Flame, could be found.

He had not expected to hear news of a Heavenly Flame after being out for less than half a month. Escaping his birth family really had been the right choice!

"Where is that Heavenly Flame? What rank is it on the Heavenly Flame Ranking? It can't be the Nihility Devouring Flame or the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. Those in the top ten, like the Golden Emperor Burning Flame, probably aren't likely either. Then again, maybe not. The books clearly stated that only the Nihility Devouring Flame and the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame were unique; the others were not necessarily so." At the mention of Heavenly Flames, Zhu Jin was practically panting!

It was no wonder Zhu Jin had become nervous. This was not merely a matter of faith; more importantly, Heavenly Flames were immensely useful!

Queen Medusa had relied on the power of a Heavenly Flame to complete her evolution, transforming in one stroke from a member of the snake people into the Heaven Swallowing Python, one of the Dou Qi Continent's most elite magical beasts. The Heaven Swallowing Python was a supreme race comparable to the Ancient Void Dragons and Ancient Heavenly Phoenixes.

Zhu Jin possessed three parts dragon blood. Without pills such as the Transformation Pill or some fortuitous encounter to cleanse his bloodline, his cultivation limit would be the same as Queen Medusa's: the peak of a Sixth-Tier magical beast. After all, he was merely a mixed-blood Ancient Void Dragon.

But if he obtained a Heavenly Flame and used its power to evolve, perhaps he could use it to wash away the impurities in his bloodline and reach pure blood status. When Zhu Jin had wanted to leave Dragon Island early and head to Jia Nan Academy, aside from going straight for Zi Yan, another purpose had been the juvenile Falling Heart Flame within the magma sea beneath the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower!

Xiao Yan's opportunity could not be stolen; he was the male protagonist personally chosen by the Creator God. But Jia Nan Academy's was another matter. If Jia Nan Academy lost its Heavenly Flame, then so be it. By the final ending, Xiao Yan would be a mighty Dou Di. If he split off a child flame for them, Jia Nan Academy would have more than enough for a lifetime.

As for Skyfire Venerable, Zhu Jin just needed to find a way to settle him somewhere and let him wait for Xiao Yan to be born and save him.

Zhu Jin had originally planned to cultivate until he reached the peak of Dou Wang or became a Dou Emperor before seeking out the juvenile Falling Heart Flame. After all, that place was the territory of the Flame Lizards. He had never imagined that the Beast Domain would have a Heavenly Flame.

Held tightly in Zhu Jin's hands and nearly scorched by his blazing breath, Xie Dong said in terror, "What is the Heavenly Flame Ranking that Dragon King speaks of? This servant does not know."

"Oh, right. Other than alchemists, most people do not know about the Heavenly Flame Ranking." Zhu Jin also realized that he had lost his composure somewhat. After setting Xie Dong down, he asked, "Do you know what that Heavenly Flame is called? Its color would do as well."

Returned to the ground, Xie Dong finally let out a sigh of relief. Afraid that Zhu Jin might crush him to death, he recalled the time they had explored the Heavenly Flame and felt a lingering chill. It had been a Heavenly Flame, a divine treasure of heaven and earth. A Tier Four magical beast like him had been nothing more than cannon fodder.

"At the time, an ancient ruin appeared in the Wild Mountain Range, and the chief led our clansmen there in search of opportunities." Xie Dong recalled the past. "It was the tomb ruin of an ancient alchemist, and that Heavenly Flame was inside the main burial chamber. But the Heavenly Flame was too powerful. It burned to death all the magical beasts that entered the main chamber, including Tier Five magical beasts. None could withstand its might."

The books said that even the mature Green Lotus Core Flame, which had not developed intelligence, heavily injured Queen Medusa, a Sixth-Tier magical beast with the strength of a peak Dou Emperor, leaving her to recuperate for half a year. Although the Green Lotus Core Flame ranked nineteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, making it the fifth from the bottom, if this is a mature Heavenly Flame, then even the lowest-ranked Black-Yellow Flame probably isn't something Tier Four or Tier Five magical beasts can touch.

"Tch." Zhu Jin clicked his tongue. He had estimated before that even to obtain the weakest Heavenly Flame, he would need at least the strength of a Dou Wang. He had planned to cultivate properly and wait until he reached the Dou Wang realm before considering it. He had not expected news of a Heavenly Flame to arrive so quickly.

No. Heavenly Flames are far too important. If I miss this chance, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. Even if I have to seize it by force, I must get it. At worst, I'll call on Father's power! That thread of soul force is enough to unleash the combat strength of a peak Dou Zong, perhaps even a Half-step Dou Venerate. A sharp glint flashed through Zhu Jin's eyes. In this world where the strong were revered, seizing opportunities was entirely reasonable.

Most importantly, the value of a Heavenly Flame was simply too great. Back then, when Gu He wanted Queen Medusa's Green Lotus Core Flame, he had offered two Grade Six pills and one Grade Seven pill. That Grade Seven pill had even been a high-grade Grade Seven Transformation Pill!

In other words, even the weakest Heavenly Flame was worth at least one Transformation Pill. The Transformation Pill did more than merely allow magical beasts to transform; consuming one could also slightly increase the power of their bloodline.

Of course, its greatest value would naturally be as an investment in Xiao Yan. When the final ending came, asking for a few Grade Nine pills in return for this angel investment would not be excessive, would it?

If one could ascend to the heavens in a single step, who would still keep their feet on the ground?

Even setting all that aside, using it for himself would bring tremendous benefits. The Ancient Void Dragons were inherently fire-attributed magical beasts. Divine fire-attributed treasures of heaven and earth such as Heavenly Flames were the best accelerators of strength for Ancient Void Dragons. Otherwise, why had that Ancient Void Dragon Clan elder left a permanent Dragon Seal within the juvenile Three Thousand Burning Flame? Was it not because Heavenly Flames held enormous value for Ancient Void Dragons?

If he fused a Heavenly Flame into his body and merged it with his dragon flame, he could raise the grade of his dragon flame.

Whether he used the Heavenly Flame to evolve or traded it for pills, this was the greatest opportunity he had encountered so far!

"Take me there!" Zhu Jin's golden eyes shone like blazing lamps. His expression was sharp, his dragon scales slowly clattering as killing intent burst from within him. He was already prepared for war!

"Huh?!" Xie Dong's mouth fell open in shock, and he hurriedly advised, "Dragon King, this servant knows that your divine might is unmatched, but... but with only you alone, I fear... I fear it will not be possible."

"That place has now been occupied by the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan and may already have been sealed off. Moreover, the Heavenly Flame was discovered months ago. It may very well have already been taken away by that expert of the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan." Xie Dong hurriedly tried to dissuade him. He did not want to make enemies of the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan.

Zhu Jin smiled. "There is no need to fear. It is merely the Nine Nether Deep Earth Python Clan. That clan is also internally divided, a magical beast clan tearing at itself like dogs. It is strong on the outside but weak within. Their former clan chief, Yao Ming, was imprisoned in the Nine Netherworld Yellow Spring through a conspiracy between Yao Xiaotian and the Grand Elder, and they are busy dealing with their own affairs now. That so-called clan expert is, at most, a Tier Seven Nine Netherworld Python, with strength topping out at Dou Zong. Perhaps it is only a Tier Six one. No matter what, I must go take a look. At the very least, I need to confirm what Heavenly Flame it is."